Let us go then, you and I...

Wow, what a windy, blustery, wet-n-wild day we had yesterday! I could see the wind (because it was full of water) swirling and rushing around, bending trees and hustling debris along the road. Our power went out for three hours in the afternoon...good time for reading, although the clouds were so dark, there was barely enough light to do so after about four o'clock.

I called the NS Power 24 hr outage line and at first they said the power would be back on at 3:45 but when I called back at 3:30 for an update, they said 5pm...uh huh, we'll see about that, I thought to myself. Impressively though, the power surged back on at almost exactly 5:00...so exact that I wondered if they were ready before then, but decided to wait to show off their predictive powers! Surely not...?? :)

MN had a friend over and they played in the basement with flashlights. I could hear lots of shrieking - they told me they saw ghosts in the mirror down there. Plus MN had put something on the top stair, but when they came back to that part of the basement, the object was at the bottom so they figured the ghost had moved it. (I'm thinking maybe the cat, but no doubt that just shows my lack of imagination.) In any case, they had lots of fun and if they feel we have a ghost, so be it! When the power finally came back on, we watched GhostTrackers on TV and MN relived her afternoon through the (very scared) kids on the show.

TG and I had been watching Armageddon (the movie from a few years back) when the power went out. Such a tear-jerker, that one...TG and I are both major cry-babies whenever there's an emotional scene in a movie so of course we had the tissues close at hand for this one. Doesn't seem to matter whether it's a good movie, or (as in this case) a lame-o, we'll still be sniffling away making puppy-stomping noises (which phrase comes from Dave...who does NOT stomp puppies so don't send the SPCA our way, please!) Unfortunately we got right back into it as soon as the power returned, so I didn't get started on supper until twenty to seven...oops. Oh well, by the time we actually ate, everyone was certainly hungry!

"The feeling remains that God is on the journey, too. "
- Saint Teresa of Avila

I came across this quote recently while contemplating my travels and my mind filled with images:

...lying in a grassy park in Burano with leaves rustling in the trees and waves shushing nearby
...the joy of unexpected early morning birdsong in Florence
...the soul-deep reverence I felt in St. Francis' crypt
...the grace and glory of Duccio's Maesta
...the radiant swirl of Titian's Assumption of the Virgin
...gazing upon Michelangelo's David...sigh
...attending a worship service in England
...swaying with the vaporetto over the choppy lagoon waters
...lying back on the steps looking up at Santa Maria Della Salute and the sky
...walking around Venice under dark and moody clouds
...the sound and smell of the sea in Marina Grande
...standing alone, all alone, in the middle of Stonehenge just after sunrise
...walking the labyrinth at Norwich Cathedral with my daughters
...standing outside San Miniato listening to a woman inside singing Ave Maria for a wedding

Once upon a time, Nintendo invented the Wii...quickly followed by cries from the girls of "ooo, we want that!!"...to which we replied "we're not made of money, we can't buy expensive Christmas gifts AND still afford a trip this summer" (this conversation was last Christmas). Without hesitation, both agreed that the trip was the thing.

Shortly afterward, their existing GameCube packed it in, never to work again. Gasp, the horror, the horror!!! What on earth would they do all year without a gaming console?!! Long gone are the days of playing outside with nothing but an old pot and a mud puddle...these gals want "quick reactions required" electronic stimulation.

They went without a game console for nearly a year...and I have to say, I noticed them drifting apart. Some parents complain that their kids spend too much time playing electronic games as a solo activities and not enough time socializing, but this is one of the few activities my girls do together (they are six years apart in age.) Without the shared gaming, they come home from school and go to their separate rooms to do their homework, then read or play separately. Moods and energy levels droop...

So I'm at church last Sunday...uh oh, it was so hectic and crazy mid-December, it turns out I'd forgotten to sign someone's paycheque so her bank returned it as non-negotiable. And at this time of year too when the holiday bills come rolling in. (I'm treasurer for my pastoral charge...a pastoral charge is the level above individual churches and the level below presbytery...confused? Don't feel bad, the structure of the United Church of Canada is a mystery to me too!)

