Lets Treat Our Seniors With Dignity

One of the things I always promised to my Mother was that she would never have to live in a seniors residence. Fortunately it was promise I was able to keep. Here in Ontario and I'm sure in a lot of other places, unless you have a lot of money and hire private caregivers, the standard of care is pretty poor. One of the very first things they do is put these poor people in diapers, even if they are not incontinent. The reason for this to save time and money. It takes older people longer to negotiate themselves and their walkers and canes to the loo and generally they need assistance to get there. Diapers are easier.

The problem is this; they do not change them very frequently, in fact the standard is that the diaper has to have a minimum of 2000 ml of liquid to qualify for a change. The new ones come with a little blue strip that shows how much liquid has been absorbed. This is friggin bizarre.

This is not only done in nursing homes, it is also as I discovered pretty standard practice in hospitals with senior patients and they did the very same thing to my Mother over my objections. My Mother was not incontinent prior to her what was to be her last hospital stay. When I asked to have her changed and cleaned up I was told she'd have to wait they were busy. They expected her to eat her meals in that condition.

So George Smitherman, the Minister of Health for Ontario is considering wearing one of these diapers and testing them himself to see how uncomfortable they are. I would suggest that he fill them up with water first and see how easy it is to walk around in one without it falling down. I mean, that becomes a pretty heavy diaper. He is making a mockery of this horrible problem and he's been forced to apologize. Doesn't solve the problem though.

He should be doing a lot more than testing diapers, he should be ensuring that our most vulnerable citizens receive proper care and personal support. No one, absolutely no one in our society should be sitting eating their dinner in a dirty diaper. That's not my Ontario and not my Canada.

A very good friend of mine always tells me that when she gets to be that old, she'll just go play in the traffic. Almost seems preferable to a nursing home somehow...

When In Rome...

Do as the Romans do, seems logical right? Those of us who have travelled to or live in foreign lands fully expect to follow the laws of that country, or do they? Maybe they expect the country to change the laws for them.

Well yes, maybe, if you live in Canada you have a heck of a chance of getting the laws changed. Just cry "charter rights" and away you go. Here is an interesting take on the subject from an interesting columnist who also happens to be a visible minority and an immigrant. I don't always agree with him but he is an interesting read and this time I agree with him.

Baby It's Cold Outside!

Yup, we're in a deep freeze, the coldest it's been all winter I'm told. It's -14c (2F) with a wind chill of -29c.

My husband has two sons who live in sunny southern California and I don't generally talk about them. They know about my blog so I tend to respect their privacy. But today I'm going to kind of break that rule because there is funny story here.

Ari, the older of the two, is a very handsome thirty something bachelor. He would be a good catch, he's easy going, kind, gentle and in a good profession. Thus far though he seems not to have met anyone. So it came as a bit of a surprise when he phoned us this week and asked for a favour. It appears that he saw a girl on television and is somewhat enamored and he knows she lives in our city maybe even our neighbourhood.

It appears he was watching some home improvement show called My Parents House or something like that where the kids renovate their parents house because they think the decor is outdated. Two young women were on the show doing their parents home and one of these women has caught his eye.

He wants his Dad to find the parents, phone them and find out if the girl is single and interested and get him an email address or phone number. He is quite serious too he has phoned us three times now with this request. Is he nuts or what, aren't there enough women in all of LA? He said if she's interested he'll get on the next flight and head up here, cold weather or not. Doesn't he realize it's -14c (2F) here in T-Dot?

I found two matching names in the phone book so Steve is contemplating making the call, he's just trying to figure out exactly what to say. Did I mention they were Greek? Should be interesting when he does get up the nerve to make that call.

As for me, I had my pre op testing yesterday and that went fine and today I had my foot x-rayed. My GP is also convinced that it is Rheumatoid Arthritis and feels the treatment should be a low dose chemotherapy drug. That's the same advice the Rheumatologist gave me so I will have to consider it seriously. Next Friday I have one more meeting with the "Ablation Team" and then I will get a surgery date. I hope it's soon...

