Spring Has Sprung!

Well, what do you know? After a frustrating night, watching the political debate, and feeling depressed about our 'leadership', I went to sleep last night with a headache looming. Several times while they skirted around the questions put to them from our citizens, and interjecting their own agendas; I wanted to yell to the TV: "Please.... answer the question that was put to you!!!!"

This morning, with a more clear mind, I went outside in the front, and there they were! My daffodils! In bloom! There is hope for this country yet! In the midst of all the strife and natural disasters in this world today, God is here, and He is alive, and well and performing miracles here in front of me! God is in charge of this world, not really the people who think they are. God is in charge of all the outcomes, in every detail of our lives. When we trust Him, each of us will overcome in His time, and within His Plan.

For the last few months, against my plans for each retirement day, I have been keeping an eye on the news. The strife in the Mid East, and later the earthquakes in New Zealand and Japan, followed by the Nuclear disaster. It just seems it has been one thing after the other, and even running into each other.

In the midst of these troubled times, the Canadian Parliment decided to hold an election! Our minority government was defeated by the opposing parties. Now if you ask our Prime Minister, they were defeated on the budget, but in actuality, the other parties voted non confidence because of the Speaker of the House's decision that the Conservative Party was in contempt of Parliment. (There were three incidents that precipitated this decision). That the Prime Minister has chosen to ignore this detail, is beyond me; well, not really beyond me; it doesn't look good if you put yourself in the position of defending illegalities. Back to last night's debate, there was lively discussion, but no new insights into the four parties involved, or the four leaders of each party. After hearing the four choices last night, I am thinking about the one who was NOT included, maybe the Green Party should get a chance? We do have a representative in my riding.

I think my day today should be spent in my garden, it's warm enough, and needs my help. More importantly, I think I just might have some positive influence in that direction today, and I will feel like I have accomplished something at the end of the day! Unlike my influence on the government. When the vegetables are planted, in the next month or so, I will try my hand at Snow Peas again, although my one particular 'Garden Helper', will NOT be able to reach the seeds! The few Snow Peas I got last summer were great!

As far as scrappbooking goes, I have not started, although I have been drawing.

Have a Great Day!

Phoebe

Frustration!!!!!

I've been off line for 1 month!  It was harder that I thought it would be. My computer crashed, and I decided to save for the new one, it took not quite as long as I thought; but I didn't realize how much I have been depending on the convenience.

I check out the news, and the local paper, research the purchases I plan to make, as well as general research, connect with my friends and family, especially the ones out of town (by e-mail and Skype), I have a prayer chain which e-mails prayer request lists to each member. Of course there's the basic uses of the computer, writing letters for snail mail, downloading pictures, fixing them and then printing. When you have grandchildren, the pictures, especially the ones sent to me by e-mail, are very important!

Being newly retired, I really have not done much with my list of  "things to do after retirement". Well, now my house is clean, and if I make any more cookies, I think I will explode, (Paul likes the cookie problem). I have changed the living room around, (both Paul and the dog do NOT LIKE change) and organized my house. I haven't started with the scrapbooking yet, (I need the picture program and the printer for that). I've been drawing, but I haven't been able to consentrate on too much yet.

Oh, yesterday was the day!  It came!  I was so anxious to get set up again! Today I started going through all my e-mail which piled up! I'm glad I was able to get messages to some people about my computer woes, as it was there were several hundred to go through! I'm about half done with the e-mails.

My biggest frustration? Microsoft. I bought the new 'key card for the 2010 Office Home & Student, and they didn't like my e-ail address and when I tried again, they were busy!

So, I will try again later, and in the meantime, you can hear my cries!

Glad to be back, and to check out all the posts,

Have a great day,

Phoebe

Winter in the Sun Parlor!

Now that I have retired from my position as Personal Support Worker, I am taking winter in a much more philosophical light! I have discovered that I really don't HAVE to go out in the snow unless I feel like it! Actually, when I confessed to Maggie the other day that I had done absolutely nothing all day except make meals, she gave me permission by saying:"So what!  You're retired!" 

-- Okay! Now I can relax!

On Saturday I FELT LIKE going to the river to take pictures by the mill!

The bush in the second picture is located by the mill itself, and the last picture is farther down the street to the west.  You can't really see the water in the cove, since the ice and snow have it covered!  Some Canada Geese usually take up residence there, but it seems they have left for the forseeable future! If that old tree and the cove look familiar, I used them in my painting of the geese two years ago!

