Vent on Wee-venge

It’s been some time now since I have been able to write anything at all. I guess it could be said I have lost all sense of direction; not that I had a specific plan in mind in the first place.

When I started blogging a year ago, not having written before, I stumbled out of the gate and words just tumbled onto the pages daily. I thought at the time, Wow! This isn’t so bad after all. Since then however, I seemed to have covered a multitude of things, sort of like riding a carousel, but now ending up right where I started from and Ye Olde question. ~ What do I write?

Life right now is one big ‘Pandora’s box’, some of the ingredients are known, such as my COPD and this never ending winter season. The lousy new neighbor we have in the apartment overhead; one of the most inconsiderate, ignorant and noisest people that I have ever come in contact with. A stark raving rollicking idiot!

Living below such a person is worse than having to share living quarters with a herd of cattle, at least the cattle are more civilized and will respond to kind gesture.

Tried the civil approach ~ She blamed the Cat! Judging by the amount of noise, it must be a 'Mountain Cat!'

Things just about reached a peak today at one point, when ‘upstairs’ seemingly toppled over some heavy piece of furniture sending it crashing to the floor.

“That’s bloody it!!” I burst out, “ I’ve friggin had it!” Fuming I pondered a course of action. I decided on the broom handle and give em a good rap on the ceiling.

‘What you going to do?’ asked the wife.

“I’m going to give them something to get upset about” I retorted.

‘I think they just went out’ ventured the wife.

“I’m going to rap em anyway” ~ the wife looked at me and smiled.

“Well I’ll get even with their cat then!” I bristled, with the totally useless retort anyway.


At least I ended up with a bit of summit to write about after all.


C’ya

Spring Feverish

The picture on the TV screen turned a brilliant red and I groaned, I knew what that meant. Relentlessly the text continued to pour out onto the screen, at times moving faster than I could read. I cursed whoever was handling this production of painful information. I wondered at times if it was some sort of sadistic idiot, exacting grim satisfaction from the things that were about to befall us.

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome “The Weather channel!” ~

The announcement of yet another storm, the third in just over a week, brought a curse to my lips. Just how long is this frigging winter going to last! This has to be the worst, coldest and the most weird winter that I have encountered in many years. Such prolonged sub zero temperatures and more snow than I can remember in over thirty years around this area. ~

Our first indication that winter had arrived came in November, we are now in our fifth month! Thank God we drive a 4x4, at least we can get around.
Since then it’s been one storm after another and believe me they have been genuine storms. I’ve lost count now of what number this latest one is.

Either nature has a warped sense of humor or else it is being very cruel & sadistic. One hears music hall jokes all the time about this country being the land of the Igloo and lots of snow. This could be true to a point, but if I recall correctly most of the storms we’ve suffered this year have come from south of the border! ~ Hey! What are good neighbors for eh? ~

After that big storm that we had over Xmas, we were left thinking maybe that was the last heavy snowfall of the season. ~ Wrong! After that snow we had a few days of extreme cold, then gradually the temps started to warm up.

The resulting rains over the next week certainly gave thoughts of an early spring, washing away all of the snow that we had laying around.
Wow I thought, green grass and birds out there frolicking around & why not? This is after all a common breading area for a lot of North American birds.

Since then we have had three more of the red screen scenarios, with resulting sub zero temperatures and snow exceeding anything I’ve ever seen all the time I’ve lived here.

In a more serious vein though, I am convinced that we are now the victims of a geographical malfunction, ~ no longer are we located in the southern part of Canada but have been relocated somewhere near the north pole. (On Mars maybe!? )

Only last night we received another 12 inches of the dreaded stuff and now the red screen monster is predicting yet another storm for Friday night..


The ground hog had said an early spring! ~ Tell that to the Easter Bunny sitting here in sub zero temperatures and the sixteen inches of snow in the backyard.. ~ Ask me who I believe! I’m sorely tempted to toss my slipper at the idiot box ~

Time to hit the sack.

C’ya

Willow Springs

All through this long never ending winter, all I have been able to think about is the day when we can start going back to Willow park.

Old man winter however is making it feel as though the Arctic tundra has fallen upon our shoulders, with the temperatures hovering this morning at the -15c & -26c with the windchill. More of the same is being forecast for tomorrow with temps at -18c/ - 28c.

A few days ago we were in the Norval area and decided to try and get through the snow to take a few winter pictures of the park. It’s obviously impossible for me to negotiate the snow to the park area because of my mobility impairment, so I was restricted to the parking lot area whilst my wife waded through the accumulation of snow and reached our favorite summer haunt. She sure brought back some digital treasure.

There is a remarkable difference between summer & winter that’s for sure, but just another example of the artistry and power of mother nature. How often can one find a place that provides such beauty during the summer months, and have this same place show itself to be such a rich jewel in the face of winter?

Willow Park is such a place and I described it many times during our last summer outings, which we enjoyed at every opportunity.

One would think that under the snow covered blanket and bitterly cold days that is the face of winter, there could be no attraction to the park at all.

