Bug hunters......................

Finally Gerry got a start on the new garden area. By our back deck we had a bunch of shrubbery that took up a lot of space. It was also a catch all every winter for all the snow and ummmm dog poop, as well as the food that I give the Crows.
Well, right now, getting those roots out is a major chore as I will show in my garden blog.
Reina was here again today and she and Tristen had a good day. They played well together. They stayed inside most of the morning but were sooooo ready to get outside. It had been raining and was all puddles and mud. I was reluctant to let them out. By afternoon Gerry had gone to Mennards for the fencing and stuff to fix up the area.

I figured what the heck, I had washed the floors and vacuumed but had not yet washed the rug by the door. It's been muddy the last couple of days and is rather dingy.
Gerry was out with axe, saw and shovel and they were right there with him looking for bugs. All the stones and old blocks we had thrown under the bushes I wanted to use in the garden for edging so..........this will be great.

They got a bag and were collecting rolly polly bugs. They were not at all keen on the millipeeds. I don't like bugs myself so can not see the attraction. Yeuk!!!. The other day they were collecting worms, but freeked out when they found a big one. That reminded me of many years ago, there was a little girl maybe 5 years old. She was living somewhere over the road. The roads were not so busy back then and she saw us outside and came over. She had on cute dungarees and she pulled out the top to show us her worm collection. I went ewwwwwwwwww!!!!!! and she got a bit worried because she loved her worms. Made my skin crawl. I could not pick up a worm, or a slug or any slimy thing like that. (I can pick up snakes, they are not slimy)

This kept them busy for most of the afternoon, until Gerry came inside. They moved rocks and filtered through things, screaming when encountering the ones they didn't like. It's a girl thing, screaming. Trouble is Reina has got Tristen doing it and they see who can scream loudest I think.

Anyway, they had a good old time and stayed out of my way while I baked and did inside work. Its supposed to snow tonight. This area will be fenced off properly like the rest of the garden so that the dogs cant get out.Tristens sand box can come up to the drive onto the concrete and make far less mess I hope. All his trucks are stored under the deck. That will be his play area. He has wrecked to much of my garden things and I cant afford to replace them. This gives him a lot more space. I will talk about the garden part on my garden blog.

Coopers 3rd Birthday....................

Three years have passed rather quickly. To think that Alex has never known Cooper, it's insane. Cooper loves Tristen. I can imagine them together a few years from now. Cooper is rather hyper so I bet he will be somewhat like Tristen with the ADHD or some form of it. Time will tell, and will I be around to see these boys as teens? Oooooh I hope so. I am thinking Tristen will be spending more time at Aunt Laura's by then as I will be almost 80 if I last that long.




They had his party at a Pizza place again. That's not a bad idea for a little kids party. Saves all that work. Can't be expensive either. Right now, for Cooper and Tristen its mainly adults who attend, so it's perfect. The cake was cool, it was cupcakes frosted over to look like a regular sheet cake

When the kids are small, they don't care what the gifts are either and the adults can buy clothes as well as toys. These kids have way too many toys. Cooper was happy with his gifts.

He was not thrilled about us singing Happy Birthday though.

Here is the little family, Tony, Gabrielle and Cooper.

I could not believe Tristen ate a whole slice of Pizza followed by his cupcake

Here is Cooper opening his gifts


Anyway, another year gone and our babies grow and flourish. It's good to see them grow. Reina could not be there this time. Robert had been away for a month driving for Cardinal, and he came home so she wanted to be there to see her daddy.

As Pets Get Old...............

As the current batch of poodles age I think of all the ones we have loved and lost. We remember them on their birthdays just as a passing nod. We often think of them when something touches that memory. For example Buttons loved when we got the mail. She liked envelopes with the clear plastic window, it made a nice noise when she ran with it in her mouth and batted it with her front feet. Buttons comes to mind more than most of the others although Bridget was the most entertaining after Buttons. Each has so much of a personality.
Now as Bodicea gets older and is having weight issues and along with that comes limbs that ache and arthritis and so on. Both the small girls have knee problems and Bijou is still suffering from stones in bladder and kidney. I can not stand to think what happens very soon. Our loved ones do not live long.
We have 4 poodles right now.
BODICEA, BIJOU, BELLA AND BREA

Bijou is on borrowed time. We have to keep her on antibiotics that help with her "stones". When she had the last opperation the vet had wanted to put her down right then having found a "mass" of some kind in her abdomen. Bijou has lived a good year since then. She does have issues now and then, and I know that the stones irritate her. She is not in pain as such and is happy and content for now. She is her same old self so we try to keep her comfortable and hope for the best.
I have had poodles all my life and love the breed.
I get so attached to animals, more than to anything else. I would be surrounded by them if I could be. The trouble is, the more we have the less we can spend on their care. As each of these goes now, we will not replace them with a puppy.
Bijou yesterday

Bodicea is the oldest at about 10 years. I think Bijou is about 9ish. Bodi has a weight problem and we do try to keep her on her diet but, well, how can you look at her face and not stick something in her mouth? Kill them with kindness comes to mind.

