The Story of Glass Gem Corn: Beauty, History, and Hope

The Story of Glass Gem Corn: Beauty, History, and Hope

The Best Laid Plans....

Well...  My "Me" day turned into a "We" day on Wednesday.  That is ok.  Family first, and this family has had quite a week.

My 9 year old grandson was admitted to hospital to investigate the possibility of diabetes.  He was unwell and had shown a blood sugar of 13 when the doctor investigated.  His mom put him on a diet and was able to knock his blood sugar down to 8, however, the doctor felt it best that he be admitted for overnight observation.

My mother was diagnosed with diabetes in her late 40's and was what they referred to as a "Brittle diabetic".  Her diabetes was very difficult to manage.  Watching her go through her trials was difficult, and when Dustin was diagnosed, it knocked the feet out from under me.  We were lucky, it seems.  Dustin is pre-diabetic and his diabetes can be managed by a healthy diet.

You cannot isolate yourself from troubles...not even for a day...but...you can choose when to get involved, how and with whom.  It is also important to set limits on the demands that are placed on you.  In order to be strong for others, you must stay strong by looking after yourself.

I am slowly learning this...

Have you ever had...

...a "me" day?  A "me" day is a day that you choose to isolate yourself from the needs and news and wants of other people.  It is a day that you choose as yours...a day that will be spent recuperating and licking the wounds that life has inflicted upon you.  It is a holiday of sorts...a "staycation".

How you spend a "me" day is your choice.  You can wile away the day lying in bed with a good book.  You can sit in front of the computer screen or television.  You can choose to answer the phone...or not.  You can paint...or knit...or garden...or not.

A "me" day is not governed by other people's expectations. 

I am writing this at 11:00.  I am still in my PJ's.  I have read a few dozen blog posts, and I am preparing to finish a painting that I started too long ago.  I cannot do much about the hand that life deals me or my family, but what I can do is nurture this bruised soul of mine.

Today is my "me" day.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom....

I love you.

The Red Admiral Butterfly

It seems as if this is a bumper year for the Red Admiral Butterfly. A boom in the butterfly population is called an "irruption", and happens every 12 years or so...and we are lucky enough to witness it this year!

At first glance, you might confuse this fellow for a Monarch as their colours are similar.  They are smaller, however, and almost appear like a shaggy version of the same, but if you look closer, the differences will be evident.

Wikipedia has an informative description of the admiral here.

The lifespan of these butterflies is approximately 3 months.  They overwinter in Florida and Texas.  Eggs are laid in their host plant, which is the Stinging Nettle.  You might notice a curled leaf.  This is how the red Admiral protects her eggs.  She wraps the leaf around them, cuddling them and protecting them from the elements.

It is worth mentioning that the Stinging nettle does just that...  It stings on contact and leaves an annoying rash.  For this reason, many will remove it from their garden, but please, reconsider.  Not only does the Nettle have many medicinal properties, it acts as a nursery for these beautiful little creatures.

Flowers for Leontien

Thank you DJanity  (http://djanstewart.blogspot.ca/2012/04/flowers-for-leontien.html) for posting this story. I am going to participate by sending MY hugs, and my picture to Leontien, who is a brave young lady and who just so happens to be battling cancer.

Leontien, I am touched by your story.  I wish you courage, and great strength.  You are in my prayers...

For you...

Why?

I was recently asked why I always look at the worse case scenario,  My daughter asked me that question on a recent visit.  We had sat watching her young son swim, and I had gazed over to the adult pool which was empty at that point in time.  I saw ripples in the water and asked what it was.  She told me that it was a result of the pump which was circulating water.  I said that I hoped that it wasn't anyone in trouble...and that is when she asked me why...why do I think the worst?

That question has lingered since I was asked it.  Why do I?  Perhaps it is fear....Nobody wants to witness a sorrow, so I think I try to anticipate an impending incident before it happens.  I have nursed for over 35 years.  I have seen the very worst.  I have heard the very worst.  Many of the ill and dying that I cared for were the result of incidents that could have been prevented.  If that doesn't inspire fear in your heart, nothing will.

So.. do I try to protect myself, and the ones I care about by alerting them to potential dangers?  Perhaps.

Is fear, cynicism, and negativity a hereditary trait...or is it an environmentally acquired trait?  Did  I acquire this tendency at home, or is this a societal disease?

I don't believe that I am cynical... nor do I believe that I am negative.   I believe that I am fearful.  That is all. 

I try to think the very best of others.  I believe that people, for the most part, act with the very best of intention.  (I know that my family members do...  I hope that the strangers I encounter do too.)  As a habit, I think the best of others until I am proven wrong.  Not everyone does.

I have family members who are suspicious of every action or word.  (They even are suspicious of the motives of their own family members.)  The first response from their lips is one of negativity... but fear of motive, and suspicion is thankfully, not a trait I acquired.  Why do I say that?  Because their fears...their cynicism... and their negativity make others feel unhappy and nervous.

I don't know why I am the way I am...but what I do know is that when I express a fear without reason, I make others nervous and unhappy.

I am going to work on that...

Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.

Helen Keller