Wilma's blog

A very nice time spent at The Club

2012-02-17T08:46:00.000-08:00

Thursday nights are always Martini Nights. It is a great opportunity to meet other members and their friends that they bring.

I sat by myself at the far end until the wonderful lady who works behind the bar came over and invited me to sit with some people on the sofa near the fire.

The people I usually sit with had many friends there so I did not want to intrude.

It was a delight to meet new people as well and we had some good conversations. I particularly enjoyed meeting Paven as he is an entrepreneur like my son. I saw in him goodness as he offered to share his supper with the people sitting with him, also he supports a charity for boys and girls, which I totally loved.

He would like to meet my son when he returns so I will arrange that.

Another point I would like to mention. Mohammed and I were very impressed with the lady behind the bar. She saw Mohammed come in late, and poured his gingerale. He was very taken with that and felt so welcomed by that kind gesture. She is such a nice lady and so thoughtful. It was she who brought me over to sit with the people on the sofa. I probably would not have gone by myself, as I don't like to intrude.

I think this is one of the nicest Martini nights I have had. I liked everybody who sat on the sofa and really enjoyed the fireplace lit. It is so cozy.

I also was glad to see one of my favourite people in the club come and sit with us for awhile.

All in all, a delightful time, once again, at the Club.

This and that

2012-02-12T16:52:00.000-08:00

A good day today. I really loved the poem on marriage that my daughter sent me. Her friend sent it to her.

It had some good points in it.

We had a lovely chili dinner (just spicy enough without going overboard) after the annual meeting at church.

A friend of mine had thought that she and her friend might visit me this afternoon, but they were unable to come after all.

I could go out tonight, but I just don't feel like going out again. I am missing a few nice things lately but winter does not agree with me, especially at night when it is so cold and dark.

I had a nice chat with my son on Skype this afternoon and he gave me an excellent idea for my poor hand to stop the terrible itching. Take an ice bag and put it on the hand which I tried immediately and it helped a lot.

Lucky for me, I have those bags always in the freezer so they came in handy.

It doesn't solve the problem of "why" but hopefully I can see the dermatologist before my middle of May appointment and relieve some of this awful rash and itching. Fortunately, it is not contagious but it sure looks ugly.

This getting older is not for weak minded people. Patience is a pre-requisite for growing older as the body gets tired and seems to exhibit more problems than when one is younger.

I imagine it is similar to buying an older model car which has been driven for years. It could easily break down at an inopportune moment and need a tune up.I guess how we treat our bodies when young will be shown when we age. Good nutrition is so important for growing children and so many children nowadays live on fast food. I shudder to think what their health will be when they are much older.

Thus, we humans as we age, seem to need tune-ups more often than before.

However, I still thank God that I have reached this age and, God Willing, will continue on for a few more years. All that matters really in this life, is enough to eat, clothes to wear, and a decent roof over one's head plus good friends and, if one has saved, a little money in the bank for emergencies.

We come from God and we return to God. This life is just a temporary measure and we break our backs working like this is the only existence, climbing the ladder of success, getting bigger and better houses or cars and yet, when you think about it, in the not too distant future, we will leave it all behind. What matters, in my opinion, is how we have treated our fellow humans and animals, how we have cared for the earth, and what we have shared of ourselves with other people. Above all this, and part and parcel of it, is our remembrance of God and including Him in our daily lives. It is He who gives us the strength and courage to carry on and face whatever comes in the future, which thankfully, we do not see. It is often times a mercy that we cannot see into the future, in my opinion.

I always have loved the old Sunday School song "Brighten the Corner, where you live." and have tried to live that way all my life. I have failed sometimes but I continue to try and live with that thought in mind.

Thanks for dropping by.

Kahlil Gibran on Marriage

2012-02-12T14:29:00.000-08:00

Kahlil Gibran on Marriage

Just click on the underlined subject and you will find a beautiful and realistic poem about marriage.

Busy, busy day today

2012-02-11T17:04:00.000-08:00

I was very glad that I did not have to go out today. I don't think it was as bad a storm as they had forecast but it was still nice to stay home and catch up on some housework including lots of washing.

I was able to spend two and a half hours on editing this afternoon which is good as my deadline is coming up soon.

I had made a nice dish of tofu, soft wheat, garlic, onions and hamburger meat. Today I cooked some carrots and enjoyed a second helping of this healthy food. I would say I can get another meal out of it at least. Pretty reasonable cost, onions, garlic, ginger and tofu are all inexpensive and the hamburger meat was just a small amount so it was a very tasty and economical meal.

I do enjoy cooking once in a while and usually what I make is enough for several times.

Having the Farmer's Market so close to me is also very handy.

Tonight I plan to watch WNED as there is very good programming on.

Thanks for dropping by and enjoy your day!

My son's sense of humour

2012-02-11T08:00:00.000-08:00

When I finally straggled up this morning at 10:30 a.m., I noticed I had a phone message.

It was my son, calling from his warm and sunny climate. His comments made me laugh.

He had seen the Weather Network and decided to tease me about the wonderful weekend which has been forecasted for this area.

I e-mailed him back and told him all about our sunny, beach-like weather, palm trees gently swaying in the wind, the sea lapping against the sandy shores and then I put a big NOT!

In reality, there is a thick blanket of pristine white snow covering everything. The sky is grey and as I look out I see that the snow has started to fall again. I also see that there are very few people out on the streets. I saw one man walking on the road and it doesn't look like the snowplows have been out yet..

We were warned about a storm coming for this weekend with freezing rain, snow and bitter cold weather so I prepared in advance, getting in enough groceries for a siege!

I also told our president of Tower that I would not be coming today due to the cold and perhaps dangerous conditions.

I am now set to have a pleasant day inside. I need to spend many more hours editing the book which is promised for the end of February. So far I have spent six hours on it but there is much more to do.

It is nice to be able to know that all your needs are met and that you can concentrate on working without too much interruption, no matter what type of weather rages outside my cozy little pad.

We should all take a lesson from the cats, curl up, snooze, relax and accept life the way it comes.

Boots will particularly enjoy trying to catch the snow as it falls just outside his reach. I have cleared a spot on the window sill so he can see out.

Thanks for dropping by, and come back when you have the time, if you would like to.

A lovely afternoon spent with a friend

2012-02-05T14:29:00.000-08:00

We went out to lunch to Williams Coffee Pub at the waterfront, walked around for awhile and then went into Burlington to the RBG.

I took some lovely shots and was very impressed with the glass work exhibited.

Unhappily for me, I had a bad spell at the RBG and had to be taken home. Rosel got me some water and that helped a little bit but still am very lightheaded and not at all well.

In any event, here are some lovely pictures I took of the RBG in Burlington.

One of the flowering plants

Reminds me of a lollypop

Glass Work

Rosel liked this flower so I took a shot for her

Unhappily, we had to cut our time short and I will not be able to go tonight to Lit Live. I was asked to take pictures tonight for Arts Hamilton but I would not dare be on the street feeling the way I do right now.

Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Planning for the World Day of Prayer

2012-02-03T14:25:00.000-08:00

Today was our meeting for the downtown churches to plan for the upcoming World Day of Prayer.

This year the topic is on Malaysia. It will be held March 2nd at 12 noon.

As usual, the different churches will provide plates of food for after the service.

A very nice gentleman prepared a lovely feast of many kinds of sandwiches and a great cake.

It was so very kind of him to do so. We had a nice time after the meeting chatting.

When I got home, I started to work on my filing system, trying to get things in a better order.

I got quite abit done, including filling out a form that needed to be in by the 10th of February so I am glad that is done.

Still a lot to do, but I am slowly getting things the way I want them.

Thanks for dropping by.

Mohamed and I at the Club - Martini Nights

2012-02-02T17:47:00.000-08:00

We sat with Dave and Diane again and they had invited some of their friends to come as well so we got to know more people. Mohamed and Dave had some really stimulating conversation.

We arrived at 5 p.m. and stayed till after 8 p.m. and we enjoyed the jazz music they were playing. It was new musicians this time. They were excellent.

Waiting for me to get my coat

Underneath the Queen's portrait - Mohamed

Me - ready to brave the cold

We had a very pleasant evening. I enjoy going to these evenings and gradually I will get to know more people as I go along.

Asma and I at the Club

2012-02-02T13:16:00.000-08:00

She made very good time from Toronto and we were lucky to find a parking spot downstairs rather than have to go all the way to the roof.

We had a short visit here and then we went over for lunch. It was not too crowded at the time we went so got got a nice seat near the window.

In the foyer of my apartment

We tried different shots just to have some fun. Here is a side view.

We walked over to the club and both of us enjoyed our meals. I think she had the tuna fish salad sandwich with a bowl of mushroom and onion soup. We decided against desert as we were totally full and brought things home in a doggy bag.

The portions at the club are large. I never can finish them but it makes a nice change for me not to have to cook the next day.

In the room where lunch is usually served

A more sober look

After our nice lunch, we went over to the mall to see if she could get some manto which is Afghani food. Unhappily, there were none left. Ah well, next time when she comes, definitely we will try again to get some.

After she left,Ii lay down for awhile as I felt tired. I didn't sleep, just rested and listened to nature music which has a very calming effect on me.

Tonight Mohammed and I will go to Martini Hour and we will meet at the club. All in all, a lovely day.
'

Mary and I in the Den at the Club

2012-01-31T16:50:00.000-08:00

We had a lovely visit and shared a huge butter tart together. That might be the way for me to avoid too much sugar, share a desert from time to time with my guests.

The Den is my favourite spot in the Club. It is cozy and there is a table just suited for tea for two.

Mary is such a delightful person and we have been friends and colleagues on the Literary Committee for many years now. We can always find something to talk about.

Mary

Thanks for dropping by and please come again when you have the time.

Have a great day!

Nonnie and I at the Club for tea

2012-01-30T13:27:00.000-08:00

We had a lovely little visit to the club. It turns out that Nonnie grew up in my hometown. What a delightful pleasure it was for me to find that out.

I rarely meet anybody from there.

We went overboard and had some scrumptious desert as well as tea.

Nonnie

Black Forest Cake

Nonnie was going to take a picture of me, but I got one first!

We had a lovely tea together.

It was a nice break for me as well as I have been helping my friends pack and move things this morning and needed a little break.

Thanks for dropping by and have a great day!

Editing

2012-01-29T14:24:00.000-08:00

The snow is falling gently to the waiting pavement below my window. I sit at the computer, cozy and warm, watching it fall. My silly cat Boots sits on the window sill and tries to catch the snowflakes as they whirl by. It was fun to see him in action. With the glass there, it was a hopeless endeavour on his part but he is having a good time and providing free entertainment for me!

I also am listening to the Scottish programme on 740AM which I love. It is on for two hours on Sunday afternoons from 4 - 6 and then comes the Irish programme.

I took a look outside at Gore Park and saw that Queen Victoria's statue is now covered in snow, giving her the appearance of a stately lady with velvet white robes.

Gore Park - statue of Queen Victoria

A shot of the glass building next door - white snow flakes

Gore Park - Queen Victoria robed in snow

I have to get on with editing the book - time is flying by so fast and I have a deadline.

I managed to get two hours to edit the book today. Since Kenny helped me via ' Skype share a screen', it is easier for me now to use Google Chrome documents.

One does not have save at all on that programme which seems rather strange to me but so far it is working.

I find her book a very interesting read so it is both educational for me and uplifting at the same time. It is on religious matters which, of course, interests me very much.

I have edited an African lady's book quite some time ago and she was delighted with the result. Unhappily she died of cancer and her family cannot find her manuscript. It really is a pity as she described the life of an African woman. It was a very enlightening book for me to edit and I got to know her quite well through the internet.

I am in touch with her son and her husband from time to time through the internet.

In any event, I could not resist taking a picture of the two laziest cats in the word - Boots and Tiger. They were curious to see what I was doing when I was snapping pictures of the snow so they came right up and almost stuck their faces into the camera.

Here they are.....

Boots, the more curious of the two

Tiger - the more timid one in spite of his name!

Thanks for dropping by. Hope you enjoy the pictures and come back again when you have the time.

Jody and I at the Club

2012-01-28T07:18:00.000-08:00

We had a great time visiting and catching up with everything. She seemed quite at ease in the Club and quite "at home" which was important to me. I want my guests to feel welcome.

Jacqueline was our server again and, as usual, she was marvelous. She always calls me by my Ms. ____ and I asked her if she wouldn't mind calling me by my first name. Ms. sounds like a busy bee to me.

Our reservation was for six p.m. and Jody parked in my parking spot which made it better for everybody as she did not have to search for street parking.

I have not put up my "for rent" sign again. There are two signs up right now. I think I will wait until they take their signs down.

In some ways, I like to have it available for my own guests who come as parking downtown is costly.

Back to our outing at the Club. After we enjoyed our very filling dinner (both of us took home doggy bags)
we sat in one of the lounge areas and enjoyed chatting. Jacqueline came over and asked if we wanted anything and offered water so I took water.

Jody and I in one of the dining room

Lamb dinner - fit for a king or queen

Lamb dinner

Jody's choice

The food doesn't look very much the way they arrange it, but once you get into eating, it is huge portions. I may just order half portions for myself from now on (if I remember).

I love the atmosphere in the Club and am getting to know some people now through Martini Night.

It is a very cozy place and yet elegant at the same time.

Thanks for dropping by.

An interesting Sunday

2012-01-22T15:33:00.000-08:00

Today was a busy day but all nice things. After church I helped young Cassie with her reading, then my neighbour came up to wash her delicate clothing as her machine is not working properly.

In the meantime, this lady is expecting a baby and has no experience in child care at all. We had a great time practicing with a sock doll. We learned how to diaper a baby, wrap a baby up in a cozy blanket, how a baby needs to sleep (on its back) and how to bath and feed an infant. Needless to say, I don't have any baby things around anymore so we had to improvise. The diaper was a dish cloth, the blanket was a large blanket which was very cozy. We used baby wipes (real ones) and we practiced attending to the baby's needs.