Both the little poodles have knee problems. Dogs are just so tollerant of their pains. They just get on with things. Not like people who complain and groan about every ache and pain. They just get on with it.
Not that they have any choice. After just getting their teeth done we have to wait to get knees fixed.
It just makes me think that soon there will not be poodles in our lives. Maybe I will be able to foster? I would like that but could I give them up? I would like a big dog actually. One who is well trained, an older dog that will play with Tristen and go for walks with us. I don't know yet. It's just so hard knowing that pain, and dreading it. Buttons about broke me, I was so depressed when she died, I cried for weeks, and even later when I thought about it. We always got another poodle once one died. Not to replace but to help heal our hearts. Especially when little Bridget died, the shock was like my heart broke.
Well they all had wonderful lives and when I see the abuse out there I want to scream. I can not tollerate abuse of animals. They are so innocent. So when my poodles are gone maybe I can help heal some hearts myself.

A Bridge...............

I have been thinking about life. I know, deep huh!!!. Well this is only March and so many famous people have died in January and February (2016) and now March has started off the same way. I feel like my generation is dying off.
Today we hear that George Martin died. Without him there would have been no Beatles and we all know that the Beatles revolutionized music as we knew it.

I grew up hearing and knowing my parents generations music. Vera Lynn singing the popular war time songs like "There'l be bluebirds over the white cliffs of Dover".....sad, sentimental songs. Hearts longing for loved ones away at war.They were songs for their generation and their memories. My Mums youngest brother had a record player. It was one of those wind up ones that played 78s.He was quite a bit younger than his 3 older siblings. His music was Skiffle but he still clung to old favourites like "Mule Train" and "The Little White Cloud That cried" by Johnny Ray. My Dad was not fond of music, at least of singing. I have since found out that the Piano played a part in his existance when he was in Prison of War camp. Not what I would have believed as a kid.
Then there was Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, the Crooners..........all of that was my parents generations music.

Then along came Elvis, my time was coming. I had just discovered Buddy Holly and Jerry Lee Lewis and then Cliff Richard..........but Elvis was my first "crush". I was entering my teens and the beginning of my working life. I was getting out and seeing things. I had found Rock and Roll baby.

Then in time came the Beatles. They changed it all. Gone were the greasers and the bikes and along came the Mods. My boyfriend had a scooter and wore an anorak with fur on the collar. Remember we are in England and this is the 1960s. The best time to be a teen in my opinion. The age of long hair, mini skirts, hot pants.................London. As much as I liked the Beatles the Rolling Stones were who expressed me.

I was living in London during the early 1960s until I had my daughter in 1966 and I loved that town. I loved my life.
Well the point of this blog is that now I am old and all I have seen...........I feel like if I stretch my arms out I reach out to my parents and grandparents lives and their music, I remember it all. My Granddad being the bass player in my uncles skiffle group (just for fun) he had a box with a string and made a bass..........their singer Mick Lacey had a great voice too. I loved music up through the years that my kids grew up, the Heavy Metal rock bands with the really long hair and make up. Yes I loved it. The beginning of MTV that really was 24 hour music. We had it on from the time we got up to when we went to bed. 24hour music television. The new kids expressing themselves. Nothing was ever as extreme as the transition of the 1960s though. They tried to shock and they tried to do the coloured hair and shaving and mohawks but we had done it all already. The time I gave up on music was when they came out with RAP. That was nothing new either. I remember swooning when Elvis talked on his records, hearing his voice, hearing him breathe, oh come on you did it too. A Deck of Cards by Wink Martindale...............there is nothing new under the sun, but we sure did try in the 1960s.
The previouse revolution had to have been post Victorian days, when women cut their hair and threw off the girdle and burned our bras, although we still wore girdles up to the 1960s it was not the bone and laces of Victorian and Edwardian times. Our girdles and stockings changed into tights and freedom to not wear undies. Yes!!!!!
So as I stretch out my arms to the folks who remember those days to the future and what is to come. I wonder what my great grandsons will listen to? What will they wear, what will they do? Will there still be a world or will the Lord show mercy and come back?
I have also seen that the morals that we loosened up on..........Elvis the Pelvis......banning movies "The Wild Ones" and the whole generation fighting the censorships of the 50s when a man and woman could not be seen in the same bed, to the real life social implications of it all. A woman was not allowed birth control unless she was married and a doctor could not prescribe it. There was no such thing as abortion and women died trying to get rid of babies that would not be socially accepted. I am anti abortion but I don't want to see things go back to that either. I had my baby out of wedlock in 1966 and well, thats another story................Was opening that can of worms a good thing? Looking at the world now, in retrospect? I really don't know. There have been many good things that came from our freedoms but maybe more bad than good? I don't know. I do know that my time is ending, I see it every day now and then what. That's the worst thing, not knowing.........
or maybe its best not to know?

