Shelterbelt Brothers and Sisters

Shelterbelt or Windbreak

It's an amazing thing to see love happening right before your eyes.
Sam and Simmy had driven 'Sun Ray' back to the hospital on Saturday afternoon. As soon as she stepped into the room, the one visitor, 'Rock' had quickly vacated the singular chair in the room and held out his hand for her to sit there saying, "You sit here."
With just a little look 'Sun Ray' enticed 'Rock' into a big bear hug. Such a wonderful sight it was to see a sister hugging a brother... well, some would say that wasn't a correct description of this relationship, biologically. You see, 'Rock' had actually been born to 'Sun Ray's' oldest sister, 'Wished- for child.' He had been born out of wedlock, when 'Wished- for child' was only 15 years old. Biologically, he was Sun Ray's nephew. Now, Sarah, Sun Ray's mother had given birth to a child at the same time as her daughter so... Sarah had just raised both boys together and, with the rest of the brood, he was considered a brother.
In the little village where all this had happened, they were often ostracized and seen as outsiders and... currently, in the small city whose boundaries had grown and would soon engulf this little hamlet... this particular group of people were still seen as outsiders... especially if you kept wearing the traditional garb of... long black dresses down to the ankles and the black head scarves.
The song by Paul Overstreet kept running through Simmy's mind this weekend...
'There but for the grace of God go I
How without confession (compassion) can we pass them by
Oh, it could be you, it could be me, the world has cast aside
There but for grace of God go I...'

'But for the grace of God go we all.' 
The weather this weekend had been cold enough to put warm clothes on even the horses...

but the warm love of shelterbelt brothers and sisters was keeping the heart infused with love.

Easing Pain

You just can't plan for family emergencies. You just have to roll with it and do your best to meet needs as they present.
Friday afternoon,... just finishing lunch with a friend... the phone rang and it was Simmy's Mom calling from a hospital to say that Simmy's Dad was having some problems.
In less than an hour... Sam and Simmy hit the road to go help with whatever they could do... as they drove past 'The Disappointed House...,' that is what Simmy called it, inspired from the show 'Emily of New Moon...,' the new layer of snow made it look less sad and disappointed.
When they arrived at the hospital, they soothed rattled nerves, listened to the distraught women and generally just tried to offer some love and keep the huge family informed.
Friday moved seamlessly into Saturday. It was a mostly sleepless night for Simmy. Sam slept a little. When they woke up, Simmy tried something new with her Mom. The friend she'd had lunch with on Friday had a great 'reflexology' business and Simmy had learned a lot from her just by hiring her for a few foot massages. As Simmy insisted that she could do this... Sam snapped a couple of pictures, inconspicuously.

Simmy wasn't quite sure if she would be able to fix the pain but, interestingly, her Mom didn't complain about any foot pain after the massage.
So... either she just didn't want another foot massage from this rookie... Oy!... or... it really did help.
Egg salad sandwiches and apple square for lunch, egg salad sandwiches and apple square for dinner, apple square for breakfast, egg salad sandwiches and apple square for lunch...
Sometimes it's hard to tell which day it is even when you're supposed to be 'the helpers.'

Shift change allowed Sam and Simmy to head back into the city. Sometimes 'children really are a blessing from the Lord.'

Well, at least, I hope they think we are... we'll have to get some feedback on the foot massage... Oy!

Clay Pot Style

Breakfast subsisted of a homemade bun and lemon marmalade... the best Simmy had ever eaten. Deborah had made this lemon marmalade one day... on a whim... and a very good whim it had been, too.

Spring cleaning was what Simmy had spent her day doing yesterday. Opening windows and letting in fresh air, even when it's freezing cold, can be a good healthy anecdote to flu season.
Simmy thought about the upcoming season of weddings and put together a display of clay pitchers to inspire creativity.

  Snapping a couple of photos gave her the thoughts she was grasping for.
On the inside, each bride holds the same desire... to shine and be the princess for a day... one glorious day where everybody comes out to celebrate beauty.
Simmy changed the angle of the camera...

Colours, patterns, and embEllishments, of design and behaviour, were the things that set each one apart creating an individual 'clay pot style.'

