Bouncy ball, bummer knee and birds....

Ever sit on one of those huge inflatable balls?  That was my workout at physio today.  I had to sit on the ball with my good left leg up and attempt to balance there with only my bad right leg.  Knee is now very sore!  But I did it!  Very wobbly but I managed to balance for about 15 seconds without holding on to anything.

Then I had to make like a drunken sailor and attempt to walk a straight line...one foot ahead of the other.  That was pretty funny...I had to laugh at myself with that one.  I found though that the faster I went, the better I could do it...until I nearly fell over, that is.

My physio man, Travis, said that if the knee was sore and aching tomorrow, that I should at least take my cane with me to work.  So, perhaps I shall do that.  I've been trying hard not to but I'm seeing that this is going to take so much longer than I ever thought, so I shall go at things gradually and that may mean using my cane for a bit longer yet.

A friend of ours joined Ken and I for supper tonight as he will be moving away to Edmonton this summer.  We enjoyed his visit as he spoke of "birding" and traveling and photography and what he hoped his life will look like in a few short months from now.  We are sorry that he is leaving.

We got talking about various types of birds and species and sub-species and color phases and characteristics of various types of birds.  All so interesting.

I like birds! (click on pics)

Birds really are beautiful!!!

The Silent Auction continues...

I suppose if I can get a minimum of $100. for my nine pictures of various sizes, I will have at least paid for the  frames and $100. is nothing to sneeze at for Relay for Life, that's for sure.  We shall see how it progresses throughout the week.  I'd love to give them all away...and I normally do, but being a fund raiser, well, giving them away would kind of defeat the purpose of it all.:)  The team I belong to, "The Studs and Peelers", are a very hard-working bunch of individuals and they have worked tirelessly over this past year and they take these efforts very seriously as a way to raise cash for cancer research.

I wouldn't make such a big deal of this fund raising thing, but just today we said farewell to our friend, Ernie Heit, who died of brain cancer last week.  So this silent auction fits in perfectly with my reason for having this auction at all.

Yes, "together, we can make a difference"!

Here are the pictures that are on the auction block:

 

Bottom left - 4 x 6 "Dusk Through a Barbed Fence" (color) - by Matt Kent

Next ones are mine: 
4 x 6  "Loon on a Lake" (black and white)
4 x 6  "Hoar Frost on the North Saskatchewan" (color)
8 x 10 "Manitoba Legislative Building" (black and white)
Top 8 x 10 "Frosty Prairie Morning" (color)
5 x 7 "The Rose" (color)
Bottom 8 x 10 "Dandelion Puff" (black and white)
8 x 10 "Peeking Daisies" (color - previously sold, but I can make another)
5 x 7 "Little Red Swinging Bridge" (black and white)

There you have it.  Really hope and pray this will be successful in every way!

Oh, and it was totally awesome to be back at work this morning...even for two hours.  I only had 720 emails!

How was your day?

I hope it went well for you.

Mine was filled up pretty much with church, followed by a discussion group, followed by lunch, followed by a rest, followed by a meeting, followed by setting up tables for the funeral, followed by a surprise home-made pizza supper and apple crisp dessert by Shannon.

Good thing in the midst of all of those happenings there were chairs to put up my leg...otherwise, I would have been done in.

But I made it and now it's getting into the back-to-work mode.  I'm excited to be seeing everyone again and meeting some new people who have shown up as employees since I left the place on January 20th!!!!

But working only two hours tomorrow, I'll barely get my feet wet.  Nevertheless, I shall be there...and happy to be there, I might add.  And I shall bring my framed pictures with me to see how much people will be willing to cough up....yet again....for Relay for Life.  It's a bad time to ask the same folks for more money as everyone in the building has been contributing at great length towards all the fund raising efforts thus far.  Mine will simply put more of a hardship on their poor already-empty wallets!!!

So, now that it's 7 PM, I had better get ready for bed...it's up at 6:30 AM in the morning and my poor aged body surely isn't used to that unsightly hour....and it hasn't been for four and a half months!!

 The Forest Centre....where (most) everybody knows your name....

 And who wouldn't want to get back working with such

a great looking bunch of gals...:)

 Dang...I missed out on the Chinese New Year celebration too!

 And our summer student, Alycia, is back!

 Like most families, we too, have a celebration board!

And here I once again shall sit....and say "good morning" to all who happen by:)

(and catch up on my 1200 emails or so)

That's a lot of pew polishing....

I went at the church pews with a bit of a vengeance today.  Didn't think we had that many, but when you get going on them, it takes a good while.  So they're all polished up and should be good for a while now....until the next time:)

All the windows got scrubbed too, inside and out!

The lawn got cut, trimmed and rained on.  Flowers got tidied and planted.  Things look quite spiffy.

Got home and finished framing my pictures...but not before a really, really looooooong rest on my knee.  I don't think it was used to working!

The rain was good, wasn't it?  I was very busy cleaning the church sanctuary, but when I looked up and saw husband outside on the riding lawnmower at the front of the church getting totally drenched, I figured it was a very good thing, even if he did get wet.  He agreed...and finished just before I would have had to wring out his clothes.

