Time For Another Rant

I've come to realize that the world is a messy place. I don't mean this beautiful blue ball floating through time and space, but its inhabitants. And messy isn't really the word I want here (some help here Rachel) - but there are so many that are cruel and insidious. Who love to take the joy out of someone's simple pleasures in life. Who - because they have no way of leaving a beautiful statement of their life, must therefore leave a smear, a stink, a black mark, putrid-ness and decay. 

I know everyone is wondering what has happened to make me suddenly post such statements, so let me explain.

The other day I was reading comments that some of you have left here, and I was sickened by the SPAM I discovered.

At first I thought it was just a few that had managed to sneak in and lay some foul smelling eggs in my little hen house. But since Blogger has so helpfully come up with more options and tricks, I soon discovered that in my absence the coop was almost full to the brim with their crap!

There were almost 6000 SPAM comments stinking up the Big Blue Barn!

Not only was I dismayed, but I must confess that I was also ashamed that I had left the door open for the vermin to waltz right in and squat. I had left my defences wide open with my refusal to set the guards at the gate.

Yes - I hate word verification.

Why is that?

It seems so long ago and far away, but at one time I faithfully read a large number of blogs every morning. That adds up to a lot of time. And as a good blogger, I wanted to leave a comment to let the writers know that I had been there and appreciated their words and thoughts and pictures. I'd dash off a (hopefully) thoughtful comment and hit enter with glee - only to be stopped by a word verification!
Arghhhhhh! And while I could hear the music from Jeopardy start up, I fumbled with my fingers and squinted at blurry numbers while the clock ticked on behind me. Inevitably I would forget a capital or mistake a 3 for an E or an 8 and I'd have to start all over again. Sometimes, in utter frustration, I'd try to make out the mumbling that was supposed to help me figure out the words and numbers but apparently I don't speak that language and comment moderation left me feeling cheated. I wanted to see my comment pop right up there - an instant gratification to assure me that it would be seen and perhaps commented on. But honestly? I knew that I would forget to go back and check on what the author thought of my comment, and eventually the need to appease would fade from my memory.

So it is with great sadness and a lot of anger that I have hired the guards and they now patrol the gate to the Big Blue Barn.

And to you 6000 SPAMMERS out there who want to smear your stink and foulness across the land -  can you see this finger?

To All My Friends

I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, and my loving family for less grey hair or a flatter belly.  As I've aged, I've become kinder to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on my  patio.  I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant.

I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with ageing. 

Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 AM and sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60 & 70's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love  ....... I will.
 
I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set.  They, too, will get old. 

I  know I am sometimes forgetful.   But there again, some of life is just as  well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things.  
 
Sure, over the years my heart has been broken.  How can your heart not   break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car?   But broken  hearts are  what give us strength and understanding and  compassion.   A heart  never broken is pristine and sterile and  will  never know the joy of  being imperfect.
 
I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning grey, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face.
 
So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.

As  you get older, it is easier to be positive.  You care less about what other people think.  I don't question myself  anymore..   I've even earned the right to be wrong. 
 
So,  to  answer your question, I like being old.  It has set me free.   I  like the person I have become..  I am not going to live forever,  but while  I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what  could  have been,  or worrying about what will be.  And I shall  eat dessert every single day  (if I feel like it).

MAY  OUR FRIENDSHIP NEVER COME APART, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S  STRAIGHT  FROM THE  HEART!        

Hello Hello Hello!

It seems like ages and ages - and looking back it really is - since I wrote anything or even visited someone here in blogland. I feel rather miserable about it all as well. I know it only takes a few lines to reach out and put a smile on someone's face, and that being said I've also grown rather rubbish at emails as well.

They call it Brain Fog - or Fibro Fog - a side effect of Fibromyalgia. Ho Hum. Add to that the morphine patch I now need to wear and sometimes my brain is really confused and feels heavy. Like the top of my head weighs at least a ton and I envision a cartoon image of myself with my body bent over and the top of my head huge and resting on the ground. I agree totally - it's an odd image!

Never mind though. I've got plenty of audio books to help me keep my brain working and paying attention to something. Otherwise it does have a tendency to wander off and I find myself all in a blather about absolutely nothing and I can't even remember why!

Enough of that.

What I would love is to hear from everyone on how YOU are doing!

I feel as if I've missed so much of my friend's lives...and I really have. All of you live so far away but you are still in my heart.

