Chuckles and Chortles

Happy last day of November, everyone. Another month has WHOOSH zipped right by. And this WHOOSH I'm really happy about because tomorrow is December and that's when a whole month of festive posts begins. That's right...a whole entire month. I might even blog on weekends if I have fun, inspirational or interesting things to share. You've been warned!

But today it's all about laughing. So let's get to that.

Have a good one!

Happiness Is...

...the big smile on this beautiful young lady's face...

I love seeing her this happy

...no doubt brought on by being with that really special someone who I affectionately refer to as "the boy".

And I love that she has to stand on her toes

These amazing images (shared with her permission) were taken last week while my daughter, Alex, and her boyfriend, Matt, were out and about enjoying a gorgeous day in Ottawa.

University life and the city of Ottawa are a big hit so far with this young lady.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

A To Z Of Gratitude: W

W is for Water

The elixir of life. The most precious liquid on earth. Without water, there would be no life.

For many of us water flows freely from a faucet, day in and day out, something we take for granted. We waste it needlessly, not realizing that clean and safe water, one of the most basic of all needs, is not available to everyone.

If it's available to you, it's something to be very thankful for.

One Of Those Blogging Days

Have you ever experienced blog burnout where you can't think of a single thing to write about or share? How about blog overload where you have too many things you want to share and can't settle on one?

I've experienced both over the years but today it's one of those rare moments when blog burnout and blog overload are occurring simultaneously.

Huh?

All morning I've gone between many ideas and no ideas. I'm short circuiting! So I'm throwing in the towel before I lose my mind and sharing something funny I ran across earlier this week. Enjoy!

Question Of The Day

Constant tardiness.

I may or may not offend someone, but in my opinion, being habitually late is rude and inconsiderate. The message being sent is that no one else's time is valuable but your own.

Your turn.

Chuckles and Chortles

Happy Monday, everyone. How are you doing? I hear some of you got quite a bit of snow. Not a single flake here, which is fine with me. Snow is pretty but we have it long enough around here therefore I'm not in a rush for its arrival. I prefer when it shows up near the holidays. And I'd love if it would last for only about a month. Wishful thinking, I know.

Do any of you use Skype? My daughter asked me to download that software onto my tablet when she moved to her university residence so we could video chat sometimes. I did and we've  connected through it a couple of times. It is one of the coolest things I've ever used. I'm typically reluctant with modern technology but this  software is pretty awesome.

Anyhow, just thought I'd mention it. And now that I have, let's get to the funny stuff.

Have a great day!

Fill In The Blank

...a book (or two or three). And a pair of reading glasses. 'Cause these old eyes just aren't what they used to be.

Right now I'm enjoying "Learning to swim", a mystery thriller by Sara J. Henry. It's the first book I'm reading by this author and it's quite engaging.

What's on your night stand?

A To Z Of Gratitude: V

V is for Volunteering

Haven't we all been helped in our lives at some point by someone volunteering their time? And don't we all have stories to tell? I have many and here's one of them:

When my ex-husband and I separated, I had no idea what my rights were as a spouse and as a parent of minors. I needed legal advice to sort it all out, but with very little money, it was impossible to contact a lawyer directly.

What to do...what to do...

Enter the YWCA's legal information clinic in my hometown. For a small donation of $10 (it was $5 back then) you receive confidential, individual, information sessions that are provided by lawyers and notaries experienced in a variety of legal areas...volunteering their time! And you can benefit from this service a maximum of 3 times per year.

I made an appointment, paid the $5.00 and met with a lawyer who helped me tremendously. Thirty minutes may not seem very long but it was more than enough time to answer all my questions and ease some of my worries.

I'm grateful to that lawyer, who's name (if I remember correctly) was Sandra, for volunteering her time and helping me during a difficult time.

Do you have any stories to share?

Hometown Memories: The Crank Caller

When I was in high school, there was a girl named Dina that didn't like me. Really didn't like me. I have no idea why. Over 30 years later, I still can't answer that question. It's just one of those mysteries in my life.

Anyhow, so I wasn't her favourite person.. Big deal. I didn't expect everyone to like me, and as long as we left each other alone, it was fine.

Well...

Around that time, a teenage boy starting making crank calls to my home. He'd say some pretty nasty stuff on the phone, ask me derogatory questions or make lurid suggestions. It was pretty alarming.

Instead of freaking out or yelling, I asked him questions every time he called. Why was he doing this? How did I know him? What was he so angry about? If he had a beef with me, why was he hiding behind the phone? Why not confront me in person? And on and on.

