92nd Birthday Party

My dear, sweet Auntie had her birthday on Tuesday!!
Can you imagine being 92?
She handles her age with grace and acceptance.

We enjoyed a nice meal together and then some cupcakes.

It was so nice of her to tell me what a wonderful thing it was for us to put on such a nice party for her, after she was resting in her bed after the party was done.

I love her.

It is her day!! We enjoyed a little party for her.
Lake Tai food and cupcakes provided by Loretta.

Bryn reading Auntie Beth Ali's email.

All of us at the party, but Loretta is taking the photo this time.

Added bonus from the surprise package.

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Lavender Farm Visit

I enjoy going to the Lavender Farm.
The first time I asked or sort of begged some family members to come along with me.
My mum and dad said they would join me and then Tyler said he would come along also. My joy was great.
We saw the soft purple bunches of lavender, walked along the grass paths and the dirt paths, smiled happily at the many bees and butterflies enjoying the farm with us and ended up by having a few refreshments on the patio.

It was a delightful time.
Now it is a very good memory as my mum is not here to enjoy that kind of outing any more.
So going to the farm is a sweet and sad time too for me.

The next time I went to the Lavender Farm was for the butterfly release last spring.  This time my girlfriend and her family were camped out in our driveway and I convinced her and her step daughter to join my friend and I at the farm.  Once again I was so happy to have Tyler say he would join us there.
It was a different occasion to be there for this butterfly release day but it was most interesting and very different from my first visit.

Yesterday, was my third visit.  Yay!! It seems like it is becoming an annual affair.
Bryn and a young friend came along and we enjoyed something a bit different again.  This time they added a scavenger hunt for children to do as they go around the property.
A wishing tree had been added and a few more items appeared on the menu up on the porch.

Have a look at the photos of the morning and enjoy the Lavender Farm with me.

Part of the hunting for the metal plates for the scavenger hunt. 

Haiku poems were written on paper butterflies and hung up in different places around the farm.  Children were invited to go on a scavenger hunt to find the metal plates with an owl, bee, dragonfly or some other flying creature and use a pencil to rub on the shape to their paper and bring it back filled, for a small prize. 

All colours of flowers, all kinds of interesting things to see and do were found all around. 

What would you chose for lunch or a snack?

It really was a very warm, but pleasant visit.

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Spring kite surfers in Kelowna

Driving home from taking some photos for a lovely bunch of ladies I drove past this scene.
I love happening upon events like this.
It is fun to stop for a short while and enjoy the sounds, sights, and feel of spring in Kelowna.

It was windy so there will be some of that for you to experience on the video and I have to learn quite a bit more on video 101 to be able to not zoom in too quickly, etc.
Still this was fun to take.
Do you see the two jumps of the wind surfer?

Coming down

The ones that were not in the water. So many surfers, such bright kites!

Every day, it seems, brings a new "friend" and this day was no exception. I was walking towards the lake from my truck when this man approached me and asked if my hands were cold? I told him no they were fine and he then asked if I could please help him zip up his wet suit vest. Of course I could help with that and, though it was tight, we managed to get the zipper started and then pulled all the way up. It reminded me of preschool teaching days when I was asked to help do up a jacket every day it seemed. Another fun memory.

Do you see him jumping?

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Power

The power went out.
First the light in my office went very nice and bright, then dimmed and the power was gone.
A power outage was not in my plans today.
The micro wave was off, as was the fridge, stove, blender, lights, computer, tablet... everything it seemed, that I wanted to use.

Did I pay the bill?
Was this effecting my dad's house too?
Maybe a car crashed into a power pole and we would be left with out power until it was fixed.

I called my dad but his power was just fine.

Waiting proved to be the best solution.
After a period of time the lights came back and the clock on the micro wave clicked.

Whew... now I could go back to listening to the workshop I was learning from.
It was such a good one.
Just before the power outage the teacher had been explaining specular highlights and I was finding it fascinatiing.
The science of photography was becoming more and more interesting and exciting to me.

Oh, yes, the power was out just after the explaination of specular reflections.

My camera has a battery and does not use electricity so I could do something with my camera.

I went to the dreary kitchen and over to the sink where a soup pot from the evening before was sitting in sudsy water soaking.
I poured it all out into the sink and there was so many lovely specular light winking at me.

Which one do you think turned out best?

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Today at the IGA parking lot...

"Do you have a dollar to give me? " she asked, her watery brown eyes looking into my truck window.

"I'd like a dollar. I have three dollars here."  She poked at her cupped hand to show me the loonie and toonie sitting there. 

I told her kindly that I did not want to give her any money but that if she was hungry I would buy her some food.  Quickly she looked up again and said she would like to go to MacDonald's.  

My plan had been to drop in at the store for some dried lentils and head home since I was not feeling the best. Call me lazy but I really did not want to run to a different place too. 

"What can I get for you in the store," I questioned her.  

"Some milk, plesae." was her quick reply. " Some Homogenized milk."

"OK, anything else," I pressed gently and she responded with, "Well, I want some smokes!". 

There she had said it straight and clear. 

She wanted me to go in and buy her some smokes. 

I am not used to buying cigarettes so I told her that I did not want to buy her that but I would be happy to pick up something else for food. 

" Well, beef," she told me, " Some lean beef."

I am not well versed in buying of meat either but I decided I could figure that out. 

She walked with me a few steps and then when I started to wonder if she was going to come in and shop with me and then she stopped and waited while I kept on. 

In the store I quickly made my slections and paid for them and left.  

I wondered if she, like others I had bought things for, would have left when I went in. 

Then I saw her sitting on the cement parking curb having a smoke. 

The curls of smoke swirling around and about her.  A motorcycle man was on his bike talking to her and having a cigarette too.   She had two extras firmly in her hand. 

