Today has turned into a really sucky day.  Just saying.  Can't sya much more, but, well, i'm going to lay out some health food snacs,

i'm going to go play backgammon online and hope that i have tough games.

hoping that jae is ok, thinking of people who carry heavy loads or are challenged by what is going on in their lives

thinking of those who are preparing to travel, adn those who are prepping houses for sale or prepping to move to their new home.

Pinga, sucky days are . . . well they just plain SUCK!  I hope it gets better.

I haven't played backgammon for years.  I didn't know you could play on-line.

Hope everyone has an enjoyable "last weekend of July" weekend.  Time is going by much too quickly.

Sorry to hear that Pinga.  I can't remember if alcohol is off your diet or not.  Either way, I can whip you up a frozen drink with some frozen berries, no extra sugar.  Add your liquor of choice, or not :)

I did flag Jae's post for admin.  There isn't much else that I can do that I'm aware of.

I have brought in some ice cream birthday cake and some popsicles (healthy and delicious) to share with everyone. Today was pretty much a perfect day! It started off well with my roommate dropping off a treat for me at work (she works for the same organization that I do - in a different department). I got lots of birthday hugs from the kids, and a couple of handmade cards from them - and I lost count of how many times they sang "Happy Birthday" to me. This morning we took all of the kids to a local park to play a variety of games. In the afternoon, we had the final group of buskers come to our centre. It was a pair of mimes from Japan - and they were hilarious! They've got to be the best buskers I have ever seen! At the end of the day, I finally got a chance to give my kids the popsicles we made the other day - and they were some of the best popsicles I have ever tasted! This was the recipe that we used:

1.5 C vanilla yogurt

1.5 C strawberry yogurt

1.5 C milk

1.5 C sliced strawberries
1.5 bananas

Blend in blender till smooth. Pour into popsicle molds. Freeze for at least 3 hours.

After work I had a group of friends come over for a potluck dinner, followed by games. Our condo building has a games room that I booked for the night that includes a pool table, air hockey, table tennis, etc. There was much laughter as we all generally do poorly at anything that requires hand/eye coordination!

What that is great : both ther recipe and the birthday party!

Happy Birthday somegal!  Sounds like you had a good day . . . may your year be filled with an abundance of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love!

hi beloved

The Backgammon game that comes with Microsoft Games on pc's is an online version, in that it finds people whoalso want to play, so you aren't playing against the computer.

EDIT:  it's called Internet Backgammon on my computer.

Thanks Pinga and Beloved!

Woke this morning to sunshine after rain.  Apparently this week NB had a usual month's rain.  But we weren't here for most of it. 

I'm thinking of Penny out in Alberta.   Middle son was married this week; Penny was doing the flowers -- from her own garden.  I hope that you had good weather, Penny, and that everything went well.

Seeler - we're on the other end of the rain spectrum. Here in Victoria, we haven't seen rain in about a month. 

Today I enjoyed the weather by going downtown to see some of the last of the day of the Buskers Fest. Today I watched some acrobats who were part of the Cirque du Soleil and a magician. Both were very good, but neither were as good as the folks I saw on Friday - so they won my vote for the People's Choice Award.

I'm just back from a good weekend holiday in Buffalo - I had no idea it was such an amazing city!  Some extraordinary architecture and beautiful neighbourhoods.  We went for the Garden Walk - a tradition now in its 19th year - over 380 properties open for visiting - beautiful gardens of all descriptions.  And it's all free!   We also visited the renowned Albright Knox art gallery, and a house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright - amazing.  Enjoyed some good meals out, met lots of people, and finished up with some shopping of course!  Great time.   Now to finish that unpacking & head back to work tomorrow after a lovely week off. 

A wedding ... how lovely penny!  Hoping it all went well. 

Hugs pinga - lots of tribulations these days I think.  Hang in there. 

Carolla - I'm glad you had such a wonderful time in Buffalo!

