MRB's Talking Fingers

It has been several months since you have heard from me, and I must break my silence now, to let you know that I’m still breathing. It has been quite a time for us… most of it have been happy times. We’ve dealt with some health issues, have tried to be disciplined enough to follow any instructions that have been given, and be thankful for every day that we are still able to enjoy in our country home. Our neighbors have been warned that as long as we both have our driver’s licenses, they are stuck with us! It’s a great neighborhood and we would miss them… even the ones that we don’t often connect with except when we meet at the mailbox. We’re all on the same ‘journey’, dealing with changes that we have never expected to experience, and even amazed that we are still here. Health issues become the common topic of conversations, political opinions are all over the map, and technology is making us feel old and stupid. The telephone guy that I have been married to for sixty years has been r...

 Many thanks to the host of friends who have kept in touch with me over the last several months, even though I have been unusually silent. There must be some reason for my absence, so I’ve instructed my  ‘talking fingers’ to take a few minutes to ‘set the record straight’! The title of this may give you some clue … or maybe not! One of the C’s is definitely NOT Covid, or Complaints or Chemicals. Both my husband and I are doing well but not perfect. We are thankful to be able to remain in our country home, still drive our vehicles, and have access to necessary medications. If you have heard about my favorite location in our home, you may think that the 3 C’s are Computer, Chair, and Chocolate. That’s not a bad idea, especially today when the outdoor temperature is freezing cold and the snow is a foot deep. I’m parked in my chair on the warm side of the glass, and still enjoying the view of our valley, even when it is all white with snow or bright green when spring has arriv...

 I’m sure everyone has a story to tell to sum up the past two years. Some stories will be unbelievably sad, some will tell of overcoming personal circumstances, and some stories will be just plain boring. This may be one of them, but I’m going to tell it the best that I can. Some of you may have already heard that we had come to the conclusion that our days of travel, nationally and internationally, have come to an end. We have a mountain of photographs that were taken on various vacations when we clocked thousands of road miles on our vehicles. Some other travels were done as we sat on a bus or train and left the driving to someone else, or when we walked, slept, and ate on several cruise ships. This past month, we experienced a new (for us) mode of travel that involved a bunch of wheels. It all started with the truck that pulled up to our front door, and our son came to load our luggage and drive us to the airport. He and his sister, and their spouses, had planned a ‘nostalgi...

  We had just finished our breakfast on Friday morning when the doorbell announced a visitor. We were looking forward to the moment, hoping that the plans hadn’t been unexpectedly changed. I opened the door and came face-to-face with a beautiful tall lady who looked familiar but we had not seen her for over two years. Who could forget that smile … and the hugs were wonderful. She lives a bit over a thousand kilometers from us and a combination of circumstances has deleted any past opportunities to come over the Rockies for a visit. I had one of those “how did that happen” moments that I talked about in my last blog. It doesn’t seem to be that long ago when she was a little girl, graduating from kindergarten, enjoying ballet lessons, and attending Sunday school. We had been invited to several presentations by her high school drama class, and even one play that she created. Following those memories, she studied in Britain for a year, did some travel in Europe, and graduated from un...

 It seems as though there was a time when if we were to retire, we would have lots of free time. Wrong! In our situation, the days don’t seem to be long enough, and a ‘short afternoon nap’ takes a big chuck out of my day. I still have morning chores to complete and it’s now almost 3 p.m. How did that happen? For those of you who have followed me in the past, I’m here to report that my husband and I are still on the top side of the grass, and ever so grateful for each day that we are able to enjoy. We are on a ‘first-name basis’ with many of the medical community who have been involved in our senior stage of life ‘overhaul’. The neighbors have been informed that they are stuck with us as long as we have our driver’s license. It’s hard to leave the neighborhood where our 50+ year old children grew up. How did that happen? You may be wondering if my computer still works and I’m happy to say that it works better than me some days. I now spend more time looking for directions and he...

For me, last week was quite a week of celebration. It wasn’t a personal celebration, but a global recognition of Elizabeth, the reigning queen of Britain and the Commonwealth. Can you imagine that it is seventy years of commitment to a life of service that began at a very young age when her father died in February 1952, Elizabeth—then 25 years old—became queen regnant of seven independent Commonwealth countries: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon., as well as Head of the Commonwealth. To try and write any facts to introduce her dedication, I have turned to Wikipedia for the following sentences... "Significant events have included Elizabeth's coronation in 1953, and the celebrations of her Silver, Golden, Diamond and Platinum jubilees in 1977, 2002, 2012, and 2022, respectively. Elizabeth is the longest-lived and longest-reigning British monarch, the longest-serving female head of state, the oldest living and longest-reigning ...

  Some of us had been planning and anticipating in the 61 st anniversary of our graduation from nursing school. The second weekend of May, 2022 finally arrived and it was even better than what we were expecting. Whoever thought we were getting too old to have a party, just don’t know any nurses! We’ve had a lot of practice! We were able to check into the hotel on Friday afternoon, and Marj., one of our classmates, did a wonderful job of booking the suite on the 12 th floor with a view of the city and the mountains, and staying in contact with the hotel until the day of we were to arrive, making sure there were no ‘glitches’. Other classmates were arriving during the afternoon, some who were waiting for the classmate who is sharing a room, and others who were not planning to stay after the banquet, but came to help start the ‘party’. Enjoying a glass of wine (donated by Maureen and Jack D), and snacking on bagged peanuts, pretzels, and chocolates (donated by Carole and Morris S)...