I suspect it might have been a real eye opener as to the actual job of caring for a child.

I didn't think of it while we were practicing, I should have taken pictures while we were doing it. It was great fun and I must say this "baby" gave us no trouble whatsoever.

I took some shots of the "baby" just for fun while I was writing up this blog. We will have to call the baby "no name" as the couple have not thought of names yet.

Actually, I had a ball. It is a pity that this couple is moving to another city as I could have been very helpful once the baby arrived. However, that is the way it goes. I thought it might be a good idea to get a little experience before they move next week.

I remember being very "green" when I had my first baby and it was hard to know what to do. Parenthood is not easy, in fact, I suspect it is the most difficult job in the world. So many people go into it without proper thought, but there are so many details in looking after a baby properly and it is a 24 hour a day job, especially when they are young.

It was fun to practice though. I really enjoyed it. I only regret that I will not be able to give a hand when needed as they will be too far away.

On another note, I had a delicious tofu dish for supper. Yummy and now I am going to relax and do nothing.

Thanks for dropping by.

Dinner party at the club to say Farewell

2012-01-20T19:05:00.000-08:00

As usual, the food was excellent and the staff most attentive. Our wonderful server took us on a tour of the second and third floors. There are some really interesting rooms up there. I am so glad to have been able to get up those stairs to check things out. Some were not heated. Wonderful views from up there of not only the street but also of the club.

We went into dinner and the five of us chose what we wanted. The chef had done a good job with our dietary restrictions. They certainly could not have been more obliging and made us feel right at home.

Here is a picture that our server took of our little group.

Guests of Honour - Andrew and Rahell, me, Mohamed, Sarah

I chose the pasta dish tonight - next time I will ask for a half portion

Andrew with his expresso coffee

Andrew drove everybody home to their own residences. Everybody seemed to have a lovely time and chatted easily together. It really is a shame that Andrew and Rahell are leaving.

I have known Andrew for almost nine years now and know that if there is a need, I can call on him. He and Rahel often pick up little items for me from the grocery store when they go also.

It was an expensive evening and not one that I will do again for a very, very long time for so many people but well worth it as it was a thank you gift from me and a chance for bonding between the two younger ladies. Mohammed and Andrew have always gotten along but this is only the third time that Sarah and Rahel have met each other. I hope that they will keep in touch after Rahel and Andrew move.

I would say that the evening was a success.

Thanks for dropping by and come again when you can.

Tea and goodies at the Club today

2012-01-18T15:43:00.000-08:00

I have been too busy in the last few days to go to the club. My friend Elizabeth told me that Tom
McQuesten,of the famous McQuesten family of Hamilton, was a member of this club while he lived and that she would love to see it. Liz is a fellow poet from Poetry Center and I have known her many years now. I see a lot of her in the summer where she serves a delightful tea at an outdoor concert here in Hamilton.

Naturally, I invited her for tea and we had a most delightful time together. She was most impressed by the ambianceof the place as well as the good service that Jacqualine gave us.

I knew that she would enjoy having a momento of the occasion so took some shots with my ever ready camera.

Liz, enjoying her sorbet

Tea anybody?

Just herbal tea for me alas - it was excellent though.

Near one of the fireplaces

She was most impressed and had a good time for which I was glad.

Tower Poetry Book Launch January 15,2012

2012-01-15T16:37:00.000-08:00

It was a bitterly cold day out when 30 people braved the elements to come out to the book launch which was held at Carnegie Gallery in Dundas, Ontario.

I was most fortunate that my friend Stella took me or otherwise I would not have been able to attend this winter launch of the book. I cannot handle waiting for the bus which runs only every hour on Sunday.

As is usual, people chatted with each other and enjoyed the art work and the creativity which Carnagie Gallery showcases.

We were expecting poets from Sarnia, Ontario and waited a little while for them but we had to start without them.

Happily they arrived safely and once they were settled, we started the readings again after a refreshment break.

It was marvelous to see James Dheal, Norma West Linder, Debbie Oakum Hill and a new poet I had not met. I believe her name is Lynne.

I learned something shocking that Peggy Fletcher, a well known and much loved poet in Sarnia passed away recently. It was quite a shock.

I will post a few of the pictures here for your enjoyment.

Trudy Down

Nancy

Jennifer Tan

Marianne Vespry

Debbie Okum-Hill - Sarnia area poet

Norma West Linder - Sarnia poet

James Dheal, formerly of Hamilton, now in Sarnia.

Jeff Seffinga - Editor in Chief of Tower Poetry Society

All in all, it was a lovely event and I was so very happy to have been able to attend.

Thanks for dropping by.

Jen's Art Exhibition - Volunteer Hamilton 2012

2012-01-14T14:37:00.000-08:00

After attending the members complimentary luncheon at the club, I went to see Jen's Art Exhibition which was held at the Volunteer Bureau.

Jen had a very lovely display, nicely framed of her photos. I only took one shot of the one I liked best.

I was glad to see that several people dropped in. Jen had a young musician playing and also had a lovely snack table.

I was glad that I went as Jen was so pleased that I came. I stayed till around 3:30 and then hopped on the bus to go home.

Here are some shots.

Jen is the lady in the middle wearing a tourquoise shirt.

The lovely snack table which Jen arranged for

This was on poverty. I particularly liked that one.

She did a very good job of arranging everything. I believe her exhibition of photography will be up for another week or so. Drop by if you have a chance.

Thanks for reading my blog.

Went to my club today

2012-01-07T16:47:00.000-08:00

I had a really nice time, reading and working on a poem and then I decided to stay for dinner.

It is so nice and quiet in there, no telephones, no distractions. I think it will be a home away from home for me.

I have had lunch there with my friend Rosemary a few weeks back and enjoyed that. I treated myself to a delicious dinner tonight - very well cooked and very well presented. Jacqueline was the lady who looked after all my needs for dinner, she even took my coat and hung it up for me. I could get used to that nice treatment!

A reservation was made by a party of six and they arrived exactly at 6 and went into the lounge for before dinner drinks and then they will go into the dining room for their dinner.

Vanessa recognized me and let me come in even though the club opens only at 4 p.m. on a Saturday. I did not know that but she let me in and we had a nice chat. She reminded me a lot of my friend Amina in Toronto, small and petite and a whirl of energy.

What a treat it was for me this afternoon just to get away and do something different.

Thanks for dropping in.

The last few busy days

2012-01-03T07:32:00.000-08:00

It has been a very busy last few days, what with the move for my friend Wesley which took two days, invitations to lunch, dinner and tea. I also had a guest myself on Sunday for lunch.

Tomorrow will be my last appointment I have to go to and then I plan to work on paper work which I have shamefully neglected.

I shall be glad to be home with nowhere to go for a while. I am going with my friend to Martini Night at the Club (I don't drink) but I am sure that they will have soft drinks as well I thought I would like to have one more experience of a social event before joining the Club. I have been most impressed so far.

I have some good news - my son will be returning to Canada earlier than I thought. I thought he might stay until the visa expired. I learned that last night when I had a long chat with him on Skype.

I shall be glad to see him back in Canada wherever he will go. Sometimes one has to leave a country to really appreciate the wonderful things of one's own country.

Yesterday was a splendid day for me. My pal Asma came and we were so lucky to get one of the three parking spots downstairs. My parking spot is quite difficult to get to as it is on the roof and it is two way traffic which is a little more difficult as it goes around in circles and you have to keep on honking.

We always have such a good time together and we are so very close which is a blessing for both of us I am sure. We ate at the Afghani place in the mall and we plan to do this for each visit as it is a real treat for her to have this kind of food.

I will be editing her book for her and she insists on paying me. That is very kind of her but I would have done it for free as we are pals. I also will start my new job as Advertising Manager/Public Relations person some time next week.

This year is shaping up nicely, my son returning, my good friends, plans to join a very nice club and living in a good place. I am so blessed.

New Year's day at Andrew and Rahel's

My pal Asma at my place

This is such a nice picture of my friend

Enjoy your day, and thanks for dropping by.

Mission Accomplished

2011-12-29T14:54:00.000-08:00

It took two days but our mission to help a friend was very successful. We just had enough money to pay for all the expenses, and two great fellows to do the heavy lifting.

Naturally, I did what I could.

We celebrated with a Family lunch from Swiss Chalet. I took some pictures at this time.

Hadi (tourquoise sweater) Hosea, coloured shirt, Wes green shirt.

Joan came to help from Wes's old building.

Wes, our friend whom we moved.

Me, putting out the goodies.

It was a pretty tough two days I must say but Wes is in a better building now and will be much better able to cope with the accessibility that is there. Thanks to Mayor Ford's intervention, Paula in Housing, Frank the Manager at his old building and all the donations which people so generously gave, a very happy outcome has happened.

He will spend New Year's in a new place where he has space, is able to get around better and he knows some nice people as well.

God is so gracious and so good. He paved the way and even when it looked like we would have to continue working all night, He opened the door to keep the truck so we could rest and finish off the job the next day. There was no $475 ticket on the rental truck as no police ticket people came around and the superintendent and the key man were super to all of us. They could not have been nicer.

I am well pleased and thankful to God for this successful move.

First part of the move

2011-12-29T03:44:00.000-08:00

A view of the bedroom

Part of the sitting room

Yesterday was a day which started out fine. The weather was cold but not unbearable.Hosea and Hadi picked me up at 7:45 and the traffic going to Toronto was very light. I think many people have taken the week off from work between Christmas and New Years.

We made it into Toronto for the 9 a.m. pickup of the U-haul. It was a fair size truck and should have been large enough for a bachelor flat, but we could not get everything into it.. We all started off with energy but by the time 8:30 p.m. arrived, we were exhausted. Most everything from the bachelor flat fit into the truck but there is still things back in the old flat which Wesley will have to do himself. Mind you, he can do it sitting in his wheelchair.

The new place was a bit of a distance, down Sheppard and we were not sure if it was the right place as there was no visible sign of the number of the building.From the outside, it looked very nice and it turned out to be the correct building. The lobby area was clean and neat as well.

Apparently the Manager had not told the Superintendent that Wes was coming yesterday so they were not prepared with the lift on hold or a place for us to bring in his things in. We had to go through the front door holding it open each time. It was a real drag. None of the people sitting around in the front lobby offered to give a hand even by holding the door.

Wes could not come in the truck and the car so he had to drive his scooter along with his frozen foods all the way to the new place. There was not an inch left in the truck for anything more.

We had put his frozen food into a shopping cart and tied it to his scooter but he still had to hang onto the handle so it would not tip. His hands were frozen by the time he got there which is not a good thing as the doctor warned him about getting cold on his hands due to the real danger of more amputations.

We had the cat in the car and the turtles in the truck so they had to be removed first for their health's sake.

We were all so exhausted that we could not carry on. We tried to make an arrangement to keep the truck overnight but it was already rented out for 8:30 the next morning. I got on the phone with the lady and explained that we had come all the way from Hamilton to help a disabled man move and we were just exhausted and could not carry on. She called me back (thankfully I have a cell phone) and at first said no, the new people needed that truck. Then she said she would talk to somebody else and this kind person agreed to take a larger truck for their move in the morning just to help out. That was extraordinarily kind of them. The young lady also went above and beyond her duty. May God bless both of them.

We then spoke to the Key Man and asked where we could park it overnight. We had to take a risk. The gentleman thought that it would be safe enough on one section of the road and Hosea parked it there. He said if we parked it somewhere else on the property, it would get a $495 ticket which is something we cannot afford. The money I raised is almost gone now.

While the fellows were getting some of the necessities for Wes that he needed just to function overnight, I hung up some of his clothing and made his bed (just the mattress, the frame was impossible to get to) so all he had to do was to fix the turtle tank and make sure the cat was okay and he could sleep.

I took some shots of the new place. Obviously, it hasn't got much in it right now as we could only bring up a few necessities.

Left is the stove. Wheelchair height. Right is the oven - again wheelchair accessible.

Kitchen sink - wheelchair height

A cupboard for his kitchen things. Also overhead cupboards but don't know how people in wheelchairs could reach them.

The Amazing shower stall - a wheelchair can roll right in or a bath chair can be left in there.

A nice low tub with lots of safety bars

I have to say, I was very taken with the bathroom. He could wheel into it with his wheelchair without problem. It will be so much safer now for him.

The sitting room - one part of it. There is space for a nice dining room table with four chairs

I think this will be where the dining room table will go.

It is a much better building from what I could see. The key man told me that they have BBQ, Christmas Parties and other special things during the year. It is also a much quieter area with lovely houses around the building. With his scooter, he can go miles.

We have to go back to Toronto today to finish off the job. It will be at least another five hour's worth of heavy lifting.

Hosea and Hadi were a great team. Hosea is from Zimbabwe and Hadi is from Singaphore. In spite of all their heavy work, they laughed and joked and were in a good mood all the day. Even in the car going back home to Hamilton, they were laughing and joking. I could not have chosen better people to lend a hand in this situation.

It will be good when we all can rest but that won't be until tonight when we come back to Hamilton.

Thanks for dropping by the blog and have a good day!

What if you lost your leg?

2011-12-27T16:00:00.000-08:00

What if you lost your leg?: I am advocating on behalf of a disabled man who has lost the lower half of his leg to that terrible disease - diabetes. He has had several operations, first to take his toes off, and recently to take his foot and leg just below the knee. It is not healing at all. This 55 year old man is trying to survive on a disability pension which is very small ($800 a month). He is currently living in an extremely small bachelor flat and has lived there for ten years. Imagine a small size supply room in an office and you've got the picture. In order to get around in his apartment, he uses crutches with great difficulty. He has fallen twice on his amputated stump due to lack of space in his flat. His new apartment will be a one bedroom, accessible apartment, and much safer for him.

