A day with Uncle Don

Yesterday I went to Perth, Ontario to take a drive to see my Uncle Don. He has been diagnosed with Cancer and asked if I would come for a visit before he leaves this earth.

I was dreading the drive there, which is 250 miles each way. My daughter and friend Martina offered to come along for the journey. That made the trip much more enjoyable, and I was able to stay awake.







Surprisingly I had a great time. Uncle Don has a twisted sense of humor and kept us amused with his stories of chasing after young girls. He told me funny family stories of people that have passed on. The funniest one was about my father and his friend George Schluman, who hitchhiked from Toronto to California without a penny in their pockets. Another funny story was my father's advice to "spend all your money, because I am going to be a millionaire."

It appears that my father has the same care-free adventurous spirit that I have and that the apple really does not fall far from the tree.

I knew we made Uncle Don very happy with out visit. He was smiling and laughing, and death seemed years away.




When we left, we decided to go downtown and see what this town had to offer. It is gorgeous. It looks like a little English Hamlet with it's canals and pubs lining the main street.



The long dreaded drive was really beautiful and enjoyable. It made me appreciate the truly beautiful country I live in, the friends and family I have and recognize how grateful I am to be alive.

Everything is Managable

Yesterday was a hard day for me. I have to be honest and get right to the juice. The man I thought was for me was not for me. I kind of knew it all along, but I was NOT trusting my intuition, which is really The Universe's way of saying ........ LISTEN TO ME. We tend to second guess that voice, but sometimes LOVE STINKS, as the song goes. The good news is that by NOT lowering my standards, I am surely attracting into my life a better partner, and not settling for something I don't really want to begin with. It is a hard lesson, but one well worth mastering.

The good news was that during my heartache there were people there to make me laugh. I talked on the phone with someone who cheered me up, and then late at night a friend of mine Emmanuel, from Black to Eden, came by my work and sat with me for a good hour or so, and told me the funniest stories tha made me laugh til I nearly cried.



LAUGHTER IS CERTAINLY THE BEST MEDICINE. Whether it is for, physical ailments, or heartache, good friends and laughter help alot.



The other great thing is that I went to the Doctor again, I am down another 4 pounds in last 11 days.

I have lost nearly 34 pounds since I changed diet. My pants are falling off, and OH BOY is that a good thing!





And one last thing....... I submitted my requested for leave of absense in 2009 and 2010 to the TTC to volunteer at Holy Cross School. I am planning on spending Christmas 2009 there with both my children, and then my eldest will return home and my youngest will stay on with me and hopefully be able to attend the school, and send her work back to Canada.





I am excited, making changes in another part of the world, and paying my rent in deeds by being here. I went to Habitat for Humanity and dropped off my resume, I would like to do some volunteer work with them, and maybe one day move onto Habitat for Humanity International.

100 ways to regain peace

A whole week has passed and I am back to work, busy developing a MYspace page and reading another book , "Inner simplicity - 100 ways to nourish your soul" by Elaine St. James

Some suggestions that I have noted and need to improve on are:

Simplify your life: reduce workload and social obligations
Connct with the sun: amen for that. I took the air-conditioner out of my window and took the wood that was boarding it up out. It felt good to have a room full of light again

Figure out what you need to do to get well

Latch onto synchronicity: reduce pace and look within

Take time to read

Sleep alot: Relish it, luxuriate in it. Grow in it. You need it.

Ask for help from the universe

Today I will really take those to heart. I will reduce my list of things to do, and do what needs to be done only.

Thinking on the Beach

How Life Changes

When we got to the cottage today, we could not find the key, and so we had to make do until we could get in touch with the owners. We were in no rush so Erin and I decided to go down to the lake.

We had a bottle of wine but no glasses, no problem, just take the whole bottle. As we were sitting on the beach enjoying life, my oldest daughter comes running down, to the lake and says that she has to go to the bathroom. We are in the middle of nature for goodness sakes, find a tree and go. At least we have toilet paper and garbage bags. I had spoken the unthinkable to her. These kids today are so spoiled. In an era of fast pace, technology and everything received on Demand they expect you to drop life, get in the car, and drive them to the nearest Tim Horton’s where they can not only use a luxurious toilet, but they can grab an iced cappuccino while they are at it.

When I was a kid, I was lucky if I got a drive to the town store once a week to get candy.

It happened again yesterday, I was walking by a toy store and the kids asked if they could go in. The found some puppets “marionettes” and asked me how to work it. I showed how the legs and arms moved. They were really fascinated by that. That is what I used to get for Christmas. Now it is a world of Laptops, Playstations , Mp3 players, and cell phones. It really is bizarre that the technology of computer does not faze a child, but a marionette does.

Life has changed so much in just 40 years. We were lucky to get 2 stations at the cottage, and that is IF the cottage even had a Television, and if it did you could be sure that it was black and white and had lines or was all fuzzy and you could not see properly.. Now here I am typing blogs on my laptop.

I often wonder what the next 40 years have in store. Can technology continue to advance at this pace? I don’t think so. What new inventions does the next 40 years have in store? Maybe we will be living like the Jetsons, flying over to our neighbours on some kind of propelled jet. All I know is that we sure have moved light-years away from the stone age of the Flintstones.

No One Cares What You Had for Lunch

I went to the library yesterday and got a new book on blogging.. Great title, “No one cares what you had for lunch 100 Ideas for your blog” written by Margaret Mason, of Mighty Goods www.mightygoods.com



Since I will take her advice I am not about to tell you what I had for lunch, but as any reader of my blog knows, it was void of any meat, dairy or caffine. We are at the cottage though, and so it is not void of any alcohol.

