Halloween

I was hoping to be posting a photo of my granddaughter all decked out for Halloween, unfortunately my little princess was sick today. When she's feeling better my son and his wife are still going to dress her up and bring her over, why not? Just 'cause she's sick she shouldn't have to miss out on the fun. We can choose any date we want to celebrate a special event and have our own little party.

Tonight Abbie was eager as could be, she ran to the door every time someone rang the bell; it was almost enough to drive me crazier than I already am!  Again this year I didn't get that many children at my door, maybe 35 or so, but that was enough. It's tough to focus on homework when I've got kids ringing the bell and a dog barking. Still in the spirit of what's left of Halloween I wouldn't change a thing. 

 We cheated, Abbie wore the same costume last year. ;-)

The Great Pumpkins

 Tonight was pumpkin night; there's some things in life a person just has to make time for and pumpkins at Halloween is one of those things.

Cheryl, my niece, went with traditional pumpkin carving...

there was a bit of an oops! 

Nothing some quick thinking couldn't fix though.

And my gold pumpkin, well she's quite the pumpkin if I must say so myself...

Now how's that for thinking outside of the box?

Outside of the Box

A while back I was sitting here late one night and came across this gold pumpkin, yup a gold pumpkin. Linda, who is the lady I've borrowed the idea from,  got me thinking... why not a gold pumpkin? So today I dug out the gold spray paint which was sitting in my basement and sprayed the pumpkin and tomorrow I'm going to go to the Dollar Store, buy some bling and finish up my pumpkin.

I'll post an after photo of my creation once I'm done, if you want to see Linda's click on her name above and it'll take you to her site. Now how's this for thinking outside of the box?  All I need now is a chariot to hook up to this, a few dolls and I'll have Cinderella!  Yup, I'm thinking it's time to put my creativity to bed.

Where'd Everyone Go?

I find it rather interesting how people seem to disappear... here's the first week of University

There was excitement in the air, campus was extremely busy and you could feel the willingness and eagerness to learn. This was at the beginning of September, within less than two months here is what it was like on campus today...

Both of these photos were taken within the same time frame, give or take an hour. What happened to the willing eager minds? 

Fridge Art

Elyssa came over to visit for a while tonight, she brought with her a wonderful photo of pumpkins she made while she was at her dayhome today. I proudly hung Elyssa's pumpkin picture on my fridge.

I'm tickled pink, I adore fridge art and haven't had any on my fridge in quite some time, not with my youngest being 22. However, my daughter has painted me some beautiful pictures, ones which hang on my living room wall and I love them just as much as fridge art.

Memory

A little memory can go a long way...

... IF you remember to put it in your camera before you leave the house. I forgot to do this today and went to take a photo... oops no memory!

Brrrrr

It's starting to get pretty chilly out there, I'm dreading what's to follow. You'd think that I'd be used to this cold season that's coming our way, I've lived in Alberta my entire life but it seems the older I get the colder I get it. Maybe I just forget from year to year just how cold it really was, either way it gets way to cold for my liking. 

8:20am and 0 degrees, yup it's almost time to get out the parka and mukluks.

It's Getting Real Now

Tonight I received my offer of admission...

to the University of South Australia! 

This is getting a whole lot more real and now the work really begins... keeping up to my current courses and getting all the paperwork in order to get on that plane in January! This is getting so exciting but a bit freaky at the same time.

Canada's Cutie

 

I love Elyssa's shirt, "Canada's cutie", I know I'm her Grandma and prejudice but I couldn't agree more!

Chillin' at Grammie's house and talking up a storm, I couldn't ask for better company on a Saturday evening!

What's In Your Trunk?

I found it interesting what this lady was putting into her trunk...

Now I'm curious just what it is... any ideas? Not that I want anything which even resembles this in my house, I'm curious is all. 

