Once again a summer has flown past and I’ve hardly noticed. This morning I awoke with the need to fly around the house and close all the windows. I think it had something to do with the 50F temps outside and no heat on inside.

I’d say fall has arrived in all but offical form. We’re not getting the trees turning yet but that will come soon enough. I actually turned a heater on in the house today. Which means I can hear the cash register running at the Hydro company since it’s currently the expensive part of the day.

Well, I may have let summer fly by but I am getting ready for an upcoming event early, Halloween. No, I’m not putting up decorations or planning on buy candy to give out to kids who never appear at my door. I”m building a Halloween blog which I hope to have released in a few days. I have the content, just need to get it loaded in.

In the meant time, hope you enjoy this:

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

If you like this post, please tweet it. Follow me on Tweeter here

Who Stole Summer?

Today is Valentine’s Day, that day when traditionally couples express their undying love for each other. Well in some cases, hubby had better express it or momma wont be happy.

I’m a single these days, have been for the last 20 years. When Frank was alive Valentine’s Day wasn’t ignored, it just wasn’t able to be much of a deal. Frank, ever the romantic, would at some point during the day (likely when enough commercials reminded him what day it was) would say to me, “Hey it’s Valentine’s Day!”. I’d nod and he’d continue, “you should have got yourself something.”

Frank was never much on shopping, his idea of giving a gift was to hand me money and tell me to buy something for myself. I was never much into gifts I had to figure out myself, besides I had what I wanted, I had him. In the early years after he died I was hostile towards Valentine’s Day. It was a reminder to me of what I had lost. For all his rough edges, he had loved me and I loved him.

As the years have passed I’ve come to realize that love isn’t just about romantic love between couples. Love is just as strong and embracing when it is the love for family, God, pets and those people who are so special in my life. I don’t rush out and buy them gifts of chocolates, cards or trinkets. I use the day to think about them and what they mean to me.

Most of them likely don’t even know how I feel about them. I’m not a person who is known for being really expressive about her feelings. When it comes to feelings like the love I enjoy, sometimes I feel words aren’t adequate. Then there is that little voice I keep trying to banish. The one of my mother responding to my telling her “I love you” by telling me not to be so maudlin.

I hope, that of all the people I love and care deeply about that I have never blown you off like that. That I’ve never left you feeling like cupid’s arrow had been ripped from your heart. IF I have, you have my deepest and most sincere apologies. I would never knowingly hurt any of you.

I’ll spend today at times in thought about the many people in my life that for many different reasons have come to mean so much to me. I’d try to name them here but I upon reflection I realize, the list would be too long and danger of missing someone I didn’t mean to miss too great.

As I think of the list, I am reminded that while romantic love is important and powerful, the love for and by others is just as important and precious.

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone… you are loved by someone, just look around.

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

If you like this post, please tweet it. Follow me on Tweeter here

Valentines Day For Singles (or Anyone Really)

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

If you like this post, please tweet it. Follow me on Tweeter here

Spending Christmas Alone

Yesterday was the shortest day of the year, it was also the first official day of winter. We’ve been pretty fortunate so far, we’ve had very little snow so far this season. For the first time in 160 years there was zero snow in November.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t really dislike winter. I do love the beauty of a winter snowfall, even the beauty of ice clinging to trees after freezing rain. I don’t enjoy the treacherous roads the weather brings. I deal with them by refusing to budge from the house when a storm is underway or imminent.

The start of winter also brings us very close to Christmas Day, just three days away as I write this entry. I’m going to be spending a quiet day at home on Christmas Day. Depending on the weather on Christmas Eve, I will be going to church and then will settle in for a couple of days of quiet time. I’m looking forward to that time. I have some reading I want to do and some writing.

Christmas is a reminder of the roots of my Christian faith as it celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, God in human form. I saw a quote on Twitter the other day “There is one, who was born, who gives life to our living.”, it was tweeted by @AllisonAllen and retweeted by @GailHyatt who I picked it up from.

Christ’s birth, life and ministry largely shapes my life. I often fail but continually strive to be Christlike in my approach to life and the people in my life. I draw insight and learning from others around me, from scriptures, those who share the scriptures and then try to translate that learning into my life.

I am a Saint — I am one because I am a believer not because I am perfect. I’m human, I’m imperfect.

