Thursday, December 15, 2016

An update on the suffering of ordinary people

2 of 924

Sunday, December 4, 2016

It is December 4th already

This darkness coming so early is hard on people.  It feels like it is about 10 p.m. right now.  This afternoon has also been a grey type of day.

On a bright note, there has been some lovely things going on for me.  Of course, everything depends on my health but happily I have been able to go to the First of Advent celebration at St. John's and then to our Bibles and Bagels group Christmas celebration which Pastor Dani picked me up and brought me back home from.

It was so nice to  be there among good people and a lovely atmosphere.

I also went to Jeff's concert on Saturday morning with Anita and Mohamed. Jeff picked Mohamed and I up and was able to fit two walkers in is trunk which was amazing.

Today, I am taking a break and staying home to rest.  Tuesday I have another gathering with the ladies and Wednesday is our Whitehern group annual Christmas at the Club.  All wonderful and happy things to do.

It is so nice to have things to look forward to.  I am so blessed to have such caring and good friends.


Thanks for dropping by.



Monday, November 21, 2016

It is November 21,2016

My apologies for the delay in writing.   Due to the fracture in the spine it is difficult to sit for more than a few minutes.

Plus on top of all that, I visited a dear friend in the hospital about ten days ago and picked up a terrible virus which caused me to be hospitalized overnight in Emergency.

Due to no liquid, food or sleep for more than two days, my heart had a problem and the defibrillator went off which feels like a horse kicked me in the chest.

What I was holding flew right out of my hand and made a mess on my bed and blankets.

My son came and brought me to the hospital and stayed with me.  After the doctor's decided that it would be necessary for me to stay in overnight, I sent him home and he came here and washed all the bedding and blankets.  I cannot say how much I appreciate that! I am so thankful I have a washing machine in my apartment.

Since I am still ill, he has brought food to me from the grocery store.

I am so blessed to have such a wonderful son.

Thanks for dropping by.

Monday, November 7, 2016

An update again

I cannot say that I am better but I am slowly healing and hopefully will not need an operation on my poor back.

I am resting a lot during the day and have early nights which is good for healing.  I also have been buying home cooked meals from a lady who sells them which has helped me a lot as I cannot stand very long.

I will be ordering some more dinners today and my friend Jeff will pick them up and deliver them to me.  That is very kind of him to do that.  He is a good friend.

My children came down from Kitchener for a day visit and we went to the club for lunch.  It was so great to be there and the children and myself really enjoyed it.  We went for a little walk at Princess Point as well.

Tomorrow, my friend Autumn and I will be taking DARTS (Accessible transportation) to Gage Park for a nice little walk there.

I am so thankful to have DARTS as that is the best way for me to get along now unless I am lucky enough to get a ride with friends.

I went to see my friend Rosie last Sunday and we had a little visit. She has been unwell for a very long time and her son contacted me via email to tell me she was back in the hospital.

It seems that doctors and hospitals are more of a way of life for older folk, but thankfully, in Canada we have a good system (on the main) for hospital and doctor's visits.  We are very fortunate in that respect.  I remember when there was no system and even to go to the doctor was a hardship as it cost money.

I am tired now, thanks for dropping by.


Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Am back home now

It has been a long road to recovery due to a fall and spinal injury.  My friend reminded me to post the fact that I am home now so that people will know that.   I have a long way to go yet, but thankfully after three and a half months in the hospital, I am now in my own environment.

My poor cat Gemma was angry with me and would not come near me, even though I had arranged for daily care for her.

Thankfully, now she is back to normal, lying on my bed, sitting with me on my chair and in general just being her own sweet self.

It is hard for me to sit for very long yet and I am on extremely heavy meds so I will make this short.

Thanks for those who kept checking in on the blog when I was gone.

I will try and post from time to time, but as I am not going out much, there won't be a lot to say.

Thanks for dropping in.

Thursday, June 9, 2016

am on the way by ambulance

It may be awhile before I can keep in touch again.


Wednesday, June 8, 2016

I reactivated my CCAC file today

It will take a week or two for a case manager to come out for a visit to see if I can get into St. Joe's.

I am barely coping what with the pain, the meds and not being able to stand to cook anything or to do any housework.

I really think that the system is not working too well.



