Yours 'til Niagara Falls

This Lady Inspires Me

I just read the story of Beatrice Muller.  She's 89 years old and has lived for the past nine years on the ocean liner Queen Elizabeth II.  She did the math, and at $7,000.00 a month, it compares to the cost of living in a so-so nursing home in Florida.  She's currently looking for new digs because the QEII is being retired.  I hope she finds a new home soon.  Read more here.

Happy Birthday and Some Crafting, Too

Today we celebrated the baby's first birthday.  It was a pretty nice day, weather-wise and it was really nice to have another family get-together.  We've been lucky - the summer has been full of happy events.

The birthday boy studied his little cousin who is only three weeks old and as cute as a button.  You have to wonder what he's thinking.

These little guys are the definition of BFF.

Now for the crafty bit... Yesterday my daughter and I sat down and did a number of pages for a baby scrapbook we have been putting off doing.  I was really impressed by how many things my daughter had saved in a fairly organized way.  It's such a good feeling to make a good start on a project you've wanted to do for a long time.

Another crafty bit was the little gremlin dolls I made for the birthday party goody bags.  I hadn't sat down at the sewing machine in months, so it was fun, although I had a little bit of time pressure.  I hope this is the impedus to start making dolls and other creaures.

Sailing, Sailing, Over the Bounding Main...

Taking a ride on a three-masted ship has always been on my list of things to do before I leave this mortal coil.  My kind neighbor mentioned that there would be a few ships at Canal Days in Port Colburne, Ontario which is only about a half an hour from home.

So, off we went, my husband and I.  We bought tickets to take a 90-minute cruise down the canal and on to Lake Erie.  When we set sail, the sun was shining and there were big puffy clouds in the sky.  Not ten minutes into our voyage, it began to sprinkle.  "Sun with a shower, less than an hour" I said to myself.  But... the sea is a fickle lover.  It went from sprinkling to cold, heavy, stinging rain in a matter of minutes.  And it didn't let up for the whole trip.  My husband, in his typical Eeeore way remarked, as we sat in the downpour, "At least we're not dead".  Our fellow passengers must have thought we were nuts as the two of us were huddled together and roaring with laughter.  The rain continued to pelt us as we disembarked.  We made our way to a nearby watering hole and were revived by plates of fish and chips paired with a few bottles of Molsen's.

Tomorrow I have a fun day planned. A group of fiber enthusiasts will be getting together for a natural dyeing day.  My contribution will be a dyebath made with Queen Anne's Lace which results in a pretty yellow green.  So... my job tonight is to boil up the flowerheads and mordant my wool with alum.  

Simply Appalling

My mother is home after being hospitalized for a few days.  I was not even remotely happy with the level of medical care she received.  Some of the more memorable events:  This morning she had her blood pressure taken.  When my average-sized mother told the woman that the blood pressure cuff was hurting her, the response was "Your arm is too fat".  When we were waiting to be discharged, a nurse came in to discuss matters.  I asked her what her name was.  She rolled her eyes, reached into her pocket and took out her name tag.  It indicated that she was an RN with a bachelor's of science.  She stated that my mother would need weekly B12 shots.  I said, "Oh, I thought it was daily".  She refered to the scripts and said, "Oh, yes, you're right".  She then said, "Earlier, I removed the IV she had for her antibiotics".  "Antibiotics?", I ask "Why on earth was she on antibiotics?".  The nurse walks over to the IV pole and shrugs.  "Oh", she says, "It's magnesium, it looks like the antibiotics".  At that point I ask when the neurologist would be stopping by.  The nurse said, "She was here for a half an hour this morning.  She gave your mother an exam and talked with her".  The nurse, up to this point, had been talking only to me although my mother (her actual patient) was sitting three feet away.  At this point my mother said, "The neurologist didn't come this morning".  The nurse rolls her eyes and says to me, "Your mother is very forgetful".  She then turns to my mother and says in a patronizing sing-song voice, "Dr. So-and-so came after breakfast.  Do you remember what you had for breakfast?"  My mother did indeed remember exactly what she had for breakfast and told her so.  This is where I loose my temper.  "Look here,"  I said, "My mother has a slight word-finding problem, but she could certainly remember a neuro exam and a discussion!"  I went on to itemize all the errors the nurse had made since out little meeting began and told her that as far as I was concerned, I had no confidence in her and our discussion was over and I was taking my mother home.  The nurse shrugged and asked if I wanted to speak to the doctor before we left.  I said I did and that I'd also like the name of the person in charge of patient care.  The woman shrugged again and said, "I don't know of any such person at this hospital."   The moral of the story is... If you go to the hospital, take a bodyguard along with you.

