SMILE FOR A SUNDAY

Here's a Sunday Smile for you.
The picture here is of two of my favourite girls! One is my youngest granddaughter, and the other is my youngest 'adopted' granddaughter. They are the funniest 5 and 6 year old girls in my family. They were having a playdate and decided to entertain us with the Elvis and Princess duo. They giggle and get up to mischief (nothing naughty), and 'feed' off each other's imaginations.
People come into your life for a long time or a short time and we really don't know the span when we meet. When we have a positive relationship with anyone we should regard it as a lifetime, because even it turns out to be for a little while, the experience will live with one for a long while. You never know how much a kind word or deed will impact on others.
I try to accept and take into my life only the positive experiences, because I know that they are the "keepers". The not-so-positive can serve as a reminder to value the good relationships.
Without the darkness we would not appreciate the light. Without the bad, we would not value the good. So we should not curse the darkness, but light a candle to disperse it. I want to light as many candles as I can, especially the ones in my mind, because it's a given that the darkness starts in our God given minds.
A Blessed Sunday to all and, smile. Your smile is the candle that disperses the darkness.

SUMMER TIME

It's officially Summer, so here's what I'm looking forward to. A day or a week or two at the beach in Georgian Bay with my family.
I've decided to look forward and anticipate the best I can think of. I'm still bothered about recent events, but less and less. If something not good is going to happen, there's nothing I can do about it. It's in a Greater Power's hands.
So, to everyone who reads this....Celebrate good times, c'mon! Don't worry, be happy, don't worry be happy! Lalalalalala....

State of Mind

I am slowly coming to terms with the new me. After much introspection, I realize that my brain fuzzies are happening because I must make an adjustment on how I visualize my self. In my mind, I was a competent, reliable, safe driver. Now, after the "unfortuanate series of events", there is a crack, not only on my car, but in my mental image. My sense of being in control has been cracked as well. I am not a controlling person, in the sense of wanting to be large and in charge of others. I retired from that many years ago. Just control of me and my life is what I want. Now that little bit of control has been taken from me. That is what's bothering me I think. People I don't know have control of some aspects of my life. I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop, I suppose. Time and distance will help me to let go and be okay agan.
Adjustments will take place. Broken things will get mended. I will go on as I always have.

I AM PUZZLED

I am puzzled by my feelings of helplessness and my brain is in a whirl. My faith in my God is strong and I know He will help me get through this. However, the frail human me is unsure. I want to put these feelings away and have complete trust that all will work for my good, so why do I let myself feel sad and helpless. It could be Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and it must work its way out of me.
To explain the above....and it's a little traumatic to divulge this....I have been driving, accident-free for almost 52 years. Last Friday, late afternoon, I was involved in a "fender bender"....literally my front fender is slightly dented and the headlight and day driving lights are also slightly damaged. I was not able to stop completely behind the car in front, whose driver had pulled to the right and stopped because several huge fire trucks were coming from the left (north) out of the station. I was momentarily distracted by the frightening sound of sirens and these huuuuge trucks going east (as I was) into the lane I was in. Knowing that I should go over to the right lane, I did that and then I saw that the car ahead had stopped. Ironically, I was being careful to stay well back and go less than the 50kmh (about 30mph) as it was a driving school car and I was concerned that a student driver might be driving it and be a little unsure or drive slowly or erractically (turns out there was no student in the car). I braked as quickly and as hard as I could, and as the saying goes, "2 little inches can make all the difference"that is all I would have needed to not hit the car and I hit his back bumper. The bumper had two little (under 1 1/2 ") tears in the rubber/plastic. It was the sort of damage that you could get if a sharp object was behind you and you backed into it. I was not charged with anything, because the fact was, that the distractions of 3 trucks coming across the highway gave me very little time to react. The firefighters and EMS people backed me up on this. There were no injuries to me and, here's the disturbing part for me, the other driver (male) was perfectly fine, walking around, talking on his bluetooth and when the EMS worker asked if we were okay, I said I was fine...my seatbelt had not even got tight across my chest, and my pulse was about 90 when he took it. When he asks male driver, he replies, " well my neck might be sore". So EMS person takes him to the ambulance, checks him out and says he's okay, but as per protocol asks if the man wants to be checked out by a physician at the walk-in clinic. He opts to do that and goes by ambulance to the hospital walk-in clinic; he wouldn't wait for the police who got there about 10 minutes later.
I conducted myself in a calm manner, I did not panic, although I was a bit hyper, and gave my information to the police officer. Now I am waiting for the "other shoe to drop". In Ontario we have No-fault insurance. Which means that each driver contacts their own insurer. That insurer then contacts the other insurance company for compensation as warranted. As there is less damage to my car than the deductable I would pay, I am not contacting my insurer. In a few days I will be able to get the accident report from my nearest police station. So, now I am left wondering how the other person will conduct himself, given his decision to go to the emerg. Was he being cautious, or looking to get more $$$$ compensation from the insurance companies? I want to believe that he will be an honourable person and not go for the dough, but, people will do what they believe they can get away with.
Now, dear reader, if you have read this far, do you perceive that I am a little unsure of the outcome? I know I must wait, but the wait is doing in my head right now.
Gosh, I am nearly 70 and I don't need this much excitement in my life. Please God, help me to know that You are in charge and all I need to do is have faith to Let Go and Let God take care of me.