Where he lives right now, there are drug dealers, prostitutes and alcoholics. He is afraid to associate with anybody in there as he is extremely vulnerable.

He survives on donations from food banks.

He has worked hard all his life, contributing to society but due to an accident where he sustained a serious injury,(broken back) he could not continue to work.My appeal is for some money to help him move into a one bedroom disabled apartment once it becomes available. Toronto Housing has him on their top priority list. I am looking to raise at least $800.00, as it is expensive to move and he'll need various items for his new apartment.Can you help?

AN UPDATE:

DECEMBER 27TH, 2011. Tomorrow we move this disabled person into a one bedroom accessible apartment. Thanks for all the help from Engiver.com., my friends and relatives and the generosity of strangers. I will try and take some pictures of the new place.

I will keep you posted on the move - tomorrow is supposed to be freezing rain and we have an hour's drive on the highway to get to Toronto where he lives.

The big day tomorrow - moving day

2011-12-27T13:44:00.000-08:00

The weatherman is calling for fast freeze tomorrow so that is not a good thing for a move, especially since we are coming from another city to help this gentleman move.

Ah well, we will just have to proceed cautiously.

Today I went to a Walk-in-clinic to speak to the doctor about the horrible rash on me. He has prescribed two powerful meds to put on so hopefully that will do the trick. He says if it doesn't help, he will send me to a skin specialist.

I really liked this older doctor, he seemed like sthe old fashioned doctor who cares about his patients. I hope I would get him again if I need to go back.

For those who read this blog outside of Ontario, a Walk-in-Clinic is a place staffed with medical doctors and the patient can walk in and see a doctor without an appointment. All you need is a valid health card. These clinics are relatively new. So many people don't have a regular family doctor.This is helping look after those people rather than them having to go to Emergency and tie the place up for minor things..

This is my second visit to one, the first was in June after my fall and I could not get to see my family doctor for several weeks so I went there, the second was today and I had tried to get my doctor but to no avail. It is holiday time in Canada right now.

I do have an interesting experience to relate. Nothing to do with the medical clinic. I needed to go to the bank to take out some money for the trip tomorrow and the banks are closed today still so I went to the banking machine at King and James. The door was unlocked and I saw an old fellow sitting on the stoop inside singing his heart out. It was obvious that he had had too much to drink but he was not a mean drunk so I was not worried. I did my business that I needed to do while he continued to sing and then I said goodbye and wishes him a good day.

It was a risk to take, but I needed to get cash for the trip. I figured he was so mellow that he wouldn't move and that is exactly what happened.

I bet he is still singing his little heart out, not feeling any pain. He must be lonely poor soul. Some men have nobody who cares what happen to them. A woman alone is much better at coping I have found. She has her friends, her hobbies and her housekeeping.

I was thinking that if CIBC knew that the door was unlocked, they would not care for that as it would scare most customers away seeing a drunk person inside. I tried to contact them to let them know that the door was unlocked but was unable to get anybody.

Life's little surprises, once again.

Have a great day and thanks for dropping by.

A wonderful, unexpected invitation for Christmas afternoon

2011-12-25T17:29:00.000-08:00

What a lovely surprise I had today when Kathy invited me over Facebook to come to their place for the afternoon. I was very touched. She came and picked me up and we had a delightful afternoon together. It was so nice to be invited.

Chris's mother Irmgard also came a little later on and I enjoyed meeting her. She is a lovely lady.

It was great to be around children at Christmas again. It has been so many years since I have had that pleasure

Needless to say, I took pictures and here they are:

Cassie and Daddy Chris

Grandmother Irmgard and family

a nice family shot

Another shot

Thanks to their invitation, I had a lovely afternoon. I enjoyed myself very much.

My friend will not be able to come tomorrow as she has a bad cold so it is doubly special that I had such a nice visit today.

TRUE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS

2011-12-21T10:35:00.000-08:00

Alas for those who think of lightly falling snow, slowly covering the grey pavement of city streets in this Christmas Season in Canada. They will be very disappointed this year, according to what I have heard on the T.V. and the radio.

However, is that what Christmas is all about? It is just an added touch to the magic of the season. Christmas is about God's gift to human kind, Jesus the Messiah, coming as a baby, born by a natural method but not conceived in the normal way.

Christmas is also about people giving to those less fortunate than them, sharing meals with family and friends and going to special services in the church.

There is another side of this season which few people want to talk about. Depression and being alone at Christmas.

All the hype about presents, good times and happy families make those who are alone think that they are missing out on something and some people become suicidal.

It may feel like they are on the outside looking in. They may feel alienated from their fellow humans. Family strife may be accented and old arguments may be revived.Not all people on this earth have harmonious family relationships.

It is perhaps one of the most stressful times in the year for those who have little and cannot buy presents for those whom they love, or for those widowed, single again or totally alone.

Shall we not think of the true meaning of this season? For after all, that is what it is all about!

The start of a new business for my friends Carmen and Wally

2011-12-17T16:34:00.000-08:00

I was invited to attend a get together at their place today in Oakville. Nina, Wally's Mom, picked me up.

It was a well organized event and I met some lovely people. Carmen and Wally's new business is at this website:

http://carfih.acndirect.com/default.asp

Carmen had outdone herself with lovely nibbles and Nina made some fantastic meatballs.

We saw a presentation on the company and heard all about the many benefits of getting involved with ACN.

Here are some photos I took.

The hostess with the mostest!

A wall decoration Carmen made

Their team for ACN

Jane - ACN

Check it out and see what value can be yours if you are interested. They have phone service, wireless, satellite TV, Home Security and Automation and ACN Premium Technical Support among other things.

It was a very interesting presentation among pleasant people. Carmen now has a store which you can access through the webpage above. Donald Trump has endorsed this company. One of the nice things about this company is that it is world wide.

I saw the telephone with the screen where you can talk to somebody face to face, and if I am remembering correctly, you can pay a very small amount and they will send the same type of phone to a family member that you wish to talk to face to face.

I found that fascinating myself. It seems similar to Skype but I was told it was a better quality than Skype. It would have been nice to have seen that phone in action. That did interest me. I talk to both my children and son-in-law through Skype. Most of the time, it is just fine.

One thing I noticed though, is that the prices are much more reasonable than the large companies.

If you are interested, please check out Carmen and Wally's store and ask them whatever questions you may have about their products.

Thanks for dropping by and have a good day.

An update on Wes

2011-12-15T16:06:00.000-08:00

My heart is singing with joy and relief. The news I heard was good. It was my friend Wes's voice on my voice mail telling me that he now has the keys for his new one bedroom apartment. He will sign the lease shortly.

I cannot thank God enough, Mayor Ford of Toronto (Emily his Admin. Assistant) and all those donors who contributed to help this disabled man.

Without this assistance, this dear fellow would be stuck in his small cramped bachelor flat in a building where he is very vulnerable.

His new building will be safer and he will have more space. He knows one lady there already and this is a big plus as he may need further amputations in the future. He is doing everything to help himself, including packing ever so slowly sitting in his wheelchair. My hat is off to him!

Now the hard part starts. Moving day will be Dec. 28th. The two (hopefully 3) gentlemen who will be assisting me in this move, will pick me up and we will go into Toronto by car to pick up the reserved truck.

God bless those men, I cannot do it by myself and I appreciate them so much.

I have kept a careful tab of all donations given by people and when the move is over, I will send thank you notes.

These people have given hope to a man with serious health issues who is all alone in this world.

I have always known that no action that helps another soul, goes unrewarded by God and these people will be blessed in so many ways, but particularly by spiritual growth.

What a joyous day it has turned out to be in spite of the drizzle, wind gusts, and gloom.

Thanks for dropping by and come again when you have the time. Have a great day!

.

A nice evening with Jody

2011-12-14T19:22:00.000-08:00

Jody picked me up after school and we made her way through all the traffic to Westdale. I love the way she has decorated her house - very tasteful and quite elegant.

She has her Christmas tree up and other lovely Christmas things in the sitting room area.

We had a tasty dinner together which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Jody and Ava

Jody near her very cute tree

This looks so friendly to me.

Candle decoration on the dining room table.

Ava on her special blanket on the sofa

I tried to catch the reflection of Jody's tree in her living room windows.

Her house looks great, all finished on the first floor and quite a bit done in the basement. It has been a long haul for her but now it is looking like a real home.

It just shows that with will power, people who know how to renovate, miracles can happen. What a difference from my first visit there in June!

Well done Jody!

Thanks for reading my blog. Drop by another time if you have the time.

Christmas Decorations at Jackson's Square

2011-12-14T11:17:00.000-08:00

I went over to Jackson's Square today to get some card stock as well as some bright cherry red paper.

Japan camera had tested my camera for me over night and it is fine. It must have been a fluke those two messages.

They showed me that it was working fine by taking a picture of me. Obviously it is working great.

Since I had my camera on me, I went around to some of the displays in Jackson's Squares and took some shots.

A very friendly and jovial St. Nicholas

A side view - there was a young person there taking photos of Santa for sale

The other side of the same picture

This is through a glass window

Other side of the window above. It did not turn out so well.

Good old St. Nicholas was having a ball talking to people as he pranced around the mall after closing his gate. I enjoyed just watching him interact with the children plus people just sitting around on the benches. He brought some smiles to faces which was nice.

Tonight, I have an invitation to a friend's house for supper which I am looking forward to.

Have a great day.

St. John's Ladies Group Christmas celebration

2011-12-13T15:04:00.000-08:00

It was a mild day today and many ladies turned out for this event. I took some shots and downloaded them before I took my camera in to be checked at Japan Camera.

My battery keeps telling me it is exhausted and it is less than a year old. It is a Nikon and should be just fine.

Happily for me, my camera still took some nice shots. Here are a few.

An impromptu ladies choir

The little tree in the church hall with some foodstuffs to share with those less fortunate

To me, this is very elegant

Our pianist Jayne is game for any kind of music - she is amazing

The groaning board getting slowly ready for the coffee time

It was a lovely programme. I was asked to open with prayer and also asked to do several other things during the programme. This is a church which loves rhyming poetry so I had one rhyming one for Christmas which the coordinator asked me to read but she forgot about it. I had a good laugh about it. The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray!

All in all, a great event. After I got home, I decided to go to the mall and do a little shopping. It is getting quite crowded.

There seems to be lots of sales going on and people seem to be buying.

Thanks for dropping by.

The Hamilton Club luncheon

2011-12-12T14:39:00.000-08:00

I enjoyed my time at the Hamilton Club where I went to lunch with my friend Rosemary. It is very close to home which is a big bonus, especially in the winter when the wind howls and the snow blows.

We went in by the wheelchair entrance which is on James South.

We had a delightful meal and an enjoyable chat. As they are now decorated for Christmas, I took a few shots which I will post here.

My friend Rosemary in front of the Christmas tree

I liked how they decorated the fireplace

The wait staff were excellent and friendly. The meal tastefully arranged and delicious, with good sized portions. I could not finish mine so brought half of it home.

I find it a nice place to go, elegant enough to suit me with a welcoming feel to it.

After that, I went to the library and enjoyed my time there. I cannot seem to leave the library without borrowing more books!

I love to read and I enjoy seeing other authors styles.

Tomorrow will be a busy day for me so will rest tonight and just watch television.

All in all, a wonderful day.

Thanks for dropping by and come again, if you wish.

Our Building's Christmas Party

2011-12-11T15:32:00.000-08:00

It was a lovely party this year. I missed some folks as I was running late today in every way! However, there were still quite a few people there when I arrived and had a lovely time chatting with some people that I know, and getting to know new people. I think it is a golden opportunity to meet fellow residents.

As usual, it was well organized with tasty thing to nibble on. Very enjoyable time and I shall look forward to next's year annual Christmas party.

Below you will see two shots of the same tree. It is in the corner of the party room and looks beautiful.

Thanks for dropping by and come again if you have the time.

A shot of the lovely tree

Tower Poetry Society Christmas Party 2011s

2011-12-10T16:49:00.000-08:00

It was a cold and crisp day, no snow in the forecast when I stepped outside my door to wait for my friend Jeff to pick me up in his car. As I walked over to our pick up spot where it is safe to wait for a few minutes, I saw four pigeons and one sparrow pecking at some bread on the road. They were good candidates for speeding cars to knock them off their perch permanently!

I saw one young man get out of his car, and shoo them away but as soon as he drove off, they went back to the spot and began pecking at the food again. I saw that the traffic light was red so I tried to scare them away from the spot, but alas they went back again. I tried to loosen the food from the ground with my cane but it was frozen right into the pavement.

It reminds me of children who are warned many times of danger by their parents, but instead of heeding, they go back and do the same dangerous things. It seems that the birds may have the same problem as humans!

We drove out to Stoney Creek which is part of Hamilton but very far away from downtown! Our hosts have a lovely house right on the water and I took quite a few water shots.

Jeff knows I love to being by the water and so we went right to a lovely spot where we could park and take some shots.

Lake Ontario - Lower Stoney Creek

Another shot of the same area where we stopped

It definitely was not the day to linger too long at the waterfront, as it was very nippy down there. I did enjoy it very much though and appreciated that he stopped and showed me the area.

There are so many beauty spots in Hamilton that I have not seen yet and will look forward to visiting one day.

We arrived at our hosts and I had brought almond cookies (home made) and everybody seemed to take one so I assume they were okay.

We had some poetry reading and I read my poem about Gore Park and the Christmas excitement there.

Others also shared their work which I enjoyed. There was no critiquing as it was a party so it was a very relaxed event.

I enjoyed a delicious cup of hot cider when we first arrived and it just helped so much to warm me up.

A scene from their back yard - Lake Ontario

The centerpiece of our hosts table

I love this wonderful candle with the handcrafted wreath created by our hostess Valerie

It was a wonderful afternoon spent with compatible people, relaxing with lots of chuckles and merriment. Norm took a group picture which I hope to get a copy of eventually. He has a really fancy camera so it will be a lovely shot. Several of our members were missing due to other commitments.