Monday, June 6, 2016

FOYAL CARTER

This name should be an honourable one but alas, it is not.  I am a victim of a scam perpetrated by this so called human being.   I met him on a Seniors Dating site on the internet. It is not the fault of the dating site but the fault of this individual.

He alone is responsible for his deeds.

I will tell you a little bit about what happened so that you can be warned yourself.  We have to be fair, this type of scam  could be done by a man or a woman.  This person joined the dating site, as far as I have been told by him, about the same time I did.  I was attracted to his picture as he wore a suit and tie and seemed to be put together well.  He presented himself well in his profile, saying he was a sixty eight year old business man, still working on his side line business of buying and selling raw gold.

He also presented himself to be living in Orleans, Ontario which is part of the greater Ottawa area from what I understand.  He also was a Roman Catholic Christian.  That is an odd way to say it as well.  Normally, people would say "I'm catholic".    He used the name of God many times in his emails.

According to his profile, his education level was good as well.   Thus, he met some of my criteria although I much prefer men who are not skinny.

We began to correspond via the site.  I had only paid for one month and when things seemed to be going well, I told him I would be leaving the site.  He suggested that we exchange email addresses which seemed a logical thing to do.

According to his many emails and his profile, his intention was marriage.  This person seems to know how to push all the right buttons to attract a woman to him.   I suggested we communicate by SKYPE but he ignored my two requests.  Now I understand why.  He did not wish to be seen in real life.

He kept putting off coming to see me and I understood that as it is about a five hour drive.
However, he did tell me he was going to Egypt to do his business dealings and after that he would come to my city to meet me and my children so that they will know that "he will take good care of me."

Here is a little bit more information on him.  He was born in Paris, France of a French mother and an American father.  They moved to the United States shortly after he was born.  When he was 5 years old, his father died leaving both him and his mother alone in the States except for an French aunt and her American husband.  The mother could not cope with living there and went back to France leaving the boy in the care of his maternal aunt.  From what I understood, it was not a good relationship for the young boy.  I did find it very strange that a mother would leave her child behind in a foreign country but he was able to explain that one as well.  This person received all his education in the United States, which included getting a Masters Degree.

Another thing I noticed was that although he had many words available, he did not write as a well educated man.  He finally gave me his cell phone number and one day I called him.  The answering machine said  "your friend will call you back".  That in itself, was rather weird.

Any time I would question him about something, he would be able to give a reasonable answer or sometimes he would just ignore the question.

He even called me from the airport on his way to Egypt.  I could hear the background noises of planes.

We communicated by email while he was there and then one day he emailed me to say he had been mugged and lost his money and his cards.  Naturally I was concerned.  He hesitantly asked me to send him some money and he would pay me back.His hotel bill was huge plus the driver's bill was a lot too.

I contacted my friend Mohamed who is from Egypt to get some advice.  My friend did not hesitate to say that he thought it was a scam,  He used to be with American Express and he found the hotel bill far too expensive for the length of time he spent there.

My friend was even going to send his son to help him navigate the legal system there.

We were going to test this fellow by sending him a small amount of money just for pocket money.  I tried to send it by Western Union and did not succeed, and then I tried a bank transfer without success.  I had his cousin's banking information but the bank needed an email address.  He gave that to me but alas or in this case, it was well that my internet skills are not that great!  I just had forgotten totally how to do it.

Thus, I was spared the loss of a little bit of money and I found out that this person is a crook and not who he pretends to be at all.  I am thankful to my friend Mohamed for helping me out like that.

This person has since dropped me which is fine with me.   I bet you that this man has a long history of taking women for a ride.

I called our city's fraud squad and reported him but since I had not lost any money, there was nothing they could do.

I also reported him to Seniors Dating site and to his AOL provider to alert them to what he is doing.

The police were great.  They gave me many tips on how to avoid this situation again.  It is a lesson learned, I was too trusting.

Here is a picture of him that he sent me.   I now seriously doubt that it is his picture but he is using this for a profile picture.



View photo in message




It is my hope that if you read this blog, you will not be taken in by this con man.  It was a good lesson for me and I am glad that I did not lose any money.  The police said he could be anywhere in this world.

On that note, thanks for dropping by.