Anyway, the woman whose cheque I hadn't signed was (understandably) unhappy, but the worst part was that she thought I'd known since mid-week and had just been ignoring her. It turned out she'd sent her email to my old email address, so I didn't receive it. We have sorted out and all's well now, but at the time I felt horrible! I came home and broke into tears because I felt so bad - I'm way too hard on myself! I then threw a hissy fit about how I can't get anything done in our teeny cramped computer room, I have no room to spread out my files, and how the heck can I continue as treasurer with no decent place to work.Iin short, I was in a tizzy.

Ever cool headed, Dave lets me rant for a bit and then says what if you had a laptop and wireless internet? Oh I pause mid-tantrum, envisioning myself with files spread out on my 8 foot dining room table...that would be perfect. I feel almost anticlimactic with such an obvious and simple solution.

Off we go to Futureshop...naturally they had no stock left of the Toshiba which was front and centre on their website at $400 off. But they did have a Compaq Presario C700 for $350 off - works for me! We were the salesman's dream come true...we walk out in about 15 minutes with a laptop, wireless router, HP office jet printer, and wireless mouse.

I love this rig!! At least I will...just as soon as I master this weird Canadian International Multilanguage keyboard. This board's got so many symbols on it, I could type just about every language going, including Maltese apparently (or at least I could if I knew Maltese...).

Yes Virginia, something good CAN come out of a hissy fit (and a patient spouse doesn't hurt either)...now I just have to pray I don't mess up the paycheques again...so hard to get good volunteers these days... :)

I have a love/hate relationship with winter. In theory, I love it - always say I could never live anywhere without the full range of seasons. In practice, however, my commitment to the white season falters long before the temperature dips down to -20C (as was the case last week.)

At the moment, it is a balmy 1C. Now that might sound like a great improvement after last week's deep freeze temps, except that this little "heat wave" came with horrid precipitation. Snow overnight, then ice pellets (those were nasty while I was shovelling, I can tell you (felt like Mother Nature had a vendetta against me!) At the moment, we are experiencing the ever UNpopular freezing rain...which is falling on top of the layer of ice pellets...which, in turn, fell on top of the snow that fell overnight. Very, very slip-sliding conditions indeed!!

The up-side of the slipperyness was that it was quite easy to slide the shovel across the driveway (I was using one of those bucket types that work in a plow-like fashion). But the ice pellets were brutal - like little stinging insects - before they morphed into the freezing rain. I was quite bedraggled by the time I came in to shower and bring my body temperature back up to human levels!

Now I sit all cozy in my house with coffee in hand, wondering if the roads are decent enough so I can safely drive into work. The road in front of my house is invisible under the white stuff, but the highway is partially clear so I am torn. I have an easy half hour drive to work when roads are bare and traffic free...longer during rush hour and bad weather. But why take chances unnecessarily - my workplace won't fall apart without me. I think I will wait a little while longer and see if the freezing rain stops soon...

This is an extremely timely topic for me personally.

At this very moment, my grandmother lies in critical condition in the cardio intensive care unit.

She had a triple bypass on Wednesday, which went well. But later that night, the nurses felt something was amiss so ordered a chest x-ray and found bleeding and clotting in her chest cavity. A second surgery was performed (you know it's an emergency when the hospital assembles a cardiac surgery team at 3am) to find the cause. Two surgeries within 12 hours would be difficult for anyone, but for an 84 year old woman, is very dicey business indeed. The nurse made a point of telling us how big a deal it was for her to have been anaesthetized twice in such a short time...not to alarm us, but just so we would be aware of the seriousness.

My sister and I were at the hospital all day yesterday and today, although for the most part, Grammie was not aware of our presence. But yesterday, when she was awake (groggy, but awake enough to hold our hands), she seemed comforted to know we were there. She started to show signs of distress when we had to leave (only allowed to stay for maybe 10 minutes at a time in the ICU) but relaxed a bit when we said we were not going to leave the hospital and would be back again very soon.

No improvement today, and in fact somewhat worse since they fear she might be brewing an infection (temp was up, plus white cell count up).

We spent much time today in the hospital chapel (aside from any spiritual comfort, frankly it's just one of the few quiet places to sit in the hospital), but I'm afraid I have a shadow over my own heart...

My sincerest thanks to girasole for suggesting this as our first blog challenge topic. I'll take comfort in knowing that many thousands of people, Slow Travellers among them, are wearing red today to show their support for women's heart disease awareness.

