Friday, November 28, 2008

Because I currently have nothing better to do...

Or rather because I don't feel well enough to do anything better than this... Stolen from a friend on Facebook... another pointless meme so you can learn more useless trivia about me...

1. The phone rings, who do you want it to be?
Hmmm... no one in particular really, if you want to chat call me, I don't bite..... hard :)...

2. When shopping at the grocery store, do you return your cart?
Yes, actually I do, because I do not want to be hypocritical... When you already have to park far from the entrance because your vehicle actually does need to occupy two spaces, I don't want to have to go further because some idiot was too lazy to walk 2 parking stalls further to put it away in the cart corral... morons... (this would be a pet peeve, bet you couldn't tell)...

3. If you had to kiss the last person you kissed again, would you?
most definitely... it was my boys seeing them off for a weekend at dad's... now if you mean in the sense of "boy meets girl"... well yes for that too ;)...

4. Do you take compliments well?
Not really no, I like them, but I don't take them well because I often don't believe them...

5. Do you play Sudoku?
Nope... it hurts my brain to have to think that hard...

6. If abandoned alone in the wilderness would you survive?
Perhaps, technically speaking I should be able to... trained and all that... but one never knows and I would rather not have to test it...

7. If your house were on fire, what would be the first thing you would save?
In order: Kids, kittens, laptops, photos...

8. Who was the last person you slept in a bed with?
myob !!!... LOL =D...

9. Who do you text the most?
Currently, friend I recently met...

10. Favorite children’s book?
Velveteen Rabbit, Chronicles of Narnia...

11. Eye color?
Clear green...

12. How tall are you?
5' 4 1/2... exactly one foot shorter than the personage I pillaged this from...

13. If you could do it over again, start from scratch, would you?
Some days, yes... overall, no...

14. Any secret admirers?
How the heck would I know if it's a secret?!?!? You tell me...

15. When was the last time you were at Olive Garden?
Ummm... no clue, been ages... what is this, a shameless commercial plug???

16. Favorite ex?
If they are an ex... there is usually a reason for that... well there is one that is still a friend... but he doesn't count for reasons I won't iterate here...

17. Where was the furthest place you traveled?
(people that create these things should learn to spell first... )
I think London, England is the furthest I've been... Australia is the furthest I'd like to go...


18. Do you like mustard?
Not particularly... no... and now that I've learned this... it was used by the Romans to cover the taste of rotting meat... even less so...

19. Do you prefer to sleep or eat?
odd combination of choices... as we need both for survival... choosing for what is over and above what is required for basic survival, and based on current waistline, would seem it is currently eat...

21. Do you miss anyone?
Yes...


22. Can you do splits?
no comment...

23. What movie do you want to see right now?
I don't really know all there is offered out there right now, but I am going to see "Twilight" tomorrow night...

24. What did you do for New Year’s Eve?
Which year?... I brought in 2008 at a gathering at a friend's home with an old high school buddy in tow...

25. Do you think The Grudge was crappy?
No clue...

26. Do you own a camera phone?
three camera phones actually...

27. Was your mom a cheerleader?
Not that I'm aware of...

28. What’s the last letter of your middle name?
N... which happens to be the last letter of my first name and last name as well...

31. Do you like care bears?
sure... even have a t-shirt with lucky bear on it...

32. What do you buy at the movies?
wine gums, or if not avail, licorice... and popcorn...

33. Do you know how to play poker?
I would need a refresher and I prefer to play with rumoli... but yes...

34. Do you wear your seatbelt?
Yes...

35. What do you wear to sleep?
whatever the situation warrants... when, where & who are factors needed to determine the answer...

36. Anything big ever happen in your city?
not really, no...

37. Is your hair straight or curly?
Straight...

38. Is your tongue pierced?
No...

39. Do you like Liver and Onions?
Yes... if cooked correctly...

40. Do you like funny or serious people better?
Seriously funny...

41. Ever been to L.A.?
three times...

42. Who is on your mind right now?
my boys, Alan, Lorrie, Kip...

43. Any plans for tonight?
rest and get better so I can go out tomorrow with..... =D well you know who you are...

44. Whats your favorite song at the moment?
that would be a list as I'd have to choose from each genre I listen to...

45. Do you hate chocolate?
No, who hates chocolate?!?

46. What do you and your parents fight about the most?
as I really only have my mom left, well if she was fighting with herself I would likely have to suggest serious intervention of a psychiatric kind...

