Has anyone heard about the deaths and illness due to contaminated food here in Canada? I am also curious if anything like this has happened in the States with these foods, as I just get the Canadian side for now

 MEAT PRODUCTS PRODUCED AT ESTABLISHMENT 97B MAY CONTAIN LISTERIA MONOCYTOGENES
 
 

Canadians should check the recalled food products on the list. 

http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/corpaffr/recarapp/2008/list97be.shtml

 I thought it was just Maple Leaf Brands, and was unaware it included Schneiders, Burns and several other popular/common brands.  It covers a very wide range of products too.

Today when I woke up it was such a relief to see it had finaly stopped raining! Lots of clouds yet, and probably more to come later, but the sun is trying to show through every so often.

Yesterday was a whole different story. It started overnight and came down by the bucketload all day long.

It actually is pouring here, but does not seem to show in the pic.

At least in this pic you can see how it is streaming off my neighbors patio roof .  It used to be a comforting sound to hear rain on the roof, especially at night lying in bed. The constant pounding/drumming sound in my head from it as I sat at the computer just gave me a headache after a while. Not a bad one, just one of those dull ones that irritate.  I had to get something good out it – hence the pics

Thursday we helped son Gerry celebrate his birthday by joining him and the family  for dinner. I was very happy to see daughter Teresa was able to come too

We so seldom get to see her anymore. She has long odd hours at work and lives in another town, that, while not too far away, just seems to be.  It was great to catch up with her news.

My meal – a Greek Salad. I have not had one of these in a while and was not interested in any of the regular meals they offered, even though they have quite a big selection.

With all this rain our grass has greened up so much – it was looking a bit brown and forlorn during those couple of weeks we actually had hot Summer weather    Elmer had to call me to show he had found this growing in it overnight

Looked so pretty sitting there, and is fairly big, about 2-3″ across. Looks like this one could be edible but I am not about to try it and see  
Even though the grass is just saturated, the next thing I heard was the lawn mower going, and see Elmer has mowed it and this is now history. Oh well, glad I recorded in time.

Sent to me in my mail – this does not cover everything but is a start on what we can eat to keep as healthy as possible.

I have had nothing new to say for a couple of days – just stayed in the house, keeping dry and hopefully warm. It has become so much cooler – Fall is here already and August not even over yet!  Not quite cold enough for the heaters to go on but if it does get any lower they too will be put into action!
The last couple of days I thought – Oh nothing to do today, so maybe I will contentrate on Facebook and figure it out better! Hmmm guess I did get somewhere, had some fun sending hugs and flowers to my family and friends, read the bits of new stuff they have added, and finaly added a pet to my collection, and got to see what it was all about. In between though, seemed the phone just kept ringing.

Eugene decided he wanted to talk to me, so we had a couple of hours of conversation two days in a row. I loved it. Just wish he lived a whole lot closer. Even if he is going to be moving to Seattle for a while, it is still too far to visit when the mood strikes. He phoned again today – needed me to pick Angela up and go to Sumas so she could do some banking busines for him there.  It was a good short trip, spent more time waiting to get through the USA border than all the rest put together – I expected that as it is getting close to the long weekend, and many start to go across if they can take the extra days, so they can beat the main exodus on Friday.

Sheialgh phoned yesterday to say ‘bye’. They are off to Vermont with their eldest who is in a Hockey tournament being held there. I wish her team a lot of luck and all of them a great trip. This is something very new to her, as the scouts for this team had been badgering Sheilagh and Brian for some time to let her be on their very prestigious team, and they finaly agreed starting this Summer. I really am very proud of my GDaughter, as by rights she is still a year too young for this, but so good they still had to have her and waivered the age difference.  Our future member for the women’s Olympic Hockey Team for Canada?  This is where this particular team is aiming for in the stream, and Katie’s dream and goal.

I also got a phone call from my brother – his opening words, A… Frances, we have something very sad to tell you…Then he and his wife started rambling! Oooh I could have screamed. What was wrong!  Turns out some of the plants I had helped them put in while there had become infected with mildew mold and had to pulled out. The relief was tremendous    I laugh now, but they were serious and wondered if I had any suggestions. Nothing I could do, and all I could suggest was go to the nursery and see what they suggest, as I really am no longer familiar with the growing conditions, plants and what was available to replace them with, in their part of the world.

Elmer did find some great Strawberries in the store, which I will be having for desert tonight – Yummy!

(an old pic to illustrate

So this is my life lately – not much excitement, just everyday things with a few highlights that make my day.

It has been raining the last few days. I look out the window and it is pouring right now – a good day to be inside a warm home.

An old pic but I felt it says it all

So I spend more time on the computer – oh boy can it take up the time
I belong to so many places and most of them are like this where we can interact. It takes up quite a bit of time catching up on everyone’s news and commenting, sharing my thoughts and feelings on what they have shared too. The Family site I run has been busy again – it is not too active, but every time I ask if I should shut it down, I get a resounding NO.  Most of the younger ones prefer to use Facebook so they can also interact with friends and school mates, so……
I belong to Facebook too – I have not figured that one out properly at all, post a few photos, join in the 100′s of things that are sent to me, and send some back, wondering just what it was I did   The page does not show everything, and it takes a bit of looking to find even some of what I have supposedly done.)  I can see why it would appeal to the young crowd, but I am used to a whole lot of interaction, and it just does not work the same way there. At least not the way I am used to.
I also belong to many discussion/interest groups on CARE2. Many different types of topics, some of which I do get quite involved in. Others are just interesting to be in. I have become very spoiled here and in the Family sites where photos are concerned – so easy to bring one in when you wish to show it off or use it to show something that is part of the discussion. It is not like that in CARE2. They have to be posted elsewhere that allows hotlinking and the link copied into your comment. At least they allow you to use the albums you have there, but the trick is to find the pic you want, and I am not that good at putting pics in at random where they are concerned.

