right click the download link and open in a new webpage, then you won't be taken away from today's blog entry!

Download barbderksen_summertapes.zip

Well, I'm messed up right now... something that happened called a floating accident. No, I didn't say a boating accident, a floating accident. Miles challenged me to a flying leap onto one of our silver floaties, but my body chickened out in midair, above the thing, and I wound up hitting it on an angle, knee extended... I heard/felt something 'go' and now I've pulled something. Ugh. I pray it heals quickly!

Miles was speaking my love language this weekend - can you say "yard sales"?

I don't think he necessarily enjoys ferrying me around the back streets of our tourist saturated community in the sticky hot heat. I think he could find a thousand other things he would like to get into - especially now that he's got his plate almost completely uncluttered. But he knows that there's nothing I like more than finding 'the deal' The deal can morph from a piece of furniture, to jewellery, to a unique vase, clothing or - well, let your imagination run wild.

Its not essentially the item bought and paid for... its the hunt. I really don' t have a need for anything - particularly in the clothing department. I could easily eliminate one half of my clothing and not miss a thing. I need the folks from What Not to Wear to come and do a tune-up on my wardrobe. In the meantime, I will just have to go through it all in the fall, when the weather gets cooler and bless the local thrift store back with the many items I bought there in the first place. Its recycling, a good thing, right?

And anything vintage would be a 'must buy' for me. I am a sucker for the old and unusual.

click picture to see larger

Like, I'm always on the lookout for something like these... platinum and golden beaded eyelashes - a girl's got to have 'em!

So, what did I find today (that I don't need) It was a sparse day for me. I found a lovely pair of black stretch jeans, a clock/radio and a pottery vase that looks exactly like a crumpled paper bag. Way cool. So cool that it caused an longing, envious remark from another saler who just missed it. I can post a photo if you would like - a comment might motivate me friends.

So, I've been learning Adobe Illustrator, under the watchful and helpful eye of my brainy husband. Thank goodness for him, as I flounder at some stages and need him to push my mental wheel out of the rut every now and again. I'm somewhat familiar with the commands as I've used Microsoft Expressions for a while now, but Illustrator is much more evolved and complicated. In case you are not familiar with the program, you might want to visit the following website of Yukio Miyamoto - the Master of Illustrator, to see the potential! Just click on the following link! (if you right click and open his site in a new window then you won't be taken away from this blog entry)

http://www.bekkoame.ne.jp/~yukio-m/intro/index.html

Today's pics are of some lenticular clouds we saw in the evening sky a few days ago. I've always been fascinated by them and so after processing these photos I just had to go and look them up. This is what I've learned:

Lenticular clouds are formally known as altocumulus standing lenticularis. They are stationary and they are normally lined up at right angles to the wind direction. When stable damp air flows over a mountain or a range of mountains, a bunch of prominent standing waves may form on the downwind side. Lenticular clouds sometimes build at the crests of these waves. Under some conditions, long strings of lenticular clouds can be created, forming a formation known as a wave cloud.

Some plane pilots avoid flying near lenticular clouds because of the turbulence of the rotor systems that come with them, but sailplane pilots actually seek them out, because though the clouds can produce heavy turbulence they also show a sign of precipitation. These systems of atmospheric standing waves that cause "lennies" (as they are sometimes familiarly called) also involve great vertical air movements, and the very location of the rising air mass is fairly easy to predict from the position of the clouds. "Wave lift" of this sort is often so smooth and strong, and allows gliders to soar to singular altitudes and great distances. The current gliding world records for both distance (over 3,000km) and altitude (14,938m) were set using such lift!

And of course, to find out the real scoop on clouds, I referred to 'the book'... my bible, to see what I could glean there... and it was an eye and ear opener! For starters, God's clouds can be a reminder to us anytime we see them, of His covenant with us.

Genesis 9:16
Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.

God himself, hid himself in the form of a cloud (and fire at night) to guide His people to safety.

Exodus 13:21
By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night.

He stayed and protected His people in the form of cloud and fire - surrounding them with His safety always.

Exodus 14:19
Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel's army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them,

His cloud provided the light to His people, while creating darkness for the enemy.

Exodus 14:20
Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.

And our Lord God may watch us from a cloud.

Exodus 14:24
During the last watch of the night the LORD looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion.

In fact the Lord himself tells Moses He will appear in a cloud so the people will believe in what Moses says:

Exodus 19:9
The LORD said to Moses, "I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear me speaking with you and will always put their trust in you."

He hides in clouds, He dwells in clouds, He creates the clouds, He loads them with moisture and lightening, He uses them to punish us - or to water the earth to show His love.

1 Kings 8:12
2 Chronicles 6:1
Job 37:11

Job 37:13

He brings the clouds to punish men,

or to water his earth and show his love.

At any rate, there's nothing subtle about God and clouds. He created them and uses them in so many ways. Can you not look at a cloud and marvel and wonder? I can imagine Him hiding in the little wispy, whimsical clouds - to me they're like a playful reminder of Him, did he create these sort to whisper "hello, My Child?" The clouds I imagine Him riding on and hiding in are the big fat fluffy clouds - Cumulus clouds - the sort that look like heaps of soft, white mashed potatoes. I can also easily see God in the powerful Thunderclouds - His voice the booming sound, his presence in the brilliant flash of lightening produced. The sky His canvas, His artwork the cloudscapes He creates - no one exactly the same, ever changing with the atmospheric conditions. He's ever present, everlasting. His creation changes, but God does not.