Blogging Lite

This might be my only post this week depending on how I'm feeling. I did want to explain why though. I have a number of health issues to deal with this week starting with the Arrhythmia. It has been particularly bad in the last few weeks and tomorrow finally I have an evaluation with the anesthesiologist. Once that is out of the way there is one more meeting with the Ablation team and then were good to go for the surgery.

The second thing to deal with this week is the foot. This is the same foot that I broke in April of last year while my Mother was hospitalized and didn't heal well. That was of course my fault as I didn't seek medical attention at the time. There are conflicting opinions as to what I should do now but I need to get another opinion. I have tried cortisone shots and heavy doses of Prednisone and neither offered any relief. I am basically housebound right now because I simply cannot walk without pain.

And to top it all off I have a migraine and I'm going back to bed. The wonderful drug Maxalt that usually works in a couple of hours has been forbidden to me by the cardiologist. He said it could kill me...not really worth it I guess.

I will read all my favourite blogs, but unless I have something important to say this week I'll just take a break. I do have some knitting to do though...

Lock Up Your Kids - Throw Away The Key!

My offspring has always been an extreme kind of dude, the kind of guy who on his travels to foreign lands doesn't hang out with tourists but gets right in there with the locals. Whenever he is on a trip somewhere my heart does flutters if I don't hear from him on a regular basis. When he hangs out in his home base of Calgary and goes back country snowboarding I always worry about avalanches and stuff. I think it's a Mom thing...

This winter has been relatively quiet over there in there in Teddy Land, after all he has a new baby and a house to renovate so imagine my surprise/shock when I opened his blog this morning and saw his newest entry.

Good thing he didn't tell me ahead of time, man I'd have been worried sick. I can't be the only mother in the world who feels this way, can I? On the other hand, maybe I'm just jealous that I wasn't there too...

Look What's Happening In My "Hood" Today

A full two weeks since the big blizzard that dumped 30 cm of snow on us the city finally got around to doing this... not that I'm not grateful. They sent out the big guns in this neighbourhood to eat up the snow. This guy was followed by about 6 trucks to carry the snow away.



This guy saw me taking pictures, rolled down his window and waved at me.

Of course the next big storm is just around the corner.

The View From Here - Lunar Eclipse

The view out my back door tonight. I'm bemoaning the fact that I don't have a better camera so with my little Canon PowerShot A550, this is my best effort. The eclipse started around 8:45 Pm and by 10 PM the moon was not visible as a moon, but a red ball. I don't think I'll be awake enough to watch it come back though...

Do Not Try This At Home!

At least without some serious consequences. My chuckle of the day... just a little extreme in my view.

Will Cubans Change Their Destiny?

On Sunday it is expected that Raul Castro will become the next President of Cuba and life will go on as before. The people I met while I was on the island all secretly expressed a desire for change, a hope for freedom from oppression but until they loose their fear and grab it with both hands, it will not happen. They have until Sunday to change their destiny.

"He flicked a switch to see if power had been cut, and turned a tap to check for water. He wondered whether the distribution centre would come through with milk rations for his two kids. Then he took the day off and went fishing."

That is why change will not happen anytime soon and the communists will stay firmly entrenched in Cuban society. They have lived under the communist boot for too long.

I loved the island and loved the people especially their easy going attitude to life, I mean what choice did they really have. But it is this easy going attitude that will stop them in the end from seizing the life they deserve.

We had planned on going there within the next few weeks and I had already started buying the goods that I planned to take with me to give away to hotel staff, stuff they can't get there or can't afford to buy, but the trip is now on hold. I will be watching the outcome with great interest.