As the days went by his tone began to soften, and he started offering information and giving me answers. Eventually the nastiness vanished and he was completely honest and open with me. He confessed that Dina had asked him to call me and be nasty like this.  I asked him why. He didn't know. All she'd told him was that I was a real bitch and that I deserved this and that she needed his help. "But after talking to you" he said "I realized what a nice girl you are and I feel bad doing this." He apologized profusely, said he'd never done anything like this before and felt really embarrassed. Seems his conscience had gotten the better of him.

And it seems like karma had bitten Dina in the face. Or ass. I don't think she ever imagined I'd befriend the crank caller.

(Incidentally, she never bothered me again after that.)

Have a great day, everyone. And be nice. Karma is watching!

You’re Probably Around My Age If...

...you ever read (or recognize) any of these comics.

I loved reading comic books when I was a kid. My favourite series was Archie but I also enjoyed superhero comics as well as the ones in the image above. And numerous others. Let's just say I was a comic book junkie.

How about you?

(Thanks to Christine for reminding me of this.)

Chuckles and Chortles

Happy Monday, everyone. I hope you all had a lovely weekend. We stopped by a local tavern on Saturday night to watch a friend's band play, but other than that we had a pretty laid back couple of days. How about you? Did you do anything fun, special, interesting?

While you think about that, I'll get to the funny stuff...

Have a good one!

Another Week Over

Here we are at the end of another blogging week. It was a little bit of this and a little bit of that. I volunteered a few hours with my latest hospice client; an elderly man with early stage dementia who is an absolute joy to be with. He's got a quirky sense of humour and a whole lot of personality. He's also blessed with an amazing family that takes great care of him. We can only hope to be in such good hands if we're ever in his position.

Did I ever show you how the stairs in our home turned out? The ones that we ripped the carpet off; a carpet that had been there since the beginning of time? Here's how they looked when they were ready to be painted:

Here's how they look now:

Earlier this week I did some baking as I listened to music on my tablet; a gift the most amazing man in the world got me for our anniversary in June.

Can anyone guess what is ready to go in the oven?

That's right. It's apple crisp. And it's all gone. Even the crumbs. These things don't last long around here.

And that's a wrap, my friends. How has your week been?

Wishing you all a beautiful weekend!

A To Z Of Gratitude: U

U is for Unity

I am grateful for unity every time it happens somewhere. Even if it's only baby steps. And although we are not there yet, and undoubtedly have a long way to go, I dream of global unity. Because when the world finally comes together as one, who will there be left to fight?

Unity is power; the only power we should crave.

Have a good day, everyone.

Remembrance Day

Thank you to all who stood - and to all who stand - for our peace and freedom.

We remember.

Question Of The Day

I could think of a few but one of mine would definitely be:
"Don't sweat the small stuff."

Your turn.

Chuckles and Chortles

Happy Monday. How'd the weekend go? I hope it was a good one for all of you. Ours was very quiet; sometimes you need a little of that. Maybe some of you had adventures going on yesterday or the day before. Perhaps you'll share them in the comments.

I did some grocery shopping yesterday and, as always, I'm stunned by how little you get for the amount you spend. Prices seem to have skyrocketed in the past couple of years. It makes me wonder how in the world families manage these days.

Anyhow, enough of the serious stuff. Let's get some laughter going.

Have a good one!

Fill In The Blank

...ice cream!

And let me tell you, not much has changed since then. Although I don't eat very much of it anymore. It goes straight to the hips and thighs!

Your turn...

A To Z Of Gratitude: T

T is for Trees

I am grateful for trees. They make the world a more beautiful place.

Have a great day, everyone.

What I’ve Learned In My Life So Far

I've learned that...

We could all use a little of both sometimes. Butter pecan cookies for me, please. Or oatmeal. Or white chocolate macadamia nut.

What's your cookie pleasure?

Happiness Is...

...having someone to snuggle with.

Have a great day, everyone!

Chuckles and Chortles

Happy Monday, everyone, and happy November! We're nearing the end of another year. Isn't that pretty amazing? Time is zipping by.

My daughter was with us all of last week and she returned to Ottawa on Saturday instead of Sunday because she wanted to attend a Halloween party with her boyfriend; a very nice young man. He's studying at the same university and he's also from Kingston, so they travel back and forth together. It's heartwarming to see my daughter so happy and doing so well. These are exciting times for her.

Now, shall we laugh a little? Of course we shall...

Have a good one.