And this brings to my mind and lips, a powerful worship song you may have heard:

DAYS OF ELIJAH

by Robin Mark

These are the days of Elijah Declaring the Word of the Lord
And these are the days of your servant Moses Righteousness being restored
And though these are days of great trials Of famine and darkness and sword
Still we are the voice in the desert crying Prepare ye the way of the Lord!

Behold He comes!

Riding on the clouds!

Shining like the sun!

At the trumpet call Lift your voice!

It's the year of Jubilee!

And out of Zion's hill salvation comes!

And these are the days of Ezekiel The dry bones becoming as flesh
And these are the days of your servant David Rebuilding a temple of praise
And these are the days of the harvest The fields are as white in the world
And we are the labourers in your vineyard Declaring the word of the Lord!

Behold He comes!

Riding on the clouds!

Shining like the sun!

At the trumpet call Lift your voice!

It's the year of Jubilee!

And out of Zion's hill salvation comes!

There's no God like Jehovah!
There's no God like Jehovah!
There's no God like Jehovah!
There's no God like Jehovah! (Repeat 3 times)

Behold He comes!

Riding on the clouds!

Shining like the sun!

At the trumpet call Lift your voice!

It's the year of Jubilee!

And out of Zion's hill salvation comes!

Have a Blessed Day, my friends! I will be popping in and out during the next few weeks, to bring you small goodies and I have some mucho interesting articles and sites to share. Thanks for visiting me today.

photo by our daughter Melanie

(on her cell phone, no less!)

Baby its hot!

We are grilling - no, not food, its ourselves. I know we're not alone either. BC is experiencing a heat wave - not too unusual for summer, especially us living in the Okanagan, and more specifically in Canada's only pocket desert. What is unusual is that our parent's hometown of Abbotsford, at the coast, is as hot as here. Mom hates heat and wind, and this week they're having more than their share of it.

Luckily for us, we've got our beautiful lake (the warmest freshwater lake in all of Canada) to cool off in. I took advantage of that fact twice yesterday. Once intentionally, the second time on impulse. The first dousing came in the mid-afternoon to wash off the heat and dust of an excursion into town. Miles had an appointment and we did all our running around at once. I'd organized all our recyclable bottles which we took with us. We have several containers we like to fill up in town - not at the store, but just from the tap. We are blessed with delicious, clean drinking water. The water we have at home is good too, for most everything, only for drinking I like town water. Maybe my tastebuds are citified while the rest of me is countrified now. So, we just take several refillable containers with us each time we hit the metropolis of Osoyoos.

layout by blog reader Senati

credit: Super Hero Kit by Barb Derksen

postcard by ???

Thanks Senati - Readers, there's a story behind this layout which you may read in Senati's July 8th post! Thanks for sharing Senati!

I would love to feature your own layouts using any of my kits or elements - just send me a link and credits.

Seems we are a minority in our drinking tap water. These days folks are drinking more bottled water than ever. It makes me shudder to think of the millions upon millions of plastic water bottles that go into landfills. We do buy a few bottled waters every so often, but we just reuse them over and over. Truly, we only go through perhaps a dozen in a half year. Its more work, but its so worth it, I think. Recently, there were a few insightful and informative articles on this very subject on NPR. They addressed all the areas I had wondered about... for instance, most people think that bottled water is safer than tap water... and in most cases, thats simply not true. Boy, if your tap water is not safe, thats pretty sad in this day and age. Yes, I know it does happen, but not to the extent that we all need to get our only drinks from individual plastic bottles. Not only that, its the cost factor. I have a real problem with paying for water - well, for paying for more water. After all, we are paying for clean drinking water through our local taxes, no?

I'm not going to preach on you here about whether you should or should not use your tap water only won't you take a moment to listen to the following article on bottled water from national public radio? Just click on the following link to enjoy the full article in audio format:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11523344

Also, here's another article by national public radio which explains how the good folks in New York City are trying to persuade people to drink right out of their taps!

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11797409

Do you have good drinking water? I would love to hear from you!

As I was waiting for Miles yesterday, at his appointment, I was reading a parenting magazine (always gleaning for tips to share with you) I came across a good one. One clever mom got a large piece of cardboard and had her child lay on it. She then drew an outline around the child. Then, she cut out the child's 'form'. The mom bought some of those office alligator clips. Now, at night, just before bedtime, the child picks out his/her clothes for the next day and then 'clips' them to the form. This way theres no casting around for the right clothing!

The lake was just luscious yesterday afternoon. Miles bought me a set of scuba gear back in spring and I've been brave enough to use it. I spent about 1/2 hour yesterday floating around in the reeds on the shoreline. I felt like a mermaid - and it has opened up a whole new underwater world for me. I was discouraged that I hadn't seen any life, when I saw a black shape like a fishes tail slide by me in the gloom. I did a few more power turns in the reeds and was rewarded by coming across the path of several pairs of carp. They're not particulary afraid of me... they sort of check me out and then curve off to another section.

The second swim I had yesterday was in the late evening. We had chosen to go for a walk in the soft, velvet darkness to clear the fog from our having been staring at the computer screens for too long. By the time we arrived at the lake's shore the water was beckoning me... come in... coooommeee in... so, with prompting from Miles, in I went, dress and all. I floated about in the cool water while Miles enjoyed the tail end of the sunset. He had to coax me reluctantly from the depths, and I slowly made my way to the water's edge, the voluminous pockets of my dress filled like buckets!

Have you ever just jumped in with all your clothes on? Been pushed? Come on, share with us here!

Today in History:

1817 - The German Baron Karl Drais von Sauerbronn demonstrated his newly invented "Laufmaschine" (Running Machine), one of the predecessors of the modern bicycle. Made entirely of wood and without the use of pedals, the Laufmaschine was propelled by pushing one's feet against the ground.