The lady looked up and saw me and came to get the plastic bag that I was carrying.  I wished her a pleasant day and started back to my truck.  She came after me and softly called that she saw a few extras in the bag along with the meat and milk.  

Hopefully she will have a good meal today and enjoy the banana and bag of fresh garlic butter rolls along with the milk and meat. 

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Thursday, March 6th with Dad

We thought this day was going to be much sooner then this but it worked out to be just at the right time.

Dad needed a carpal tunnel fix on his right wrist and this was the day.

We got to KGH early enough and did all the appropriate stops and spent a few minutes in the day care waiting room before being called to come in to the surgery room.
Everything was done so differently then when I had borth of my wrists fixed up.  One of mine was done in Kelowna after Tyler was already born and then the next one was done in Lacombe a few years later.

I remember sleeping a long time after both of my procedures.  Not quite sure now why, but I do know that one Dr saw me in the afternoon still sleeping and asked why I was still there, to which I answered, " I don't know."

Dad only had to wash up his hand and arm for five minutes while the timer ticked.  Then the nurse wrapped it in a white towel and had him sit and wait.  The surgeon was in the next room working with the door wide open.
I went to wait in the waiting room and then I saw the Dr leave and come back about 30 minutes later.  Dad said he was called to ER so that was a longer wait for Dad.
Once the Dr was back upstairs the surgery went quickly.

I asked the nurse at one point if I should go and put more money in the parking meter and she said, "Yes, do that."

It took a bit longer to get that accomplished and I heard a funny little happening in the under building parking lot while I was using the parking stall machine.

A van drove in and parked in a space near me.  Doors opened and a young boy about 12 crawled out of the back seat.  He hollered some and his grama was scared.  They laughed and laughed then and the boy said, " So did you not know I was in there the whole way?" The grama assured him she did not know but she did hear a cough once, was that him?  The boy laughed at his joke and stretched his back and shoulders from the long curled position he assumed in the vehicle.
The dad laughed and said, " Now we know you can be quiet for a whole hour!"

I enjoyed that little family fun as it helped me remember times with my children in the van.

By the time I was back up to the day care area Dad was sitting in the chair there waiting for me.
We got up and left to go back to the car that I just had put another hour of time in.

Glad it was such a quick time there and Dad is doing so well.  Hope this really helps him a lot.

washing up

back home and ready to dig in to the lovely meal sent from Nathan.

Lake Tai treat. 

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Flat Stella visits Kelowna, B.C.

I have a good friend.  Her name is Elizabeth. We meet at the rehab pool.

Yesterday at the pool Elizabeth told me that her little great granddaughter had sent her a package of her school project for her to help with.
 "Do you know who Flat Stella is?" she asked me.
" I know who Flat Stanley is, but never heard of Flat Stella," I answered.

It turned out that if the student was a girl she mailed out a Flat Stella and if the student was a boy he mailed out a Flat Stanley to a friend or family member who lived in another Canadian city.
These children are from Medicine Hat, Alberta.
Don't they have a fun teacher?

Well, Great Grama was very interested in this project and we had fun talking about Flat Stella during the rest of our pool time.

When she was about to leave the changing room, I said that if she wanted me to come with her to get some pictures of Kelowna I would be happy to.

We talked on the phone later and decided to go out this afternoon and show Flat Stella around.
Flat Stella went up to Kelowna Mountain but it was not open yet so she could only peek at the bridges and chairlift towers and view all the burnt trees in the area.

Looking down to the lake and the city. 

There are the columns the opposite direction. 

One of the bridges and the ski lift towers. 

We made a stop at another location and took a few pictures with a view of the lake.
Then we went downtown and to the dolphins, a fun Kelowna landmark.
Flat Stella did not wear a seat belt but behaved very nicely as we drove along the streets and roads in the late afternoon.

See Flat Stella? 

Flat Stella is learning about the world, or at least one place on the earth. 

By the time we got to the dolpins downtown it was starting to get windy and also close to supper time so we decided it was time to take Flat Stella home.

Flat Stella at the Dolphins

It was so nice to meet her.  Wonder when she will get mailed back to her home city?
Great Grama will write up the story of her visit and send her back so she can go to school and share her travel story.

The other side of Flat Stella was done just as nicely as the front was.  So glad I got to meet her. 

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Flavoured

On Monday evening Don and I went to the grocery store.  It was nice to shop together as we usually don't have a chance to do that.
As we wandered in the fresh fruit and vegetable section I came across a pretty sight.

I took out my cell phone to take a quick photo to remember it and right then there was a lady by my side.  She started to talk to us about the water.  She asked if we had tried it yet?  We said no.  She told us that so many people enjoy the taste and that they make it different for different days.
Then she went off to find us little clear plastic tasting cups.  While she was away I did get my photo taken - I took three to make sure, and when she returned with the cups I noticed that she did have a store name tag on her shirt.

She poured out a small cupful for each of us and we drank it.  It was really nice and refreshing, tasty and great.  We made the right compliments about the drink and then I took a package of raspberries and a bunch of mint and laid them in the basket next to the sweet peppers.

The lady also told me where I could find a jar simliar to theirs and I thought quickly of the jar I already had at home I would use for this. My jar was from London Drugs and was not a costly purchase.  I did admire a really beautiful jar at a downtown store last year for a time, but the price always discouraged me from taking it home.

Tuesday morning I was ready with my jar, raspberries, mint and water.  They all looked so pretty when they were put together.

The bunch of fresh mint

I think it looked really pretty in the jar.
After  time I tasted the water and it was perfectly refreshing and inviting.

Next time you come to visit me you might be able to enjoy a glass of this delicious water.

Let me see.... what will I put in my jar today?

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