Sunday, June 5, 2016

One week after the fall

Instead of feeling better, I am feeling worse.  Even heavy drugs from the doctor are not helping the intense pain in my back.  I cannot seem to keep anything down and I cannot seem to eat anything except a bananas.  That stays down fortunately.

Sami, my dear pharmacist, came over with some gravol to help with the situation.  What a good young man he is.  He had called me to see how I was doing after the doctor's meds and I told him not well.

So many good people who are lending a hand.  Jennifer and John, Cathy upstairs, Vince beside me, Pastor Dani, my dear friend Asma who wants me to stay with her for a month and she will help me.  I cannot go as  all my medical help is here now.

I appreciate every kind action.  A soft tissue injury takes time and I guess time is what I have plenty of

I guess it is my time for learning more patience.  

My wish for you, dear reader is good health.  Cherish your good friends and the fact that God is an ever presence help in good times as well as bad times.




Tuesday, May 31, 2016

BEWARE OF A CON MAN


We'll call him Mr. Tinfoil.  I now doubt that he used his real name but that name will do nicely.

Why do I say that?  I met a con artist on a seniors dating site.  Of course, I did not know he was a con artist but found out fortunately before it was too late.

This "person" was talking marriage and commitment and a future together.  He claimed to be a Roman Catholic Christian.  Talked about God and things that would interest me in a future mate.

We did have a lot in common.

This is written specifically to warn older women of a con artist.  I found out about him today and am thankful that I have.

I met him through a Seniors Dating site and since I had only planned to stay for a month, I agree that we could use our emails instead of the dating site.

After a two month or thereabouts relationship via internet and personal emails and phone calls, he told me he was going to Egypt on business.  He is supposedly 68 years of age, tall - 6 ft, neatly dressed and very thin and a business man.  I will tell you the name he used - FOYAL CARTER and will show you the pictures he sent to another one of his victims.

He suggested that we correspond via email first and ask each other questions and find out how compatible we would be before he would come here to meet me and my family.  I thought that was a good plan actually and we corresponded almost every day.

I grew fond of him as he certainly knew how to talk with a woman.  I did notice though that although he said he was an educated man brought up in the States, his English was not too good.  He had a lot of words but sometimes they were not written the correct way.

I suggested we talk on Skype several times as we only had pictures of each other.  I prefer to look a person in the eyes and see who they are that way, rather than a picture only.

He never agreed to that, which should have warned me even further.  He said he was new on the internet dating site. I found out that he met this other girl the same way and they started to correspond in March.  We read each other some of the letters and man, this guy sure is not original, almost word for word.  Probably filled in the blanks and sent it.

To make a very long story short, he said he was in Egypt and had run into trouble, being robbed and mugged and taken to the hospital.  Naturally, I was concerned as he called me as well from there.

He owed the hotel where he was staying $7,000 American dollars and the taxi man who acted as his chauffeur $3,000 American.

I talked to my friend Mohamed who also is from Egypt and he felt very uncomfortable about this fellow.  He is a real good friend and cares for my welfare.  As soon as I told him that this fellow was asking for help, red flags went up for him as it did for me.

I thought that I might send a few dollars - less than $200 just for pocket money until he could sort out his problems but happily I did not have the computer skills to do so.  Mohamed was going to ask his son to go there and try and help him deal with the very different legal system there.  My friend was  going to call the hotel where the man said he was staying and ask for him as well.

Since I couldn't manage to send that money by the internet, I told "Mr.Tinfoil" that I couldn't do it so he sent his "cousin's" banking information which is right here in Ontario.  Happily I sent her an email first and found out that Mr. Tinfoil had talked marriage with her and sent many letters and had bilked her out of thousands of dollars.

As you can imagine, this man is toast as far as both of us are concerned.  We both have reported him to our local police fraud squads as well.  I also have reported him to his AOL provider and to the Seniors Dating site.

His picture looked so kind and nice but probably that is not even him.  He claimed to be a Roman Catholic Christian.  I don't think he should mess with God myself - a big mistake.

My friend Mohamed has advised me to hang up on him, print off his emails asking for money and give them to the police which I will do.

Another lesson in life learned.  I thank God to have learned it in such a short period of time without loss of money.

Ladies beware - that is all I can say.  If it looks or sounds too good, it probably is.

