Who says God doesn't have a sense of humour?

It's a Glass Squid. I want a bouquet for my next birthday!

"With its polka-dot mantle and cartoonish expression, this glass squid brings out a lighter side of the inky ocean deep. Scientists found the squid and other species while mapping more than 1,500 square miles (3,900 square kilometers) of an undersea mountain range in the North Atlantic. Until now the region had scarcely been explored because of its remoteness and depth. But the new survey shows that the ridge is teeming with life, said Monty Priede, expedition leader and director of the University of Aberdeen's Oceanlab research center. " from National Geographic http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/08/photogalleries/sea-creatures/photo3.html

Toronto - City of Angels

My Dad wrote the following letter to the Toronto Star and they printed it in yesterday's paper (Sept 13):

"On the side of the angels
Re: Visit to Toronto made easier by three kind souls

I am an 80-year-old man and I believe I still have all my faculties, so if I say angels abound in Toronto, I say this with sincerity.

On Sept. 6, I had to make a trip to Toronto for a medical examination. Not knowing the area, for awhile I could not get my bearings as to the direction I wished to go. I approached an elderly lady waiting for the bus and inquired where I could get a taxi, as the area seemed depleted of taxis. she then told me it would be expensive by taxi and that I should wait for the bus, which would be along in three minutes.

As she saw I had a $5 bill, she informed me it wouldn't be any good, as you had to have the correct fare. She dove into her bag and extracted a ticket and gave it to me. It was worth $1.75, but she would take no money. As we boarded the bus, only one seat was available and she asked me to take the seat. I tried to refuse, but she wouldn't have it (if I say I am much fitter than her, I say it with no disrespect) and directed me to the clinic. Because of her generosity, I was able to keep my appointment.

Then on my return trip, a duplication of kindness awaited me. To a stranger to the underground railway, it is all confusing and one soon loses one's bearings. I had the help of two young ladies, who steered me to the correct train each time, as if it were their everyday job. I really felt so grateful toward them that I told them they were angels.

When we hear of all the things that go wrong, it is so good to know that the human being can be supreme, and those three prove my point.

W.L."

Wasn't that nice? I love him lots!

In the wee hours

St. Peter's School and St. Mary's Orphanage today.

I'm a night owl. Try as I might to go to sleep at a regular hour, I am usually up 'til the wee hours crafting, cleaning, browsing online or reading a really, really good book! I am fueled by many cups of tea and a mind that keeps going long after the body is ready to rest, and that awful "second wind". Of course it's worse in the summer months, when we don't have to get up early every day for school. I'll need to get in gear as school days are only a few short nights away and Emma still needs me in the mornings!

My Dad is writing his memoirs and has signed up for a writing course at the community centre. He is 80 and has a lot to tell. He grew up in Durham, England at two orphanages. Born in 1927, his early years were Dickensian at these institutions run by Roman Catholic nuns. He was put in St. Peter's School in Gainford and then in St, Mary's Orphanage in Tudhoe/Spennymoor. I have offered to type up his notes and to do research on the net. There isn't much information on either institution.

From what I have found on the net, other children have horrific stories to tell and St. Peter's "cast a dark shadow over the village in more ways than one". It later became a home for delinquints, so if walls could talk, they would tell sad, painful stories.

I used to beg Dad to tell me stories about orphanage life at bedtime when I was young. He must have severely edited his tales as he always gave them a humourous spin, as he does for Emma today. Now I look on his stories about "scrumping" and stealing strawberries from the nun's jam when no one was looking as sad, knowing that it was because he was hungry and the children didn't get fruits and jam in their meager diet. He still speaks of beatings for wrongdoings with a laugh in his voice, but maybe that is the gift of time and distance softening the blows.

It is amazing that he turned out to be such a great Dad, coming from emotional and material deprivation. And those nuns really beat the work ethic into him, because my Dad has always been a hard worker, never one to be idle throughout the days of my childhood. He was also a gentle man who let me put ribbons and barrettes in his hair while he wound down from a hard day of work in his easy chair before dinner. I look forward to hearing the stories he has to tell. It's good to know the past, good or bad, as our experiences shape who we are and I'm just getting to know my father as a person now.