There's a beauty of fresh-fallen snow, it's like God has covered the mud and rubble of life, and promised a new start. I love to see the snow, before the cars and slush of traffic mess it up.

After I finish some renovations and repairs on my home, I will start my projects for retirement. I plan to organize all my family pictures, and scrap book them, but more importantly, these pictures I took on Saturday will help inspire me for more painting, which will start within the next month.

Have a great day, and stay warm and safe this winter!

Phoebe

A GIGGLE with the GOATS Jingle Bells Holiday Performance

HI! It's been a long time since I published, and I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Blessed New Year!

My life has been hectic lately, and I'm getting ready to retire at the end of this week! Yes; on Christmas Eve! I'm hoping to be able to concentrate more on my art, and publishing this blog!

I hope you all enjoy this little video, and try not to only see Curried Goat!

Have a great day,

Phoebe

The Christmas House!

For the last 14 years, two sisters in Olde Sandwich Towne have decorated the one sister's house and hosted a "Christmas Walk Through" on the weekends of November and through the first weekend of December. It is an older home, but when you walk inside, the magic of Christmas just busts through, and motivates me to start my thinking and preparations for this season's celebration. Every corner and detail of the home is decorated and most of the decorations are for sale! I just discovered the house last year, and was sad when I heard that this would be the last year for the Walk Throughs. But I guess the ladies are getting older, and they find it too much work.  

This is the time of year that most of my clients are thinking about what their Christmas will 'look like'. Many have not much family left, and others, their plans are not confirmed as yet; several have to think about travel, and nothing is really cemented until we see what the weather will be like! It's funny how each family works differently. I  have had clients who's family will gather all around them, sometimes bumping into each other to help out, while others are left alone for the holidays and sometimes are not even visited until quite a while later.                  

As for me, I will not start decorating until December, I usually start thinking about now, and decide what I will do with the house, and what I will do for presents at Christmas time. As usual, I will buy some and make others, I started making some presents last summer, and as usual, I usually have a "jump" on presents by this time of the year. Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Goodbye Summer 2010!

I just love the windmill near the end of Mill Street at Russell in Olde Sandwich Towne!  Just down the path you can see in the bottom left corner of the picture, is the Mill Street dock; there is park land on both sides of the path lots of benches and places to watch the birds, ducks, and if you go near the wooded areas, you may see some four-legged creatures! But you have to watch, and be quiet!

I took this picture last month when I was down there for a walk, and decided to come back with a camera at least three more times this year. I want to get the four seasons in pictures. I plan to go back within the next two weeks for the fall shot. You can't see it from this shot, but the low bushes in front of the windmill have red flowers, I don't know what kind of bushes they are, but they are very beautiful. I was also interested in the twisted branches on those bushes.

I found them interesting, and will draw them at some point, maybe incorporate them in one of my other paintings!

The twists in these branches, remind me of our lives in Christ. He leads, and guides us through many twists and turns, some good, some not so good, some sudden and some not quite as planned. Sometimes we wonder how we can go on, but just like that small piece of sky in the last picture, He shows us where He is, and how, in His strength, to survive another battle.

Have a Great Day!

Phoebe

Saying Goodbye

Today I finished a painting I have been working on for some months. It is taken from several pictures my daughter-in-love sent me from Izzie's dance class. Finishing a painting is like saying goodbye to an old friend.  I have struggled, slaved, loved, and made a friend of the subjects, in this case, people, and the background, making decisions, and making the work a part of my life.

I have already started several nature paintings, I find them more restful than portraits and people! I needed a change!

In a way, I am taking the completion of the 'Dance Class' as when I had to say goodbye to a client two weeks ago.  As I have mentioned before, I am a Personal Support Worker, and work in people's homes to help them with their daily personal care. In this case, the man had an injury, and he recovered from that injury; so I was no longer needed for him. It was a good goodbye!  Most of the time when I say goodbye to clients, it is because they have to move to a nursing home, the hospital, or when they pass away.  At least this time the man got better!

Goodbye's are a part of life, but that doesn't make them any easier. When people we get to know and care about have to leave us; when someone is a part of our daily life, and then they are no longer there, we miss them, and it is hard to get used to not seeing them. Well, now I am waiting for my company to 'replace him' with a new client!  I wonder who that will be?  I still have six other clients,  So there it goes! At least I won't be bored!

Have a Grest Day!

Phoebe