Flannel Shirt Feelings and Toes In The Water Memories.

I had a Blue Jay outside my bedroom window this morning! Yes, with the first hint of dawn, he was filling the air with his squawking and chirping! Nothing, not one single thing, makes me feel like I am living at the lake more than the sound of a Blue Jay's cry. Flannel shirt feelings and toes in the water memories... #grateful

 This photograph was shot with my Blackberry Q-10 and downloaded directly from the camera and then to this blog. My aim is to take my reader along with me on the journey, so although I am aware of my framing of the shot, content and quality, I am most interested in sharing the experience.

I still love to bake!
Every time I eat pie, I remember my mom, who I'm named after. She ALWAYS had to have pie! Here's what happened last night for supper : Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie!
There's a zillion recipes out there on the ol' Google, so no use me printing another, but I did take photographs!

  These photographs were shot with my Blackberry Q-10 cell phone camera and downloaded directly from the camera and then to this blog. My aim is to take my reader along with me on the journey, so although I am aware of my framing of the shot, content and quality, I am most interested in sharing the experience.

Mediums At Large in Port Dover, On. Canada

Ah..... A day at the lake! Beautiful Port Dover on Lake Erie, Canada side and lunch at The Beachhouse. We counted the fishing tugs coming into harbour, riding so low in the water, totes full of fish.
I have to learn to take more time off....

Yes, a Palm Tree in Ontario!

Mediums at large!

Add caption

These photographs were shot with my Q10 Blackberry phone camera and downloaded directly from the camera and then to this blog. My aim is to take my reader along with me on the journey, so although I am aware of my framing of the shot, content and quality, I am most interested in sharing the experience.

My Profile Picture .... Finally!

For years now, I've been adding to this blog, post after post.... Photo after photo and never a picture of me.
The buck stops now:

www.MediumKathleen.ca  

  This photograph was shot with my Nikon P-90 digital camera July 4, 2017 and downloaded directly from the camera and then to this blog. My aim is to take my reader along with me on the journey, so although I am aware of my framing of the shot, content and quality, I am most interested in sharing the experience.

My Wednesday Class Visits The Pet Cemetery

I teach classes in Port Burwell, Ontario, Canada on Wednesday nights through the good weather. Last week, we took a field trip out to a pet Cemetery just south of a little town called Eden. We wandered...We practised our empath gifts by "seeing" what energy we could "feel" from the back side of the headstones there. What sort of fur baby was there, any inscription, dates, names.... It's something that anyone can do in any cemetery to practice. I thought you might like to see the place too and i highly recommend you road trip out there. Not only is this a lovely place to remember our babies, but the place has such love!

www.MediumKathleen.ca

These photographs were shot with my Nikon P-90 digital camera and downloaded directly from the camera and then to this blog. My aim is to take my reader along with me on the journey, so although I am aware of my framing of the shot, content and quality, I am most interested in sharing the experience.

Wondering... Curious... Reaching Out...

Wondering how many of my "old" followers are still on Blogger?

Any photographs were shot with either my Blackberry Q-10 cell phone or my Nikon P-90 digital camera and downloaded directly from the camera and then to this blog. My aim is to take my reader along with me on the journey, so although I am aware of my framing of the shot, content and quality, I am most interested in sharing the experience.

Here I Am Back After A Very Long Time!

Hat in hand, I again type in this blog. It's been years and so much has happened! Let me explain a tad:
My own mentors have told me over and over that I need to create and I haven't wanted to, because:

Excuse #1 - I was surprisingly widowed in 2011.
Excuse #2 - It was hard to just get out of bed in the morning.
Excuse #3 - I was busy. My house is a ton of work.
Excuse #4 - I was consumed with my new business developing my old gift: Mediumship.
Excuse #5 - I've travelled. I've gambled. I've loved. I've lost. I've lived!
Excuse #6 - I had completely lost the desire to create!

This morning, thanks to my amazing friend Rhonda Hall Couch, I WANT to blog... Create... Communicate. I can't ever repay her!
So here will start a dialogue with you, a reader. Some travel. Some writing. A bunch of photos. Some discussion, thoughts and yes, messages from and with you, me and Spirit.