What shapes your life?

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

If you like this post, please tweet it. Follow me on Tweeter here

Winter Officially Begins; Christmas Isn't Far Behind

Tomorrow, April 1st, is what is known as April Fools Day, it has also been refererred to as All Fools Day. It is not an official holiday but does have some followers. The day is meant to be a day where tricks are played on unsuspecting people, usually getting them to be believe what isn’t true. The convention is that if the trick is not played by noon, then the joke is on the trickster.

Wikepedia carries a list of memorable April Fools pranks that have been pulled off. The Book of Days carries even more interesting reports of common forms of pranks used through the centuries.

The origins of this observance appears to be shrouded in speculation and little hard fact. Some have suggested that the day is a commemoration of the dove and raven as they searched for dry land during the Great Flood.

Some suggest an irreverent memoralization of the transferring of Christ from one jurisdiction to another during the final days before his crucifixion. Although, if that was the case, one would think the observance would have shifted with the Easter observances it would come just before.

The most common speculation is that the New Year was observed around April 1st until 1564 when Charles IX of France changed the official day to January 1st. The confusion this created led to those who had accepted the new calendar to refer to the traditionalists as fools and to poke fun at them. In France April Fools Day is known as “poisson d’avril’ — an April fish. Youngsters are known to put pictures of fish on their victims back.

The one drawback to the speculation that the changing of the New Year festival was the origin is that it appears the practice of All Fools Day was underway long before then. Other cultures also had similar festivals which leads to some speculation that the true origins like with the Roman festival of Hilaria. In particular the last day of Hilaria. The Encyclopedia Britannica describes the festival as:

in Roman religion, day of merriment and rejoicing in the Cybele-Attis cult and in the Isis-Osiris cult, March 25 and November 3, respectively. It was one of several days in the festival of Cybele that honoured Attis, her son and lover: March 15, his finding by Cybele among the reeds on the bank of the River Gallus; March 22, his self-mutilation; March 24, fasting and mourning at his death; and March 25, the Hilaria, rejoicing at his resurrection. Some of the activities on the Hilaria resembled those associated with April Fools’ Day. November 3, the Hilaria of the Isis-Osiris cult, marked the resurrection of Osiris, husband of Isis.

This would make sense for a point of origin and like many other traditions, they evolved over time. It is interesting to note the Christian parrallels within the Roman festival. I seem to see some of the story of Moses and the resurrection of Christ being parrelled there. Some themes just cross religious lines.

One mistake that is sometimes made about All Fools Day is mistaking it for the Feast of Fools. They are somewhat similar but different festivals. The Feast of Fools took place on January 1st and included what amounted to a parody of the Christmas story, a satire of the excesses of the church. The festival had been pretty much banned in Christendom by the 15th century.

The Feast of Fools is said to have its origins in the Roman feast of Saturnali in which Roman officials switched places with their servants for a day. Their servants were than able to play the part of their masters for the amusement of their masters.

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

If you like this post, please tweet it. Follow me on Tweeter here

What is All Fools Day aka April Fools Day?

Well, it is Christmas today. For the most part it is not a day I particularly care for but, like the other 364 days in the year, it will roll around regardless of my opinion of it. So, well others are busy doing their thing and making whatever merry they want, I’m cocooning into my house, listening to the quiet as I tinker at bits and pieces of house work, updating some badly neglected blogs, including this one and maybe even reading some of that email archived in my inbox.

Now, don’t get the idea that I’m Scrooge or anything. I just find that being on my own that the whole family thing at Christmas just doesn’t happen. Yeah, I could be at my sister’s place or even my oldest brother’s but you know, no matter how much they include you, you are still the outsider. This year, I decided I just wasn’t into grinning and bearing it. So, I’m staying home. Tomorrow I’ll go to a friend’s place for lunch, which I’m looking forward to. I always enjoy spending time with her.

This year has been a rather busy one in many ways and not busy enough in other ways. On the not busy enough side, that is my income which is down considerably and being out of commission for most of November with bronchitis didn’t help matters much. But, that’s water under the bridge and tomorrow is another day.. so to speak.

On the busy side, that would be in the volunteer side of life. As in the past, my involvement with my church continues. I am still sitting on Area Council but I think this year will be the last that I’ll be able to do that. I have to be off for I think at least 2 years before I can rejoin. I’ll miss that actually, it has been rather interesting to learn a lot more about how the church works at the next level from the parish.

