Share Your World – Week 43

….talk about last minute for this post

What is your favorite time of day?

I love early mornings when the sun first comes up but here in the Northern Hemisphere that is happening later and later. So I’d have to say that in the summer mornings are my favourite time of day and in the winter I’m more of a night person. I seem to get re-energized late at night and it’s when my creative juices flow. I’m trying to get to bed earlier so this is a bit of an inner conflict that I have.IMG_2752

What’s your favorite charitable cause and why?

I’ve never really thought about a favourite cause. I like to donate to the Daily Food Bank and support causes that help the hungry and homeless but I also am very actively involved in the Heart and Stroke campaign called Jump Rope for Heart. This is where we encourage children to get active by skipping to promote a healthy heart and at the same time raise funds for heart and stroke research. P1020206

How do you like to spend a rainy day?

Curled up with a good book and a cup of tea.

When writing by hand do you prefer to use a pencil or pen?

I prefer a nice pen to write with, one that doesn’t smear or leave my fingers blue. I find that with pencil my fingers always smudge the lead as I write. I’m left handed.

Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

As some of you may know my aunt passed away earlier today so I’m grateful that her suffering has finally ended and that she’s in a better place. I’m also grateful that the book fair is over and that we raised a substantial amount of money for the library and classroom libraries. IMG_3004IMG_3005IMG_3006

 

This coming week I’m looking forward to getting my library back but even more I’m looking forward to seeing my son when he comes for a short visit on Sunday. I haven’t seen him since last Christmas.

For more Share Your World posts click here.

Carpe Diem-Hallowe’en Pumpkins

….this week’s Carpe Diem prompt is based on Hallowe’en

Orange Fields

Orange pumpkins wait

Jack-o-lanterns, pumpkin pie

What will be their fate?

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Lights glow from within

Through hollow eyes, sawed off teeth

Welcoming children

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Big ones, little ones

Choosing is so difficult

Will it be one, two….?

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Share Your World – Week 42

…..time to put on my thinking cap to answer Cee’s Share Your World questions

What would be your preference, awake before dawn or awake before noon?

I don’t like sleeping in that late. Sleeping in for me is 8:30. If I can squeeze in enough sleep I’d prefer waking before dawn.

If you could choose between Wisdom and Luck, which one would you pick?

I would choose wisdom. With wisdom one rarely needs luck.

If you were given the opportunity for free skydiving lessons would you take them? Why or why not?

I’m not into skydiving. I’m afraid of heights. I don’t even like roller coasters. It’s the first drop that scares me, after that I’m okay.

Is the glass half empty or half full? What is in the glass?

It’s all about perspective. If I’ve poured half a glass, it’s half full. If I poured a full glass and I’ve sipped half of it, it’s half empty. What’s in the glass? A good red wine, of course.

This glass is just empty.

This glass is just empty.

Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I’m grateful that my husband’s ordeal with surgeries and hospitals is finally over and knock on wood, he’s good to go for awhile.

I’m looking forward to a successful book fair at school. It starts on Monday and goes till Friday. I’ll be busy but it will be worth it. The kids love it and are so excited about opening day.

 

Carpe Diem “Sparkling Stars” – Tea

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Amber Delight

The colour infuses

the freshly boiled water

rich amber nectar

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Sighs of instant joy

the tension vanishes with

the first sip of tea

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Tea leaves swirl about

in the hot bath, as steam rises

eager guests await

Chèvre Feuille from Carpe Diem invites you to join him in creating your own Haiku poem about tea.

 

Share Your World – Week 41

….I’ll do my best to answer Cee’s questions

Would you rather take pictures or be in pictures?

I’d rather take pictures. I’m often disappointed in how pictures turn out when other people take them and I’m not talking about how I look in pictures but rather the overall composition. I’ve grown to love taking photos and experimenting with the settings.

What did you most enjoy doing this past week?

This week has been very strange. I’ve spent most of it, so far, going to and from the hospital. My husband had to go back in and have a second surgery on his neck. I picked him up this morning and he’s doing just fine, thank you.

I did go back into work on Tuesday and Wednesday and I’d have to say the most enjoyable thing that I did was make ‘leaf people’ with the kindergarten class. I’ll post of the their art in the next few days.

What is your greatest extravagance?

My greatest extravagance has to be a designer skirt that I bought and paid over $200. for. This is a big deal for someone who shops mostly at Winner’s and Marshall’s.

Which letter of the alphabet describes you best?

What a strange question! I’d have to say ‘C’ because two of my initials are C and because the letter is round and curvy like me.

Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I’m grateful that my husband is finally out of the hospital for the second time and that the second surgery was successful. On Sunday I took my husband back to emergency because his neck blew up like a balloon. Turns out that the cavity left behind from the cyst that was removed, filled up with fluid and became infected. On Monday we went back for a second doctor to look at the neck and he informed us that K needed a radical neck dissection to remove the infection and clean out the area.

Monday was the Thanksgiving holiday so the hospital, especially the operating room area, was in holiday mode and somewhat understaffed. The waiting room was locked and we sat in semi darkness in the deserted registration area for day surgery. While we were waiting we had a bit of a scare when the intercom blared out that there was a code blue in one of the operating rooms. Luckily K’s surgeon came down the hall soon after and informed us that the surgery was successful and the code blue wasn’t for K. Phew!

For the rest of the week I’m looking forward to a full recovery for my husband and no more trips to the hospital. I’ve taken the day off because I was experiencing some dizziness yesterday and I’m hoping to relax and catch up on my sleep.

Share Your World – Week 40

…..here we go again…..thanks Cee

You’re given $500,000 dollars tax free (any currency), what do you spend it on?

I think about this every time I play the lottery because in Canada a lottery win is tax free (for now). First I would pay off all my credit cards and then I would give each of my children about $50 000 to pay off school loans and any other debts that they have incurred. This would still leave me with $300 000 so I would probably fix all the unfinished projects around my house and cottage, take a trip or two (Europe and somewhere exotic)  and put some money away for our retirement.

What’s the finest education?

The finest education is the school of life. If you don’t or can’t learn from the hard knocks of life all the expensive education from Ivy League Schools schools is worthless.

What kind of art is your favorite? Why?

My favourite art is abstract art. I love colour, line and texture and some of my favourite artists are Ray Cattell, Wassily Kandinsky, Joan Miro and Marc Chagall.

One of Ray's paintings in my sister's home.

One of Ray’s paintings.

Is there something that you memorized long ago and still remember?

I hated memorizing poems or anything for that matter when I was in school. Having said that I have to admit that I know a lot of nursery rhymes and the national anthem.

Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I’m grateful that my husband’s surgery went well. He had half his thyroid removed and a very large, unattractive cyst in his neck was also removed. I’m also grateful that my son-in-law’s procedure on his heart also went well and any future problems with his birth defect has been eliminated.

After surgery, the next day

After surgery, the next day

Before Surgery

Before Surgery

Looking forward to Thanksgiving dinner with the family this Sunday. The kids are doing the bulk of the cooking. Bonus!