Happy Canadian Thanksgiving

Canadian Thanksgiving is on Monday and this is our Thanksgiving weekend. Today I will be having dinner with my family and we will be enjoying turkey with all the trimmings. Because Mom has been in hospital and not well, we're doing it a bit different this year. Mom still wanted to have it, so everyone is bringing food. In the past, she wanted to cook everything herself. That's just no possible this year so she is cooking the turkey (her choice) and we're all bringing the trimmings.

We all have much to be thankful for this year. My brother is thankful he still has his son with him, even though he is still recuperating from the brain injury he got in a car accident in March.

I am thankful for my health. After 4 years of feeling terrible, I'm feeling great. The heart surgery was a great success and I am so thankful for that.

We are all thankful that Mom's stroke didn't leave her paralzyed or unable to speak, though her speech is still slurred. At least she can still communicate with us.

We're thankful for food on the table, a roof over our heads and the company of each other on this Thanksgiving weekend. There are so many people in the world who don't have even the bare necessities of life. We have much to be thankful for.

Some Great News

This is a photo that was taken of Brandon just before his grade 8 graduation. He had just turned 14. Last year he went to high school and though he had always disliked school while he was in the elementary grades, he loved it. He worked hard and was moved from regular to advance math at Christmas and did an excellent job. He passed into grade 10 with a nice round figure for the year's average.

Last week he got a special invitation to attend the grade 12 graduation on October 20th. When I first found out, I was a bit baffled. Why would a grade 10 student be invited to a grade 12 grad.

Well, it seems my grandson made the grade 9 honor roll last year and he will be presented with a special award the night of graduation. We don't know yet how many guests he can have but I'm hoping I can go and see him accept his honor.

A Bit of an Update

Yes, I have been awol (absent without leave) yet again. I'm sure most of you know that Mom had a major stroke in August. She was in the hospital and they sent her home without care. I took her to a hospital out of town and she was there four days. Not only had she had a major stroke, she had urinary tract infection again.

When she got out of hospital, she went to my niece's (her granddaughter) out of town but wasn't to be left alone. Last Tuesday she was given the okay to go home. The neurologist told her she is one of the healthiest seniors he has ever seen. She takes very few meds and is very independent. She can drive and do for herself once again. He told her to go home and live her life normally.

Mom does still have a bit of a speech problem. It isn't as bad during the day but at night it increases...some nights to the point where you can barely understand her. It will be harder to know if she is having a stroke in future because her speech is already affected.

I'm sorry I haven't been able to get around to visit everyone. I am trying my best to get my life back on track but things continue to keep me away. Hubby has been sick all week with a cold & a fever and this morning I woke up feeling terrible. It seems he has been generous and given me a gift...yes, his cold. I was freezing all day today, coughing and sneezing.

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. Fall is officially here and our leaves are just beginning to turn. Have a great week.

Autumn Project

In August, I decided to create some autumn art for my Etsy Shop. There's nothing like something unique and fun to decorate your garden. I spotted these garden rocks and decided to dress them up a bit.

Meet Mr. Ivy Boulder. He has so many wrinkles, bumps and lumps on his face that you can't help but smile when you see him.

Mr. Ivy seemed to be a bit lonely, so I gave him a wife. She would be great to add to a garden or patio for autumn and right on to Halloween. She has maple leaves for a hat, which is adorned with berries... artificial flowers for ears and a little bird has made it's home in the nest of leaves.

Just me being silly, but it was fun and they've had a lot of views online.