Apollo 11, 40 years and my memories 15 years ago.

My opinion is still the same. Reach high, explore and extraordinary things can happen!

Happy me day!

'Tis the annual honouring of St. Patty day and well, being a Patty/Patti/Pat... I claim all the benefits. My family on my Dad's side does live in Belfast; my name, in it's older form would have been Patty O'Toole and you can't get any more Irish than that! So, I'm waiting for all my presents! hint, hint... :)

Beannachtam na Feile Padraig!

Coincidences, Karma and 6 degrees of separation!

So a bit of background. My name is Pat, and my favourite radio station is CBC Radio, AM, (as I have blogged so many times previously.) I grew up in London, Ontario, I live in Windsor. My daughter's name is Michelle. Michelle is in her last year of Honours Biology, environmental sustainability, at the University of Windsor. She works part time as a Pharmacy Technician at a Shopper's Drug Mart... so...

As I blogged last weekend I left for Ottawa on business. I took the train there. From Windsor to London, I sat alone. At London a gentleman was my seat mate. He introduced himself. His name was Peter Leo, a senior producer at CBC Radio in Toronto! Now... that's not all. He grew up in London. He then mentioned the "Inter-City Student's Council of which he was a member." Well, it was one year and I was the rep for my high school! We met monthly at the Board offices on Elmwood. Peter and I had to be there, at the same time, for these meetings! We talked all the way to Toronto and are now facebook friends.

From Toronto to Ottawa was a woman, just a bit younger than me. Her name? Michelle! Her job? She works for an Global Company specializing in Environmental assessments and reporting! Her daughter's part time job? Shopper's Drug Mart, Pharmacy Technician. Michelle, (my daughter, not my seat mate,) was on her way to London to interview for Grad School at Western for her Masters in a program that Michelle, my seat mate, was very interested in! (Oh, by the way, Mich was accepted into the Grad program and accepted in return!)*EDIT* I forgot to mention that the woman's niece is a pyrotechnician! Being a Federally licensed pyrotechnician and Fireworks Supervisor myself it's strange to run into someone who knows someone who's licensed for this, along with all the other intersections in our lives it was even weirder!*

There are far too many coincidences for it to be mere coincidence! It seems my train rides were "engineered" by Karma!

65 years after dying in the service of our country, questions are answered.

This is how the story starts, well, my part in it. In 1993 while visiting the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery in Germany I took this picture. When I got them developed and saw it, I wondered why I took it?



















In 1997 I decided to try to find his family. It wasn't so easy back then I did not get my first computer until 1998 and not very many people were even on the net then. So I wrote a column for the Star, I was writing about 1 a month back then.












After finding out E.K. Wilson was from Oshawa, I contacted the Oshawa paper who did this story. I then got a phone call telling me his Great Nephew wanted to talk to me! I sent him the photo of his Uncle's grave.















Shane, the Nephew sent me these copies of the newspaper articles from the time and a lovely letter. They had no idea where he was buried and had never seen his grave.














A few months ago, I blogged, in brief, this story. I tagged the post with E.K. Wilson's name. Enter the story, Susan Campbell. She left me a comment asking me to contact her. She and her partner, Joan Baron, (her father Walter Henry Powell was at No. 3 Bombing and Gunnery School with Susan's father in law, Cameron Clare Campbell and Dr. James McPhee;) were building a web site and she gave me the link. Kenneth Wilson was a handsome young man as you can see by this photo from the site. He has such kind eyes. It brings a lump to my throat to look at this picture.











On the site is this picture of the graves in Reichwald Cemetery. I did not realize that on either side of Ken's grave were the rest of the crew who did not survive that night in 1944.

http://www.thewhpfamily.com/mcphee/page1.html

*EDIT* the link is fixed, please take a look!

This is the link to Dr. McPhee's story and the website created by Joan Baron. The amazing story of Dr. Jim McPhee who survived, was taken prisoner and made it home at the war's end. The site is a wonderful tribute to these men and will stand as a remarkable testament to their service and sacrifices. It also gives Shane, the Great-Nephew, the opportunity to talk to survivors who knew and served with his Uncle.











Shane, Ken's Great-Nephew, proudly keeps his memory alive.








When I try to tell people this story and how amazing it is, all of us, finding each other, I cannot help but have to fight off tears. I am proud to be a small part of this story. Just the story of Kenneth Wilson alone is enough to make me cry but the whole thing, well, I'm tearing up now!

Welcome visitor # 14,999!

Actually, I'm over 15,000 now but this visitor, being from Wales, is just a tad more interesting than my darling daughter Michelle being visitor #15,000 from second story of my own house! NOT that Mich isn't important of course! (Even though I specifically told her NOT to go into the blog this morning as I didn't want visitor #15,000 to be her!) :)

My rude family and friends!