I hope the police can trace him and get that lady's money back.

It will be a pleasure to hang up on him if he calls again and also to put him right out of my mind.  I tried to paste the pictures of the other lady's con man but for some reason I cannot.

Perhaps tomorrow I will try again.  He has used the same name for both of us but sent different pictures.

Thanks for dropping by.





An update

Well, I think I will trade me in for a new model. Might be the easiest thing to do.

I definitely understated the extent of the damage from the fall.  I tend to do that.

To be precise, my knees are still swelling, my elbow is bleeding again and now a new pain has surfaced, just above my hip but in the back.

I guess when I fell I might have twisted something back there.

I will see my doctor on Friday and I am pretty sure she will ask for ex-rays which is a good plan.

Other than that, not being  very mobile and not being able to get around, I am doing fine.  I am reading, watching DVD's from the library and trying to do a little ironing of my summer clothing but cannot do much as I cannot stand for very long.I will have to take a taxi to get to the doctor's office on Friday.

I need a maid!  All joking aside, I am afraid I will have to let my housework slide for a while.  I do hate that though.

Pastor Dani dropped in yesterday.  It was great to see her.  She is such a good person.  She offered her help for getting in some groceries when needed.  We'll see - she normally comes by bike so that might be a little difficult.

Our Women's retreat is coming up near the end of June.  I am in charge of the study section so I have to be there.  Alternatively, if I cannot be, I can make the programme and the topic and send it to the group leader.  I sure hope I can go.

Well enough of that, another day has started and each day will bring me closer to being healed.  It just will take longer than I thought.

Thanks for dropping by.

Sunday, May 29, 2016

A wonderful Event yesterday

My friend Sarah and I went together to the Down town Mosque and we really enjoyed our time there.  We chatted with lots of ladies, watched the children having a ball, watched the little ones on ponies trotting along and the many kiddie events they planned.

They even had tug of war which the children loved. I was so happy to see families together enjoying the event.

 Of course, there were vendors there selling food, clothing, jewellery, a natural pain remedy and so many other things.

We got there around 3:30 or so and stayed till after 7.

Then the excitement happened, Sarah and I were walking to get the bus.  It was a gravel road and I did not see the raised section and my walker and I went flying  but without the benefit of wings!

Down I went on both knees and my poor elbow and it stunned me for a few minutes.  Two Somali men came running when they saw what happened as well as a Chinese lady.  They were so wonderful!

They wanted to call an ambulance as I was bleeding a lot and in quite a bit of pain, but all I wanted was to go home.  Fortunately they both were strong (being quite young) and managed to get me to my feet.  I was so touched by their gentleness and kindness to me.

I thanked them profoundly and Sarah and I took the Number 8 bus home.  It was a little difficult to walk but I am stubborn and we carried on!

Our driver was very nice as well.  He could see the state I was in as I was in rather a mess.  On our way out of his bus, he wished me well.  How very kind.

There is so much goodness in people - just the kindness shown at the mosque, the general acceptance of people they don't know well, the excitement of the children, the good will all around.  It warms my heart.  I feel so "at home" in the Mosque, Church or Synagogue.

In any event, once I was home, I washed the wounds with soap and water and then put hydrogen peroxide on all of them.

The pain was pretty bad and I was thankful to have some strong pain pills pills available.  They helped so much and also  putting ice packs on both knees is bringing the swelling down.

I just did not want to spend hours and hours in emergency.  I don't think anything is broken or otherwise I could not have walked even a little.

Glad to say that I slept with the help of the sleeping aid and pain pills and although there is some pain, I think in a few days time, I will be fine.  I will wait to see my family doctor on the third of June.

Thanks for dropping by.

Saturday, May 21, 2016

Friday, May 20, 2016

A BEAUTIFUL AND VERY MEANINGFUL MEMORIAL SERVICE

My home town  Lachine, P.Q.  -

This is a fitting picture to show the peace and quiet of what God provides.  I thought it was a perfect picture to showcase as now my friend Jayne is at peace


Celebrating the life of Jayne Kurtz

Jayne was the organist at St. John's Lutheran Church in Hamilton, Ontario.  In her professional life, she was an elementary school teacher in Toronto, Ontario and when she retired, she came to Hamilton to live.

