A Message Just In.........

I just received this message from 'The Universe' today, thought I would pass it on to you all:


By the way, Jim, the Law of Happy states that your happiest days ever, still lie before you.

Let me hear ya, "Whooohoooo!" and pass it on. 

You're so good for me, 
    The Universe

Thursday's Thoughts......

Yesterday Ron and I had back-to-back appointments with our Acupuncturist, Terry. We each had a couple of minor, but irritating, things we wanted to discuss with her, hoping she could help with them.


We have been seeing Terry for close to ten years now. My sister, Jo-Ann, recommended her to us after Terry had helped her. Terry was also a nurse for a number of years.


We look at Terry's services as a compliment to what our medical doctor has to offer. Depending on the issue, we will usually see both and compare what each has recommended, then go from there.


Sometimes we get better results from what Terry recommends and it usually doesn't involve drugs/medications. She is not against medications per say and recognizes that they sometimes have a very important role to play in one's treatment or recovery. And sometimes not.

For example, I am taking a medication to reduce my LDL (bad cholesterol). It is a very potent drug and causes a depletion of a certain enzyme. My doctor(s) didn't tell me about this. Terry did. She recommended a supplement with this enzyme in it to keep the levels up. I ran this by both my GP and specialist. They had heard about this depletion but didn't think it should be of concern. I chose to take Terry's advice.


In doing acupuncture, Terry uses both the needles and auricular (ear) seeds. She places/sticks tiny seeds on certain meridian points on the ears. These are massaged for about a week. And usually one feels better after the treatments.


Let's see ,what else can this 'wonderful lady' do? Well, she primarily uses a method/system which incorporates energy therapy using the 'quantum touch technique' with spinal manipulation. It sounds like hocus-pocus. There is this huge name for it........Nambudripad's Allergy Elimination Techniques or Nait. Check it out here if you are interested.

All I can say is that I was very skeptical the first time it was used on me. But she can determine,  using  NAIT, any number of  allergies but other conditions.....simply using this technique. Here's a real example: about a year and a half ago I went to her about my diet.


I wanted suggestions to incorporate more protein on a daily basis. She asked if I ate eggs. I told her that they have always  made me sick (since children). My Mom said I would vomit when she tried to feed them to me. Terry 'did her thing', Nait, and said that, yes ,my body for some reason was rejecting eggs.


After a few spinal manipulations and holding vials of egg 'energy', she said that I should be able  to eat them now. I said I would try. I have eaten an egg every day since with none of the symptoms I had before.


Here's another example of her 'work'. My sister, Jo-Ann, was leaving on a cruise from NYC in 24 hours. She came down with flu-type symptoms and felt terribly. She didn't know what to do. Then she remembered that Terry does this thing called distance 'quantum energy' technique. She called Terry on the phone and Terry did her thing and within a very short time Jo-Ann was better. No kidding! She went on the cruise feeling fine.

Call it what you will but after seeing that there is something to look at here, I am convinced, as are many of others, that there is more to the treatment of our ills than what the 'western' medical approach has to offer.


Consider how much longer some of the alternative therapies/treatments have been around and the ensuing good results. This is not to say that western medicine is not effective. It is. But in my unprofessional opinion there is more to our health than what western medicine has to offer.


Now wouldn't it be great, for us, if both the western and the alternative approaches to wellness got together and 'pooled' their resources for the betterment of us all! It is happening in certain larger cities, I hear. 


But there is a long way to go for western medicine to acknowledge and accept that there are 'other' ways to treat patients that can be and are just as effective and sometimes safer.


What do you think? Room for improvement in our approach to wellness and treatment?

For Hookers Only

I was first introduced to 'hooking' as a very young boy. You see, my grandmother lived with us for most of my childhood and she was a 'hooker'.

I better set things straight.......my grandmother hooked rugs! Of course you all knew I was just playin' with ya!

Nana learned to 'hook' when she had to do so, to make money for her young family of four kids (my Mom included). She continued this craft up into her seventies.

Her 'rugs' were made from any material she could find.....cotton, polyester, wool. She would cut it into long strips of varying lengths, get out her frame and attach a burlap base, then draw her design by hand  onto the burlap.......and away she'd go!

She would use a hooked instrument that fit into the palm of your hand. She would hold it on top with one hand and with the other hand she would hold the strip of material. Then she would pull the material up through the burlap to a certain height and then as quick as she pulled the material up, she would poke the hook back through the cloth and pick up another loop.

Confused? Just picture a bunch of little 'loops' all over the top of the burlap in the shape something. She would go like the blazes!

It would take her a couple of days to complete a 36 inch by 24 inch rug. Whatever happened to them I have no clue, well at least the ones I remember her making at home. She must have made/produced hundreds over the years.

So, the rugs you see in this post are ones that either came from Ron's Mom's house or are ones that we used to use and 'put away' about ten years ago.