The parish welcomed a new priest this year. She arrived in May, after we’d been more or less on our own for 18 months. As always there has been a transition period as both the parish leadership and her get used to each other and come to understand each other. Initially we had a bit of a sense that she was quite prepared to just ignore our wishes and our past practices and impose her own will but over time she has started to listen more and seems to appear to see us more as allies than adversaries. That always makes the working relationship a whole lot easier.

Just about the time that the priest was arriving and getting settled in at the church, I developed a set of rocks in my head (not medically proven but likely as there is no other sane reason) and decided to once again stand as President of the local Legion. The challenges to this position are great, not because others aspire to hold that office, more because they not only didn’t aspire to hold the position of President, but it was like pulling teeth to get good people to take any position.

The Branch has been financially struggling for a few years now and a certain apathy had set in that it was just a matter of time. I saw things a tad bit different. I felt that the demise of the branch on a financial basis wasn’t inevitable. It would be inevitable if the members continued to take it for granted and not be willing to put any sweat equity into their membership. In a way, I understood the apathy in that members were wary of putting energy into keeping the place going and it failed anyways. I needed a few people to commit to trying for at least a year.

Thankfully it didn’t take long to show results. We undertook an ambitious schedule of events with a small group of people. We’ve had some glitches along the way and will continue to, but all in all, we’re really looking pretty good. We do have to get more people to get involved, to be willing to give some time towards keeping the place up and running. That will be the biggest struggle we’ll have going forward.

So, today and tomorrow (Boxing Day), I’m taking me time to do things I want to do and come Thursday I’ll have to start worrying about January’s events starting with New Years Eve. For now, I’ll say cya so I can move onto doing some other entries. Oh, did I mention… got to get the turkey in the oven. One of the perks of staying home, turkey leftovers.

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

If you like this post, please tweet it. Follow me on Tweeter here

Christmas Day

I’ve noticed that the ads I placed on the other Valentine’s entries I did this week have been receiving several clicks the last few days. This entry might help those who are looking to order a Valentine’s Day flowers to save some time. I’ll look at the chocolates in a separate entry.

I do suggest that you visit the entry about the language of flowers for guidance in choosing flowers that say what you intend. You’ll also want to order early to ensure that the arrangement you want is available. Flower prices, especially roses, have a habit of climbing close to the day. HINT: when buying online, take the time to explore all that is available. There are some unique arrangements available which will delight the recipient that you took the time.

Grower Flowers.com — available in Canada & USA

The link is worth a visit. The site also offers a reminder service for other events like birthdays and anniversaries. If you look in the bottom left corner of the screen you’ll see a menu item “Win Roses”, you can enter your information to try to win a dozen roses.

This site lacks some of the variety the next site offers but is available in both Canada and the US and knowing you can order for specific delivery day when ordering for Valentine’s Day is nice to know.

From You Flowers.com — US visitors only

This site doesn’t offer the photo or vase extra, reminder service or the chance to win a dozen roses.

Regardless of where you order, just make sure you do so soon enough to make sure they are received on time.

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

If you like this post, please tweet it. Follow me on Tweeter here

Valentine’s Gift Reviews — Flowers

The last couple of days I’ve looked at the origins of St. Valentine’s Day and the history of chocolate which is such a popular gift item for Valentine’s. Today, the natural complement to chocolate is flowers. The earliest cultures known to mankind used flowers as gifts and symbols of meaning for messages the gift was sending.

The most common reason to give flowers is to express romantic love which is one reason that flowers is such a popular gift item for Valentine’s Day. Flowers can be used given for any occasion. A single flower, a bouquet or a floral arrangement can express joy, romance, passion, appreciation or sympathy in a way that is difficult to match with any other gift.

Giving Flowers For Valentine’s Day his practice first become popular in the 17th century. Roses quickly became the blossom of choice for Valentine’s Day as it represents love in all its forms. The rose is reputed to be the favourite flower of Venus the goddess of marriage and motherhood in Roman mythology.One of the most popular choices for giving on Valentine’s Day is the “signature rose” which is one single (long stem) rose framed with baby’s breath. You can say anything you want with flowers when you know the ‘language’ that the different types of flowers ‘speak’.