This week is superhero week and this morning we took our kids to a recycling depot - to learn about saving the Earth! It was a great little tour that the kids enjoyed thoroughly. After the tour was over, we had lunch at a park. Part of this park is a skate park, so after lunch, some of the children decided that they wanted to see the skateboarders and bikers in action. As we were sitting on the bleachers, watching these kids, the conversation turned to helmets - and why some people choose not to wear them. One of our kids turned to me and said "I never fall, so I don't need to wear a helmet." I reminded him that the best skateboarders and bikers in the world wear helmets - including Tony Hawk, who is his favourite. At that very moment one of the bikers took a nasty spill right in front of us and hit his head hard. All I can say is, "thank God he was wearing a helmet!" I immediately walked over to wear he was laying on the ground, introduced myself and told him that I knew first aid. He was very coherent, and said that he was only in a minimal amount of pain, so I gave him some ice. I asked him to take it easy, and kept a very close eye on him for the rest of the time that I was there - and asked his friends to do the same. In hindsight, I probably should have asked him for his parents phone number so that I could give his parents a call and tell them what happened (if he had been in my camp, I would definitely have called his parents). It was an excellent teaching moment for my kids, as I explained to him that had he not been wearing a helmet, I would have been calling 911. Suddenly the kids who had been debating the merits of wearing a helmet were completely won over. I hope it's a lesson that they will remember.

That is something those children will remember, carolla, and they probably won't balk at wearing a helmet.  Sounds like a good day.

So you shuffled off to Buffalo, carolla.  I've never been there . . . perhaps someday.

Enjoy the sunshine seeler . . . we are heading into the end of July - before you know it we will have whisked right through August.

Son and girlfriend here visiting for the week.  Nice to have them at the cabin.  This is a new girlfriend and we are just getting to know her - she seems very nice and she is very comfortable to be around.

Tomorrow our daughter is coming for supper and the night and so is my sister . . . nice to gather with family.

I love the month of July, but we have had an extremely cool month . . . I hope August holds some summer weather.  Blueberries are ready . . . have to get out and pick some soon.

i am coming here looking for amusement and calming thoughts.  Times are tough these days and I need to keep balance, not get engaged in others emotions, not biting into arguments....it isn't easy to keep a level head, but I am trying my best.to help my father as he struggles to get out of a situation he has found himself in...

To be honest, I am hurting pretty badly for some awful stuff implied of me and my relationships by someone close, but, I also know they are hurting and struggling, so again, trying not to buy into their pain and how it manifests, but keep the high road, and encourage those around me to do so as well.

So, i am sitting looking for my buddies to play a game of euchre, or a game of backgammon, or laugh a bit, or go for a walk and not talk...

coz, sometimes, the stuff going on is not something you can talk about, but, good friends know that.

how about a cuppa, Pinga . . . perhaps something calming and soothing . . .

If I were there we could go for a nice long walk . . . and you could talk to me about paleo and cross fit . . .

Thanks Beloved, 

The trail by the river is really nice, we could take a walk down there, it is lit and safe.  There are benches, and the moon shines over the river.

I'm always up for a nice long walk. 

perfect spot, somegal, 

let's wander off, you, me, beloved and anyone else, for  gentle nghts stross, i can hear the creek burbling

Sounds good. I'm going to put my bathing suit on. Since the weather has been so warm, I think I might go for a bit of a splash about in the water.

Joining Pinga and others for a moonlit walk - except it is morning here now.  Good thing this is virtual and we can have moonlight anytime we need it.  

Pinga, I agree, there are times and circumstances when we just need a friend, a distraction, or a comforting presence beside us; when we can't discuss the situation, but need our friends to know that we are going through a difficult time

As for me - we did have some sunny days, but according to the newspapers NB has had the wettest July in recorded history (I missed most of it). And the prediction for the next few days is more rain - but not downpour. I haven't heard what this is doing to the farmers - except one bowler told me he needs to work on his potato field but it is too wet to do anything.

It's good to be back to my bowling. These are my friends, people I can hang out with, joke with, have fun with. But they aren't confidants like some of you here on the WonderCafe, or a few that I know in real life.

But my bowling game is back to something resembling that of a couple of years ago - rather than the dismal performance I was doing before I went on medication. Hopefully, this medication will buy me a few more years of relatively normal life before the Parkinsons takes over again.

Thanks for understanding Seeler.

Glad to hear your bowling is back, that is wonderful, truly.

Just typed a big post . . . and hit backspace - and it disappeared!