Not only was she a talented musician, but also a very nice person.  I got to know her more from the ladies group and found her to be a good person.

Music was her joy in life and she freely shared her gift with others, singing, choir directing, organ and piano playing.

The order of service had friends and family speaking about her, a reading from Psalm 100, the pastor's message, and two different choirs singing with whom she was involved.  One choir even came from Oakville to share in this memorial service.  One of the highlights also was 4 Over 40, four gentlemen over 40 years of age, singing without music in harmony.  They were wonderful!  Tempus Choir and St. John's own choir sang like birds, lifting their song to the heavens.

I personally found it a very spiritually uplifting service, most fitting for a musical person, full of joyful songs and hymns.  To end this brief report of this special occasion, let us consider the following verse.


Proverbs Chapter 11, vs. 30

"The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life."


Thanks be to God for the life of Jayne and her gift of music to so many people.






Thursday, May 19, 2016

The 60's Scoop





Thanks to my nephew Peter for telling me about this site.

We also had a talk by two ladies at our Women's Group who are part native about what has happened to the children and how it has affected their whole lives as well as the native communities.

Thanks for dropping by.


Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Westlife - Queen Of My Heart





For those who are hard of hearing, here are the words.

Queen of My Heart

So here we stand
In our secret place
With a sound of the crowd
so far away
and you take my hand
And it feels like home
We both understand
It's where we belong

So how do I say
Do I say goodbye?
We both have our dreams
We both wanna fly
So let's take tonight
To carry us through
the lonely times

Chorus:

I'll always look back
As I walk away
This memory
Will last for eternity
And all of our tears
Will be lost in the rain
When I've found my way
Back to your arms again
But until that day
You know you are
The queen of my heart.

Queen of my heart.

So let's take tonight
And never let go
While dancing we'll kiss
Like there's no tomorrow
As the stars sparkle down
Like a diamond ring
I'll treasure this moment
Till we meet again

But no matter how far
(Matter how far)
Or where you may be
(Where you may be)
I just close my  eyes
(I just close my eyes)
And you're in my dreams
And there you will be
Until we meet

Repeat chorus twice.

Oh yeah
You're the
Queen of my heart
(Of my heart)
No matter
How many years it takes
(Queen of my heart)
I'll give it all to you
Oh yeah
(Queen of my heart)
Oh yes you are
The queen of my heart.



I hope you will enjoy this lovely song.  It was sent to me along with the words so that I might hear.

Saturday, May 14, 2016

WHAT A DIFFERENCE SLEEP MAKES

I am so thankful for my friend Jennifer who took me and my CPAC machine to Frid Street yesterday mid afternoon.

The final straw was no sleep at all the night before and she had offered to take me, so off we went and got the machine in order.  It only took a few minutes.

I had to re-arrange my bedroom around a bit to get the machine near my bed but that was easy enough as I don't have a carpet in there, thank goodness.

I had a wonderful sleep last night until 7:30 this morning.  What a difference a good sleep can do to the human body.

I went to St. John's Garage Sale and had a fantastic time!  I must have spent about two hours there at least.

I picked up so many nice outfits and a few cute ornaments, and spent under $5.00 for the whole lot.

Needless to say, I am one thrilled camper!

Thanks for dropping by.


Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Walking down memory lane

I am going through old, old files and tossing out what is no longer relevant.

What a tremendous find I made.  My activities file and work placement notes for my ECEA course in Toronto.

I will keep that forever as I loved working with children.

Reading the whole file took a few hours but what a pleasure to relive the time.

It seems I have been down sizing forever, but now am on the filing system which has been many years in the making.  It will take a long time to par it down to "now" and just keep good memories to revisit when I want.

What a marvellous experience in walking down memory lane with the little ones in my classes.

Thanks for dropping by.



Sunday, May 8, 2016

Maher Zain - Number One For Me | Official Music Video

Maher Zain - For The Rest Of My Life | Official Music Video

Mother's Day news

It was a lovely concert with 54 singers present.  It was the Hamilton Sings Community Choir performing.  My friend Jeff invited our group to attend and Mohamed and Anita as well as myself were able to come.

The cost was extremely reasonable - $10.00 per person which included a sweet table with coffee and soft drinks.  There were several draws as well.