Speaking of trunks, I stopped off and picked up some groceries on the way home. I got home and left my trunk open with full intentions of going out to get the milk and potatoes. I got inside and started putting away what I brought in and totally forgot about going back out to get the rest. After a few hours passed it dawned on me that I'd done this, talk about feel silly... thankfully it wasn't my laptop or camera bag I left out there. 

So what's in your trunk?

Black and White

 Not all things in life are black and white, today however was a black and white sort of a day. It was chilly out, I got my flu shot yesterday and was feeling blah but went to class just the same and tonight I detest homework with every fiber of my being. So black and white it is...

Even though it was a bleak day I found gratitude along the way, I'm grateful that I have a car and don't have to bus everywhere I go. Even if some days I just drive myself crazy, at least I'm driving! 

A far cry from summer, but at least I enjoyed the sunshine and I know that I'll be escaping a few months of our winter this year, for that I am grateful!

When life looks bleak and things have you down, find something to be grateful for is my suggestion... it's hard to say down in the dumps when you have something to be grateful for.

On that happy note, I'm swamped with homework, I'll be by to catch up on blogs one of these fine days... the upside is that I am getting an education and I have wonderful friends here on blogger who keep on encouraging me, thank you for all of your support. 'Til we chat again, take care and have a fantastic day!

I Just Sits

Sometimes I just sits and thinks, and sometimes I just sits.

I have no idea where I've heard that saying but I thought it was appropriate for this photo. I only wish I had time to just sits!

It was another beautiful Autumn day, the sun was shining, it was about 17c and I had class... such is life. 

There'll be time in my future to learn in or from nature, for now my lessons are indoors, mind you I'll be grateful when it's -30!

To Close For Comfort

It was a typical Monday, didn't feel like doing anything but I went to my classes just the same and stopped off at the grocery store on the way home. When I came out of the grocery store this is what I came out to...

 I waited for the owner of this truck to come out, he did so I brought it to his attention that he hit my car when he parked. His response was "I didn't even feel a thing." No doubt, he was in a huge truck. 

The damage is minimal, a bit of a dent in the plate holder and I just chalked it up to  Monday. Really what else can one do? There's no point in getting angry, nor is there any point in freaking out, the man is a senior and the last thing I need is a senior having a heart attach in the parking lot because I'm freaking out on him. That wouldn't look good for this social worker in training now would it? ;-)

Stolen Life

I've read this book some time ago and I'm currently working on a project which addresses Aboriginal Women in Canada's prison system and why they are grossly over-represented and given longer sentences. What a horrid topic, there's so much work to be done in this area, Yvonne Johnson's story proves this. 

Yvonne Johnson was the only woman in Canada who was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life with no eligibility for parole for 25 years. Stolen Life is a book in which Yvonne opens up, she shares what her family life was like, where she came from, and what she's all endured. It is a very compelling story, one which I would suggest as a must read, it will point out a lot of social injustice issues, many which I personally feel very little, if anything, are being addressed.

I'm currently doing a re-read and I'm getting ideas where I would like to work, or what I'd like to do, once I receive this degree.

University of Calgary

I finally got to see the place where I'm going to be receiving my degree from, the University of Calgary...

... and the doors were locked! 

The course I was taking was up one floor and down the hall, the main office is only open Monday - Friday. It's nice to finally see the University of Calgary, now I know that this place really exists and this makes this degree I'm working towards seem that much more real... if that makes any sense. The course also made it that much more real that I'll be going to Australia in January and staying for about 5 months, everything is happening so fast, it seems surreal.

Now I'm back at home and taking a night off these books, I'm wiped after such a quick trip. We traveled for 6 hours and I sat in a classroom for 10 hours between last night and today. No wonder I'm tired.

Road Trip

I went to our neighboring city Calgary to take a course, a required course to prepare me for the practicum I'll be doing in Australia. The drive was nice, my friend drove me down and went to spend the night with his son, wife and their children. I on the other hand booked a room at the hotel on campus. 

