And Another Christmas Picture

Daddy plays with Remy while Mommy cooks a Christmas feast.

Still Another Christmas Picture

Remy and her mother looking at the clown fish in the salty aquarium, one of Remy's favourite activities.

Another Christmas Picture

Remy trying out a new toy.

Christmas at English Bay

Here are a couple of pictures of the Christmas celebration at my darling daughter's. In the top picture it's Remy in her Christmas jammies, her mother and father and two grandmothers. It was so great to spend Christmas with my granddaughter. She knew something was different because she refused to nap all day. While the new toys were interesting she seemed to like the paper and wrappings just as much. Well, she is only four months old. Next year she will be 16 months old, probably walking and talking and better able to appreciate the wonder of Christmas.

Being able to see Christmas through the eyes of a child makes it a much happier time. I love to see the big tree decorated with lights on English Bay near the Inukshuk. On Christmas Day I walked along the sea wall at English Bay and was surprised at how many people were walking there, trudging through the snow and slush. We have had a lot of snow this year, a record amount. The snow has made it quieter, a more peaceful Christmas.

I wish for you all a happy, healthy New Year.

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful. ~Norman Vincent Peale

True Love

Dennis Neil Ousey

June 14, 1947-December 16, 2005

Death cannot stop true love.

In Limbo, Diamond Dealers, and Jolly Jumper

Hello All. We are not exactly homeless, and not exactly in business. We are still waiting on the building permit, occupancy permit, and business licence. The city wheels turn exceedingly slowly. To use a religious motif, Sapphire Jewellery Studio is in limbo.

The leasing agent has taken pity on us and is allowing us to move our stuff in and start setting up. This is a good thing because when we get the paperwork done we will be able to be in business right away.

So we have our computer and it's all hooked up. We have a huge storage cupboard, some shelving and two chairs. Woo hoo! We have our keys and our mailbox and we can come and go at will. I will be signing the lease and we will start to pay rent after we get our business licence approved. It could be before Christmas if we are lucky. If we are not lucky it will be after the middle of January as City Hall will be shut down for a few weeks.

My partner, A., and I are so happy just to be able to start setting up. My partner is especially happy because she is convinced she's going to meet a man here. Good luck to her. We started the lease right by giving the building manager a box of chocolates for Christmas. One thing I learned while I was teaching is: keep the building managers and caretakers sweet and your job is as good as sunshine. The BM is a very nice man, married, though, and a little old for my partner.

We have met a couple of our neighbours, a goldsmith and a jewellery supplier. This building seems to be attracting jewellery-related business - good for us. There are even some diamond dealers in the building!!! I hope we can get wholesale prices. Who knows, maybe A. can get a man and a diamond!

I will take some pictures although it will not look like much for a while. We have to get the tools and jewellery benches in first and that may take a couple of weeks. Or more...

Giggly Granddaughter favoured us with some more giggles today. She loves to hear us sing and to play some rhythmic games. I will post pictures of her in her racy red Christmas sleeper as soon as we take some. The family is coming over for dinner tomorrow and I have bought her a Jolly Jumper. I plan to have it ready for her to use and we'll try her out in it. I hope she likes it. Most babies do. Darling Daughter loved it when she was little.

Well, bye for now, keep well and don't get the flu - get the shot.

The questions are diamonds you hold in the light. Study a lifetime and you see different colors from the same jewel. The same questions, asked again, bring you just the answers you need just the minute you need them. ~Richard Bach, Running From Safety

Homeless in Vancouver, Early Dementia, Learning to Read

Here it is November 21 and we are still not in our studio. Sapphire Jewellery Studios are homeless and wandering the streets...well, not really, but we are homeless. The city inspector, the realtor and the architect are still duking it out amongst themselves about whether the work done for us needs to have a city permit and needs to be inspected. A plague on both your houses. Just do what needs to be done and get on with it! I want my occupancy permit and my business licence!

We are frustrated at not being able to get into our space. We have bought a computer and some office furniture. The retailers are keeping it for us until we can get it into the office. I am champing at the bit to get going. But the wheels of bureaucracy turn ever so slowly.

It's so hard to be patient. I'm consolling myself by making more PMC jewellery. It does keep me busy. I got a new tumbler to make the pieces really shine. Next I'm going to try embedding some bone china in a piece of clay before firing it. I love learning and trying new things.

And today I wrote my Christmas cards. That was a good job done. But the down side is: I forgot all about my dental appointment today. I wrote it on my calendar. I thought that was a pretty good strategy for a memory that isn't what it used to be. And then, I forgot to check what appointments I had today!! I just waltzed out the door and hopped on a bus for downtown. And didn't even think about the dentist until about an hour and a half after the appointment was scheduled. What's up with that!!?? Folks I'm here to tell you this aging thing ain't fun. I have some advice for all the youngsters out there. Don't get old...it sucks!!!!!

Now I shall have to get down on my knees and beg my dentist to reschedule. I hope they don't charge me for a missed appointment. I shall have to plead old age or early dementia or something.

My granddaughter continues to amaze and delight. She misses Mommy when Mommy leaves her with Granny. It will take some time for her to develop ease and comfort when Mommy is gone. But I do love spending time with her. She loves the sing-song games like Patty-cake and This Little Piggy. I know she doesn't really understand yet, but I read books to her. She does look at the colourful pictures on the pages. The experts say it's a good idea to start reading books even before they develop language.

May you all experience the joy of a grandchild if you haven't already.

Patience: A minor form of despair disguised as a virtue. ~Ambrose Bierce

Remembrance Day November 11 2008

Here is a reprint from one of the old Prairie Dog's posts:

IN FLANDERS FIELDS

By Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)

IN FLANDERS FIELDS the poppies blow

Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now

We lie in Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

I received a very good article from niece L. about Canada's global role as a peacekeeper. It's worth reading.

Salute To a Brave and Modest Nation - Kevin Myers

Until the deaths of Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan , probably almost no one outside their home country had been aware that Canadian troops are deployed in the region. And as always, Canada will bury its dead, just as the rest of the world, as always will forget its sacrifice, just as it always forgets nearly everything Canada ever does. It seems that Canada's historic mission is to come to the selfless aid both of its friends and of complete strangers, and then, once the crisis is over, to be well and truly ignored.

Canada is the perpetual wallflower that stands on the edge of the hall, waiting for someone to come and ask her for a dance. A fire breaks out, she risks life and limb to rescue her fellow dance-goers, and suffers serious injuries. But when the hall is repaired and the dancing resumes, there is Canada, the wallflower still, while those she once helped Glamorously cavort across the floor, blithely neglecting her yet again.

That is the price Canada pays for sharing the North American continent with the United States, and for being a selfless friend of Britain in two global conflicts. For much of the 20th century, Canada was torn in two different directions: It seemed to be a part of the old world, yet had an address in the new one, and that divided identity ensured that it never fully got the gratitude it deserved. Yet its purely voluntary contribution to the cause of freedom in two world wars was perhaps the greatest of any democracy. Almost 10% of Canada 's entire population of seven million people served in the armed forces during the First World War, and nearly 60,000 died. The great Allied victories of 1918 were spearheaded by Canadian troops, perhaps the most capable soldiers in the entire British order of battle. Canada was repaid for its enormous sacrifice by downright neglect, its unique contribution to victory being absorbed into the popular memory as somehow or other the work of the 'British'.

The Second World War provided a re-run. The Canadian navy began the war with a half dozen vessels, and ended up policing nearly half of the Atlantic against U-boat attack. More than 120 Canadian warships participated in the Normandy landings, during which 15,000 Canadian soldiers went ashore on D-Day alone. Canada finished the war with the third-largest navy and the fourth largest air force in the world. The world thanked Canada with the same sublime indifference as it had the previous time. Canadian participation in the war was acknowledged in film only if it was necessary to give an American actor a part in a campaign in which the United States had clearly not participated - a touching scrupulousness which, of course, Hollywood has since abandoned, as it has any notion of a separate Canadian identity.