47. Are you a gullible person?
only when it comes to love...

48. Do you need a boyfriend/girlfriend to be happy?
no, I'm not that pathetic...

49. If you could have any job what would it be?
writer/photographer...

50. Are you easy to get along with?
Sometimes, well most of the time... others, particularly when I first wake up in the morning, it is best to just stay away until a decaffeinated beverage is consumed...

51. What is your favorite time of day?
Late Evening...

52. Are you generally a happy person?
Yes, I do my best...

---

1. Real name: Dakota Zipporah Dayberry... aka Shannon, but then most of you knew that already...
2. Like it? well, golly, 'course I do hun...
3. Single or taken? Single...
4. Zodiac sign: Chinese: Monkey/cusp with Rooster; Greek: water bearer; Celtic: The Rowan...
5. Male or female: la femme...
6. Elementary: Several...
7. Middle: McKernan/Robert Warren...
8. High School: Fr. Patrick Mercredi Community High School...
9. College: attended Keyano... attending Athabasca University...
10. Hair colour: auburn from a bottle =D...
11. Eye colour: clear green...
12. Hair length: medium long...
13. Current worry: boys having trouble at school...
14. Race: irish/scottish & human, although some days don't even want to admit that...
15. Are you a health freak? to a degree...
16. Height: 5'4 1/2...
17. Do you have a crush on someone?
Of course, I wouldn't be much of a hopeless romantic without some sort of unrequited love (I stole this from the previous author of these questions as I liked it)

18. Do you like yourself? definitely...
19. Piercings: ears and nose...
20. Tattoos: One... want more...
21. Dexter or sinister: Dexter...

FIRSTS-
22. First surgery: laparoscopy...
23. First piercing: when I was little, ears...
24. First best friend: Debbie Trudeau...
25. First award: baking a cake in junior high...
26. First sport: sprinter...
27. First pet: cat named Snoball...
28. First vacation: not counting the numerous camping trips as a kid, probably Disneyland when I was 9...
29. First teacher: Mrs. Beaty... I think... that's a long dang time ago...
30. First crush: Tommy...

THIS OR THAT-
31. Orange or apple juice: Orange...
32. Rock or rap: Rock...
33. Country or emo: Country...
34. NSYNC or Backstreet Boys: gag me with a spoon...
35. Britney Spears or Christina Agueliera: see above...
36. Night or day: Night...
37. Sun or moon: Moon...
38. TV or internet: Internet...
39. Playstation or Xbox: does it matter?...
40. Kisses or hugs: both, definitely both...
41. Iguana or turtle: Iguana...
42. Spider or bee: bee...
43. Fall or spring: they both have their own beauty...
46. Soccer or baseball: Soccer...

CURRENTLY
50. Drinking: water for now, thinking about some Bailey's...
51. I'm about to: finish this and watch movies...
53. Singing: "Let's Get it On" - Marvin Gaye... hey, it was just on the movie I'm watching...
54. Typing: this blog post...

FUTURE-
55. Want kids: have enough, ty...
56. When: last one was 6 years ago...
57. Want to get married: yup...
58. When: When I God lets me know I won't get hurt again...
59. Where do you want to live? PEI or Ireland...
60. How many kids? got 4 boys... they are wonderful... but don't wish any more...
61. Any names in mind? ...
62. What did you want to be when you were little? Pilot...
63. What do you plan to do now? Write & take pictures...
64. Mellow future, or wild adventures: Wild Adventures... with my camera in hand =D...
66. Something you would never try: skydiving...
67. When do you want to die? when God thinks I'm ready...