All of these rugs were made in Nova Scotia and most we bought 'at source'. A few were purchased on the South Shore and a few in the Annapolis Valley. 

Most are in pretty good shape but there are a couple that are pretty rough....either worn out naturally or by the claws of our 'late' kitty, Rita (who lived to be 17 years).

So I dug them out of the basement today to see what we had and to take some photos to have them 'recorded'.


I wish I knew the individual designs of each rug. I don't though. But I can say that they are very typical of some of the rugs that were made a few decades ago in Nova Scotia. 

Before closing this post I want to introduce you to someone we discovered last year in Amherst, Nova Scotia. Her name is Deanne Fitzgerald and she has a studio in that small town near the border of New Brunswick. She's been 'hooking' since the 90's and makes rugs that you would not believe! They are beautiful and have taken the 'hooking' craft/skill/art to a whole other dimension. Enjoy here.....check her web site out.

Contemplative Monday

When I first started to teach kids, my 'assignment' was to build a program for 'intellectually challenged' children. At the time there was a 'move' to get these kids out of institutions/homes and bring them back to their communities to  live and be educated.

It was challenging. But you know what was more challenging? Convincing colleagues that what I was doing was worthwhile and important to the lives of these kids and their families.

In fact, most of my 30 years teaching in the field was an uphill battle as far as trying to bring staff on board with what I was attempting to do.

It was and remains a slow process. Children who  learn differently from the norm have every right to an education in their local school and community. And I would go so far as to say that they have every right to be in the same classroom as their peers whenever possible.

It is up to the school officials to accommodate their needs.

Obviously, when I saw this quote it triggered the passion I have for these children's rights.

“Nobody can do everything, but everybody can do something.” -Unknown

Sunday's Selection

Today is a Joshua Bell kind of day around here........overcast, snow-rain mixture and the kind of day not to take anything too too seriously.


So sit back and pause for three minutes and twenty-seven seconds.....you owe it to yourself to listen to one of Puccini's most recognizable pieces.

Retro Saturday

A few more retro thingies I 'picked up' over the holidays. When I first saw this fella I thought it was a 'Toby' jug.....mind you a small one.

But upon closer examination, I quickly realized it was nowhere near one of those Doulton jugs. Too bad, I thought. When I looked on the top......

I saw that it was part of a 'salt and pepper' set. By the way, the one with more holes on top is the salt or the pepper? Guess it depends which one you like more of, unless it is marked! I looked on the bottom and discovered that it was 'hand-painted' and probably made in Japan.

I like green glass and when I saw these two little 'jiggers' I thought they would go with what I already have. I don't believe they are 'depression' glass......but they look like they could be because of the 'bands'. There is a 'Depression' Glass pattern called 'Banded'. But who knows?

This 'dessert' plate was probably made in the late 50's, early 60's. I remember them being in every house when I was younger.......desserts were a 'staple' back then!

This plate is in very good condition and was made in England.

This last item may not be very 'retro' or vintage but I liked it immediately because we could use it this summer.

We call this a flower 'frog' and it's used for cut-flowers. This one has a bottom dish as well.

Now close your eyes and imagine this 'frog' filled with these!!! Well, actually you'll have to keep the eyes open in order to see these. lol

The Discipline of Winter

It just occurred to me that winter presents a few challenges  for us all. Not the least of which is the adjustment necessary to withstand the cold temperatures.

Ron and I are out every day with our dog Sophie. Whether it is raining, hot and humid, cool or freezing cold, we are out there.

In the fall we notice that the temperature is a little cooler and the winds are becoming stronger. But you know what? The 'adjustment' to these changes is so gradual it is hardly noticeable.

There is no sudden change that the body has to adjust to. Sure, it's not as if we don't feel that freezing wind hitting our face and making our finger tips feel like they are no longer part of our hands, especially when we are taking pictures.

We do! But we have 'adjusted' to these changes gradually over a few months.


This leads me to the second most noticeable 'winter affliction'.........complaining. Everywhere we turn, everybody gets in on it. Let's feel better by complaining about the weather! Sometimes it does help, I have to admit, to just 'let it rip' with a flurry of expletives condemning the blasted cold....or in the summer, that horrid humidity.

I think we are always going to find things about which to complain. It is 'human nature' after all to want comfort and feel good all the time.

On the other hand, if we stopped and thought about it though, complaining is really a waste of time and sets in motion a pattern of negativity that will lead us nowhere fast....except to encourage more complaining.


So next time you are about to complain, stop for a second and ask yourself, do I really want to go down that slope?

Or do you want to take another route? Like looking at the 'complaint' and 'turning' it around into something more positive.

Like watching the birds who have one thing on their 'minds'.........food! What cold?!


Or for a LAST resort.........

 

It really worked!