So it is a general rule that actors and filmmakers arriving in Hollywood keep their nationality - unless, that is, they are Canadian. Thus Mary Pickford, Walter Huston, Donald Sutherland, Michael J. Fox, William Shatner, Norman Jewison, David Cronenberg, Alex Trebek, Art Linkletter and Dan Aykroyd have in the popular perception become American, and Christopher Plummer, British. It is as if, in the very act of becoming famous, a Canadian ceases to be Canadian, unless she is Margaret Atwood, who is as unshakably Canadian as a moose, or Celine Dion, for whom Canada has proved quite unable to find any takers.

Moreover, Canada is every bit as querulously alert to the achievements of its sons and daughters as the rest of the world is completely unaware of them. The Canadians proudly say of themselves - and are unheard by anyone else - that 1% of the world's population has provided 10% of the world's peacekeeping forces.

Canadian soldiers in the past half century have been the greatest peacekeepers on Earth - in 39 missions on UN mandates, and six on non-UN peacekeeping duties, from Vietnam to East Timor, from Sinai to Bosnia.

Yet the only foreign engagement that has entered the popular non-Canadian imagination was the sorry affair in Somalia, in which out-of-control paratroopers murdered two Somali infiltrators. Their regiment was then disbanded in disgrace - a uniquely Canadian act of self- abasement for which, naturally, the Canadians received no international credit.

So who today in the United States knows about the stoic and selfless friendship its northern neighbour has given it in Afghanistan. Rather like Cyrano de Bergerac, Canada repeatedly does honourable things for honourable motives, but instead of being thanked for it, it remains something of a figure of fun. It is the Canadian way, for which Canadians should be proud, yet such honour comes at a high cost. This past year more grieving Canadian families knew that cost all too tragically well.
Lest we forget.

The old Prairie Dog was researching the role of his two grandfathers in WWI. Here is an excerpt from his July 2005 blog post.

"I am now back at home doing some research on the net about Grandfather Percival Ousey and Grandfather Joseph Hogue. I found that they both served in the 16th Battalion during WWI. Percival was shot in the arm and the leg and captured by the Germans on Oct. 8th, 1916 at the battle of the Somme (the first battle where tanks were used).

Joseph Hogue left for Europe a little after Percival and he fought on the front lines in France and Belgium from March 5, 1917 to around April 27, 1918. He was then discharged for an "impaired function of the heartcaused by over exertion and strain of duty" while fighting at Vimy Ridge on or about April 30th, 1917. He probably wenton to fight in Passchendale. The cause of his heart trouble could have been caused by a gas such as phosgene, which was commonly used bythe Germans at Vimy Ridge at that time.

It could not have affected him later in life becasue I always remember him as a big , strong man and besides he lived to be 93! Anyways, imagine that BOTH Grampas from Winnipeg serving in the same battalion in the same war. It was kind of sad about Percival because he was only shipped to the front lines a few days before he was shot and captured and then spent the next two years in a POW camp in Germany.

I guess that there were many just like him because the glorious Brit commanders blamed, what seemed to them to be a runaway victory, the loss partly on the 'untrained troops being sent straight to the front!'......dozy buggers! And you know, neither one of them got any medals....but at least they did not die. More later, PEACE.

I could not have said it any better than the three writers I quoted. On Tuesday, remember those who lost loved ones.

Hallowe'en and Other Adventures

Hope you all had a happy Hallowe'en. Here is my granddaughter in her costume. She is a chili pepper. I found the costume at a Target store in the US and thought it was too cute to pass up.

She is a continuous joy. She smiles and vocalizes a lot now - she is so social. And she can grasp things with both hands. At eleven weeks! Such an advanced child. I concede that I might be a tad biased.

My business partner and I are getting into our studio this Wednesday. Yahoo! All the arrangements are keeping us busy. From getting a tax accountant and insurance to finding furniture. We bought our computer last week and it will be my job to keep the books. I hope I am up to it. My sister is going to give me lessons in using the Quickbook program.

My partner is designing our logo and creating our business cards. We have to get a business account at the bank, buy a phone and make arrangements for a business licence and get a GST number. It seems a bit overwhelming. But very exciting.

On to new adventures!!!!

Backward, turn backward,O Time, in your flight

Make me a child again, just for to-night!~Elizabeth Akers Allen

Working With Precious Metal Clay

I just got back from four days in Lacey, Washington. Here is a picture of my instructor for Precious Metal Clay, Ruth. She was a great teacher and really knows her stuff. And here I am, hard at work, creating mini-masterpieces. Ha! I wish.

It was an intensive four days and I loved it. Precious Metal Clay is great stuff. You can mold it, roll it, cut it and make three dimensional objects out of it. It can be worked like clay. It also comes in paste (slip), syringe (for extrusion) and sheets. After it is fired it becomes 99.9% pure silver.

I learned how to set stones into an already fired piece with bezel wire, how to create many different types of bails (the piece of a pendant through which a chain is attached), enamelling, how to use the kiln, how to create different textures and how to polish a finished piece. We made pendants, earrings, rings, and clasps. I also learned how to "paint" an organic object, such as a leaf and how to add 22K gold to a piece.

I learned how to look carefully at a piece before going on to the next step. I'm glad I took my magnifying visor with me.

I also learned a lesson that I didn't think I needed to learn. Don't touch pieces fresh out of the kiln! Yes, I slightly burned the index finger and thumb on my left hand. Well, who knew that silver heated to about 1450 degrees could still be hot a few minutes later! Safety, safety, safety. I can't say it or think it too much.

I am excited to try a few new techniques such as adding some PMC to Jack's ceramic pendants. I can also use pieces of broken porcelain or other ceramics with the silver to create mixed media pieces.

I took some pictures of some of the pieces I made, but even with the flash turned off, I got such a bright spot on most of them that they were no good. The one picture that was not too bad is at the top of the posting. It's not a great picture, but, at least you can see some things.

Now that I am back in Vancouver I will be very busy setting up our studio and trying to do some more work (make some more jewellery). And, of course, I'll be spending time with my daughter and granddaughter.

Good-bye all. Keep well.

Get over the idea that only children should spend their time in study. Be a student so long as you still have something to learn, and this will mean all your life. ~Henry L. Doherty

Happy 90th Birthday

I just got back from a one-day trip to Victoria to celebrate Mother-in-law's birthday. She is 90 in another month but we celebrated today because this is the week her youngest son could be here.

It was great to see everyone at the party. Many people travelled from the US and Canada to attend the celebration. Mother's nieces and nephew from Winnipeg, Edmonton and Vancouver were there. Most of the grandchildren and quite a few great-grandchildren. G and C hosted the party and it was a wonderful success. Mother was so happy to see everyone. She opened gifts and cards, drank punch and ate birthday cake.

But I do think that my granddaughter was the belle of the ball. She held court in a pink jumper with green trim and pink tights. Her outfit was completed by some hand-knitted booties in pale green and a sweater to match. Everyone commented on how well-behaved she was and how advanced. Well, they are right of course, but I might be just a wee bit biased.

Unfortunately I didn't take my camera. I can't believe I left it at home. So many had cameras there, that I'm sure I will see many pictures.

A special kiss and hug for cousin M who expressed the belief that Dennis would have been proud to see his granddaughter. He would indeed have loved to have been there. Thank you, dear, for remembering him.

Mother now has 10 great grandchildren. Cheers and Happy Birthday. May I live so long!

I don't know how you feel about old age... but in my case I didn't even see it coming. It hit me from the rear. ~Phyllis Diller

The Peg and Back Again

Hello all. I'm back from Winnipeg and none the worse for it. I missed the Big Sky. Everywhere I looked, there was a different cloud bank and different colours. Some other differences I noticed in The Peg. I smelled the burning of the stubble in the farms around the city and the meat packing plant. It was different from the smell of the seaweed and salt air on the seawall. But, unbelieveably, I found it more humid there than here, in wet city.

