Winter Wonderland

To ME!!!

So many wonderful people sent me birthday wishes on Facebook, most of them people I have never met, yet they love me. I also got good wishes from all my siblings this year, very unusual!!  Of my 4 nieces, 4 nephews, 4 great nieces & 5 great nephews, I got 1 birthday greeting from 1 niece!!  I was supposed to go to Mom's for a visit and to go out together for dinner, but the snow was coming down so hard and the roads were so bad that I decided not to go.  The 25 minute drive on slippery, dangerous highways that the police are recommending we don't go out on.... well, it's just not worth the risk.  A birthday can be celebrated any day!! 

On January 5th, I got myself this fancy new computer. Okay, so it's a 'smart phone', but it is like a computer, and comes with a lot to learn!!! Obviously I will have to spend time with someone many years younger than I am and get lessons!! Borrow a friend's child or something, lol.  Today, I ran some errands in town, including getting renewing my expiring driver's license, and looking for a case for my phone. I didn't want to buy the case at the store where I got the phone as I feel they overcharge for things there and I wish I had gone elsewhere to get the phone.  An Otter Box case is $50 and just the plane gel case is $30 then another $10 for a screen protector so you may as well pay the $50 for the much better protection for your phone, and the Otter Box includes the screen saver.   I checked out a few dollar stores to see what they had and found Iphone cases, but no Samsung.  Then I was grocery shopping at Great Canadian Superstore and decided to see if they had phone accessories since they have so many other things there.  I found that they now have a Telus booth in the store, something new, and sure enough they have cases for Samsung.  The other store was also a Telus store... yet this one has Otter Box cases for $40 and I forget what the gel cases are.  The gal who I was talking to said she could likely give me the Otter Box at a discounted price... she checked the computer and said $30.  I said SOLD!!!  So I got myself a good case to protect my new phone (worth $650 but I got it free with a new 3 year contract) for $20 plus taxes less than I would have gotten it, so paid $34.20 instead of $57, just by shopping around!!

This photo is one I took with my fancy new phone.  I think it was Sunday, January 6th when I took it.  Since then it has snowed a lot!!  This is my driveway, taken through the windshield of my truck. Add all the new snow and the fact the snow plows go through and fill up all the driveways, and my back doesn't allow me to shovel this anymore.... well, when I got home from town there was no way I was getting up this hill!!! I tried several times in 4 Wheel Drive Low Range and High Range and neither way was I getting up here.  I was hoping that I would pack the snow enough with my tires to eventually make it up.  About the 5th try, my neighbor who was plowing his driveway came over and offered to plow me out.  I gratefully accepted his kind offer.  He could not get quite half way up the hill, but he cleaned out the mouth of the driveway where the plows had packed it in, then went further and further up, bringing more snow down and pushing it into the deep ditches on either side of my driveway.  When he could get no further up the hill he had to quit.  Even having it plowed nearly half the way up made a lot of difference and I was able to make it up all the way.  At the bottom of the hill, one must make a 90 degree turn from the highway into my driveway, then at the top of the hill, another 90 degree turn to get to where I park beside the house.  It is still on a hill, but a much lesser grade than what you see here.  While you can back across the highway to get a run at it and drive reasonably fast up the hill, you must slow right down to make that 2nd 90 degree turn or risk hitting the corner of my home.  The slowing down means loss of momentum and difficulty making it that last few feet.  Very few people come to visit me in winter, mostly just friends with 4 Wheel Drive vehicles come here in winter, and even in summer many people won't drive up here, but leave their vehicles down below and walk up.

I am grateful for my new phone.
I am grateful for my new phone case.
I am grateful my neighbor came with his tractor and plowed snow from my driveway.
I am grateful for the kindness and generosity of so many people in our world.
I am grateful I have a 4 Wheel Drive truck that is so dependable and a joy to drive.
I am grateful I have new winter tires on my truck.