Tonight another rainbow in my sky view from my upper deck! I guess I do live in the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow?

These photographs were shot with either my Blackberry Q10 or my Nikon P-90 digital camera and downloaded directly from the camera and then to this blog. My aim is to take my reader along with me on the journey, so although I am aware of my framing of the shot, content and quality, I am most interested in sharing the experience.

Rondeau Provincial Park

 Rondeau Provincial Park

A big turtle sunbathing. 

...Dick loved turtles!

These photographs were shot with my Blackberry and downloaded directly from the phone to my laptop and then to this blog. My aim is to take my reader along with me on the journey, so although I am aware of my framing of the shot, content and quality, I am most interested in sharing the experience.

Rondeau Provincial Park

 Rondeau Provincial Park

The water is so clean you can see the fish swimming.

These photographs were shot with my Blackberry and downloaded directly from the phone to my laptop and then to this blog. My aim is to take my reader along with me on the journey, so although I am aware of my framing of the shot, content and quality, I am most interested in sharing the experience.

Rondeau Povincial Park

 Rondeau Provincial Park

This is the view from the bay side of the park.

These photographs were shot with my Blackberry and downloaded directly from the phone to my laptop and then to this blog. My aim is to take my reader along with me on the journey, so although I am aware of my framing of the shot, content and quality, I am most interested in sharing the experience.

The Lake Erie side of Rondeau Provincial Park

                           

Rondeau Provincial Park was the first destination to take my new motorhome and what a great choice I made! The park is a peninsula that cuts down into Lake Erie several miles and has the double pleasures of the lake on one side of the campground and the bay on the other. These shots are facing east.

More to follow.

These photographs were shot with my Blackberry and downloaded directly from the phone to my laptop and then to this blog. My aim is to take my reader along with me on the journey, so although I am aware of my framing of the shot, content and quality, I am most interested in sharing the experience.

Hello all my old friends...

So here I am, sitting in my new RV in Rondeau Provincial Park, writing for my blog again. It's a Thursday night. 7:08 to be exact, or 19:00 hours for you military folks. I'll start this off with a short run down of where I've been for the last year and a half.

Dick died last August. Need I say more?

Surprise! Widow!

The while before that you ask? Well, Dick and I were having the best months we'd ever had! Funny that….

I'm going to look up my last posting on Secrets For Happiness to see when the last regular post was there. Right at this moment, I can't remember and I've used up my monthly quota for download on my internet stick, so I'll check when I'm back home and on my unlimited home plan. Once I look that detail up, I can cross reference the timing, but I do know that I tried to write just after he died. I apologize for making such a cryptic post at that time. (Eva - I couldn't reply. I tried…)

I'm healing nicely. I've got on with my life somewhat and can function, although most of that is because I met my Dick late in life and I'd been single for 13 years before, so I know how to be that. I'm also blessed with fairy tale types of friends and family. I have never lacked for help or someone to talk to. I do have Post Traumatic Stress disorder attached to the building where I worked, but that was not their fault and is just one of those flukey things we all must live with. I'm very much a cockroach. I adapt. And last but not least, the best medicine; I have my cat. 'Nuff said on that.

So! The plan:

I'm going to start blogging again. Almost Retired Handbook is going to be a sort of novel interspersed with some true occurrences and some flights of fantasy. I likely won't tell you which is which. (I won't get sued that way if I hurt somebody's feelings.) And I'll warn you. I'm not going to watch my language or try to be politically correct because… Seriously?

My Secrets For Happiness will be sporadic with photos of places I'm going in this new life of mine. (Called Lucy's New Life Plan I might add!) I just took some pictures of Rondeau Park today while I was out walking. Don't get the wrong idea… I walked to the restaurant, Rondeau Joe's, for a pickerel dinner! And the pictures might look different  because I'm taking them with my Blackberry because one of us scratched the lens on my Nikon in Florida a year and a half ago. We couldn't for the life of us think when we'd done it, but there it is, a half inch gouge in the lens and more to fix it than the things worth! I still use it for my Ebay stuff and have taken a few thousand pics since.

