Here's To The Non-Prolific!

OK, so I have not been keeping up with my blogging and I feel a tinge of guilt . In perusing a few others, I see some with daily updates and others with gargantuan gaps separating posts. I can live with that. Hey, Happy Canada Day to all my fellow Canucks, celebrating July 1st and may all our American friends have a super 4th of July. Time to whip out the "Q" and gorge ourselves with burgers an beer. Back yards with plenty of funky music piping from those outdoor speakers. How sweet it is, as Jackie Gleason used to say. My dog gets in the mood as well - Zoe - she's great for cleaning up. Hot dos that fall on the grass are immediately claimed as free game and Zoe gobbles 'em down without remorse.

I'll be  back again sooner than later, promise, eh?

Frivolities We Need in Lean Times

So, how about those super Saints, they sure went marchin in alright! And bet ya never thought youd see Letterman. Oprah and Leno sharing a sofa, huh? Actually TV is currently offering a whole heap of better-thab-average shows. To name a few oof more recent winners theres THE GOOD WIFE, HUMAN TARGET, and THE VAMPIRE DIARIES. Of course, anything Vampirish cannot miss, its a major trend with hip new rules. HBOS TRUE BLOOD will be welcomed back soon after its hiatus.

Whoops,  Damon has just compelled me to shut off wiyj yje small talk. Hmmm, guess Im done for now..............

HOW DO YOU GIFT-WRAP A GOAT - AND OTHER QUIRKY QUANDARIES

This question was posited recently on the cover of PLAN CANADA, a quarterly dedicated to THE PLAN'S mission to help the children of many third world countries, particularly African countries where children are starving to death and lack fresh water and shelter - the very basic human needs we all have. As I have mentioned in a previous blog entry, I have been sponsoring a 10 year-old Spanish-speaking girl from a little village in El Salvador. So, I've been pondering what I could give this family [a single mother with two girls] - for Christmas.

In countries like Tanzania, Rwanda and Ethiopia, livestock is a highly valuable resource. Apparently, one can get a goat for about 30 dollars Canadian, or a cow for 50 bucks. These animals can provide milk, cheese, and meat to sustain an impoverished family. They can also use the animal products or the livestock itself as bartering power to trade for many of the other necessities of life such as fresh fruit and vegetables or building supplies for proper shelter, all at the local market.

On the other hand, items such as an iPod shuffle, a laptop computer or a Kindle DX e-reader would be of little use as Christmas gifts. But those are a few of the items I'll be purchasing for close friends. The e-reader is for yours truly, though. Loved the whole idea ever since I saw them introduced by the inventor and head of Amazon - Jeff Bezos. Alas, the first generation of Kindles was not available in Canada. Finally, Amazon just recently announced it was offered here along with Whispernet. Yahoo! The new 7.5inch screen [DX model] is still not offered herein Canada, but, I'm it will be soon to follow.

Have you got your tree up yet? We have a gorgeous Fraser Fir this year; it's big and bushy and scent of fir needles is delightful. Now, if I can keep my mini-poodle Zoe, from grazing off the lower branches...actually the most effective way to catch her nibbling is to hang a bunch of mini-bells all around the bottom at about her level. Then when I hear too mu tinkling and tintinnabulation - I holler from the other room and Zoe comes dashing in - with that guilty sheepish look that dogs seem to have. In truth, though, I find it amusing. What a softy I am!

What to get Zoe - the spoiled pooch who has everything? Maybe a goat - a little stuffed goat. It'll be easier to gift-wrap - don't you think?

Please feel free to comment or share your thoughts on any of my posts or your own experiences. "See you again before Christmas, eh...

SPONSORING A CHILD

I've been sponsoring a young spanish girl for about two years now and am

trying to think f something for Christmas that would truly be useful and

practical for her and her single mom and younger sister. The family lives in a small village

in the Central American country of El Salvador near the capitol of San Salvador where

the two impoverished girls attend school. The program through which a paltry sum of $35.00

monthly is withdrawn from my bank account - is called Plan Canada and was established here in 1937. Incredibly, this amount is supposed to pay for food, school supplies, and the very basics

for one person. Hopefully the rest of the family also has the benefit of other

sponsors, but I don't actually know that this is the case.

One problem with holiday gift-giving, according to the Plan, is that one is significantly restricted from giving certain items since in little towns and villages, all the locals know exactly who receives cheques and other gifts and as a result, the family can b the victim of thieves.

For this reason, donors are advised to refrain from giving generously. This dilemma seems

so unfair but what is one to do? May Santa do a fly-by and equalize all the citizens of these

villages....

On another note, November 11th came and went while our Canadian soldiers continue the

battle in Afghanistan [and, of course, our American neighbors, the British, and other allies].

Remembrance Day holds a special place in my heart. For it was on this day in 1992 that my

beloved brother, John, died when a speeding car hit him while crossing a crosswalk in Walnut Creek, California. He was only two years younger than me. I donated all of his major organs to desperately needy recipients, and act which John would definitely have wanted. This act also buoyed my own spirits then and still now.

Life is a good thing. Have you thought about signing your donor's card? Do it today and God Bless!

Esmerelda the witch flying menacingly outside our front door. Roxanne the wild and crazy pumpkin sits in our window, all lit up and grimacing. Joining these creatures of the night, we have assorted bats, snakes and creepy crawlies, all under the lugubrious stare of a morbidly obese Count Dracula. Every year he gets into the candy bowls before all the toddlers arrive, leaving us vulnerable to disappointed and disgruntled trick or treaters.

One of our favorite things is to put ZOE, my 5 year-old miniature poodle, into her Halloween costume and watch the joy and laughs of the kiddies and ZOE's reaction - she simply adores children. Tonight she will greet visitors as a skunk; she is a black poodle so this one works easily.

Well now you know a little more about me and I do wish you well, hoping you may come back for future installments.

blog, you say?

First off, it's best I admit that I, TJ, have been bamboozled by my lady "friend" into joining the ol' blog-wagon. Extortion notwithstanding, I have been reading some blogs and find the idea intriguing. What a dazzling smorgasbord of the quirky and eccentric, the mundane, the well-informed, the intellectual, the practical "how-to's" and the humorous, satiric or downright absurd. And that characterization comes from a place of humility and genuine respect for all bloggers, great and small. Perhaps it will fall short of "fame" but hey, with any luck at all, one might hope for more than "15 ninutes"!

Enough for this beginner. Y'all come back now, hear?