The other day we sure found out differently. The music of the rippling, fast flowing waters of the river, danced their way upstream doing their best to entice spring to get started and bring with it the joys of this years first blooms. The snow covered woods and the banks of the river, all murmuring their approval on the whispers of the breeze, of such a long awaited event.

I’m sure Ted up at the house, ~ perhaps looking through his window, is wistfully waiting too, ready to play his music for all who would listen, as the light classical notes of the masters wend their way upon the air, flowing through the valley of the woods. Skirting the wetlands calling out to the hibernating tortoise, “Come, wake up! wake up! It’s time to start another year!”

C’ya

Picturesque

This winter has been a long harsh one. However the folks who do ice sculptures are happy I would reckon. A couple of days ago I came across a few ice pictures in ‘Neatorama’. Now this is really what I call ice sculpture, done by none other than Mother Nature herself. I thought I’d share a couple with you, these were shot in Estonia.







C'ya

Award Nite

A week ago fellow bloggers Samrina and Newnorth decided that they wanted to give me an award for my blog.

Samrina's award originated at:
Arte Y Pico from Uruguay.

Samrina’s award came because she classed my blog along with others, as artistic in its content & presentation, and that it gave her much enjoyment each day. I thank her for the award and for how she views my attempts at a topic on a given day. Thank you my friend.

Newnorth ~ Her award she gave me was, for as the award says ~ “I made her day” ~ .. Insert a quiet smile here if you please.. I accept that award also. Thank you too my friend.


It is nice to know that other bloggers think of others in such nice terms.
I like to think that all bloggers who try their best each day, are like one big family. An online family maybe, but even so it just shows that when people mingle like this, it is possible to reach out and touch.

In checking out other recipients of both these awards I find, that some pass it on and some offer them to all. I too find it difficult to just select certain ones over others in passing the awards along, for no matter which blogs I frequent on my list I always find all the blogs very well done, “Quite entertaining & Artistic” in fact, so very pleasing, that they “All make my day” So for those of you who would wish to partake, please take one.

Thank you all my friends. :)

C'ya

A Few Words

When one drifts with the wind,
There's no telling -
How many people
One will touch,
Before -
They find themselves.

***

In the World today
Everywhere you look -
The air is charged
with emotions.
It is crucial then,
A sense of understanding -
Take its place
Amid the tears
And the
Heartbreak.

***

You have a way
of making words
sound like music.
Like gentle waves,
Lapping on a moonlit shore.

© C'ya

Battle-Cry

I wrote this account a couple of years ago of an event in my life. I have never looked back, sadly I wonder what took me so long to come to my senses. ~~

Wearily I opened my eyes, somewhat apprehensive as to what this day would bring.

Yesterday I was so full of fire and determination about the agenda for today. This morning though most of the flames had dulled a little, as one more time I started to get myself into the survival mode.

Almost daily, I get reminders from my body of where I am today because of the cigarette. That causes me to think of how good things used to be like, oh so many years ago now. Such stupidity.

Of course this is my war against the dreaded cigarette. Like many others before me I have been humbled by the weed for far too long. It almost seems like this has been a hundred year war with no end in sight. So many battles, albeit the war rages on as I win a small encounter here and there.

There was a time when the cigarette was ruler supreme, as he had me puffing merrily away at the rate of thirty five a day hacking and coughing my socks up on a daily basis.

In looking back though I have come a long way since those days, but the war isn’t over quite yet and the hacking continues.

This is not the first time that I have tried to end this war and failed. In the past though, I realize now that I was ill prepared still being at the pack plus a day level. That’s when I reckon you could say I went into training and started my withdrawal routine to get the numbers and their strengths down to where I stood a fighting chance of success.

Now I know that there is some kind of a fallacy about regular strength and light cigarettes. It is true that with the removal of the filter, there is no difference in tobacco strength, however; it does show that with the filter left in place the filter does make some difference in taste. Despite all the semantics, the one unmistakable fact is, there is no minimizing the damage done to the lungs etc, regardless of regular or light cigarettes.

Through whatever means employable, I was able to cut down on the consumption numbers to an improving one pack a day. That was in the beginning of my resolve. Over the period of two years, I have got that number down to an all out attack of four or five smokes a day. But I can’t take all the credit for that achievement, I had a couple of scares along the way which any fool would recognize as an incentive.

Today I had elected to execute the coup de grace, kill this monster once and for all. But as the hours tick by this thing just eats away at you deep inside. I reckon that’s what they mean by craving, luckily so far I am in control and winning this battle today.

That’s what prompted me to sit down and write something about this, for everything helps to keep the Tiger at bay a little longer. Stay focused, face my enemy head on and it seems, get a little stronger by the hour. Nay! Even by the minute.

So what say thee Sir Weed!, feel like a joust today? What’s that you say? I can’t hope to win? Well guess what. Today I think I can!

E. Valentine March 28/06 ©

As a postscript, I finally applied this on July 3/06 and have not smoked since. It is my belief, that one has to really psyche oneself up enough to make this work. It did for me.

C'ya