Now, bear with me if I miss a day or week or month. I still work a lot what with Ebay and my other internet store and you know with all the stuff I did around the house and all the stuff he did, I'm a busy girl. (Damn! I hate vacuuming!)

Enough preamble here…

I'll be in touch...

The Sculpture and Statues Of Pinafore Park

Hi all my old friends! I just felt the need to post tonight.... I'm glad I've got some pretty summer pictures in my drafts for you. With all the cold we've had, I need some sunny pictures, don't you?


The story of Katie and Mr Werbowski will continue someday, but for today....


We are very lucky to have such a wonderful park in St Thomas!
 They keep adding to it and many of the local service clubs donate and contribute.


 I just wanted to show you some of the things!

This is a statue of an actual person. His hand holds (I think,) soil.

As well as the Trees of Lives walls, there is this piece of sculpture.

 I think more things like this should be built! Oh! If only I was a schmillionair!


These photographs were shot with my Nikon P-90 digital camera and downloaded directly from the camera and then to this blog. My aim is to take my reader along with me on the journey, so although I am aware of my framing of the shot, content and quality, I am most interested in sharing the experience.

Who's Home?

The story of Katie and Mr Werbowski will continue another day. 

For now:

 Yoo Hoo!

Anybody home?

Baby Starlings. My Dad used to call them the scourge of Canada. Brought to our country on the boats way back when. They didn't do as well in Europe and England because of the smog from all the coal fires, but one of the earliest explorers brought them in cages and once set free here, they flourished! They scavenge the nests of other birds and dump the eggs and then lay their own.


The European Starlings in North America are the descendants from 2 introductions in New York City. In 1890, 60 birds and in 1891,  40 birds. They have spread to the Pacific coast and up into central Canada.


 Taken on June 30, 2010 in Pinafore Park in St Thomas, Ontario.


These photographs were shot with my Nikon P-90 digital camera and downloaded directly from the camera and then to this blog. My aim is to take my reader along with me on the journey, so although I am aware of my framing of the shot, content and quality, I am most interested in sharing the experience.

The Scent Of Lilacs

Chapter 7 starts below:


This story was begun on Monday, June 28, 2010 and is entitled Katie and Mr Werbowski. Sometimes, I'll still post photographs and jump back and forth, because that's just how I am!


So if you'd like, use the following link:


Katie and Mr Werbowski: The very first post


...For the very first installment! I 'll also copywrite it, so don't get any thoughts there either!
(Little joke there! As if!)
__________________
 Chapter 7
 The Scent Of Lilacs

The heavy door latched with a clunk and Katie turned toward the dusty streets of Dublin. 