WHICH IS BETTER WITH A PARTNER?
68. Lips or eyes: the eyes are the window to the soul, they really are...
69. Hugging or kissing: Hugging, cuddles, kissing... all of the above...
70. Shorter or taller: taller, definitely taller...
71. Tanned or not: healthy... shade or colour is irrelevant...
72. Romantic or spontaneous: both...
73. Dark or light hair: I like brunettes, but whatever...
74. Muscular or normal: somewhere in between is lovely... muscular enough to make me feel safe...
75. Hook-up or relationship: relationship...

HAVE YOU EVER
78. kissed a stranger? yuppers...
79. drank bubbles? not that I recall...
80. broken a bone? yup...
81. climbed up a tree? yes...
82. broken someone's heart? yes...
83. turned someone down? yes...
84. had your heart broken? too many times...
85. liked a friend as more than a friend? definitely...

DO YOU BELIEVE IN
86. yourself? sometimes...
87. miracles? yes...
88. love at first sight? yes... and it hurts like hell...
89. Santa Claus? you bet...
90. kissing on a first date? if all is going well...
91. angels? yes...

ANSWER TRUTHFULLY
92. Is there one or more people you want to be with right now? yes, there is...
93. Who is it? now that would be telling wouldn't it...
94. Like anyone? I like lots of people... but if you mean romantically... yes, that too...

LAST
95. text message: Alan...
96. received call: Alan...
97. call made: my ex...
98. message on Facebook: Deb...
99. missed call: Kim...
100. person you hung out with: Kim...

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Judge not, lest ye be judged...

Matthew 7:1-5
1"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you..."
Ryan Detzler, author of the very popular blog "this is reverb" asks his readers this - "what frustrates you most about Christians?" Well there is a loaded question right there. I know lots of people that have lots of reasons for being frustrated with Christians. (This includes believers of other faiths, atheists, agnostics, and other Christians alike). One of the recurring themes I noticed as I read the comments of others was "judgement" so I will start there.

This is a big area that causes me to feel embarrassed that I am a Christian as I hear this complaint from so many. I'm not perfect by any means, I try not to judge others, but I am human... what I do NOT do is judge anyone from a place that says I'm better than them BECAUSE I am Christian... "and if I am a Christian, I am the least of all". I am in no position to make others feel bad because they are not. I believe Christianity and having a personal relationship with Jesus is about showing others love, nothing less than love.

Jesus spoke of love the most, and SHOWED that love to EVERYONE. So many are turned from even exploring the faith, or chased from faith, because Christians have told them they are bad people... Where is the LOVE?!?... It is one thing to approach someone lovingly because you know of blatant sin that may separate that person from God... It is quiet another to tell them they are going to hell just because they listen to a certain style of music, or whatever... ughhh, I could go on with this soapbox but it frustrates me so much I don't even know where to start.

My other, "pet peeve" of Christians, if you will, is those that have lead perfect, sheltered Christian lives and have no understanding of those that have gone through hell on earth and back... (this behaviour stems, I feel, directly from the place of standing judgement over others)... I was not raised Christian, I do not have Christian parents... I knew about God, I was introduced to Jesus by a very loving neighbour/landlady, but I did not know the Truth... I had faith, but knew nothing, and had to downplay even that...

My life was painful, wrought with molestation, abuse, neglect and rape... but I found comfort, even then, in a God I did not know... But when those that grew up Christian look down at those of us that are "baby" Christians, from their ivory tower and act like they do not have sin because they grew up in Christian homes, with holier than thou parents... when they look down their noses at those of us with less than perfect backgrounds... when they treat us as though we are not quite "as" Christian as they are...
3"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?"
...then I get frustrated, hurt and yes, sometimes even angry... and if you are not Christian at all, forget it, you are completely hopeless in their eyes... No, I have to agree with Ghandi at times, “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” But, I am not perfect...
When I was a seeker
I sought both night and day
And I asked the lord to help me
And he showed me the way

Oh, go tell it on the mountain
Over the hills and everywhere
Go tell it on the mountain
That Jesus Christ is born

He made me a watchman, upon the city wall
And if I am a Christian
I am the least of all


Is there a time when you felt judged by a Christian? Or that you weren't as "real" a Christian because of your past? Or has there been a time when you were embarrassed to admit you are Christian... not because you wanted to deny Christ, but because of the way other Christians behaved?