Our next big event will be the launch of the next Anthology in January which will be in Carnegie Gallery in Dundas, Ontario.

Thanks to our gracious hosts who provided our venue for this year's party. It was a wonderful party.

Thanks for dropping in at my blog and come back another time if you would like.

TRIP TO KITCHENER, ONTARIO

2011-12-09T06:18:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was very cold but clear and I went to see Anna and Bill in Kitchener. The ride up there was wonderful, I haven't been there for a few months and as always, enjoy going through the countryside.

I really love the route from Hamilton to Kitchener as it meanders through little country towns. I see the occasional cow or horse, lots of lovely farmland and patches of forest where the sun does not seem to shine. With my great imagination, I visualize walking in those patches of forest, communing with the animals who reside there, and just enjoying the feeling of oneness with God's creation.

I feel so "at home" when I walk in nature. Even though, this time, it was an imaginary walk, I still enjoyed it!

It was a very smooth ride to Kitchener and we made terrific time. The bus was not even a quarter filled and I would imagine that the company lost money on that trip. I always take the 10:30 bus as it takes an hour and a half to get there.

Bill met me at the Kitchener station and we had to wait for the next No. 15 bus to go up to their new area. That bus only runs every half hour.

When we arrived home, they opened their Christmas presents that I brought for them and seemed to like them. I was glad as I tried to pick thing which are practical and yet pretty.

Bill took me back to the bus station and waited with me until the Hamilton bound bus came in. He was able to get his own bus back at 4:30 which worked out very well for everybody. The bus home was a much longer ride as the traffic was quite heavy. It was dark by that time so saw many Christmas lights on the houses. I really like the animals that are lit up. They seem to be made with some type of wire and I think they are very elegant. Gore Park has some as well. The ride home was smooth and very soothing as it was dark out and the lights in the bus were turned down.

All in all, a nice visit. I'll go up again once the warmer weather comes back.

Thanks for dropping by.

A FANTASTIC SUNDAY

2011-12-04T15:26:00.000-08:00

Today could not have been nicer for me. In spite of the rain this afternoon, my spirit is bubbling over with joy. It is such a wonderful feeling.

My temperament is normally very even keeled, but today was such a joyous day for me that I feel like I am floating on a cloud. I spent about an hour and a half with a dear little girl who is disabled and we read together. We had fun and she wants to do it again. That shows me that she enjoyed herself and felt comfortable with me.I will make the time to try to spend time with her once a month. I have done reading with the children at the Hamilton Public Library for several summers and enjoyed it as well.

If I had the time, I would volunteer to read with grade school children here in Hamilton. It was all set up for me to begin in North York when I had a health setback and I moved to Hamilton to be.near my son. I even had a little Spanish speaking girl assigned to me. I would have gone into the school and the child and I would have had time together, one on one, learning to read.

Working with children has always been a joy to me. I spent 5 years working in the LINC programme
for the Toronto District School. I loved being with children and it was a special joy for me when they
understood an idea. It was as if a light switch would go on. Imagine yourself in a foreign country, not speaking the language and being with children who all spoke different languages. Many would look very different from what you were accustomed to. It was so wonderful to see these little ones adapt so well to each other, play together and communicate in so many different ways. One thing I really miss is the hugs I used to get from the children!

For those unfamiliar with LINC, it is a free service for newcomers which help them adapt to a new way of life here in Canada as well as teaches them English. It really is a help to people coming here. Fifty years ago, when my friend came from Denmark there was no such help and they spoke only Danish at that time. It was a real struggle for them. However, they persevered and did very well in Canada.

After our reading time together, her parents came back and we all went to Gore Park together to see the Christmas decorations, the train and the merry go round. They participated in the reading session for a little while and we all had a good time together. I was very proud of my little pupil. She did very well.

Cassie on the merry go round with her big sister Julia

It was great fun for me to see the children enjoying themselves so much. I took quite a few shots but have only a few on this blog.

The three teenagers squeezed into the caboose.

Mommy having a great time herself! (Kathy)

Kathy's husband Chris is a real gem. Quiet but so steady and kind. What a blessing that they have found each other. I really respect and appreciate how good he is with his wife and children.

After our fun time at Gore Park, they left to go home and I came back home to do some washing and make something to eat before going out again tonight.

This could not have been a nicer day for me.

The Manger Scene at Gore Park

Me, dressed for outdoors with our building Christmas tree.

Thanks for dropping by and come back again when you have the time please.

Cassie.

Bibles and Bagels Group Annual Dinner Out

2011-12-03T06:03:00.000-08:00

Once a year, our group gets together to enjoy a restaurant meal. This year, we decided to go to a Thai restaurant in Dundas, Ontario.

It was a good choice as the food was delicious and the servers were very attentive. We had a table for the ten of us in the back of the restaurant. There also was another large group there as well.

The restaurant was packed even at 6 p.m. They must do a tremendous amount of business and I have to give them credit for their cleanliness, especially in the washroom.

It was a fairly dim light in there so my pictures are not the best unfortunately. This little camera seems to be much more of an outdoor camera than for taking shots indoors.

I arrived late as there was a mix-up between a friend and myself as to where I should stand to be picked up. Unhappily, we did not connect so I went back home, warmed up and called the HSR to see when the next bus would arrive. I got the nicest lady who told me on the internet the Dundas bus that goes to Head Street is under the Number 5 line. She also told me that I can still buy the seniors pass at the Go Station. The bus to Dundas runs only every half hour and then after 7, I believe it changes to once an hour. On Sunday it runs only once an hour, but I am not sure what happens on Saturday.

My next bus was at 6:30 and it is about a half hour ride to Dundas. The actual bus is No. 52 and says "Head Street" on it. It is very confusing to me as there is another Dundas bus which does not go downtown Dundas! By mistake I got on that one time during the day and ended somewhere in the country. I just stayed on the bus and did not dare get off until it took me back to downtown Hamilton. I saw lots of beautiful country places so it was a good experience in spite of my mistake.

The lady told me my next bus would be at 6:30. I arrived a little after 7 p.m. at the restaurant..

For those interested who are reading this from other countries, HSR stands for Hamilton Street Railway and is the local bus service. Most of their buses are accessible and people with walkers, scooters, wheelchairs and 4 feet canes can ride on them for free. I find that a huge plus in their favour.Seniors are also very well treated here in Hamilton, with a bus pass for $18.00 a month, unlimited travel within the Hamilton greater area. At age 80, seniors get a free pass.

We had a really great time at the restaurant. I sat next to Janet and we had lots of chuckles. I handed out my new business card to everybody at the table.

My friend took me home. My only problem with the restaurant was that it was very noisy as it was so full and I could not hear very well. However, any restaurant would be the same.

I would recommend this restaurant for its good food and good serving staff. It is near the corner of King and Sydenham in the downtown Dundas area. The ambiance is good, the portions a fair size but perhaps a little too expensive. I think that they charge a little more because it is in one of the more expensive sections of Hamilton to live.

Very nice for a special treat

This is the name of the restaurant and its phone number.

Bangkok Spoon Deluxe
57 King Street West
Dundas, ON
L9H 1T5

Telephone # 905 628-8808

Have a great day and thanks for dropping by my blog. Come again when you find the time.

Erster Advent - Advent Celebration

2011-11-27T21:03:00.000-08:00

The rain came down, as if poured from a bucket onto people, as they waited for buses to take them to their destinations.

I was one of those people patiently waiting. I was rewarded after a 15 or 20 minute wait when the Cannon bus arrived. My destination - St. John's Lutheran Church.

The buses are always less frequent on a Sunday and on some routes do not run at all. I was late by ten minutes and started up the steep staircase to get to the worship area. Happily for me, as my old creaky bones were vigorous protesting, the usher saw me and came downstairs and ran the elevator for me. I was really grateful to him, as rain and arthritis do not make a good combination and I was in a great deal of pain.

This service is perhaps the most beautiful one of the year. For those unfamiliar with the traditions of Advent, in Lutheran, as well as in some other churches, a wreath is made with red candles and red ribbons on it.For those who read this blog from other countries, a wreath is a round circle made of evergreen branches. Some people still use branches from the evergreen tree, but now most people use the wonderfully crafted ready made artificial ones. It is actually safer to use the artificial one as the candles will be lit.

On the first of Advent which was today, the first candle is lit. Next Sunday will be the next one and so on. It is meant to be a reminder of the coming of Jesus the Messiah into the world.It is done for four weeks in advance of Christmas. It is a lovely tradition.

As many people may know, the 25th of December was chosen to celebrate the birth of Jesus. At that time, Christians were persecuted by the Romans and many died as martyrs. In order to blend in and not be noticed, the 25th was chosen as it was a date celebrated by the Romans themselves for one of their pagan holidays.

I always think it is interesting to learn why things happen.

The service was long, an hour and a half, but it sped by so fast. among the musical instruments played were a trumphet, recorders, flutes, piano and of course, the wonderful choir.

We sang some of the old favourites hymns in English, others in German. I am fortunate that I can sing in both languages which I enjoy doing. I like going to the bilingual service when it happens as it allows me to stay connected with the German language. When I was young, I spoke German but gradually I lost a lot of the language as I didn't use it. In Quebec, where I am from, I went to the Lutheran Church where 3 languages were spoken, English, German and French.That was a little confusing, switching from one language to another. I can handle switching from two languages from the three languages now are beyond my ability.

There was one song sung by the choir which just enthralled me. It is called "A Caribbean Noel" by Shayla Blake. The choir outdid themselves there. It was such a catchy tune and they must have practiced a great deal just to keep the rhythm going. They were tremendous!

The church was well filled in spite of the downpour. We were all invited downstairs for refreshments and as they always do, the ladies provided a veritable feast. It was good to see both men and women serving.

Helpers went from table to table offering choices of the different tortes (cakes of many layers). Some poured coffee, some served platters of open faced sandwiches, and some replenished the milk at each table.

This was a day that temptation ruled and only the very strong willed were able to resist the scrumptious tortes,

Needless to say, I did not resist temptation but fell happily into the trap of eating such heavenly sweets.

All in all, everybody seemed very contented and happy. It was all well organized and ran smoothly.

A day to be remembered and cherished.

Thanks for reading my blog. I wish you a Joyeux Noel, Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad, Frohliche Weihnachten well in advance in case you do not have a chance to revisit the blog before the actual celebration. May your season be happy, filled with family and friends who care for you, and may you remember those less fortunate who have nobody to spend Christmas with. Some missions to the street people may need help with serving Christmas dinner, some may need help with peeling potatoes. There is always something willing hands can do to brighten up the corner where they live.

Have a great day!

A presumption of guilt

2011-11-27T10:13:00.000-08:00

A presumption of guilt

MY LATEST PUBLISHED STORY

2011-11-27T08:02:00.000-08:00

http://howyahdoon.blogspot.com/2011/11/gift-short-story-republished-with.html

Please click on the above link to read the story. It is about a Canadian soldier returning from Afghanistan, his family and all told from the point of view of a special gift.

I would like to give credit to my German speaking friends as well as my son Kenneth who enlightened me tremendously about our Military Forces.

Thank you so much for all your valuable input.

An eventful day at Jackson's Square

2011-11-25T22:13:00.000-08:00

I must say that living downtown certainly makes life very interesting. I had been to the Hamilton General to visit a friend in the hospital who had fallen and broken her arm. I stayed at least two hours which is unusual for me, but she appeared to want to visit so I stayed.

In the bed opposite, a young man lay. Yes, that is correct, I said a young man lay. I just cannot agree to having men and women in the same room! This poor fellow had been shot in his own place by some unknown intruders. Apparently he was brought in late at night. I hadn't heard about that on the news.

There were two men and two women in the ward. After the visit, I went back home, checked my email and replied to some, then took my walker and went to Jackson Square. As I was explaining how I wanted my business cards done to the very nice young lady at Grand N Toy, I heard a lot of swearing and turned to see a big fellow led out with his hands in handcuffs behind his back. After paying for my order, I left and walked past the Royal Bank and heard another commotion. This time I saw a man on the ground in the bank in some distress and making strange noises. One older lady told me that he had a mental health issue.

Needing a little change from all this commotion, I decided to take my book back to the library and sit in the children's area and watch the market from above. I enjoy doing that for two reasons. One is that I love being around children and two is that it is fascinating to see people walk downstairs in the market, poking their way through it. I must have sat there at least half an hour before I left to go and get some fresh vegetables from the market. I also bought some things at the drug store (food items) and now I am set for another week.

I am so glad that the drugstore has food as the nearest little food market is on James Street South, at Augusta.

Right now, as I write at this late hour of 12:50 a.m., I hear yelling on the street. I think somebody must be having a little too good of a time! It does not sound like a threatening noise so I assume some fellows have drank too much and are whooping it up.

Living downtown sure can be an interesting adventure. There is one fellow who basically has taken over the bench in front of the CIBC. He sits there with his hat extended or oftentimes he lies there but still with his hat extended. A friend of mine, Eric, who also was a reporter, told me of his adventures with, shall we call him Richard. He got a little too close to the bench and it must have disturbed his little nap. Richard looked up and said to Eric "White devil". Now Eric is a gentle soul, very kind and soft spoken. It certainly was not a good description of him! I spoke to the caretaker of a nearby Church who is downtown all the time and he knows this fellow and has seen him do drugs and drink heavily. He lives in a shelter on James North. Unfortunately, his abusive behaviour has caused people to toss him out from various places.It is sad really to think of such an elderly man (at least 65 years of age) behaving in such a way. Where is his dignity?

