Peanut Butter And Crabs
I was looking at some YouTube videos and noticed that one gal was feeding her crabs peanut butter.
I was thinking that might be worth a try. I have organic peanut butter with no additives...so I tried it. And they loved it!
The Apple Doesn't Fall Far From The Tree!
This is the phrase Dad uses to describe my middle-aging in comparison to my mother.
I see the similarities every day, and sometimes it can be quite amusing, and sometimes it can be...just sad, to think that the stuff I declared I would never do when I got older, I am doing. And I just don't do it in the fashion, I do it exactly like her.
Mom trained me well. Even if now there is absolutely no way I can appreciate it.
Like: stretchy pants and too big shirts.
For God's sake! I have prided myself on being quite fashionable for my age. I don't spend oodles of money on clothes, but I try my best to put myself together nicely.
But today is the end. Today I found myself drooling over these great yoga pants I got at Costco.
I undid them from their wrappping and I stretched out the waist on the 3 sizes smaller than before pants. Jersey cotton with a ribbon drawstring, and a stretchy waist. I was in heaven!
Heaven?! Oh it has happened. I now know I am completely like my Mother! Stretchy pants and too big shirts. Good Lord!
What Do You Do When You Are Burnt Out?
Gather up all the knitting projects that have a couple of rows left to finish, and read...
I am on pg 172 of Harry Potter.
I finished the John Saul book. Yep, "Voices at midnight" is a vampire book. I won't give away anything on any of the books.
I don't want to spoil things for folks.
I will tell you that Harry Potter and The Deathly Hollows is reading as well and perhaps even more interesting than the first book. It sucks you in right away and there is beauty in the background. I can envision the movie winning cinematography awards for this one.
It will be bright and dark. A great combination for the final book.
I am not a quick reader or a dedicated reader like most of my friends, but I believe I am making the quickest progress yet, on this last of the series.
I remember reading and listening to the first four books.
I was driving truck then, and I would have the tape playing and my truck partner Deb would be yelling at the characters in the book as we drove.
Neither of us slept much during the Harry Potter runs. We wouldn't want to miss any of the story. I really enjoyed Jim Dale in the audio, as much as I enjoyed the reading.
I was so close to purchasing the audio of this too. I only hesitated because I would love a set all in CD. My first 4 are on cassette tape. So I think I will put those on my Christmas list.
I am really excited about this read.
If you comment about how you liked the book, please don't give away any of the story.
I put this pic up because it may have gotten missed in the big photo array at the beginning of the week. This will be one of my new lace sweaters for fall. I am really excited. All of my knitting projects are just rows away from completion, and I now don't feel like a total dit for having so many projects on the go.
Knitters will agree with me when I say that I have hard ones that require concentration for days I have time and energy to put into them, and easy ones I can even do in the dark for days we are talking our watching a movie or out with friends at a pub or cafe.
I also picked up a few bags this summer that I can tote my work in. I have a million of em, but new ones are just so fun!
God?
Can you tell me the purpose of war?
It is Karma? Is it cleansing?
Or is it the part of human nature you lost control of in Eden?
I don't speak much about war. When your family is military you have to really be careful on what you say to friends and relatives about war and our part in it.
I can tell you that I am not for war. I am a person who's intention is always to choose a peaceful solution.
Even though my personal choices will always be peace, I am compelled to understand why soldiers exist and what Canada's role is as a peace keeping force for NATO.
Every day I am reminded what it means to a soldier to identify with being a peace keeper and sometimes a peace maker. For my Son and Husband are soldiers.
Canada's reserves is one of the highest and most well trained in all the world. Other countries do not put the time or money into the training of their reserve forces because except for now, most reserves in other countries are never called up to fight.
In Canada it is different. We have a small military and our reserves have the opportunity to volunteer for reg. force duty, even when there is no war. They will do a 6month contract with the regular forces and serve as peace keepers wherever they are needed.
In Canada we do not have conscription and our military is hard to get in to, whether in reg. forces or in the reserves. Most of our young soldiers are University qualified young men and women. High school graduates, and have dreams of post secondary education in their future.
To be part of the Military College in Canada one must have a GPA of about 85 on average to even get in. You can dedicated years of military service to be able to go the University after. Also Military personnel get trade training in their units.
Our officers come from two directions. Promoted through the ranks with years of dedicated hard work and leadership training, or as University graduates who earned the right to be trained as officers because of their University dedication.
My husband Carl has been stationed away at a base for the past 4 weeks. He is taking a military vehicles driving course and a communications course. And I have been saturated with military breath for the last month.
My trips up to the base and its surrounding towns dipped me into the honey of the families that live with war every day.
The conversations usually always bend towards NATO and Canada's soldier pride in serving in this force. The soldiers love their job, and don't have to be reminded how deadly it can be.
Families of soldiers who go to war are like families of Cops who work on the streets. You know it is dangerous and so you live on a daily basis. You don't forget to recognize the little things and you don't sweat the small stuff.