I see that I am just making it in under the wire with today's post! I fear I haven't the brain power to come up with anything other than the following bit of rambling though...

I went to church this morning feeling reasonably okay...then someone asked how I was doing and I quickly deteriorated...sigh, what a pathetic weeper I am. (That and the fact that I am utterly exhausted from spending so much time at the hospital with Grammie.) But I have always been one to fall apart at the slightest sign of caring...it's like my floodgates burst when I come in contact with compassion.

I had a chance to apologize to Rev. Valerie afterward for leaving just as she started speaking ('cause that's gotta make a minister feel good - members of the congregation getting up and walking out the door!) But she knows about Grammie, so wasn't at all offended...in fact nearly put me in tears again with her kindness and sincere offer to help - whatever I need, just call. I just wanted some hugs of strength for now.

Anyway, onto my topic, brief though my post will be since I'm soooo tired. Grammie had another good day today (relatively speaking...she is still on life support so not out of the woods yet.) But she was quite alert and a tad feisty - woohoo, she's baa-aack!! It was so incredibly good to see her smile...as much as smiling is possible with straps around her head holding in the breathing tubes.

Her nurse today was a very blunt and to the point woman, no messing around or slacking off on this one's watch. Grammie did not care for this nurse and was making no bones about it. (She cannot speak, but made it clear in other ways.) When we commented on what good care the nurses are taking of her, Grammie looked over at the nurse, then back at us and frowned and shook her head "no".

The nurse was so hard-boiled that I got to wondering if it was an intentional contrast to the nurses of the past few days. I mean, perhaps the medical team feels it's time to force a change, for bad or good, so were pushing Grammie a bit harder today. I cannot imagine this would really be the case, but I kept wondering if this was a medical equivalent of a good cop, bad cop routine! It's just that the previous nurses were all so much gentler, the contrast is startling.

Ah but it gave us that "lightness of being" feeling to see Grammie acting a bit spunky and seeing her own self finally re-emerging. I think I might actually sleep well tonight!

Grrr, all that time in the hospital recently seems to have landed me with one of those horrid head colds where your head is full of wool...pulsating, expanding, wool, that is. Most disappointing is that I am missing the "Lunch Bunch" - a Friday noon time choral singing experience at St. Matthew's in Halifax. The church is beside the office building where I work, and the singing is just for fun, not gospel, some show tunes, some folk tunes. I was really looking forward to joining in today. But who can sing with a drippy nose?! Welcome our new singing sensation "Andasamo and the Nasal Tones"!! Oh boy, I'll have them lining up at the door...

So, what now? It's cold outside...ok, that's not so newsworthy, given that it is February in Canada after all.

Help, I need help...someone throw me a topic, please!!!

Somebody??? Anyone?? Helloooo?? Is anyone out there?

Very well then, here's all I can come up with...don't say I didn't warn you...

I feel quite unique in having been to Budapest. Not very many of my circle have been to, or plan to ever visit, this lovely city. In fact, a few friends have no clue where Budapest is in the world...which surprised me because I thought everyone my age would have learned the mnemonic "Butter passed hungry" to remember Hungary's capital. I was sure I learned it in school, but on second thought, it may have come from my Aunt Phyllis (a brilliant woman from whom we learned a great deal, including a few things about which our mom may have preferred we'd remained in blissful ignorance!)

It's a bit of a lame mnemonic, but memorable - although not, I admit, as memorable as the method Coach, from the old TV show Cheers, used to remember facts about Albania.

(To this day, I remember that Albania's chief export is chrome!)

But back to Budapest...

I am not feeling verbally inspired today, I'm afraid. So I'll (hopefully) give you a laugh instead.

Here are a couple pictures taken on the webcam - we're just goofin' around, that's all!

I can't believe this - I made seafood chowder and home made biscuits for supper - and the biscuits even turned out!! Tender inside, light brown crustiness outside - sheer perfection!! I am so proud of baking-challenged self!!

The chowder wasn't too shabby either. I made something along the lines of a traditional Maritimes variety - mmm-MMM my favourite. Except that it was a bit of a poorman's version because we haven't had time to get groceries in a while. I had to scrounge whatever potatoes were in the bag (three left), and make do without celery (boohoo), but as long as I've got seafood and milk, the rest can be improvised.