I often think what has caused people to take such downhill turns in their lives? What circumstances have driven them to degrade themselves to this state? Sometimes it may be bad choices, sometimes a job loss and no future employment opportunities, and sometimes it is a choice they make themselves. I remember in Toronto when I did street work on Friday nights, there was a lady called Victoria. She was always at the same corner, over the hot air vent. We got quite friendly and I would go down and visit her. A Toronto paper wrote up her story, her daughter out in Vancouver happened to see the story, came for her and brought her back to live with her. However, Victoria did not like the confined life with its rules and regulations and returned to her street vent. It was her choice. From what I understood from her history, she had once been a nurse at St. Mike's. I don't know why she ended up on the streets.

Another time, again in Toronto, we found a young girl who had been forced into prostitution by a pimp who told her he loved her. Unhappily she believed him. The organization I worked with managed to get her safely away from him and back to her parents in the States. That was in the 1980's.

The Salvation Army is out with the kettles already collecting for Christmas for the needy and I try to give something every time I go past them. The Sally Ann does worthwhile work.

Well, on that note, shall close for now. I am not able to sleep for some reason so went on the computer to amuse myself.

Thanks for dropping by and come again some time.

Shirley Margit Elford

2011-11-20T14:39:00.000-08:00

A photo of her taken from her Memorial Service Order of Service

Today, November 20, 2011, a memorial service was held at Liuna Station for Shirley Margit Elford.

A private family service had been held prior to this public memorial. Shirley was a well known and much loved Hamiltonian. She was born on August 4, 1943 and died November 10, 2011.

She had been battling ovarian cancer for several years now with courage and determination. Her strong faith stood her in good stead in this period of time. She lived out her Christian (Lutheran) faith in her daily life and how she treated others.

Liuna's auditorium was packed with very few seats remaining unfilled. I will name a few of Shirley's contributions and achievements here.

President Women's Art Association of Hamilton
Chair Art Selection Committee Hamilton Public Library
Board Memver - Glass Art Society UA
President Theatre Aquarius
Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation Board
Art Gallery of Hamilton Board Member
Board of Governors - Art Gallery of Hamilton
Hamilton Community Foundation Board
Co-chair with Hon. Lincoln Alexander Strengthening Hamilton Community Initiative
The Women of Distinction (YWCA)
Woman of the Year in the Arts - City of Hamilton
The Hamilton Gallery of Distinction.

Shirley's motto which guided her life was "Loving humankind.".

She was a daughter, a sister, a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a world famous glass blower, but above all else, she was a loving and caring human being who made friends wherever she went.

I first met Shirley at the former Henderson Hospital in February of 2006 where we were both patients in the Rehab Unit to get our mobility back. Shirley had had a fall outside in the dead of winter and lay on the lawn unable to get help as her husband Gerry could not hear her call for help. By her sheer determination, she crawled from the spot she had fallen and up the stairs to the front door in spite of a broken hip.

There were two in our room at the time and they made space for Shirley by bringing in another bed. Nancy, Shirley and I got along very well. After we left the hospital, we kept in touch by phone and via Facebook.

I remember when her Glass exhibition opened at The Art Gallery. Her daughters came in and helped her dress and a wheelchair accessible cab took them to the opening night. In spite of her pain, her determination once again showed through and she was there for the event.

Another recollection of the time we spent together in Rehab was when we both cried together over a sad movie about Alzheimers as both of us had been touched by family members with this disease. Shirley was a gentle soul but that did not mean she was a pushover!

She got things done and was a respected and loved figure here in Hamilton. I have never seen so many people come out to a memorial service as I did today.

Let me describe the service.

Piper Jim Stewart played the Lament as we all stood for the beginning of the service. It was so beautiful. Her brother Bud Sinclair welcomed everybody on behalf of the family. The Editor of The Spectator, Dana Robbins spoke of Shirley as a Community Leader. He also gave special mention to Lincoln Alexander, the former Ontario Governor General who was present. In fact, he arrived when I did, and I held the door open for him as he was pushed in his wheelchair by his new wife.

There also was music by Michael Mancini and Phil Rose who played and sang, "On Eagles Wings." It was very well done.

Diane Brokenshire spoke about her long and intimate friendship with Shirley and brought up some humourous things which people seemed to enjoy.

Sarah Gueverra sang one of Shirley favourite songs "Angel". This young lady sang like an angel and it touched many people.

Ann Elford spoke about her Mom and something that brought tears to my eyes, was when they played Jerry and Shirley's special song that they used to dance to "Perhaps Love." They were so much in love with each other, sharing life as it came through sickness and health.

I thought this was very endearing when her four grandchildren came up to the front and one of them spoke about his grandmother. Everybody applauded them.

Pastor C. Dechert, a Lutheran pastor whom I know, said a beautiful prayer for Shirley and her family and friends. He is a personal friend of the whole family.

The last word, though was by Shirley herself. She appeared on the screen and talked to all of us and told people how much she had appreciated us. At this stage, it was hard not to cry and I saw a lot of people, including men, dabbing their faces.

Amazing Grace was played by Piper Jim Stewart to close off the service and guests were invited into the next room for refreshments.

It has been a very moving day and one I will not forget.

Thanks for reading this blog and I hope I gave you a little glimpse into the life of a good lady who made a difference.

Spiritual Life

2011-11-20T04:59:00.000-08:00

reconnect with God, Allah, Islam, spirituality - Beliefnet.com

For an excellent article on staying connected with God on a daily basis, click on the link above. This physician writes very well and has made some good points.

Enjoy!

St. John's Lutheran Church Bazaar

2011-11-19T11:23:00.000-08:00

The weather could not have been nicer. Sunshine, not very cold and a good crowd. As I walked from the bus past the church, there already was a good crowd waiting to get in. Four of my friends were in line there and another friend came later on.

Unfortunately, they missed each other.

I found that this year, people headed to the jewellery table first. The women were like delicate bees buzzing around the lovely costume jewellery just hoping to find what they were searching for. The other very popular table was filled with delicious German baking.

There were almond tarts, tortes of various kinds, cheesecake, homemade bread, various kinds of German pastries, as well as pound cake to mention only a few of the delectable offerings on sale for willing buyers. If shoppers don't get there early enough, things just disappear like magic and there may have been some disappointed folk on that account.

However, the bottomless cup of coffee, tea, or herbal tea would be a consolation, or the Sauer Kraut and German sausage on a large bun would certainly help cheer them up. Coffee is $1.00 and many people came up for refills time and again. If one wanted to have the meal, it was $5.50 and included the coffee.

However, in the beginning of the event, many people bought slices of the scrumptious tortes and had coffee or tea with it. Each slice was individually priced, far below the cost of any restaurant. They then had to pay for the coffee, which was still reasonable, at $1.00 which included many refills.

By the time I got a break from pouring coffee and to have my lunch, there was hardly anything left to buy from the sweet table.

On the handcrafted table, there were so many finely made articles such as slippers, doilies, scarves, shawls, baby outfits to chose from. The ladies of this church are extremely gifted in baking and knitting and crocheting. They are extremely generous with their time and effort.

Need the I mention that there was a white elephant table as well? They had some fantastic bargains there.

A friend from my building, who moved many years ago, came up to me when I was pouring coffee. I hadn't seen her for such a long time. It was so wonderful to see her again. I had met her husband in the mall once though. It was at least six years ago when they moved..

What a lovely surprise that was for me. I used to babysit "Buddy" when they went to the States. "Buddy" is their cat, just in case you are wondering.

My friend Jennifer brought me home in the car which I was glad for as I felt really tired.

Have a great day and please come again if you have the time.

The Hamilton Arts Council 18th Annual Literary Awards event

2011-11-15T13:53:00.000-08:00

On November 14,2011, the Hamilton Arts Council (formerly called Arts Hamilton) and the Literary Arts Commitee held a gala evening at Theatre Aquarius.

It was for the annual Literary Awards. This year, it was held in a different room which was actually quite intimate. The event was pay as you wish which I think is a good idea as it doesn't prevent anybody from attending.

There was a lovely refreshment table and people could buy drinks if they wished.

The actual ceremony began at 7:30. The winners of the different awards were as follows:

David Haskins for "Urban Fox" - a Seraphim Editions Award for Individual Poem.

Gary Barwin for "The Porcupinity of the Stars" - a Bryan Prince Bookseller Award for Poetry Book

Sylvia McNicoll for "Last Chance For Paris" a Reliable Life Insurance Award for Children & Young Adult fiction Book.

Peter Edwards for "The Bandido Massacre" The Printing House Award for Nonfiction Book.

Trevor Cole for "Practical Jean" Epic Books Award for Fiction Book.

We were treated to an exciting exhibit of Slam Poetry put on by the Burlington Slam Project. These young people did an absolutely terrific job and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I had never seen Slam Poetry before.

It was a very interesting evening and I feel it was the best ever Annual Literary Awards event.

Thanks for dropping by. Have a great day.

November 6, 2011 - Carneeeie Gallery and Tower Poetry Society together

2011-11-06T13:52:00.000-08:00

Valerie Nielsen's poem

The picture which the poem was written for

What a grand event this turned out to be. Although the numbers were small, it was an intimate gathering of like minded people. I didn't take any pictures of the gathering this time. It was held downstairs at the Gallery, a place many of the people remembered when they used to go to workshops there for Tower.

The walls were a pale green, with wooden paneling. They had set up chairs for a large group.

Instead of sitting in the more formal setting, we all sat in a circle and this was fabulous as I could hear most of what was said. Trevor also was glad for that.

We did about an hour of poetry. I read two of my cat poems plus two of the Art Walk poems that I have had with Carnegie Gallery. My cat poems got a chuckle which pleased me as they were written tongue in cheek. Jeff also read some of his cat poems as well.

I was most fortunate to get a ride with Bob and Valerie who picked me up. Jennifer came in about half way through the event as she had to wait so long for the Dundas bus. I arranged that she would come back with us in the car. Bob and Valerie are so gracious, immediately they said yes when I asked.

The funny thing is that on our way we passed Jeff on his bike on the way to Dundas! Being quite mischievous, I felt like asking Bob to blow the horn, but then thought better of it, as it may have rattled him and he could have had an accident. Iit sure was a long ride for him.

After the event, we walked along King Street in Dundas and took some pictures of the art work and the poetry plus some new things in the lovely Christmas decorations done by the merchants.

The advertisement done by the Carnegie Gallery for the event

Here are some shots of the displays in the windows along King Street. Very wonderful and upscale area.

.

Here is a shot of the three of them together before we went to their car. Jeff was with us for a while but not by this time.

Bob suggested this picture for the red leaves and I asked all of them to get into it.

All in all, a delightful afternoon. Now I have to get ready to introduce the guest speaker at the Book Club, my friend Mary and her wonderful book on the McQuesten Family. Fortunately it is a very short walk for me.

Busy day today and the whole week will be busy.

Thanks for dropping by.

Poetry and Art together in Dundas, Ontario

2011-11-04T12:40:00.000-07:00

I thought she was cute

Penguins

Jeff in front of an interesting door.

Jeff's poem

My friend Jeff picked me up and we went over to Dundas. The bus runs only every hour to Dundas so I was very glad to have a ride. It is more fun to go with a friend than by yourself.

It is such a lovely small town atmosphere. There were some splendid trees still with leaves on them and there are many stately homes in Dundas. It is older than Hamilton. I love going there as the shops are quaint and the people are very friendly.

Our purpose for going was to see our poems in the storefront windows. Once a year, Tower Poets and Carnagie Gallery team together to match art work with poems. This year, I picked a willow tree and wrote a poem about it. Thanks to my pal Jeff, who took me to Coutes Drive Trail when it was a little warmer. It was a very enjoyable time walking that trail..

The willow tree and my poem to the side of it.

That is the picture of the willow tree, and the store owner had put my poem beside it. It might have been better to have the picture on top with the poem underneath it. However, that is how the shop owner put it.

We bumped into a fellow poet Marianne and she was doing to art walk as well which was very pleasant.

We were fortunate in the weather as the sun was shining and it was not overly cold.

Here are some cute shops of some displays in Dundas which I liked.

Jeff, at an interesting gate

My buddy and I - he's a bear and we were nose to nose

We sat in the wonderful sun for awhile and enjoyed the ambiance of Dundas. He dropped me off on James Street where it was safe to let me out rather than on Main Street, which is like a racetrack!

All in all, a nice way to spend a couple of hours.

Just a reminder

2011-10-31T06:56:00.000-07:00

I am still collecting money either in cash form, cheque, money order or Paypal to help a disabled man move.

I am very touched by the goodness shown by Hamiltonians and one friend from Toronto. Woodstock, and Ottawa. Mostly the money has been raised here in Hamilton.

We are nearing our target of $800 to move him. Isn't it odd, that it is Hamiltonians who have helped the most as this gentleman lives in Toronto and the move will be in Toronto. Even the people will will help him move are friends of mine here in Hamilton.

Check out engiver.com for the appeal. I have been raising it in small increments among many people who are compassionate and want to do something to help another human being. None of them know him, but they know me.

I have an order for a pair of earrings which I hope to get done this week. I will add the amount of money that I make from that onto the fund for Wes as well.

If each person reading this, gives a few dollars, they will not miss it and it will help another human being.

The best way is to go through engiver.com if you are reading this blog from outside of Canada. They are set up with Paypal.

Please consider doing this. I have learned that one can never out give God and many blessings will come to a generous soul, whether it is in material things or in the spiritual.

For those of you who have sent donations, thank you. We are getting there and now are waiting for Housing to find him an accessible one bedroom apartment. The movers are all set and I have arranged a ride in with the movers on moving day.

My next plan, once the apartment is found, is to go into Toronto and pack his place. I need one helper for this, preferably a woman. With two people working, it will take less time. Once we get him into the new apartment, I will need help with unpacking as well.

It is a tall order but a noble cause. This man needs a hand up. Are you willing?

Thanks for reading and have a good day!

Sunday, October 30, 2011

2011-10-30T11:51:00.000-07:00

Once a year, the ladies of St. John's prepare a scrumptious dinner to raise funds to help various charities.

