Hugging Is Not Your Right

Posted on: Ides of May
As you might have gathered from the headline, I’m heading into a bit of a soapbox rant. Before I do though, got something I want to share with you. As you know this past weekend was Valentines. I’m not a big fan of Valentines Day, mostly as it brings around a couple of bitter sweet anniversaries.

On the good side, on this date twenty-one years ago my nephew Maxwell was born. Hey Max, happy birthday dude. On the flipside, on the fifteenth, twenty-one years ago, my late husband had the heart attack that led to his death some eighteen months later.

Sometimes though, I come across something that I really can appreciate and this year is one of them. I’ve been messing about on the website Twitter for a while now. Two of the people I follow on there have quickly become among the group of people who I really enjoy their ‘tweets’. They are @MichaelHyatt and his wife @GailHyatt, who both write blogs that I’ve come to enjoy reading. -- read more

Monday Again Already?

Posted on: Ides of May
Man, it is hard to believe that another week has flown by again. Last week was busy though. The Legion Executive meeting was on Tuesday evening, I just barely made it in from Oshawa to chair that. Thankfully it wasn’t a long meeting.

Wednesday I spent most of the day cooking the meat for Friday night’s Roast Beef dinner at the branch. The roasts were about 25lbs each. I figured about 4 - 4.5 hours to get them done, putting them on at about 9:30 figuring on getting them out around 1pm and having time to slip into Cobourg to do some errands.

At noon the meat thermometer barely moved, so, I headed into Cobourg and did my errands. Back by 3pm, the roasts were done. All of Friday was spent at the branch helping to prepare the rest of the dinner. Back around 6am on Saturday to get breakfast for about 35 people underway. -- read more

Making Something New Again

Posted on: Ides of May
Monday was a pretty productive day for me. I was able to spend most of the day finishing off tweaking the new look for this blog and then revamped It’s All About Money for a relaunch. There are still a few tweaks but then doesn’t any blog need a few tweaks. Right now, it is more important for me to get content into it.

While Ides of May (this blog) is where I right more personal material, It’s All About Money is where I share the online experience, specifically about online marketing. I have three other blogs that I’m planning on revamping and relaunching in the coming weeks. Yeah, I know, I have to be nuts -- read more

The Sun Shines Today — finally

Posted on: Ides of May
Well, at the moment, the sun is out shining brightly. That is much nicer than what has been going on for what seems like the last week. Last Wednesday we had about a foot of snow in an all day snow fall.

Thursday we were supposed to get some ‘flurries’ which turned into about another foot of snow. Friday started off with flurries, just long enough to force me to cancel plans to attend a funeral and then settled down. Saturday more flurries brought another 6-7″ of the damn white stuff.

So far this winter, we’re only two months into it, we’ve had more snow than we had all of last winter and that was considered to be a high amount. February is not known for being light on snow. So, we have February and March to get through. -- read more

New Year, New Look

Posted on: Ides of May
Finally getting around to paying attention to my blogs. You may notice that I’ve just put a new look on this blog using a theme that I found on 50 Beautiful Free WordPress Themes. I found that link from a tweep on Twitter. Are you following me on Twitter yet?

The theme at this point is right out of the box. I have some tweaks I want to do to it yet to make it more ‘me’ but I like the overall look for this blog. This blog is sort of a notebook of my life so the theme just called to me to put it to use. Right now it is more important that I actually put some content into the blog than to just play with the esthetics. -- read more

Still in London

Posted on: Ides of May
I haven’t left London yet, I had planned to depart this morning but heavy fog made me decide to remain an extra day. I really hate travelling when visibility is reduced. My sister tells me she was glad that I was staying another day and it has been fun spending some more time with my great-nephew Apollo. It’s only the second time I’ve seen him and he’s almost 2 years old.

As we were kicked back yesterday enjoying the post Christmas lull word came through my email that the peace of the season had been broken by the death of yet another Canadian soldier in Afghanistan. The young man is from Peterborough which is only about an hour from where I live. Pte Freeman had just returned to Afghanistan after having a home leave which allowed him to celebrate with his family what would turn out to be his final Christmas. -- read more

Merry Christmas To All

Posted on: Ides of May
It’s the pre-dawn of Christmas morning here in London, Ontario and the rest of the house is still slumbering away. Likely most of the city is slumbering except those homes with excited children who are itching to wake up parents and get on to the business of the day — opening presents. It’s all adults in this home. My adult niece and nephew will be arriving later today and my almost 2 year old grand-nephew will be visiting on Boxing Day.

