An Experiment!

Before throwing out the ends of the Romaine lettuce that I paid and arm and a leg for, I tried the following experiment...  I placed the ends in a small bowl, and added a small amount of water.  That's all!  This experiment is a week old.  I will soon move these babies to their new bed outdoors!

Mesothelioma (a guest post)

Does that title strike a note of fear in your heart?  Do you even know what Mesothelioma is?  If you would like to know, check out the following link  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesothelioma.

I know what Mesothelioma is.  10 years ago, I lost a very dear friend to this disease.  Cameron was an artist, and the son of a dear friend.  He had so much talent....  He was such a lovely soul.  He should be with us now.

I have always believed that Mesothelioma is fatal.  Last week I met a gal who beat the odds.  Today I am including a guest post, authored by Heather.

Seeing the Good in the Bad

My whole life I have always been optimistic, viewing the glass as half full and seeing the bright side of things.  This characteristic has never benefited me more than when I heard the word most people fear: cancer.  

On November 21, 2005, I received my cancer diagnosis of malignant pleural mesothelioma, at the young age of 36 and just 3.5 months after my one and only child was born.  You never expect that kind of diagnosis, especially not during what is supposed to be the “prime” of your life, but here was me hearing the most dreaded words.  After the information sank in, I had two choices: to give up and wallow in my own self-pity or face the illness with strength.  Being the optimist I am, I chose the second option.  I stood tall and did what any new mother would do: fight for her life to see her little girl grow up.  

Cancer really is a two-headed monster and majority of people who have experienced it will agree.  It is of course one of the worst possible things that can happen, but on the other a good thing.  My life has changed ultimately for the better due to it.  I chose to see the positives of a terrible situation, perhaps to eliminate the fear, maybe because I was determined to help other people with the same diagnosis, or because wanted to provide hope because that is often the first thing people lose when becoming diagnosed with mesothelioma.  No matter the reason, I opted to find the good.  

I was referred to one of the world’s leading mesothelioma doctors, who had the ability to provide me with the hope to beat this condition!  After being scheduled to have my tumor removed on Groundhog’s Day 2006, I gave my tumor the nickname of Punxsutawney Phil.  And my family and I renamed the day, Lunleavin Day since it was the day my lung was removed from my body.  Every year during the first weekend of February, we throw a party to celebrate this Lungleavin Day.  It is a time to celebrate life, honor the victory over fear, and praising the good that comes from a dreadful situation.  It is also a celebration of hope.  

If it weren’t for being diagnosed with this cancer, I would not have met so many of the great people that I now know.  These people are the most remarkable, strongest, passionate, and tough individuals I have ever had the pleasure to meet.  These people are other mesothelioma fighters who are determined to increase the knowledge of this condition, which has little awareness besides commercials on daytime television.  I now call all people affected by the disease including wives, husbands, sons, and daughters, my friend.  If it were not for my very own battle with cancer, I would not know these great people.  My life is now filled with much more purpose and I want to keep up the efforts to provide hope to those in need of it.

Heather Von St James is a mesothelioma survivor and a guest blogger for the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance. Her story is one of hope and inspiration and she hopes to spread her message to anyone who may be going through similar situations to her own.

Check out Heather’s story on the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance Blog.

Overhauling a few more things....

Hubby and I have been a little concerned about the amount of diet pop that we have been drinking.  We both agreed that we may be slightly addicted to the stuff.  Its the bubbles...and the lack of sugar....that draws us.  We have though, known for a long time, that Aspartame is not good for us.  We did NOT know that Monsanto produces Aspartame.  That should have been enough reason in itself, to quit drinking the stuff.  The other day we were given more reason to quit.  It has been scientifically proven that the caramel colouring found in colas is cancer causing.  What next??

So...we bit the bullet...went to Costco...and brought home the beauty below, for $50.00  It comes with two cylinders which add the fizzzz to our drinks.  In the two days that we have had this, I have drank more water than I have in a long long time.

You can add any type of flavouring, purchased or homemade.  We have added juice.  I am looking forward to making rootbeer...and gingerale!

I am sure that there are many soda machines on the market.  We are really happy with this purchase.

A Visit....

Yesterday, Alexia came to visit.  We took in a show and did a little painting...  Today we went for a "nature walk."

We headed down the Dam to see if the Walleye had arrived to spawn.  We didn't see any but the Ministry of the Environment was on scene, preparing for their arrival.

The geese are very noisy now, and have paired off.  We expect that soon they will their young to our little inlet

Flies!  I never thought I would be so glad to see flies!!!

Daffodils and Tulips are starting to poke through the warming earth...

Bird nests are easier to see when there is no foliage on the trees.

We had a great visit, although it went by faster than we would have liked!  See you next time, Alexia!

There is spring in the air!

We are seeing different birds at our feeder.

Really looking forward to seeing these again!

Have heard and seen more of these...although the water is not quite open yet!

...and soon to come...a new generation!

Don't you just love it? 

Baby It's Cold Out there....

High winds and blowing snow are on the menu today.  Our neighbour's canoe ended up in our fire pit.  Branches are down, but I would say that we are pretty lucky in this neck of the woods.  God bless our neighbours to the south as they clean up in the aftermath of the devastating tornadoes that touched down yesterday, resulting in loss of lives and massive property damage.

Soon to come....