No, I'm not tagging anyone

Why? . . . . . you ask? Well, the reason is this . . . . . . I know for a fact that a couple of very special friends who do blog would not be interested in answering these questions for the world to see, and as most of my blogging friends are, for the most part, casual friends, I did not feel it was right for me to tag them. So, there you have it . . . . . . short and sweet. If anyone reading my blog sees the questions and wishes to tag themselves, that's fine with me. Go ahead and blog away . . . . . . and have a nice day everyone. :-)

Last batch of answers to questions

I didn't mean for the process to take quite this long, but maybe it is just as well that I broke them up or I could have been in thoughtful pause for months. {g}

Five locations I'd run away to: I don't know if I have five left in my life anymore . . . . . . our cottage, the village where I grew up . . . . . . wander in my vehicle . . . . . . . until I ran out of money for gas . . . . . . . maybe we should still have horses . . . . . . I couldn't wander quite so far that way, and it would be less costly . . . . . . .

Five bad habits: I can't think of any . . . . . . guess some of my friends and relatives will have to email to remind me of some . . . . . . {gg} . . . . . .

Five things I like doing: reading, handwork, snuggling with Sweet Dream Baby, going for relaxing jaunts along the backroads with DH looking for wildlife and scenery photo opts, and chatting with friends and relatives on my computer.

Five things I would never wear: spike high heels, tattoes, body piercings other than the two earring holes I now have in each earlobe, thongs, or thick makeup.

Five TV shows I like: Everybody Loves Raymond, JAG, Little House on the Prairie, The Waltons, and MASH.

Five famous people I'd like to meet: Cousin George W. Bush and Laura Bush, Cousin George Bush, Sr. and Barbara Bush, and Mel Gibson.

Five biggest joys at the moment: my hubby, my daughter, my son, my Basenji Dream, and my continuing mobility.

Five favourite toys: regular home computer, laptop, digital camera, power source and phone lines for the previous three toys.

Going back in time . . . . . .

. . . . . . thirty-two years ago today to be exact . . . . . .

Beauty from ashes

Out in my backyard in the flower bed overrun with what some folks refer to as 'weeds,' are these beautiful late summer bloomers.








Meet Sylvester, The Cat everyone! Sylvester belongs to Heather (daughter) and here he was out in the backyard yesterday admiring Grandma's escaping Heather (plant) from the Weed Garden. He is The Cat that Dream, the Basenji, thinks of as Prey.

Dining area window picture repeat . . . .

and this time we have a hummer!

Last evening there were two hummers here and they were driving each other away from the feeder so quickly that I don't know how either of them managed to get anything to eat. Perhaps their Momma should have socialized them a bit more before she let them loose in the world and then they'd 'play' nice. Maybe . . . . . maybe not.

Melting Pot

It was some time ago that I found this and it really spoke to me, so I saved it and added it to my personal 'book of well liked quotes' that I have been compiling for myself.

"We could learn a lot from crayons . . . . . . some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, some have weird names, and all are different colors . . . . . . but they all have to learn to live in the same box."

Kind of like a melting pot isn't it? . . . . . . before you add the heat . . . . . . and then, after heat is added, the crayons would really melt together wouldn't they? Now, bring that thought along as you do your genealogy. What makes up the person that is you? Well, I can't say about you, but I have been learning a lot about myself and my DH, Shel.

I had always 'known' that I was most likely a mixture of English, Scottish, perhaps some Irish thrown in for good measure; and I think that is true for the most part. Though I haven't found the info yet there was always a 'family rumour' . . . . . . you ever hear any in your family? {g} . . . . . . that we had Indian blood in my mother's family through her father. Well, my Dad always said that Mom had to have Indian blood in her cuz she moved our living room and bedroom furniture around every spring and every fall just like an Indian would move his lodgings in those seasons. For some strange reason I don't think that is quite the proof that I would need. {g}Through some recent research I did find Dutch blood on Mom's mother's side, and German. So another couple of nationalities joined up there. On Dad's side we found French blood going back through Scotland ( there is a picture online of the family's ancient Scottish castle . . . . . . hmmm . . . . do I smell 'royalty?' . . . . {g} . . ), before that Normandy, France, and even back to Germany before that. I am far from being finished in searching through either of my parent's ancestory. It's so much fun and so interesting. I'm having a great time doing it.

Okay, for a bit about Shel's side. Again, he had always considered himself to be mainly English, Scottish and Irish, and he did have connections to royalty through his maternal grandmother to the Royal House of Lennox and Lord Darnley, the husband of Mary, Queen of Scots. Now I've read that Lord Darnley was not the best sort when it came to, shall we say 'good character,' but then I am a firm believer in one person not being responsible for their ancestors and their actions nor should one be held accountable for their offspring and their actions. As it says in the Good Book in Ezekiel 18:20 . . . . . The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.

