Flowers against Vandalism

Just read an article that merchants and others are going to use flowers to fight vandalism in the downtown of Whitby.
"Vandalism has to stop," says Councillor Joe Drumm. "Hanging baskets will make downtown look better and that's certainly a first step."
36 floral displays will grace lampposts on a four-block stretch of Brock St. This is one of many things that will beautify the downtown core.
Apparently, efforts to get lobelia for the downtown had been turned down for years. Now things are changing.
In Brooklin, local gardeners have raised and cared for flowers in public places for decades.
"People have said that they feel more secure when there's baskets and planters maintained by the town. It makes them want to stop and shop," says Mary Ellen Simerson, chair of Brooklin Horticultural Society's show committee.
Not all councillors are in favour. Greg Weatherdon, a long-time resident and merchant wants to know "What is the vision?" Are hanging baskets the only answer?

Help for Manatees

This morning as I was drinking my coffee and reading the paper I came across a photo that was not clear but upon closer examination, I will able to pick out some large bodies in the water. Many in fact. These were manatees who were huddled near a power plant in Florida. The manatees do this during the winter; power plants are one of the places that they winter because of the outflow of warm water. Apparently, the plants are making sure that there is enough warm water to help the manatees survive this cold snap. I know that people are concerned about the citrus crops but it is heart warming to see that there is concern about these wonderful sea mammals and their survival.

Life is a challenge

Today, I am going to face another of my challenges. I am going to visit my brother's condominium with my other brother and we are going to try to figure out why my brother's hydro bills are high enough for at least 10 households; not just one person in a one bedroom unit. The bad part is that hydro is no help with this. Each time you call, (I have called 3 times and my brother has called several times as well) you get a different suggestion as to what the problem is. The one common denominator is that no one on their side will investigate and we may have to get an electrician to help again at our cost which is not making sense.
Here's hoping that we are able to come up with some answers.

Snow

I think that this winter I am tired of the snow. Every morning for several days running, I have to clear off the snow from both cars before I can think about heading out of the driveway. I seem to be able to get home first and leave first which means that I need to move both cars each morning. Mike's car is parked on the street. Lucky, his car is cleared and warmed up. Wonder if there is an invention that would clear the snow without any effort. One bonus is that the cars get warmed up while I clear snow off the windows and windshields. Must remember to try to get snow off the top of the car. This is not as easy as it sounds when you are my height. I generally end up with a load of snow on the back window when I start down the road. Wonder what other drivers think as the look at the car. I would gladly have them clear the snow off if it would help.

The other part of snow that I have had enough of, is the snow on the sidewalks etc. It took an hour to clear snow yesterday and it was only a slight dusting. Easy to move but it still took time. Let's hope that there is no more snow for a few days at least.

Wish me luck with the snow. I think that tomorrow morning should be pleasant and I do not have to do any clearing.

Old Age

Today, I visited a friend who is over 90 and unfortunately declining rapidly. The past week, she fell twice and not from heights, once when she was sitting down. She is on her own. I managed to finalize her husband's estate today, gave her the final cheque.
She mentioned that she redid her will and Power of Attorney. When I suggested that whoever is her Power of Attorney should have the documents she cried out that she did not want to be confused. This is the same reaction that I received when I tried to have the same discussion two summers ago. (She redid her will and Power of Attorney.) The frustrating part is that the person who is Power of Attorney should have the document(s) and I am hoping that this time she got both Powers of Attorney done not just Power of Attorney for property. I am not asking to have Power of Attorney but want her to do the appropriate thing.
The decline is difficult but more so when the person does not understand what needs to be done and will not listen to advice. I hope that I am able to put my affairs in order and have all the papers stored with the appropriate people.
I hope that others have experiences that are not as trying. I am going to visit my friend again on Friday to do some banking and other errands.

Winter is here!

Winter has arrived. We have had hints of it. A little snow, a little bit cold but now it is official. It is snowing and bitterly cold. The good part is that there is not enough to shovel at least not yet.
There have been alerts to get street people into shelters. I can not imagine living on the street in this weather. It takes a different character than mine.
This morning, I am heading off to play tennis. Time to deal with some of the excesses of the season. Oh, why do we do this each year. We know better.
Enjoy the last day of holidays. Many people had the week off since the holidays were close together and Boxing Day would have been celebrated on the Monday by many people.
Time to get back to a different reality.

January 1st. 2010

My goodness, 2010!
Hard to believe how much things have changed in a year and the past ten years even more difficult. We are reminded that we need to cherish each day and all the people who are part of those days. I just read a friend's blog and was reminded how quickly things change.
Over the next 6 months, I will have time to reflect on the possible changes that will happen since I am working on a contract. The person who I am replacing might come back. She has decisions to make and one may be that she will work closer to home. I may finally retire and be off full-time. So far, I have failed retirement. Interesting but then again, I was not really ready to retire but wanted to move away from administration that was not supportive.
Today, it is time to prepare for a visit. Need to bake a cake- the recipe will be in tomorrow's blog. One of my goals this year is to finish my second cook book. The first one was well received but it is time to do better. Wish me luck with that.
More important, it is time to clean. I am finally going to clear up junk and one of my missions is to clear up my mess. Life got in the way but it it time to do something about all the things that are getting in the way.
There, I have made two commitments.