1862 - The United States Congress authorized th Medal of Honor.

1912 - The premiere of the first foreign-made film to be shown in the United States occurred. The film was "Queen Elizabeth," a French film starring Sarah Bernhardt and Lon Tellegen.

1933 - The United States established a 40 cent an hour minimum wage.

1958 - The Coasters' "Yakety Yak" became the United States' number one song in "Billboard" magazine. It became the first stereo record to reach the chart's top.

1960 - On sale for the first time was the Etch-A-Sketch. For the next 25 years, over 50 million units were sold.

1982 - "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial" broke all box-office records when it surpassed the $100-million mark in ticket sales for its first 31 days of opening.

1982 - In taxicab production since 1922, Checker taxicabs saw the last of the distinctive-looking cabs roll off its assembly line in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

1990 - Tim Lennox, a radio talk show host in Birmingham, Alabama, was suspended indefinitely for barring black listeners from speaking on the show when they phoned in. Lennox said he was upset because a black man was seen breaking into a station employee's car and had stolen her purse. He told his listeners about the theft the previous day, and then prohibited blacks from speaking on the air by cutting them off. Station WERC-AM apologized for Lennox's inexcusable actions.

DON'T LET YOURSELF WITHER AWAY...

I will leave you with some humor here... and something for my friend Becky to ruminate on... see Becky just escaped an office fate herself, right in time for summer - though she's trusting her dream job is waiting for the right moment to surprise her. It is a huge adjustment no matter how you look at it, no matter how you may have longed for just that when you were mired in the day to day. Though it was not fun, its difficult to go from a tight weekly routine to no routine at all. Just in case you're feeling like the proverbial fish out of water at this time, my friend, think on the following. PS: I'm leaving the spiritual end of things to Becky's blog - its thought provoking and insightful and an entry I encourage you to ponder!

IN PRISON: You spend the majority of your time in a 10X10 cell.
AT WORK: You spend the majority of your time in an 8X8 cubicle.

IN PRISON: You get three meals a day.
AT WORK: You get a break for one meal and you have to pay for it.

IN PRISON: You get time off for good behavior.
AT WORK: You get more work for good behavior.

IN PRISON: The guard locks and unlocks all the doors for you.
AT WORK: You must often carry a security card and open all the doors for yourself.

IN PRISON: You can watch TV and play games.
AT WORK: You could get fired for watching TV and playing games.

IN PRISON: You get your own toilet.
AT WORK: You have to share the toilet with some people who pee on the seat.

IN PRISON: They allow your family and friends to visit.
AT WORK: You aren’t even supposed to speak to your family.

IN PRISON: All expenses are paid by the taxpayers with no work required.
AT WORK: you get to pay all your expenses to go to work, and they deduct taxes from your salary to pay for prisoners.

IN PRISON: People spend most of your life inside bars wanting to get out.
AT WORK: People spend most of their time wanting to get out and go inside bars.

IN PRISON: You must deal with sadistic wardens.
AT WORK: They are called managers.

Hmmm... do I hear you firing off to all those you left behind, Becky? (lol) Well, enough said. You all have a Blessed Day and I will be back to visit at you soon!

THE COLOR OF FUDGE - AND JUST AS SWEET!

Sorry, I've no free element to offer today - I've been helping Miles, as it should be. Just a few more things to get off our plates we've been wanting to finish, then we will take some time away. A miniature honeymoon at home. I also did not want to wait to share my pictures of Roger and Marie's sweet babies with you. Fudge is only a week or so old, but already she and the other baby (was Splotch it's nickname now?) We drove out to the farm and enjoyed some time with both our friends and their babies. I would have liked to get a few real closeups, but it would have been both tricky and time consuming. One must be on one's best manners or the adults make threatening signs with their faces, meaning you might just get 'spat' on...

WHO ARE YOU?

Mom 'Pacca kept a close eye on me anytime I was in baby-range... but baby checked me out too.

Some cool news - you can now LISTEN to all my blogs as I've set my blog up to be automatically detected by Bluegrind. What a GREAT service! I know more than a few of you have mentioned how hearing a MALE voice threw you off. How do you know thats not really me? hahahahahhaha..... its not.

I'M LIKE A TALL, STRETCHED OUT BABY LAMB!

I also want to share some important information with you. Recently, our daughter brought some Olay Quench Moisturizing cream with her... and she urged me to try it. I did - and I really liked it. It went on smoothly, non greasy, smelled great and it sparkled! She also did the Olay Regenerist thing on me. She wants to take care of her Mommy.

I liked the Quench so much, I went to our local drugstore the next day and purchased it. Then I came home and did what I should have done in the first place. I checked it out http://www.safecosmetics.org/ thru the Skin Deep database. Zikes. Its not so good for you. In fact, out of 10 my Quench cream rated a 7 for being bad, while the Regenerist rated 10/10 for being bad.

I do want to say, that after researching the data base, I was able to find a much SAFER, BETTER product, also through Olay, so that was a good thing.

I'd like to save you some grief by pointing you to the following pages so you can check out your own sunscreen products. (and later on you can discover all the other cosmetic products you use.) The first page is for the top 50 sunscreens out there that have an spf rating above 15. You can see it by clicking on the following address:

http://www.cosmeticdatabase.com/special/sunscreens/topsellers.php

This second link is where you can scroll down to look at the BEST and worst - so you can choose something a little safer. Don't just take MY word, though I feel this website is the real thing.

Well, enough from me for the day. I'm out for a swim. I hope you have a wonderful day! Thanks for visiting my blog!

