ANNA BANANA

     For me it's a signifiant day but I awoke all groggy. I had had a very busy day yesterday. The house papers were signed at the lawyers office. Then I had to take Buddy and myself to have various mailing addresses updated.
      April 29th is the day of the house closing.
     And that's today. Early this morning I lay in my bed tossing and reliving the fire. I could not get comfortable so I got up for a glass of water. As I staggered back to my bed I remembered that a huge British wedding was happening some time in the night thanks to our time difference. The media has been pushing the event for months creating a frenzy of followers. I was getting a bit fed up hearing stuff hour after hour yet a strange thing happened. I turned the power bar on to enable the TV in my bedroom and glanced at my watch. It was now 7:07 am. Once back under my sheets I turned to the remote and switched on the TV! I had had no plans to watch it last night but now I became curious to see how far along the affair had come. I think I was looking for distraction from my earlier disturbing thoughts.
     The scene on my screen showed the couple standing at the alter while the choir was singing. Then they knelt as prayers followed. Their version of the Lords' prayer was slightly different from one that I recall. The language of religious prayer seems to be evolving to meet the needs of keeping it current. It's all about followers.
     Restless,  I channel surfed and discovered that every station was at the exact same clip, all synced. All around the world people were seeing the same identical scene live from the same one spot, 2 billion viewers. I continued to watch until their balcony scene and their kiss and then turned the TV off. Why had I become so hooked? I watched longer than I intended and that's because of the little inserts the viewers get on local stations, the hook.
     It is afternoon now. As I type this post Oprah is on somewhere in the background in the house. She is recalling the royal wedding. Seems everyone has to have their spin on this historic affair. Whatever drives so many to become addicted followers? Oprah seems to know. Could it be a hook appealing to something in a viewer? Her success has made her millions.
      This morning my hook occurred when a reporter interviewed a Canadian lady who had travelled to London. She was wearing a huge 'banana hat' on her head making her stand out. She got her moment of fame when the reporter was keen to learn why a 'banana hat' was her thing.
      Nicknamed Anna Banana when she was a tot, it has stuck with her. I smiled because I realized that I was in that lady's life then when her nanny, Sharon, gave her that nickname. Sharon was the sister of our nanny,Wendy, and we all lived in Unionville during my teaching days. The kids had play dates, birthday parties and overnights for several years till Anna  Banana and her family moved after her parents broke up. Photos from those days are in some box of recovered from the fire stuff stacked somewhere in our current basement.
     The Anna media clip changed my involvement level. I had a totally new relationship with the event. I was now emotionally involved somehow. Why does familiarity make us so much more accepting of what surrounds us? For me Anna will stand out when I recall moments of this day. 'Sold' will also be linked with it.
April 29,2011

Lonely Daffodil

 " I wandered lonely as a cloud that floats high over vales and hills when all at once I saw a crowd, a host of golden daffodils..." W.Wordsworth

Each year the lines of this poem stream through me when I see the first daffodil. Posted today is the only blooming plant I could find on my walk yesterday. It's a lonely daffodil. You can see the buds on surrounding shrubs but nothing has much has sprouted.
Last night's summary of what families did this Easter weekend included skiing at a local resort. It has never in the history of operation been open for business so late into spring! For the business it was a best winter ever.


The weird weather all over the globe is not very reassuring. Blogging friends are located in areas that are hit hard by violent storms and flooding and it is so sad. The only help we can give is a donation. While it helps it does not give back what's lost. In my neighbourhood we are having many rain storms.  My walks have to be timed in between the deluge of rains but I must do it. My health would slide if I didn't go. The balance seems so delicate.


Though Buddy loved this Easter, he's having another spell of too much discomfort. Today he stayed home from his little office. And that means he's really not okay. He's much happier when the sun's out but he'll have to wait until Friday. He has hopes of visiting Florida some time soon. It's the sunshine state. Hope is good.

Still we need to brighten up our day at home together. I think his ipad can be used for this. Jerry"s post gave me of a great idea. Buddy and I are going to search for some old familiar tunes that we both enjoy and sing away. We'll be smiling. It happens every time. 


Right now we are in a cell of thunderstorms. Safety means no walking outdoors at this time but using a battery operated device for the music should not be a problem.

Pansies and Smiles

 Here's to some happy days with our loved ones as we head into the long weekend of celebrations. For some it is Easter and for others it's Passover. For many it's a break, an opportunity to spend time doing something a bit out of the usual routine. May it be what you need to refresh yourself at this special time.

It is so nice to see the pansies everywhere. Now if only we could get less wind, rain/snow and a bit more sunshine to add to the festive weekend!


My girls will be on the road. My youngest is finishing up with her Masters in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Older sis is flying there to help her with the drive back. It's a long haul. For them to be on the road on a busy long weekend and with the weather predicted to be lousy it's a worry. I'm praying they'll be home safely by Monday. :|


In the meantime I'll be busy with Buddy who takes the Easter holiday, along with the fun and goodies, very seriously. While buying treats for his sisters he treated himself to an ipad.  He's saved for it for some time and settled for the older model which he got for less. Now there's lot's to learn. He's very excited about his latest gadget. He's seen it on many commercials and shows and felt he could enjoy it. :)


So far it's taken me several hours to set up for him. It needed to be very user friendly so he can use it with not too much frustration. Who knew to get stared he needed an itunes account. But that was a bonus for him since he quickly learned to download his favourite Michael Jackson album. Then he checked out what Irish coffee is because he wanted some. He found the recipe. It was not what he had thought it would be and was a bit disappointed. Later that evening he went to his dad who was already in bed and whispered in his ear,
 "Hey Irish coffee's got alcohol in it. Did you know that?" And then he showed him the recipe page on his ipad. Dad glanced at his new ipad and told Buddy that he was lucky to own such a fancy new unit. The smile on Buddy's face as he carries it around with him is priceless. :)


Now Buddy's aware that it has bluetooth and he wants to use that. Not as simple as  he thinks because what he doesn't know is that I'll need a manual teaching me how to pair things up carefully with him. Wonder if I'll be able master that?  He's going to be persistent and I love that about him. :)


There's lots to smile about.  

VINES

   Vine Cliff. How's that for a name? A winery liked it and used it for their winery in the Napa Valley. Since grapes grow on vines it seems appropriate. Their orchards are on the sides of hills sort of like cliffs so this adds to the charm of their chosen name. But I'm not so sure why a very flat road miles away from that valley carries the same name. I stroll along Vine Cliff Blvd. to get to the pond and the woods. 
   Here are some of the vines I found recently while on my walk. I wonder how the trees survive once a vine moves in on them?

    These trees may be in trouble as some nasty vines took hold. Vines that are not the kind that one would wish to grow for a profit unless there's some hidden property in them that I know nothing about. Maybe I should study the possibilities? Perhaps that's already been done and I just don't know it? Do you?
    I must confess that I do like the wine variety. Sipping an occasional red cabernet is delightful when there's a festivity. One is soon approaching.


PS. Patience has been rewarded. My long awaited eye surgeon appointment has finally been made by them for me in mid May. I've waited almost a year so let's hope they don't cancel me. Better vision would surely add to the quality of my life. It's a struggle to see when a lens is out of whack and it's a strain on the head physically and emotionally.

OUCH

I lay in my bed just tossing a lot
         Wondering
I lay on my back just hurting a lot
         Shivering
I lay on my side just hoping a lot
         Sweating
I lay and I lay and I lay a lot
         Recovering
And still as I lay in my bed thinking
         Pain ending
Earache presses me into my pillow
         Tears flowing