Go to the Water

Today is Easter Sunday 2024. This day will hold an individual meaning for each of you. It may mean preparing a huge meal for family and friends. It may mean going to church. It may mean watching the chaos and excitement as the children find the Easter eggs. It may mean all those things, or the day may be no different than any other.   For Christians, Easter is the resurrection of Christ. It is a very important religious holiday steeped in traditions.  Colored eggs are an ancient custom as part of Easter celebrations. Eggs were forbidden during lent which is 40 days before Easter. So, once it was over everyone looked forward to having an egg on Easter Sunday as a treat.  Last year I wrote all about my Easter memories. The one thing that stands out and always will is the colored hard-boiled eggs that the Easter bunny left. They were only one color, not a masterpiece of artwork. It must have been because they sat out all night that the taste was different than any other...

With true elegance and grace, Kate Middleton shared with the world that she was undergoing treatment for cancer. During her announcement, she made a plea for people to respect their privacy as they face what is ahead. She and William are trying to help their children understand her sickness. Kate prepared for this announcement for two weeks, and said it was to fall when the children were on spring break. That way they wouldn't have to answer questions from the other children at school. Kate and William are described as fantastic parents. They are doing exactly what any parents of young children would do. The only difference is they are sharing the news with the world.    Kate is someone that I would describe as a "strong" woman. In the next few weeks/months, I think she will become even stronger. She will have amazing support, beyond anyone's comprehension, but each day she will be the one facing the treatment. She is not only fighting for her own health, but to resto...

As you are aware, my TV watching consists of mainly reality shows. My favorite part of the shows is when the contestants share their life story. I have always felt that everyone has a story, and very often it is about overcoming adversities. A couple of those stories have sparked this post.  A young man was auditioning on America Idol. His story was that of being raised by a single mom. They had their struggles, and at one point they were living in their car. His mom would say to him, "Be Something". He was still in his teens as he stood with his guitar giving a performance of his life in the hope of winning a spot on American Idol. His mother's words were in his head, and there he was doing the best he could to "Be Something". It will be interesting for me to follow this life-changing journey for him as he continues to compete. The ending of "America's Got Talent, Fantasy League" has come. The contestants were all amazing, but it is Kody Lee that ...

This is odd for me, but   I haven't been on a plane for over a year.  For over five years I was able to get to Vancouver Island in a few hours. As everyone is aware, traveling is not as simple as it used to be. The point here is I can still get to the Island by air, it just takes longer, much longer.  We all have our own little habits when it comes to flying. I like to be at the airport in good time. If it says be there at least an hour ahead, that is what I do. I have had some scary moments of being caught in a long line at check-in or security. It is not worth it to me to be late, and I would rather wait in the boarding area, instead of running to get there.    I am not a big fan of carry-ons. My biggest pet peeve is how people bring so much on a plane that does not meet with regulations. They seem to get away with it, so why wouldn't they push the rules. I hate standing in the aisle of the plane, waiting to find my seat while someone tries to push an oversize...

As spring is approaching, I was reflecting on how I used to do "spring" cleaning. That meant every inch of my home got washed and freshened up. The same process was done in the "fall" for fall cleaning. The thinking behind it was, spring cleaning was done when you stopped using the coal furnace. Coal gives off a dust that clings to everything. Therefore, everything needed to be washed. Fall cleaning was done after the flies had gone. There was always an insane amount of flies on the farm. I certainly don't do spring nor fall cleaning anymore. In fact, cleaning of any sort is never on my "to-do" list in an organized fashion. When all my renos were done, I had to do extensive cleaning. Like every inch of my house. I nearly died of exhaustion, and I am hopeful I will never, ever, as long as I live, have to clean like that again.  I remember conversations between women, and they would ask each other if they had started their "cleaning" yet. That ...

I am sure everyone has seen the Peter Mansfield commercial. The entire commercial is full of Peters asking Peter about retirement. He had some great lines, and they go like this. "Retirement is not an ending, it can be whatever you choose to make it". "Retirement can mean a new purpose, passion and possibilities".  The majority of people seem excited to retire; especially if they are years away from retirement age. For those that are retirement age, one third of people that retire develop symptoms of depression. It is said that the main cause is loss of routine, and sense of purpose. Some people find it difficult to fill the gap in the time they would go to work.  It is certainly easy to get overwhelmed with all the information to help roll smoothly into retirement. Retirement articles usually focus on money, I skip over them. I did find an article that had a number in it, and of course it caught my attention. It gave suggestions for transitioning into retirement.  ...

                                            I am proud to say I am a Baby Boomer. Even though we seem to be highly criticized, I still like being one. As I was strolling around on Google, I came to realize that I had no clue there were so many generations with names. I am starting this blog with the 1900s.  Greatest Generation:  People born from 1901-1927. Also known as the G.I. or the World War II Generation.  Silent Generation:  People born from 1928-1945. It is also known as the Traditionalist Generation.  Baby Boomers:  People born from 1946-1964. Generation X:  People born from 1965-1980. Generation Y:  People born from 1981-1996. More commonly know as the Millenniums. Generation Z:  People born from 1997-2012. They are also known as Zoomers.  Generation Alpha:  People born from 2012 to the current date. Apparently, Bab...

From time to time, I think I should write a blog on money. So, today's blog is about my new line, "it's only money". I have started using those 3 little words to justify a purchase. I don't want to speak for all retirees, but for me, I had some adjusting to do regarding spending retirement money. When I worked, and I wanted to purchase something, I just worked harder. Once the pay cheque tap was turned off, I was now more conscience of money. I was rethinking how to spend money. It was one of those "retirement issues" I had to figure out.  I am not one to focus on money, and I fit into a financial "Polly Anna" because of it. Polly Anna's are described as someone that doesn't care about money, they rarely check their accounts and have very little interest in money. Words like inflation, interest rates and other financial terminology will rarely come out of my mouth.  I scan headlines all the time. I find that an article will catch my eye...

One evening, while doing my channel surfing, I landed on Shark Tank. There were two young entrepreneurs requesting money for their business. They were sisters, with beautiful red hair and pale skin.  They had developed a product line for just redheads and were of course requesting financial support.  I had never given it any thought that the colors of make-up products didn't work for redheads. The sisters were also promoted the uniqueness of being a redhead through their podcasts and other social media sites. It was one of their comments that has sparked this post. Apparently, it is estimated that only 2% of the world's population has naturally red hair. As you would assume, one google search led to another and there are some really fascinating facts about having red hair that I wanted to share.   1. Globally about 140 million people have naturally red hair.  2. Redheads produce Vitamin D more efficiently in less sunlight, making their bones stronger.  3. R...