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Life on the farm is kinda laid back...

... but not always... for the 2nd time since I moved here we had the fire department as visitors... Now that doesn't sound so good does it? I'm telling you, I think I moved in next to a bunch of pyros.... Just kidding... really... they are not any more pyro than I ;), but man, what a night we Wednesday night was...

All settled in and basically sound asleep, the dang dog kept waking me & disturbing my pup with her incessant barking.... what is with that dog anyway? Ok... back to sleep only to be shaken from my doze by somebody's vehicle horn honking repeatedly... WTH!!! It's 1:30 in the morning, my neighbour's are pretty good guys & I doubt it's them so my first thought, my truck alarm was somehow set off by the dog (I've never actually heard it yet... a good thing I think). But I mean really, I live in the middle of no where, it's not like downtown Calgary with horns blaring at other drivers regardless of the hour, this is not a common sound to hear out here at all... jig brakes, yes, loads of coyotes, yes, vehicle horns, not so much.

So up out of bed, shushing the pup to settle her back down. I look out the bedroom window at the neighbour's dog running amok and barking her head off... WHAT is her problem?!? Moving to the living room to afford a better view of the front yard, yet I still can't see anything amiss besides this crazy dog...


Heading back to my bedroom I take a quick glance out the kitchen window toward the corral & beyond that, where my neighbour's mobile home is situated...


OMGOSH!!!!!! FIRE!!!!!
"BRAT!!! GET UP!!!THE NEIGHBOUR'S PLACE IS ON FIRE!!! "



I quickly grabbed the phone and dialed 911, snatching a hoody off my bed and donned that while calling emergency services... "Thank you for calling 911... Fire, Police or Ambulance?"... "FIRE!", "Please hold while I transfer your call"... Ughhhh HOLD?... 911 and I'm on hold!!! Ok, it wasn't long but yikes... The adrenaline is rushing now and I can barely slow down my speech well enough to coherently relay my location the Fire Department as well as the nature of the emergency...

Phone in hand I managed to get my boots on, coat on, gloves on, toque and even grab a camera... still on the phone I ran out of the house and ran past the north side of the corral and came around the corner to this...


Holy mega bonfire batman! Where earlier today my neighbours shed & shop stood there is little left but rubble and metal. The fellow from Alberta Highway Services that spotted the fire met me at this point, both of us on our phones with the fire department. After pounding on my neighbour's door he had finally woken "B, my neighbour's brother and the only one home at the time. He came around the corner of the mobile in obvious shock as to what was happening.

BTW, as both of us were woken from a dead sleep by B's rescuer, we were each clad in winter wear... and pyjama pants... plaid flannel for B, lovely baby pink fleece with cartoonish reindeer for me... do we care? Not one whit... lol!

Can you see the wheels on the left in the photo above? That's the front end of another brother's quad...


This is the skeletal remains of a baker's rack he was letting me have (damn procrastinating)...


Finally the fire department has arrived (we are a good distance from town)...



Three fire department vehicles and the town EMS were on scene...


Getting it under control...


The smoke and steam nearly obscure the fire fighters from our sight as they work...



The pumper truck shines a large spotlight on the area, it's brilliance nearly feels like daylight...


The crazy dog now thinks she's a fire dog, they can't have her, she saved B's life with her barking...


The fire fighters are impressively thorough, flipping over the remains of twisted hunks of metal, large appliances and what is left of the garden shed floor to drown any coals in water and fire suppression foam...


Approximately 3:00 am: The fire is finally out, B has returned to bed as he drives out at 4 am for a long day on the roads. The town fire team is packing up after saving the day...


Before: The shop with the stove pipe sticking out of the roof sits just behind my horse , beyond that is the garden shed...


This is where they once stood, not much more than a scar left on the ground...


I think this was his workout bench, twisted from the heat of the fire...


The quad: Isn't it odd how it affected everything on it except in front of the handles...


On the left is the shop door, only the metal exoskeleton remains, the core is completely gone. The square container on the left is the metal housing of a dishwasher that was awaiting installation in their home...