In other medical news... Little Frida got spayed today.  All went well.  The office staff was sweet, kind and most importantly, competent.  How utterly ironic.

Count Your Blessings

I think it is interesting and important to have an awareness of how people around the world live.  My source for this information is http://blog.globalhealingvision.com/2007/12/12/weekly-diets-of-families-around-the-world/

What is eaten in one week

Italy

: The Manzo family of

Sicily

Food expenditure for one week: 214.36 Euros or $260.11

Germany: The Melander family of Bargteheide
Food expenditure for one week: 375.39 Euros or $500.07 

United States: The Revis family of

North Carolina

Food expenditure for one week $341.98

Mexico: The Casales family of

Cuernavaca

Food expenditure for one week: 1,862.78 Mexican Pesos or $189.09

Poland: The Sobczynscy family of Konstancin-Jeziorna
Food expenditure for one week: 582.48 Zlotys or $151.27

Egypt: The Ahmed family of

Cairo

Food expenditure for one week: 387.85 Egyptian Pounds or $68.53

Ecuador: The Ayme family of Tingo
Food expenditure for one week: $31.55

Bhutan: The Namgay family of

Shingkhey

Village

Food expenditure for one week: 224.93 ngultrum or $5.03

Chad: The Aboubakar family of Breidjing Camp
Food expenditure for one week: 685 CFA Francs or $1.23

 

Memorial Day Tribute

  In Flanders Fields
By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)
Canadian Army

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.

This is What a Hero Looks Like

The world has lost a great person.  Irena Sendler has died.  She was a hero during the Holocaust. 

Sto Lat!

Long Life! (in Polish).  Today is Dyngus Day.  It's a pretty big deal in the Buffalo area.  It has the same vibe as St. Patrick's Day, but it is mostly celebrated by the Polish-American community.  A friend and I went to one of the parties today.  We were just about the only non-Poles in attendance, but it didn't matter.  Tradition dictates that men and women throw water at each other and then swat each other with pussy willow branches.  I kid you not. It stems from how thrilled people were that Lent had ended and people could have a little fun.  Typically, these days, the day is spent feasting on Polish specialties and enjoying polka music and watch beautifully-costumed dancers go through their paces. I went in the early afternoon.  The hard-core revelers get going around 5:00pm.  A lot of folks take Tuesday off to recover.  I'm so glad I went.

I swiped these from a vacant lot next door to my grocery store.  I do it every year.  It makes me feel as though spring might actually happen someday.

The Chopin Society singers.  They treated us to folk songs in Polish.

I can't tell you how much I want one of those skirts! I would go twirling through the halls at work.  People would be impressed.

I think this hat would suit me.

I got this dolly last summer from Ebay.  After seeing the dancers' costumes I can appreciate how accurate all the details are.  I still love playing with dolls.

Sweet Twisted Blossom

When I lost my Bailey, the kind comments people left made all the difference.  Tracy, author of Twisted Blossom sent me the loveliest package.  Take a look:  There is a vintage hankie with the tiniest cross-stitch floral motif and two old-time postcards (one of Niagara Falls). There's a very clever puch made with wide grosgrain ribbon and an antique needle-lace button.  In the pouch I found the most wonderful pin.  It was made , I think, with microscope slides foiled and soldered around the edge.  The image is a girl and her dog.  On the reverse side, the peice is inscribed "Forever Friends" which really touched me.  It is the essence of how I felt about my dog.  I will wear the pin with pride and pleasure.  Thank you, thank you, thank you Tracy.  Your kindness means the world to me.  

Post-concussive Syndrome

I guess if a person follows sports, this is something you've heard about.   My son spent last night in the hospital for observation because he had an awful headache along with vertigo.  He's home now, resting and watching football.  Reasearch tells us that the majority of cases resolve themselves in a matter of weeks.  We continue to be grateful that he's in one piece.  This is the picture of the accident which was on the front page of the local paper.