So... what are the odds that twice in two days someone would ask you "are you smelling burnt toast?" Well if you are me, those odds are apparently very good! Both times it was explained by "well, sometimes we do all look at you and wonder if maybe you've just had a stroke or something!"

Rude, rude, rude! They claim that would be the only logical explanation of my behaviour or topic of conversation.

I'm gonna smack someone with a piece of burnt toast soon! :þ

MRSA

Photo/Graph: Google Trends

In March of this year, I did a posting on MRSA and what I've seen in hospitals, especially in Geriatric Wards. I am amazed at the number of people who've ended up here as the result of a google search for MRSA. It is from everywhere, all over the world, from Sweden to Indonesia to the USA, all kinds of institutions. Universities, High Schools, Hospitals, Military Installations, Governments... the list goes on and on. I would say that in my little, non-famous blog I get at least two hits a day based on that search.

Obviously, these people are looking for answers, looking for information... I would suggest that a much stronger, more organized effort on the part of Heath experts is called for.

Here's a great link to some info on MRSA.

*EDIT* from midnight to 7:30pm today, there were 9 hits from searching MRSA, one Brazil, one Netherlands and seven USA.

One vote can make a difference!

My friend Patty sent me this!

My shocking day!

There were a bunch of us at the warehouse today, busily working away. A storm was rolling in, nothing new for Windsor in the past few days. Then the phone rang. It was my friend at the Fire Department telling me a funnel cloud had been spotted and heading toward our direction! (thank you Nancy.) As she's telling me this... boom... huge thunder and the power goes out, cutting off the phone. The power came back on and she called back, we finished the conversation and I thanked her. I called Michelle at home to warn her and just as I told her about the funnel cloud, boom... power goes out and phone dies again. I quickly turned my cell phone on and called her back. Power comes back on.

I gathered everyone up and we all went into the front office area. I should mention at this point, for those of you who don't know, I work for a fireworks company, in an explosives magazine! So, we're all in the front when I decide to open the door, look toward the airport and see if I can see anything. It's a glass door, rimmed in metal with a long metal bar across the glass to hold on to when opening the door. I should also mention that the carpet in front of the door was soaking wet as the pummeling rain was coming in under the door.

Just as I grabbed the key with my left hand and the metal bar with my right hand... zap! There was a loud crack of thunder and at the exact same time, lighting hit the ground about 3 feet from the door! I felt a weird tingly sensation through my whole body. My hair stood up and I yelped. The power went off. I was shaking, like I was freezing cold and kept saying "OMG OMG, I got hit by lightning!" There is some debate whether I was hit by the residual lightning running through the metal or from transformer outside that blew sending a surge through the building... regardless, I'm claiming a lightning strike! I saw the lightning hit the ground, it got really skinny at the end, something I did not know before. See, even being electrocuted, you can learn something. (Though thinking about it, the bar should be aluminium shouldn't it?)

It cured the headache I'd had all day! Really, it did. However, as the day wore on I felt not so cured anymore. Actually I started to feel just dreadful. I left at 5, went to see Mich at Shoppers, took my blood pressure and it was NOT pretty. Keeping in mind I take 3 blood pressure pills a day, I can only imagine what it would have been sans medication.

From the Detroit Free Press: "Indoors, outdoors or in a car, don't touch metal objects. They're excellent conductors of electricity." Well no kidding, it's not rocket science but well... I was worried that we wouldn't know if the tornado was about to hit us no power, no radio, no warnings! So I peeked. (Won't do that again!) Even with all this going on, Dave & Ian went to inspect the electrical room to see if anything was smoking, I grabbed a fire extinguisher,(though someone else would have had to use it as I was still unable to control the shaking,) and everyone went around to see if there was anything obvious we should worry about.

We still have no power at work. Well, not true, we have lights in two rooms. One phase of the three phase is working. No computers, phones, fax, cash registers, adding machines... t'was tough doing business today. There was a lot of arithmetic being done on paper with pencils.

So, that's my shocking day. I'm buying a lottery ticket on my way to work tomorrow! My odds have suddenly improved.

How did you get here? Please let me know

97 people in here within 20 minutes? You are all very welcome but what's with the sudden surge? I noticed on the weekend, 36 and thought that was huge! Is there something going on I don't know about? Please leave me a comment and let me know how you got here.

Thanks! :)

Over 5000 visitors!

Thanks for stopping by!

Last month's post on the Tata Nano, $2500.00 car brought my numbers up hugely! Who knew I was one of the first people to blog it? I sure realized it when I saw my numbers go wild!

I enjoy sharing what's going on in my world, glad you all stop by to check it out. :)

Woman in tree.

Not that I'm catering to the woodpeckers at all eh? It was about -22 degrees and windy. The neighbours had so kindly bought me two more suets, one a special woodpecker blend so I had to go get another cage and hang it in Doug, the Pumpkin Ash tree!