Here is a picture of me with my former pet, Suzie. She was so happy to see me and the feeling was mutual. She is being well cared for by her new family.

I spent many happy hours with friends I have missed. Thanks to everyone for the great company especially to A and J and W for putting me up. Ate lots of food, drank a few bottles of wine and managed to consume four lobsters at Lobsterfest. I had a great time.

It's good to be back home....I never said that about Vancouver before. It really is my home now. In the taxi on the way home from the airport I opened the window and took in great gulps of Vancouver air.

I am happy to be back to making jewellery, looking for studio space and playing with my granddaughter. She is the jewel of my life...beautiful Remy. She is smiling up a storm now. She knows what smile are for- she's initiating smiles to get smiles back from others. Darling daughter and wonderful son-in-law are doing a great job with her.

Upcoming highlights: Mother's 90th birthday celebration, a four-day session in Lacey, Washington, to become certified to teach Precious Metal Clay making.

May you all be as happy as I am.

Be well, do good work, and keep in touch. ~Garrison Keillor

Greataunt, Greatgrandmother, Great Trip coming

Here are two pictures of Remy with greataunt Carolyn and greatgrandmother Vivian. They came for a visit on Tuesday and we enjoyed seeing them. It was especially great to see Greatgrandmother with her. Remy is Vivian's tenth greatgrandchild. Isn't that great? May I live so long.

In the jewellery department, I received some new ceramic pendants from brother-in-law J. and am excited to get started on some new pieces. I applied to get a table at the Portobello West craft market, but no answer to that yet. There aren't any places available until next March, but we will see.

My friend and mentor, A. and I are going to create a studio together and rent out space and equipment. We will be working on this as soon as I get back from Winnipeg.

I am excited to be going to Winnipeg to see all my friends. My appointment book is filling up fast for lunches, coffees, and dinners. I am so happy to be leaving next Tuesday. I don't plan to blog while I am gone, so don't expect anything. And, who knows, maybe I will even find a couple of new places to sell my jewellery.

When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money. ~Susan Heller

All of Our Future

No new pictures of Remy to share yet. She has a little baby acne and I decided not to take any more pictures until it clears up a bit. Oh, vanity, thy name is woman!

I went over to M. and J.'s today and spent the afternoon with my little treasure. As soon as I cuddled her, rocked and hummed she went to sleep. This allowed Mommy to take a shower and go for a walk to Safeway to buy groceries. Remy doesn't like being put down even after she is asleep. But she slept for a good couple of hours in my arms. It felt great holding her while she slept. It made me think of my mother who was a natural with babies. I still miss her. At least she got to spend some time with her granddaughter. I wish he could have seen our granddaughter.

Sometimes when certain expressions pass over her face she reminds me of her Daddy. Her general look is like M. at that age, but she does have more and darker hair. She has changed so much already. Babies change so quickly. She is 18 days old today. Soon she will be smiling and chirping, making pre-language noises. I wonder what she will be like as a crawling baby, a toddler, an older child, a teen. With two intelligent parents like hers she is sure to be smart. She is all of our future. And the future looks bright.

She has gained weight and is going a little longer without needing milk especially at night. But it is tough for Mommy to be essentially tied to her. I agree with most of the books that one can't "spoil" a baby at this young age. She needs to be held - a lot. Making her feel secure by holding her will be a good basis for her future development. It's good I am here to help out with that task so that Mommy doesn't have to be always with her. Of course Daddy is doing his share and more, but he had to go back to work today.

Granny is willing and able to take on the childcare when needed. I am so glad I moved here, a short walk away from my granddaughter. It's not quite a whole village raising the child, but it's early days yet. Parents should not have to do it alone. Lots of young parents don't have grandparents close by to help. Children are the future of Canadian society. Society should help to raise children. It was hard enough when M. was little with the two of us and grandparents to help. I can't help but admire the single parent. So many things about child care have changed since I had a child, but one thing hasn't. There wasn't enough day care then, and there still isn't. What progress have we really made? That's my rant for the day.

Children are one third of our population and all of our future. ~Select Panel for the Promotion of Child Health, 1981

The Weight of History

Here are two new pictures of Granny's Little Treasure. Baby Baloro now has a name: Remy Marie Baloro. Thus a tradition continues. Remy's grandmother has the middle name Marie. Remy's great grandmother had Marie for a middle name. Remy's great great grandmother's first name was Marie. Welcome to the world Remy Marie. You are much loved. Granny is close by when you need her.

Mother and Baby are doing fine. Father is taking care of his two women and doing an awesome job. Everyone is a little tired. There are more pictures of Remy, Mother, Father and Granny on J.'s Facebook Album so if you are a friend on Facebook you can access them.

Stay plugged in for more pics in a couple of more days. Thanks to everyone for their phone calls and emails. It is wonderful to be able to share our sweet girl with everyone via the Internet.

We all grow up with the weight of history on us. Our ancestors dwell in the attics of our brains as they do in the spiraling chains of knowledge hidden in every cell of our bodies. ~Shirley Abbott

The lack of emotional security of our American young people is due, I believe, to their isolation from the larger family unit. No two people - no mere father and mother - as I have often said, are enough to provide emotional security for a child. He needs to feel himself one in a world of kinfolk, persons of variety in age and temperament, and yet allied to himself by an indissoluble bond which he cannot break if he could, for nature has welded him into it before he was born. ~Pearl S. Buck

Announcing Baby Baloro

I am proud to present my granddaughter, Baby Baloro. She was born at 3:53 this morning, August 16. She weighs 7 pounds, 2 ounces and measures 20 inches long. Of course she is the most beautiful baby ever born (next to her mother)!

Joel phoned me at about 3 am and told me they were going to the hospital. By the time I arrived, at 4:00 am she was already born. Margot delivered about 10 minutes after arriving at the hospital. It was no surprise to me because both my mother and myself delivered quickly.

The parents haven't finally picked a name yet, but as soon as they do I will let everybody know. She was quite alert and able to suck right away. She has quite a large repertoire of noises already.

Happy day. Hope you all celebrate this new precious gift.

Where did you come from, baby dear?Out of the Everywhere and into here.~George MacDonald, At the Back of the North Wind

Every child begins the world again.... ~Henry David Thoreau

Three Little Words X 5

I have just three words. Precious metal clay. Also known as PMC. I took a one-day class in its use yesterday. Great time. Really enjoyed it and looking forward to many fine projects in the future.

This pendant that I made yesterday is pure silver, also known as Fine Silver. It is gorgeous stuff to work with. It doesn't look silver in the picture because I added a patina to make it look gold and coppery.

But, I have another one that I left in just silver. It is beeeeoootiful. But I have not managed to take a good picture of it yet. And pure silver never tarnishes!!!! Good news for me as I have bad chemistry with sterling silver. Literally - when I work with sterling, my hands get black.

This pendant is on a necklace of Swarovski crystals that I linked with silver and gold wire. I can't wait to get myself a kiln and really get to work.

Well, I have another three words. Adobe Photo Shop. I am starting to learn to use it and hopefully I will be able to improve my pictures.

And another three words. Lunch at Milestones. Darling Daughter, Wonderful Son-in-law, Sister and I had a great lunch at Milestones today. No reason, just felt like it. It was a great warm, sunny day here in English Bay. It would only be better if I heard three other little words: Margot's in labour. But no such luck so far today. No news on the baby front.

Here are three more words. Bye for now!!!

Life is tough enough without having someone kick you from the inside. ~Rita Rudner

Sesquipedalian Musings

Half a fortnight of engagement at London Drugs for me. I will be toiling today - five till eleven. Only three more shifts peddling beautifying embrocations. Jubilation!

I've swallowed a thesaurus. I've set myself a task in this posting to use as many fifty dollar words as I can.