Just One Ingredient

Monday moved into Tuesday and Simmy had some quiet time to reflect... on her fixation with making 'bread' these days.
'Bread is one of the most difficult baked goods to perfect," she thought to herself.
If you were a good bread maker, well,... then,... in the 'sewing circle' ladies' group you were admired. I don't just mean a nod of approval but that kind of admiration that earns you the royal crown of baking. Simmy's mother, yes, the 'parrot stew' mother, had definitely earned that crown.
http://romancedesigner.blogspot.com/2010/12/latitude-for-compromise.html
Her buns were highly esteemed by all and sundry who had the fair luck of having eaten them. 'Locka' was the word which was burned into Simmy's mind. In translation that word means 'light and airy.' Now, one must realize that this definition is combined with the experience of eating this perfect bun in the presence of the Queen of Baking and when, in that moment, she would dub the bun 'locka'... well,...
That is how I learned what a perfected bread was, is and will ever be... that sounds like a sermon. Sorry!
I have since come to have my own opinions about good bread and, Shh! Don't tell the queen!, but my definition of 'locka' is different than my mothers' definition. Oy!
But, I still don't have my own recipe down pat... or have I stumbled across the ingredient that makes all the difference?

Please don't judge the painting too harshly... my friend gave me some paints, brushes and a couple of canvases and being of the 'frugal' sort... I had to try to use them.
Anyway, while making these buns yesterday for dinner... I changed one ingredient, just one. I used a different oil than all the ones I've used in the past... and these buns are the softest, most amazingly tender buns I've ever made.
Just one ingredient change... made all the difference.   

'Woodpile' Warming Hut

Louis Riel Day... Sam and Simmy headed out to see what was happening on the river. When they got to their frozen destination, it was packed with sporty individuals.

Skating, tobogganing,... cycling?

Every sport was happening.

Nobody was in a hurry.

People walking...

People talking...

People skating...

People sipping hot chocolate...

People smiling...

People laughing...

Sam and Simmy fetched their picnic lunch and went to the uber cool warming hut that was sitting on the ice, (Assiniboine River), for everyone's enjoyment. It was a submission, in the 'Warming Huts' Art + Architecture Competition on Ice, by Noa Biran and Roy Talman.
"Let's see if it's good for our picnic lunch," Sam said.
They had heated some pea soup and put it into an old sealer and then wrapped it in a blanket to transport it from their home to The Forks.
"Is the soup still warm?" Sam asked.
"Yes, it's still good," Simmy said as she held up a bowl for Sam to fill.
She set the bowl down on the little metal ledge where the logs were burning. Then, she held up the other bowl.

When the coffee had been poured into the mason jar... Simmy picked up her bowl.
"Oh, be careful Sam, this metal ledge heated the bowl and it's quite hot on the side next to the flames. Hey, I'll just put my coffee on there to get it good and hot... handle away from the flame. Perfect!"
As they ate, people would come towards the shelter and seemed to feel like they were imposing when they saw the picnic lunch experience.
Simmy laughed when people apologized. Then she quickly invited, "Come on in! It's for everyone."
She was kind of sorry she hadn't brought a big plateful of cookies to share as person after person came to enjoy the 'warm- up shack,' as Simmy called it.

It was one of those experimental things that just needs to be put to the full test of experience. It was rather quaint that people treated them like the hut owners when they ate their pea soup lunch... almost like the 'elements of home' that they had brought with them served to imply some sort of squatter rights.
They had kept their lunch deliberately simple but it was also perfect in the choice of dishes. Styrofoam or plastic would have melted on the metal ledge but the glass and ceramic were ideal to reheat their lunch to belly- warming temperature.
One couple finished their cigarettes and the pretty woman smiled as they exited the hut and said, "Bye!" It was the kind of moment that happens when you have people into your home for dinner and then, after some mellow conversation... your guests take their leave, emotionally and physically replete.

They finished the hot steaming coffee and then left the hut so others could enjoy a little Alpine experience.
Sam picked up the picnic basket and they walked back down the frozen river path...

Simmy sighed with contentment.

Sam dodged the pink and blue ice inukshuks as he made his way across the ice.

"Ah yes, picnics are so...
romantic."