PINK POPPY MINI KIT

download

You may get a kick out of this entry - and today's tip... because you can LISTEN to my blog entry today (that is if I've done this correctly...) Just click on the following link (I'd suggest RIGHT clicking and choose OPEN IN NEW WINDOW, that way you wont' be taken away from the written part of my blog - bear with me... its new to me too!) Click on the PLAY BUTTON ON THE LITTLE SILVER PLAYER - you should hear my entire entry! :)

July 10 retry - Audio Article from BlueGrind.com

Well, we are settling into summer. It's a given the days will be born bright and sunshiny. Luckily, we generally get a brisk wind in the morning, so the doors are opened and a freshening breeze sweeps the cobwebs of sleep and dreams from the rooms. A new day waits sparkling outside. Mid morning the doors are sealed and our home becomes a cool refuge from the sun's powerful rays.

LAYOUT BY BLOG READER ANGELIA

credits:

ribbon : CMS Go Camping Kit

frames: no name given on file

paper: Barb Derksen

Thanks Angelia (pronounced Anhalla) - for sharing your layout with us. About the pictures, the snail was taken in Pelham, AL. The two sky pictures were taken here at her home in Mobile, AL. The two water pictures were taken at Oak Mountain State Park in Pelham, AL. Looks like you live in a beautiful place!

I THINK I SAW HIM IN MY GARDEN, BY GOSH!

I don't know about you, but I tend to lose all sense of timing during the holidays. I continue to mix even the simplest of dates up, even though Miles and I sat down and mapped the entire summer out on paper. I often double or triple book events - or forget about them entirely. But he still loves me. Yes, he may gnash his teeth, but he loves me. I used to be SO opposite. I think this is still an improvement over how I used to over-organize things and live by the lists. How bout you?

Speaking of Italian - did you know there's a controversy going on right now in Italy about an Italian Chef, Filippo La Mantia of the La Trattoria restaurant in Rome (one of THE places to dine...) He feel thinks garlic is something left over from a time when Italians heavily flavored cheap ingredients... but nowadays its unnecessary to use - in fact, Filippo thinks the flavor of garlic is so ponderous it overwhelms the delicate and subtle flavors of some dishes. Did you know that Italians consumed 108 MILLION pounds of garlic last year??? Whew - I hope the toothpaste and mouthwash industry profited as well. At any rate, if you would like to HEAR or READ the entire article on this "battle of the bulb" you need only to click HERE

Do YOU like garlic? What's your favorite garlic dish?

OUR LOCAL FLOAT IN THE CANADA DAY PARADE!

And speaking of flowers, as well (from the garden paragraph way back there...) Have you ever wondered why some flowers close up at night? Well, I sure do so I set out to find an answer to my question. The simple explanation appears to be that the flowers are protecting their delicate insides - and pollen while they are not needed. But the explanation is much deeper than that - if you are like me and HAVE to know, then you will want to be clicking HERE to read the full article from New Scientist.

And, speaking of all things of vegetation, and summer, thus speaking of heat and what heat does to any living matter which might be left to decompose... a learning curve of living in a rural area where there is no regular trash pickup - is learning the art of composting. I'm more than happy to compost - I dislike any sort of waste, really. So I have a good 'ol ice cream pail which I use to collect all my vegetable scraps, and I make regular journeys out to the compost heap to do some dig & bury. Its so satisfying to see all those peels and cores and stems eventually break down to good, rich soil!

Now, generally I was keeping the pail beneath the kitchen sink - the logical site, but lately with the heat I've taken to storing it in the fridge! This not only slows down the decomposition process, but it also assures we won't attract fruit flies. When our Mom and Dad came for a visit recently, we had steak and we tossed the meat scraps in with our trash, only we didn't make a trip to the local landfill till several days later. In the meantime, the garbage pail sat 'cooking' in the sun. Whewwwy! Well, now I've solved that little issue too! Because we are not ready to become vegetarians (though that would be not so bad) I keep a bag in the freezer of our fridge. As I accumulate anything non-vegetable that might decompose and smell up the trash, I toss it all in the freezer bag. Later, when Miles makes his trip to the landfill, I simply pop the frozen bag in with the other garbage.

Another thing which makes a HUGE difference in trash reduction, was our decision to be removed from recieving any 'junk mail' - by simply filling out a form at the local post office. I used to have STACKS of paper - now its very little. What, with the internet these days one can easily go online to check out the latest sales flyers from most stores. Alternately, one can 'subscribe' to sales email from the stores you use!

OUR OSOYOOS 'CHERRY GUY'

Enough of my ranting... it's time I share some GOOD gardening thoughts with you. I kind of 'live' my way thru the bible at times... I think its the way I can call it up and it makes it all so relevant to me. For example when I'm gardening I might think of GOD gardening - course His plot was a whole lot larger than I'd ever consider...

GENESIS 2:8
Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden;
and there he put the man he had formed.

and like us people HE created, He enjoyed the cool hours of the day in HIS garden...

Genesis 3:8

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God
as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day,
and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

It's really too bad we messed up in the Garden - can you imagine what it must have been like to commune with HIM face to face there? I still do feel close to HIM when I'm out among the greenery...

And even GOD had to tend his garden as the bible tells us - HE set it up to be irrigated, getting enough water:

GENESIS 13:10
Lot looked up and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan was well watered, like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, toward Zoar.

In fact - our LORD thinks of us AS HIS GARDEN - how HE would desire to take care of us - according to the following scripture:

ISAIAH 58:11
The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.

Even John thought of GOD as THE Gardener:

JOHN 15:1
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.

Sure puts a new slant on gardening for me... you've got to be LOOKING for HIM out there...