I cooked the potatoes, along with some carrots and onions, until tender crisp. In the meantime, I coated the seafood with a little flour, paprika, salt and pepper, and lightly sautèed it in butter before adding to the vegetables. I then added a couple cups of whole milk, heated (not boiled) and voilà, a simple but tasty bowl of chowder.

I made the plain biscuits while the veggies and fish were cooking. Now I'll tell you, I used to make a mean biscuit in my (much) younger days, but lost the knack over the years. My last batch was rather a dismal failure. Well colour me surprised 'cause I've got my biscuit groove back!! I'm not really sure what went right...maybe my relaxed attitude, maybe the wide cranberry glass bowl, maybe my hands-on twirling technique while pouring in the cold milk to the flour mixture. Who knows...whatever it was, it worked. The mass balled up before I knew, and baked up to perfection. Even the little leftover bits baked into tender crispy morsels of goodness.

I know, I know...better to wait until I make another succulent batch before proclaiming my skills to the world - but I figure I may never get a second chance :) This could be a one time blip in a long line of tough, chewy biscuits. So I'm gonna make hay while the sun shines, celebrate my (tiny) successes as they come, blow my own horn before the band goes on break!!

...you can say "I told you so" later...

Ol' Blue Eyes...
This video is for my grandmother (who is back in ICU, but stable for now). I remember as a little girl, she'd tell us how she and her friends would swoon over Frank Sinatra (naturally my sister and I would giggle at the very thought of our Grammie swooning!) And the song is one that she played often on her organ (when she could pry us away from playing "On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away" and other such tunes from the songbook. At the time we found "Moon River" a tad tedious and clamoured for her to play a tune called "Squid Jiggin' Ground" on her accordian instead!

British Blades...
Isn't funny how often paths cross unexpectedly? Dave is an avid participant in the forum on British Blades. He's in the relatively early stages of perfecting his knife-making craft, and gets tips, tricks and inspiration from the boards. One day he mentioned a poster from New Brunswick who was a swordmaker and whose mother was an author...I said hey, what a coincidence, just recently while watching a show on Book TV (or whatever it's called), I saw an interview with a woman author from New Brunswick whose son was a swordmaker.

But the more relevant coincidence is that one of the posters on British Blades was talking about this great travel forum he/she belongs to called Slow Travel! Maddeningly though, Dave can't find that thread again so I do not know the poster's username...grrr!

Biscuits...
Kim, this one's for you - straight out of my Betty Crocker's Cookbook (1983 printing):

I found this article while looking for something else entirely and it reminded of one of my favourite paintings: Canada's Dali Connection

I must admit that I am not all that familiar with the works of Salvador Dali. I have certainly seen reproductions of The Persistence of Memory (although I confess that until a few minutes ago, I had only ever known it as the melting clocks...) and other popular paintings, but have seen very few in person.

Dali's Santiago El Grande caught my eye twenty plus years ago on my first visit to the Beaverbrook Art Gallery in Fredericton, New Brunswick, and I am still drawn to it today. Unfortunately I am unable to find much information on the painting (most of the links just lead to poster galleries), so will just share the image for now.

The painting is huge and incredibly powerful...one gets lost in the dimensions. I think a roadtrip to Fredericton is in order this summer, so I can dally longer with this Dali masterpiece.

That's the opening line of the live CD "Home in Halifax", a recording of Stan Rogers performing at the Rebecca Cohn auditorium in Halifax a year or so before his death in 1983 (plane crash...an all too familiar end for many a beloved musician.)

I have this CD in my collection, and it is one that I listen to over and over...and over again. Stan was a songwriter, with a precious gift of insight, and a deep love of his subject matter. His lyrics and rhythms capture the essence of Canada's diversity.

He left such an impression on the Canadian folk music scene that The International Festival of Songwriters, held annually in Canso, is named after him: the Stan Rogers Folk Festival

I read that Mansell Davies of the Calgary Folk Festival said that Stan's music became a tradition in itself-- "as if it's always been there."

Here is what my husband set as our PC desktop wallpaper...I didn't know about it until I heard Ginger burst out in hysterical laughter and came to see what was so funny:

Ok, I'm cheating and backposting...and I haven't even got anything much to say, I just forgot to publish this yesterday...