Let me take this opportunity in the peaceful quiet at the beginning of a new day to wish you all a merry Christmas. Christmas Day is the one day of the year when most of us can set aside every day worries and stresses for other worries and stresses like will the present be right? or will the turkey be cooked on time? or … insert whatever. Those are stresses we can live with. -- read more

Busy Busy Days

Posted on: Ides of May
Getting involved in the Legion, at least the Colborne Legion, seems to mean that from October 31st until January 2nd, time seems to fly by in a blur. There is what needs to be done that we expect and then what has to be done that is unexpected but needs to be fit in, you know, things like having a bit of a life.

The Poppy Campaign hadn’t even ended when it was suddenly time to make arrangements for people to start applying for Christmas hampers. Christmas.. jeeeze it seemed like that was a long way off just days ago and it wasn’t even Remembrance Day yet. Interspersed in there was a couple of dinners, branch meetings & Santa Claus parade and before long.. November is over. Officially, so was the hamper applications but that doesn’t stop them coming in. -- read more

Rotary Club Presentation

Posted on: Ides of May
In my role as Legion President I was asked to be the guest speaker at the Colborne Rotary Club meeting tonight. Here are my remarks: -- read more

Busy Time Approaching

Posted on: Ides of May
Hard to believe that October is almost over. Sometimes the months just fly by. As October ends, my thoughts and attention shifts to several areas. The first and most important is Remembrance Day. In Canada and many countries throughout the world we pause on November 11th to remember those who came before us, their service and their sacrifice to keep us free during the last century and now Afghanistan. -- read more

A Time of Thanksgiving

Posted on: Ides of May
It’s Friday of the long weekend which marks the Canadian Thanksgiving, a traditional time to celebrate the end of harvest. A transition of sorts towards the long cold winter that is to come. Somehow it seems so right that the transition is marked in nature by the changing of the trees, to a blaze of fall colours just before they fall off their trees which are preparing for their winter rest.

I’d like to be preparing for my winter rest, I’m not a winter lover. I do have to admit to admiring the cleansing effect of fresh fallen snow on the landscape. As long as I don’t have to drive in it. I’m fortunate in that I do have the freedom to be able to draw the line in the snow and refuse to drive when snow or sleet is falling. The only time I really get caught in it is if I’m away from home when it gets underway. -- read more

Busy week ends -- ouch!!

Posted on: Ides of May
I’m really glad that I stole last Sunday for a day for myself, this last week has been a pretty busy one. A good part of the non-work part of the week was getting ready for a roast beef dinner at the Legion on Friday night. What a meal that was, we served 142 people in just less than an hour and then had to cut the sales off as we had almost run out of meat. We were tired but really pleased. Attendance at these meals is always a guessing game.

Yesterday wasn’t such a good day for me. My stomach decided it was as good a time as any to go into spasms. I had to bail from the preparations and serving of our monthly brunch and retreat to my bed. It’s still hurting today but at least I can sit up and get some writing done.-- read more

I’m Stealing Today

Posted on: Ides of May
Yes, I wrote that correctly, I’m stealing today for myself. Since the first of the month it seems I spend more time doing things for other people than for myself. So, today is for ME!

I’m actually supposed to be elsewhere but I decided that where I was supposed to be is not the end of the world if I don’t show up. So, I’m home, doing some reading and some writing that I’ve been wanting to get done for ages. -- read more

On Turning 50 Years Young

Posted on: Ides of May
Okay, so today I turn 50 years young, or old. At 50 it is midway into the century so who really cares if it is old or young? Now, that sounds presumptious, that I might live to 100. It’s not impossible actually, my grandparents for the most part lived long lives, my paternal grandmother to 101, my paternal grandfather 96, maternal grandmother 99 and grandfather 88. My parents didn’t fare quite as well, mother died at 74 from breast cancer and dad at 84 also from cancer. So, my odds might be a tad shorter with that.