Building a New Trike

Having decided that I want to build another trike with a larger motorcycle,  I went to look at a 1991 Yamaha Venture Royale today.  It is Yamaha's version of Honda's Gold Wing, a full dressed touring motorcycle.   There are many things I like about this motorcycle, including the foot boards instead of foot pegs, the 'toe & heel' shifter, it has a radio/cassette player, though it doesn't have the driver's backrest it does have the hardware for mounting one, it is water cooled, it is in fairly good shape and priced fairly low so mostly fits my budget. What I don't like about it is that it has too much 'stuff' on it and I don't mean the saddlebags and trunk.  The gas tank is built in so you don't actually see it and there is a lot of 'body' over the engine. I'm not sure how to explain it, maybe that it's an 'old foggy' bike or a 'nerd' bike... it's a very nice bike, just really not my 'style'.  It's so.... errrr.... Joe Citizen, and I'm a bit of a Rebel! Could I wear my 'biker leathers' with this, or would I need some fancy 'motorcycle suit' for it? Haha.  When I sat on it there was SO MUCH fairing, though I guess I would get used to that in time.

I didn't take photos of the motorcycle for sale, though I went to Google Images and downloaded photos of the 1991 Yamaha Venture Royale.  The first ones are pretty much exactly the same as the one I went to see, including the color blue.

These next photos are still the Yamaha Venture Royale, but are a different body style.  Much more what I want to own and ride!!  The fairing is much smaller, though still has the radio built in, it still has the saddlebags, trunk, etc, does not have as much plastic? over the body hiding the gas tank and engine.   If the motorcycle for sale looked like these ones, I would own it by now, lol.

Now check out this next photo.  This is one gorgeous trike!!  This is what I want for my trike!!  It is like the 2nd batch of above photos of the Yamaha Venture Royale that has been changed to a 3 wheeler which is called a trike.  I would be proud and happy to have this as my new ride!!

Alas, the one I saw is of the body style shown at the top of this post and as much as I do like things about it, I don't think I would love it as much as I would love one more of this body style, so I think for now I will continue to look for a motorcycle I am more attracted to, fits into my budget, and is easily converted to a trike.  After 3 awesomely wonderful summers of riding the trike I made from a 1983 Yamaha 650 Maxim motorcycle, I know I want to keep riding, and I know I need a bigger trike. My current one is great, and I've outgrown it.  I ride with 2 motorcycle riding clubs as well as some 'non club' friends. All theses other riders have big motorcycles and I like to keep up with the pack, not lag behind.  My 650 does keep up  with the 'big boys', but I fear the little guy will not last as long as he should running at the higher RPMs that it has to run at to keep up with the bigger bikes.  I know someone else will love the little guy and I will love my new, much larger trike.

This is a photo of my current trike.  I added a windshield after this photo was taken, otherwise it looks the same now as it did in the photo.  A motorcycle that looks like this one though is larger, has a much larger cc rating (instead of a 650 if it was 1100 or somewhere in that area) I would be very happy with as I do like the look of this one.  I do plan to have a totally different look to the trike portion on the new one.


I am so grateful for the little trike I have been enjoying for the last 3 summers.
I am so grateful for the wonderful, fun, adventuresome rides I've taken on my trike.
I am so grateful for the friends I've made while riding my trike and for the clubs I am a member of... All Canadian Riders Club, British Columbia Lone Wolves, Brothers of the Third Wheel.
I am so grateful for my 'leathers' that not only protect me while I ride, but also look good on me.
I am so grateful for my adventuresome spirit that allows me to get out and ride my own ride.

Trumpeter Swans

On November 10th, I was visiting my Mom in the nearby city of Enderby. We went for a drive to Salmon Arm and on our way there, just before turning from one highway onto another one, in a big field where corn was grown this summer and harvested this fall, we saw a lot of big white birds feeding.  Of course, being the driver, I pulled over to get a good look and to hop out with my camera and take some photos.  My first thought was that these birds were swans, though I did later wonder if perhaps they were some sort of white geese, since they did sort of remind me of the Canada Goose.  When in doubt, GOOGLE IT!  Once I was back home to my computer again, I did a Google search and found that these birds are Trumpeter Swans. 

If I had been alone with time my own, I would have driven to different location so I could get all the birds and field into one shot and without the hydro/phone lines, though with Mom along and needing to be somewhere, I just took shots where I could get them.  I don't know how many birds are in this field, though I would say well over 200 of them.  Not only are there all the Trumpeter Swans, there are also Mallard Ducks feeding among the swans. 
 