There was a purging of sorts today at the church.  Things that have been accumulating for many, many years, were tossed or given away.  Anyone who would ask me if I thought this or that should be kept, I answered with an enthusiastic "NO".  I think I'm still in that mode since we moved into our apartment.  No point in keeping things that are no longer of any use.  Who wants a TV that works but has no buttons on the front?  Who wants an old tape recorder that doesn't record?  Who wants all this "stuff" that hasn't been looked at for twenty, thirty, forty years?

Yes, cleaning out is good, Donkey!

And it's all nice and clean now for Ernie's funeral....the main thing.

A regular type day...

Although I did have my final doctor's assessment this morning..... before I hit the office running???? Monday morning.  I think he was a bit uneasy about this decision as my usefulness in that knee is certainly not what it should be yet, but as we spoke, I think he felt alright about letting me give it a shot.  He said more than once, that if I find it not working, to let people know.  He said it's better to start slowly (2 hrs. a day, 3 days a week) than go at it full bore and make a mess of things again.  So, slow it shall be!  Secondary physio will most likely begin sometime in August...secondary physio meaning 5 days a week for as long as I need to in order to get it fully functional once again.

So, that was the second item of business on my agenda today....the first of course, being coffee!

Then it was getting some picture frames together and taking my thumb drive to Shoppers Drugs to get some photos printed so I can have them all ready for Monday morning.  Hopefully, I will be able to raise a bit of cash for our Relay for Life team.  I feel like I have totally let them down, so now I am attempting to redeem myself.  I had thought of just taking the ones that I have hanging on my walls at home but I thought better of it....after husband said something to the effect..."Will you be wanting me to hang new pictures again, once you take these ones down...not sure if it can be done!"....something like that anyway...:)

We took off mid-afternoon to pick up Brittney from school and take her home.  Too far to walk with all those Physics, Biology, Math, English and Chemistry books weighing a poor girl down.  Lots of homework and studying now before final exams in June!

Tomorrow is our big yearly clean-up day at church...and we want it exceptionally clean and lovely for Ernie's funeral on Monday at 1 PM.  Lawns will be cut, flowers planted, windows cleaned, pews polished, rugs vacuumed especially good, garbage picked up and just a general, overall spring cleaning inside and out.

OK.  Now it's picture framing time....and while doing that, I shall be praying for Kathy, Jesse and Mark as they plan Ernie's funeral.....

Here are some of the flowers that pop open every year around our church building.  So pretty.  Thanks to
Mary Jane who does a great job of keeping them happy!

Sleep well...perhaps we shall get a shower of rain very soon.  I shall pray about that too.

Our friend, Ernie...

He biked right into our lives.

Gateway Covenant Church had a visitor one Sunday.  He was biking up 15th Avenue East from his home on River Street and he said he'd bike as far as he could go and wherever he stopped, he'd go to the closest church.  Gateway is as far as he could make it.  He'd been diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor and was struggling with energy and everything else that goes along with cancer.

So, that's where he stopped.  15th and 15th East.  He brought his bike into the front foyer and made himself right at home...in the building....and in everyone's life, too.  He brought his wife, Kathy, the following week and they've been a part of Gateway since that day....around two years ago now, I think.

There were good days and very bad days throughout that time period.  But Ernie never gave up and he would be an encouragement to everyone just seeing him dig in and make the best of things.  He helped folks out with construction projects on his good days.  On his bad days, he would watch.  He had been in the construction business and was one of the finest builders around!!!  His lovely home is evidence of that....made with love and perfection and detail.  It's just how Ernie was.

Dying is such a serious business, isn't it?  It means getting ready for an event that we don't particularly like attending.  But it is a sure thing!  Ernie was ready to go.  When Ken and I were sitting at their home yesterday while Kathy did some out-of-the-house work, we knew the time would be soon but we didn't think it would be quite this soon.  Before we left, I took the opportunity to pray for Kathy and Ernie and their sons, for God to be very present and for his mercy to be shown to Ernie in these days.  How quickly that prayer was answered!

It's difficult leaving someone we love, but knowing their spirit has gone to a place that is so much better than what we have here....well, that's just a good feeling....to really know that.

The celebration of Ernie's life will be on Monday, May 30 at Gateway Covenant church.

 Ernie readying himself for his bike ride home from church on a good day...

after a chat with Bob, of course.

A thankful hug for a church friend...even on a bad day.

The family will grieve.  Gateway family will be a part of that grieving.  We share those difficult experiences of life together.....even death....especially death.

Peace to Ernie's memory.  He will be missed....

Relay for Life..."for sale"....

Being off work for the past 4 months, I have been unable to really participate in any of our fund raising efforts for the Canadian Cancer Society, Relay for Life,  that my team has been involved in.....Pie days...cookie days....lunches....breakfasts....etc.etc.etc.

I figured if I posted a few pictures that I have up in our apartment, maybe one or two of you would like to buy one and I could put the money towards our team effort of the Forest Service Relay for Life team,  "Studs and Peelers".  It's not much, but it's something tangible I CAN do.  It would be good to cover the costs of the frames at least but whatever you can offer would be great.  If someone else offers more than you, I can let you know...but I'd like the increments to be at least a buck....no pennies, please.