Well, it's 4:40 am. better catch some zzzzzzs!

What I've been working on this week

I've been working on ATCs and 4 x 4 inch square art cards (this size kind of remind me of drink coasters! )

The first pic shows the ATCs I made for the 4 Seasons Swap-bot Swap (2 sets).

The rest of the pics are 10 of the 16 4x4s I'm making for upcoming swaps at Yahoo ArtSquares_ATCs_AlteredArt group. The themes are Autumn Leaves (I've featured my favourite Autumn themed poems), Angels , Vintage Christmas (the one I've finished is called "The Christmas Stockings"), and Travel Journal. I'm very pleased with what I've done so far! I wish I had a scanner to post photos, but for now I will have to manage with the digital camera (Dad's but it lives at my house!), though I don't always takes great pics!

Between the injured ankle and finances, my recent swaps were quite behind (fini8shed, packaged but not posted). I think I alerted everyone and I do believe all my swaps have finally gotten mailed. I keep having that stomache dropping feeling that someone has been forgotten, but I think it's OK. I will stick to ATCs and 4x4s for swapping on Swap-bot, some other kinds can get expensive (postage more than supplies!)

School is coming up soon for Emma. She isn't too thrilled about back to school (grade 7!). I think she will find that most of her classmates have had a leap in development over the summer as she has. Gosh, once they head into the tween years, it all just flies by and I swear she is changing daily (God knows her moods turn on a dime!). I hope this is a fun year for her, as well a good one academically. : )

"Fine Time for April on the Ground" Justin Hines

I saw a video a bit ago by the inspirational Justin Hines. Heard more than half the song before I actually looked up at the monitor. He's a young fellow in a wheelchair - his voice is amazing!! He's currently a featue artist on MSN at inDiscover.net

http://indiscover.net/ArtistFeatures/Articles/JustinHines#links

I really enjoyed spending some time this evening watching him perform and be interviewed from a documentary on his first tour (to Dubai and UK). He writes insightful and beautiful lyrics with very catchy tunes. He grew up listening to James Taylor and Cat Stevens and Harry Chapin, so it 's not surprising that I'd like his music given his influences, but his music is purely his own. We need people who help light up our souls!

Switching To Gmail

Well, that was an annoying 15 minutes trying to figure out what was up with the transfer from Blogger account to Google account. Finally got it, though. You know, I'm just a user, keep it simple for me. It's like the toaster, I don't care how it works, just as long as my toast is brown and hot.

I'm posting here the covers of two deco books I've done, "Vintage Ladies" and "Dreams".

The Immortals by Tracy Hickman on Podiobooks

I was re-listening to this audiobook and again, I'm loving it. I first finished listening back in Marcha nd April and wrote in the Podiobook blog the following review:

"I am so glad to soon be able to buy this book in print but I must confess, I have moved all the files to permanent storage on my hard drive so I can listen again later to this fine audio production (ya know, in case it leaves podiobooks for some reason or the internet implodes, whatever).

I have many books that I have truly enjoyed in my bookcase but there are a special few that represent ideas and reflections on society that I like to visit every so often to see how my point of view has changed, how my understanding has matured and how society in reality compares to the fictional. Examples of these books would be “1984″ by George Orwell, and “Anthem” and “Atlas Shrugged” by Ayn Rand. I would like to see my own copy of “The Immortals” sitting along side them.

I have enjoyed Tracy’s earlier works, which came to me via my liking for fantasy and SF. “The Immortals” is a couragous departure. It is well written and the concept is extremely daring in today’s political climate. I think that it is an absolutely plausible scenario. Many governments throughout history have segregated, detained or erased certain portions of the population for the “good of society”, as mentioned in previous posts. This cautionary tale is relevent to current affairs and should be read and heeded. I say this without even hearing the last few chapters, as the warning runs clearly and irrevocable through the narrative and can only conclude in one way (as much as I am dreading it) that will be true to the theme. I believe that is the strength of the story and the power in the lesson. Thank you for writing this, Tracy. It’s a good one and will stand."

Podiobooks in general is a wonderful website and TOTALLY FREE!