Poop Deck Winter's Day

Minus 25 degrees Celsius doesn't exactly conjure up poop deck fantasies... or is that exactly what conjures up poop deck fantasies?
Simmy and Sam and construction son had all been challenged by a flu bug the last few days. The swinging temperatures always made flu bugs easy to catch.
"Don't know why we want to catch them," Simmy tried for a little humour in the situation.
From one old book to another, Simmy was wading her way through 'Heidi.' Never having read the book, it was a bit of a surprise... probably the same way she had felt about Tom Sawyer.
"I've obviously had very idealistic thoughts about life and old literature. Wow! It's much more raw than I thought it would be. Maybe that's why I like Peterson's translation of the Bible... much more real life." 
She flipped the wire laundry basket upside down and filled the blue floral mini print pitcher, with the still feisty daisies. Generally speaking, Simmy didn't allow herself fresh flowers, in winter, until the latest ones started wilting. These hot pink ones were going for the record. She had purchased them on February 4th.
"Pretty darn good, 16 days and still perky. What else depicts summer? Hmm, a sea-grass footstool."
She rummaged around and pulled out a sea-grass basket, "You'll do!"
As she set up the little summer scene, it just didn't feel right to have the window closed, so she opened it! The fresh air billowed in moving the nautical 'chinos inspired' curtains... yes, curtains, they're not drapes.

The very chic 'made in Montreal' nautical hat made a reappearance from the Fair Weather Meadows scene set and... click!
Something still seems missing... if it really is hot... then, an umbrella... sun protection...

Simmy shifted the angle of the camera, more to exclude things in the room than as a perfectly planned shot and... Voila!
The angle made the room tilt and, immediately, Simmy felt her stomach churn. "I couldn't have planned it better. Even the floor looks like a new polished deck," she smiled happily quelling the nausea.

Crushed Grapes and Icicle Washday

The blizzard that had shut down the highways had blown through like a lion, during the night. And now, the sun was shining brightly as Simmy looked out the window.
Huge snow piles grinned their toothy snarled evidence of storm leavings. There was very little movement at all outside. It was a day off of school for most kids and it seemed many parents were taking a day off of work to accommodate that.
The lack of activity outside was probably what made that white sheet billowing in the winter crisp air stand out so prominently. In between the stuccoed houses and varying roof lines that one white flag surrender seemed ironic. It was symbolic of how Canadians feel after months of snow, snow, and more snow... and then a mid-February blizzard.
Just two days ago the sparrows had been frolicking in the bare branches, promising a chatty, energetic spring.
Simmy grabbed the laundry basket and headed outside.
"If my mother could hang cloth diapers in the winter, I can hang my tea towels."
She paused when she saw the icicles hanging off the shed roof...

"Pttth," she formed her now famous raspberry. "I'm Canadian, you don't scare me."
She plopped the laundry basket down on the path that Sam had cut with the winter scoop an hour earlier.

The bright sunshine just promised so much more than this dump of snow. As Simmy looked at the tea towel with that big cluster of grapes on it... she cheerfully breathed in the fresh air... crushed grapes make great wine... not sour grapes, just crushed ones.
"And yes, Aesop, it may seem irrational to hang laundry in the snow,... but we're creating our own fable until the sparrows reappear!"

Silken Strands

...of hair, or is that prayer?
Simmy had been a little annoyed at the silken strands of hair that had attached themselves to the hand towels she had given Deborah as a little gift to spruce up her bathroom for the upcoming engagement party.
'Where are they coming from?' Simmy griped inside her head as she had tea at her friends' house and gently pulled off these blond strands, hopefully unobtrusively.
"I've got some good news," Deborah said.
"Oh?" It was high time to hear some good news.
"The doctors told 'Strong Healthy' and his wife 'Foreign' woman that David will live."
Tears gathered and swarmed in Simmy's eyes and she said quietly, "That is great news. I've prayed for him so much it seems like that automobile accident happened much longer than 12 days ago."
"You know what his Dad said to me the other day?" Deborah asked rhetorically, her eyes liquefying in  memory focused blur.
Simmy was trying to clear the tears in her own eyes when she gently prodded, "What was that?"
"He said, 'Money doesn't mean anything after seeing their son in deathly peril.'"
Simmy nodded...
"I believe that."
It was Thursday morning and Simmy was recalling the previous afternoon...
She had found the source of the blond strands of hair. They were coming off this lovely yellow crocheted blanket that she had purchased the previous week at the Dutch Dime Store. It reminded her of this laundry commercial, 'Fleecy' perhaps... a blond woman takes a yellow sweater off the outdoor wash line and throws it around her shoulders taking a deep rapturous smell of the sun-dryed freshness.
The power of commercials... was it from the 80's or 90's...
That's why I pray for others, thought Simmy... so they can find that fresh scented meaning of life. Silken strands of prayer... they do cling to the people around us and that's a good thing.