Check out this funny article (funny as in shake your head slowly in amazement, not funny ha-ha). It boggles the mind sometimes to find out how little people know. (Not that I'm a genius or anything myself, but...23% thought Winston Churchill was made up??!)

I just found a great website: Poet's Corner

(Which I assume is named after the original Poet's Corner in Westminster Abbey, which we were thrilled to wander through last summer when in London.)

Not that I don't have a bunch of actual books to browse through, but those weighty anthologies can be a b*tch to lug around!! This website will come in handy if I need some mental nourishment to go with my lunch while at work. There are lots of literary and poetry sites out there, but this one is very easy to get around and doesn't have a lot of flashing ads or photos hogging the pages. Here are a few poems that strike my fancy this evening...

Doesn't this perfectly capture those early brief moments that are the glory of dawn:

Dawn

ECSTATIC bird songs pound
the hollow vastness of the sky
with metallic clinkings--
beating color up into it
at a far edge,--beating it, beating it
with rising, triumphant ardor,--
stirring it into warmth,
quickening in it a spreading change,--
bursting wildly against it as
dividing the horizon, a heavy sun
lifts himself--is lifted--
bit by bit above the edge
of things,--runs free at last
out into the open--!lumbering
glorified in full release upward--
songs cease.

William Carlos Williams

It all started one day in late January, when angie posted an invitation to blog for a month!

It has been so much fun...although I must admit I did not manage to post on a couple days. But even when I didn't find time to post, I checked out the other fabulous blogs. I really feel I've gotten to know a few of my fellow ST-ers and look forward to the next month-long challenge (er, as long as it's not too soon!)

Here are the bloggers who took up the challenge (I surely hope I haven't missed anyone):

A Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins With ... Too Much Luggage
Blonde Momentos
Churches in Venice
Home is where my bed is
In and Out of the Garden
Jerry's Thoughts, Musings, and Rants!
Kaleidoscope
Old Shoes - New Trip
Palmabella's Passions
Postcards from the Trail
shave ice & gelato
There and Back Again...
Vagabond Artist
What I Really Think

I love girasoli's post in celebration of our accomplishment...what she said!

Fellow ST Feblogger khb recently posted this meme, inspired by a post by another ST Feblogger softdrink.

Although I had to google James Lipton to refresh my memory, I thought his questions were kind of fun, so here goes:

Dealing with our health care system really sucks the life out of a person!

Our grandmother was suddenly - and prematurely - discharged from the hospital. The hospital called late last week and said she was being discharged the next day - we said "whoa, back the bus up here...um, what?!!" We've been visiting her every single day and had certainly seen no evidence she was ready to come home. But, the Halifax hospital said they were releasing her because the resources could be put to better use (i.e. patients in worse condition), but also said her home hospital was not cooperating with their request for a respite bed, so they had no choice but to discharge her. The nurse said it was up to us to take her or not, but "if it were my grandmother, I wouldn't want to see her sent home alone". Obviously neither did we, but the best we could manage was to convince them to keep her until Sunday so we could get a bedroom ready for her at my sister's house.

Feeling that we were sandbagged, I wrote a letter on behalf of my sister and I outlining our serious concerns and how we'd been pressured into agreeing to Gram's release in spite of believing that she was not ready. We signed it and sent it to the hospital's Patient Representative - and I faxed copies to the Pres. & CEO of the Health District, to Grammie's family doc, to the Provincial Minister of Health, and to three different Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs - Provincial Government reps - for Gram's district, as well as my sister's and mine). No messing around here, I was in serious "go big or stay home" mode!!

This post was inspired by sandrac, who was in turn inspired by CBC Radio's Saturday morning show GO!

Here are four songs that make me switch off the dial with a shudder:
(As opposed to songs which I admit are awful, but listen to anyway)

4. The Last Kiss, most recently covered by Pearl Jam.

3. Tie A Yellow Ribbon, by Tony Orlando & Dawn

2. Sealed With a Kiss, by Bobby Vinton.

1. Muskrat Love, by Captain and Tennille

I can only say Ewwwwwwww

(And of course Barry Manilow's entire discography could be a list of its own.)

Thanks to softdrink for the inspiration!

I must tell you that my choice of favourite anything fluctuates like a needle in a compass, depending on which direction my mood is headed! If I were to do the same list in a week, the answers would likely be quite different.