Some days you are the soldier and you are an Angel in the public eye, and some days you are the soldier and you are the Devil in the public eye. And there is always someone in the family who will run you down if you choose military service, because they are elitist and believe military is open only for the dregs of society and one should never bring down a family's reputation with mere military dedications.
The spouses and children, and most Mothers of a soldier know that this dedication as a soldier is a calling. It is a personal challenge and one that puts the soldier into a position to hopefully effect change. Like Cops- a Soldier serves.
A soldier serves the people. For us. For mankind.
Some days we watch war footage on TV and it is not real in our mind. We see the carnage with the eyes of the movie makeup trained psyche that blocks out the emotional idealism that this is REAL.
As a Mother and a Wife of a soldier who understands the dedication it takes for a Soldier to BE, please watch the video at this URL:http://www.guardian.co.uk/video/page/0,,2125978,00.html
And remember........this is REAL......you are not Elite and above suffering.......and people are putting their lives on the line for YOU. And everyone has a responsibility to fellow man.
Wear Red on Fridays to support our troops.
Put a yellow ribbon on your property to show your intentions.
And never treat a Soldier like he is less for the choices he as made. He is your Son, our Son and his calling is for YOUR sake. All mankind will suffer without the Soldier.
Todays Word is: Victory
So, if you have been following along, then you know I am in the Summer Blog-off Contest.
I get a word I must write about before Midnight on Thursdays.
I am doing this for a cause: read below.
Why don't you support it too? You can make a donation by clicking on the bra icon.
This is our last competition piece, so we will have a winner by Next Tuesday!
Stay tuned and please check out the other blogs on my linky to see their zany posts.
If money is not how you can support. Then please leave a comment.
Please follow along by checking out the list of participants at Five Second Dance Party
Three Weeks Of My Life
12 out of 21 days
July has been a full month.
The Canada Day weekend saw Carl leave to be stationed at CFB Petewawa, north of Ottawa, for a month-long course.
After he was in Petewawa for a week, I went to visit him.
Petewawa is about 5.5 hrs driving from my home.
I stayed in the town next to Petewawa called Pembroke.
I stayed at the Travelodge hotel in Pembroke.
Here is the pool in the hotel
This is the Restaurant
This is one of their signature Salmon and Strawberry salads
Our First Room
The Waterfront Park in Pemroke
The Millenium Boardwalk was put in for the Anniversary of the Town.
Currently this town has 1200 citizens.
The Pembroke Lighthouse
Each board on the boardwalk is sponsered by person.
A haze of seagulls going crazy at dusk for mosquitos.
We had to move around in the hotel because they were fully booked. So we got a jacuzzi suite.
Complimentary robes.
The new room.
Welcome to CFB Petawawa
The hotel Pool Patio and Cafe
The main strip of Pembroke
Between the years of 1997 and 2004 local artists painted murals depicting the history and peoples of Pembroke. The work has really beautified the town, making its history and attraction
The River dam.
The mountains in the distance are in the Province of Quebec.
Pembroke is one of the towns participating in the horticulture contests called Ontario Blooms.
Spy the mural
150 years anniversary was 2004
Mural depicting volunteers of the town
The next town south of Pembroke is Eganville.
This hamlet is so small, there are probably only a few hundred residents.
Follow the river to the Eganville dam.
The Eganville Centennial garden.
Eganville dam.
Just north of Bon Echo Provincial Park on HWY 41 I found a knitting shop in the middle of the forest.
Unfortunately I called on the "Closed" day.
Ok here it is. This little place hosts a music and knitting night every week.
And what massive photo array can be complete without a beautiful sunset.
And we are in Niagara On The Lake. Cam came with me, and we went with Chris Laursen whom I affectionately call "My handler" at PSICAN. He is actually my team leader in most investigations. This year Chris is the media relations officer of this Non Profit Scientific Association.
This town has around 800 residents, and has the reputation of having more recorded ghost sightings than their are live residents of this town.
It is like stepping back in time.
This is Fort Niagara. In the USA, just across the river from Fort George.
The homes are stunning. And so many of them are Bed and Breakfasts.
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6)Kyle Upton of Ghost Tours of Niagara is our host and is guiding me and the team around.
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20)Here is Nick Kyle and Dave Kirkwood taking their own photos.
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22)Below I show you the same photo with and without flash. Do you see anything ghosty?
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26)Dave taking pics. Nick and Sarah in the background.
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28)It became quickly apparent that Cameron was getting similar impressions to me. He was smelling the horrible smells I smelled, and seeing things move all around him. He was hopeful that he captured something on video. He did capture something, but it was just an answer to a sound that was not an EVP, or a flash of movement that was not a ghost. In my heart I was more thrilled that Cam was experiencing his psychic ability and noticing that it was not like a horror movie, and was quite a cool experience. He also quickly came to realize exactly how much data we need to span in one investigation, and the trials and tribulations that go along with trying to record the experience. Rather than whether he got a ghost on video.