It was very international in its scope with songs in French, Spanish and, of course, English. They sang for an hour.
A gorgeous tree at the side door where the ramp is

It was well worth the time and in my opinion, the choir did a very good job.  Some of the songs would be quite difficult to sing.

Anita walked home as she lives near this former church, now community centre, and Jeff dropped me off at home and would have taken Mohamed home as well but he wanted to go to Tim Horton's for a while.

A lovely way to spend some quality time with friends and listen to nice music.

Tomorrow's dinner with my son and his little family is something else to look forward to as well.

What a fabulous weekend.

Thanks for dropping by.

I took a few shots outside the community centre of the flowers which are poking their heads above ground and the flowering bush plus the two fellows.  Anita was still in the church unfortunately so I did not get her in the picture.


Jeff in the front, Mohamed behind


So wonderful to see flowers up and blooming.

Saturday, May 7, 2016

A wonderful day!

It was the Tea and Plant sale today at St. John's Lutheran.  My job is to pour coffee.  Rosie and I take turns doing this so we both get a break.  I took the later shift as I am not a morning person now.

The tea was in full swing when I got there at 11 and I immediately took over my duties as the coffee/tea lady.  This year it was a little different.  Coffee for a bottomless cup was $1.00 and for the Chicken Schnitzel on a bun it was $5.50.  The fantastic German baking was extra if you wished to purchase a slice of cake.  The top price for a piece of cake was $3.50 and it was for a very large piece.

Normally coffee and the meal are together but owing to prices going up in the grocery stores, they needed to charge for the coffee this time.

Nobody complained and people still bought food and drink plus the lovely desserts. The weather outside was fantastic and as a result, I think, not so many people came out as last year.

It still went very well though.

Only two of my friends from outside came, they came at 10 when it opened and then left and came back for lunch.  In the meantime, they went to St Paul's rummage sale and had a ball there!

I took my lunch break with them which was lovely as we had lots to chat about.

My friend Rosie dropped me off in front of my building and this saved me taking the bus home.

All in all, a really good event.   Tomorrow, another good event - Jeff's concert. My friend Anita will meet me at the bus stop out her way and we will go together into the church.  Jeff will drive me home after the reception.  I am glad that Jeff is enjoying his singing group as he has a lovely voice and can contribute well to a group of singers.

All in all, a wonderful weekend!

Thanks for dropping by.

Thursday, May 5, 2016

Barton Bus Number 2

This will give you all a real good laugh.  I think every city has its own "Barton Bus No. 2, so most likely it will be great fun for people to watch and chuckle and relate to.

Click on thSubject: Hamilton's Barton 2 bus becomes WONDERBUS #2



A musical parody of Hamilton, Ontario’s Barton bus Number 2.
Enjoy!

I haven't written much lately

Some very good news though.  I just received notification that one of my poems has been chosen to be included in Tower Poetry's Book.

That is nice.  My friend Jennifer reminded me to submit something and I did it on the last day but really did not have any expectation of being included in the book.

There will be a book launch at McNab Presbyterian Church on June 12th from 2-4 p.m.  As you may know, Tower Poetry Society is the oldest poetry society in North America.

This year I can go as our church picnic is the week before.

I hate to miss anything!

I haven't done many things lately, basically stayed home and worked on paper work.  Tonight I will go to Martini Night (I don't drink) but that is what it is called.  There is live jazz music (Henry Strong) and I sit with two different groups of friends.

My cat Gemma is working out very well.  She has settled in very nicely and seems to have trusted me totally which makes me happy.  I will post a picture or two of this fine little girl cat so you can see what she looks like.

I have had some interesting developments in the romance department but that is another story.......

It just proves that age is a number and that compatibility and understanding is important for a relationship between the two sexes.

Here are some pictures of Gemma, the new addition to my little family.



She is is proving to be a gentle little soul and a good addition to the family.  Obviously, I still miss Boots terribly as he lived with me for 17 years of his 20 years of life.  Gemma was adopted from the SPCA.  I always adopt from shelters to give the animals a chance.
Little Miss Gemma hiding on my bureau
Gemma settling in


Wednesday, April 13, 2016

FURTHER NEWS FROM THE ARTS IN VANCOUVER