Nowhere to Hide

The cat raced out the door when Sam came home from work. He had one goal in mind... Grass!
Long winters test the digestive systems of house cats in Canada.
"So, how are you today?" Sam asked.
"Halfers," Simmy replied.
"What's new with you?"
"Oh," Sam's face lit up with a juicy story. "You know 'Bright fame' from my work? He recently broke his ribs."
Furrowed brows indicated non- recognition so Sam said, "The brothers with the red noses..."
"The French guys?"
"Yes! Well, 'Bright Fame' broke his ribs but he already had a vacation, in Cuba, booked so the company allowed him to go while he was on his disability benefits but... he decided to extend his vacation."
"Oh, oh," Simmy said.
"Somebody took a picture of him in Cuba, on a beach, playing football and posted it on Facebook. It wasn't even his facebook page. Somebody else saw it, and the company fired him."
"Well, remember what that guy said that day we were having breakfast with 'Bob' at Wood River?"
"No," Sam tried to imagine what Simmy was remembering.
"He said, 'I can save you from anything except Facebook!' That is proving to be true!"

 The cat came around the corner and Simmy took a picture, "Smile, you might get on Facebook."

Jack and Jill Sparrow

"The sky looks like a Spring sky these days," Simmy said to construction son.
"Well, the temperatures are in thawing range," he replied. "It's supposed to get colder at the end of the week, so enjoy it these couple of days."
Ah, Canadian weather, never a dull moment.
There was a sweet, happy chirping outside followed by a more shrill frantic chirping.
Simmy looked out the front window. Little feisty sparrows were alternately singing in the lilac tree, then chasing each other in frantic, um, Spring amore?
"You must be the female," Simmy mused as she captured a picture just before Mrs. Jack flitted off.
"Whew! I barely got that pic, you crazed little bird," Simmy chuckled.
It was still rather cold outside so Simmy stepped back into the house to put on some big running shoes belonging to son of construction.
A flap of activity had her quietly opening the door, trying not to make any sound. The lovebirds were so jittery.
One of the birds flew up to the top branches of the neighbors' tree, hollering for its' mate.
"Okay, Jack, we hear you!" Simmy mocked.
Snap!

The masked face betrayed the little bellowing pirate and Simmy got a front view of Mr. Jack Sparrow.
"Well, you're not likely to get as popular as your namesake in human form but you can feel good about the fact that you were named first! You have the Genesis birthright."
An irate chirping had Simmy chuckling at the blustery complaint!
"I know, I know, but you can't do anything about Hollywood, love! They'd steal your feathers if you didn't move so fast!"
"I'll call you Jack and Jill Sparrow. I like that!"

Hollywood Bedhead

Rolling over in bed, Simmy groaned as arthritis burned pressure points into her psyche.
"Meow!"
"Shut up!"
 The cat was focused on getting outside. "Meow!"
"Go away!" He wandered off and came back 15 minutes later and repeated this exercise.
Simmy ignored him but when the doorbell rang... she sat bolt upright in bed, all thoughts of aching joints inconsequential.
'Who could that be?' She pulled on a sweater and went to the living room window to see if she could see who was at the door... 'No, dash it!' She would have to peek through the small window in the door and she might get caught...
"Deborah!" Simmy opened the door, sleepy-eyed, threadbare nightgown and 'Hollywood bedhead' as she liked to call her wild morning hair.
"Will you be my Valentine?" Deborah handed her a most- extremely- decorated- pleated- embellished- used- more- yards- of- ribbon- than- you- can- imagine heart- shaped box.
Simmy giggled and invited her in.
She seemed hesitant.
'Maybe that 'Hollywood bedhead' isn't as beauteous as I think it is,' Simmy thought.