So here you go.  Have a look and if you like one, let me know about it.  Phone (306)763-2232 or email me at home at:   sharonkent1@gmail.com

I have many photos too, on this blog so if you see anything you like, let me know and I can frame something for you....not that anything is really great here folks, but it's a fund-raising effort so your cash would be much appreciated for our team.  Thanks a lot!!!

Here are the ones I have on my walls at home:

 8 X 10 black and white Dandelion seed puff

 8 x 10 color Peeking Daisies on rustic fence

 8 x 10 color - Fall on the North Sask River

 8 x 10 Chrysanthemum

 5 x 7 Winnipeg Legislature hallway (arches and hallways and shadows)

 5 x 7 Waskesiu Lake beach

4 x 6 Christopher Lake winter sunset while snowing

There you go.  I'll put this on Facebook too to get a larger audience...hee hee

Offer away........and high.....it's a good effort to raise cash for, as we all know someone with cancer.

Thanks everyone.  I'll let you know if I sold any and how much I raised in this effort.

I did it.....

It was the very first day, from beginning to end, that I did not use a cane....not once, since January 20th!  Doing the stairs though I had to hang on to the railing and wall....but no cane!  I did it!!!  I did it!!!  Sore...but I did it!!!

Now let's see what tomorrow's physio brings.

Today there was a pile of ironing to do, so that got done.

And I'm winding down my last few chapters of Hemingway.
Just had over an hour of good conversation with Matt and we talked about philosophical things and shared our lives with one another.  Shannon and Brittney are coming over now with home-made Flapper Pie...just what the doctor ordered....yum!  Another 10 pounds...but it was made with love, so the extra weight won't count...:)

Just brought in my potted flowers.  The sky has cleared and it looks like it's ready for one whopper of a frost.  I'd rather be safe!

It's been a good day.  I trust has been good for you as well.

I must be getting ready, psychologically, to re-enter the work force, back at my old job.  I dreamed last night that my boss called me into his office for a chat.  I don't recall what the chat was about..or even that we had one but he had a tone of voice when he called that I recall from some uneasy, vague time in the past.  I woke up in a bit of a sweat, needless to say.  But that was a dream....and this is reality.  I keep saying it....but....perhaps one day soon, I shall be back in the corner, answering phones, chatting with my co-workers, sending rude/humorous  emails and generally being my "good old" self.  Can't wait!

Tomorrow will also find me at the Cancer Society office, registering for my Relay for Life team....at long last.

Sleep well friends.  Tomorrow is also an opportunity to use your very special gifts and talents to help someone else out....someone who needs you.

Relay for Life - June 3 and 4, 2011 - Harry Jerome Track.  I'm trying to get together a few photos that could be auctioned off, as I haven't really done ANY fund-raising this year at all.  Perhaps I can put them up here on my blog and get some auctioning happening.  I'll try and do that tomorrow.  Nite'....

Fertilize....

It seems to help the overall blooming factor of my petunias and geraniums.  Miracle Grow!

It looks as though my plants have almost doubled in area since I fertilized them last week.  And with all that sunshine to help them along, well, they're bloomin' beautiful!

Just got back from the theatre with Shannon.  Feels as if it dropped several degrees from the time we entered until we came out.  And a north wind!  Burrrrrrrrr......

Now for a bit of rain and we'll be set to go.

Fertilizer is good for anything though, n'est pas?  We fertilize crops, insects fertilize blooms, people fertilize one another....growth being the common denominator!  A combination of great factors can make things really happen.

So too, with growing as an individual.  You put many dashes of encouragement, a few quarts of sweetness, several tablespoons of care, a cup or two of unconditional love....mix them gently together and you get a superb concoction of  fertilizer that gets a person growing in positive and healthy ways. You add a spiritual factor to that and you get a different type of healthy person.

So, I would encourage you today, to mix up a great vat of the stuff and offer it to others...your kids, friends, co-workers and store clerks.  We'll be a bloomin' healthy bunch of people if we do!

Oh, and Miracle Grow....it really does work!

You can tell it's only spring....

By the coats of the elk.  Shaggy.  Rough.  Like they rolled out of bed with nary a brushing.  And hungry....!!!

It was good to see the one we did see.  I think the moms with calves are still back in the bush in the protection mode until their youngin' are a bit more grown up for the summer public display. 

We ate our picnic lunch, read books, the gals played Frisbee and then it was time for granddaughter to get to her job at the ice cream shop...'Big Olaf'.  Glady, the proprietress, was there and we chatted like we used to, two years ago.

We missed last year at the lake with Ken's heart surgery taking needed precedence.  We noticed as we drove through the trailer park today that they now have some decent paving of the roads throughout and the camp spots have been re-graveled. Now at least, it seems our fees for parking there for the last 20 years have actually gone towards some improvements!

We drove out to the marina and then on to the Heart Lakes, enjoying the bright green leaves of spring as we made our way.

It was simply an enjoyable day.

That was a lot of sun for one day.  Good night, all.