 

Yesterday, I was visiting my Mom again and happened to notice a photo in the local newspaper of the field full of swans.... but the caption called them white geese.  This called for further investigation on the internet.

The "Hinterland Who's Who" website tells much about the Trumpeter Swan, it's breeding and feeding habits, where it lives, etc. Under "Description", it says:

Adult Trumpeter Swans Cygnus buccinator are large birds with white feathers and black legs and feet. The feathers of the head and the upper part of the neck often become stained orange as a result of feeding in areas rich in iron salts. The lack of colour anywhere on the swans’ bodies distinguishes them from other white species of waterfowl, such as snow geese, which have black wing tips.

The male swan, or cob, weighs an average of 12 kg. The female, or pen, is slightly smaller, averaging 10 kg. Wings may span 3 m. Young of the year, or cygnets, can be distinguished from adults by their grey plumage, their yellowish legs and feet, and until their second summer of life, their smaller size.

The shape and colour of the bill help in identifying the Trumpeter and Tundra swans in the field. Trumpeters have all black bills; Tundra Swans, formerly called Whistling Swans, have more sloping bills, usually with a small yellow patch in front of the eye. If this patch is missing, it is quite difficult to distinguish between the two birds unless the voice is heard. At close range, an observer should look for a salmon-red line on the lower bill.

Now, if you look at some more of my photos, you will see these birds do not have the black wing tips of the Greater Snow Goose, nor do they have that goose's "pinkish feet and bill".  (To see larger views of any of the photos, just place your mouse on a photo and click, then click on the different thumbnails to see the larger photos.)

Notice the Mallard Duck (male) in this photo.  It appears very small compared to the size of the swan.

Note the Mallard Duck (female) in this photo, again giving an indication of the size of the swan.   The Trumpeter Swan is even larger than the Giant Canada Goose, which can weigh up to 8 kg.

Though you can see the bills in most of these photos, I find this one has the best view of the shape of the bill.  These grey birds are the young Trumpter Swans that have not yet gotten the white feathers of the adult.

Photos I copied from the "Hinterland Who's Who" web site:

Greater Snow Goose

Trumpeter Swan

The shape of the bill of the Trumpeter and Tundra Swans.

(You can see the bill is the same shape as the birds I photographed last month.)

My home over looks Swan Lake which apparently was named from having swans on it.  In over 22 years, I have not seen even one single swan on this lake. In fact, in my 50+ years of life, I have never seen swans that were not in parks or zoos.  When I read the Hinterland article I discovered why this is:  Europeans hunted and harassed the swan to the point where in 1933 there were only 77 Trumpeters breeding in Canada and 50 breeding in the United States. Today, as a result of an intensive international conservation effort, there are about 16 000 wild Trumpeter Swans, and the species is no longer considered in danger of extinction. 

Except for people, wild Trumpeters have few natural enemies. ......  The most serious threat to the continued well-being of the Trumpeter Swan is the loss of habitat resulting from expanding human populations.

Now you can likely understand my excitement and joy at seeing this flock of over 200 Trumpeter Swans.  I hope to one day see some back living and breeding on Swan Lake.

Santa Toy Run 2012

 Here are a bunch of photos from the Toy Run. Unfortunately, a lot of my photos were out of focus today... hmmmm, not sure what is up with that. There are also photos I am not sharing online as some people don't want their photos put on the internet and many of my photos do show people's faces.

Leaving the Kal Lake Lookout at noon sharp.

 We rode into Vernon from the Kal Lake Lookout, following the highway/32 Street through the city to 48 Avenue which we followed to 27 Street and rode along it through Vernon again, then taking Hwy 6 to Lumby:

 Oh Hwy 6, at Aberdeen Road, everyone pulled over at the end of the 4 lane highway so that all riders could catch up.  Going through the city, cars get mixed in with us and we get separated by stop lights and such. The idea here was to regroup and ride the rest of the way to Lumby all together rather than straggled out.