After I was done my course I ventured into the hotel bistro, it's really nice, too bad the food was horrid. I was hungry, I hadn't had a meal all day and the food was so bad I sent it back and settled on a bowl of soup. I now know for next time to take along a bagged lunch.

Midlife Issues

 

While I was pulling some research for this crazy making essay I just finished and submitted I came across this article. I'm wondering what I might learn from this journal, "Midlife and Beyond: Issues for Aging Women"

I'm curious, what age is considered midlife? I don't know how long I'm going to live for so I may have passed my midlife... noooo, wait a second that would mean that I'm in the "Beyond" category and I'm not a beyond, not yet I'm not.  I've heard of "pre" everything under the sun, so I'm going to say that I'm pre-midlife, ya that works. Now I can go to bed a happy camper.

Taking a Closer Look

My niece has had some dental work done, instead of getting braces she's had the Invisalign liners and they've worked amazingly well. In about three months she's going to be done with the liners. The entire process has taken about a year and a half, it could have been completed sooner but life happens. Today after she came home from her orthodontist appointment she showed me her flies on my computer. I got to take a surprisingly closer look at my niece. 

This does not look like her at all, this looks like something we found on the internet for Halloween or it looks like I captured a shot of an alien. I must admit it kind of creeps me out!

The next one is getting a bit better, it resembles her at least. 

And this is my niece, all of her! 

I find it amazing the things we get to see today, things which were only left to the imagination in the past are now accessible over the computer. Technology is amazing, when used in moderation (After yesterdays post I thought I'd best add that in!).

Technology

What ever happened to just sitting in the sunshine and enjoying that cup of coffee?

Have we seriously became that busy that we can't stop, put the phone down, turn off the computer and converse with others as people once did?  Today's technology offers us so many ways to communicate... too bad nobody really communicates anymore. So many of our youth don't know how to hold a conversation, they no longer know how to spell nor write, the computer does it all for them. 

Just my opinion, what do you think?

Elyssa

Today we broke the turkey tradition and had BBQ burgers, they were so tasty! I took Elyssa outside to play in the pile of leaves which are raked up out front, she wasn't too sure about that but I had fun taking photos for a while. I'm extremely grateful I have this precious wee one in my life, she makes my heart dance and brings immense joy into my life.

There is so much to be grateful for in life, I'm extremely blessed. I've said it before and I'll say it again; I might not have the largest bank account but I am one of the wealthiest women alive. 

A Time for Gratitiude

I love this country I live in, we put aside a special day each and every year to stop and give thanks... one day a year isn't quite enough for me, I enjoy living in gratitude each and every day of the year. But what the heck, one day a year is better none at all. 

Now back to my post...

I shot photos today with an Autumn theme in mind (go figure), Carmi is welcoming Autumn on his blog and I thought I'd play along, not much else to take photos of! lol  Just kidding. 

First click on this link for your listening pleasure,  a little mood music. 

"Engine engine number nine comin down Chicago line... dah dah dah, 

I know she got on in Baltimo or oore

110 miles sure ain't much distance

... la, la, la, la... I don't think she loves me anymore...
Engine engine number nine la la la la da da da da, 

You're welcome to sing along! :-)

  (I hope you clicked on the link to the song or you're going to think I'm nuts right about now!)


... next page, nuf of that

These next few photos are worth the click to enlarge, at least I'm thinking so. 

"If winter is slumber and spring is birth, and summer is life, then autumn rounds out to be reflection. It's a time of year when the leaves are down and the harvest is in and the perennials are gone. Mother Earth just closed up the drapes on another year and it's time to reflect on what's come before."
~ Mitchell Burgess

"Autumn, the year's last, loveliest smile."
William Cullen Bryant

Second last smile, I'm still smiling! 

 ... insert quote of your choice here, yup, it's getting late and I still have a paper to write!