Will Anything Change In Cuba - Not Anytime Soon

I have been to Cuba and I would like to go back. The beaches there were the most pristine I have ever seen (not that I've seen that many), and the Cubans are incredibly friendly. But I would prefer to go back only when the people are free. Will this happen anytime soon? Not as long as the population don't stand up for themselves like the people of East Germany did, to pull down the barriers to a better life. Maybe so many years living under dictatorship really saps you of your will, maybe you just can't fight back.

Of course there is much discussion as to whether the East Germans have a better life now or not, but they are free and that goes a long way.

Most Cubans don't expect much to change not with Fidel's brother firmly in power and the army and police at every corner. They will not have the freedoms that most of us enjoy and that is sad, from in my view. It would also not surprise me if Hugo Chavez was in there like a dirty shirt ready to help out Fidels' brother, you know, just in case he needs it. Of course bugging the Americans would be a little bonus and we all know how he likes to do that...

I Took The Test - 2 Cool Quizzes

Thanks Mary Anne... This is pretty much true.

You Are a Visual Learner

You tend to remember what you see, and you have a good eye for aesthetics. You excel at art, design, and computer programming. You would be an excellent film director - or the next Bill Gates!

What's Your Learning Style?

What Rositta Means

You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something. You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense. You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun. You are well rounded, with a complete perspective on life. You are solid and dependable. You are loyal, and people can count on you. At times, you can be a bit too serious. You tend to put too much pressure on yourself. You are the total package - suave, sexy, smart, and strong. You have the whole world under your spell, and you can influence almost everyone you know. You don't always resist your urges to crush the weak. Just remember, they don't have as much going for them as you do. You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing. You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long. You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start. You are a seeker. You often find yourself restless - and you have a lot of questions about life. You tend to travel often, to fairly random locations. You're most comfortable when you're far away from home. You are quite passionate and easily tempted. Your impulses sometimes get you into trouble. You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

I'll let the people who know me judge if the above is true...

Those Darn Cartoons - In The News Again

Those cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad are in the news again. More rioting and flag burning are happening in Denmark over this issue. The issue seems to be whether or not images of Muhammad can be shown. Since I'm not Muslim I have no idea whether or not that's true, my main issue is and always will be freedom of expression and freedom of the press.

So here through the Sandmonkey's blog and Wikipedia are some interesting opinions on the subject. Seems not all Muslims agree on this one.

Read this stuff if it interests you and please don't send me any hate mail.

Sharia Law - Works For Them

This is old news today but I didn't have internet most of the weekend and was unable to post it.

How do Muslim men get to have more than one wife in a country where polygamy is not legal? Well here might be the way they can manage that little feat. Dial a marriage, the quickie way to get married, sponsor you "wife" to Canada and then she applies for welfare. What do you think, is it possible?

No Words Needed

Hope your Sunday is brighter...



Well, except maybe for this one. This three foot icicle was hanging off my back eavestrough.

Saturday Rant - It's Been A While

You knew it was only a matter of time right, well today the only really good thing is, the sky is blue, yup a really beautiful blue sky with hardly a cloud to be seen. Unfortunately this also makes for a really cold day. The really bad thing, there is another winter storm headed our way from America (hey guys, can't you keep it?), due to hit tomorrow night. It's not quite clear yet whether it's going to be snow or freezing rain but at the moment the prediction is for another 30 cm of the white stuff.

Thus far here in T-Dot we have had 70 cm (28 inches) of snow in February alone and the month is not over yet. This has broken a record from 1950. A little global warming would be kind of nice right about now.

Now this stuff, if it falls as predicted will go right on top of the 3 meter piles that are currently residing on our street and have turned it into a one way street. When two cars arrive from opposite directions it makes for tricky driving. Yesterday, while I was out I saw people almost coming to blows over who should try to squeeze into a snowbank to let the other pass, bizarre...

The city has a plan, of course they do...just when and how it will all work seeing as they really don't have the right equipment remains to be seen. I've check the website and I know our street is not on the list to have the snow removed. Emails to my local councilor have been futile. There are elderly people living on our street that use walkers and canes that cannot get out of their homes. If we really get more snow, emergency vehicles will have great difficulty negotiating the streets.