Let’s look at the meanings of flowers starting with the romantic flowers that would be most appropriate for Valentine’s Day giving. Be careful of your colour choices. As you see by this list, some colours send a negative message:

Red — passionate love
White — charm & innocence; purity, remembrance
Pink — to my friend, happiness, young love
Bridal — happy love
China — your beauty is always new
Crimson – mourning
Lavender — our love is pure
Red & White – unity
Red leaved – hope, wishes for prosperity
Yellow — please love me, jealousy, friendship
Red Rosebud — you are young and lovely

Baby’s Breath — mine is sincere love
Daisy — innocence; I’ll never tell; aspiration, affection

Tulip

Red — you are a perfect lover; declaration of love
Variegated — you have beautiful eyes
Yellow — I am hopelessly in love

Lily

Arum — ardour
Day – coquetry, flirtation
Water — silence; purity of heart
White — you are sweet; your are pure
Yellow — Thank you
Lily of the Valley – humility

Carnation

Deep Red – my heart aches for you; I admire you
Pink – I’ll never forget you
Solid Colour — yes
Striped — I’m sorry, I must say no
White – Our love is pure; good luck
Yellow – you disappointment, rejection

Orchid — you are delicate; posses a refined beauty
Lilac

Purple — feeling the first emotions of love
White — promising love, youthful innocence; modest and pure emotions

Sunflower — adoration; proud to be with/know you
Acacia

Pink or Rose — platonic love, desire to please, elegance
Yellow – a secret love

Amaranth

Globe — undying love
Cockscomb — affection

Ambrosia — mutual love
Amethyst – undying love; admiration
Anemone — perseverance, affection, confidence
Armoise – marital fidelity, health
Aster – trustful love
Azalea — joy of loving; temperance; take care of yourself
Bluebell – constant, everlasting love
Camelia — admiration; perfect in every way
Camomile — affection
Centaury – new love
Chevrefeuille – secret love, bonds
Chrysanthemum

Red — love
Spider — let’s elope
White — I tell the truth
Yellow — I feel slighted

Clover

Purple — providence
White – think of me

Cornflower — timid love, timidity
Daffodil — the only one for me, my regards
Dogwood — our love will endure adversity, durability
Forget me Not — true love; faithful memory; don’t forget me
Geranium — feeling of love
Glycine — Tenderness
Iris — love and tenderness; good news
Ivy — wedded love; fidelity
Jonquil – your affections are returned
Lemon Blossoms — true and faithful love
Lotus Flower — love even though estranged
Primrose — young love; can’t live without you
Tuberose — forbidden pleasure; dangerous love
Veronique — fidelity
Violet

Blue — faithfulness
Purple — you occupy my thoughts

Adonide — unhappy love affair
Agerate — confidence
Amaryllis — splendid beauty; with pride
Angelica — you are my inspiration
Anise – promise
Anthemis — finished love, rupture
Apple Blossom — I prefer you, I wish you good fortune
Asphodel yellow — courtship abandoned
Begonia — fanciful, imaginative nature, beware
Bell Flower — (small white) — gratitude
Buttercup — childishness, ingratitude
Colchique — jealousy
Crocus — concern
Cyclamen — jealousy, beauty
Dahlia — recognition
Fern — sincerity
Hibiscus & Flower-of-an-Hour — delicate beauty
Jasmine — cheerful & graceful
Laurel – glory
Mistletoe — I surmount difficulties
Myrtle — heartfelt love, joy
Orange Blossoms — loveliness equals purity; marriage
Pansy — thinking of you; remembering you
Periwinkle

Blue – first stage of friendship
White — pleasures of memory

Petunia — don’t despair
Queen Anne’s Lace — I fantasize about you
Sweet Pea — delicate pleasure
Wormwood — bitterness
Zinnia – thinking of you; remembering you daily

I certainly hope that you can find yours or the person you want to send flowers to favourites on the list and that the meaning is what you are trying to convey. I know most people likely wouldn’t know what the flower means but it would be nice to be able to tell them.

So, flowers and chocolate and a nice card, and you’ll be able to say “From Your Valentine” with confidence on Valentine’s Day.

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

If you like this post, please tweet it. Follow me on Tweeter here

Flowers to Touch Any Heart