MRB's Talking Fingers

I have always had a passion for photographs. When I arrived in our family, my mother purchased a box camera. I still have quite a few photos of myself, starting as a babe in arms, and my growing up years on the farm. I don't have any siblings so I was the 'star'! When we moved to the city, and I was attending school, Mother used a Brownie camera, with the glass view finder, which I still have in my collection. The definition of a trove, according to Webster, is a collection or store of valuable or delightful things, and I certainly have a trove of photos. My first job, when I attended High School, was at a photo studio where I learned to hand-color photos, both studio wedding photos and portraits. It was a fascinating art and desired by customers because there was no such thing of colored film for cameras. My parents gave me a camera when I entered Nursing School so that I could create memories of three years of training, with new friends and of new experiences. During thos...

  We've just celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving... and I even wrote a blog about it. It has been a busy time in our household... birthday celebrations, a bit of travel, thanksgiving with some of the family and missing the rest, plus the daily activities that hopefully keep us out of trouble.  October 22/20 didn't seem to fit in those categories. It has been said that "life is the sum total of all experiences...", and for me, it was a 'dousie'! I wasn't sure if I should laugh or cry, but it happened... and as I said in my previous blog, it is a good practice to look for things we are thankful for, even in the bad times. So here's my list for that day. I'm thankful for: ⦁ ... the lady who drove to our rural location to cut our hair on the driveway, not once but twice, during this pandemic. ⦁ ... the suggestion that I come to her small indoor salon in the city, located in a Seniors' apartment', now that the weather is looking more like winte...

 It is the Canadian Thanksgiving Weekend in our area, and we had a delightful early dinner with family to accommodate working hours of family members. I've been reminded of a Thanksgiving Challenge that was given to me many years ago.  It was the spring of 1975, filled with many happy expectations and unplanned and unpleasant events. My mother succumbed to her rapid developing illness before her 65th birthday, and my husband was hospitalized because of an propane explosion at our new home under construction on our acreage. On one occasions, when sitting with my husband in the hospital, our pastor came for a visit. In our conversation, he suggested that I could make a list of all the things that happened that month which  I was thankful for. I didn't take the suggestion seriously and thought that he had no idea of what we were going through. I tried to dismiss the suggestion but it kept coming back to my mind. I had time to write something down when hubby was resting ... i...

When was the last time that you had a real good, noisy “belly” laugh? For the ladies, that may be a bit of a stretch, so call it something else. Call it uncontrolled laughter, that keeps sneaking back to your head, and then starts all over again. We had a bunch of at the 55th Class Reunion of my nursing class. Old 'nursing' stories are still funny... if we have the nerve to tell them to our 'non-nursing' friends. I love to have fun, help put a smile on someone’s face, and at times, just be silly! There are a few things on my page where my “personality” has leaked out. But I must ask, “Who thinks that the entertainment of today is better than “the good old days”? There were 'comics' in our much younger days who didn’t have to say anything, and we would laugh. Their facial expressions were priceless. Some that come to mind are Tim Conway, Red Skelton, Lucille Ball, Bob Hope, and Lily Tomlin. I remember standing with school friends at the window of the local lumber...

I'm still finding boxes of 'stuff' that I've forgotten that I still have. I have to admit that I have been distracted quite often, when started to sift through a discovered box. When the family tells me that I never throw anything out, I think they are right at least part of the time. One box was very heavy... no wonder it hasn't been moved in years. It is filled with newspapers and magazines. The Star Weekly was known for the photos included in their stories, and I have the issue in honor of Winston Churchill, at the time of his death. I have a copy of a British magazine, with photos of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. There are newspapers with headlines of John Kennedy's assassination, the release of the Iranian hostages, the shooting of Ronald Reagan, and the crash of Apollo 13. Then there are early issues of PEOPLE magazine, about 10 year-end issues, a special edition on Michael Jackson, the wedding of Charles & Diana's Wedding... I could go on...

I thought I would have my computer back home by now, but not quite. The new battery that was installed lasted about 12 minutes!!!!! The company has to get their supplier to send another one... hopefully one that will work longer. I was in the city yesterday to enjoy a "Birthday Celebration" with three other ladies. It was a "had my birthday", "having my birthday", and "going to have my birthday"! It was a lot of fun to enjoy a LONG lunch in a great restaurant. By the time I got back home, I was ready for a nap. Today was occupied with things that didn't get done the day before. I have decided to share something that I created almost 8 years ago, containing some of my first Blogs that I posted on NOTH, and a lot of other things. If you find one posting entitled "How Can You Tell If It's Real", it is a personal talk that I shared at a number of Women's Club meetings. I have almost forgotten that I did some public speaking. The...

I don't know about you, but I'm getting so tired of political rancor in all of our countries, and the information, varified or speculated, about the virus, the economy, the society, the rights of everyone, and whatever else the media thinks is important. Thank goodness there are spots on the internet where we can read and celebrate with people who think "outside of the box" and show kindness and empathy in unexpected ways. The sacrifice and service from the medical profession, the police and firefighters, the teachers, and the farmers, is beyond my comprehension, even during the fault-finding and bitterness that has crept in when we haven't been watching. On a personal note, what can I do in a positive way, to express what is important to me, and still be an encourager, a helper, and a friend to those who 'cross my path'... in the neighborhood, in town, or on the Internet? I'm classed as 'old', even though I don't want to admit it, and some...