My arrhythmia is back in full force on a daily basis now and I'm not certain if it's caused by the Prednisone or just the stress. The shot of cortisone I got last week has done nothing to relieve the pain in my foot and I still can't walk. I'm also now back on the wait list for the heart ablation surgery, and I'm told it's a really long list.

But the worst, the absolute worst of all, is that my Internet connection is down and has been down since yesterday afternoon. Calling Sympatico, my service provider has brought no relief. I'm now told it's the entire region and every phone call to customer service brings more frustration. The company outsourced to India a few years ago and although they are incredibly polite and patient there are at times communication is a problem. So far every phone call has brought the same response, "three hours madame"; it's now been 24...

Lucky for me there is an unsecured network floating around over me somewhere that allows me some limited access, hence this post. Have a lovely stress free weekend and I'll visit all my favourite blogs next week...I might even get more knitting done.

Motorcycle Helmets - A Human Rights Issue?

It was only a matter of time until the laws of the land had to be changed to accommodate (I love that word) citizens of different cultures so here is todays gem.

The law in the Province of Ontario states that anyone riding a motorbike must wear a helmet but Mr. Baljinder Singh Badesha doesn't think that this law should apply to him. Why not you ask? Well it infringes on his religious freedom. The Ontario Human Rights Commission is going to back him on this one. Think he'll win?

In his own words he says "I want to be treated like an ordinary citizen of Ontario". Wear the damn helmet or don't ride the bike. I was always under the impression that a licence to drive either a car or a motorcycle is a privilege and if you don't or can't obey the law, too bad you loose...don't they take the right to drive away from drunks and elderly people? Will this become a human rights issue too someday?

Happy Valentines Day - February 14

Officially we stopped celebrating Valentines Day many years ago after a really bad dinner at a very expensive restaurant. Not only was the dinner horrible, the service was abysmal. Every now and again my Sweetie remembers to bring home flowers and I remember to go out and buy a card. That doesn't mean we don't care and don't love...

To both of us the outward signs of love don't matter much, it's the every day things that we do for one another that are much more meaningful. He doesn't have to bring me flowers, it's not as important as taking me to the doctor today to get a cortisone shot for my foot because I couldn't walk any more. There are way too many small things that he does for me to list but he makes sure on a daily basis that my life is good. In return, I spoil him too and that's a good thing.

When I met this man on Valentines Day 1984 he was just passing through Toronto visiting his sister without any intention of staying. I was at an impromptu dinner at a friends home when he arrived with his friend. We weren't taken with each other, he thought I was much too flamboyant and I thought he was way too morose. We had coffee once more a week later just to be sure and still felt the same way. A couple of months later I heard he was still in town and helping his BIL do some work on a house for resale and being a Realtor was on that like a dirty shirt. I wanted that listing.

Well, I didn't get the listing but what I got instead was the man. You see, this time when I saw him again he smiled more, seemed happier and since I had just bought a new house that needed renovating I saw the bonus in getting to know him better. By July of that same year he was living with me and by December we had bought our first house together. It was in my name, how's that for trust.

Most of my friends at the time tried desperately to warn me off this man; he wasn't good enough for me, they said; he's just a carpenter, you deserve better seemed to be the general consensus. Good thing I didn't listen. In May of 1991 we married and now celebrate twice. In May we will be married 17 years and in July we will have lived together 24 years. Most of those friends are not my friends any more. They judged him by what he did for a living not for who he was. In 1996 I became ill and haven't worked since yet he never complained about supporting me even though I'm sure two incomes would have been better for us, he just took it all in stride and did what he had to do.