Last Saturday I had a soiree for the Festival of Lights. It was most diverting, but not as stimulating as the thundering Chinese display or the harmonious Canadian exposition. The Canadian team procured first place. Double jubilation!!

The neighbouring edifice has now reached its ultimate elevation. I had discourse with one of the builders who told me the floor which I was scrutinizing was the roof. So, contrary to my former surmise, my view of English Bay will essentially remain. Vibrant sunsets will still be accessible. Triple jubilation!!!

Tomorrow is G-day. The long-awaited Due Date. The mother of my grandchild assures me the signs of imminent labour are all there, but, so far no parturition. At this point in her gestation an incipient mother becomes truculent and obstreperous. Be tenacious, darling. Our exultation is impending. Infinite jubilation!!!!

I will terminate this communication with a quote from a paragon of humanism. Felicitations!

Hypocrisy is annoying but not evil. Someone who says one thing and does another has doubled their chances of being half right. ~Penn Jillette

Archangels, Timmy's, Wall e, 17 More Days

Last night was Canada night at the Celebration of Light, the fireworks competition over English Bay. The show was spectacular. It was choreographed to the sound track from the movie Godzilla. No, no, it really was good. The music was better than I thought it would be. One of the participants in the Canada display was Archangel Fireworks from Winnipeg. Yes, there are a few good things about Winnipeg. They did a great job. I'm working at LD this Saturday so I'll miss the US entry. But I will get to see the China entry next Wednesday and the finale on August 2. I'm having a little fireworks party that night. Should be fun, fun, fun.

I guess I'd better enjoy the sight of English Bay while I've still got it. The building next door is right up to the bottom of the fireworks barge, so if they add any more storeys I'll lose my view. So sad. I think there will be one more storey.

But they are hard at work preparing the Tim Horton's downstairs. In a few short weeks I'll be able to go to Timmy's for my morning coffee and muffin. Yay!!!!!

Today I went to see the movie Wall e. It was an enjoyable way to spend an hour and a half. Very well done. Kudos to pixar once again.

More necklaces are ready to take around, so next week I'll be looking for more retailers. Hoping to get at least four more. So far no word from any of the new places on sales. It's hard to be patient.

Speaking of patience and angels, G-day is only 17 days away. Darling Mama is becoming uncomfortable. Some contractions and baby's head has dropped. Hang in there, Sweetie. It's worth all the discomfort.

Adversity is like a strong wind. It tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that we see ourselves as we really are. ~Arthur Golden, Memoirs of a Geisha

A Long Sleep, A Good Laugh and Fireworks

Only 23 more days till G-Day!!!! Darling Daughter says she is ready any time baby girl decides to make her appearance. The last few weeks are the hardest, of course. But I have been spending lots of time with her.

I am just now feeling almost up to par. I had three days where I was so sick, I just wanted to go to sleep for a month. I had to go to emerg. twice. The antibiotic I just finished today was causing nausea, so I'm glad to be finished. And I start back to work at LD today. But, yay, I've given my notice. My last day will be August 16. Then I will devote myself full-time to jewellery and being a grandmother. Whoopeee!!!!!!

Darling Daughter and I went to see "Spamalot," and a good laugh was had by all. Eric Idle took all the good bits from the movie, MP and the Holy Grail and expanded on them. Very colourful, musical and enjoyable. And tap dancing!!!! Woo Hoo!!!

Two of the locations with my jewellery were without power for about a week. Not so good for a business. But the power is back on now and I'm hoping for some sales. I sold two more pieces at the Calla Lily.

The upcoming big event is the "Celebration Of Light." It's four night of fireworks. I am working LD only one of those nights. Two others I will work at a sidewalk table at Calla Lily. And the night of the finale I am having a fireworks party. That should be fun.

Bye to everyone out there in blogland. Keep on blogging. And to those who don't have a blog - get one. It's really easy. Just go to blogger.com.

A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor's book. ~Irish Proverb

Sick and New Outlets

I am sick today. Fever, aching all over, tired. Taking lots of Tylenol. Bummed out to be missing my enamelling class today.

Great news - two more places now carry my jewellery. One is a designer dress boutique called Blushing Boutique. The other is an studio store at Horseshoe Bay called Starfire. I have so many pieces out, I have hardly any to take around to other places, so I have to get busy in the next week. Good to have that problem, let me tell ya. Brother-in-law J. is making me some more pendants. Go, J.

The day I quit LD just gets closer and closer. Luckily I am not working at LD today, so I can rest up and try to get better. Just 30 days to G-Day!!!!!! Love to everyone.

Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep. ~Scott Adams

A Theft and A Sale

This must be a record - three blog postings in a row. But I had to write about it. Unbelieveable...I don't believe it, but it did happen. I have had one of my pieces stolen!!!!

A girl came into London Drugs this evening wearing the yellow earrings on the left in the picture. I asked her where she bought them and she said, "The Quick Nickel." That's a thrift clothes store down the street. Well, the last time I saw them they were in The Calla Lily, the flower shop down the street. So I told her they looked exactly like a pair I made and mine were never for sale at The Quick Nickel. So then she said her brother gave them to her. Couldn't even keep her story straight.

Well, I knew immediately that she stole them, but at the time I wasn't quick thinking enough to ask her to take them off so I could look at them. Damn!!!!! I know they were mine because I noticed that the wire on the left-hand one is not quite snug to the bead. Yep, I think I could convince a court of law that those were mine. An artist knows her own work. It's a little like the instant recognition of your own infant. Then I found out from another LD employee that she was a customer to watch because they suspected her of pilfering there. Well, that clinched it.

Now I have to go to The Calla Lily and let them know and see if there isn't something we can do to minimize the pilfering. I can't really blame them. She probably waited until they were serving another customer and slipped them into a pocket or purse. LD has a lot of pilfering, too, sometimes even while we watch.

A much happier experience earlier in the evening counterbalanced the theft. A regular customer at LD went to the Calla Lily and bought one of my necklaces. I know he bought it because he came back and showed it to me and it was in a little silver box that customers get from the Calla Lily when they buy my jewellery.

Such is life. It is composed of good moments and bad. Gotta go now. Just did an eight hour shift and tomorrow I do a six hour shift. I'll be so glad when I don't have to work at LD any more. Just a few more galleries and retail shops.....

Don't find fault. Find a remedy. ~Henry Ford

Painting My Own Nature

Unbelieveable! An art gallery here in Vancouver has five of my pieces of jewellery for sale. They have two necklaces, two pairs of earrings and a bracelet. See the first picture on Thursday's blog and the second picture on the blog just before that. Wow! Someone might buy them. Kim, the owner, also has artists' showcases where the artist works and the public comes in to watch. She asked if I would be interested in that, too.

http://www.eclektica.ca/

Now I truly can call myself an artist. I am still investigating other places to carry my jewellery. It is so satisfying that other people think highly of my work. Now, let's just see if that translates into sales.

Gotta go do some more work!!!!!!

Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures. ~Henry Ward Beecher

Romancing The Stones

Here are two more pictures of my pieces. I have been hitting the bricks looking for places to sell my new line. I think I have one, a chi chi little boutique right downtown. Their demographic is the younger woman, twenties, thirties, with money to spend. The woman working there was impressed and said my designs fit right in with the type of clothing they sell. She just has to wait for the owners to return from vacation and she will give me a call. She also put me on to some other stores to try.

This afternoon I took them to a place on Granville Island that sells rocks and stones. The women working there said they really liked them. They are going to get the owner to call. Apparently if he likes them, he buys. No messing around with consignment sales. That would be great if he would buy some.

The buyer for the BC ferry gift shops sent me an email after looking at some pics and invited me to call her in early fall. It seems that's when she starts the buying for 2009. Wow, that would be really great. Lots of tourists take the ferries and usually the tourists are the ones who have the money to spend.

And every contact I make the person knows of one or two other places I could try. So who knows just how far this could go. Tomorrow I plan to make a few more calls.