One great-great grandfather of Shel's came from Norway. Perhaps conditioning against the cold here in Nova Scotia was brought by this Norweigan ancestor? No family remedy against arthritis was found in his papers though I'm afraid. :-( Then there's Native blood, and surprise! surprise! it is not of the Micmac tribe found here but Wampanoag from the Cape Cod, MA area, but still under the cover of the Eastern Woodlands Indians. I am not finished with Shel's genealogy either so the search continues.

While all this is interesting to me and I am enjoying the searching and with that, meeting different people from around North America and the rest of the world, I am not focusing on any one nationality on either side and thinking that I wish it weren't so or am glad that it is so. Shel and I are only two products of this hugh melting pot of North America and we fell in love with each other, not our ancestors. Any skeletons can rattle 'til the cows come home and it will make no difference to us. We are happy and secure in our lives together, believe in God and a strong work ethic, do not believe in freebies being passed out to any one cultural group who thinks the rest of the country owes them a living and an apology, have many friends of different nationalities, love and enjoy our two children and our dogs and other creatures ( someone else can keep the spiders and snakes thank you! ), and wish to continue on as we are in this life until Jesus comes to bring us Home.

Think about that melting pot . . . . . . lots of ingredients in there aren't there? What is in your melting pot? :-)

A Luxurious Snood/Capelet

I know . . . . . . I shouldn't have done it . . . . . . but I did. I started 'another' project. It's one that's been in the back of my mind ever since I saw that lovely Flared Lace Smoke Ring over on
The Woolen Rabbit blog. I didn't do it on purpose . . . . . . but I rounded a corner in a local store and suddenly there was this rack of knitting pattern books you see . . . . . . 'They probably don't have that pretty Lace Smoke Ring pattern,' I thought . . . . . . They didn't . . . . . . but there on the front cover of one of those books was something similar . . . . . . . a Luxurious Snood/Capelet . . . . . . (peek over at the pic and see what I mean . . . . {g) . . . ) . . . . and it only uses 4 balls of Patons Cha Cha (50 g) . . . . . . and I've been itching to knit something again . . . . . . but I really didn't need 'another' project right now . . . . . . 'Oh so what! If you'd like a snood for Christmas, Heather, then pick out the colourway that you'd like to have.' Please refer to the picture for a view of the beginning of Heather's snood. Pretty, isn't it?! {g}

Kitchen window view

Hey, look at that . . . . . . more bunnies! {g} Aren't they cute?! And the little white dog with the brown ears and tail has the most beautiful blue eyes . . . . . . he 'followed' me home from the secondhand store one day. {g} It may be a bit difficult to see but hanging on the crank is a pewter ornament of two chickadees and some berries. Also hanging on the crank, but you cannot see in this picture, is a flowery fabric heart made by yours truly . . . . . . and to the left a plaque that says Be ye kind. Beyond the window are some of our many maple trees . . . . . . . another reminder that this is Canada . . . . . . {g} . . . . . and part of the driveway that swings around by the old horse barn.

My own blank page . . . . . .

. . . . . . or would that be blank brain?! Before this blog got up and running there were lots and lots of thoughts running through my brain that I could write about. What happened to 'em?! Guess they decided the summertime this year in NS was not quite up to par so they left for 'greener pastures,' it would seem. Maybe they'll be back when the high humidity leaves once again. It sure has sapped my energy . . . . . . as though my level wasn't already low enough! It would be nice to peer out a window and see the SUN for a change. The weatherman is 'promising' sun for today. We'll see how true he is to his word later on. Too early yet to gaze out my windows so instead I'll gaze upon these two pictures instead. They're proof that we did see the sun at least one day during the month of July. One of my dining area windows and the other is my kitchen window. These two windows are up high so I can keep some of my treasures there and little Basenji feet and nose can't knock them off and break them in her eagerness to see The Cat. The embracing white bunnies and the three muscial bunnies there belonged

to my Mom. They are salt and pepper shakers and had been given to her by her father a few years before I was born. That would make them antiques now. {g} The musical bunnies had also belonged to my Mom's parents and were given to her, probably because she loved bunnies. I love bunnies too, and I'm very happy to have these family heirlooms. See the horse head? Now I get to brag a bit about my artist daughter, Heather. The head is pottery and is the one and only pottery piece that Heather has ever made. In typical artist fashion, she feels that it isn't that good, and in typical Mother fashion, I think it's quite lovely. No hummer at the feeder in this picture . . . . sorry.