So take as much space as you want and fill me in on what has been happening and how you are feeling. If you don't want everyone to know - then just email me! I agree there are some things that you just don't want the whole world to know - but it's okay to share with a friend.

I truly hope that I'll be able to get here more and do some more writing.  And - I need to tell you about our wonderful trip to New Zealand!

xoxox
aims

Please Help and Sign This Petition for Gluten Free Labelling!

I know this seems strange - making my way back into the blogosphere by asking for signatures on a petition which is near and dear to me.

I know I've been extremely quiet during the last year - hardly a word out of me or a visit to all my blogging friends.

Instead, I have the nerve to jump right back into the world of blogging without even a wave or 'hello!' or a show and tell!

Nope.

What I'm doing is asking you to sign the petition for Gluten-Free labeling on the White House Website.

In 1992 I was diagnosed as a celiac. It was the summer I had lost 50 pounds without even trying. The summer where the doctor told my mother that my chances for dying from this disease were good.
I was fading away - quickly - with nothing ahead of me but incredible pain and the view of my bathroom.

That doctor saved my life that day and got me started on a gluten-free diet which is what I will always be on until I die.

Now, twenty years later, I am still struggling with making sure my diet is totally gluten-free and I can't always do that because of the lack of a labeling law that forces food manufactures to honestly declare what is in their product and put it on their labels.

Sounds simple doesn't it? But it isn't. There are many ways that manufacturers can get around this by 'omitting' certain factors and turning their heads and crossing their fingers behind their backs.
Paul Seelig received an 11 year prison sentence after he was caught selling regular bread as 'gluten-free'. And I was one of many who stood on a chair a cheered!

Being a Celiac doesn't just mean that if I eat gluten then I'm just going to have a really sore tummy, incredible stomach cramps, and diarrhea. Like any disease the effects and symptoms are endless with more being discovered all the time
.
So when I read my Celiac.com newsletter this morning and discovered that there is a petition for 'Gluten-Free' labeling on the White House Website, I jumped on it.

But I'm just one person with one vote and at present this petition needs 15,310 votes to reach the 25,000 petitions it needs by November 1, 2012.

So please help. It only takes one minute. That's one minute that could keep so many people from unknowingly ingesting what to them is poison.

Thank you.

 

Petition for Gluten-Free Labeling on White House Website

• By Gryphon Myers
• Published 10/8/2012
• Gluten-Free Food Ingredient Labeling Regulations
• Rating:

Gryphon Myers

Gryphon Myers recently graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in interdisciplinary studies, research emphasis in art, society and technology.  He is a lifelong vegetarian, an organic, local and GMO-free food enthusiast and a high fructose corn syrup abstainer.  He currently lives in Northern California.
View all articles by Gryphon Myers

---

---

Ads by Google:

---

---

Celiac.com 10/08/2012 - Since 2004 when Congress passed the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act, sufferers of celiac disease have awaited some sort of finalized action from the FDA to set a rule for gluten-free labeling. The FDA proposed a gluten-free food labeling rule in 2007 and since then, there have been multiple open comment periods for it, but as of yet, there has been no finalized action to control gluten-free labeling in food products. In an effort to expedite this process, “Jennifer I” of Sebastopol, CA started a petition on the White House's official website.
Part of the concern driving this petition stems from the fact that for many, the gluten-free diet is one of necessity, not of choice. 'Gluten-free' has become something of a new marketing buzzword, as the diet's popularity has grown dramatically in recent years. This makes labeling more important than ever: companies seeking to cash in on a growing market may be tempted to cut corners and label products as gluten-free, when in fact they are not.
Supposedly, the FDA will be finalizing their rule sometime this year. Whether or not they stick to that time frame, this petition is a quick and easy way of putting more pressure on the federal government to finalize a gluten-free labeling rule.
Source:

• https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/finalize-standards-gluten-free-labeling/SsmdZh3C?utm_source=wh.gov&utm_medium=shorturl&utm_campaign=shorturl

I'm Home Again - Tired - But Home Again

We are home once more from our trip to the North Island of New Zealand!

When they say that 'words cannot describe' - it's true. There are no words that can accurately describe the beauty that is New Zealand.

Once I've got over my jet-lag though - I'll try.

Believe me when I say that neither of us wanted to leave. No matter how much we love The Big Blue Barn and no matter how much I love my brother David - I would have stayed. In a split second. I even begged the scanners and security people to find something wrong so that I would have to be detained.

That's the way it is.