My jewellery instructor is forming a jewellery-making co-operative at her studio and I am going to be a member. That way I have a place to get down and dirty with precious metals and the tools I need will be available.

There is a new stone store a few blocks away on Denman Street and they have some beautiful stones. I have my eye on some blue sapphires. Well, I just have to get them - they are my birthstone! I bought some moonstone and labradorite. And I have been out to another rock and gem store in Burnaby. I am on a list to take a class in metal clay. Can't hardly wait. They have beautiful quality gems in that store. Amber and rubies. I bought a funky star quartz cabouchon and have plans to use it in one of my silver clay pieces. When I take the class.

Next Tuesday I start a class in fusing glass to metal, techniques such as cloisonne and champleve. Should be great. Everything seems to be coming up rose quartz!

My life is now full of precious stones, pearls and silver and gold. Learning about the differences between amber and copal. Talking to other crafters about techniques and suppliers. Who knew I would be starting this kind of new life when I moved here last year. Life is amazing! And doubly amazing: 37 days until G-Day!!!!!

Got my ticket to Winnipeg. Will be visiting there from Sept. 16 to 30. Looking forward to spending time with old friends.

The karaoke at the bar across the street is loud tonight. They have the windows open because of the heat and humidity we've been having lately. Some drunk is singing..."I did it myyyyyyyyyy wayyyyyy." On that note, bye all.

There is in them a softer fire than the ruby, there is the brilliant purple of the amethyst, and the sea green of the emerald - all shining together in incredible union. Some by their splendor rival the colors of the painters, others the flame of burning sulphur or of fire quickened by oil.

~Pliny, about the opal

Sisters and other Family

Here are two of the new necklaces I made with the raku ceramic pendants created by brother-in-law J., a ceramic artist in Oklahoma. Photoshopping courtesy of same artist. Good thing, too. My photography is crap. The pendants are great! Each one has subtle colour differences. I bow to your talent, little brother-in-law.

Good thing my jewellery-making skills are better. I loooove to sit and create pieces of jewellery. I get into the Zone when I do that. Occasionally I glance up at the mountains or look at the sky over English Bay. I'm so focused I don't notice the sound of construction or time passing. After spending several hours at my worktable (doubles as my dining room table) I suddenly hear my stomach growling in hunger and realize I've missed a meal.

Sister D. who has caught the jewel bug from me was telling me she made 10 pieces last Sunday sitting in her sun room and growled at her hubby when he interrupted her. Yay, D. You go, girl. She has sold more pieces than I have. But who's counting.

We had our last tap class until September. We decided to have a hiatus from dancing for the summer. Our feet will enjoy the rest, to say nothing of the relief of our knees. Tappy, tappy makes me happy.

Dearest daughter and wonderful son-in-law took some prenatal classes this past weekend. She reports it was at the same time exhilarating and overwhelming. It is terrific to remember the experience of being a new parent. I just wanted to spend the rest of my life holding her in my arms and looking at her, my precious little girl. I think she's a little too big for that now. It was so humbling to think that this helpless, tiny creature depended on me and her Dad for survival and more than a little scary. Only 45 days till Granddaughter day!!!

Congratulations to grandniece Cheyenne on her graduation day. Thanks to brother-in-law G. for posting pictures. I wish I could have been there. Hugs and kisses to nephew Mike and Char. and all the kids.

I went to the Air Canada website to make a reservation for a trip to Winnipeg, but it is down. I hope it's up and running tomorrow - that's the last day of the seat sale and I really want to go to Manitoba for a couple of weeks in September. Gotta see some old friends.

Take care, all my sisters and brothers out there.

If sisters were free to express how they really feel, parents would hear this: "Give me all the attention and all the toys and send Rebecca to live with Grandma." ~Linda Sunshine

I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones. ~Author unknown, attributed to a 4-year-old named Lauren

Remembering June 14 and Fathers and Daughters

T Here is a picture of Dennis and his daughter. It's my favourite picture of all time. And the other one is me and my dad. Yesterday was Dennis' birthday. He would have been 61. I spent most of the day with my darling daughter and we focused mostly on the future. We watched a couple of movies and played Trivial Pursuit. He was great at TP. The champion.

My daughter also brought the ultrasound video of my granddaughter. The word awesome is overused these days, but really fits here. The pictures of her gulping fluid, making a fist and holding onto her legs can only be described as awesome. Only 56 days until granddaughter day!!!! Yippee!!!

He would have been a terrific grandfather. I will make sure my grandchildren know how wonderful he was.

I remember some of the June 14 birthdays. We often went out for dinner. Once we had a big backyard barbeque. Many of his co-workers came to that one. It was a surprise for him and everyone had a good time. The last few years we often had combination birthday parties with our "Trivial Friends." That's what we called the two couples with whom we played TP. Oh, happy days, long gone.

I continue to make new forms of jewellery. I have made some new pieces with raku pendants Jack sent me from Oklahoma. I will post some pictures when I have them ready. I hope they sell. I received a request from one of darling daughter's friends for a private showing for her and a few of her friends visiting Vancouver. A private showing! Well, lah-di-dah. Have I arrived? It will be fun, anyway.

Brother-in-law Gary and wife Carolyn have set off on their trip to see their son Michael and his family in the interior. Somewhere near Terrace, BC. And they plan a side trip to Calgary and will also stop in Vancouver at the end of the trip. Happy Trails!!

Happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there. If you still have your father, make sure you tell him how much you love him. I'm thinking about my father who is in a personal care home in Saint John. I remember going to see the first Pink Panther movie with my father. It was the mid sixties and I felt so grown up at about age 14 to be going to a movie with my Dad. We really enjoyed Peter Sellers doing Inspector Clouseau. All the jokes were so predictable and we laughed like fools anyway. And I remember Dennis introducing our daughter to the joys of Pink Panther humour. It's nice to know the best things never go out of style. Love to all fathers. And fathers-to-be, my dear. I wish you all the joys of the father-daughter bond.

There's something like a line of gold thread running through a man's words when he talks to his daughter, and gradually over the years it gets to be long enough for you to pick up in your hands and weave into a cloth that feels like love itself. ~John Gregory Brown, Decorations in a Ruined Cemetery, 1994

Interruptions, Intrusions, Disruptions, Blockings, Detours, Delays, Reroutings, and a Suspension

I phoned a friend in Manitoba a few days ago and our conversation was interrupted by a siren that was going down Davie Street, then a very loud Harley motorcycle and I know she was thinking: what a noisy place. How can she live there? The West End really is a happening place. And noisy. But I seldom lose sleep because of noise any more. Adapting to the climate here is only part of the challenge.

Speaking of noise, there is construction going on right beside my apartment building. They are building a 20 condo unit next door. The loud noises of construction drive me out of the block often in the daytime. Today there was a concrete pour and they were out there working overtime smoothing it out with those noisy machines that look like gigantic fans on their sides. They were still intruding on "So You Think You Can Dance" right up until it ended at ten PM!! It's not enough that they make enough noise to drive me away all day - they ruined my evening. There oughta be a law. Actually, I think there is, but I'm not sure what hours they have to quit making noise.

And English Bay has already been quite disrupted by the upcoming triathlon. A whole raft of tents and a huge grandstand is blocking my view of the beach. Some streets and sidewalks have already been blocked off. On Sunday, the day of the actual race, the sidewalks and Davie Street will be totally blocked off along with a few other streets. I remember last year getting delayed on the other side of the street and not being able to get back home after my workout.

I have seen some competitors trying out the course on their bikes and some swimmers practising in English Bay. I could never have tried anything like that. You gotta admire the athletes. For me a triathlon might be a workout on the stationary bike at my gym, a walk to Stanley Park and a six-hour shift windexing the showcases at London Drugs. Har har!