Now for the kitchen window. Okay . . . . . for some strange reason 'they' don't want me to add a second picture to this posting it would seem. Tried twice to get the second picture up but no go. So I'll publish this and try with a separate posting of the kitchen window picture. Don't be surprised if I publish this and up pops the picture. I won't be. {g}

A few more answers .........

Five snacks I enjoy?

Pepsi, chips, chocolate, ice cream, grapes & cheese . . . . . . to name a few . . . . there are more, and some are even healthy. :-)

Five bands and singers for which I know most of their stuff?

The Beatles. Guess that dates me eh? {g} I like various songs from a large variety of bands and singers. Perhaps you could say that my preference wanders. Are you beginning to understand how I came to a decision on my blog title? {g}

What would I do with $100,000,000?

Well, first off I'd faint! Then I'd get down to business . . . . . . invest, help out relatives and friends that needed help, give to certain charities of our choice, purchase a home near St. Louis where I could join my adopted sister and friends at Basenji gatherings, and DH could spend some time sitting in a bass boat { hopefully the lake would not disappear from under him :-) }
and wet a line or two. I would join him for trips to Lewis and Clark Days in Old Town St. Charles, and various re-enactments, Black Powder rendezvous { we both target shoot our custom made muzzleloaders, and DH won the 200 Metre Open Sight competition with his 50 caliber flintlock rifle at a Black Powder Canadian Nationals back in the 80s. Pre-bifocal days that was. } Also, there would be lots of travelling to do . . . . . . back to Cade's Cove, which DH declares 'looks like Heaven on earth' to him, the Blue Ridge area . . . . . . have to stop off at Leslie's to meet her and the bunnies and visit Meadows of Dan. Heather and I would have to visit some Morgan horse farms and take in some Three Day Eventing happenings and Horse Trials, plus a Dressage Show or two. There just would not be time for any grass to grow under our feet, that's for sure.

What was I doing yesterday? ......

Nothing exciting . . . . . . unless you consider housework exciting. {g}

As that was a short and sweet answer I guess I'll do a couple more at the same time today.

What am I doing today? . . . . . .

Enjoying the sunshine after yesterday's rain. More laundry. Well, what did you think I'd be doing with that Gremlin still on the loose Leslie? He wasn't in the live trap along with the young black bear that the rangers removed from this area a couple of weeks ago, so he hit my laundry hamper again last night! It's another day of a long drawn out breakfast in between reading the local paper, chatting with friends online, doing housework, and dealing with that never-ending stream of laundry.

What will I be doing tomorrow? . . . . . .

Other than laundry, I can't really say. It's still a mystery to me.

What was I doing one year ago?

. . . . . . 2004 . . . . . . Still chasing a very active Basenji! Basenjis are certainly NOT a dog for the faint-hearted! I must have a strong heart indeed! . . . . . . and a great sense of humour is another major requirement for living life with a semi-wild dog who considers herself to be The Boss. {g}

We visited St. Louis, MO, again and had a wonderful time! On our return trip home we drove south into Tennesse and up through the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. From there we turned onto the Blue Ridge Parkway and did the whole route this time. Two years previously we had begun our tour at Fancy Gap. Then we did a repeat of Skyline Drive and the Shenandoah National Park. We also had made a side trip to Cade's Cove. Breathtaking!! Love those mountains!!

Shortly after returning home we lost DH's special Nana, and later that autumn, my second Nana. I had lost the first of my two grandmothers the previous fall. So, within a year, between us my DH and I lost three grandmothers. I found it difficult to settle down to accomplish any homework after that. Had to wander . . . . . .

Pretty crazy quilt embellishments

Linda over at Chloe's Place was showing off her pretty finds down in OZ so I decided to scan a couple of my finds from our last spring's Missouri trip. If anyone from the St. Louis area happens to be reading this and wants to know where I did find these, they were both at Gordmans in St. Charles, just across the parking lot from Bass Pro. The blue bracelet, which was $5.99US, will yield 45 round shells, 8 irregular shaped plastic beads, and 16 small irregular shaped plastic beads. The beautiful multi-coloured stone? necklace has 28 square and irregular shaped stones? with a hole in each center, and 31 small round stone? beads. The necklace was $3.99US. I was pleased with this purchase. Now the trick is to get brave enough to take them apart and use them. One of the reasons that I balk is because I just know, that as soon as I take them apart, I'm going to wish they were still together so I could wear them. Maybe then I'll have to raid DD, Heather's, jewelry boxes and borrow the ones I bought for her.