        "Hail there lass!" Came a lusty growl and Katie sidestepped the horses hooves and beasts pulling a dray.
           "Morning Mr McGovern!" She shouted, but the man, team of Clydes and wagon load of firewood had plodded on down the street. All she could see of the driver was a hand raised in greeting. No time for pleasantries for sure on this weekday morn'. She must herself make haste in order to get this letter on it's long journey to America! 
   " I should have asked in my letter if Missouri had telegraph?" She made a mental note to asking her next correspondence to Mr Werbowski. Surely, even if the farm was far removed from a city, there must be a telegraph machine for the train? She must stop and ask at the Post Office.
       The post office in question was just a few blocks from her parents home because of course, they lived in the oldest and also poorest section of Belfast due to financial restraints.
       "It will be grand to get Ma and Da out of this despicable city!" She cursed under her breath and sidestepped yet another horse plop. "I must come back this way," she thought. That plop will sure an' be dry by the time I come back!" Even if she was bound for America, there were still many bleak and blustery months ahead to survive and dried horse dung made a nice and cheap, toasty fire! 
       Katie had trod this same path to the post many times, but today was the first in many years that she actually hummed a tune! Now that she had made up her mind to go and her path was set, she felt somehow that there was a possibility of happiness in this life of hers that had before this, been one of just hard work and grime. When her brother had been forced to flee the country, she had made him promise to find a way to fetch her and when he had written that there were so many men in the wilder parts of America and not so many women still yet, they had hatched this plan: To find Katie a husband! Because of course, a slip of a thing like fair Katie could be allowed to work her fingers to the bone in Ireland and die a haggard old crone, but not ever could she leave her parent's protection without a man at her side! 
      Even just remembering that heated conversation with her Da two Christmases ago, she grimaced and cursed! "By the gods! I'll be free of this land full o' killin'!" She shook her head in denial of everything Belfast. "I won't stay here an' watch it na' more!"
   She quickened her pace in determination and just as she was rounding the last corner, she caught her reflection in the windows of a dry goods store. 
    The image of a young woman stared back at her in serious concentration. Slight, only five foot three inches tall and her bones stuck out at all the angles: Ankles and elbows and that pointy chin! That's what a person saw when they looked!
    "Gor!" She drew herself up as tall as she could and her hand found the errant wisp of red blond hair that always wanted to hide her eyes. "The mess you look lass an' you think a man will want you!"
     Her gaze was drawn through the glass of the window and took in the items temptingly displayed there for shoppers.  An idea formed in her mind. "Clever Katie!" She congratulated herself and reached into the folds of her smock for the pocket there and yes, there were the few coins she always carried with her. "For emergencies my girl!" Her Mam had always taught. "Ye must have need of a penny or two and you always have to make sure you carry a few! Never be caught without yer mad money me lass!" This was the very first time in her young life that Katie actually had need of the coins and glad she was that they were tucked in there! 
     She walked into the dim cavern of the dry goods store. 
    "Mornin' lass!" The store clerk greeted, seeming to sniff a sale. "An' what cha' be a lookin' for this fine fall morn?" His toothy grin was meant as pleasant, but Katie only shivered. His chin bore a jagged gash of a scar that only a bullet would leave. "Just another reminder that I'm doin' the right thing." She thought.
  "Mornin' sir, I would like to see the scented soaps if I might please? My mam is poorly an' I was thinking that a wee bit of scent might perk her up! Do you have anything in lilac?"
     The store clerk rushed over to the counter and snatched up a block of creamy soap stamped prettily in the center with the shape of a lilac flower. "Hand milled and straight from Paris France!" He proudly proclaimed! "This is a gift fit for a queen! Your Mam will love it I'm certain!" 
      Katie took the small bar in her hand and almost gasped aloud as she spied the price tag and silently cursed herself!
        "Ooh! I only have my few pennies! Not enough to buy this! What will I do?" The unspoken words ran through her mind and just as quickly as she spoke, she turned her wide, green eyes up to the clerk and asked, "Oh! An' do you have any lilac water to go along?" Her eyes searched the shelves behind the clerk as if seeing a bottle of perfume there. The clerk turned to look, as she hoped he would.
   
        Katie quickly drew the letter back and forth over the surface of the bar of soap, hoping it would take on some of the beautiful, aristocratic scent.


        By the time the clerk turned back to her, she had the bar of soap reaching back over to him and she plopped it into his hand. 


        "Oh! I think I hear me Da! I'll be right back! Thank you!" And she fled the store, the clerk not seeming to be the wiser for the transfer.
   Katie fairly skipped the rest of the way to the post and slipped the letter over the counter. At least the letter would smell like she was sophisticated! She prayed:

       ..."Oh Lord! Please let it still be there in America!"
                  .....Mr Werbowski lurched toward the wagon and grabbed the envelope. His senses were tickled with a hint of fresh lilac. His nose involuntarily lowered to the thin parchment of an envelope adorned with fine, fancy handwriting and drew in a heavenly scent. "Ah!" Tears filled his eyes.

           

Chapter 6 Panic In My Heart!

This story was begun on Monday, June 28, 2010 and is entitled Katie and Mr Werbowski. 

Sometimes, I'll still post photographs and jump back and forth, because that's just how I am! My job has also sort of taken over my energy, but I'll post as much as I can!