In retrospect, I could have taken some at the park in Lumby where we all gather to give our gifts, try to win door prizes and 50-50 draws, hang out visiting in the beer gardens, etc..., but I did not think of it until now, so oh well... next year. Hope you enjoy what is here anyway.

I am grateful that I can ride my trike on these toy runs and that I can give to make Christmas so much happier for children who otherwise may not get Christmas gifts.

Trike Makeover 2012

I have been doing lots of different repairs and upgrades to my trike this summer, including Head Cover gasket, Oil change, Steering Stem bearings, back Brakes (new linkage, drums, shoes, cylinders... all but the Master Cylinder), paint job, new Mufflers and all exhaust leaks gone,  etc. etc.
 

This is what my trike looked like this time last year.

 The engine with the new Head Cover gasket as well as the Head Cover has been freshly painted.

Phil working on my new fenders and the brackets he built to hold it secure.

 

A new way of holding the tailgate safely closed while still being easy to open when needed.

The box painted black, horseshoes painted silver, new taillights on.

The front end off to put in new upper and lower Steering Stem bearings.

 On the way home from Kaslo Jazz Festival, I was about 1km for home when I was stopped by police for having noisy pipes.  He was good and let me off without paperwork when I told him I already had new pipes going on the next day.  In this photo it is in the process of having the pipes changed and exhaust leaks plugged.

 

 Here it is all painted and ready to ride. Some more changes have taken place since this photo too.

 

 I am so grateful for my friend Phil.  I truly don't know what I would do without him.  For sure I would not have my trike looking and running like it is now, and in fact, I may not even have it on the road without Phil's help.

 Stay Tuned!!

There is more to come!!

"Pretties" for my Trike

Today I added some 'pretties' to my trike.  With the help of my buddy, Fly'n Phil, over the last month or so, I made some things out of aluminum to put on the trike, just as Phil has put the ones he made on his Harley.  He is very creative and very patient when it comes to making things like this and he offered to teach me how to do these.  First, you need to draw out what you want to make, it's good to draw on poster board or some other thick paper.  You then cut it out and use it as a template, tracing around it to put the picture on your aluminum.  Now you cut it out, Phil does this with a jig saw though a scroll saw would likely be better. For some things you have to drill holes in the aluminum so you can put the jig saw blade into the holes so you can change the direction of the cut. Once it's all cut out you then file the cut edges then start sanding.  First you do a bunch of sanding with one grit of sand paper, then with a finer grit, next an even finer grit.  You continue sanding with finer and finer grits of sand paper until you have used 2500 or even 3000 grit.  Now it's time to polish your piece with a good metal polish, we use Autosol.  The end product, after a lot of work, looks much like chrome and is so shiny that you can see yourself in it.  In my case, we made 2 feathers, now on my gas tank, and 2 eagle heads which are now on either side of the cargo box at the back of the trike. 

I have been getting a lot of comments and compliments on my trike ever since I put it on the road, after all, it is a one of a kind machine.  It would appear that the addition of these 'pretties' will get even more attention and compliments.  This evening I went to Zellers to look for an air mattress for camping and when I came out to my trike there was a couple in a car beside the trike.  He started talking to me about how much he loves my trike, and he said how good the feathers, eagles heads and horse shoes look on it.  No sooner had they left and along came a mom & daughter who 'oooh'ed and 'awwww'ed over the trike and the girl asked if she could take a photo of me and my trike.  Of course I said yes.  I wish I could have talked to them a bit more, but my cel phone rang and it was an important call I had been waiting for so I had to take it.  Many people ask to take photos of Phil's Harley... now it's starting with my trike too.  Both are one of a kind and both look pretty cool!!

Things in the News

I have been so busy lately that I have not even turned on my TV in days. I don't tend to watch it much in summer time though I do watch it quite a bit in the winter.  While at Phil's house this evening, his sister Marilyn had the TV on and I saw some things on the news. There has been a bad slide at Johnson's Landing, near Kaslo, BC, and some people are missing as their home is one of 2 that were hit by the slide.  A woman in Surrey, BC, was riding a bicycle and was hit by a big truck.  A man drowned in Okanagan Lake near Kelowna, BC.  A man who was riding his motorcycle from Alberta to Keremeos, BC is missing and has been for about a week now.  A man  from Ohio is a "missing hiker" near Houston, BC.  There have been floods and fires, too.  Wow, so many unhappy things happening in our province, effecting so many people.... it seems like everything but a burning barbershop is happening this week.... maybe that will be next.

