Look Up! Way Up!

A friend and I walked around the highest landmark here in Guelph. Our Lady Immaculate church has gone through a "face lift" during the past couple of years and it's been difficult capturing a photo with all the scaffolding up.

Farewell Geordie

This has been a traumatic year in many ways. I've said "Farewell" to my buddy of 14 years and I miss him so much.

Also, due to a severe shoulder injure last autumn, I've hardly lifted my camera.

Hopefully this will change in the near future!


So...

Farewell Geordie!

Skyline Drive, Virginia

Just before I left Virginia to come back to Guelph this time, we took a wonderful drive on the Skyline Drive and what a view it was to see the wonderful "folds of colour" of the rolling mountains off into the distance and the sky even seemed to "match".

Geordie

GEORDIE
My Wonderful Border Collie

Geordie has been my constant companion for almost 13 years. He usually goes with me everywhere and he knows just about everything I'm talking about.

Last week, I almost lost my buddy. He had a little "thing" on his lower eyelid that was scratching his eyeball every time he blinked causing his eye to bleed and so I decided to have it removed in order to take away this irritation. Due to his age, the vet tried to do it with a "local" anesthetic but Geordie sure didn't like to see those scissors so it was decided to use a very mild "general".

Geordie just had a very bad reaction to that and on Tuesday, I nearly lost him. The vet worked so very hard (over 3 1/2 hours) trying to revive him and so far his time spent with "Geordie, my lad" (as he called him) has been working albeit very, very slowly. Last night, I slept in my bed with him beside me in his bed on the floor. Up until last night, I've been just lying beside him on the floor and we've spent a lot of time staring into each other's eyes!

Here's Geordie the day before his surgery. As some of you know, he went downhill very quickly followiing the anesthetic and I nearly lost him. He so loves the snow and he was just sitting at the door staring and wishing I'd go out and play with him.




Geordie Today
Geordie loves his bed. Today he seems to be much more comfortable and I'm so happy. I'm still force feeding him though as he really has no interest in eating yet.












He's not out of the woods yet. Last year at this time, he was about 45 lb. On Boxing Day, he was 35 lb. and on Tues. he was 33 lb. So, he's been losing weight gradually and the vet suspects something "nasty" but we're going to try hard to get some weight back on him as he loves to run and explore and I just know that we're going to have many more fantastic days together.

Just a Pittance of Time

At the eleventh hour of the
eleventh day of the eleventh month...

A Pittance of Time
by Terry Kelly

They fought and some died for their homeland
They fought and some died now it's our land
Look at his little child, there's no fear in her eyes
Could he not show respect for other dads who have died?

Take two minutes, would you mind?
It's a pittance of time
For the boys and the girls who went over
In peace may they rest, may we never forget why they died.
It's a pittance of time

God forgive me for wanting to strike him
Give me strength so as not to be like him
My heart pounds in my breast, fingers pressed to my lips
My throat wants to bawl out, my tongue barely resists

But two minutes I will bide
It's a pittance of time
For the boys and the girls who went over
In peace may they rest, may we never forget why they died.
It's a pittance of time

Read the letters and poems of the heroes at home
They have casualties, battles, and fears of their own
There's a price to be paid if you go, if you stay
Peace is fought for and won in numerous ways

Take two minutes would you mind?
It's a pittance of time
For the boys and the girls all over
May we never forget our young become vets
At the end of the line it's a pittance of time

It takes courage to fight in your own war
It takes courage to fight someone else's war
Our peacekeepers tell of their own living hell
They bring hope to foreign lands that the hatemongers can't kill.

Take two minutes, would you mind?
It's a pittance of time
For the boys and the girls who go over
In peacetime our best still don battle dress
And lay their lives on the line.
It's a pittance of time

In Peace may they rest,
lest we forget why they died.
Take a pittance of time

2001 All rights reserved





On November 11, 1999 Terry Kelly was in a Shoppers Drug Mart store in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. At 10:55 AM an announcement came over the store's PA asking customers who would still be on the premises at 11:00 AM to give two minutes of silence in respect to the veterans who have sacrificed so much for us.

Terry was impressed with the store's leadership role in adopting the Legion's "two minutes of silence" initiative. He felt that the store's contribution of educating the public to the importance of remembering was commendable.