This year was no different. These hard working experts in the kitchen outdid themselves once again.

Their skills in the kitchen have brought them faithful followers throughout the year. The room was filled to capacity and a table for twenty more was set in another area of the church.

It was an excellent opportunity for people to socialize and to get to know newcomers. Although the services are held in German and in English, there are many different nationalities who attend this very loving church.

St. John's Lutheran Church in Hamilton, once again have held a successful fund raising dinner. Congratulations to the ladies who worked so hard to make this a fact.

Thanks for dropping by and drop by again, should you have the time.

Tower Poetry Society's 60th Anniversary

2011-10-23T22:15:00.000-07:00

On October 23, 2011, the 60th Anniversary celebration of Tower Poetry Society was held at the First Unitarian Church of Hamilton which is on Dundurn Street South here in Hamilton, Ontario..

The Organizing Committee is to be commended for their hard work and the excellent job they did! Tables were decked out with cloths and each table had vases filled with delicate red and white roses.

I liked the room they held it in - it was a very good size with a lovely kitchen attached to it.

60th Anniversary cake

The groaning board - a great variety of food

It was very well attended. The room was full of appreciative guests and poets.. The President of Tower, Valerie Nielsen gave a welcoming speech and George Down introduced the guest speaker, Dr. John Ferns..

Brett Nielsen and his daughter Jessica Nielsen

Valarie Nielsen - Tower's President.

This afternoon went by very fast with a twenty minute break between the first set of poets and the second set. One poet, Mr. Dinh Le Doan, had even driven here from Beaconsfield, Quebec and I was fortunate enough to catch him before he and his wife left to drive back. We had a nice little chat about familiar spots to all of us. .

Jeff Seffinga - Editor-in-Chief

Mr. Dinh Le Doan

This was his first time reading before an audience from what I understood and he did very well.

Another poet from Sri Lanka who also was in the book was unable to come due to the distance.

I mention this so that my readers understand that poets from all over the world are able to join Tower Poetry.

My pictures did not turn out as well as I had hoped, as the light from the window was at the wrong angle and thus my shots were not as good as I wanted. My camera is a great little camera, but it is not a miracle worker! I was a little disappointed.

However, it was a splendid time and several of my friends whom I had specifically invited came out which pleased me.

Thanks for dropping by and have a good day.

THIS AND THAT

2011-10-22T06:12:00.000-07:00

I had a touch of flu on Thursday night and did not sleep until 5 a.m. Needless to say, I slept until 11:30 that morning. I still did not feel overly peppy but managed to get a bit of housework done.

Friday I stayed in the whole day just to get rid of whatever the problem was and it was very pleasant to be home.

I had borrowed lots of books from the library and once I get my nose in a good book, it is hard to drag me away from reading! The really good thing about the library is that you can keep them for three weeks and can renew them for another three if you need to. I think you may even be able to renew them twice.

Today Carmen and I are getting together and will go to a restaurant to enjoy a nice liesurely lunch. we haven't had quality time together for a few years now. Both of us have been so busy, rushing here and there and this will be wonderful to catch up on all her news.

She is a dear young lady. Tomorrow, of course, is the Gala Event for the 60th Anniversary of Tower Poetry Society with music, poetry and refreshments. Could that be any nicer?

I am so glad that that little bug or whatever it was, is now gone and I am feeling fine. I hate to miss nice things.

Thanks for dropping in and please come again if you have the time.

What if you lost your leg?

2011-10-18T15:03:00.000-07:00

What if you lost your leg?: I am advocating on behalf of a disabled man who has lost the lower half of his leg to that terrible disease - diabetes. He has had several operations, first to take his toes off, and recently to take his foot and leg just below the knee. It is not healing at all.This 55 year old man is trying to survive on a disability pension which is very small ($800 a month). He is currently living in an extremely small bachelor flat and has lived there for ten years. Imagine a small size supply room in an office and you've got the picture. In order to get around in his apartment, he uses crutches with great difficulty. He has fallen twice on his amputated stump due to lack of space in his flat.His new apartment will be a one bedroom, accessible apartment, and much safer for him.

Where he lives right now, there are drug dealers, prostitutes and alcoholics. He is afraid to associate with anybody in there as he is extremely vulnerable.

He survives on donations from food banks.

He has worked hard all his life, contributing to society but due to an accident where he sustained a serious injury, he could not continue to work. My appeal is for some money to help him move into a one bedroom disabled apartment once it becomes available. Toronto Housing has him on their top priority list. I am looking to raise at least $800.00, as it is expensive to move and he'll need various items for his new apartment.

Can you help?

Some wonderful news

2011-10-18T13:33:00.000-07:00

Actually, several wonderful things have happened today. I was amazed to hear that my poem "Floating" will be included in the 60th Anniversary book for Tower Poetry. I shall be one of the one's reading next Sunday at the Gala event.

Another great thing that happened today was that I have received a ticket for the beef rolladen dinner as the ladies voted that I get it. How very wonderful!

The third fantastic thing that happened today was that the Vice-President of our ladies group will allow me to make an appeal to help Wes at the group in the next meeting.

Not to be outdone by any of this good news, is that engiver.com has had three donations for Wes as of the time I left to go to the meeting this afternoon. I have not checked since my return.

I am so touched by all this goodness.

I see the hand of God in all this, blessing Wesley, touching the hearts of others so that they in turn can be blessed by God. Over my long life, I have noticed that one can never out give God. The gift you give to others whether in time, talent or money will be multiplied ten fold. Somehow it just works that way.

I am so touched by all the loving kindness shown to my friend Wes.

Thank you, all of you who have given to help him Thank you also to engiver.com for accepting my appeal on his behalf. Working together we humans can achieve a great deal. Please check out engiver.com It is not too late to contribute a small amount to this worthy cause, either by cash to me, by cheque or money order, or through paypal or your bank account.

These wonderful young men are trying to make a difference. A small amount of donation will make a world of difference to somebody and give them hope to carry on.

Thanks for reading my blog and come back another time if you wish.

New memories in Toronto

2011-10-14T08:32:00.000-07:00

We had quite a tour of Toronto as Rahel had an errand to do as a favour to a friend. Parts of Toronto I had not been in for years. Nothing much has changed. Just seems so much busier than I remember it.

They treated me to a restaurant meal which was extremely nice of them. I wanted to treat them but they insisted.

It was such a cute restaurant and the staff were very nice.

We got home abut 9:30 which was not too bad. It was pouring rain out and definitely not good driving weather!

It was a cute little fish and chip place. I took lots of pictures

A trip down memory lane and new memories made

2011-10-14T08:12:00.000-07:00

I asked my friends Andrew and Rahel if they would mind driving down to where I used to live in Toronto. It was only about 10 minutes away in a car.

A wonderful place to bring up children

Took a picture of the rental sign

I lived there for 27 years and have so many happy memories of the area.

What if you lost your leg?

2011-10-13T15:46:00.000-07:00

What if you lost your leg?: I am advocating on behalf of a disabled man who has lost the lower half of his leg to that terrible disease - diabetes. He has had three operations, first to take his toes off, then another to take his foot off, and the last to take his leg off to just before the knee. It is not healing at all. This 55 year old man is trying to survive on a disability pension which is very small ($800 a month). He is currently living in an extremely small bachelor flat and has lived there for ten years. Imagine a small size supply room in an office and you've got the picture. In order to get around in his apartment, he uses crutches with great difficulty. He has fallen twice on his amputated stump due to lack of space in his flat. His new apartment will be a one bedroom, accessible apartment, and much safer for him.

Where he lives right now, there are drug dealers, prostitutes and alcoholics. He is afraid to associate with anybody in there as he is extremely vulnerable.

He survives on donations from food banks.

He has worked hard all his life, contributing to society but due to an accident where he sustained a serious injury, he could not continue to work. My appeal is for some money to help him move into a one bedroom disabled apartment once it becomes available. Toronto Housing has him on their top priority list.

At the time of writing this appeal, I have raised $210 dollars and am looking to raise at least $800.00 more, as it is expensive to move and he'll need various items for his new apartment.

Can you help?

A visit to Wes

2011-10-13T08:12:00.000-07:00

Wes and I visiting at his place - Andrew took the picture

Smiling buddies

Wes, in his small bachelor flat

My friends, Andrew and Rahel, were kind enough to bring me to Toronto. We left here about 1:15 to try and avoid the heavy traffic. We were fortunate that the traffic was not too heavy at that time. Although it was raining lightly, that did not impede our progress.

Upon arrival in Toronto, we went straight to where Wes lives in North West Toronto. The nurse had already been to dress his wound and happily we were able to spend a couple of hours just chatting with him in the privacy of his own bachelor flat.

I will be adding more shots in due course to this blog, as Andrew took some as well, particularly of the smallness of his apartment.

Wes was a little nervous meeting new folk, I could tell by his body language. However, he soon felt more comfortable and we had a delightful visit. He even felt comfortable enough to share a small photo book with pictures when he was younger. I was touched by that gesture.

As per instructions from Engiver.Com and my son, we took many shots of him. That is the real blessing of digital cameras, the ones that don't turn out, can be deleted and another taken to replace it.

The purpose of our visit was to take pictures for the appeal to raise money to help him move to an accessible one bedroom apartment when Housing finds it for him.

Wes, trying to get around in his apartment

I'll try and describe Wes's apartment in words. As you come in the door, there is a bathroom on the right hand side. In the bathroom there is a steel walker like they use in the hospitals after a hip replacement. You move it by lifting it inch by inch. There also is a bath board on the bathtub and a raised toilet seat. It is a very small bathroom, a wheelchair or even a walker cannot fit into it. He cannot be alone to have a shower as it is too dangerous.

The main part of his room is filled to capacity, a desk, a bureau and his single bed, a tiny two seater kitchen table, turtle tank and on the other side, if my memory serves me correctly, his scooter and his wheelchair are near the galley kitchen. The kitchen has a stove and a frig in it and a little bit of counter space.

In order to get in and out of bed, there is a standing pole somehow attached to the ceiling and the floor. I don't know how that is done.

As I remembered him, he continues to be as neat as a pin, a place for everything and everything in its place as the old saying goes. I don't know how he does it!

Wes and I in his flat, taken by Andrew

Wes showed us the meds he was on, told us about the different jobs he had held before he broke his back on a construction site (no Workers' Compensation Insurance) and spoke about his happy times.

It was a good visit and he knows that he is not alone to face everything by himself. He needs to go back to see the surgeon to discuss his options on Friday since the stump is not healing at all.

All through our time with him, he was cracking little jokes and trying to make our stay as pleasant as possible.

My hat is off to one brave man! I never realized before how horrible diabetes is and what it can do to the human body. It is a learning experience for me as we walk through this together.

If you should feel like contributing a dollar or two or more, please consider giving to this gentle soul. It can be done through Engiver.Com, through me at Paypal or through CIBC on-line banking.

By many people contributing a small sum of money, we can achieve a lot and nobody will suffer financial loss by giving.

Thank you so much for reading this blog. Should you feel like helping, you also could contact me at wseville@cogeco.ca

Waterfront Trail - Burlington, Ontario

2011-10-10T13:59:00.000-07:00

Me, sharing a moment with a tree

A more sober look

My friend Jeff picked me up at 1 p.m. in the front of my building. We had both brought our books and our chairs and I made a thermos of coffee and sneaked some cookies into the bag just for a snack.

He had given me three choices of places to go and I chose the waterfront. We ended up in Burlington. There were so many cars there that we were lucky to find a parking spot.

We went for a nice walk first and I sighted the cutest little snail on a leaf.

Jeff's hand is more steady than mine so he took some shots of the dear little thing.

The lovely little snail

Jeff's fingers holding the leaf up so I could get a better picture

As we walked along, we saw many interesting things to see. It is more cultivated than Coots Drive trail. We saw grapes vines (now bare), milk pods (now gone) and we did not see a green tree frog.

I enjoyed this place very much but I really loved Coots Drive the best. However, each area has its own beauty.

Crouching behind an interesting tree.

I found this tree so interesting and a perfect spot to take some pictures.

After our walk on the paved pathway, we walked on the harder sand near the water's edge. It was unbelievable to see adults and children swimming on October 10th! It has been Indian Summer here for the last few days and everybody is taking advantage of that. Children were building sand castles and making paths in the sand for the water to flow from.

Castles in the sand - do you remember doing that as a child?

Enterprising young children - it gladdens my heart to see them still doing simple, enjoyable things.

We saw a fellow on a surf board, lots of motor crafts on the water, a few yachts but no sail boats. I found that interesting as on Hamilton's side of Lake Ontario, there are tons of sailboats. It is such a treat to see them from my window on nice clear days.

Bathing beauties - Burlington style

We sat here for our coffee and cookies and to people watch.

Various beach shots.

It was a most pleasant afternoon but after a few hours, it was getting a little cool so he dropped me off in front of my building.

It was good as I had had no sleep the night before so was getting very tired.

All in all, a nice outing with a friend near the beach.

SPHINX - A short story

2011-10-09T06:49:00.000-07:00

SPHINX

My face is orange and white.  I have green eyes.  I’m ready for action.  I walk, as quietly as a tiger, as I advance on the human figure lying on the green sofa. One leap is all it takes.  He stirs and grunts in his sleep. I’m the dominant one. He’s at my mercy lying there.

I lean forward, my whiskers softly brush his nostrils.  Hairy hands swat at me as he grunts and tries to turn. “Sphinx get off me!” Matthew’s gruff voice growls. I ignore him.  After all, I am the dominant one.

I dip my face down again so my whispers touch his nose this time. That really upset him.  That should make him get up and pay some attention to me!

“Sphinx, come over here.” Her gentle, sweet voice tempts me to come and cuddle with her. For her, I would do almost anything. She’s always kind to me.