Just as quickly she dismissed the thought, 'Nah, it's adorable!'
"Happy Valentine's Day!"

Sonorous Boredom

Saturday was a low-key day. Simmy baked some more valentines using up the last of the icing sugar.
'Nathan' came to borrow a sports jersey for a party he was going to.
When the doorbell rang... on a whim, Simmy slid the metal spatula under two cookies. Quickly, she balanced them to the front door and pushed the spatula under Nathan's nose.
"Want a cookie?"
"Oh, thanks," he said, but politeness dictated that he take only one.
Whose politeness?
His, I suppose!
Simmy pushed the spatula forward again and sang, "Take it, take another little piece of my heart..."
"Oh," he giggled and took the other one as well.
In the evening, Simmy felt compelled to finish reading 'What Katy did at school.' As with all novels, the culprit of the dastardly deed is revealed in the last chapter... it was Bella. Of course, Katy is the heroine and becomes everyone's friend and forgives the undeserved punishment that she received from the teachers...
Unfortunately, this book, written in 1873, just couldn't hold the attention of either Sam or the cat.

After reading a few pages, Simmy was distracted by the sound effects of snoring. Sam and the cat were competing for the 'Sonorous Boredom' award.
Sigh!
Good girls just don't make the headlines.

Funny Girl Special

Sam and Simmy put together a picnic dinner, complete with pink dishes and headed to 'View of the Oaks' to share a happy Valentine's meal with Mama Chaste.
As Simmy set the table, Sam went to fetch her.
'... just to create fantasy for a moment... so she can forget... for a time... that she is old and that she now lives in a personal care home... just for a time...' 
The microwave was in the next room so as soon as Sam and his Mama were back... Simmy went to heat the homemade soup. The television was blaring with news of Egypt and the scene was one of jubilation. It was an end to a regime with Mubarak as leader.
In this room, far away from that revolution, sixty year old children were having dinner with eighty year old parents. Nobody seemed jubilant.
Other than the television, the microwave was the loudest noise in the room.
... back in the 'fireplace lounge'...
Sam whispered in Simmy's ear... "That man," Sam nodded his head to another 80 year old resident, "came over to the table and stopped and stared at it with great interest. His son," Sam nodded to a younger man who was playing 'Spider' on the computer, "told him, 'Dad, that's not for you.'"
Immediately, Simmy felt badly. How does one include everyone when you're trying to do something special for someone.

Mama Chaste really enjoyed her dinner but Simmy was distracted by the elderly gentleman who seemed to be struggling with dementia... in and out of reality he seemed to drift...
When Simmy looked over at him, he immediately locked eyes with her. Not wishing to be rude, Simmy met his challenging eyes with respect and didn't look away.
He held her gaze for a few seconds and then said, "Hmph, you're a funny girl."
Sam looked at Simmy with a muffled snort and grin.
Simmy decided to receive the words as a compliment. Why not?
"Would you like more soup?" Simmy asked Mama Chaste.
"No, I'm going to have valentines," she said with perfect clarity.
Simmy was very glad that she had brought the whole cookie sheet of cookies.
She filled a plate and asked 'Spider' son if she could offer some cookies to his Dad.
"Yes. Sure," he got up from his chair at the computer and took the plate from Simmy.
'Maybe he'll be happy to see Funny Girl next time,' Simmy peeked over to see if the old man liked the cookie.
He ate a cookie with the finesse of a cultured gentleman and, in that moment, Simmy glimpsed the man he used to be.