It kind of went like . . . seeler - I hope you have many many more years of relatively normal living - may you enjoy the freedom, mobility, and capability you have today for many week, months, and hopefully years.  Living in the moment is my theme right now - but it is challenging.

Second last day of July . . . it is cool and raining here - but I did get in my morning 30 minute walk before it started.  I will try to enjoy these next two days to the fullest as August, while still can hold beautiful summer days, means the downward stretch with cooler evenings and shorter sunlight days.

Have a great day everyone!

I'm procrastinating a little too much today.  My focus is off and even when I am doing what should be getting done, I get an email or a phone call that needs to be responded to, taking away my focus again.

Pinga, it sounds like a massage might do you some good!  If you came over here, I could put you to work packing some things or cleaning, but I'm guessing that's not the type of distraction you want :)

Seeler, I'm glad your meds are working for you!  I'm sure if I tried playing a game of bowling with you, you would beat me!  It's been quite some time since I've gone.  I've only tried 10 pin a few times.  I try to do it properly, but I never got the hang of it and usually end up hurting my elbow so I switch to between the legs to avoid doing any real damage.  5 pin is more my speed, and 1 strike in a game is a big deal :)

Chemgal - balls for candlepin (the type of bowling we Maritimers prefer) has balls similar to 5-pin, but we use ten candle-shaped pins.  I've bowled 10-pin a few times with the big balls.  I do think a person would have to be careful not to hurt their elbow.  My bowling scores are not great.  A perfect score for a game is 300.  I don't think it has ever been achieved.  In my league 100 is great.  Only a few average over 90.  I once averaged 86 or 87 in a good season.  Six months ago I was struggling to make 70, but yesterday I bowled 78, 76, 79 in three strings.   I'm pleased, not because being a great bowler is the height of my ambition, but because it indicates my generally improved condition.  On my trip I climbed up a ladder into a small plane for 1/2 hour sight-seeing over Lake-of-the-Woods.  I did some paddling in Tabithas canoe, and swimming in Lake Okanagan.  I kept up with Seelerman when we walked about.  I got tired at times but generally I was pleased to be able to live normal.   Thanks all for your best wishes.

I had a mostly easy day today. This morning I switched roles with one of the inclusion leaders in my group - in other words, I worked with her child and she led the group in an activity. She had the kids making paper mache masks - a big hit! This afternoon, we switched back, and I had the children choose which park they would like to go to - there are several within walking distance. I like doing that with the children from time to time, as it gives them some control and ownership over what we are doing. I also let them choose what they wanted to do there. They chose to play baseball at the park across the street. Of course I gave them some free play time too, and they organized one of their favourite games - Grounders. After this was finished, we came back to the centre and finished up another art activity that we had been working on for awhile. While getting some extra supplies for that, I discovered that another leader was having a less than stellar day with her kids, so I suggested that she switch into my group for the rest of the afternoon as my kids are generally very well behaved - especially compared to hers. Her group were refusing to listen to her - and some of the kids were making a huge mess. In addition, several of her kids were on time out because of their behaviour. When she had left the room, I sat her group down and gave them a lecture on behaviour. I affirmed that I knew they were good kids who had made some poor choices that day - choices that had made their leader very upset. At the end I asked them for suggestions on how they could make things better and they decided that they could clean the room, make a card and make her a gift - and that's just what they did. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day for them!

Good thinking somegal . . . positive affirmation with the children - good children, only bad choices.  You must be exhausted by the time you go home from work.

Today is the last day of July - and I'm not going to get my hot summer sunny day - it is overcast and cool.  Yesterday we had rain off and on.  But that is okay - I'm going to enjoy this day no matter what the weather . . . and I'm going to wear shorts and sandals no matter what the weather :).

In to town today to have lunch with a couple of gals.  Should be a nice visit.  Going to have a hard time trying to find something on the menu I can eat on my restricted diet, but I'll manage - it's more the social aspect of the lunch I am looking forward to anyway.

How are you spending your last day of July 2013?  Some working, some playing, some busy, some resting etc.

Have a great day everyone!

There's been a bit of a delay for our possession (by a few hours).  Chemguy and I are both a little antsy.