Life is very quiet again, so no real newsy updates.

Thursday already!

Bought last year and bloomed this Summer

My family members that have been away on vacation all came home on the weekend, so I have been busy catching up on their adventures. It was good to see Sheilagh and the children. All of whom have grown in the last few weeks – wow,  Laura is way taller than me now! Trever could not stop talking about his adventures at the lake with his cousins, Aunt and Uncle.  He also did not let me forget that I had promised him a Webkinz some time ago LOL and now he still wanted one.
It was Laura’s 14th birthday on Monday, and I was invited to brunch – Sheilagh made us some delicious pancakes. Something I have about once a year. Afterwards I joined them going shopping, as I wanted Trever to pick his own Webkinz. Hard to know otherwise just which one they would really like. He chose a large frog.

Teusday was the day Trever was going home again to Spokane – Sheilagh picked me up so I could join them as they returned him to dad Eugene in Bellingham. I grab every oportunity I can to see Eugene. I missed out on so many years of his life from17-28 when he left home and went out on his own, with only short times together and long intervals between. Really it is only these last few years that I have way more contact and we are trying to be less of strangers to each other than we had become. This time our meeting was way too brief, but the time across the line took most of the afternoon.

Wed. was the day I had to go to the dentist for him to check on the progress of my infection. I knew there was nothing really more to be done, but I guess necessary anyway. It is subsiding, but by no means completely cleared up. Still another week of anti-biotics. I just wish I knew of another dentist that could re-do the whole thing satisfactorily for me. I know something has to change, not sure what can be done though, and it will not be the same dentist.
I spent the rest of the day visiting Angela – took her an ice-cream bucket full of ripe tomatoes from our greenhouse, and in return came home with all kinds of goodies   Two new photo albums as she has changed to the memory kind and no longer will use them, some great muffins she had been making all night, and my EFA’s that she gets from her Foremor business.
I also stopped off at the Library, as I am getting very low on books, and one I had requested had also come in. Now I have a whole new group to read! Yea!

This one was one of the baby Hollyhock I bought last year at the Open house – I did have a purple one too but that did not survive the winter. I had to get a pick of it quickly as the heavy rain we are experiencing these last couple of days is playing havoc with my plants. And a big storm is expected this afternoon again.

According to the weather man it is going to be a scorcher today – close to 100F – 34C

Feeling much better today – the antibiotics kicked in great – I took off early in the day (after my cup of coffeee lol) to check on my daughter’s place and water her garden. I had received a call last night from her house sitter that poor Sid

looked like he was dying, and what could they do for him. Not much really, just see the water was at a good temp. But I worried all night about him. It was with relief to see he was still alive and did not look too bad even though it was obvious he was not up to par. It had been extra hot yesterday too, so I guess cooling the tank down has made a big difference for him.

I am also feeling a whole lot better than I did the last couple of days – the penicillan is doing a great job, and most of the pain has subsided. The trick for me now of course is to fit all the antibiotics in my day. Two different kinds, taken separately, one with food and one without, 6 hrs apart for each. An impossible situation actually, as there is no way I am going to be getting up twice in the middle of the night to take them, which is how it would work. Great if one was in a hospital where the nurses come and wake you
As it was, between the pills and Sid it worried me so much I woke up at 5.30. Eyes half closed I saw the most gorgeous sunrise and groped my way to the computer room for the camera LOL Had to get that pic. The only place for it was through my bedroom window, so it has the screen showing. I am surpised it was even focused as I did not look for my glasses to see what I was doing.

As there was nothing else I could do this early I just went back to bed and slept for a couple more hours

Unfortunately my implants started giving me major problems the last few days. What a job to get a visit in what I considered an emergency. Luckily they were able to get me in around noon. Seems I must have got something caught underneath which caused an ifection that spread like wildfire over the whole top of my mouth and into my glands by this morning. Now – after several shots to numb it, and some antibiotics, I am home, Numb (I hate that) It will take days for the pain from the shots alone to subside! Have no idea what I am going to have to eat today, as it will definitely not be anything that needs chewing
Not really up to much today where visiting is concerned. Hope I am feeling a whole lot better tomorrow and back into the swing of things.

Have no idea how long this will stay up – I just had to play with it and get my own card

http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/WrRxCmNFuKEfxGnR

Elmer and I are the stars of this one. (wish we we could still look and act this way hahaha)

I woke up to such a racket this morning! For a while I could not figure out what was going on – then I looked out the window.

The neighbors were getting a new roof. Of course this was taken quite a bit later after they had removed all the old stuff. My but they are efficient and fast, as this was only a couple of hours later. Banging, scraping, machinery, blaring radio, talking! You can just imagine all the noise.

I want to share a couple more pics I took the other day. We have a pretty neighborhood and many of the families are so creative and obviously love gardening. So every so often I like to walk down the road and see what is growing there, and just enjoy their beauty. This one is just down the road from us and what I see every day when I go out onto the patio. They always have had a pretty one, but last year re-did their entrance and garden path – looks so established now and I can lose myself in the view.

Right next to them is a very different type of garden – far more formal (you can see the side of the house with the decorative chimney in this top pic) which is where the next two pics are from.

I just love their bits of whimsey around the front. Those half barrel type pots are also on their sides in the very front spilling with flowers like this  but I did not take a pic of them.

When my goofy hubby saw me out with the camera, he stopped the work he was doing in our Veg. garden and posed for his pic

What a guy!