After my father died and my mother had lived alone for a couple of years and it was starting to be dangerous for her to do so, he didn't suggest looking for a seniors home, he suggested building an addition onto our house and moving my Mother in. She of course was thrilled, she loved him as if he were her son. He worked an entire summer to build her that room and was a happy man when she was comfortably settled with us. When he came home from work every day the first thing he would do is go into her room to see how she was.

That's the man my friends said wasn't good enough for me. I beg to differ and am grateful every day not only that we met but that I gave it another chance to develop. Oh yeh, I'm still flamboyant but he's no longer morose and I show my love by baking is favourite treats and knitting socks...

Happy Valentines Day to everyone, may love be good to you...

You Can't Always Get What You Want

I think I might have used this title before, but what the heck, it fits my problem. I was thinking about this today while remembering some ex pat bloggers both in Greece and Germany who occasionally speak about being unable to get items that they used to have at home. Even being away from Canada for seven weeks last year had me saying, "what, you don't have .... in this country?" So Here is something I can't get in Canada.

Now this is not a hint for my European friends to send me some, it would never get through customs, it's a drug. Instead the next two friends of ours who are going to Greece have orders to bring back two tubes each which should see me through until September when I will be back there myself.



Last year I broke my foot and left it untreated due to some bad circumstances. When the shit hit the fan, so to speak, my foot hadn't healed properly and I could barely walk. At that time I got a shot of cortisone in the foot which relieved the pain for a few months.

With all the walking I did in both Germany and Greece last fall it did ache from time to time and my German friend turned me on to this product. It works wonders, it's like a miracle gel, but not available in Canada. This product costs about 6 Euros (around 10 bucks) a tube and the main ingredient is Diclofenac. This can be prescribed in pill for here in Canada, but pills bother my stomach. There is a similar product with the same ingredient available in Canada called Pennsaid but this requires a prescription and costs $59.00 plus dispensing fee. I hate the big pharmaceutical companies that overcharge and I dislike government for not allowing lower cost products into the country.

I'm being really careful with my last tube of this stuff and I am probably going to need another cortisone shot real soon. But I think the long term solution is to see an orthopaedic guy about a longer term solution. I hate not being able to walk...

Look What's Back In The News

Police in Denmark arrested five men plotting to kill the cartoonist of the Mohammed cartoon fame. Remember that; that's when the entire Muslim world exploded in fabricated riots and killed people because they couldn't see the humour... Will it ever end?

Another Storm - A Valentines Day Contest

Looking out the window at the snow that is falling again, on top of the snowbanks that have never been cleared from the last snow fall is enough to depress anybody. We are expecting another 20 cm today. Complaining to the "powers that be" does no good whatsoever. I'm sure that my local councilor has a file on me already filed under Nutbar, but geesh, I don't know why I pay such exorbitant property tax when they can't even clean the damn snow. As for the new garbage rules, well that's another rant coming soon.

Meanwhile there is a Valentines contest over here that could be fun, I mean we need all the help we can get on this dreary February day to cheer us up and what better way than to enter a contest, right?

The World Is Getting Nuttier By The Day

Just when I don't think I have anything to blog along comes this little gem.

I'm just sitting here nursing my sore foot; the one I broke last May and where I suspect the cortisone shot I got in August has worn off and I'm reading all this nonsense in the paper.

Maybe I just need to keep my feet up and take a news break. I don't know how much more trauma I can take before I need some counselling...

Where Does My Tax Money Go?

I just about spewed my morning coffee all over my keyboard as I read this story.

It's no wonder the City of Toronto doesn't have enough money for basic services if this is what they also pay for. I would like my property tax money to go for services like garbage removal, snow removal, road repairs, police and fire services, libraries and parks.

I may have missed one or two important items but supporting polygamous Muslim relationships is not where my property tax money ought to go. This is Canada for goodness sake, when did polygamy become legal?

I've Been Tagged - Grrr...

Fruits of My Mind has tagged me for the meme but it's kind of fun and here are the instructions I received.

