We have begun to ready ourselves for the December festive times. A brand new tree sits in a box in the living room waiting for us to set it up for the first time but we have other business to complete first. Our progress is slow. We must pace ourselves to get all done in time.
Buddy is smiling a lot these days. He just loves the mystery, the sounds and excitement that fills the air. Even hubby has expressed a keen interest in this season's upcoming events. He's stared humming carols.
One of the annoyances that are slowing us down is shown here.
Who knew that prepackaged baked goods could be so rancid smelling? The gingerbread house we had done up to this point is now recycled. We just hated how awful odour it gave off and gave up!
A new one,still in the box and fresh, will be constructed tomorrow while many of you have your special Thanksgiving dinners to celebrate your occasion.
We wish you a wonderful time. Feel blessed.
Everyone deserves that feeling.
In nature these trees are showing their need to survive along the water's edge. They appear to be reaching out to one another. And those that have lost their lives have spread across the stream thus creating an awesome photo moment.
Look carefully at those pictures. The water is totally unclean and no longer clear.
I wonder how any further industrialization attempts to increase the job opportunities will benefit the planet and all of life?
Is there no way to change our abusive ways?
It's Tuesday late afternoon. Earlier the wind and rain let up so that Buddy and I were able take a walk in our area. Storm Sandy had passed by earlier. We definitely felt our home shake. But as we walked on neighbouring streets everything looked fine. No noticeable severe damage, just some Halloween decorations that had fallen from their stations and a sign showing some historical old homes. Wow! Are we lucky!!
From the images of the TV presentations we saw what a few hours of very ugly weather did. It totally change people's lives and it had us feeling very sad. We understand that horror, that fear and the sense of helplessness upon seeing one's home and belongings gone in a flash. For us we recall the smoke chocking us and the then our rescue. After a brief in hospital stay for smoke inhalation, we recalled our living in hotels for weeks as our future was being sorted out. Then just as we found a rental home, bought some beds, a table with chairs, kitchen items and a small TV and moved in from the hotel, I developed a severe ache. But I had to fix things setting up our new place enough for the household to be functional. I had weird feeling that I would be unable to carry on. I had not felt well for a while. That night my fears became real. A was hit with a more severe ache. Quietly and alone I headed for the nearby hospital.
In the emergency during the early hours of the morning I was told to have my family come by before noon. A specialist had diagnosed a large tumour in my belly! Cancer? He wanted to discuss options with my family.
But to me this did not seem very serious. I was still recovering from the loss of our home. That loss impacted me enormously. And a couple of weeks later I had the recommended surgery. Colon cancer stage three was the outcome from that tumour but for me this was not as devastating as the loss of our home. I recovered. It was physically painful. Still it was nothing like the loss I'd felt from the fire.
Buddy and I can well imagine the horror that millions now have to face as Sandy moves and leaves a terrible destruction. The loss of homes from floods and even fires will be such a sadness for those who have been affected. This is not going to fade away quickly. We understand that.
This year Halloween is not the same. There's an added terrible twist, a horror that so many must withstand. They will not be celebrating. They are in shock. Buddy thinks we should send our Halloween candy money to the Red Cross. I think so too and I think we should do more. We are hoping to find ways to show we care. If you are not a victim I hope you will also find your own way to help out. But that's entirely up to you.
At midnight she moved into the next decade of her life. She reached the new benchmark of thirty and we are celebrating. Buddy loves his sister so he made sure she got a lovely card, a plant and beautiful cake too. I had to take him shopping after he had his ear checkup yesterday. We were ready when the clock struck 12am. It's a family tradition to open cards,a gift and have some cake at that time. Buddy selected a cake with three roses, one for each decade and picked orange because it's a fall colour. What an October birthday cake choice!
Before midnight we all went out to eat dinner at the Mandarin buffet restaurant where she was given their traditional birthday treat. They top this off with a hat, cake with candle, the singing of the song and a photo taken while this happens. It's placed in a magnet as a gift, a momento of the occasion to be taken home.
Happy Birthday Sweetie!
Ellie's paws are giving me pause to consider why I write less often. I guess I just need to take some time away from my laptop because I have poorer vision now and everything I read or write is taking so much longer. I shall try using the draft option and just write a bit until it's done. Be patient I say to myself. Here's hoping you'll still be there when I come along.