One legacy my parents left me is that we don’t need to dwell on the various stages of life. They are going to happen, there is not a lot of sense in trying to put them off or fight them, just accept them as the normal cycle of life. I’ve known friends who almost obsess over them, some people become almost immobilized, that just doesn’t make sense. I don’t have to either like them or welcome them, I just have to accept that life change is inevitable. -- read more

90th Anniversary of Rutherford’s VC

Posted on: Ides of May
The following are my remarks made at the service to commemorate the 90th anniversary of Captain Charles S. Rutherford earning his Victoria Cross:

Today, we gather to honour a great man and his actions -- Capt Charles S. Rutherford and the actions for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross in 1918 -- 90 years ago. We are not gathered on the exact anniversary of him earning the VC but we are gathered mid way between his actions of August 9th, which earned him a Military Medal and those of August 26, 1918 for which he received the Victoria Cross.-- read more

Battling the Bugs, Changing Diet

Posted on: Ides of May
Well, winter is almost over and true to form, I have been battling a cold that went into bronchitis. It has been a miserable 2 weeks or so. I think I’m slowly starting to see the tail end of it as my voice comes back to normal and I try to regain my energy so I can actually accomplish something.

Thursday I ventured out to do some much needed errands (cats thought that running out of their food was not funny) and tired myself out pretty good. So, today I spent mostly trying to rest and doing some light chores around the house.

I have been reading a very interesting ebook while I’ve been taking it easy. It is written by a lady doctor who talks in pretty simple and straightforward way about how the toxins which build up in our systems can actually be causing some of the struggles with weight that people like myself have. -- read more

Yet Another Storm

Posted on: Ides of May
I’m writing the original version of this post by hand today. You know, using the old fashion stuff — pen and paper. I managed to leave the power cord for my laptop at work last night and while I have a desktop system, it likes to shut itself off on a regular basis. If I write and then transcribe I make better use of computer time.

Normally, doing something like leaving the power cord behind would have prompted me to turn round and go back for it. That may have proved foolhardy last night knowing that another winter storm was bearing down on us in southern Ontario. Actually, I should say, bearing UP on us as it is coming out of the US. And you Americans think we send you the cold weather! -- read more

Computers, Love ‘Em or Hate ‘Em!

Posted on: Ides of May
Well, it does appear that once again there has been a gap in postings. In the interim, I have been rebuilding the hard drive on my laptop as I had to replace it. What a bloody pain installing the software all over again! Remembering all those must have pieces of software that were on the original drive is damn hard.

Then, when it appeared that I had almost reached the end of the job, my internet satellite connection decided that it wanted to mess up. See, around the time that I was busy rebuilding the drive we had some nasty winter weather which involved some very high winds. My house is rather heavily insulated so, it takes a lot to actually cause me to hear the wind in the house. This time, the wind was heavy enough that Dawn, my cheeky young cat, was spooked by it. -- read more

Finally, No Memorials at the Top!

Posted on: Ides of May
Finally! For the first time since December 30th this blog doesn’t carry a memorial post at the top of the listings. That means that for the last 10 days no Canadian soldier has given his/her life in service to us. Our 2500 troops in Afghanistan have stayed safe and most importantly, we along the Highway of Heroes have not made anymore trips to the bridges. Continue to be safe guys and gals, you’re service is appreciated.

I spent yesterday at the Legion. We had our monthly brunch on which moved from brunch into an afternoon of an informal jam session in the clubroom. We had an unadvertised special featuring a hot roast beef plate for $5. The plate gave you a full dinner. Since we had to cancel the roast beef dinner on Friday evening, the meat was all cooked and we did up some potatoes and veggie to complete the plate and of coursed topped with beef gravy.-- read more

Groundhog Day Already

Posted on: Ides of May
Man, I’m not doing very good on my goal of 300 more posts on this blog by the end of the year. A month has gone by already and all that I’ve posted has been memorial posts for Canadians killed in Afghanistan. We’ve lost five Canadians since Christmas, there have been four trips to the bridge made for them.

I’m praying we get past today and tomorrow so I can finally release the last one memorial from the top of the page and not have to replace it with a new one. Like the flag at the Branch, the memorial posts stay at the top of my blog until ten days has passed since the soldier died. -- read more