The last two days have also seen a film crew working at a restaurant around the corner. This happens often in this city. I remember seeing a crew filming Night for Day on Granville Street once on my way to tap dance class. There was also some filming at the Bus and Train Station. It was for the upcoming X-Files movie. Films are always allowed to disrupt almost anything here. Buses are rerouted, trailers park in non-parking zones and pedestrians are detoured around film crews. I read that tourism is down, so I guess filming must be encouraged to keep the economy afloat. There are always so many people involved in filming (why do they all wear headphones) , but so far I haven't seen any stars working on a film here.

As I got off a bus today I heard a youthful voice singing "Amazing Grace." I looked down the street and there was a young (about 14 years old) person of indeterminate sex sitting on the sidewalk with an empty coffee cup beside her (him). She (he)sported a shaved head and a coverall about two sizes too large. The feet were encased in scruffy sneakers. The voice was not well-trained, but the singer sounded sincere. I figured anybody who actually knew all the words of "Amazing Grace" should be rewarded. So I temporarily suspended my policy of not giving money to panhandlers and dropped a loonie in the cup. I was rewarded with a smile of pure joy. Ya gotta love the West End. In spite of all its disturbances, delays and impediments it's alive and vibrant.

Had a great time in Victoria for three days. It was so quiet I found it hard to get to sleep! Thanks to Gary for posting the pictures on his blog.

The closest you will ever come in this life to an orderly universe is a good library. - Ashleigh Brilliant

21, 893, 121, 76, 3, 24

It has been 21 days since I last blogged! I didn't believe it until I checked my calendar. Where does time go? No one knows.

I have lived 893 days without him. I still miss him terribly. A beautiful sunset makes me think of him. I turn toward where he would have been sleeping when I sleep. When I watch a new movie I think about how he would have enjoyed it.

Sorry to write about being sad. But for some reason I've been going through a patch of sadness for the last few days. Sometimes I'm happy. When making jewellery (121 pieces made so far), baking cookies, spending time with darling daughter or contemplating the upcoming wonderful event. I suppose I ought to call the number 893 the days of my new life. It's as good as it could be without him.

Here's a happy number. 76 days until Granddaughter day!!! Yay. And three, the number of days I am spending in Victoria. I look forward to spending lots of time with the kin in Victoria.

Love to everyone reading this blog.
Take care...and TATA...and PEACE.

If you observe a really happy man you will find him building a boat, writing a symphony, educating his son, growing double dahlias in his garden, or looking for dinosaur eggs in the Gobi desert. He will not be searching for happiness as if it were a collar button that has rolled under the radiator. He will not be striving for it as a goal in itself. He will have become aware that he is happy in the course of living life twenty-four crowded hours of the day. ~W. Beran Wolfe

Ginger, Stones, Birthdays, Timmy's

Hi all. Happy Birthday to nephew Alan. It has been an eventful few days since I last blogged.

Baked some ginger snaps and was quite happy with the results. Another type of cookie to add to my grandmotherly repertoire.

On Friday my sister and I went to a beading show. I got some rubies, opals, labradorite, jade, and solar quartz. Great stones. I also got some African ceramic beads and some art glass beads. I can't wait to get started on some new jewellery.

I had a jewellery party last Saturday. Only two people attended. Nothing sold, but got another party booking out of it.

Sunday, my sister and her husband and I went to the Raincity Grill to celebrate their birthdays. The food was delicious as always and the service was great. But I'm not biased. I consumed enough calories for three days. Good thing I don't eat like that all the time.

Speaking of food, at long last another of my schemes is coming to fruition. After thinking that the Tim Horton's restaurant was not coming into our building after all, I noticed there is now a sign up in one of the store fronts announcing the restaurant. It makes me very happy to know how close my Timmy's will be. Yahoo! I wonder how long it will be until the interior construction is done and they open for business. It can't be too soon for me.

Only 97 days until granddaughter day. Double Yahoo!!


Patience is also a form of action. ~Auguste Rodin

Cookies, Cookies, Cookies

In the family, I'm known for my baking. My daughter likes chocolate chip cookies and my son-in-law prefers almond lemon biscotti. I love to bake for them. I don't cook often - I have a few dishes that are usually edible, but I enjoy baking most. I am known at work as the cookie baker, too. I often take cookies and other baking to work for my co-workers. I'll let you in on a little secret. I have been practicing cookies in preparation for grandchildren. In 103 days, give or take, I can start baking cookies for my granddaughter. Yep, that's right, my granddaughter! Well, I guess newborns can't eat cookies, but, eventually...

Darling Daughter and her Handsome Husband took me and the other grandparents out for dinner at the Sandbar Restaurant. It was to be a celebration of his father's birthday (I took, what else?, cookies) and their anniversary. But it turned out to be a celebration of another kind, too. They went to a company that provides ultrasound pictures and video and have had it confirmed - it's a girl. We were all so happy to see the wonderful pictures. She was holding up her little fist. She is so beautiful.

It would be great to have a grandson, too, but I am just so happy to know her and see the great pictures of her. The wonders of modern technology! So amazing.

It is so much easier now to imagine holding her, taking her for a walk, playing with her, teaching her to bake cookies. It is hard to be patient, but at the same time, I am savouring the joy of expectation. I have loved her since I knew she existed and I know he would have loved her, too. He would have been over the moon to know he was going to have a grandchild.

Thank you Darling Daughter and Super Son-in-law. You have given me a wonderful gift. I have to end this post now. I think I better practice my baking. I wonder if she'll prefer chocolate chip or peanut butter or maybe biscotti with her morning coffee...

What children need most are the essentials that grandparents provide in abundance. They give unconditional love, kindness, patience, humor, comfort, lessons in life. And, most importantly, cookies. ~Rudolph Giuliani

Scrap, Waste, Trash, Rubbish, Refuse, Litter and Garbage

Today I want to write about garbage. It was Earth Day this week. Every day should be Earth Day. Reduce, reuse, recycle. Good motto. But here's a forgotten aspect of environmentalism. Yes, scrap, waste, trash, rubbish, litter....the stuff we produce so much. Some of us, it seems, forget where garbage goes.

In the locker room at the gym I noticed that someone had left an empty water bottle on a table and an empty chewing gum wrapper on the floor under the table. The thought occurred to me that I had seen an empty bottle and a gum wrapper in those precise locations a few times before. They must have been left by the same person!!!! Was an alien life form studying the customs and rites of the human exercise nut? Were these items left by an anthropologist hiding somewhere in the locker room as part of some government-sponsored research to determine what people would do when faced with these extraneous objects? Was there a hidden camera and at any moment a host would jump out and say Candid Camera? Naw, I decided, it was just some goofball who thinks someone else needs the exercise of bending over and picking up the gum wrapper.

I have just one thing to say to the unknown litterbug...the gym is in the process of developing new technology in which garbage will deposit itself in the correct receptacle. But they are still working out the bugs. In the meantime those using the locker room as their own private garbage can are requested to use the old technology of PICKING UP YOUR GARBAGE, WALKING THREE STEPS AND PUTTING IT IN THE CAN. Sadly, chances are the unknown litterbug will not be reading this blog...

It's the same story around the front of my apartment block. Ever since the store fronts have been finished and the bus company installed a couple of benches, people waiting for the bus have been leaving cigarettes on the sidewalk. Some of those butts, granted, are tossed on the sidewalk by bus drivers feeding their nicotine addictions during their breaks but most of them are left by people lounging around on the bus benches. Every morning when I leave for the gym the sidewalk is littered with newspapers, coffee cups, paper wrappings from hamburgers and sandwiches and plastic containers of all sorts and sizes. Yes, it's a dirty world we live in and some people are making it dirtier.

You are probably wondering: did the ranter pick up any of this garbage and deposit it? No. I talk a good talk, but do I walk the walk? I figure it might be considered a bit OC if I started picking up trash in my neighbourhood. Although, when I lived in Winnipeg, I used to carry a garbage bag whenever I walked the dog, a little one for the dog detritis, a large one for all the other garbage. I guess I have developed new priorities or perhaps new eccentricities. But I do put my own garbage in the garbage can.