It was 1958 when a group of almost one hundred young girls, most having just completed high school, met for the first time. It was the beginning of a three-year adventure… living and working together. They often socialized together, shared some tears together, and enjoyed daily fun times. In 1961, they graduated as Registered Nurses, and the ‘Sisterhood’ was well established. Many moved to far and near destinations, some to further their education, some to new employment opportunities, and some were finally able to marry the love of their life. The tradition of celebrating a Homecoming Reunion every five years with the ‘Sisterhood’ became an event that was fondly anticipated. Letters were written in cursive handwriting to stay connected, giving updates on life and family, and shared with other classmates. A weekend of activities, starting with the Homecoming (Alumnae) Banquet at the Palliser Hotel, followed by a Coffee Party in the Sunken Lounge of the Residence and a tour of the hospi...

The news is filled with stories about people who have been scammed by a phone call, an email, and even in person. The temptation is to think that it will never happen to us. Why would any decent person want to hit on anyone, young or old, to make them miserable or even destitute. Maybe we are even tempted to wonder if the persons who were scammed were just too gullible and hope they have learned their lesson. As of last week, I have a story to tell; (watch for the ' red ' flags. For a lot of years, since the beginning of the Internet, I have done consignment selling for customers who didn't know how, or have the time, to post items for sale on the Internet. I started by selling on Ebay, researching the value and/or reasonable asking price, then packing and shipping the 'sold' item to the Buyer. Things have changed over the years, more opportunities, more technology, more customers, but there are also many opportunities for the ruthless and unethical people who are...

While watching the news this evening, it gave me an idea for a new blog from me. I do enjoy writing but the last couple of months have been filled with ‘other things’, and my list of ‘no-no’ topics that won’t be entertained by me is getting longer. I try not to be a ‘negative’ person. There is too much of that these days. Back to the news this evening… a town in the northern part of our province has announced that the last pay telephone in town will be retired, because it had only been used about ten times the past year. Following that announcement, the news broadcast stated that there are still 700 payphones in use in our province. I guess this is an important and newsworthy item for this second week in February! We even got to hear the sound of coins dropping in the coin box. Wow! That was exciting! OK… I didn’t promise not to be sarcastic! Payphones were important in my younger days. There were many reasons that we needed to make a phone call when away from home. We had no idea ...

 It’s been quite a year, and I wish you all a Happy and Wonderful New Year! I’m sure that the past year has been similar for most of us… some ‘hav- to’ jobs, some happy moments, and lots of spare hours. As I wrote in our year-end newsletter, I did a bit of cooking, a bit of cleaning, a bit of napping, and spent many hours refreshing memories through boxes and albums of photos, writing letters, sending emails and text messages, and talking on the phone. I use my computer every day, but I’ve been reminded about the progress of the telephone in my lifetime. The first eight years of my life were on a farm, and there was no phone to be had. There was no power and no running water, and the evening light in the room was an oil-burning lamp. When we moved to the city, our first telephone was attached to the wall in the hallway, and when we finally had a ‘curly’ cord, I could sit on the floor when talking on the phone. There was no area code, just a number like 75945, and we dialed ‘0’ to...

 We have seen so many changes in the last several generations, and this past year, with many of us who have time to spare, may have reconnected with friends from our past, and some who we may have never met in person. Technology has given all of us the ability to communicate quickly with friends who live on the other side of our planet. Gone are the days of pen and ink used to write letters that were delivered by the Postal Service, sometimes weeks after it was posted. Even though we understood that we would never meet in person, I have learned that two of my treasured cyber friends (Clydene and Barb), who I met on the NOTH website, have come to the end of their earthly journey. We enjoyed many chats online over the years and looked forward to meeting at our Eternal Home. Clydene was the first person who sent me an invitation to be her friend, and I was pleased to accept. Her home was in an area that we would pass through on a planned road trip to Branson, MO. I have never forgotte...

  Our Canadian Thanksgiving has come and gone, November has arrived, and we've just experienced our first snowstorm of the season. It has been quite a year, and Christmas is just around the corner. This year, we are being encouraged to shop early because supply may be a challenge. I am so happy that I don't have to go shopping. Years ago, our two adult children suggested that we should find a Christmas project to donate to, because none of us needed anything. We agreed with their request that if we wanted to gift the children, one gift for each was enough. One gift didn't mean one big box with six items in it... it meant ONE gift! During the year, we could still remember birthdays with cards and gifts, and “just because” gifts were always acceptable. We also stopped sending piles of Christmas cards with just a salutation, but send a New Year’s newsletter to our friends. It was not our original idea, but when we started receiving letters from friends that included their spec...