1. Pick up the nearest book.
2. Open it at page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence/phrase.
4. Blog the next four sentences/phrases together with these instructions.
5. Don't you dare dig your shelves for that very special or intellectual book.
6. Pass it forward to six friends.

So here goes...the book currently on my coffee table that I am re reading probably for the 50th time or so, is the following. It was first printed in 1936 is it has been said that it is as close to autobiography of Ayn Rand as there will ever be. My all time favourite of hers is still Atlas Shrugged though, but it wasn't on my coffee table today.


So without further ado, here are sentences 6 to 9...

The Revolution had come to a country that had lived three years of war. Three years and the Revolution had broken railroad tracks, and scorched fields, and blown smokestacks into showers of bricks, and sent men to stand in line with their old baskets, waiting at the little trickle of life still dripping from provision centers. Forests stood in a silence of snow, but in the cities wood was a luxury; kerosene was the only fuel to burn; there was only one device to burn kerosene. The gifts of the Revolution were to come.

So since this was so much fun and anyone who sees what I read will know me a little better, I tag the following lucky people.

Teddy
Kat
JMB
Lisa
Chrysalis Angel
Braveheart (because I owe her one)

Have fun with it... and now on to my new hobby over here...

Who Am I?

On January 31st I posted a picture of this baby girl that was found abandoned in a stairwell of an outside parking garage and left to die.

So far no one has come forward with any information as to her identity and the thought now is that she may actually be American. I'm putting this out there so if anyone knows who this baby might be can call CrimeStoppers or their local police department.

What's Making News Today

Besides the storm that left most of my neighbourhood paralyzed today there was this story in today's paper. Toronto Paramedics say that three people died this week at one hospital due to incredibly long waits in the ER. Why doesn't that surprise me? When my mother was hospitalized last April we too waited in the Emergency over 6 hours for a bed. During that entire time the Paramedics stayed with her and were unable to be out on the road answering other calls. That's insane...

So the weather, well what can I say. I found some photos from the January 13, 1999 snow storm that crippled Toronto and had our Mayor call in the troops. It's almost as bad today and I actually saw a police car have difficulty negotiating our street.

1999



2008



The plows haven't been around and it reminded me of the day a few years ago when I was having breathing difficulty and racing heart beat. My husband panicked and called 911 thinking I was having a heart attack. Of course now we know that it was probably the arrhythmia, which isn't life threatening. In any case the firetruck made it first and the ambulance got stuck in the snow. There was a second ambulance dispatched and one crew had to push the second ambulance to our front door. By the time they finally made it, the arrhythmia had stopped and I was feeling better. Could have turned badly though, couldn't it?

So here are a couple of pictures of 1999 and today. In case you were wondering, it's not the same house. We were actually in the process of moving during the storm.

It was incredibly peaceful out this morning, hardly a sound to be heard. Gorgeous actually, as long as you didn't need to be anywhere...

1999



2008



The rest of the photos are in my Flickr page on the sidebar.

Happy Chinese New Year - Year of the Rat

Yup, that's me... I'm a rat...in the Chinese horoscope at least.

Looks like I'm going to have a good year.

A Rat Year is a time of hard work, activity, and renewal. This is a good year to begin a new job, get married, launch a product or make a fresh start. Ventures begun now may not yield fast returns, but opportunities will come for people who are well prepared and resourceful. The best way for you to succeed is to be patient, let things develop slowly, and make the most of every opening you can find. People born in an Earth Rat are said to be logical realists, shrewd, charming, ambitious, and inventive. Of course, the entire horoscope must be considered when making any personality assessment.

The Best Chicken Soup

Two posts in one day, wow... I need to keep busy so I won't think too much. After passing out in the grocery store last Thursday and having a few more Arrythmia episodes this week I phoned the heart clinic and set in motion the heart ablation surgery. I guess I really have no choice in the matter, I wouldn't want to have an episode while driving my car. This being Canada, the wait begins.