'twas a great season
~~~

And on that happy note, a very Happy Thanksgiving to those of you who are celebrating it today... the rest of you, have a fantastic day and do me a favor, find at least one thing to be grateful for in your life today.

... engine engine number nine... oh noooo, it's stuck in my head now!

A Day at the Farm

It was a chilly day today, the kind of day where I just wanted to stay indoors and snuggle up by the fireplace. With P365 in mind I put on a hoodie on over my top, a jacket and out I went, camera in hand. Even though it was chilly I found some interesting things to shoot today... the things I do for my blog! :-)

I discovered the Sedum looks good at this time of year.

The rabbit must have thought if he didn't look at me that maybe, just maybe, I wouldn't see him!

Then there's the soapbox rooster...

"Stop me if you've heard this one before..."

"Oh boy, there he goes again, he really needs some new material!" 

"I'm outta here, one more of his human jokes and I'll be ill." 

"I can't feel the love. That's it no more free entertainment for you ungrateful lot, I'll go where I'm loved, respected and wanted!"

"Sheesh, this is getting old, he does this every single day! I want to go back and live in the house, at least there's satellite tv to entertain us in there, not just some old silly rooster and two fighting rabbits... humans have all the fun."

"Yup my next time around I'm coming back as a human."

Autumn in the Country

falling leaves
hide the path
so quietly
~John Bailey

colorful leaves

bare trees

emptiness

gone

never forgotten

loved by all 

Autumn in the country

Midterm Madness

Today it was time to write my first midterm, this one was all multiple choice and I detest these types of exams... so much so I was up the entire night, well 'til 6am but I managed to get in about 4 hours of restless sleep before the test.

Through the doors into the lecture hall I went with not much more than a hope and a prayer. I am not at all confident I did well, I'm hoping I did but now's the waiting game to see how this one is going to play out. The real bugger is my entire mark will be based on 3 exams throughout this course, all of which will come from multiple choice exams...arrrrrrrrgh!

Yup, if only I knew... "if" being the key word there.

In Search of April Raintree

The novel "In Search of April Raintree" by Beatrice Culleton Mosionier was one of my assigned readings for my Woman's studies class. I'd read this novel in my first year of college and I was going to only browse through the novel to refresh my memory. I picked up the novel and couldn't put it down, the story is that powerful. It's about two Metis sisters who were removed from their family at an early age, the sisters are raised in separate foster homes and the novel resonates what it is like to be Metis from two perspectives; one sister is fair skinned and conforms to the white man's world while the other sister connects with her Native heritage.

"In Search of April Raintree" is a gripping novel, a novel that I will revisit from time to time.  I am Metis and in my own way I can relate to a lot of what the sisters experienced.

I was inspired to take this photo tonight to incorporate into a power point presentation we are giving on Friday, at least I'm ready for this project, the rest... well we'll talk about that another time! 

That Kind of Day

Today was "that" kind of a day, it was miserable outside, I was tired and ya, just one of "those" days.

Tuesdays are by far my longest day, my first class begins at 9am and my last class ends at 9pm. Today I drove the 3/4 of an hour to come home to have an hours sleep, I was so tired, then it was back to the university for my night class. Wait a second, the math isn't adding up, 1 1/2 hours of city driving for one hours worth of sleep...hmmm. 

The good news is I only have about 9 weeks left in this semester... but hey, who's counting?

A Night With The Girls

Tonight I went out to take photos of my niece and one of her close friends. I figured we'd go down to the Legislative grounds, what a great place to go, we had the grounds pretty much to ourselves.

We went later in the day and lost our sunlight fast, I still managed to get a few decent shots.

 

Best Friends 

(My niece is the blond)

I definitely want to go back to the grounds when we have some light to work with, the girls are at the age where they don't mind doing things I sure wouldn't, like climb up on the pillars... then again I might.

It was a nice way to spend a few hours, definitely something I'm going to have to do again.