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31)Painting of Queen Charlotte
32)Chris taking photos and recording our every step on audio.
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34)Remember I was having some sort of psychic moment at every photograph. This photo in particular shows me a something right in the place I saw spirit. Perhaps you can see what is interesting me. What do you see?
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38)This munitions shed is one of the original buildings of the fort. Most of the fort has been reconstructed because when the US occupied the fort last, knowing they would have to push back their lines back over the river, they burnt all of Niagara On The Lake and the fort to the ground, displacing several hundred families.
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40)This is land outside the fort wall. This area is closer to the water.
41)as dusk falls we are delightfully invited to join a private tour of a local Niagara area group-at night! The Union Jack for Britain, The Stars and Stripes for The USA, and the famous Canadian Maple Leaf flag).
42)Here is where I can give you a lesson on ghost seeking. Orbs are reflections of stuff. Usually live flying things or inert particles in the air. I am here to tell you that the outdoor orbs you see are caused by mosquitos, moths, and fireflies.
43)outside the fort gates.
44)I think we have a groundhog friend there.
45)Oh night is falling. Would you be scared to walk here in the dark without any light?
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48)Officers quarters longhouse.
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52)Cannon turette in a corner bastian. I hope I got those technical names correctly.
53)The Ghost Walk Guide's light sitting upon the stone monument for Brock's original burial location.
54)one of the original places Brock was buried.
55)Cam doing his nightvision camera work at the old burial site
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58)The orbs are not what I saw. Again they are bugs. I did see something here though. Can you see anything?
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60)On the night tour I learned some history about this war of 1812.
61)Dave and Chris walking around inside one of the bunk houses.
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66)Night walk to the municians shed and the "haunted tunnel"
67)What I heard and saw here was older than even the Indians we think of being around in even the 1600's. It was consistant, and strong. So I believe sensitive equipment may be able to sense what I saw. I want to lay in the field next to the shed in the gully. Quiet and still. I feel this spot is the key to the energy of this land. This area just happens to be the most haunted and daunting area that the guides can tell their own personal accounts of.
69)At the end we all gather to hear more ghost stories from Kyle Upton, and from members of the group who have recorded experiences.
70)After the Ghost hunting night we went to the pub at The Angel Inn which claims to be the most haunted Inn in Niagara On The Lake. Nick and Sarah pose for a goodbye photo.
72)On single orb all of a sudden after a room full. Makes you go hummmm. But you thought I dont believe in orbs. I dont. I find they are easily explained away. So I would like something more tangible in my photos. Would a ghost be 3-D and reflect light? No. In my experience a ghost is only 2-d and absorbes light, does not reflect it. In the presence of spirit light is dulled or changed in colour by the presence.
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75)This is the Apothecary. It is a museum for the Ontario College of Parmacy. It is said to be haunted, so they ask for a donation of a Toonie ($2.00) so one can take photos.
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84)As you can see. People are constantly coming in and taking photos hoping upon hope they get a ghost in the viewfinder.
85)This photo is the perfect example of how one can accidentally capture a ghost on film.
Niagara On The Lake is also competing in Ontario Blooms.
This is the Moffatt Inn. This is where we stayed. It too is haunted.
Around the corner from town the wineries and fruit farms flourish.
Peaches are ready
Brock's Monument
The Niagara River Hydro electric dam.
Cam doing his impression of Jack Nickolson in "The Shining".
This photo of the gorge looks like a painting!
The Rivers Tidle Pool
Me soakin up some rays while finishing a Baby Sweater.
Sleepy Bear is Travelodge's mascot.
Lovely fountain. The first week I was there someone put soap in the waterfall and it went to suds.
The amazing murals of Pembroke.
The Swallows of Capistrano come back to Pembroke
strollin' down the street
Ode to the Voyageurs and Samual De Champlain.
This mural is on the side of a house!
The townline of Petewawa. See the big gun?!
This one is dedicated to almost 200 yrs of fiddle and step dancing. The Pembroke contest is July 1st.
This mural is dedicated to the day Pembroke got electric lights in the street.
They have the biggest Giant Tiger Store I have ever seen in pembroke. One wall is a long mural of people. Real people! Its sections represent 150 years of residents, in 20 year segments. The images are reproductions of real people, created through donations of old newpaper photos or personal photos of the folks related to the residents depicted here.
Ode to settlers long past (as ghosts) and to the blacksmith.
The water tower represents the town, farms and the railway spanning the land.
We came back from the base to find a white G-wagon in our parking lot, all custom built.
And she shows off her relaxed and adult look. No longer a kitten.
This circle is the center of the small of the back of a very blousey lace sweater.
Carrot top greens!
Crusty is having fun there on the net.
Peek inside the cave
Two perches so the crabs can climb upward.
Crabitat Feng Shui
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