Earth's crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God;
But only he who sees, takes off his shoes, -
the rest sit round it and pluck blackberries

- Elizabeth Barrett Browning

BARB'S HANDY TIP #291
SAY it!

I just discovered a very cool site which will turn text into speech - anything you desire - and it's free. I'm using today's tip as a demo for you to experience this. Simply register with Bluegrind and then copy and paste the text you want to have 'speechified' - or you can even have it do it for you. Lots of potential here - specially if you like the idea of helping sight impaired people have an enjoyable experience! Let me know if you try this out too!

BLUEGRIND

HAPPY CAMPING MINI-KIT

(includes paper, tree templates, star-frame and stitched lettering

in colours shown and also in silver!)

download

Oh my - so much to tell! I've been a real lazy-bum about blogging... was wondering what my sweet sis Nina would be doing for her coffee-break at work if I'm not providing her entertainment... Well, this ones for you big Blister! I hope you all had a wonderful long weekend - us Canucks for our Canada Day celebrations and you's to our south for your July 4th.

Can you get over the hot weather - finally, it's here. Though we groan when we are the ones stuck in our vehicle, back hot and sticky on the car seat - thats if you're like us with an older vehicle and no air conditioning... yet, for any discomfort it's all part of the genuine summer feel. It just would not be the same without having to deal with sand in the towels and ice cream cones having to be licked up before they run down your arm. C'mon... admit it folks!

ANUDDER BRAND SPANKING NEW 'PACCA BABY!

Thanks, Roger and Marie for this sweet picture of your newest family member, aptly named 'Fudge'... we WILL get up to see her... whats an appropriate baby gift for an Alpaca??? Fudge made her surprize arrival on July 3rd.

OUR MELS

We enjoyed our time with family over the long weekend. My Sister in Law, Judy and I have been trying for MONTHS to arrange a get together... and we finally managed to pin it down to the long weekend - a perfect time with all the fun activities going on around town. Judy and Barry (our brother) and grand-daughter Melissa and daughter Sam arrived Friday night - camped at the up-scale RV park in Oliver (there are no places to rent here in Osoyoos for the Canada Day weekend unless you book wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy in advance - truly, some folks book one year ahead!) We drove up and enjoyed a relaxing visit with them that evening - heading home directly after an impressive little thunderstorm!

Our daughter Melanie arrived later that evening with her boyfriend... and the weekend began. Barry and Mel's boyfriend are avid fishermen so they hit the water first thing in the day on Saturday, after we all enjoyed a hearty home-cooked breakfast. The boys fished their little hearts out until well into the evening - in fact they had to be rounded up later, they were having such fun.

Melissa - we loved having you here - you kept Uncle Miles busy with swimming - I think he's growing fins now???

The rest of us 'gals' spent a relaxing day about the house, swimming etc. It was SO GOOD to spend time with you - we don't get much time together with our busy, busy lives. We also recieved a 'surprize' guest on Saturday - it was awesome! A highlight of our weekend - thank YOU so much for coming...

I'LL CATCH YA!

Osoyoos was a regular hive of activity and we all took in the parade on Sunday morning. The streets were packed and shops filled to the brim. We hung out at a public beach afterward and then our daughter melanie and I spent the afternoon making homemade apple strudel. She taught me some new tricks with my hair - thanks sweetie! I love and miss you already!

2007 FIREWORKS DISPLAY

Our little community of 4,800 people put on a 60.000 dollar fireworks display. Yep, you heard correctly - 60,000. It WAS truly spectacular. Miles have a tradition of sitting out of town a bit with a good vantage to photograph the fireworks. We always pre-order pizza and take it with us, along with lawnchairs, blankets etc... for the ultimate in comfort. This year we were joined by our relatives, making it a true family event!

The downside to such a huge event is the fact that trying to drive anywhere afterwards is pretty much impossible for at least one hour afterward. Miles and I have learned its best to just wait for a while after, then go, when the traffic thins out. Barry and Judy decided to leave earlier - about 1/2 hour before us... I even suggested they take a 'shortcut' in town, to get directly onto the main highway, to save time. It ended up, though we left later, we wound up 5 cars AHEAD of them... because everyone else and their dog decided to take that same 'shortcut'.... ah well....

THE ULTIMATE VW CAMPING SETUP

Wow - if Miles had his way - our van would be 'tricked out' like this one. We have almost this exact model of Vanagon, only not with all the goodies on this one! Ours does have a furnace, sink, solar panels... but the one in this picture has the following features:

• 
  a Thermal Systems 6000 BTU Platinum Cat power vented catalytic heater
• 
  Warm Window insulated curtains and a uniquely designed self-supporting awning
• 
  a Sony SAT-B3 DSS receiver; a portable, collapsible Winegard satellite dish;
• a Sony Trinitron AC/DC color TV;
• front & rear Boston Acoustics Pro Series speakers;
• an Alpine AM/FM cassette receiver with wireless remote control; and a compact disc changer
• 
  a 90-watt roof mounted BP solar panel; a Morningstar Sunsaver photovoltaic controller;
• an Exeltech XP125 true sine wave inverter;
• and a power distribution panel with the meters and switches to monitor and control it all.

Today in History:

1307 - King Edward I of England died on his way north to subdue a rebellion in Scotland; he was succeeded by Edward II.

1713 - German composer George Handel's "Utrecht Te Deum" was first performed at St. Paul's Cathedral in London. Handel's Te Deum, his first important English-language Church musical composition, was christened in honor of the Peace of Utrecht, which ended the War of the Spanish Succession between several European powers.