Just one small plea for Mother Earth...don't litter.

Gotta get some sleep. Catch up on the sleep I've been missing the last few days. Have a good week. Keep Earth clean.

Oh Beautiful for smoggy skies, insecticided grain,
For strip-mined mountain's majesty above the asphalt plain.
America, America, man sheds his waste on thee,
And hides the pines with billboard signs, from sea to oily sea.~George Carlin

Anvils, Hammers, Jigs, Grace and 1995

These days my email and blogging are taking second place to making jewellery in my spare time. But I finally managed to get to those things today. Although it is two minutes to midnight. By the time I post this it will be well into Thursday. Sleeping is on the back burner tonight.

Here is a picture of a necklace I made, a custom order. I am enjoying the new method of stringing beads on multiple strands of thread and I like the results but it is time-consuming.

This week I bought a little jewellery anvil and hammer and have started pounding metal. I hope the neighbours don't start complaining about the noise. I have set niece L. to constructing me a jewellery jig...nothing to do with dancing. It's a flat 5 or 6 inch square piece of wood with holes drilled into it at regular intervals. One puts pegs into the holes in a pattern and wraps wire around the pegs and by this method, makes one's own links for chain. That's the theory at least.

I see by Gary's blog that Nana is doing well. He has posted pictures of her. She is in rehab...no, not that Amy Winehouse kind of rehab. She does physical therapy to counteract the effects of her stroke. Hugs and kisses to Nana.



I got an email today from my adopted French son, Matthieu. He and his wife Perrine live in the south of France where they are building a house. I sure hope I can go to France one of these days. Matthieu spent a July with us in 1995 on an exchange visit and we had many happy days showing him around Manitoba. We went to a White Lake cottage for a week and spent the days hiking, playing Yahtzee and fishing off the dock. What a great time it was. (See pictures above) Matthieu has kept in touch.

Darling Daughter is doing well with her baby bump. She takes pre-natal yoga for fitness. Good for her, I say. There is a stillness and a grace about her. As if she is compelled to conserve energy. It is lovely to see her shining with contentment. They say brides are lovely, but nothing compares with the beauty of a mother-to-be.

Take care...and TATA...and PEACE.

Mothers and daughters are closest, when daughters become mothers. ~Author Unknown

A daughter is the happy memories of the past, the joyful moments of the present, and the hope and promise of the future. ~Author Unknown

Parties, Panties and Paradise

Sorry for the long delay since my last posting. I have been busy. Here is a picture of one of my latest creations. It's a three strand necklace of pearls, rivershell and silverfoil beads. I have also been stringing pearls and made a 12 strand bracelet. I looooove my Saturday jewellery classes. I manage to make about a piece a day on the other days. I now have over 50 pieces.

I plan to have two jewellery parties May 3 and May 31.

The saga of the crazy West coast fashion continues. "She" was walking away from me when spotted. (I use the quotation marks because I could not tell the gender of the person) She had on black tights, little white go-go boots, (only those over the age of 45 will know what these are) a short white jacket and viewed from the back a pair of white underpants over the black tights!!! I have seen these panty-like short shorts in the stores but that was the first time I saw them on a person. It must have been quite a sight from the front... Today walking home from work I saw a mother and adult daughter dressed in identical puffy green vests. And a man and woman were dressed all in orange, head to toe. Who says we have no fashion sense here in Lalaland? Vancouver must be the only city where you can see people wearing shorts and others wearing ski jackets on the street at the same time....

We have been having some spring weather the last two days...15 degrees and sunny. We can take any number of such days after all the rain, thunder, lightning, hail, sleet and snow we've had this winter. It's still paradise compared with other parts of the country.

The mother of my grandchild is doing well. She is looking forward to beginning her time off work which will be in about a couple of weeks. She looks wonderful and is enjoying driving around in their new Jeep Liberty.

Mother has been in the hospital for about a week. She has been having stroke-like symptoms although so far the tests don't show any stroke. We are all sending her good wishes and love.

Bye for now. Take care.

After all, what is your host's purpose in having a party? Surely not for you to enjoy yourself; if that were their sole purpose, they'd have simply sent champagne and women over to your place by taxi. ~P.J. O'Rourke

Strange Pawsh, Evelyn Strange, Strange Weather

Store seen in Yaletown, a yuppyish community in downtown Vancouver: Pawsh, Spa for Cats and Dogs. Well, lah di dah. Some people sure spend a lot of money on their pets. Some people think their pets are humans. Strange. Some pets are soooo pampered, n'est-ce pas?

I've been pretty busy the last ten days. I've been working at LD of course. And I subbed three days at the Immigrant Social Services school in an ESL class. It was fun. It was really easy this time because the regular teacher left me lots of activities for the class to do. One class was doing a unit on the theme of Money (who doesn't like that) and the other class a unit on Crime and The Justice System. And, since it was so close to Easter, I hid some chocolate "eggs" around the classroom and told them the Easter bunny had been there. We had an Easter egg hunt. Many of them thanked me for teaching them and one young woman even hugged me and said she hoped I would come back. Well, who wouldn't after a response like that?

So now I am available to sub Mondays to Thursdays and available to work at London Drugs Friday, Saturday and Sunday. And in between I make jewellery!

I am also taking some classes in jewellery-making. I am learning a better way to do crimping and wrapping beads and stones. Some of the designs tips have been helpful too. Ange, the instructor teaches at a local college also and seems to be quite knowledgeable. I've seen some of her work and it is fabulous.

It's only 136 days until G-day. I dug out the quilt that Nana sewed and embroidered with nursery rhyme characters for M when she was a baby. I placed it in the bassinette waiting for the arrival of our little treasure. The mother and father of my unborn grandchild have bought themselves a new car. It's a Jeep Liberty, dark blue, one year old and only 27 000 K on it. It has lots of room for the baby car seat and some cargo area for J to transport all the materials and tools he needs for his aquarium business. M was so excited and she drove by yesterday and took me and my sister for a spin around the block. It's a great little car.

Last Friday I took in a play with sister D and hubby S. It was a sort of murder mystery set in the 1950s called Evelyn Strange. I so enjoy live theatre.

Speaking of strange, we had a thunderstorm here yesterday and hail, would you believe. That sort of weather is fairly common on the Prairies, where I used to live, but it is rare here. The "hail" was more like sleet, really. No damage was done to buildings or cars. The Prairie hail is often big enough to damage cars and roofs and sometimes is even accompanied by tornadoes!!! And the strangest of all - it only lasted about half an hour. Then it was gone and the sun came out after! It has been mostly sunny here today, but as I write I can hear some sleet tinkling on the windows. Woops, it's gone now. Strange weather.

Well, gotta go. The shopping mall is calling me to come and spend some money. Time for somebody else besides me and Gary to do some blogging.

Ever consider what pets must think of us? I mean, here we come back from a grocery store with the most amazing haul - chicken, pork, half a cow. They must think we're the greatest hunters on earth! ~Anne Tyler, The Accidental Tourist

All About Courtesy, Eve, and Living On

I see by G's blog he and C are back in Victoria, city of the newlywed and nearly dead, or so it is laughingly called. I quite like Victoria but it is a quiet city. At least it seems that way to one who nightly tries to sleep through crowds of roisterous drunks as they leave the bars in the wee small hours. I can hear one cackling and shouting as I write. Anyway welcome back G and C to the fairest province in the fairest country!!

On the sky train the other day I sat right beside a young woman with an ipod earpiece in one ear blasting so loudly I could make out the lyrics of the song. Up to her other ear she held a cellphone into which she announced to the entire car passengers that, "...she's such a whore. Even Sam said she was a slut...." The other passengers tried valiantly to ignore her diatribe.

That little incident has to count as the most discourteous event I have witnessed since I arrived in this fair city. I'm pretty sure if I had commented on it, she would have looked at me as if I were an alien. What is it that makes people think they have the right to subject everyone else to their music, their cellphone conversations, their specious and unwelcome opinions??!!