If I am to describe her to you, here’s how I would do it. Soft, gentle, not very tall, but taller than I am, brown hair tied in a pony tail, and a round face with laughter lines around her mouth. Her blue eyes light up when she sees Matthew or I come into the room. She loves to read and listen to classical music.

My other human, Matthew is tall. He must be at least six foot and he towers over Laura and I. I call him the “Gentle Giant”. He’s as round as he is tall, has black hair and brown eyes. Matthew is funny, when he falls asleep on the sofa, he snores. What a weird sound that is!

When it comes to giving attention to me, Laura does this the best. I don’t have to butt her arm or rub against her leg to get her to notice me. In fact, sometimes she pats me so much that I fear that I will get a bald spot.

I like both of my pets very much.  For humans, they are the best!

Can you believe that some humans think black cats are bad luck? Some even have the audacity to say that black cats ride with witches on brooms. Now I ask you, don’t you think that’s a silly idea?

I’m one of the lucky cats.  I have a roof over my head, food in my dish and water in my bowl and I never need to scrounge in garbage pails to find my food.

There is no little human in the picture yet.  I do dread that if that ever happens.  I don’t want to be replaced in their affection!  I hate it when their niece and nephew come to visit. I try and hide, but little hands reach in to my hiding place and yank me out. I arch my back and look as frightening as I can. You’d think they would get the hint and leave me alone.  I’m always glad when they go home.

Another time, if fact, last week before the “event”, I saw them kissing and snuggling together on the sofa.  I tried to pretend that I was not watching but, of course, I was.  They left the sitting room  rather hurriedly, almost glued together.  Humans are such strange creatures!

I hear noises coming from where their bedroom but I choose to ignore it, as I stretch out on my cat bed ready to snooze. One last stretch, and I’m off to dreamland where I am king of the cats, everybody bowing to me. I am served the most delicious morsels as I sit on my throne amongst my adoring subjects.  All females of course! This must be what cat heaven feels like!

From far away, I hear a crackling sound.  My sixth sense wakes me up. My orange ears perk up.  I look for the source of the noise and I see a glow in the corner beside the sofa.

It’s getting bigger and bigger and the crackling is getting louder and louder.
I must awake my pets.  The door is closed.  What shall I do?

BANG, BANG, BANG as I plunge against the resisting door.  Again and again, I bang against the door.

My meows and the bangs should wake up the dead!  Why won’t they hear me?  I’m getting hot and the glow is getting bigger.”

"SPHINX, GO AWAY,” bellowed the gruff voice of Matthew.

I keep on banging and yowling as I try to alert them to the danger of the growing glow.  Why hadn’t that thing in the ceiling gone off, like it always does when Laura cooks?

Heavy foots steps meet my ears, as Matthew flings open the door.  I race back and forth, meowing for him to follow me into the sitting room.  He finally gets the point in his half awake state.

“LAURA, LAURA, wake up!  Both of us race into the bedroom.  She is just lying there, dead to the world.  She must not have heard my attempt to warn them. I lick her face, usually that wakes her up.  Matthew calls her name and tugs her up to an upright position.

“Please let me sleep”, Laura mutters in a slurred voice. Her chubby arm flings itself around my neck.  Now I’m a prisoner.  I need to wriggle out of there pronto!

“Wack,” the sound of it echoes in the bedroom, as Matthew tries to rouse his wife from the effects of the sleeping pill.

Her feet drag on the ceramic foyer floor . He half drags her out into the carpeted hallway and pulls the fire alarm.

I was not quick enough to beat the automatic closure of the heavy door.   Smoke and flames leap at me as I yowl for help. This is the last I remember before the smoke got me. Will I be remembered as a hero?

SPHINX

CopyrightWilmaSeville2011

Pam and Brian's visit October 8, 2011

2011-10-08T12:51:00.000-07:00

Add caption

This is the better shot that she took.

What a wonderful time we had all together. We had a nice little visit at home and then went to the Indian restaurant for a meal.

They don't get different foods in Cape Breton so it is a real treat for them to eat something different.

We had a marvelous visit. I took a few shots which I will send them.

Pam and Brian - Pam was 18 when she married Brian who was 21

This was in the Taj Mahal.

We all chose the buffet. It was a lovely choice and we ate to our fill. I particularly enjoyed the Nan and the deserts!

Our lovely waitress took a picture of the three of us. We spent about 3 hours together and then they had to be on their way to London to see their daughters.

They need a rugged car as Cape Breton winter's are fierce

It could not have been a nicer visit. Next time they come, we will try to spend more time together so that I can show them around a little bit.

The weather was summer like and we didn't need any jacket.

Thanks for dropping by and please come again when you have the time.

John Terpstra's poem immortalized at Sam Lawrence Park

2011-10-07T08:42:00.000-07:00

Mayor Bob Bratina (left) and Poet John Terpstra

What an amazing event that was. I was thrilled to see so many from the Poetry Center there supporting John.

Unfortunately where I was standing was in the full sun and my shots did not turn out as well as I would have liked them to.

Mayor Bob Bratina was there as well as other dignitaries. It is a great honour to have one's poem on public display like that. Congratulations to John!

It was a pleasure to see so many poets and writers of other types of work, turn up to support John.

I was lucky that I could change my appointment with my podiatrist, as I was up close to his office, and he fit me in rather than have to come back later on in the day.

It was Ontario elections today as well, so Andrew, Rahel and I went together. It was a very difficult location to get to, almost at the waterfront. There was hardly anybody there except for the workers.

Since we were so close to the waterfront, Andrew dropped Rahel and I off to do a little walking at Bayfront Park and came back for us later on.

They were kind enough to invite me to stay for supper at their place and we had an enjoyable meal together and evening.

All in all, a busy but productive day.

Thanks for dropping by and have a great day!

TheStar TTC driver pulls ailing man onto her bus, drives him to clinic

2011-10-05T23:22:00.000-07:00

TheStar TTC driver pulls ailing man onto her bus, drives him to clinic

This driver deserves a medal as does the woman who gave the couple $77.00 for cab fare home.

I know that I am finding out first hand that people can be wonderful in the case of raising money for my friend so he can move into a one bedroom disability apartment.

It restores my faith in humanity when I see good people step up to the plate and help others.

Mexican Night at St. Paul's

2011-10-03T15:08:00.000-07:00

Our hostess - Carmen

Colour was every where. Red, white, and green. The colours of Mexico proudly displayed.

Carmen and Wally had organized this special event to show the guests a little of Mexican culture and traditions. Tickets were very reasonably priced at $15.00 each. This included an entre, black bean soup, chicken and rice with plantain and potatoes there were also nibbles on the table with home made salsa.
At the center of each table, there was a basket tied with ribbons of the national colours filled with candies, nuts, chocolate and caramels.

Mexican dress on display

Two of my friends at the table

We had six people at our tables, all friends of mine from outside the congregation. They all enjoyed themselves very much. We were a mixture of nationalities, Colombian, French Canadian, Ethiopian and English back ground people.

Some of the very colourful displays done by Carmen and Wally

We had some interesting discussions at our table and people got along very well even though some of them had never met.

Carmen and Wally showed a Powerpoint presentation of the history of Mexico. It was interesting to hear of the Aztec civilization. They were a very advanced society even before the Spanish arrived.

Mexican music was played so that Carmen could give a demonstration of one dance. She then called for three volunteers to come up to learn the dance. They were really good sports to do that.

Breaking the Pinata

For desert, there was a delicious orange cake with coffee and tea. This colourful event ended about 9 p.m. with everybody pitching in to help to put the tables and chairs away and pile the dishes for the dishwasher.

A very successful evening. Kudos to Carmen and Wally and all those who lent a hand.

September 30, 2011 - Arts Hamilton Literary Committee Reading Salon

2011-10-02T07:52:00.000-07:00

Mary Anderson

It was a very cozy event. Stephen Near, the Programme Manager, had transformed the art gallery section of Arts Hamilton into a well lit, inviting area for members of the Literary Committee to read their work. The breathtaking art work on the walls, the chairs set up and the tea lights shimmering, made the area seem like a fairy land. I found that I could hear the readers very well which was a real treat for me as I usually have trouble hearing in other venues.

Stephen Near - Arts Hamilton Programme Director

Wilma Seville

The first readers were the Co-Chairs, Susan Evans Shaw and Jean Rae Baxter.

Susan Evans Shaw

Jean Rae Baxter

Poet, George Down, favoured the group with some of his lovely poems as did James Deahl.

James Deahl

James Deahl, reading for the last time as a Committee member and Hamiltonian poet. He has moved to another city and will be greatly missed.

The event went very smoothly with each reader taking about 10 minutes to read. The audience seemed to appreciate the event. Light refreshments of crackers and cheese and various soft drinks were served.

It made me so happy to see so many of my good friends come to this event.

All in all, a very worthwhile endeavour for Culture Days.

Thank you for dropping by.

AN APPEAL FOR HELP FOR A DISABLED PERSON

2011-09-28T10:21:00.000-07:00

I have a friend in Toronto who is in a very bad position - health wise. Due to diabetes, he has had several amputations and now lost his leg below his knee. He also may lose his little finger as well.

I have been advocating for him to Mayor Ford's office as well as Councillor Anthony Perruzza, to get him a one bedroom disabled unit in a rent controlled building in Toronto. He has to stay in the North West area of Toronto as he is undergoing treatment and even though he does qualify for Wheeltrans, it is very hard to get because of the demands on its services. I am delighted to say that Mayor Ford's office replied instantly. The Councillor's office replied as well once the person got back to work. Both are working on this and action is starting to happen.

I am trying to lend a hand from Hamilton by asking friends and caring people to contribute a dollar or two

I have written an appeal for engiver.com and they have accepted it and I now am waiting for a picture from Toronto of this gentleman. It should come in the mail in a day or so. Engiver is a vehicle to donate a few dollars to individuals who are in need. I am delighted that they have accepted my appeal.

This gentleman is only 55 years of age, had a terribly rough life, not wanted by his stepmother so he left home at age 12. His father never came looking for him, which is so sad. He always worked even though he doesn't have much education and has difficulty with reading and writing. I think his last permanent job was with a chocolate company in Toronto driving their truck. He was laid off from that.

He has sold things at Flea Markets and done odd jobs to help himself. He also has been very generous and kind to others. He also worked as a superintendent of a rental building at one time.

He was working on construction but not through a regular company, had a fall and broke his back. Conditions just seemed to worsen for him. Now his body is being attacked by diabetes and he has had his toes amputated, and now his leg up to his knee cap and there is the possibly of his little finger being removed.

What else can I tell you about him? In spite of his major health problems, somehow he seems to keep his sense of humour! He has been a good friend to me for about ten years now.

If you can, and are interested in contributing to help raise some money to move this gentleman, please consider donating through engiver.com My paypal account is attached to it.

By the grace of God and the wonderful people who are helping as they are able, I have a ride to Toronto, a lady to help me pack, and have collected $230 thus far. The interesting thing is that two disabled people have contributed $5.00 between them and the lady is crocheting a lap blanket for this man to help ward off the cold when he is out on his scooter getting food. We need about $800 more to move him and help him settle in. With his wounds not healing, and due to insufficient money to buy the proper foods, and just mostly using the food bank, he has a lot of strikes against him.

Any amount would help, from a dollar to whatever.

I have faith that through people who care, we will reach this goal and he will be helped.

Thanks for reading and please help if you can.

Cootes Drive, Butterfly Place and Victoria Park

2011-09-26T05:51:00.000-07:00

The butterfly place in Dundas

A lovely spot with information at the butterfly place

Sorry,these pictures should be at the end but my computer would not allow that.

The day started off on a bad note. My monitor died just as I was typing an e-mail. Before calling my computer fellow on the Mountain, I decided to call Andrew to see if he knew of anybody who was giving away a monitor.

He did! By 7:30 p.m. Andrew had installed a wonderful monitor. I don't know where he got it, all he said was "God Provides" and here was a monitor which would fit my needs.

Needless to say, I am extremely thankful.

I was not sure how much a new used one would cost plus the $70 charge just to come.

My problem is now solved, thanks to the kindness of Andrew.

At 3 p.m. Jeff picked me up to show me Cootes Drive in Dundas. It was lovely. We took lots of shots.

Wild grapes growing

Part of the daisy family I think

Spencer Creek?

It was an amazing walk there. In some parts it was a little rough walking but with my cane I managed just fine. Jeff did the crouching down to take some close up pictures for me and went further into the brush to get good shots sometimes. He always does this which I appreciate.

We saw a darling little tree frog, hopping on the walkway. He was not afraid of us at all. We tried to take pictures of him but mine did not turn out. I think his colour blended in too well with the walkway.

I was enchanted with him.

Happily, we did not see any garter snakes which are harmless and not even very large but I would not have felt so comfortable seeing them.

A reflective poet

We were there so I could get the "feel"of the place as the picture I chose to write a poem on from Carnagie Gallery is a willow tree. This walk through the area has given me not only a great deal of pleasure but a deeper insight of the area. We did not find the particular willow tree but we did see lots of willows.

I still can use the older couple walking there hand in hand but will have to change a few other things after seeing the area. I had no idea it was so beautiful! I want to bring that cute little frog in somewhere in the poem as well. I think that was the highlight of the nature walk for me.

As many of the readers on this blog are from other countries, I hope that it will inspire people to see the beauty of Canada and to get to know the City of Hamilton a little better.

I was a little nervous there as there was a bit of an incline just after that branch and the water was below.

The last we went to a nature spot in June, I had a tumble down an observation dock!

milk pod

So much beauty but we were only allowed to park the car for two hours. We met many people walking the trail and everybody was very friendly.

After that we headed over to the Butterfly place in Dundas which also was great. We saw so many beautiful plants as well as different butterflies. At his suggestion, we went for coffee in Dundas and then over to Victoria Park in Hamilton and walked around there for a while. I was pleasantly surprised how nice Victoria Park is. From the bus, it does not look like much. I may go there myself as the No. 8 bus will take me. There are picnic tables and patches with a fence to grow things, a children's playground and also the start of a butterfly garden.