On the left here is an old fridge I had given them from my house in town, it was outside of the shop. On the right is actually a deep freezer...


You can see how close to their home the fire was, and despite the heavy winds of the night, there is no damage. An amazing miracle as the siding is wood. The fellow that raised the alarm could not put his hand on the wall during the worst of the fire as the mobile wall was too hot...


The corral fence lit on fire too, but seems to have sustained little sturctural damage and only surface scarring for the most part. Throughout the fiery ordeal I kept a halter & rope in hand in case I needed to quickly remove my horse. Fortunately the corral is a good size and she was able to stay a good distance from the fire...


The remains of either the garden shed floor or a wall from either the shed or the shop. Only this, a few large beams and anything made of thicker metal remain...


All in all, a rather exciting, yet scary night... the suspected cause: a brooder lamp left hanging over an old couch. It was set on a timer to heat a small area late at night for the comfort of the cats. It was the only electric item plugged in and the wood stove had not been in use for quite some time.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

A Pittance of Time....

Remembrance Day – also known as Poppy Day, Armistice Day (the event it commemorates) or Veterans Day – is a day to commemorate the sacrifices of members of the armed forces and of civilians in times of war, specifically since the First World War. It is observed on 11 November to recall the end of World War I on that date in 1918.

Please take a few minutes to Remember those that sacrificed the comforts of home and their lives so we can enjoy the freedoms we have in our country. God bless all our troupes & Veterans!


Click on the logo above for the official Terry Kelly home page.

A Pittance Of Time
Written by Terry Kelly © Jefter Publishing - SOCAN

They fought and some died for their homeland.

They fought and some died, now it's our land.

Look at his little child; there's no fear in her eyes.

Could he not show respect for other dads who have died?


Take two minutes, would you mind?

It's a pittance of time,

For the boys and the girls who went over.

In peace may they rest, may we never

forget why they died.

It's a pittance of time.


God forgive me for wanting to strike him.

Give me strength so as not to be like him.

My heart pounds in my breast, fingers pressed to my lips,

My throat wants to bawl out, my tongue barely resists.


But two minutes I will bide.

It's a pittance of time,

For the boys and the girls who went over.

In peace may they rest.

May we never forget why they died.

It's a pittance of time.


Read the letters and poems of the heroes at home.

They have casualties, battles, and fears of their own.

There's a price to be paid if you go, if you stay.

Freedom's fought for and won in numerous ways.


Take two minutes, would you mind?

It's a pittance of time,

For the boys and the girls all over.

May we never forget, our young become vets.

At the end of the line,

It's a pittance of time.


It takes courage to fight in your own war.

It takes courage to fight someone else's war.

Our peacekeepers tell of their own living hell.

They bring hope to foreign lands that hate mongers can't kill.


Take two minutes, would you mind?

It's a pittance of time,

For the boys and the girls who go over.

In peacetime our best still don battle dress

And lay their lives on the line.

It's a pittance of time


In peace may they rest,

Lest we forget why they died.

Take a pittance of time.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Just Horsing Around

We often seem to come up with weird crazy bizaare interesting topics in the chat room I frequent on a daily basis, particularly being a group with quite a large variation of backgrounds. Tonight I was asking insanelybusymomma about a photo of her horse on her blog and found out in all likelyhood said horsey is gonna be a momma. That in itself doesn't sound too weird absurd odd of a conversation. However, this is where the conversation went from there:

"C" (6:38:22 PM): Possibly, not sure, I've not had her preg checked yet
"C" (6:38:32 PM): She is in with our Joey ;-)
me (6:38:47 PM): :-D
"C" (6:38:50 PM): For some reason dh wants a baby donkey :-\ LOL
me (6:39:40 PM): and she's pregnant with a donkey?
"G" (6:39:49 PM): *scratching head*
me (6:40:56 PM): **stand beside Gwendy and scratch my head too**
"C" (6:39:52 PM): *sigh* yes....
ces't moi (6:39:54 PM): so that makes a mule?