Colour: red
Smell: an old woodshed when the lawnmower has just been put away after cutting the grass.
Food: seafood chowder
Snack: apples
Alcoholic Drink: DiSaronno
Non-Alcoholic Drink: water
City: Rome
Country: Canada
Book: Fugitive Pieces
Poem: Jaberwocky
Quote: "I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." (Douglas Adams)
Television Programme: Jeopardy
Song: Heroes (David Bowie), especially the live version from the album Stage
Album: U2's Rattle and Hum
Boy’s Name: drawin' a blank...
Girl’s Name: ditto...
Weather: I like warm, preferably sunny days (although any kind of weather is ok when I'm travelling because hey, I'm someplace amazing, who cares about the weather!)
Hobby: reading
Chore: cooking

O sweet spontaneous

e.e. cummings

I just found this in the WonderCafe Discussion Lounge...

DOG DIARY
8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00 PM - Lunch! My favorite thing!
1:00 PM - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
3:00 PM - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5:00 PM - Milk bones! My favorite thing!
7:00 PM - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00 PM - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
11:00 PM - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!

CAT DIARY

Day 983 of my captivity.
My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects.
They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are
fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt
for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something
in order to keep up my strength. The only thing that keeps me going
is my dream of escape.

In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.

Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their
feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since
it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely
made condescending comments about what a 'good little hunter' I am.
Bastards!

There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was
placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event.
However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard
that my confinement was due to the power of 'allergies.' I must
learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.

Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of
my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must
try this again tomorrow -- but at the top of the stairs.

I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and
snitches.

The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released - and
seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously mentally
challenged.

I also found this bobble head Jesus...who says organized religion has no sense of humour!

With a nod to Marta's post on pi, here are some thoughts on pie.

My daughters often exclaim "I like pie!" for no apparent reason. I just googled to see where the expression comes from. The first hit I clicked was a page of comments posted on this blog. The second was a definition in Urban dictionary, although in my experience the phrase is used on a more random basis than to avoid being drawn into an uncomfortable topic of conversation. Oh well, all I can say is...I like pie! :)

I love Sandra's topic of the day so much that I am going to steal it!

So, let's cosy up to the shelves, grab a few books and see what's inside:

Revision:
The first image was a generic one I found on the internet: it was so gorgeous I stuck it in my post and never occurred to me that anyone would think it was mine. Here is one of my bookcases (as you can see, it's nothing so grand as the above):

Here's a topic idea that I borrowed from Amy.

"Silly Stuff--the "Names" MeMe
One of those silly MeMe's--this one is on names. the answers are pretty giggle-worthy."

Well Amy's answers certainly were giggle-worthy, hopefully mine turn out that way as well...here goes:

1. Your rock star name (first pet, current car):
Midnight Vibe

2. Your gangsta name (fave ice cream flavour, favourite type of shoe)
Butter Pecan Sandal (yo, B-PecS in the house...Ginger says she disowns me)

3. Your Native American name (favourite colour, favourite animal):
Red Tiger

4. Your soap opera name (middle name, city where you were born):
Margaret Wolfville

5. Your Star Wars name (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 of your first name):
Hogan (but you can call me Hulk...)

I was extremely touched to receive this "You make my day" award from my blogging friend girasoli. I have been going through a very difficult time lately and this award was a real boost to my spirit. Thanks!!

I want to send this award back to girasoli, and forward to AnnieNC and chiocciola, all of whom have made my day many times over the past two-three months with comments of encouragement and concern. (Not to mention providing much needed distraction with their interesting blog posts!)

I saw this "What punctuation mark are you?" quiz over on 2 Baci in a Pinon Tree and thought it would be a cool thing to do.

Not sure I agree with the results. I see glimpses of myself, but am much less fascinating than the person described herein.

You Are a Comma

You are open minded and extremely optimistic. You enjoy almost all facets of life. You can find the good in almost anything. You keep yourself busy with tons of friends, activities, and interests. You find it hard to turn down an opportunity, even if you are pressed for time. Your friends find you fascinating, charming, and easy to talk to. (But with so many competing interests, you friends do feel like you hardly have time for them.) You excel in: Inspiring people You get along best with: The Question Mark

"La vita e bella" (Life is Beautiful). We watched this brilliant masterpiece again last night. A friend had lent me her copy a year or so ago. I had never heard of it, but she was sure I would love it. Boy, was she right! I watched it once and immediately bought my own copy. If you haven't already seen this wonderful movie, do so now. (And I strongly recommend NOT reading reviews or plot synopsis beforehand, just let the story unfold and take your breath away.)