So if you'd like, use the following link: Katie and Mr Werbowski: The very first post 

...For the very first installment!
__________________ 

From the previous post.....

    (  John, hands and arms flailed in anguished expression of his dismay and he yelled his misgivings to the heavens: " I've finally found meself a young lady and what on earth will I do with this bachelor's farm?" 

          His worried eyes took in the view..... )

 Chapter six....Panic!

      Suddenly and without warning, there appeared a second cloud of dust as John Werbowski's butt hit the dirt of the laneway. He hung his bronzed chin in his big, working man's hands and wept.

    "Oh my Lord! What will she ever think?" He raised his watery gaze to the scene in front of him and here is what he saw:

     A shack. A tired and hastily built shack. Made with boards bought at the lumber store in town and they weren't even properly matching boards. Just whatever the lumberyard had that was cheap! 

    "Aw Jack! You an' me didn't need much, did we?" The dog wagged back. A sharp lick to a defenseless cheek. Jack thought the tears tasted nice. Sort of like the salt pork his master sometimes dropped from his fingers as treats!  He cocked his head. Maybe if he stayed very, very still and looked cute enough, there would be pork somewhere?

       John rubbed at his bursting eyes to clear them, looked again and this time saw a dirt yard. Not a blade nor a bloom to break up the expanse of Missouri dirt. Not a decorative stone nor a wooden gate for relief. Just dirt.

   "We didn't need any fru-frus, eh Jack?" He patted his dog's head and Jack wagged his tail in anticipation... 

     "He's getting ready to drop pork!" He sniffed his master's hand. "Is there pork there?" 

     John had stopped the tears the panic had sprung and with the determination he was known for, he studied his homestead. The shack had a window. A door and a window and one big room. Not a thread of cloth hung in the window, not a doorknob on the door. Just plain, simple, functional bits and pieces that a man and dog needed to make a day with. 

     John lifted the dog's head in both hands and allowed the pet to lick the tears to his hearts content. He laid his cheek next to this buff colored animal who had been his only companion and ordered:

    "Well boy! We've got some work to do! We have a fine Irish lady who says she's going to come and keep us company and if we expect her to stay, we'd best get busy and make her a house fit for staying in!"

       ... And so as Katie was making plans with her trunks and boxes, Mr Werbowski and Jack began the plans for a proper home. 

      ... And with the planning and work, the panic receded to the back corner of his mind.... 

_____________________

  I 'll also copywrite it, so don't get any thoughts there either! (Little joke there! As if someone would steal it and actually put it into print!)

White Flowers!

Katie and Mr Werbowski will continue... But for today:


White flowers are a symbol of purity and chastity. (Funny, I had to use spell check for both of those!)

 These Hydrangeas were in full bloom in Pinafore Park in St Thomas when I drove through on June 30th.

When you see these, you can imagine why folks think white means purity!

The shading of greens and the white that is actually just the palest of green!

These photographs were shot with my Nikon P-90 digital camera and downloaded directly from the camera and then to this blog. My aim is to take my reader along with me on the journey, so although I am aware of my framing of the shot, content and quality, I am most interested in sharing the experience.

A Journey Begun

Chapter 5  starts below:
 

This story was begun on Monday, June 28, 2010 and is entitled Katie and Mr Werbowski. Sometimes, I'll still post photographs and jump back and forth, because that's just how I am!


So if you'd like, use the following link:


Katie and Mr Werbowski: The very first post


...For the very first installment! I 'll also copywrite it, so don't get any thoughts there either!
(Little joke there! As if!)
__________________