Old Friends.......................

I was thinking today as I mailed out a birthday card to my friend Sylvia.............old friends. I have known Sylvia, I could say all my life. We moved to Bidwell Hill when I was somewhere around 4years old. The Millers lived around the corner from us. Mrs Miller worked at a local farm and Mr Miller drove an ambulance. I have said before, Mr Miller grew roses and so did my dad, they had a great interest in each others gardens. They had three children and Sylvia was the youngest. My age. When we started school we became friends and her parents became friends with mine, in a neighbourly sort of friendship. Later on when mum was working I would go to Sylvie's house after school until she got home from work.
Anyway, school holidays and weekends we spent time together and I reminded her in her birthday card that I think of her often in Spring not just because it's her birthday but because we loved to go looking for the first Violets.


We would stroll the banks along Bedford road and pick through the grasses to find the Violet leaves and find those first buds. Her Dad had an allotment and sometimes we would find a few among the gardens. Allotments were pieces of land rented to grow vegetables. The original Victory gardens that stayed on after the war. Next to the allotments was a home we knew as "The Blind House" a residence where blind people lived. It was named Del Mont and it was built originally by Mr Green and bought at some point by the Durnfords.

Carrie Durnford (now King) lived there and on occassion we would play there. Well I guess one day we were playing there and dancing on the roof of the pig stye.......the roof caved in. We all ran (so Carrie says) and her brother David got blamed for it and he wasn't even there. I may add that Carrie King has written a very good childrens book "Joni Pip".
I can't remember if I told the story of the crazy bull before but that was when I was with Sylvia. She for some reason was off school that day but she was not sick when she walked back to school with me. She was going as far as the High street and we got there via "The little lane". On either side were cow fields and trees lined the pathway. We were taking turns skipping (a rope) and it was my turn. Well we noticed a cow (it was a bull) racing around it's field, it was running and running and we stopped to watch. I carried on walking and saw it clear the gate............lucky for me it ran the other way towards the village. I turned and Sylvia was gone. I ran home and asked a man to walk me to school. He held my hand and took me to the High st and I continued on my way. I found out later the bull was shot by the farmer at the top of the road opposite the school.So much for the fears of children, I had no qualms asking a man to help me. He lived on Bidwell Hill, I didn't know him but he was a familiar face.

(The picture is Rabbit Lane, another lane that was a short cut we took during those days, simular to our "Little Lane")
There were a couple of other girls that I knew and played with sometimes, Pat and Ila lived next door to each other so I didn't see them so much but we would play school sometimes.
The first friend I met was Jennifer Bright. She lived at the end of the street overlooking Bedford Road and near one of our favourite places to play "The Steps". These were a flight of two sets of steps leading down to the road from the estate of Bidwell Hill. Many years ago there was a village of Bidwell. Long gone in our day but still the name stayed. Jenn and I met, and I can see it to this day, right after we moved into our house. Her mum came to meet my mum and Jenn hid behind her mum and I hid behind mine and we peeped out at each other from our mothers aprons. We were both around 4 or 5 years old. We are friends to this day. She moved into a house in the village and I can see her mum at the door when I went to ask if Jennifer could come out to play. Across the road lived her Auntie Flo in a tiny village cottage. Most of these places are gone now. The village is not what it was back then. They still had gas lights in the streets and in many of the houses back in the 1950s. I see Auntie Flo giving Jenn a wash down in from a bowl on the table. Jenn was wearing a liberty bodice as was I. I am sure todays kids would be shocked.
My next longest friendship was with Margaret Dryden from Grove Farm, Bidwell. Her mum met mine via the shops. Mum worked in several different village shops over the years and I have no idea of the time lines, I think she got through every shop in the village at one time or other.
Well anyway, somehow she met Mrs Dryden and Margaret would have to come to the village on the Bedford bus. They arranged for her to wait at my house and walk to school with me. Same when we got out of school, she would wait until it was time to catch the Bedford bus home again.
Once we became friends we were practically inseperable, we went from our days down on the farm to our dancing days at the Cali (California Ballroom).