Enjoy your lunch Beloved!  I'm sure there will be something you can eat, places are getting much better about allergies & intolerances.  Sometimes it means talking to the chef and coming up with something that isn't on the menu.

Seeler, I'm pretty sure you would beat me :)

Hi chemal . . . I live in a small town . . . and our restaurants are limited.  One restaurant I used to go to would make no special efforts to accompany my diet - this was when I first got sick and was still eating eggs.  I asked for poached eggs at lunch - and the waitress said the chef would definitely not cook eggs at that time.

Today I had a grilled chicken breast and white rice (I never eat white rice) with a few vegetables in it.  The vegetable of the day was corn, and that was the only choice I had.  So I just had the chicken and rice.

I'm sure restaurants in the cities make more allowances.

I hope things go smoothly with your possession date.

Chemgal, how great that today is possession date.

Beloved, yes, I have been pretty lucky, asking people to make the sandwich but hold the bread and, if they feel nice, to put it on lettuce or greens.   Life is good when a restaurant gets it. 

Chemgal - how exciting that today is the day you take possession! I hope the move goes smoothly. It seems that quite a few people that I know are in the process of moving right now.

Beloved - I sometimes am exhausted at the end of the day. I certainly am today!

Today we did our annual photo scavenger hunt. It was tons of fun and totally crazy! One of the things we had to do was to get a picture of the children thrift shopping - so I took my group to my church where we have a thrift shop. The volunteers at the shop were so kind to the children. They had just received several boxes of videos, so they invited the children to each pick a favourite movie to keep! After taking a few photos there, we moved to the park across the street from the church and took some excellent pictures there too. We then moved to a beach, where we took a few more photos, before heading to our final destination where we met up with all of the other groups for lunch. We'll find out how we did tomorrow. Each picture had to include every child in the group. Some of the other pictures we had to take included:

Superhero pose

Something old (we found a tree)

Something new (we had our picture taken with Grandmother holding her newborn grand daughter)

Hard at work (we helped out the workers at the thrift shop)

Random act of kindness (we picked up garbage at the beach)

That's an interesting way to travel (we all climbed on a playground car).

It was lots of fun and very tiring!

Happy August 1st Everyone!

My aim for this month is to enjoy as best as I can every day of these 31 days of August.  How about you - what are your aims?

Happy Possession Day, chemgal - an exciting time!

Hope, peace, joy, love . . .

While I am cleaning out two closets and a buffet (that is in my living room and serves as a 'catch-all' for everything), and trying to figure out how to make the one nearest the kitchen into a pantry, I think of Chemgal trying to figure out just where to put everything.    Unpacking and putting away - about the hardest part of moving.  The last time I did it I vowed never to move again.  That was about 35 years ago.

Seelergirl was over this morning.  I sent her home with arm-loads of stuff.  Old towels for cleaning rags, about two dozen pencils and pens (I tested everyone - and why is it that just a few days ago I was walking around asking 'Why can't I find a pen in this house?' - dog food from the last time I sat her dog.   I got permission to throw out or rummage sale things that she or the kids had left here and long since forgotten.  And I reminded her that someday she will be the one sorting through all my stuff and wondering what to do with it.  

We've barely moved anything!  lol

I am very greatful we decided to have a good amount of overlap between our last place and here.  There is so much to clean!!!

On the surface, things looked ok, but the closer you look at things the worse they are.  Some of that I expected, but the dishwasher and fancy washing machine were downright scary with how filthy they were.  I've always used top loaders, and preferred them.  I don't think they have ever cleaned the rubber seal on this front loader.  Chemguy wouldn't let me look because he said I would just want a new one.  We've done a few wash cycles, got a ton of gunk with the first one and a candy wrapper with the second.

We got the ducts cleaned, I've vacuumed all the carpets and Chemguy is carpet cleaning right now.

We have phone and internet here, but not back where we'll be sleeping for at least 2 more nights.

Easy does it chemgal!  It is a good thing to have a few days for cleaning, painting etc - I do agree.  It's amazing how dirty a place can look once everything is taken out of it :-)    I think there is now actually some special type of cleaner for front load washers & dishwashers too!  Seems weird to have to clean them, but I do know how gunky my own dishwasher can get!!   Vinegar & baking soda work well!