I was quite impressed with the area. It seems quite quiet and there is an elementary school near by plus some apartment buildings.

Anyway, that is it for the blog today. Hope you enjoyed the pictures and drop by another time if you wish.

STAN WHITE - POET EXTRAORDINAIRE

2011-09-23T05:33:00.000-07:00

What a pleasure it was to hear Stan read last night at the Bryan Prince Booksellers. He is one of my favourite poets here in Hamilton.

The room was full. Stan had his poems on an overhead projector screen so you could read along silently as he read his work out loud.

In some ways I liked that, but in some ways I found it distracting, as I concentrated more on the reading of the work rather than listening to him. I really liked the pictures he showed of what triggered a poem in him. I could certainly relate to that. I thought it was an interesting experiment.

Eleanore came in and we sat together. It was mostly people from the Poetry Center who attended, although there were some people I had not seen before. It was lovely to see the Gordon's again.

I particularly enjoyed Stan's poems where there was some humour in it. I liked the one on aging as it was so realistic! I had a good laugh at the aging process!

I was most grateful that Alvaro picked me up. I am not comfortable going out at night by myself and coming back downtown alone.

For some of Stan's work, please see my writing and publishing blog at http://writingandpublishingblog.blogspot.com

Stan White at the podium

Thanks for dropping by and please feel free to see some of Stan's other work on my other blog. Just click on his name where it appears.

Ruby McQuesten's art show

2011-09-18T15:46:00.000-07:00

I was fortunate enough to go to Dr. Mary Anderson's event which is an art show of Ruby McQuesten's fantastic art work. This art show is part of the year long celebration of the lives of the McQuesten family and the part they played in the life of Hamilton. For detailed information on the life of this family, please google Whitehern Museum.

The show was held at the Art Gallery and was very well attended. I sat with some lovely people and really enjoyed their company. I also was introduced to a lady who used to be a Psychiatric nurse at the Hamilton Insane Asylum.

She now is on the Editorial Board of HistoriCITY. She knows my friend Rosemary G as well. I was telling the people at my table that I had interviewed a volunteer at the Asylum who had been a nurse there so they called this lady over to our table and introduced us.

That is when I found out that she is on the Editorial Board. I was hoping to meet the Editor, Christine but she was not there today. I saw Bill Manson there and spoke briefly with him. We used to both serve on the Literary Committee together many years ago.

It was good to see him.

Ruby has been dead for 100 years. Her work is amazing and I am so glad that her work is now being recognized. It is a pity that none of the family is alive now.

Artists, writers, sculptors, carpenters to name only a few, leave part of themselves behind when they leave this world. Their work lives on to enrich other people. I find that a very comforting thought.

Dr. Anderson has written two books on this family which can be purchased at any bookstore.

Thanks for dropping by.

THIS AND THAT

2011-09-18T05:15:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted anything for a few days as I have been quite busy at home. I was finishing off the last touches on a poem about my daughter and her entry into this world almost 47 years ago. I also was writing the article for HistoriCITY which will be published some time in 2012.

I have a thought to write a poem about significant events in my life and also write about it in prose. Eventually, I will make it into a book for my family members. Nobody in our family has ever done that. Bernadette actually suggested that idea to me several years ago, as I have had some very unusual events occur. I have now done the second poem and have a plan for the third poem in my head.

I was quite pleased with both groups of poets this month, only a few changes in a word here and there. I had three people come up and compliment me on the birth poem at Poetry Center. That was very nice of them.

Carnegie Gallery and Tower Poetry will be teaming up to present art and word together. I plan to go to pick a painting to compose a poem about. I remember when the husband of the artist asked my permission to keep the framed copy of my poem about his wife. It touched him so deeply. I was pleased to give it to him.

I have participated many times in this work but last year was just too busy to go out to Dundas.

Dundas is such a pretty part of Hamilton and well worth the long ride, especially when it is all decked out for Christmas. I have taken Toronto friends there.

The day is shaping up very nicely, the sun is out, and St. Paul's is having their picnic. I am going to Mary's event this afternoon though.

Thanks for dropping by and have a fantastic day!

Hamilton Insane Asylum

2011-09-13T05:30:00.000-07:00

Hand written letter from Ministry of Jails and Asylums
Dated March 17, 1876

Psychiatric Care of Yesterday

Imagine yourself living 144 years ago, confused, not thinking “straight” and people looking at you as if you are “different”. Your mood swings like a pendulum, sometimes so excitable, sometimes so depressed that you cannot even lift yourself out of bed. There is nothing that you can do to save yourself from this seesaw of life.

Alternatively, picture yourself coming to foreign shores (Canada) trying to adjust to a new language, new culture, and not always welcomed by those who lived there.

Alcohol was easily accessible. A person wishing to “fit in”, may have thought that this would be the way to find comradeship and acceptance.

There were many reasons that people were unable to cope; alcoholism, family problems, mental health issues and the lack of support through social systems.

In order to meet this need, in 1867 petitions were presented by the Congregation Union of Canada to establish a place of detention for the drunkards of the Province.

According to statistics, one in every 397 people in Ontario were deemed to be of unsound mind and needing proper treatment. Many people classed as insane were kept in Ontario jails. As alcoholism was a major problem in those years, members of parliament were pushing for an Asylum.

A site was chosen in 1873, and construction on the Main Building (Barton Building) was begun in l874. It was in the vicinity of Hamilton, Ontario. It consequently became known as the Hamilton Asylum. . The Main Building, now demolished, opened on March 1^st, 1876, as the Ontario Asylum for the Insane.

Patients were often sent there from other hospitals, such as Queen Street Mental Health in Toronto. The inhabitants were required to work in the fields to grow the fruits and vegetables for the hospital, at Hickory Farm to feed the animals which would later becomes their food, to wash the clothing of hospital patients and staff and to do the housekeeping . They also worked at making furniture and one can see examples of their work in the museum. Massive chairs, solid oak, wide arms, were so heavy that any patient in a violent state, would have a hard time to pick it up and hurl it. A very practical solution.

Many of these people were abandoned by their families and the hospital became their home and normal way of life. The patients and the nurses basically did all the manual work of running the hospital. Doctors and nurses worked shifts of 12 hours and also lived in the hospital.

Occupational Therapists taught the patients to work with their hands making baskets, doing rug hooking, working with wood, making felt animals and other practical items.

Work done by the patients, taught by Occupational Therapists on staff

In the early years, the focus of the psychiatric hospital was on the care of patients. The thrust towards rehabilitation came later. Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) was introduced in North American after 1945 as a treatment for schizophrenia. ECT is still used today for extreme cases of the disease and as a last resort.

Early E.C.T. machine

Tragedy struck five times at the Asylum.due to fire. In the early days, a horse drawn fire engine staffed by volunteers was used. To learn more about these fires, please visit the Museum.

It was a favourite pass time on the weekends, for Hamiltonians to trudge up the hill and gape at the "lunatics" who lived in the hospital. According to my guide Mary Ann, the residents of the hospital used to put on quite a show - in a sense, laughing at them!

Not only treatment and work went on here over the years, but also sports such as ice skating and curling, both for patients and staff. The teams played against other Hamilton leagues. There were also dances. from time to time, and entertainers came in from the community some times.

To be a nurse in those days meant quite a different thing than it does today. For an example, nurses had to carry lamps or lanterns when attending their patients as the rooms were unlit. Nurses and attendants had their rooms on the wards in the early part of the century. Before the 1920's, straw ticks (mattresses) were in use. To make the beds, one had to reach into the straw to fluff it up. Mice could sometimes be found nesting in the straw. Nurses also were responsible for cleaning the wards. Wooden floors had to be swept, waxed and polished with heavy block brushes pushed by the patients. A Sunday job was to polish brass door plates, handles and doorknobs. Nurses also washed windows and took garbage (wet and dry) daily to the garbage room in the basement. Nurses served all the meals from large aluminum pots. They also were responsible for counting the cutlery after each meal to make certain it all was accounted for. No one left the dining room until this was done! To prepare a sterile tray involved collecting the required equipment and placing it in a large oval bed bath tub. It was then covered with water and boiled for twenty minutes on the gas stoves in the ward kitchen. This information on nursing practice at that time was gleaned from Mary Ann
McNamara, Graduate of HPH Nursing School and Museum Volunteer.

Major sedatives used in the 1900's for treatment were heroin and morphine.

As a point of interest, Dr. J. Wallace, Superintendent of the Hamilton Insane Asylum assessed the mental state of Louis Riel and judged him to be sane. As a result, he was tried and hung.

There is so much history in this museum that it is worthwhile to make an appointment to come to Hamilton to see the different artifacts and methods of treatment.

The current collection housed in the Museum was originally started by a Maintenance Man working at St. Joseph’s Hospital, Mr. Joe Kinsella. Due to his interest in preserving the past, many items of note are to be found in the Museum. It is an indispensable resource as an educational tool in the teaching community. It preserves the history of psychiatric care and treatment in Southwest Ontario, with emphasis on capturing the events and essence of early life at the Ontario Asylum for the Insane.

The hours of operation are Tuesday and Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m,., by appointment only. To schedule a tour, please contact Volunteer Resources at 905-522-1155, Extension 35561.

This article has touched only on a small part of the history of this venerable old hospital.

Whitehern Gals and Guys last picnic for the season

2011-09-12T12:36:00.000-07:00

The parkette

My weeping willow tree and a shot of one side of the parkette.

It turned out to be a fantastic day as the weather was 77 degrees F, with a nice breeze. The sun shone brightly and my beloved Weeping Willow tree swayed gently back and forth, caressing the picnickers below.

I got there first so I could stake our claim to the picnic table under the tree, spread out my two folding umbrella chairs and waited for the gang.

James was the first to arrive. I had made a mistake saying it was Bold. So that threw him off a little bit but he managed to find it. I felt badly about that as he is walking with a cane now.

Grace and Mary came next and called me to come to the fence to tell them how to get up from the parking lot which I did. In fact, I walked there to meet them so there would be no mistake.

Anita arrived with the pizzas and we all had a good time enjoying them, each other's company, telling jokes, and finally Jeff came on his bike. He was teaching waterfit until 12 noon.

Left side - James , Grace
Rigjht side - Jeff, Anita, Mary

Our picnic ended about 2ish but I stayed behind to read and enjoy the breeze and my wonderful weeping willow tree. I left around 3:30 and walked home down the hill and past the Y.

Before I left thought, I had the interesting experience of seeing an old man do a strip tease. I thought it was so funny. He saw me sitting under the willow tree reading, he went to a nearby bench, took off his shirt, then I glanced up and saw him unbuckle his belt, then the pants slide down around his ankles. Then he sat on the bench and took off his shoes and socks. I was a tad nervous that he might not stop there as he had only underwear on (boxer shorts). However, he must have been a sun worshiper, as he lay on the bench, put his cup over his face, and stretched out.

I told one of the gals who called me this evening of the excitement she missed.

Times sure have changed, if an old man of at least 65, could feel that he could stretch almost naked on a city bench and feel comfortable doing it! Oh well, it takes all kinds to make a world.

Sid Roth - It's Supernatural Messianic Vision: Jonathan Cahn - Part 1

2011-09-11T06:36:00.000-07:00

Sid Roth - It's Supernatural Messianic Vision: Jonathan Cahn - Part 1

A wonderful day spent with a good friend

2011-09-09T15:00:00.000-07:00

Stella picked me up today about 10:45 and we went out to her place in Flamborough. As always, we have a good time together, chatting, reading poetry, short stories and in general, just enjoying each other's company.

Stella read me several of her short stories and I am very impressed with them. I also loved her narrative poem.

I would like to see her write more short stories as she has a talent for it as well as for poetry.

We sat out in the backyard for a little while and I took some shots out there of the garden area.

A single blossom of Rose of Sharon

A cluster of blossoms of Rose of Sharon

We sat outside for a little while but had to leave in order to miss the rush hour traffic.

A large firefly in the leaves - see if you can spot him

While we were walking around the corner, we saw this neat firefly. I tried to capture it on film with the zoom lens but I am not sure if he can be seen. Take a look and see if you can find him. He stayed still for quite some time.

We went through the countryside which I really enjoyed and even saw a llama in a farm there, plus some horses.

In the fall, we hope to get together again and take photos of the fall colours etc.

All in all, a lovely time spent with a good friend.

TheStar A fresh perspective on Iran

2011-09-09T05:20:00.000-07:00

TheStar A fresh perspective on Iran

I read this article from The Toronto Star and thought it worthwhile to put it on my personal blog.

I am fortunate to have Iranians friends in Toronto and have found them to be cultured, super polite and fun to be with. I have attended their parties and eaten their delicious food.

I love their music, especially the Sufi music and play it at home. I also have been to Iranian Sufi meetings in Toronto as well as Turkish ones.

I am so glad that this writer of the article has had such a positive experience. I can only say that the two friends that were deported back to Iran (mother and daughter) are managing. The daughter has work and even drives her own car.

It was a delight to read such a positive article.

Please come again, should you have the time.

Sunday night - Jean Rae Baxter's book launch

2011-09-08T23:38:00.000-07:00

Maureen Whtye of Seraphim Editions had three of her authors reading tonight to launch their respective books
Maureen and Catherine, her editor sat with me and then Bernadette and Altora came and sat with us too.

Ron, our host, had made humas and pida bread with olives to nibble on. There were also chips, peanuts and some type of other nibbles.

As usual, the Bookband was represented and all their books were for sale there.

I went because Jean specifically invited me to come. I took some pictures as well.

It ended shortly after 8 p.m. which was a great time to end, rather than 10. I prefer these early hours.

First reader - a natural on the stage

Jean Rae Baxter

J.S.Porter

New author - first book

.

I could not hear some of their names and I did not know them. I hope to speak to Maureen and get the names.