1754 - In New York City, Kings College opened. For its first year of operation, the institution admitted eight students and one faculty member, Dr. Samuel Johnson, who would also serve as the school president. In 1784, Kings College was renamed Columbia College, and later would became Columbia University. Many prestigious awards hail from the university today, including the Columbia Award for Journalism and the Pulitzer Prize for Journalism that was named after former Columbia professor, Joseph Pulitzer.

1802 - Created by Robert Rusticoat, the first comic book to ever be published was "The Wasp." Today in history, it was published in Hudson, New York.

1862 - On the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad in Missouri, the first railroad post office was tested.

1865 - Mary E. Surratt became the first woman to be executed by the US government after being found guilty of conspiring with John Wilkes Booth to assassinate Abraham Lincoln. Her conviction was a subject of controversy as the only crime she appeared to have committed was to own the boarding house where Booth planned Lincoln's assassination.

1876 - The most notorious train robber of the American West, Jesse James, held up the Missouri-Pacific train and robbed about $15,000. Accompanied by his gang, Jesse James came to typify the hazards of the 19th-century frontier as it has been portrayed in motion-picture Westerns.

1950 - Jack Walsh, from Trenton, New Jersey, set a world weightlifting record when he hoisted 4,235 pounds, beating the record set in 1905 when a weightlifter lifted up 4,140 pounds on his back.

1959 - While under police arrest for narcotic addiction, singer Billie Holliday died at age 44 in Metropolitan Hospital in New York City. Holliday was one of the greatest blues singers in America. She had battled drug addiction for years, and was arrested twelve years earlier for possession of heroin for which she served one year and one day in prison. She was arrested while lying in her hospital bed just before she died.

1986 - Jackie Joyner-Kersee was the United State's biggest success at the Goodwill Games. At the event held in Moscow, Russia, she broke the heptathlon world record with 7,148 points. The same year, Jackie broke her own record when she scored 7,158 points in the United States Olympic Sports Festival where she won all the heptathlon's seven events.

1999 - The soundtrack album from Disney's film "Tarzan" was certified platinum on this date.

BARB'S HANDY TIP #290

Get into a Whacky Camper!

This site has all sorts of neat and unusual information - but I got a kick out of some of the Campers they show here!

GADLING

JULY 4TH MINI-KIT

(includes extra white bow)

download

You really must see the lettering to appreciate it - high-quality stitching! And yes, the sentence is completed with "light" on the second sentence, thanks to the beady eyeballs of my friend Gina...

My days are just too busy for me to leave you an in-depth... spending time with family over the weekend. It was an exciting time for all. I will be making random entries over the upcoming days - in the meantime - my neighbors to the south - have a BLESSED July 4th to you all!

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O CANADA!

O Canada! Our home and native land!

True patriot love in all thy sons command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,

The True North strong and free!

From far and wide,O Canada,

we stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

Happy Canada Day, Folks ('course for July 1st!) Since we will be celebrating I won't be blogging - so just thought to get all the greeting done early. We are extra fortunate to live here, just minutes from the Canadian/USA border because we not only get to see our own spectacular July 1st fireworks - we can just peer across the border (or drive over) to see your July 4th show too!

JULY 2005 Canada Day Layout

I made this layout in 2005 - using a kit from Sonya Johnston (now with Kissed Studio) - bet she would resurrect it for you if you sent her a request? They're having a super sale coming up for July 4th by the way.

Miles took the spectacular fireworks photo you see in the bottom corner of the layout. There are all sorts of other activities that go along with the celebration - including a parade. Should be a fun weekend, unless it rains. Which it's doing right now. Hopefully what we get now will be it.

SOME WELCOME GUESTS!

Canada. Patriotism. Well - this is what I've observed - my own musings on Canada and being a Canadian. We are patriotic, but not AS patriotic as USA. We travel most summers and its blaringly obvious to us when we are in the USA - seems fully 1/2 places we see have some sort of patriotic display of flag etc. People seem to talk about it a lot more. It's getting better, but in the past on some Canada Days its almost seemed people are slightly shy or apologetic about 'wearing our colours' or being vocal. When we have a parade nobody claps anymore. Oh, there's smatters here and there, but once folks hands get tired it merely peters off. Truly, I've seen the tail end of parades here where its like a silence toward the end - you know when some of the 'boring' stuff goes by - the dignitaries etc. Come ON people - these folks took the effort to get into the parade, warm your hands a little! When the National Anthem is played in the States, people swipe their hats off of their heads, and clutch them to their breast, singing passionately. Here, nothing. Zip. Truly, before our fireworks only 1/2 people are actually singing along with the Anthem. Oh SURE, when there's a hockey game people appear to participate... sometimes I think people are passionate BECAUSE its hockey... Just for once, I would love to see someone get really really REALLY exctied about being Canadian.

I think we ARE deeply patriotic, but perhaps our Canadian-ness is just what holds us back. We see ourselves as a bit more 'dignified' or 'reserved'. Except, of course, when advertising for Beer. Then we are ridiculous. The lack of outward display comes, perhaps, from our ties to our Queen, and the whole English aspect of our existance. Its 'below' us to make a display. Seems to me that people either love the idea of our British Royalty ties - or are insulted by it all. I think the recent Queen movie has revived a bit of interest. Miles and I tried to watch it - fell asleep after 1/2 hour. My stepmother was VERY British - so I think its kind of cool, personally.

We have Tim Hortons - your equivalent to say a Crispy Creme? We love poutine. We take Buckleys for coughs. We say eh - even though we try not to. There are so many small things which make us Canadian - things I stumble across while 'chatting' to my foreign friends. What do YOU think makes us Canadian? Come on, give us the good, the bad and the ugly!