Chapter 5


      Katie finally sobbed herself to sleep that night and crawled into her bed in the rafters with a heavy heart. The sleep of total exhaustion enveloped her and a finger of morning light found it's way through the thatch of the roof way too soon.  She rubbed her gritty, swollen eyes and sighed. "Well my girl? You've decided and so ye'd best make tha' best of it!" She swung out from under the bedclothes and made her way back to the worn, wooden kitchen table where she had last night sealed her fate into a filmy piece of paper.
    Today, she would begin the process of telling her hard won customers that she would no longer be available for their abusive comments and filthy clothes!  She lifted her chin just a notch. "An' that'll be a joy, it will!"
    "What di' you say there my Katie?" Her mother was already at the sink, a big spoon in hand and as she turned to give the oatmeal a stir, she jumped into Katie's thoughts: "Are ye a goin' to tell your customers today? You hated the drudgery for sure!"
      "How did she read my mind?" Katie thought and then with a brave smile she answered: "Yes, I hated the servitude o' it Mam, but it was work all the same and I was glad o' it!"
      Her mother again waived the worn, wooden spoon for emphasis. "There'll be none of that where you're goin' and for that I'll be ever grateful to your brother Sean and that Polish man!" And then she noticed her beloved daughter's weary countenance and scurried over to her side." Aw my babe! Is it changin' your mind you're thinkin'?"
     "No Mam. It's surely I'll be missin' you and Da though." And then an idea invaded her mind like a bingo ball popping out the bubble to go down the chute. "Oh!" She couldn't help but give a start!
        "If I'm able and sent for you, would you an Da come to Missouri?" Her hand fled to her lips almost as if the thought wasn't better to be spoken! Where had that come from?
        Her Mam fell back against the solidness of the sink and for a moment,  Katie thought she might have to rush over and support her mam's weight. "Mam? Are you alright?" She quivered herself in fear!
        And then the future took an enormous swing to the positive and Katie's Mam said: "Why..... Why yes! We could!  Do you suppose your Polish man would bring us?"


           ....And Katie didn't know, but answered all the same, "Don't worry Mam. You an' Da will be with me in that Missouri before the next year is gone by!


             ...And Katie began placing the crockery for breakfast. She had to start this journey she had set herself and her family upon!
     
______________


PS: If anybody's wondering... I've got a promotion and once again, life is getting in the way. So! If I go missing for a couple of days, don't worry, I'll be back again as soon as I catch my breath!

Walking Up The Lane

This story was begun on Monday, June 28, 2010 and is entitled Katie and Mr Werbowski. Sometimes, I'll still post photographs and jump back and forth, because that's just how I am!
So if you'd like, use the following link:


Katie and Mr Werbowski: The very first post

...For the very first installment! 

I 'll also copywrite it, so don't get any thoughts there either!(Little joke there! As if!)

__________________

Chapter 4

Walking Up The Lane

              Mr Werbowski fairly skipped up the lane! Well, if a fairly big man could skip and hop, that's what he would have done!

               "John" as he thought of himself, was so truly, unbelievably happy! He had his letter in his hand, (gently held so as not to ruin the fragile paper! He would never let anything happen to this letter of hers!) And... The very fact that she had written at all, was just so unbelievably unbelievable!

            Little puffs of dust kicked up with each joyous footstep! The cuffs of his work trousers becoming chalky with it! A whiff of Missouri river sand hit his nostrils and plop! He stopped! He looked down towards his planted feet.

           "What will a young lady think Jack?" He demanded to the yellow dog. 

Jack of course just plopped himself on his haunches, (swirling more dust) and twisting his wide noggin sideways in universal dog-ism, asked his master: "What cha' mean boss?"

          John, hands and arms flailed in anguished expression of his dismay and he yelled his misgivings to the heavens: " I've finally found meself a young lady and what on earth will I do with this bachelor's farm?" 

          His worried eyes took in the view.....

So here's something else: I've never been to either Missouri or Ireland, so if I make a historical, geographic or period information mistake, I'm sorry!

These photographs were shot with my Nikon P-90 digital camera and downloaded directly from the camera and then to this blog. My aim is to take my reader along with me on the journey, so although I am aware of my framing of the shot, content and quality, I am most interested in sharing the experience.

Happy Canada Day!

I hope everyone in Canada has enjoyed their day!


             ...And rejoice in the truth that we live in a country that is so beautiful and free!






These photographs were shot with my Nikon P-90 digital camera and downloaded directly from the camera and then to this blog. My aim is to take my reader along with me on the journey, so although I am aware of my framing of the shot, content and quality, I am most interested in sharing the experience.