My heart goes out to all the people who are worried about missing loved ones, to the family of the drowned man, to the woman hit by the truck, and those who love her (I'm not sure if she is alive or dead).  I am so very grateful to be safely home and that at this time all my friends and family are safe and well.

Just Under the Wire!!

There are several things I had planned to do this week, but didn't have time to do so because I was so tied up with trying to get my trike a new drive shaft and  back on the road again.  I wanted to research some touch monitors online, like, for example, the elo touch.  I wanted to get some "pretties" (polished aluminum) made for my trike, and a cover for the trike box... before the BC Lone Wolves Show & Shine in Salmon Arm.  There was also some cleaning around the house I wanted to get done before the weekend. However, no time for it.  A friend of mine volunteered to help me with the trike so we moved it out to his place and began the work.  I had to replace the front U-joint and the drive shaft..  We separated the trike (took the motorcycle off the trike frame to get the broken U-joint out and the good one in, then put them back together. Glen designed the new drive shaft using parts he had around his place as well as a spline from the original drive shaft from the motorcycle before it was converted to the trike. I then had to take all the parts and pieces into town to a machine shop to get them welded together and made sure it was all balanced. Friday morning, July 13th, just before lunch, I picked up the drive shaft and took it out to Glen's place. He wasn't home, was out for lunch with his daughter who had just arrived from Alberta, so I tried to put the trike together by myself, but had a problem and couldn't do it alone.  Finally Glen got back and with the help we got my trike back on the road by about 3:00pm.  I left it there and drove my truck home then caught a ride back out with Glen and his daughter. It was about 4:30pm when I left there and drove to Vernon to air up my one back tire, then quickly run home to get my camping gear and such loaded into the trike. About 5:25pm I left home to make the 45 minute ride to Salmon Arm to join the other Loan Wolves for the 6:00pm dinner and a Volunteer's meeting for all of us that would be working to put on the Show & Shine.  Some of us rode out to BeaFree & VRod's place for a bit of a party and that is where I spent the night.  I am so grateful to Glen for helping me with the trike and that we got it on the road in time for me to go to this event on the trike instead of in my truck.

Salvation Army Food Bank

Every week I go to the Salvation Army Food Bank and give of my time. I really love going there and helping out, spending quality time with the dear friends I have made that also work there. I actually find it hard to call it 'work' as so often, even though we do accomplish a lot, it feels more like 'play' since we make working together fun. Some people I know think I'm strange for working for free, and some people have ignorantly said "I don't work for free you know"..... I have come to see it that I am blessed because I work for free so others can eat!! and what we give out the Universe gives back to us.

The Salvation Army has not only their church and Food Bank here, but also 2 Thrift Stores, so they take donations of nearly everything... well, not car donations, but nearly everything else: Food, clothing, bedding, dishes, furniture, jewelry, etc etc etc. They also own/operate a coffee house called the Talking Donkey. All moneys raised go to helping people in our community!! How cool is that!!

Is 3rd time the charm??

I phoned Rod again today, he's the guy who was supposed to be fixing the back brake system on my trike and in 9 days had done nothing more than take off 1 brake drum. When I talked to him today he started making excuses and I said "Rod, it's been 9 days!"
He said, "I can put that back wheel together and you can come get it."
To which I replied, "Good.  I'll be over in a bit."
I phoned Phil. We agreed I'd drive to his place, he'd drive me to Rod's and we'd take my trike back to Phil's until I can find someone else to do the work. Once the trike was safely moved, I phoned Dean. Yesterday I visited Wilma (Butch's "ol' lady") and she gave me a phone number for Brian who has done work for Butch and for Newfy on their bikes.  I called him and he can't do it but gave me Dean's name & number.  When I talked to Dean on the phone I remembered Don had once given me his name & number for some reason I don't now remember.  Anyway, so Dean came over to Phil's and had a look at my trike.  He said he can do the job and he sounds very knowledgeable.  He gave me his address and directions to his place.
Phil had an errand to run before he could go with me to Dean's so I rode down to Polson Park to meet with friends who were down there drumming.  I drummed with them until Phil got there, then hopped on my trike and rode to Dean's.  He lives about 10-15 minutes out of town, so I got a great ride!! It rained a little bit, but I loved every second of it anyway. Now the trike is in Dean's shop and again I am waiting. 

