SNAP THAT

Time for New Beginnings. . . . . . . . . . . Taylor Addison, Blue Mountain Arts, 1989  This is a time for reflection as well as celebration. As you look back on the past year and all that has taken place in your life, Remember each experience for the good that has come of it and for the knowledge you have gained. Remember the efforts you have made and the goals you have reached. Remember the love you have shared and the happiness you have brought. Remember the laughter, the joy, the hard work, and the tears. And as you reflect on the past year, also be thinking of the new one to come. Because most importantly, this is a time of new beginnings and the celebration of life.

Hello friends, It is almost Christmas and I hope you've been enjoying yourself so far. This will be my last post until after Christmas as I will be spending the intervening days with family and friends. As I close out the year and reflect back on things, I realize I didn't get to do many of the things that were on my 'to do' list.  This year was also the first year in some time that I did not write out my goals for the year and post them on my blog. I  posted my goals for several straight years and then reviewed them in a post at the end of each year.  But last year I felt I wanted to have a more leisurely year.   I did have a leisurely year in the sense that I did not pressure myself to "perform" but my goodness the year was absolutely non-stop busy and I had some "hits" and "misses" in terms of progress. Probably the biggest thing I did not get around to doing this year was to travel to Kenya.  There are a number of good reasons f

Hi friends, I hope you are all enjoying the last few days before Christmas.  I have been very busy and a few things have kept me occupied. I need a fair bit of medical and dental work and I've been trying to get some of it out of the way before the New Year with limited success.  Friday I went through a colonoscopy.  It is my first one and I'm hoping I don't have to do many of these in future.  I'll have to wait and see what the doctor says about it all in the New Year. I was very anxious about undergoing the procedure.  I didn't feel I could properly prepare for it because I had only a short time from getting the information to undergoing the actual procedure.  I had eaten a lot of  beans, nuts and corn earlier in the week.  All of these foods must not be eaten for 7 days in advance.  At least these are the guidelines prepared by the cancer agency where I live.  I not only felt rushed but I also felt anxious about possible pain or other complications.  But the

Hello everyone, I hope you are all having a wonderful Christmas season so far. Personally I am trying to keep everything very low key this year. I have only just put up the Christmas decorations last night. I've decorated my mantle and put a wreath up in my living room window as well as some red jingle bells on my entry door. I've opted to use a miniature tree with lights and red baubles on my table top rather than put up a large tree this year.   But first I have to finish altering some nightgowns for my mother for Christmas presents as I use the dining room table for sewing. I should finish sewing on Monday.  Then I will decorate my miniature white tree. Right now I'm using up every corner of my floor space in the front rooms for my arts and crafts supplies and other necessary furnishings so I don't have a space to put up my larger tree.  I don't mind not having a larger tree to decorate because I find it a tad too much work for me.  Especially si

Hi there, Since I wrote my last post about frigid temperatures here things have warmed up considerably. That's because it started raining again.  I think the rain started on Monday but on Tuesday it came down heavily. I took in a workshop on soap making. Something I've always wanted to learn. My mother and I both always liked nice soaps. Perhaps she, more than I. In later years when I developed more skin issues, I became even more interested in soaps and what is in them. If you want to purchase a nice bar of soap like olive oil or scented soaps like lavender, they can cost a fortune per bar. I can always remember hearing my mom talk about wanting to learn how to make soap. Although she had an interest, she never did get around to it. I suppose she was too busy being a mom and taking active interest and care in the extended family. However, mom did transfer her interest to me.  She even gave me a small book with the instructions which I've had now for a few years.  Bes

It is still Fall but it has been quite chilly and I think chillier than the norm. Perhaps that will change as the season progresses. So much for El Nino bringing us a mild winter season.  I don't find it so bad when I go outside but my knees do.  I took these photos on Sunday in late afternoon. Usually we do  not have frost that hangs around past morning and usually we get a lot of rain. When it is raining the temperature is several degrees warmer so there is no frost. I find the designs in the frost quite beautiful. It reminds me of my childhood when we had a lot of snow and frost on our windows. The frost was very thick and always had such lovely and intricate patterns. Our household heating seemed to work very well compared to what I have now. When they designed my place they didn't think about cold weather and where to put the radiators. It is too cold and drafty (though I do plug things up to stop the drafts). My poor bird bath, w

In the past several weeks I've noticed large flocks of birds every where I go. I am not sure if they are migratory birds that are flying south, or if there is another reason. But they are interesting to watch. It is hard to capture them when they fly so quickly though. Joining in with our host Eileen at Saturday's Critters .

It's always pretty to see the sunlight glinting off the windows in the far distance.   At this time of year when the light is scarce, a clear and sunny day is a precious gift.  Have a great evening. Joining in with Skywatch Friday today.

Hello everyone, Some of you will remember from earlier posts that I was trying to assist a child named Baby Fidelis and her family, to raise funds for medical help.  The funds were needed to travel from Kenya to Canada so that the baby could undergo reconstructive surgery. Medical costs were to be donated to the family but the family had to get to Canada and have funds to live on as well as funds for after care once they return home. After a tumultuous start to their journey, the baby and her mother arrived in Toronto, Canada in August, 2015.  It's been awhile since there has been any news but thanks to a news agency in Kenya, there is now a public update. I'm sharing the photo and story below. Credit goes to The Star, Kenya. Baby Fidelis underwent successful surgery last week in Toronto. There aren't any new  photos of how the baby looks since she is barely a week out of surgery. But I will update the photos of the baby if, and when, they do become available. Th

A few weeks ago I had the good pleasure of going with a friend to our local central library for an event but haven't had a chance to write about it here. The occasion was a reading and book launch by local author, Carol Cram. She was launching her latest book, A Woman of Note . Here is a summary of the book as provided by the Goodreads site "Virtuoso pianist Isabette Grüber captivates audiences in the salons and concert halls of early nineteenth-century Vienna. Yet in a profession dominated by men, Isabette longs to compose and play her own music—a secret she keeps from both her lascivious manager and her resentful mother. She meets and loves Amelia Mason, a dazzling American singer with her own secrets, and Josef Hauser, an ambitious young composer. But even they cannot fully comprehend the depths of  Isabette’s talent. Her ambitions come with a price when Isabette embarks on a journey that delicately balances the line between duty and passion. Amid he