No spiders or Visigoths allowed...

Oh, the things one finds on youtube...

We had Star Trekkin' played at our wedding reception in 1987. The older crowd was decidedly baffled by this bizarre song, but we, and our small circle of close friends, danced up a storm while singing the lyrics at the top of our lungs.

Still cracks me up, 21 years later...

"Oh my goodness, are you still crying?" snorts Miss Ninja as we watched the movie Dirty Dancing last evening. Yes, laugh if you must (and I know Dave is) but...this movie chokes me up every single time. And trust me, I've watched it a LOT of times. Used to be that I couldn't go past it on TV, didn't matter when the movie had started, I'd stop channel flipping and watch to the end. Now I own my own copy so I can watch it anytime.

I don't even know what it is about the movie that so captivates me. I'm not a huge Patrick Swayze fan or anything (although he has some mighty fine dance moves in this film!) I love the ebb and flow of the relationships between Baby and Johnny, and between Baby and her father. I can't explain it, this cheesy movie just tugs at my heartstrings, no matter how often I watch.

Last night, Ginger, my mom and I went out for supper, then to see a play (The Producers) at Neptune Theatre.

We first went to a fabulous Greek restaurant called OPA!, which is one of our very favourite eating establishments in Halifax. Alas, they were booked solid until 8pm (we arrived around 6pm without a reservation). Ok...on to plan B. We didn't have a plan B, except to stroll down Argyle Street and check out the other restaurants (which are many and varied.) We opted for Ristorante Piccolo Mondo. Afterward we all agreed that we were glad OPA! had been full, otherwise we may not have discovered this great spot.

Our waitress was from Quebec, with some Spanish ancestry, and was excellent. She was informative, amusing, attentive without being intrusive. The waitress told us that the owner's sister (Italian of course and whom they all called Nona) made three of the dishes on the menu herself - lasagna, ravioli, manicotti - all with homemade pasta. She made the ravioli with the freshest ingredients, from her own old recipe. How could I resist? I had the ravioli. Mom had lasagna and Ginger had salmone affumicato (not being overly hungry). For wine, I had a lovely Lamberti Pinot Grigio...Mom had a tasty red Italian wine (I forget the name).

Oh my goodness, my ravioli was absolutely delicious! Big squares of pasta filled with spinach and ricotta with a light tomato sauce over top, and a little glob of mascarpone. I told the waitress to give my compliments to Nona. Mom's lasagna was also fabulous, as was Ginger's smoked salmon (although the radicchio was a bit strong for her taste...and she didn't even try the capers!)

After we finished, having taken our time and lingered over these wonderful main dishes, I had espresso and tiramisu. Superb espresso, I must say. Tasted just like the espresso we drank in Italy. I'd had an espresso at another Halifax restaurant a while ago, which just tasted like slightly stronger than normal coffee. So I savoured this cup. The tiramisu was heavenly. So light and creamy, not too cakey, dashed with cocoa powder on top to contrast with the sweet filling.

I will definitely be returning to Piccolo Mondo. There were many other items on the menu I want to sample, and I want to try out their lunchtime panini as well.

Buono Appetit!!

This beautiful scene met our eyes as we drove home from children's choir practice this evening:

Reminded me of one of my favourite Elton John songs...I play it on my own piano, but somehow it doesn't quite sound the same ;)

We were looking through old photos recently, enjoying stories and memories of my brother-in-law, Floyd. I came across a couple photos from the March 2000 Halifax show of Blue Rodeo's "the days in between" tour.

Floyd was first cousins with the father of Blue Rodeo's bassist, Bazil Donovan. Often Bazil would send Floyd tickets and, sometimes backstage passes, to the concerts when the band played in Halifax.

Once I'd found these photos, naturally I had to go digging and find the rest of my memorabilia from that night. I'd bought the CD sometime beforehand, and Floyd decided that I MUST have autographs, so he took the CD insert and got all the