After finishing a shift at LD today, I crafted two new necklaces and three pairs of earrings while I "watched" the movie, "All About Eve," on TCM. (see picture above) I don't work at LD again until Thursday evening. Of course, I may be called in to substitute. I hope not tomorrow morning. I haven't been for a workout in a few days and I feel the need to "get physical." Murphy's Law being what it is, I may very well get called to sub.

Then I spent a little time remembering and rereading the Prairie Dog blog. It is 27 months today that he's been gone. The PD blog is still getting hits. It has had almost 2000 since I stopped posting to it. He lives on.

Looking in the other direction, it is now 147 days to G-day. He lives on there, too. Darling Daughter was not feeling too well for a couple of days, but seems to be better now.

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all those of the Irish persuasion and those, like myself, with Irish ancestors.

Take care...and tata...and Peace.

Jewelry takes people's minds off your wrinkles. ~Sonja Henie

Crafting, Lucking Out, Selling, Taking Care of Business

The Prairie Crocus has been taking care of business. (That sounds familiar...make a good lyric.) I quite like the way this necklace turned out. It can be worn with the clasp either at the front or the back.

Yesterday I stopped in at an optometrist to get some new nose pads for my glasses. Little did I know how momentous that decision would be.

The receptionist noticed the necklace I was wearing (the one in the photo). Well, I just had to brag that I made it myself. She was quite interested and asked if I could bring some pieces for her to look at. She didn't have to ask me twice. I high-tailed it home to my apartment a block away and gathered up a selection. She bought a necklace and matching bracelet as a gift for her mother. And the optometrist bought a necklace for his wife! My lucky day. Had I known how easy it is to sell jewellery here in the trendy West End I would have done it sooner.

Cashing in on my good luck, I stopped in to show some pieces to the owner of a flower shop on my way home. He agreed to allow me to put in a display case and sell on consignment. So my jewellery will be selling at a flower shop down Davie St. called "The Calla Lily." Today I went and bought some display supplies and a display case at a neat little store called "Eddie's Hang Ups." They carry all sorts of display things for retail stores.

Now that I have a business licence and am registered with Business BC, I can buy my supplies wholesale. The Crocus is quite the businesswoman. Bet you can't guess what I named my business? Surprise, surprise, Prairie Crocus Jewellery! I have even made myself some business cards. The Prairie Dog would have been proud.

Apparently working at London Drugs and crafting jewellery isn't taking up enough of my time. I don't have enough to do. I am also on the substitute list for the ESL school at the Immigrant Social Services. They called me and begged me to come in for an interview. It was pretty much a formality. They wanted to take a photocopy of my certificate from the Teaching ESL course I took and my Bachelor's Degree from the U of M. They have asked me to be available mornings Monday to Thursday. So I complicated my cosmetic department manager's life. I told her I would not be available to work at LD Mon. to Thur. mornings. Although she didn't usually give me morning shift weekdays anyway.

Do you think I have enough to do now? I may be able to get in a couple of hours of sleep each night. Eating is optional. I may get the odd day off here and there. Things may have to change when my grandchild arrives. That happy event is only 149 days away!!!

Keep well. See you in the funny papers.

It doesn't matter how many times you fail. It doesn't matter how many times you almost get it right. No one is going to know or care about your failures, and neither should you. All you have to do is learn from them and those around you because... All that matters in business is that you get it right once. Then everyone can tell you how lucky you are. ~Mark Cuban

Cure for Cancer, Fox Boa, Some Lovely Photos

Last night I went with friends L and B to see stand-up comic Ron James. Without a doubt he is one of the funniest men in the country. His imitation of Rob Deniro is peerless.

He also does a good sendup of a cigarette-smoking Quebecois doing improv. He claims the Quebecois smoke as if cigarettes were a cure for cancer. Another funny piece was a car trip to Quebec where his Dad tries to use "his best NHL French" at a gas station and the attendant (with a cigarette in one hand and the gas pump hose in the other) looks as if he'd like to spray the car with gas and toss in his cigarette. As he says they don't ask him to tour in Quebec.

One of the best pieces was a description of how he was watched in church by his granny's fox-head hat. I had aunties who wore the fox boa with the head still attached. Those beady dead eyes were the spookiest thing I've ever seen. The boa was held on by a clip that was formed by the fox's mouth. EEEW. Gives me the willies just thinking about it.

Anyhoo, a good time was had by all. Ron James was one of his favourites. I know he would have enjoyed it tremendously.

Also went to the art gallery with friend S from Victoria. We saw a very interesting photographic show called Truth, Beauty. Darling daughter, who is a photog, would enjoy it.

I've been making lots of jewellery and have signed up for a six-Saturday course in different techniques in jewellery making. It starts on March 22 and I can hardly wait. Yesterday I made another necklace and took some pics of some pieces. I also spent time pricing them for sale.

154 days until G-day. I have some lovely photos of the grandchild. Ultra-sound, of course. I can see the arm bones forming in the little beauty and the child's spine is clearly visible in the other. I will ask my grandchild's parents if it is all right to publish the picture in my blog.

I took a printed copy of the picture to Mother in Victoria last Wed. She had a great time listening to me brag to all her friends and the staff at the Cridge Centre about her 10th great-grandchild. It was a good trip. I enjoyed my time there and gave Mother a necklace and pair of earrings that I had made. Niece L joined us for a tasty dinner at the Centre.

I see by G's blog they are heading back to Canada and will probably arrive in Victoria by next weekend. Happy travels, G and C! Be seeing you soon.

Got plans to get some groceries and get ready for work. I work today from 6-10. Evenings are so slow at LD. But there's always some cleaning to do. It's a dirty job, but somebody's got to do it.

Tata...and take care...and PEACE.

Life literally abounds in comedy if you just look around you. Mel Brooks

Rex Redux, The Only Thing Constant Is Change

I worked at LD from 10:00 till 6:30 today. Not a good shift. Irate customer. But after work I finished the NYT Sunday crossword. I've never timed myself, but I'm sure I'm not very fast. I don't care about speed - I just enjoy it so much. Checking it out on Rex's blog, I noticed there is a reciprocal link there to the Prairie Crocus. Maybe that will mean more traffic on my blog.

I have big plans for this week. I will go to the chamber of commerce to get a business number so I can get my beads for jewellery-making at wholesale prices. I'm going to start the next tap dance session. My sister will be there with her new tap shoes on. Fun, fun, fun.

I have updated my resume and will make appointments for interviews. I hope to do a bit of substituting in ESL classes.

And on Wednesday, I'm going over to the Island to visit my mother-in-law in Victoria. I'll just be there overnight and then I have to return to work at LD Thursday evening.

The mother of my incipient grandchild reports that according to tests conducted recently, it appears that she may actually be a little ahead of schedule in producing said grandchild. That would be nice. I sit in my living room and look at the cutest little frilly, white bassinet and stroller. I'm storing them for the parents until they get a bigger place. Today it is 161 days until G-day, according to the original due date. I may have to change my calendar. I have all the days marked off on this one in big black letters until August 10. Jimminy Cricket, I may have to get a new calendar!

I read in WE, Vancouver's Urban Weekly, that readers voted the Raincity Grill the number one restaurant in the city in the category of West Coast Cuisine. Congrats to darling daughter(service manager) and all her co-workers. Those awards and accolades just keep rolling in. Take it from me, the food there is superb. And I'm not just saying that because she works there.

Went shopping and had lunch with my sister yesterday. It is so nice to be able to renew and strengthen our relationship. We lived geographically separated for so many years.

Bro-in-law in Oklahoma is making good changes in his life. Losing weight and getting more exercise. It's bound to be good for his heart and everything else. Yay, Jack.

Bye all. Must go veg out in front of the TV for a while. Snore...snore...

How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. ~Annie Dillard