SOME FUNNY AND UNUSUAL NAMES OF CANADIAN TOWN NAMES

Belly River, Bragg Creek, Carrot Creek, Castor, Cereal, Chin, Community Punch Bowl, Dead Man's Flats, Driftpile, Entrance, Ma-Me-O Beach, Manyberries, Medicine Hat, Monitor, Onion Lake, Pocahontas, Seven Persons, Skiff, Stand Off - and of course, our own Osoyoos!

FUNNY AND UNUSUAL *NAMES* FROM OUR OWN B.C.

mountains, towns, rivers etc...

100 Mile House, Anarchist Mountain, Austerity Mountain, Baldy Hughes, Blubber Bay, Brilliant, Bugaboos, Buick, Cheekye, Craigellachie, Fanny Bay, Fascination Mountain, Flathead, Gang Ranch, Good Hope Mountain, Grand Forks, Halfmoon Bay, Hooker Mountain, Hope, Horsefly, Horseshoe Bay, Likely, Lulu Island, Needles, Ogre Mountain, Oyster Bay, Parsnip River, Pavilion, Poopoo Creek, Pouce Coupe, Procter, Prophet River, Radium Hot Springs, Resplendent Mountain, Salmon Arm, Sandspit, Skookumchuck, Smugglers Cove, Spuzzum, Stupendous Mountain, Ta Ta Creek, Teepee Mountain , Tornado Mountain, Wasa, Yahk, Ymir, Youbou, Zero Lake, Zeus Glacier, Zexwzaxw Glacier, Zippermouth Lake

BEAUTIFUL (U.S.A) LIGHTHOUSE

Speaking of being patriotic... and fully appreciating we live in a beautiful, georgeous and FREE country, where I can say whatever I want on this blog without fear of being censored... It calls to mind for me, of the Military. Our own and the USA. It all comes at a cost. I believe we are coming a long ways in appreciating our troops - who lay down their lives daily so we can live without fear. I often make myself 'live' in a war-torn country in my mind so that I don't take what we have for granted. Can you imagine what it would be like to wake up every single day afraid for your life? To not know, if you go out for a walk you may never come home again?

Recently, my friend Shirley featured a video on her blog and it blew me away. You talk about being patriotic? Well the lady featured in this video is a VERY talented artist who uses her gift to express her patriotism - and give back at the same time. Could we all be half the example she is! You MUST SEE this video to appreciate it. Just click HERE.

I appreciate and celebrate this woman's realness. To visit her personal website, click HERE

CANADIAN BEE ON CANADIAN FLOWER (ha!)

Won't you take some time out this weekend to pray for our beautiful country? Pray our Lord will protect and keep us - that we can claim our country for HIM. If you need guidance how to pray - you may want to check out the following page from this Canada In Prayer page by clicking HERE. They've posted this scripture as a very fitting guideline to direct your prayer!

“He shall have dominion also from sea to sea

and from the River to the ends of the earth.”

Psalms 72:8

Today in History:

1613 - The original Globe Theater in London burned down during the first performance of Shakespeare's Henry VIII.

1767 - The British Parliament approved the Townsend Revenue Acts, which imposed import duties on such things as glass, lead, paint, paper and tea shipped to America. Colonists bitterly protested the Acts, which were repealed in 1770.

1855 - The Daily Telegraph was first published in London.

1860 - At Minot's Ledge, Massachusetts, the first iron-pile lighthouse was completed.

1868 - The British news agency the Press Association was founded.

1880 - The Pacific island of Otaheite, now better known as Tahiti, was formally annexed by France, having been a French protectorate since 1842.

1901 - A paper for the newspaper industry, the first edition of "Editor & Publisher" was issued.

1916 - Irish nationalist Sir Roger Casement was found guilty of treason and sentenced to death for conspiracy with Germany.

1925 - Marvin Pipkind filed for a patent on frosted electric light bulbs. Frosting inside the light bulb created less glare by diffusing the light emitted, and spreading it over a larger area, giving off a much softer glow.

1949 - The government of South Africa enacted a ban against racially-mixed marriages.

1953 - The interstate highway system was born. The Federal Highway Act gave authorization to construct 42,500 miles of freeway from coast to coast in the United States.

1955 - With "Rock Around the Clock," Billy Haley and His Comets reached the top of the pop music charts, keeping the spot for 8 straight weeks. The song was featured in the movie, "Blackboard Jungle," and is thought by many to be the first rock ’n’ roll single.

1956 - Charles Dumas cleared a high jump, set at 7 feet 1/2 inches, at the Los Angeles Coliseum, becoming the first athlete to break the seven-foot barrier.

1957 - After Jacqueline Pung was disqualified for handing in an inaccurate scorecard, Betsy Rawls won the United States Golf Association women’s tourney.

1972 - The United States Supreme Court ruled that the death penalty was contrary to the constitution.

1974 - Isabel Peron was sworn in as president of Argentina, taking over from her husband Juan Peron who became ill.

1987 - At an auction in London, Vincent Van Gogh’s "Le Pont de Trinquetaille" brought in $20.4 million. The winning bidder, an anonymous European collector, has never been discovered.

BARB'S HANDY TIP #290

Learn Great Art!

In case the story of Kaziah inspired you and you are dying to crack out your own talent - you would be well advised to check out the following website of another gifted artist .... step by step photos show you how he builds his amazing paintings!

THE ARTISTS STUDIO

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Just a few super simple elements today, folks - the flowers are so beautiful I can't help myself but make them into pretties for your pages. Nothing magical about it - just cutting them out and adding some 'depth' to them. You may care to add a tad more bevel and a drop shadow to the 3D one, as I did with the preview! Hope you enjoy!

WHAT A MASHER!