She was like a sister to me. She had a younger brother and sister and we would all hang out together on the farm, but Margaret would come away on holidays with me every year once we started to do that. That's another story though. Old friends...........nothing better.

Living with ADHD..........................

Tristen has ADHD. We suspected early on but it was not until he started school that it was confirmed. I really really did not want to take the route of medication. It goes against all I believe in. I dont think it's a good message to take a pill for everything that's wrong in life. After all, how then can we tell them not to take drugs? Just say NO but take one so you can function. I believe in self control and working on self improvement. We tried working on diet as I do believe that has a lot to do with the issue. Today it's difficult to find food that does not have preservatives, sugar or other additives in it. Not just that but the added chemicals, the growth hormones and now even the structure of food is changing. They take the DNA of one thing and add it to another to essentially make the item either pest resistant or what ever else the problem is in farming the item. Then they add colour made from goodness knows what to make it look better.
We wonder why our children mature early and yet they are fed animal products laced with hormones. The meat becomes what the creature itself is eating. Just as what goes into the earth will get into the veggies we eat. Things are added to the water we drink and we get shots to prevent diseases (and I am all for that) and all of that is added to our bodies to cope with. So where as in years gone by a child might be a bit hyper or on a sugar high as they would say, it was nowhere near what it is now. The number of children diagnosed is incredible.
What are we doing to our kids? Can we avoid it? I tried. I really tried. My son Justin had a form of ADHD but nothing like as bad as Tristen. Justin made it through school and the Marine Corps and College without medication. That says a great deal for his character. He had to work 3 times as hard as his brother to get the grades he wanted, but he did and got a Masters degree in Electronical engineering. I had high hopes Tristen could do the same.
Tristen though is a whole different story. His mother had ADHD along with other personality issues and again, not like this.
We give Tristen his pill in the mornings and the only effect we have seen is some nights its difficult to get to sleep. He also has problems with food, and eating. He does not eat well. Side effects of the drug. We are working on that.
This weekend, on Saturday we didn't give him his pill. The effect was scary. He was violent and almost as though he was autistic. He was mean, abusive and beligerant. Not at all my lovely little boy. Tristen has always been very loving, funny and fun to be with. As he has grown though he has become more and more out of control. We had to take him out of preschool because they could not control him. Young 5s had to deal with him but by the end of the year they insisted on testing him. I consulted his doctor and we decided to try the medication. At home we could still deal with him and he was not too beligerant with us so I had originally thought it was discipline that was more the problem at school. That all changed in time. The older he got, the worse he got, he was hitting kids and could not say why. He has a different doctor this year, she is much more involved and interested. She understands and has a child with the same issues. So we tried a higher dose and it was a charm.
I originally wanted to keep him off of the meds on weekends and holidays and that worked for a time. Now, it no longer works. It is not fair to Tristen. I can not imagine how he must feel. He says that he cant control it, his head wont do what he wants. He saw a psychologist and the guy was very impressed with him. The doctor said Tristen was able to very accurately describe what happens in his head and he was very insightful for one so young. He does not need to continue to see that doctor but I think it helped him and me in the beginning. The doctor he is seeing now is very much for keeping him on the meds and could tell he had not taken his meds last time we met to renew them. I can not now see taking him off them even on weekends. We loose complete control of him.
So.................this evening was his school conference. His teacher is so proud of him. She says he has done 100% better. His favourite thing is math and she says he is good at it. He is getting on well with his writing and is popular and has friends now. No one wanted anything to do with him before because he was always in trouble. I mean EVERY day.
As I said, Saturday was BAD. We gave him a pill on Sunday and he was a lot better but not so much by the end of the day when it wore off and he would not sleep. Monday he was in trouble at School. His teacher didn't know what happened, he punched someone in the face on the playground and was in the office the rest of the day. I got a note home a formal complaint.
I can only think that taking him off for one day had long range consequences. He would not talk about it Monday. I did ask the next day and he explained a little bit. So........ there we have it. I do not know how we will proceed long term but for now we will keep on this track and keep in mind he may need to up the dose as he gets bigger.
Meanwhile these are his school reports.