And from there the conversation became a discussion on what happens when you cross a donkey with a horse (sounds like a bad joke doesn't it)... and this is what we learned thanks to the wonderful people that contribute their useless trivia wealth of knowledge to Wikipedia:

Horse
: The horse (Equus caballus) is a hoofed (ungulate) mammal, one of eight living species of the family Equidae.

(This is my horse, Dee is her nickname... She is not pregnant by any one currently ;) )


Donkey: The donkey or ass, Equus asinus, is a member of the Equidae or horse family, and an odd-toed ungulate.

(The busy donkey in question, Chris' Joey)


Mule: In its common modern meaning, a mule is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse, which is classified as a kind of F1 hybrid.

Colbran rancher Larry Amos watches as the mule foal nuzzles its mother, Kate, a 7-year-old "molly" that gave birth three months ago to the still-unnamed "miracle" offspring. Genetic tests confirmed that the foal is Kate's. (Ed Kosmicki | Special to The Post)


Hinny: A
hinny is a domestic equine hybrid which is the offspring of a male horse and a female donkey (called a jennet or jenny).

(Goody is a Mini-Hinny (I love the play on words with that))


And there you go... just in case you were wondering. A Campbell's Condensed version of Family Equidae (not to exclude or isolate zebras, but they did not come up in conversation ;) ). Hope you enjoyed that diversion into our little world... straight from the horse's mouth :D!

“Don't approach a goat from the front, a horse from the back, or a fool from any side.”

~ Yiddish Proverb



MAWOY!! xoxox

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Wordless Wednesday - First Snowfall 2008
















Ok, so they have nothing to do with the snow... but aren't they sooooo cute :D

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

And so the day begins...

Another morning arrives and the need to drag my blessed assurance out of bed and launch my boys to school. This morning I'm being a bit extra lazy and laying in longer as I'm only sending the seven year old terror sweet boy as his younger terror darling brother had a nasty case of the pukes yesterday and for the sake of all thought it best to keep him home another day. Said seven year old is the picture of efficiency... but only between 7:00 and 7:30 am on a school day, the rest of the time he drives me to wits end. However, that efficiency was allowing me a few extra minutes of laziness rest until this incredible, annoying sweet child being the incredible, annoying sweet morning person that he is, pokes his head in my bedroom, "is it time for school Mom?".... ughhh.

Continuing in the mode of today's efficiency 7yo's lunch and breakfast were both packed in a matter of five or six minutes. During which this morning child of mine has dressed and is helping me. So now, without my morning imitator (6yo) keeping our efficiency non-existent at a minimum, we had 17 minutes before having to get ready. What to do? For me, climb on the computer just to stay awake. 7yo read a Bernstein's Bears book, which of course he polished off in about 7 minutes.

7:28 AM and time to bundle up and catch the school bus. We're all ready to go, and half way across the deck my morning person decides he wants to walk alone. Well I have two rather rambunctious dogs that would happily knock him over, lick him to death then steal his lunch like a neighbourhood bully. So I give the boy a hug and kiss and in that below zero morning air (that's celsius for my american friends, it's not that cold here... yet) I have to stand and make sure he doesn't get mauled by canines.

They're not bad dogs, just rather hyper and lovable, each with their own brand of excitableness. The puppy was no where to be seen this morning, which is ok, as she's likely sleeping on the neighbour's deck. She sits well and is content to be quiet while you pet her, just really getting into those scratches behind the ears. But if she sees you from across the yard, she's a force to be reckoned with. 60+ pounds of fur and muscle will come hurtling at you at the speed of light and of my children's normal reaction? flight, not a good choice with this pup. Not so my neighbour's dog, no feeling of terror as she comes up to you, all is seemingly innocent as she plops herself on her butt, looks at you with her big brown eyes and gives a little whine. But then the fun begins because as SOON AS you touch her she goes ballistic, whining and wiggling and jumping and licking and all manner of doggy annoyances. Brilliant me, forgetting that she is a 75 pound jumping bean, bends over to pet her and keep her away from the boy and the bus... promptly getting smoked in the chin by her head and damn near biting my tongue off in the process. And that is the start to my day... I think someone screwed up and today is Monday...


The culprit to the crime...