Is 3rd time the charm?? I hope so!! This is the 3rd place I've taken it to this spring to get the back brake system fixed!!! There were others before this. It's time for someone to do the job right!!

I am grateful to have such an awesome trike!!!
I am grateful for all the work Phil has done on my trike this spring!!
I am grateful to have such a good friend as Phil in my life!! He is a true blessing!!
I am grateful my trike will finally be fixed and I will be riding much safer this year than I have the last 2 summers.

My new computer

A few weeks ago I had serious problems with my laptop and decided to go out and buy a new one. I looked around the local area for deals on laptops, not wanting to take the time for one to be shipped if I ordered it off the internet.  I found one I like and it was even in the right price bracket for my budget, so I bought it.  It seems like a good enough computer, though I find I have a lot of problems with the keyboard and don't seem to be getting used to it very well.  I am finding that sometimes the letters I type don't actually appear so I have to go back and type in the ones missed... and sometimes I get 2 or 3 when I just wanted one!  I am not totally pleased with this, needless to say.... yet it still is a fairly good computer other than the keyboard. For the money I paid it could be a lot worse too.  Over all, I am grateful to have this new computer, and that the old one that seemed to be dying is still holding in there and I am able to use it for some things yet.

Trike Near Ready to Paint

With so much happening on my trike I don't have much time for doing some of the other things in my life just now.  Part of my agreement with Phil is that I go up there and work on my trike along with him. He has done so much incredible work on it so far, much of it early in the morning before I get up there... and we have done much together too. He may have fixed my back brakes the first day it was at his place and I will know that for sure when I get to ride it, but it does appear that they are much better than they were. He has also fixed up the old box which I had hoped to replace this year and now will be waiting until later to do so, he has built brackets for holding the fenders on, etc etc.  Today I took it all apart so it is ready for him to paint as soon as we get decent weather. His shop is not heated, so he wants it to be warm and dry so the paint will dry better.

With my trike in mind, I have been looking at some rain gear and some other new clothes that could come in very handy this summer. I like what I saw at carhartt outlet when I visited their site. I think some new jeans and shirts would be good. I also need a new pair of riding boots.

One Door Closed....

I had to change plans for the "Trike Make-over". Some so called friends were to build a new metal box for my trike, put in a set of springs on the back, and change a gasket on the motor as well as the fork seals. Well, they got rather carried away with the planning and didn't seem to hear anything I said so at first I thought I'd just go along with it as it seemed to all be okay.  Then I discovered that changing to a solo seat, though something I would love to do, just is not in my budget at this time and much of the conversion they planned was based on going to the solo seat. Then I spent time one day watching Ray around the trike, listening to what he was mumbling to himself... and I realized that he didn't have a clue what he was doing. He was going to change the frame of my motorcycle and the frame of the trike part.... and he didn't have a clue what he was doing!! He was risking my life as well as probably about to destroy my trike!! So, I said just change the box and add the springs, forget about doing all the rest of it.  Okay, this is all a short version of a long and nasty story so I will skip most of what was said on the club forum just telling you that he started accusing me of 'screwing' him out of money he'd spent on parts and supplies for the conversion.... yet he had not told me about buying these parts and supplies. I asked him to explain and "stuff" went back and forth there for a bit.  I decided to go talk to him in person.  My trike was in pieces in his shop... I had done 30+ hours of work in his shop, doing inventory for his small engine repair business for FREE in exchange for the work he would be doing on my trike.... we had been friends for a year.... so I thought I could go talk to him like adults.  At first he wouldn't look at me or speak to me, then when I didn't leave, I stayed and asked "Ray, can we talk about this now?" he got very rude and was actually screaming at me like a psycho. He screamed that he was starting to get upset and I should leave.  As I turned to go he added that I better get my friends over to get my trike out of his shop.  I assured him that I would have it out of there as soon as possible!  He said more nasty stuff as I was leaving and I must admit that I also said some nasty things, the guy even stood there and said things that were so ridiculous, bold faced lies right to my face, knowing that I knew they were lies!!! I couldn't believe it!! The guy was mentally melting down right in front of me!! Interestingly, I usually get scared when anyone, especially men, get mad around me and especially if they are mad specifically at me.  This time I didn't realize it until later, but I was not in the least bit afraid.  Angry, yes... disgusted, yes.... but not afraid!!