The View

I love Spring. The promise of beauty to come. The anticipation of all the hard work paying off in gorgeous vistas of flowering plants and varigated greenery.
I don't actually have a view as beautiful as this, but the Adelweiss showing in the foreground remind me of my Bridal Wreath Spirea. They have cascades of tiny white flowers on the little hill in my back garden. The purple and mauve of the Iris, Lilacs, flowering Basil, Chive flowers and small petunias make the white stand out out even more. Sadly, the Bridal Wreath isn't going to last much longer, which makes the view all the more precious. More flowers will bloom and different aspects will be just as beautiful.
I suppose life is like that too. The current beautiful view will not last, but the hope of another to come, keeps us going. And, like the garden, it takes work and committment to keep the weeds from chocking out the beauty that is all around us.

Smile, Darn Ya , Smile

Well, I don't have quite the glamour that you see here, buuuut, my smile is restored. The extracted tooth space doesn't even show up when I smile. So that is something to smile about don'tcha think? I have no pain to speak of this a.m., but I took a Tylenol #3 as directed just to be on the safe side. Today, with my daughter and her two little cuties, I am going to visit my Mommy and Sis. Daughter is driving so I don't have to worry about the "do not operate heavy machinery, etc." warning. The day should be great and hey, if I'm a little 'high' on pain releivers....that's okay! Seriously, I take very few pain releivers (thank you God for good health) so any that I do take act very well to stave off the pain.
I'm getting ready to be picked up and the day is beautiful, and I have no complaints! Happy Day to everyone! Take care of your health. Be good to yourself. You are worth it!

Owwwwwch?!!!

I am getting ready to have a tooth extracted! I loosened the posts on the filling in my #15 or premolar and since the tooth was practically all filling it makes no sense to try and rebuild it. I am saaaaad about that, but the alternative was to spend approx. $200 to fill it again and maybe it would happen again or spend $300 to have it extracted. Other choices: $4000 to put in a "tooth" $500 to put in a partial plate, or "false tooth". As I am nearly 70 and not going to model for a toothpaste ad in the near or distant future, I opted to get it PULLED! I am not afraid of dentists, as a matter of fact, I get so relaxed in the chair that the "spit vacuum" is going constantly when work is being done. Well it's probably going to hurt a little afterward, but as it's an upper tooth I have gravity on my side and it probably won't swell up too much.
So, my tongue is saying goodbye to the tooth and will have a 'sad' when it's gone.
Nearly time for me to go to the appointment, so an update later. Ciao people, Ciao toothie!

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE

3:15pm Extraction done. I'm, so far, free of pain. The freezing is well out of my system and having taken 1 pain/swelling reliever I feel ok. I suppose time will tell whether the pain free me will last over the next few days. As far as the esthetics of my smile, even with the broadest of smile, there is no evidence of a missing tooth. Guess I can't plan on scaring any childrens this Hallowe'en!

Does Absence Make the Heart Grow Fonder?

I haven't posted for awhile due to a heavy schedule (for me, anyway). Between family and friends I have been quite busy running the roads. So, I have been absent from my blog and my life I think.

I'd like to say my gardening hasn't suffered, but, alas it has. What with the rainy days we've been having and aforementioned RoadRunner incidences. I'm finally 'catching up' with myself after the Vacationthatwasn't. I think my mind is still trying to make sense of all the things that happened and trying to let go of the things that I can't change.

So, nothing exciting happening right now, and perhaps that is what I need. I feel like I'm transitioning, or something like that, into a new facet of my life. Could it be the impending 70th birthday coming up? Time will tell!