When eleven o'clock arrived on that day, an announcement was again made asking for the "two minutes of silence" to commence. All customers, with the exception of a man who was accompanied by his young child, showed their respect.

Terry's anger towards the father for trying to engage the store's clerk in conversation and for setting a bad example for his child was later channeled into a beautiful piece of work called, "A Pittance of Time". Terry later recorded "A Pittance of Time" and included it on his full-length music CD, "The Power of the Dream".

In Flanders Fields

PHOTO BY BRIAN WAUGH...

My friend, Brian Waugh, who lives in Yorkshire, England has given me permission to use his wonderful photo of this poppy as today I wanted to post Col. Lt. John McCrae's memorable poem "In Flanders Fields" and this photo just went so well with the poem. See more of Brian's wonderful photos here.

IN FLANDERS FIELDS
By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)
Canadian Army

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch, be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields

"In Flanders Fields" was first published in England's "Punch" magazine in December, 1915. Within months, this poem came to symbolize the sacrifices of all who were fighting in the First World War. Today, the poem continues to be a part of Remembrance Day ceremonies in Canada and other countries.

The poem was written by a Canadian - John McCrae, a doctor and teacher, who served in both the South African War and the First World War.

From Lt. Col. John McCrae

Col. McCrae was born here in Guelph and his childhood home is a wonderful place to visiit. I try to go there about once or month or so.

Amazing Dew

DIAMOND ENCRUSTED

While walking in Riverside Park yesterday morning, I was so much in awe as I saw these two dandelions simply drenched with dew and as the sun shone on them, they looked like diamonds.

I lay right down on the wet grass and got as close as I dare without a macro lens!

What a wonderful God we have to create such a wonderful scene!

Remembering the Battle of the Somme

I had an appointment to have my hair done this morning and while I drove, I was listening to the car radio. It was just so emotional to hear them discussing how in one day what the British went through. 60,000 dead in such a short time span at the Battle of the Somme... ONE DAY!!!

I just searched and found this:

"On that day the British suffered almost 60,000 casualties making it the bloodiest day in British military history."

I couldn't see to drive. I had to pull over and park the car until my composure came back...



We must NEVER forget. We must ALWAYS remember.


I had parked behind the Firehall on Speedvale Road beside Riverside Park. This sign is out the front of the Firehall. So I thought I'd share it.

November Poppy

LEST WE FORGET

Photo by Janice Hagan...

Janice said:

"Yesterday, as I was walking around my garden, I found this Poppy. It's the first of November and I didn't realize that poppies really do flower this late in the year.

It made me think of Remembrance Day and I thought about the Canadian soldiers who have died for our country and made sacrifices for other countries. It felt ironic because Jonathan, my youngest son, was out selling Poppies in his cadet uniform today.

I found this newspaper article written in 2002 saluting Canada and our war heros. It really is worth a read....
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2002/04/21/do2106.xml"

Autumn at the OR

The "OR" is such a lovely place to walk and wander. There are many little brooks and waterfalls and little bridges all built away back in the 1930's to 1950's or so by young men who were then residents of the "Ontario Reformatory". It's closed now but what a wonderful place to spend some time.

A Tree in the Park

I love Trees!

In the Park on Gordon Street that runs along the river near the Covered Bridge, I found this gorgeous tree.

My friend took a photo of my dog, Geordie, and I at the bottom of it.

Look Up! Way up!

And here's a closer one of Geordie and I

Look up!

GUELPH CITY HALL DOOR

How often do we take the time to look up to see what's above the doors into our important buildings! I love the carving above the Guelph City Hall main door.

Waiting for the Wind

WAITING FOR THE WIND

How Many Cobs on a Corn Stalk?

DWARFED BY CORN STALKS

My granddaughter and I were wondering what the average number of cobs of corn were on each stalk. Some had said that each produced only one cob and others suggested 5 or 6!

So, as she was busy counting randomly, I thought a photo of her would be nice as she was dwarfed by the high stalks. She's only 11 years old but 5'3" tall!

FRAMED BY CORN

I just wanted to crop her out of the larger photo for her parents to have and thought I'd share with you all too. She's a sweetheart.

So....

How Many Cobs on a Corn Stalk?

Do you know?

We counted many cobs on corn stalks last Saturday.