AMoRE Simply Love

Simmy had been at the Dutch Dime 'Kirk' on Thursday. 'Kirk,' being German for 'church,' it was just about how the neighborhood probably sees that dime store. Deborah had this great saying that just gave Simmy the Thursday Tickles.
"Let's go see the Mennonites," she would say. It was just so darn cute and funny to Simmy!
Jim had been working and he'd said, "Hey, aren't you the lady with the happy blog?"
"Yes," Simmy grinned, "sweetly happy that he'd remembered her. It had been a few months since they'd seen 'happy Jim' working his 'volunteer' shift.
Simmy purchased a piece of fabric that was made in Guatemala.
Deborah bustled her out the door to the next goodwill store...
There...
An 'Amore' sign caught her eye, so Simmy purchased that, already planning how to work it into a 'story.' As they were walking down the long flight of stairs, an older gentleman was trying to walk up them. He was taking painful steps and Simmy averted her eyes when she saw his face.
Men still like to be seen as 'strong and manly' even though they may be 'getting old.'
Always wishing to bring some joy, Simmy spontaneously lifted the AMORE sign and said with a twinkle in her eye, "Here's some AMORE for you!"
The face, lined with pain, momentarily lifted in happy surprise.
It was Friday morning... as Simmy set the scene for a Valentine weekend, into her mind came the lyrics...
with no particular place to go...
That could be a great date night... Sam could take her out tonight...
Riding along in my Hummermobile
My baby beside me at the wheel
I stole a kiss at the turn of a mile
She grinned at me with a gosh-darn smile...

So, when planning your AMoRE...
be less robotic because the key to romance isn't really in math...
you may have to shuffle your language of operations...
if...
while testing the properties of romance...
your goal is inclusion and nonemptiness...
then...
the key may be in your language operations...
and your computation of this syntactic...
may be the decomposition of algebraic expression...
into a more regular one...
Conversion: Simply Love

Spending with Reckless Abandonment

It had been a while since Simmy had visited the Dutch Dime Store. She pulled up to the foggy storefront window and went inside.
Even this little enterprise was putting effort into window displays and a red organza drape was folded neatly on a little table giving off some sizzle to passers-by.
Valentine's Day was just around the corner so... when Simmy spotted this pink ceramic vase, she thought, 'I should put a little pink sizzle into my house for the next week.
She dropped the 50 cents for the flower pot like 'she was made of money.' Next, she spotted a pink slipcover, homemade... and not sewn very well but the fabric was a really nice piece of woven cotton with a beautiful floral imprint... ooh, she purchased it too, even though it was $1.00.
When your business is slow and you haven't had any customers for a bit... it's amazing how precious a few dollars is.
As she splurged on a $1.00 scarf, the woman at the cash register said, "Ooh, a mink scarf!"

The mink was falling off the scarf even as the woman put it into a bag.
Simmy smiled and said, "Just tie it back on... it will be fine! Oh, and keep the extra 10 cents."
The older Dutch lady tried to give Simmy the dime but Simmy insisted on donating it to the charity work that the store collected money for. It was a bit of a awkward moment as the woman didn't really want to take it.
Simmy won out and headed home to wash her scarf and cushion cover. The scarf came out of the laundry bag with half of the mink no longer attached but, patiently, Simmy tied it back on.
As she was just finishing this task the cat came to examine the new scarf and immediately he found a stray piece and started 'cleaning' it with rough tongued energy.
Sam laughed and said, "You'd better not leave that scarf lying around because he'll claim it."
"Well, if it falls apart after one wearing, I'll gift it to him."

Coffey, Cuddy, and Interpretation

I made some homemade split pea soup last night but first... I went to the local Jewish store to buy some ham. I know, it sounds like the beginning of a bad joke... I was trying to decide on ham or sausage as a meat for my split pea soup.
One of the owners came to stand beside me... he's about 85 years old. I started asking about the pork sausage and he listened and looked at the package to see which one was 'skinless.'
Suddenly, he kind of expelled, "I don't know! I don't eat pork!"
"Oh," Simmy turned to the little Jewish man and said, "Jewish! Right! Sorry!"
I woke up thinking about 'Blue Rodeo' because I happened to catch a commercial about 'hockey' and the band... while watching the telly last night.
Now, Aaron Brophy of CHARTattack, wrote an article entitled, 'Paul Coffey Grabbed Jim Cuddy of Blue Rodeo's Bum.'
So, I looked at the photo and what do I see?
I see two guys wearing big hockey gloves. Coffey is holding a hockey stick. The angle of the camera might be suggesting something else but that 'suggestion' is not happening.
You know what else I see? I see that Cuddy, who likely has tons of money, wears his jeans for quite a long time and the same ones too, it seems. You can't wear in a wallet spot, that defined, in jeans you only wear once or twice. Coffey has jeans that look quite faded too.
So, I would say, Cuddy is likely not a ostentatious fellow.
What were you thinking, Aaron?
So, to you I say, and I'll quote Cuddy, "Same old useless worn out thinking, Oh, it could happen to you!"