It is nice here, by Lake Erie. WE have our own little cottage, with a nice lake and right now I can hear wind through the trees. I thought of what a waste of money it is to go south during the summer. Yes, Canada is my home, and during the summer this is where I should stay.

The kids are at the lake in the rubber boat, and have promised me not to swim past their noses. The two older girls have gone for a walk to the store to get us marshmallows for tonight’s bonfire. Erin is having a little snooze on the futon. And I am here getting my list of things accomplished that need to be taken care of.

Last night I decided to clean out my closet and get rid of clothes that are too big, or that I would never be caught dead in. I was supposed to bring my digital camera and learn how to use it properly, but note to self is:

The first step to learning to use a digital camera is NOT to forget it at home on the kitchen counter, however I have a camera phone so will use some photos from that. I am so glad that I am not in school for a while. I need a mental break, and I like to read and have missed out on it tremendously.

Now I will head to the patio to overlook the lake, listen to the birds chirp and get in some of that reading that I have been missing for so long…….. until later.

JO

Still detoxing

Wow ! Life sure has a funny spin to it. I went to the doctor this morning and he gave me the good news. I have lost 12 pounds since July 30, 2008. Not that I needed him to tellme, my pants are starting to fall down and in total I am down 5 belt notches. I am thrilled really.

I have not had a coffee since July, nor dairy products, nor animal protein and quite honestly I have never felt better. I used to complain that my feet hurt terribly. I have noticed that my nails are shiny, I have more energy, and my bones are not hurting. I looked at a diagram of feet and the different areas and what they represent. The areas where my feet used to ache are kidneys, liver and spine.

I am also thinking of doing ionic foot detox. When you do that the water your feet are soaking in changes colour.

Yellowish Green: kidneys, bladder, urinary tract, gynecological/prostate area.

Orange: joints-arthritis, rheumatism, gout

Brown: liver, tobacco, cellular debris and fat impurities

Black: liver

Black flecks: Heavy metals such as lead, mercury, nickel, and aluminum

Dark green: gall bladder, shows a weak immune system

White foam: Lymphatic system, skin allergies, menses disorders

White cheese-like particles: Most likely yeast, unused enzymes, insomnia, migraines, constipation

Red flecks: Blood clot material, thrombus, hypertension, cold hands/feet, bruising

I have the week off for vacation, and I am so grateful. I think I will go to Centre Island for a bike ride, and I am taking the kids to a cottage for two days with my best friend Erin. I am also going to figre out how to use a digital camera properly. I am very technically challenged and it is my goal to get past that hump.

I cant wait to lay under the stars and chat with her all night long. Sometimes it seems that life is so fast paced, that we just dont have enough time to get things done. That is when I remind myself, that I have exactly the same amount of time as Mother Theresa, Ghandi and Helen Keller.

Kensington Market

Well here I am 7 days into my new eating routine, and I am down 5 pounds........ How ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE. Ihave tried every diet in the world, and it seems to me that AU Natural seems to be the most effective.

Tomorrow I am going to Kensington Market. My Friend Laurie used to live there, and I used ot like to go there to buy fresh sausages, and visit the bakery and cheese store. Now I like to go there to buy my vegetables, and fruit, and visit the health food stores.




Kensington Market is a distinctive multicultural neighbourhood in downtown Toronto, Ontario. The Market is one of the city's oldest and most famous neighbourhoods, and in November 2006, it became a National Historic Site. Its approximate borders are College St. on the North, Spadina Ave. on the East, Dundas St. W. to the South, and Bellevue Ave. to the West. Most of the neighbourhood's eclectic shops, cafes, and other attractions are located along Augusta Ave. and neighbouring Nassau St. and Kensington Ave. The market is best travelled on foot or bicycle, as the narrow one-way streets and numerous dead-ends are difficult to navigate by car.


I will also go and visit my frind Moses, who owns the store House of Moses, for all your Rastafarian Needs. He always has good music and an interesting display outside of his store. He also sells lots of shea butter, incense and interesting items from Africa and the Carribean.



I will go and buy my organic sugar. I am enjoying feeling lighter, sleeping longer, and an overall sense of eating healthier. Now if I can jsut break my other vice I will live a long and healthy life ( I hope )

Detoxing the Body

I have taken on a new project. Project ME. My friend is studying Chinese Medicine and thought I might be a good case study. So I agreed. I need to repair my body, and make some healthy changes so I thought this was a great opportunity.

She interviewed me, asking me a bunch of health related questions, and then took pictures of my tongue. She could see from the tongue that there was lots of toxins in my system, and the sides of my tongue were swollen, indicating some kind of intestinal problems. SO we embarked on a strict diet, to get things moving inside, and clear out the poisons.

As I eat my breakfast of Oatbran, rice milk, and berries, I remind myself that the body is a machine and it needs a tune up.

I have been eating "Kale Delight", which is steamed Kale with leeks and mushrooms, add that to my bowl of rice, and my black beans, with a bit of organic salsa and it takes nearly as good as steak and lobster.

When craving sweets, have bowl of rice, teaspoon of organic sugar, and berries.
Today I baked apples with cinnamon on top.

I am excited really to embark on this journey, as I really feel that this is the year, the time to get things in order health wise. I feel very confident in the other areas of my life. But this is the one that holds me back. Eating healthy requires some work, some planning and some preparation. That is what I must ensure that I schedule into my day.

Will update with the diet, the cleanse and how I am feeling. Last night I felt very tired, but I suppose that is to be expected, such a huge and drastic change.

Off to drink my 6 glasses of water and drink some ginger tea!