Backyard beauty

Dream had been outside already on her tie-out around six, then back in to spend a bit more time snuggling under the sheets with her Daddy before he left for work, but she insisted on going out again at eight thirty so I clipped on her leash and off we went. I thought we'd do a walk 'round the backyard but Dream first wanted to sniff all the tires on my Jeep and DS's truck. Tires carry many smells and messages from other places ( some doggie folks refer to it as 'pee mail' ) and must be thoroughly inspected. After all the information was gathered, we moved on to the flower bed, which really should be called the weed bed at this point in time. A few Heathers have 'escaped' from the original bed and are now naturalized in the lawn. So far DH has remembered they're there and hasn't determined that they were ' . . . . just weeds, so I mowed them down . . . . ' We won't discuss the plants that became mulch in past years. At the edge of the hill this beautiful pink moss rose bush grows over the big rock . . . .


I will have to get some pictures of the Heathers and post them later. Also the Honeysuckle on the stonewall.

As we moved along the edge of the hill in the backyard we past my Bridal Wreath. I never took any pictures of it this year as it didn't have much of a show. Maybe the long snowy winter and extremely rainy spring was just too much for it. Hopefully it will come back next year. Be nice if a real spring would show up next year too.

On to say Good Morning to Harry. If you've been reading my blog for a while you would have met Harry, the Oak Tree a while ago.

By this time, I realized that Dream didn't have anything special to do outside, she just wanted to go for a walk and had conned me again, so we went back inside to the waiting housework and freshly baked chocolate cake to frost as soon as it cooled.

What was I doing five years ago?

As the year 2000 began, I was still shuddering whenever I recalled the previous autumn and the day the fishing boat that my DS was on sank approximately 90 miles off Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. I thank God daily for sparing his life and the lives of the other two crew members.

No longer working outside the home, I was getting all the work, and exercise, I needed chasing my two year old Basenji, Dream. This little girl made raising two borderline hyperactive children seem like a walk in the park!! Beautiful to look at . . . . . . she could chew furniture, blankies, and plastic faster than a swarm of carpenter ants could bring down a house. There were days when my DH lamented that instead of her name being Dream, we should have called her Nightmare; and when anyone asked what kind of a dog she was he would announce that they most likely didn't want one as they were a cross between a Tasmanian Devil and a hemorrhoid! In truth, as they are semi-wild dogs originally from the African jungles, they can be quite a challenge to live with and I would never recommend anyone purchasing a Basenji without a lot of study on the breed and learning about them from a reputable Basenji person. Two informative websites for research are the Basenji Club of Canada http://www.basenjiclubofcanada.com/ and the
Basenji Club of America http://www.basenji.org/ .

In the spring of that year, DH and I made our first trip to visit with Basenji friends in the US and we had a wonderful time.

Having been diagnosed with DRD ( Dopa Responsive Dystonia ) three years previously, I was trying to adjust to a life of living with a progressive disease which has also caused me to have Secondary Parkinsonism as well. Two for the price of one. My DRD is hereditary, but there are other types. For more information on the disease please go to http://www.drdcentral.com/ .

Keep on smiling! :-)

What was I doing ten years ago?

This was the first question in the list that Leslie had for me, and as the list is fairly long, it was suggested to me by another friend that maybe if I answered each question in a separate post folks might be more apt to take the time to read them then if I listed them all together in one post. Do you suppose she was trying to tell me that I can be longwinded at times? {g}

Ten years ago . . . . . hmmm . . . . . 1995 . . . . It was a busy year, and a difficult one. I was still working part time at a local doctor's office, sharing the regular household chores and the care of our two horses, dog and cat with DD here at home during the week. Throughout the spring and summer that year I became a 'carpenter's helper' on the weekends as DH and I worked on our cottage in the deep woods of Upper Clyde. We managed to get it finished enough to use shortly before the end of August and our first night there was spent listening to coyotes howl as they hunted around us. Kind of scary, but we were fine, and well protected by our snoring Irish Setter, Red. {g}

I was still trying very hard that year to accept the fact of losing both of my parents to cancer just four and a half years apart. It continues to be an ongoing battle.

We sold Meggie that summer. That was heartbreaking . . . . . . but DD was no longer Eventing in the Annapolis Valley and she was far too good a horse to leave grazing in the pasture for the rest of her life. Maritime Misty Megan . . . . a Morgan . . . . she was one of the most athletic horses I've ever seen. Watching her do the 'airs above the ground' all by herself in the pasture was a sight to behold. She was sold to a wonderful family where she remains to this day and we still get to see her occasionally when we are up that way.