Profitable Equilibrium

So, 'Google' is trying new ways of routing your questions.
Woah, baby, some of this is just not working out very good at all.
So, I 'google' 'Jonathan in the Bible' and I decide to see what 'wikipedia' has to say about it... just curious.
After I click 'back', the search engine has the phrase 'was Jonathan in the Bible gay' in the search bar, even though I didn't ask that question and I was not seeking information on that topic.
I had written a blog called 'David on Jonathan' and, yes, it was likely misinterpreted... Jonathan was a street and David, an individual that lived on that street, at one time.
So, as 'google' tries new ways of redirecting your traffic... BEWARE!
Their method offers suggestions and those are not always purely helpful.
So, how and what you ask is going to become very important.
So, don't let that 'Wolfram Alpha' guy unloose his program... Oy!... we could see 'Omega' before long, then.
Dr. L, a professor, once told us how his wife used to get mad at him when 'Seventh Day Adventists' or 'Jehovah Witnesses' or whoever,... (just mentioning those two because he did- don't send any emails please),  would go to his door trying to 'persuade' him into their 'faith.'
He'd let them talk and he'd never tell them that he had a doctorate... theology, philosophy and religion... I think.
He'd only address the issues that they were addressing... he wouldn't even give them the answers most of the time.
Now, I've had about 10 years to think about his reasons for 'not giving away answers.'
I've reasoned through and watched human behaviour in a number of situations and the logical conclusions to 'information and power in the wrong hands' tends to bring chaos.
Why?
Knowledge, power, money... tend to destroy people if they don't have the capacity to hold it in profitable equilibrium.

Sing and the World will Sing with you

Everywhere I go, I sing... when I go to a store...
I sing...
it can be a 'styling the home' store...
I sing...
it can be the grocery store...
I sing...
Christmas store...
I sing...
car dealership...
I sing.
Last week a woman who was straightening clothes on a rack clapped her hands when I walked by, singing.
The world needs encouragement... the stage of life is each step you take.
Smile,
Say something kind...
or...
"Sing and the world will sing with you." El quote

Pray, Say Schmarter

So, we went to church to find somebody was trying to be 'schmart.'
I started to come up with things like... 'Don't get schmart with me! Schmarter than the average bear! Are you schmarter than a 5th grader?'
At least it brought a smile to my face.
I had a question answered by the pastor today... I only asked the question recently and I was contemplating the answer when... there it was... close to the end of the sermon...
So, I'll bet you want to know what the question is, right?
Well, here goes...
"Does God feel?"
Well, the pastor said that we can break God's heart so... if anybody has ever had their heart broken, then, yes, I would say... God does feel!
After church we went to a flea market and then to Tim Horton's for lunch. As we were sitting there, I looked over and said to a woman, "You look like you just came from church."
She replied, "Yes, we did!"
I replied, "Which church do you attend?"
"St.Chad's," she said.
"Oh, I was going to guess that one but I didn't want to freak you out," Simmy said. "We go to your garage sale sometimes."
"Oh, good," the woman replied.
The man turned to say, "We usually go and check things out early, before it opens." He got up casually and went to get a napkin and when he came back to the table, Simmy caught a glimpse of light... she glanced over and saw a cross hanging from his neck. Her eyes slowly looked a little higher and she saw the black shirt and white collar giveaway... for just a moment Simmy had that 'gulp- I'm talking to this reverend like he's a normal guy' awkward moment.
"Hey, that's cheating," she said with a chuckle.
"Well, there has to be a little benefit for us," said the woman gently.
"You're right. I agree," Simmy smiled.
They shook hands with Sam and Simmy when they were leaving the restaurant and the woman said, "I'm legally blind," as she leaned in close to get a good look at Simmy's face.
Before Simmy could close her big mouth, out came, "Oh, being legally blind is not a problem... being spiritually blind is and you're not that."
Oy! Why do I always have to say what I think? Did that make her feel better? I thought I was saying what might make her feel better... Oy! That wasn't very smart!

