Christmas, birthdays & writers

Only a few more days and it will be CHRISTMAS!!  Am I ready for that?  NO!  Are you?

I am missing our girls so much. This year my husband and I will be alone with no children at home with us.  Their absence is bothering me already and I'm finding it hard to not be 'blue'. Today I was thinking about four excited little girls who used to run around here - helping, and getting in the way, and giggling, and ... are now all grown up -- far too quickly! The house is so empty ...

My birthday on the 16th was quiet. I was busy answering phone calls and especially happy to hear from each of our girls, and our darling little grandson ... "Happy Burt-day, Gwamma."

A little each day this week I am gradually making our home look Christmas-y, putting up some decorations, changing things around, trying to make it more welcoming for the season. Soon I will be baking Christmas cookies and other goodies ... alone.  *sigh*  I'm needing some Christmas cheer. This empty-nesting is not very acceptable sometimes, in my mind. 

On Saturday my husband and I went to the mall to do a little Christmas shopping, and while there I realized there was an author - Laura Best - doing a book signing in front of the bookstore.  It  had slipped my mind about this event ... but I purchased her book Bitter, Sweet and asked her to sign it.  She was encouraging when I told her that I am not yet published, but still hopeful.  At her urging I may be in touch with her in the near future.

It is interesting how God puts things together, isn't it?  Last week He formulated a plan in my mind, and through it I am hoping to help another lady with her writing dream.  I talked with her last Thursday about it, and if it comes together as I foresee then it will be marvellous!  And exciting!


To continue with my story ...
After our time at the mall we continued on to another community and another mall which has a 'playhouse' for kids .. and a laser tag room.  It was a 'party' for our nephew's 13th birthday, and ten of us combined our 'skills' to play this crazy game.  It was our second time to do this, but of the ten of us five had never played it before.  It was hilarious! After 25 minutes of running around in the semi-darkness trying to 'hit' each other and not be 'hit' most of us were pretty tired.  :)  Pizza and cake .. and we were on our way home.

Do you have experience with laser tag, and if so .. any strategies you care to share with this novice?

We are enjoying fairly warm weather here at present. Today there was a skiff of snow that lightly covered the ground, but that will disappear soon. Temperatures are expected to warm up more this week before it turns to seasonable winter weather.  Do you like the colder weather?

Is anyone having trouble with mice this Fall?  Makes me wonder what's up with that?
Is there any old wives' tale or a Farmer's Almanac prediction concerning survival habits of mice?

I guess that is all for this time.  If you have any comments or answers to my questions, please post them.  I would very much appreciate hearing from you.

Thanks for reading, and ... Blessings on your day. :)

prayers, pilots & pets

May passed far too quickly, don't you agree? To me it brought a mix of events and emotions.

Are you keeping well? A few weeks ago I was exposed to H1N1, otherwise known as 'swine flu'. One Sunday I felt really blah so stayed home from fellowship just in case, but fortunately I did not come down with the virus.

Our son-in-law got home from Alberta for about three weeks in May, which was wonderful. He keeps busy while home and I do not have our grandson to babysit when his daddy is around.

My web site is not progressing quickly yet - admittedly my fault as I have not been working on it because of other things ... and work on Valley Sunshine took priority because my readers subscribe to it. This issue just sent out on Friday is on Prayer - a very important part of our relationship with God. It is - simply put - conversation with God and touches on all areas of our lives.

2009 marks 100 years of powered flight in Canada. There was a related contest held for school age children, and I am pleased to say that my 12 yr. old nephew (my sister and brother-in-law's son) won in the intermediate photography category. On May 20 we attended the impressive demonstrations, air show and activities at Greenwood Base. During the awards ceremony my nephew received a certificate and other things, which he was very happy about. Following that was the air show and if you have never seen the Snowbirds in action you have got to add that to your "things to do" list! Those pilots are AMAZING! It was exciting, loud, breathtaking, heart stopping and so worth seeing as they demonstrated their skill and teamwork. I loved it! - prayed a lot, too!

After the air show my nephew got the pilots to sign his certificate. He and the other young winners stayed overnight on the Base on May 22nd for a fun time, from which he came away with a bag stuffed full of neat gifts. My husband picked him up at the Base the next morning and we had the pleasure of his company that day because his parents were attending a conference. Not having sons, only daughters, I always find it interesting how boys' interests differ from girls', although now video games and such make it fairly neutral ground.

Our daughter who lives and works in Alberta arrived home last night for a visit of a few weeks with us. SO happy to have her home!

Now for the very sad news -- Late one night last week our beloved, healthy, nine year old dog, Shasta, started having seizures. We took her to the Animal Hospital and even though they did all they could for her, she passed away in the wee hours of May 29. It is a puzzle as to what happened to her. It seemed like poisoning but we cannot find anything that would have harmed her. The veterinarians have not been able to figure it out, except it may have been fungal infection which is usually devastating to dogs. Whatever it was hit her hard and took her quickly.

I am surprised at how much losing her has upset me; it is a great sorrow and tremendous loss to us. Shasta was such a good dog, the offspring of a purebred German Shepherd (her mother), and a husky/wolf (her father), so had personality plus. She was protective, funny, smart, loyal, playful, affectionate, and enjoyed her family (us) so much. She was excellent with our little grandson and motherly with our daughter's miniature breed dog. The two dogs played ball together, and if Sammy would get too rambunctious, Shasta would walk over and put her foot on him until he calmed down. Sammy has been confused by her absence.

Gone are the days of hearing her howl (so much like a wolf), and my being playfully pushed over when I squat down to tie my shoes, and being informed when anyone comes onto or near the property, and seeing her sit for hours patiently waiting for a scolding squirrel to attempt its descent from a tree. Pets play such a huge role in our lives, don't they?

Tonight we bring our beautiful Shasta home from the Animal Hospital where they are keeping her for us and then we will bury her beside the flower garden she liked to snuffle through (and sometimes dig in). My heart is heavy, but I have lots of good memories. She was a happy dog.
Hmmm ... I just realized, my husband will have gooseberries to eat this Summer; Shasta won't be here to pluck them off those thorny bushes before he gets to them.

Do you have any stories to share about what interests you, or anecdotes about your pets? I'd love to read them.

Thanks for reading, and ... blessings on your day. :)