During that year I began to consider the possiblity of bringing a Basenji into my life again. Little did I know what adventures lay ahead of me when I did actually do so three years down the road, but that's another story for another time.

After wandering through . . . . . . .

. . . . . . a little book, Old Settler's Remedies, Compiled by Marion Robertson for the Cape Sable Historical Society, Barrington, Nova Scotia, I've been pondering since how on earth some of our ancestors managed to live long enough in those days in order to produce the next generation. I'm not sure but what if folks were using some of these remedies on their animals nowadays, let alone other human beings, they'd be put in jail. It is interesting for sure. The following is one example I am amazed at . . . . . .

Care of Children

To prevent the rickets, tenderness, and weakness, dip them in cold water every morning, at least till they are eight or nine months old. Let them go bare-headed and bare-footed till they are three or four years old at least. Milk, milk porridge, and water-gruel, are the proper breakfasts for children. - W.

It's the dipping the babies in cold water that makes me shudder.

Two recent finds

Getting back to something of interest for Linda of Chloe's Place, and others who like handwork and such, I've photographed two items that asked for a ride home from the secondhand store a few days ago. This embroidered linen cloth has lovely stitching and is, I would say ( though my embroidery knowledge is quite limited ) done by hand. If a closer view would tell you gals more please feel free to ask for more pics. The digital camera is only an arm's length away.



This nice little doily is crocheted in an off white thread mixed with a strand of metallic. Sorry, the metallic thread doesn't seem to show through in the pic. When I first brought this picture down it landed up top there beside the table linen picture, but I wanted it down here beside its own paragraph, so I put my cursor on it and clicked, did the dragging down here and it seems to have worked . . . . . so far . . . . . now, when I post we'll see what it goes.

Spring Chickens?

Naw . . . . can't be, judging by the looks of this old photograph. Old as the hills maybe. {g} I knew that I'd seen a picture lately of free range chickens. Finally found it on Leslie's blog under Lily's page. Good Girl Lily! I'll depend on you to keep those chickens rounded up should I ever walk near your Momma's house, unless your Momma has kindly shut them up in their pen or chickenhouse beforehand. Chickens just 'know' how I suffer from that 'scared of chickens' disease ( there is a proper name for it, just can't think of it right off ) and will in unison raise their heads as one and run . . . . . straight towards me! See the attached photo . . . . that's me, out the garden it would appear . . . . with a lone chicken. Do I look impressed??

From the 'bag of stuff' . . . . .

. . . . . . one of a pair of embroidered doilies which have been done exactly the same. This one is presently on the butcher block on top of my dishwasher with these same companions keeping it company. I am not certain who did the handwork, though it is quite possible that it was done by either my DH's grandmother or great-grandmother.

I found the Little Nutbrown Hare at a secondhand store and could not leave him there. A couple months later the book Guess How Much I Love You (which would have been originally sold with the Little Nutbrown Hare) turned up at the same secondhand store, and of course it had to come home with me as well. Whenever I look at my Little Nutbrown Hare I can't help but smile. He's a very happy guy to have around. Have you ever read the story? If you haven't, you are missing one of the sweetest stories ever written and the illustrations are wonderful. I guarantee it will touch your heart.

The wooden dog with the prick ears as a look similar to that of a Basenji and was an Ebay purchase a few years ago. There is a hole in the bottom which would indicate that at one time the dog had been perhaps set on top of a post. I'm not sure what the wood is but am guessing teak. I bought it because I love Basenjis and I liked the looks of this wooden dog. He also makes me smile. :-)

Early morning visitors

They were here around 7AM and their visit was short but aren't they beautiful? These two deer tasted the grasses growing in our old riding area half way out our driveway, one stopped by my lilies and lone maple there, and then they both crossed the driveway and wandered off into the woods behind our tractor garage. As DH had been cutting more firewood in that part of the woods over the weekend, the deer were no doubt on their way for a breakfast of fresh maple leaves and new growth from the tree tops.

Shortly after the deer left I put Dream on her tie-out as I wandered around the backyard saying Hello to Harry, the Oak tree . . . . . . I've been telling Harry ever since he came to live here how beautiful he is ( actually, I have no idea whether he's a 'he' or a 'she' ), and he certainly seems to have responded well. On the day that I asked my DH to pull this little oak tree from the side of the bank on the Clyde road on our way home from our cottage, and then plant him in the backyard here at our home, he voiced his doubt that an oak would thrive this close to the ocean. Harry was, originally, no more than a foot high and through those first few years even I began to let the doubts surface at times as Harry never seemed to grow more than an inch or two. While we couldn't see apparent growth, Harry was developing a root system, and then he took off. Ten years later . . . . . . just look at Harry now!