Some also say to run a load through with javex in the water.

Chemgal - giving yourself time to move was a smart decision. I hope that you will spend many years in your new place. 

Today was a weird day at work. Today we switched shift times so now, instead of being on the opening shift, I am on the closing one - meaning I start and end my day 2 hours later now. When I got to work, my boss immediately pulled me aside and said "I need you to work as an inclusion worker today, as ... has phoned in sick." This meant I was in with the oldest kids. The plan had been to take them to a climbing wall, followed by a trip to the lake. We got to the climbing wall, only to discover that the waivers that the parents had all signed were for another climbing centre with the same name - one that happened to be located in Wisconsin! Naturally the kids were very disappointed, but they handled it well for the most part. We decided to go straight to the lake for lunch and recreation. One of the children did not handle this so well and began to behave quite poorly - starting with whining because she didn't get to listen to the music that she wanted to listen to in the van (nobody else, leaders included, wanted to listen to it). When we got to the lake, my co-worker tried to talk to her about whining, but she refused to listen - so we decided to simply let it go. At lunch however, her behaviour escalated to an unacceptable level - even though past behaviour has taught us that she is not afraid of bees, she started running away every time she saw one. Each time she ran further and further away - until she was no longer within earshot of the group. At this point, I gave her an ultimatum - either sit down with the group, or go back to the centre. She refused to the sit, so I packed up my stuff - and the stuff of the child whom I was working with - and drove her back to the Centre. She repeatedly threatened to run away on the trip back, but seemed to have calmed down by the time we got there. We finally got back to the building and went upstairs. While she was putting her stuff away, I went and spoke to my boss. He asked me to bring her into his office, but when I went to get her, she was nowhere to be found. The next 10 heartstopping minutes were spent searching around the building for her. A whole team had assembled quickly to do this - any and all spare staff in the building. She heard us scurrying around looking for her, and came out from her hiding spot - looking very sheepish. When I heard she had been found, I went back to the office to let my boss know that I knew. I was absolutely livid with the child - and had to fight myself to hold back what I really wanted to say to her. I kept my words to, "I'm glad you're safe - you really scared me," and then I walked out of the room. I had to take a few minutes to calm myself down before I could get back on the road to pick up the rest of the children and my co-worker back at the lake! 

Every summer seems to have at least one day like this - hopefully this will be the only one!

Hey!   Where is everybody?   It's 8:30 on a beautiful (light rain) Friday morning.  Wake up, Sleepyhead.  Get up, get out of bed.   There's a whole world waiting.  Somegal off on an adventure with the children.  Tabitha paddling her canoe.  Chemgal cleaning and preparing to move into her new home.  Penny recovering from a family wedding.  Busy, busy, busy.   Pilgrim, relaxing and thinking of her bed - down under.    Penny and Pilgrim - you rest now.   The rest of you - up and at 'um.

Noon here.  I'm about to leave for bowling.  Wish me luck!    Where is everybody?????

I thought you bowled Monday.

and Friday.   Twice a week.   Today I bowled  87, 68, 81.  Not bad for an old girl whose average had fallen to the low seventies.  

I have not bowled once since being in Canada  The only places around were all 5 pin. I was excited about my move and bowling, but the bowling alley burned down before I arrived.... maybe it is a sign?

LOL Seeler - when you first posted it was 4:30AM my time and I was definitely snug in my bed, sleeping soundly! I wasn't off galavanting yet! Ironically, as I write this, it's almost 4:30AM your time.

Today was the first rainy day of the summer - and it was perfectly timed. You see, the major plan for today was to go swimming - so nobody cared that the weather wasn't perfect! We were supposed to go to a playground this morning, but we cancelled that because of the weather - instead we gave the children the options of watching a movie or making crafts. I was working again with the same child I worked with yesterday, and we chose the little known third option - lol. Myself and a coworker took the two kids we were working with up to visit the Seniors Centre that is also run by the organization that we work for. This is the other child's absolute favourite activity - something that he gets to do as a reward for good behaviour. He always gets to invite a friend along, and today he wanted to go with my child. After lunch we took all of the 52 kids in our program today to the local swimming pool, where we always have a blast splashing and goofing around! 