He is saying First get a tube (toob)

Next go up a hill and then sit on the tube.

When they had free time he chose to read, his teacher was very thrilled with that.

She says she takes pictures all the time and is making a scrap book for the end of the year. How sweet.

Dudley......................

I am in love with a cow. Well actually he is not a she, so is a bull, or bullock. He lives at the Gentle Barn in Tennessee. I can't remember when I first began to watch the Gentle Barns daily posts on Facebook, but it's been awhile now. They have some unique animals there, but the one who stole my heart is Dudley.


So Dudley became my reason for no longer eating beef or pork. I can no longer in good concience eat these beautiful animals. This has been coming for a long time. Once before we gave up meat after seeing those horrific feed lots when we went out west. I think we did quite well for almost 7 years. Then when I had to cook for other people I got back into cooking meat again. I have to say I just love beef. I love Pork. It won't be easy and I am sure we will break down now and then. Probably when we go out to eat, not that that happens much.
The Gentle Barn in Tennessee also has a couple of pigs that are a hoot but it was Dudley who decided me.

What a face. Dudley has a friend named Destiny. She too has a story. They are a couple now and inseperable.

Dudley wants a kiss

The life that they have now is a good one, bless them.

Dudley is my love but Henry and Horton the two pigs also have a great story.

Good morning everyone! Hope you have a happy day. From Henry and Horton. #GBTennessee#piggies#teamdudleywww.gentlebarn.org

Posted by The Gentle Barn on Monday, July 13, 2015

They have grown into pig piggies now. They have a great life and wonderful food. It looks good enough for me. All the fruits and veggies, they sleep with their own blankets in a lovely bed of hay. If only all animals could live like these. They are ensured a healthy and good life and thats as it should be.

Some day I want to get down to Tennessee. I must get to meet Dudley.

We are here building the fence for our newly rescued pigs and Dudley's helping by reassuring and loving Destiny. Thanks Dudley, good job!#GBTennessee#teamdudley #ourdestiny#begentle

Posted by The Gentle Barn on Tuesday, July 7, 2015

He is such a love.

You can't see it, but there is a fence between Dudley and the truck. Watch how Dudley stops the ball from going under...

Posted by The Gentle Barn on Thursday, June 11, 2015

I could show Dudley videos for hours but I better wrap it up for now.

A Visit to Donna.........................

All summer we have been wanting to stop out and see my friend Donna. She lives out in our favourite area and usually we are on our way home by the time we pass her house. That means kids are dirty and cranky.So we never seem to make it. Well.....Kim, Donns's wonderful talented husband made me a bowl for my yarn. It is made of wood and is just beautiful.Can you imagine the talent and generosity, to give it away as a gift.



So Laura and I had a day that we could get away. Tristen and Reina were in school. Gerry was home to pick him up and so off we went.

The day was nice enough, the skys were lowering, moody and quite beautiful. It was a little windy but not worrisome. So we set out for Donna's.
I have known her for a good many years, we both worked at Empire bank although not together. We attended the same bank events and the last time we actually went to a get together was many years ago. We went to a party at Carrlins parents cottage on Glen Lake.
We reconnected on Facebook and she has reprimanded us for not stopping out there yet. So with a mission at hand we set off.
Donna made us a wonderful lunch of home made hummas, pita chips, scones (the best I ever tasted) and fruit, cheese and veggies. I had wanted Laura to be able to see her beautiful home, so this was a great opportunity.
Kim made us coffee that was delicious. Donna's home is a log house and Kim did all the work. He is very handy and is also a great cook. Donna is a lucky lady.
They called Carrlin who lives next door to come over, so we had a nice visit. Donna wants us to take the kids, she want's to meet Tristen. They will have a great time there as it's on acreage and Kim has built a play house.They will be ecstatic.
When we finally said goodbye and I had a look at Kims wood shop before we set off for home. It was snowing by then and the wind was up.

It got worse

and worse until we could barely see a thing. Some idiot in a truck passed us. Can you believe that.

Closer to town it was not quite so bad, but still it was difficult to see. Laura did a great job of staying on the road against the odds. We arrived home safe and sound and very thankful.