It is a success and well worth the trouble. Wendy woodpecker has been there every day. I have yet to see "Wobert," (gotta love his name,) the male up close but I have, as of this morning, from a distance. He was pecking at the big tree behind my house.

ps... the same kind neighbours who bought me the suet reported the sighting of an "old crow" in my back yard and were kind enough to email the pic! whatever! :þ

pps... yes I'm on a ladder, no I didn't fall off!

Men... funny little guys that they are!

I worked all day, stopped picked up Tims, put air in my tires and came home. Bob was "napping." I started the laundry, got out the pots and pans and started making dinner. During the dinner prep, I ran downstairs to add the fabric softener, empty the washer and so on... Did I mention, Bob was napping?

Dinner was served, eaten and just as we were finishing, the buzzer went off on the dryer. I asked Bob, "will you empty the dryer please?" He replied "no." When dinner was finished I decided to check my emails. Bob got up from the table and I asked, "are you really not going to empty the dryer?" He came back with, "oh sure, I'll empty the dryer while you're sitting on the computer!" I then asked, "what did you do when you got home from work?" He replied, "nap." I asked, "what did I do when I came home from work?" His answer... "I don't know, I was napping!"

Michelle, laughing then says, "hey I'm on your side but you have to admit, that was funny!"

whatever! :)

ps... he's downstairs emptying the dryer

Dazed and Confused!

Last night I forgot to put the brownies in the oven left them on top of the stove.

Today I found out Christmas Eve is Monday, NOT Sunday. While relieved, as it gives me an extra day, it still is a bit of a shock. Then, re-reading a list, I realized I bought the completely wrong thing! Good thing I now have an extra day!

Note- there was NO wine involved today!

I'm slothing tonight!

Mich and I are going to watch Harry Potter #5 and I'm doing nothing! Of course I just finished cooking 3 different meals for the 3 of us and now I'm going to clean up.
After that I'm slothing! No new posts, no updates, no nothing...

See you tomorrow! :)

Weekend wrap-up

What a weekend! Shopping in Detroit, (thanks for the trip!) I got tons of bargains, lots of selection and took a big chunk off my list. Then came home and Bob and I cleaned up the leaves that until about two weeks ago, were still on the trees. Sadly, it has snowed over them so it was a mess and took 8 bags. Way too wet to mulch. Then I put up a few lights outside. As it is now the second week of December, outside lights are ok! (Unlike the day after Halloween where it is NOT ok!)

Today, I shopped, twice. De-cluttered and scrubbed my computer room and ... slipped on the icy sidewalk and landed on my right hip and elbow. I laid there for a bit, got up, finished unpacking the car, came back into the house and kept working on the computer room. Then I made dinner, cleaned up dinner and Bob and I carried stuff two floors up to the attic.

Now I'm going to bed if I can make it up the stairs. If you don't see me tomorrow, I can't get out of bed... send food & books ok? Oh and wine, as long as I'm not on any good drugs! If I am on the good drugs, never mind the food or books either! ;)

My Calgary visit.

Auntie Sheila, me, Auntie Kay, my cousin Gillian. It was great! I also visited with my little cous Trisha, My Uncles Joe & Rick and my cousin Joey. We gossiped, we reminisced we enjoyed ourselves.

I really shouldn't be calling Auntie Sheila, Auntie. She's only 6 years older than I.

Looking at this pic... please keep in mind I wasn't sleeping well in the dry, dry air of the hotel and the pillows were way too big and well... I'm old dammit! :)

Parcel from Germany

Today I came home to a parcel from my family in Germany! First I spent time looking at the stamps which made Michelle threaten to cut through them if I didn't open the package! Nice eh? Being a avid stamp collector I was shocked and dismayed by her attitude. I keep telling her, I brought her into this world, I can take her out!

In the parcel was a photo album of my cousin Heike's wedding and pictures of her baby Jana, who has been featured here before. Also in it were pics from the 60's.
(There are pics from the 40's and 50's too, but that's another post.)

They sent me two "Thun" Angels. They match the one my Oma, (Grandmother,) sent me years ago. :)

Seriously, this turning 50 has advantages! My family all came down (best gift!), I got great gifts, I had two parties, I got more gifts, wine, cards and candy last weekend, so other than the whole falling apart thing, 50's not so bad.

Click pics to enlarge.

pic #2 - me (with curled hair!) and Barbara looking out the window at Oma's house
pic #1 - my First Communion taken outside our apartment building in Soest Germany. Barbara has my purse and I'm thinking I'm not impressed! Mom, Dad, Oma, Opa, Tante Gitti holding Sandra (looking at this pic, I'm pretty sure Mom is not happy with what Barbara and I are doing!)

T minus a mere 4 hours and 10, 9 , 8 , 7 ... minutes!

Yes folks, it's official! My birthday Eve... 50 looms menacingly and for some strange reason I'm feeling really, really tired!

This pic is of my 1st birthday, I thought it appropriate.

Us

I really like this pic! (Thank you Sandra.)