Sunset Til Sunrise

It was Thursday morning and the Hummer needed some tweaking...
On the way to the shop she'd been singing along with Aaron Neville, "When something is wrong with my baby..."
She sang it soothingly to the Hummer, hoping it would just self-heal...
As the garage door lifted, she drove in, got out, and picked up the business card of young Watson and said, "How long have you worked here?"
"Six and a half years," he replied.
"Hmm, you look more like a musician," she had remarked.
"A smile had come across his face and he had said, "I am a musician." He was now paying close attention to Simmy and his sincere eyes were fastened onto hers."
"Don't worry, I'm a bit of a freak of nature. I can just do this kind of thing. So, are you in a band?"
"Yes, it's called 'Sunset Til Sunrise.'" Watson replied.
"What do you play?"
"Bass guitar," he said. "And you, are you  musical?"
"I sang in a church band for 7 years," she said.
He seemed impressed. "Do you play an instrument?"
"No, I sing," she said.
"I've taken a few singing lessons but it's hard," he shook his head in disappointment. "I'm teaching myself to play the piano right now," his face lit up.
"Oh, I just watched the movie 'Genius Within' and I'm also reading the book about the life of Glenn Gould."
Young Watson seemed perplexed.
"Do you know who he is?" Simmy asked in response to the furrowed eyebrows.
"No," his eyebrows cinched together, "but his name sounds familiar."
An old gentleman, very tall, kept glancing at Simmy and it was distracting so she turned to him and said, "You look like somebody important."
At this comment he came toward her and sang, "Daddy sang bass..."
Simmy responded, in song perfection cue, "Mama sang tenor, me and little brother would join right in there,..."
"He's a musician, you know," said older fellow to Simmy.
Young Watson nodded his head and said, just a tad drolly, "She knows." 
After the paperwork was done, Simmy had been 'shuttled' back to her house by another old gentleman. An accountant had also been getting a lift to the same end of town.
They had only been driving for a few minutes when Simmy's cellphone rang, "El speaking," she'd answered.
"Hi, it's Deborah. My daughter 'who resembles God' has left Egypt and is on her way to Munich."
"Oh, thank God," Simmy had replied.
After she hung up, she had shared the great news with the two men in the shuttle bus. Deborah's daughter was safely out of Egypt. Whew! Simmy had breathed a sigh of relief.
... Just after 5 p.m. the same day...
Sam and Simmy were shuttled back to the dealership to pick up the Hummer. The only problem-solving that had been applied... a new key had been cut.  Diagnostics showed that everything was in good shape.
As she and Sam drove to Costco to get a few things, Simmy had snapped a great picture of the sky, at sunset. The colours were fresh and crisp with beautiful spring promise.
Sam said, "You're almost out of fresh flowers. Go pick some more."
She chose blue hydrangea and daisies in warm and cold tones of pink.

New Vision

Ah, the sunshine the last couple of days has been so healing... it might be bitterly cold outside but that beautiful sunshine is just the prescription for breaking through the attacks of joblessness and hopelessness.
Cleaning out the fabric trunk had yielded a very small piece of fabric that Simmy had been saving for the right design scheme.
Florals are making a comeback and this polished cotton had been waiting for its moment to shine. It was one of those 25 cent bargains that is just a tiny remnant but if envisioned correctly with floral and space taken into account... it can be a cushion cover in just 15 minutes.

Upside down or right side up that little piece of shiny cotton was just the ticket for a sunny day.

Oldest construction son had gifted Simmy with a teapot from David's Tea and a smaller teapot had been a super duper find at a store a couple of days ago.
January bargains are a gift for anybody who braves the -35 C weather in Canada.
Ah, a day to have tea...
good, healing tea.
A new kettle, another Christmas gift from oldest son, would boil the water.
Sam had received a gift certificate for the movies from youngest son and fiance... so, that treat was waiting for a cold February day... so much to be grateful for.
Orange really does seem like the colour of healing.
The silver paperweight with the word 'vision' etched into it was one of those 'gifts' from the post-Christmas sales as well.
It reminded Simmy of a day last Spring when she was hanging up the laundry and a clothing tag caught her eye... 'a new vision...'