After work, I took a good friend out to dinner at a nice restaurant downtown - using a gift card that I had recently received. We had a delicious dinner and then went to the night market in the Inner Harbour. Then the two of us decided to check out the new playground and workout area at Beacon Hill Park - a big inner city park, not unlike a smaller version of Vancouver's Stanley Park, in downtown Victoria.

All in all, I'd say it was a good day!

It's been a great day here!  Not super hot, but a nice summer day.  I'm spending as much time as I can soaking up natural Vitamin D from the sunshine (early in the morning as you can't wear sunscreen if you want to absorb Vitamin D and later in the day the sun is too hot and I don't want to burn).  Had a nice family day with kids visiting and a sis who came out to visit.  Had a nice barbeque for supper - everyone else had hamburgers, buns, potato salad, macaroni salad, and veggies and dip - I had sweet potatoes, cooked mixed veggies, some goat's cheese, and some olives :(  Normally I don't find eating this way hard . . . but this past week with everyone having such wonderful meals and treats to boot has been very hard.

Seeler - I think those are wondeful scores!

When we were in the city last fall we went bowling . . . at one of those places with the white lights and everything flashing all over - it was fun!

somegal, I hope you are having a relaxing restful long weekend after such episodes at work :)

SG - I think maybe you are not meant to bowl at this time in your life LOL.

Beloved - it sounds like you had a good day (even if the diet was a struggle).

I also had a good day, but certainly not a relaxing one!  My roommate, our friend and I got up early to catch the 8:30 ferry to Salt Spring Island where they have an incredible Saturday market. Once there we went for breakfast with a mutual friend who lives there before hitting the market. I had heard that Raffi had a stand there on most Saturdays so of course we went to his table! I have met him once before and was struck by how genuine he was. Once again I immediately felt so comfortable with him - he quickly made us feel like old friends! I ran into him twice later on in the day as we wandered around the market, and each time he greeted me by name! In addition to picking up his new book, I bought some delicious food items from various vendors. We also went to a winery and then were invited to our friends beautiful house for lunch before returning home.

Beautiful day again in S. ontario.  Myhusband came home earlier than anticipated from a kayak trip due to high winds on the bay.

My life with father continues, and I feel badly for anyone whose parent lives hours away.  I can imagine what the little popins to check on items or to attend appointments must consume their spare hours.  Our challenges with legal situation and stresses related to that continue as well.  Alas, like is complex but we will make it through.

My family is doing good.  One of the advantages of the boys staying at home while they age is that we are learning how to be adults together.  It is a good place to be.

Work is also good.  I was happy to finally get a case study approved for a large project that I was in.  It has a few quotes from me, so, that may bode well for future contracting plans  I have also been asked to speak in Boston, and aproposal is being put forward for me to lead a workshop in San Francisco. Both of these items are good for my reputation both outside of and at work.  

Beloved, I get that food bit.  Could you have had a hamburger on lettuce without a bun. I do that and find I like it just as much.  Yesterday was a food eating day for me, but, bought a bunch of veggies and healthy food last night. Even my eating wasn't unhealthy stuff, but, just felt the desire to eat.

SG, funny about bowling.  I like bowling but rarely go . 

I am disappointed that my visit with Tabitha fell through.  I was hoping to meet her when she was in Ontario, but her plans to be in my section of this large province fell through, and a 4-5 hr drive on the long weekend one way to have a cup of coffee was just not do-able.  still disappointing for both us, i think.

well, time to get my life going today. still in pj's.

Pinga - I'm sorry that you and Tabitha weren't able to get together.  You both are such great people, and I'm sure that you would find much in common.

I've never had to deal with aging parents - a bonus from having mine die young - and my mother-in-law lived with another son two provinces away. But having a daughter living near and going through a separation is no picnic. She is at the feeling guilty stage. Her husband and the children think its time for her to 'come back home'. Promises have been made - but she really doesn't see anything changed. I try to be a sympathic and supportive listener, and not to give advice. Easier said than done. But its hard to see your daughter cry.

Sunshine and clear air in NB today. I've been to church, and walked the dog (she's staying with us while sil takes grandson camping for the weekend). Now its time for lunch. And, unfortunately, paper-work this afternoon.