I recently made a new recipe out of a Susan Branch Cookbook - have you ever seen her cookbooks? They are filled with little watercolour looking illustrations and sweet sayings, peppered in between mouthwatering recipes. I want to spend the summer at her place!

The recipe I made was for a Potato Pie - I made several changes to the recipe, adjusting it to the ingredients I had on hand. It called for me to slice potatoe into 1/4 inch slices - I cheated and used this masher thingie I have. I don't know what you call that thing - I do know its old, and I do know its used to make french fries. I love the look of it, and If there were a way to incorporate it on my kitchen walls, I would in a heartbeat - but its not to be so. Have you used one of these? It worked perfect to zing the cooked potatoes through to make homemade 'hashbrowns'. The following is my version of the recipe - which turned out terrific! (make 2 - freeze one for unexpected company!) Pssst: Throw in some cooked ham cubes for a WHOLE meal!

BARB'S POTATO PIE

7 medium potatos

3 cloves fresh garlic

3 tbsp butter or marg

3 tbsp flour

1 cup skim milk

1/4 cup fresh herbs

3 tbsp fresh green onion

1 tsp garlic salt

tons of pepper

1 cup grated sharp cheese

Grease a 9 x 13 inch glass baking dish. Peel, quarter the potatos. Peel and slice in 1/2, the cloves of garlic - adding the garlic to the water you cook the potatoes in. Cook till fork-tender. Drain. Melt butter, whisk in flour till blended & bubbly. Pour in the skim milk and whisk all the while until its thickened. Remove from heat.

Either cut your potatos into 1/4 inch slices, or throw them thru a french fry thing like mine - add them to the thickened milk mixture. Add the herbs, garlic salt, pepper and green onions. Stir softly. Spread mixture into the baking dish and refridgerate (or freeze) until serving time.

When you're ready to bake - set the oven to 375 degrees. Sprinkle the cheese over the pie and bake 40 mins till golden tasty brown. Sprinkle extra herbs over before serving!

SMILEY, HAPPY YELLOW FLOWER!

To Make Rose Beads

In order to make a whole necklace of Rose Beads, you will need between 30 - 45 roses. Pick them in the late morning when they are dry, and remove the stems. Chop the flowers into fine pieces and place in a saucepan. Add water to barely cover, and simmer gently for about an hour. Add small amounts of water when necessary. Allow the mixture to cool, then simmer again for at least a half-hour. Strain the pulp and shape beads into beads with your fingers. Use a heavy-gauge upholstry needle to make the holes. Dry the beads on a piece of paper; it may take a day or longer. String the beads and wear them around your neck - they will give off the scent of roses!

Though the scent of rose dies

and the rose decays

The rose of the spirit is never sere;

Soft as roses

be all thy ways,

And thou, may'st thou through all thy days,

Open and greaten

even as these,

Petal by petal

and year by year.

- author unknown

TIP OF HAYNE'S POINT PROVINCIAL PARK, OSOYOOS

Today in History:

1778 - Mary Ludwig Hayes "Molly Pitcher" helped American patriots

1778 - Battle of Monmouth

1820 - Tomato is proved to be nonpoisonous - Robert Gibbon Johnson proved that tomatoes were not poisonous when he ate two tomatoes in front of a large crowd on the steps of the courthouse in Salem, New Jersey. At the time in the US, tomatoes were believed to be poisonous because of their relationship with some wild plants of the nightshade family that produce toxic berries.

1836 - James Madison 4th US pres died

1838 - Britain's Queen Victoria crowned in Westminster Abbey

1861 - Leipzig Obs discovers short-period (6.2 yrs) comet d'Arrest

1889 - Maria Mitchell - 1st American woman astronomer - dies at 71

1914 - Aust Archduke Ferdinand & wife Sofia assassinated (starts WW I)

1918 - 1st flight between Hawaiian Islands

1919 - Treaty of Versailles ending WW I signed

1919 - Harry S Truman married Elizabeth Virginia Wallace in Independence

1938 - Queen Victoria ascends to British throne

1939 - Pan Am begins transatlantic air service Dixie Clipper

1956 - 1st atomic reactor built for private research operates Chicago Il

1965 - 1st US ground combat forces in Vietnam authorized by Pres Johnson

1982 - Prince Charles & Lady Di name their baby "William"

1983 - Bridge section along I-95 in Conn collapsed kills 3

MICROCOMPACT HOME

This tiny residential cube packs a highly-functional punch, providing a double bed, bathroom, lobby, dining space for 4-5 people, and state-of-the-art entertainment technology, all for just 50,000 Euros. And size-wise, it measures in at a tiny 2.65 m cubed (roughly 77 sq ft), but incorporates everything a person needs in a home in its super compact design.

Our brother and sister-in-law just downsized their life, from living in a house to calling home a large RV. It has been a BIG change for them - and has caused them to dispense of, or find storage for, a lot of sentimental or unnecessary items in their lives. I'm sure it would amaze us at how little we really need to exist with - I know when we moved it was like "Where on Earth did we put all this stuff before???"

I recently came across this website featuring 5 very tiny, eensy homes. Carefully planned, down to the last details - it just may be possible to live in such tiny spaces. This is a good thing as on the news last night it said that fully 1/3 of the people on earth live in Cities now - so space would be at a premium. One of the other houses featured was one which could be built ONTOP of existing buildings in the city! Enough from me - you will be wanting to check these homes yourself by clicking HERE.

BARB'S HANDY TIP #291

Explore Victorian London

This way-cool online Victorian Dictionary should be of interest to anyone who would like to appreciate what life was like - way back when! VERY COMPREHENSIVE and interesting!

THE VICTORIAN DICTIONARY