 I don’t have to check my calendar … I just have to see the department in my chosen shopping location, to see the massive displays of Halloween costumes and other paraphilia to prepare for the end of the month. It seems that the majority of costumes are for adults. I grew up in a time when Halloween was a school party and a tour of the rural neighborhood, to sing a song or recite a verse at a neighbor’s front door as payment for a treat that could have been made in the their kitchen. There were a few pranks, instigated by some young adults, and most were accepted in good humor. There were no injuries, no food poisonings, no razor blades in home-made popcorn balls, and no defacing of personal properties. Our costumes were put together at home, often using clothing from our own closet or our parents’ work closet. Most of the time, we used face make-up instead of masks, and often wore a warm coat and boots if there was a layer of snow, suggesting that winter was coming early. For th...

What happens when it's time again to celebrate your birth date. Are you as excited about it as you once were? Are you disappointed because the family didn’t come up with a ‘surprise’ party like they did ten years ago? I hope you answered ‘NO’ to both of those questions, and have filled your heart and mind with grateful and thankful thoughts… for another day, for loving family and friends, and acceptance of the challenges that all of us are experiencing this year. September was my month, and I had prepared myself that whatever happened, I would be thankful and content. There were wedding plans for our only grandson and his fiancé, and the anticipation for several family birthdays, including my own. In the meantime, I had time to think about lots of things that have changed in my lifetime. Who would have thought that we would be able to experience a plethora of experiences that were so different from what we thought were normal. I’m hoping that when you continue to read, it will br...

The summer of 2021 has created a lot of questions in “face-to-face” and “cyber” conversations with family and friends … ‘ Who are you visiting these days?’, ‘ What is occupying your time?’, ‘ When  were you bored with nothing to do?’, ‘ Where are you most days?’, ‘ Why have you stopped writing blogs?’ Here comes my attempt to answer as best that I can, and if this gets too long, take a break or find something that is more interesting to read. 1.        WHO am I visiting with these days? - My husband any time of the day - Chats with neighbor over the back fence or on the road - Anyone who calls me on the phone or accepts my telephone call 2.        WHAT am I thankful for? - The day my husband came home from the hospital after open heart surgery and complications - For the love and support of our adult children and their families, even when we couldn’t be together. - The circumstances in my life have increased ...

I hear that song many, many times because it was our daughter’s favorite song that she learned on a visit to Disneyland. She loved the dolls and music, and her record player in her own room. Some unexpected events recently have brought back that song… and for me, music sticks very hard in my ‘memory bank’. It has been quite a summer for us, some events were not pleasant but surprising, and some events were surprising AND pleasant. Being that I haven’t been ON THE HILL very often, I decided that it was time to write an ‘update’ blog, to let you know that we are still on the right side of the grass. My husband is on a great road of recovery… and our hearts are filled with thankful thoughts and prayers from the ‘army of friends and family’ who were standing with us. Little did we know that this was the season for both of us to recover from successful surgery. I must say that both of us are grateful for the wonderful medical community available to us, but tired of all the medical appoi...

  After some discussion in recent blogs about our use of the English language, it brought to mind one of the major projects that was presented to me some twenty years ago. My abilities on the computer were being honed with persistence, and my first two major contracts were to design and print “advertising cards” for companies who wished to advertise through Welcome Wagon, and announcement cards for Christian Women’s Club. Being a home-based business in a rural setting added a lot of road trips to my adventures. On one occasion, I received a phone call from a gentleman who said that he had received my business card from the Welcome Wagon representative, and wondered if I did proof-reading and script preparation for publishing; did that fit into the job description of “Your Choice Designs”? He was looking for someone to review his autobiography and ready it for printing. No, I had never done anything like that before. I told him that I was a retired nurse, I loved to read, and now wa...

How many times have you said that you didn't want to be a bother” to a friend, when you know they are going through an unusually busy or stressful time. You would like to do something to help, but then wondered what you could do that would be helpful. Even a phone call would interrupt their busy day, and that could just be annoying. Many years ago, when your children were quite young, we had an experience that I’ll never forget. My husband had a serious accident at our new home under construction. I had just returned home to put our children to bed, when the doorbell rang. I didn’t want to see or talk to anyone, especially someone who would be trying to sell me something that I didn’t need. However, after about the fourth chime from the door, I opened the door a wee bit and recognized the callers. The gentleman worked in our office, and he and his wife had travelled across the city to bring us a box of homemade cookies for the children’s lunch bags. They told me that they didn’t kn...

  I hope my readers are enjoying the spring days of the long weekend. It doesn’t really matter about the weather, which none of us can control, or the restrictions imposed on all of us.  I’m sure that you are wishing that you could enjoy some time with your family or some close friends. I’m in my favorite chair by the window, and I won’t see the sun set this evening because it is so foggy in our valley. It has rained off and on, and some areas have even had a bit of snow. I think we are still having April showers but the leaves are coming out and our valley is green. My evening is quiet and I’ve had some time to reflect on the last couple of weeks. It has been amazing and something that I didn’t see coming. My husband and I can still say that we are content, even though most of the year has been on our little patch of land, except for necessary trips to town for ‘essentials’. His shop seems to have received a sort of ‘facelift’ and I has been surrounded by photos and scrapbook...