So I made chicken soup today. I know, I know everyone has a favourite way to do it but I thought I'd share mine since it does produce a beautiful golden and flavourful broth.

With my method I toss (I love that word) everything into roasting pan and into a very hot 600 degree oven for half an hour.



So after half an hour it looks nicely colored and I add boiling water and scrape off all the brown stuff in the bottom of the pan.



This all goes into the pot with more hot water just to cover the chicken and bring to a boil.



I'm simmering this for a couple of hours and then removing the chicken, straining the broth and discarding all the celery and onion because I don't like them in my soup. When everything has cooled off a bit I will remove all the bones and skin, cut up the carrots and put it all back in a pot. I like to cook my rice or pasta separately since I find cooking it in the same pot tends to thicken the broth too much. So that's our dinner on this snowy night...and now back to my knitting.

What I Did Today - We're Snowbound

It started snowing again this afternoon so I guess the weather man is correct. I thought maybe he'd made a mistake and it was over, not...

Carol, over here would like everyone to post a photo of the view from their kitchen window. Well, mine is kind of boring not nearly as nice as Carol's view. I guess when you live in the city there's not that much to see except the snow of course.



I decided to make it a domestic day today. I baked my four ingredient cheese cake and I'm writing out the recipe for you. I start with a graham cracker crust and if I'm really lazy or in a hurry you can use pre made once that are available in the grocery store. I made my own and it's pretty easy.

2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup melted butter

Because I like nuts I tossed in 1/2 cup of toasted almonds which I toasted in the toaster oven for5 minutes. Stir this all together, press into a spring form pan and up the sides a bit and stick in the freezer while your preparing the rest of the stuff.

For the cheesecake we need the following;

2 pkgs of any cream cheese you like (roughly 1 lb)
I prefer Philadelphia
1/2 tsp vanilla (the real stuff please)
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs

(I also add a couple of tablespoons of vanilla pudding powder, not the instant) This is my Mom's trick and I like the way the cake holds together. Beat the whole mess together until it's nice and creamy.





Spread it out nicely in your crust and toss into a 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes until it feels firm to the touch.



When it's cooled off finish with a can of whatever you like, cherry, blueberry, strawberry or a combination if you like. You can also use fresh fruit if you like.Chill for a couple of hours and serve.






It's my husbands favourite desert...

Just Another Snow Day

Other than the snow, there is not much news here in T-Dot today. We have had 17 cm overnight (that's just over 6 inches) with another 10 or so to come this afternoon. My sweetie is taking a "snow day" and doing some odds and sods around the house for me. I need some shelves installed and some boxes moved that are a tad to heavy for me.

I haven't taken any pictures this morning but it looks gorgeous outside. I know other areas of the country have way worse weather than we do but darn it all, this is just too much snow. There is absolutely no where left on the road to pile it and the plows haven't been through. Cars are getting stuck trying to get up a little hill on our street. And I hate being housebound and not getting my exercise by walking.

I wanted to go back to the Arthritis Society hot pool program this week and needed the doctor to okay it. Sadly for me he refused to sign permission because of the Arrhythmia, darn. I think I'm going to need that Ablation surgery after all, I've had a bad couple of weeks. Hopefully it will all be sorted out soon.

Personality DNA - A Quiz

This is an interesting quiz and it comes compliments of EuroTrippen. Try it it's interesting.

Attentive Inventor

Confidence	Low High	96
Openness	Low High	92
Extroversion	Low High	94
Empathy	Low High	64
Trust in others	Low High	38
Agency	Low High	96
Masculinity	Low High	60
Femininity	Low High	64
Spontaneity	Low High	82
Attention to style	Low High	22
Authoritarianism	Low High	96
Earthy/Imaginative	Imaginative Earthy	50
Aesthetic/Functional	Functional Aesthetic	18

Interesting results I'd say, I wonder what the people who know me would say though...