The next day I went back there with friends. Four male friends to be exact!! Do you think Ray yelled at me with my friends there? Do you think he said anything rude to me then? Actually, he didn't even have the balls to come outside!! His truck and motorcycle were there and when we first got there his door was open, yet we saw not hide nor hair of him... he hid inside the whole time!! I guess there is a big difference between yelling at a lone woman and facing her with 4 guys backing her. It felt SO GOOD to have my trike out of there and to know that I will never again have to talk to that psycho again!!! It was like loosing about 250 pounds of ugly fat!!!!!! 

When one door closes, another one opens.... and it is pretty much always a better one!!

I took my trike to Phil's place and in 1 day he had done more to my trike than Ray had done in the 2 weeks or so that it had been at his place. More on this later!!

New Laptop!!!

Sadly, my computer died a few days ago and I have been unavoidably offline.  I now have purchased a new computer and am back to business so to speak, lol.

It took a bit to get things set up on this new one, especially since I really don't know what I'm doing, yet I have managed to do it and am back in action.  I still need to install a few programs, though am grateful to be online. My blogs, my Facebook, my emails... yup, I'm back!!

 I am so grateful that I was able to find a computer that meets my needs and wants.
I am so grateful that I was able to have the money to purchase this new computer.
I am so grateful to be back online again.

Frazzled!!

Talk about a frazzzzling day!!! My plan for today was to do a bit of blogging then head off to visit my Mom, about a 30 minute drive from here. It's been too long since I last went to visit Mumsy and I want to see her, so had planned to go yesterday and have a quiet day at home today, then wasn't feeling great yesterday and decided to nap instead of going anywhere. That makes today the day I go. So I am quietly blogging away and the phone keeps ringing, MSN is buzzing and when I don't answer it, the friend then phones instead, Skype starts ringing while I'm on the phone. Skype didn't want to work right, so ended up another phone call... more MSN bleeps.  Finally I get all that taken care of and phone Mom, "I'll be there soon" and I hear a noise outside. Someone arriving to visit me!! "I will still be there Mom, just not sure when".... while visiting the phone rings again, a dear friend who has been gone to South America for 6 months and Europe and USA for a month or two before that, so was very good to hear from him. Finally the phone started to beep, telling me it is about to die.  Ya, phone, me too!! All I want to do now is crawl into a bed... my double bed, a kids bunk beds, even the dog's bed... I don't care, just want to nap!! And I must head out to visit Mumsy... sigh.

I don't know why I get so frazzled so easily, stressed and overwhelmed, but I do. It didn't used to be like this and I so want to turn back the clocks so I can get rid of this kind of thing. I'm taking a few minutes to rest, then feed the birds and change my clothes before I head out to visit Mom.

I am grateful that so many people want to talk to me and spend time with me!! I just want it to be spread out over time, not all calling at once!! LOL.