Later, when I get my breath back, I'll also tell you of our meeting in Wellington with my very dear to my heart Michelle from Mickle's Pickle and then to meet her later again that week in Tauranga at her parent's place. What a wonderful and joyful week that was! If you are reading this dear Mickle - know that I love you!

I'll be back soon with tales from New Zealand.

Just Another (Snowy) Day In The Life….

 

Truly – I try NOT to complain – but really? It has snowed here nearly every day for the past week.

On one hand – there’s going to be great water for rafting! I’m talking BIG water!!

On the other hand – well……..It looks pretty – and it makes picking up after the dogs much easier! Still ----- it weighs on you.

My girlfriend in Ontario is talking 26C! for the last week! And what are we getting?

THIS!

Pretty isn’t it? (that’s the neighbours back yard)

And since I was feeling – um – beaten – I took another looking a bit northward and into the snow…..

SIGH

But look on the bright side! Because it’s always snowing here, I finally got my dining room finished except for hanging pictures etc.

                                    

And now that the dining room is finished and it’s still snowing, I can’t work outside painting trim…..so I’m back to working on my jewellery. I even took a weekend course on metalsmithing and had a fabulous time and met some fabulous people! Because of it I signed up for a week long course in July with Christi Friesen working with polymer clay and mixed media. I can hardly wait! It might not even be snowing then – but I’m not going to bet the barn on it!'

Now – back to real life (as if taking courses to improve myself is just playing – it sure felt like it though!)

There is one month left before whitewater rafting starts at Otter Rafting Adventures. My brother is already hard at work and he keeps telling me to take it easy and just work on my jewellery. Sounds good doesn’t it! Our new guides arrive around the long weekend we get in May – the 24th to be exact. My brother is having them do all the hard work it needs to revert from a pottery studio into a rafting center.

And what am I going to be doing for the next month?

The Man told me on Monday morning that he had booked us a month in New Zealand!!

GASP!!

He also rented a campervan so we are touring around the North Island and we are going to meet up with Mickle and Zebby Cat, and also visit with her parents! {Sorry Fiona! We hope to do the South Island in the future.} We leave on the 29th of April and come back on the 26th of May!

DOUBLE GASP!

(drats – where’s my puffer?)

I don’t care that I will be taking all my pills with me so that I can get around and do things. I swear I’m not going to let anything stop me! I hear they have a great Class 5 whitewater rafting adventure. If everything goes right – I’m in there! Just to say I did it!

What we are going to do is black water rafting which involves wetsuits and inner tubes, and a helmet with a light on it so that you can see the glow worms in the underground caverns that you ‘drift?’ through. It sounds wonderful! There’s water! and there’s adventure! That puts a smile on my face!

I know I’ve been terrible about posting for some time now, and it’s going to be at least another month of silence while we make our way around New Zealand in search of hobbits and friends. But when I get back I promise pictures! Maybe not right away because – you know – rafting is starting up again for my brother’s business and I’m a part of that.

But when I can – I will post pictures so we all can share in the adventure!

Have a wonderful life while I am away! I promise I will!

Into The Fray Once More

I sat here struggling over the title of this post and after much thought I’ve left it because that’s how it feels.

On Monday I saw my first Robin of the year! It was sitting on the same branch it sat on last year when I first saw it. It’s recognizable voice was heard across the miles as I excitably called my brother and chirruped “there’s the first Robin of the year!”, and right on cue it whistled once more for my brother. “I hear it!” he told me and I could tell by the sound of his voice that he was smiling too.

“You know what this means don’t you?” I asked him shaking my head. “We’re going to have another huge snowstorm in the next couple of days”.

And it never fails.

The Robins appear and the temperature usually drops substantially by about 10 degrees and the snow starts and doesn’t stop. I always worry that the Robins will freeze or go very hungry. I could be wrong though. Maybe worms make good popsicles but I’m going to give trying that a pass. How do you find worms under 5 inches of snow? Besides, the ground is still frozen and I doubt the Robin’s little beaks could dig down through it to find a worm straying from it’s hole.

The snow started yesterday afternoon and it is scheduled (that cracks me up) to stop snowing sometime this afternoon. At present I see only a flake or two floating around but that will change. In a little while I’ll glance out the windows again and there will be nothing but a wall of white and little Robins huddled in front of tiny fires – their wings flapping to keep it going.

So yes, here we go again – into the fray

                                         

                     

These pictures were taken at 7:30am. They are not black and whites – I just used the ‘Early morning Alberta, Canada’ theme on my camera.

Give it another hour and this is what it looks like -