Garden

Today I was in town so bought some plants while at the grocery store.  I got Kale, Marigolds and Irish Moss.  I came home and did a bunch of work in the yard, including:
- prepared a raised bed garden for planting... cleaned it up from last year. Planted the Kale plants in that raised bed garden.
- worked more on making my Lasagna Garden.  I brought a fairly decayed bale of straw over from where it was in another part of the yard and dumped it out of the wheelbarrow.  Took the wheelbarrow over to the compost pile on the other side of the yard, filled it with partially decayed compost, brought it over and spread it on what I already had made of the Lasagna Garden from another day (branches, old boards, old cardboard, etc.). Spread some of the straw over the compost layer.
- cleaned up the Iris plants, removing last year's, now dead, leaves & flower stalks and putting them onto the Lasagna Garden.
- cleaned up the last year's, now dead, growth from herbs, from Lavender, from Tomatoes, etc. and again put it all onto the Lasagna Garden.
- stood up the toilet that had fallen during the winter, made sure it won't fall again, planted some of the Marigold flowers into the tank and the bowl of the toilet. Put the rest of the Marigold plants into some dirt to protect them until I am ready to plant them elsewhere, not sure yet where that will be.
- decided to extend the Lasagna Garden a couple more feet, right to touching the stacked tires which are planters, so found a couple more bits of wood to use as frames for the bed, also packed some bricks over to fill in a gap.  Still need to find a bit more to finish off the frame extension then will put down thick layers of newspapers and start putting layers of compost, straw, old wood bits, etc in that end too.

I am so grateful that I have a yard and that I can grow my own vegetables, herbs and fruit.  I know that I am blessed.

DVD Burning Completed

Last night, Dan MSNed me a DVD burning program and I was able to burn 3 movies to a DVD for my friend.  He still came and got all his blanks so he can take them to the other friend to have more done, and that's okay.  At least I did what I said I would do.  I followed through on a promise and that is important to me.  Now, if I want to burn any more DVDs I can in future, though this is not something I tend to do a lot.  I just don't seem to need them too often.  I do plan to get the necessary cable(s) so I can plug my computer to the TV and watch my downloaded movies on the big 51".  Maybe I can even plug in to the older TV in the bedroom so I can watch movies while relaxing on my comfy bed. I am very Grateful to my friend Dan for helping me out once again.

I am Grateful

I think it's time to go get a snack... and a cup of tea... then soon to head to bed.  I am getting sleepy...very sleepy!

I am grateful to have had a good day
I am grateful for the warmth of the pellet stove that keeps my home comfortable during the winter months
I am grateful for my 51" TV
I am grateful for my laptop computer
I am grateful for the food I eat each day as well as the water and tea I drink
I am grateful for the love my cat gives to me all the time
I am grateful for each and every one of my friends
I am grateful for my very comfortable new bed that is now waiting patiently for me to go crawl in...

Winter has Arrived!

This winter has been very warm and any bit of snow we have gotten has melted away in a short time, leaving behind only the odd bit of snow or ice in shady spots. That is until the last few days!! It has turned cold and we had a bunch of snow today which will not be melting away any times soon!! It would seem that winter has finally arrived!! I guess this is good as we do need it, though I so much prefer warmer seasons. I know many people love winter and love doing winter sports such as skiing and snow mobile riding, though I love riding my trike (3 wheel motorcycle) which I only do in warmer months. I will do my best to enjoy this season as I always like to enjoy each day and find the good in it... and still I look forward to spring and the start of riding season!!

I am grateful for my friend Ray and for his new job plowing people's driveways and such. I am no longer able to shovel my driveway due to physical challenges, so the last few years I've just packed the snow down with my truck, thanking God for 4 wheel drive on this hill. Now Ray has surprised me twice by coming by and plowing me out on his way from one job to another in the truck with the snow blade.

Death of a Fire Chief

Today is a sad day for the small city of Enderby, BC Canada. In the early hours of today, there was a burning building and the local volunteer fire department went to fight it. As they worked, there was suddenly a big explosion that woke many sleeping people in Enderby, causing them to wonder what in the world just happened! Dennis Botkin, a man I knew many years ago, was watching the fire when this explosion happened and yelled for someone to call for an ambulance as someone had to have been hurt in that. Little did he know that his grandson, a 29 year old man recently married and the current volunteer fire chief, had just been killed in the explosion, and another fire fighter injured.

I grew up in Enderby and moved away in the late 1970s, though still have family there and only live about a 25 minute drive away. I feel great gratitude for all fire fighters as they put their lives on the line to serve and protect their towns/cities and the people that live there. I am saddened for the Botkin family and for the little city of Enderby with all it's residents. The loss of this life was a big loss all around.