Snowman Migration of 2016!

Hi!


As you can tell from the photos, the snowmen that, generally, remain content hanging out in the basement, have begun their ascent to the main floor. It starts small, but they stalk me, and end up wearing me down to the point where I can resist their charms no longer, thus, rendering useless any further obstruction. (not that I ever really put up much of a fight)

It usually starts slowly, this year, the one leading the pack, as shown in the first photo, brought along a most menacing looking bodyguard (bottom photo)to help him further the cause.

Just taking the photos is deemed fairly risky, and very rare, as they don't like getting caught during their annual migration. This journey is usually carried out with the shadows of night affording their cloak of secrecy.

Soon they will all arrive, spreading their Holiday magic along the way. I love this annual snowman invasion. (even if they are a bit creepy about it)


Well, the holiday season has officially hit. Time for office parties, and the inevitable, unfortunate, happenstances therein. Time for making, buying, or pulling out of storage, the knick knacks and doo-dads that bring to life the feeling of holiday magic for you and yours.

Time to honour and/or create those traditions that make this time of year so special. It's different for everyone. Some love formal dinners and black tie parties. Others gather for potluck, living room picnics around coffee tables, board games and beer. Others watch every holiday movie, new and old, cuddled on couches, with kidlets, bright-eyed and full of excited anticipation. Others, for various reasons, don't celebrate at all. All great, all delightful, all of which are choices.

Yet others face a completely different kind of holiday season.

Some are homeless, simply looking for a warm, safe place to lay their head. Some are living in constant fear, surrounded by violence. Some feel alone, living in a weighted darkness, without the ability  to reach out. Some will be writing wish-filled letters, handing them to those who will feel a gutted failure, as they know not a single one can be granted. None great, none delightful, none of which are choices.

If you are lucky enough to be one those with choice, please choose to share. Share your joy, share a smile, share with a food bank, share with a toy drive, share with a shelter, share what you can. please share.


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So it's been another week that has tested my efficiency as a couch jockey. My hip is getting better, just not as quickly as I would like, therefore, I will be making a visit to the doc within the next few days.

I managed to pop the cork on Christmas baking, depositing the first bucket of goodies into the freezer.

Although becoming proficient at riding a couch does not assist in a lot of anything getting done, through having to do so, I feel I have studied enough, and could, without a doubt, fill in for Judge Judy, should the call to do so come through.

With the help of my awesome hubby, I was able to participate in tradeshows both last Saturday and today. Although having a literal pain in the ass does suck some of the fun out of attending, it's still always a great way to spend a day!

As for the upcoming days...........


Probably a bit more time spent holding my couch down............

Doctor........yippee

Working the shop.................

Write..............

Participate in another awesome trade show event in Colonsay..................


And that about does it for now, until next time, I'll leave you with this wish............


May this time, for you, be filled with fun, focussed on all those you hold dear.
May you enjoy every chance to get together, eat the fudge, share a giggle, raise a glass of cheer.

May you listen, really hear, the beckoning of the donation bins, keeping in mind the blissful, wish-filled eyes.
May you find it in your heart to share, whatever you can, help squelch rumbling hunger, turn tears of disappointment into joyful cries.

May you soak up every ounce of joy, every smattering of peace, every gift of laughter.
May you then share it all over the place, spreading happiness for not just the now, but the after.


Until next time...........


www.margyreidbooks.com

When Your Boobs Get A Letter........................

Hi!


Grandbabies and supermoons!


In the first photo, you see some pretty sweet faces hanging out in their "nest," watching movies. You also get a little glimpse of the fallout in the background. It was a sleepover filled with giggles, pizza, ice cream sundaes, nerf gun fights, snuggles and grandpa wrestling. Worth any fallout, every time!

The remaining photos are my attempt at capturing the supermoon. It was tough. My camera just couldn't do it justice.



Soooooooo, as a woman in Saskatchewan that has hit the fifty mark, there is a bonus, of which,  up until now, I was unaware.

Here, once you hit fifty, your various body parts begin receiving mail from the health department. I kid you not! I was aware, used to, and came to look forward to,(yeah, not really) the bi-annual love letter to my nether regions, reminding me it was time to be screened for cancer and/or any other evil entities. These letters start showing up, starting with your 18th birthday.

But, unbeknownst to me, once you hit fifty, the invitation to the screening party begins to include other parts of your anatomy, specifically, your colon and your boobs.

With all of the unpleasant, uncomfortable, and sometimes downright painful things we, as women, have to endure, I feel there should be a bit more of a counterbalance involved.

We go through the pain of childbirth, the counterbalance, a tiny human we would easily die for.

All I'm saying is that it wouldn't hurt to have a nice glass of wine and a fantastic meal served by the likes of Ryan Reynolds, Dwayne Johnson and Brad Pitt waiting at the end of every mammogram.

It wouldn't hurt to have a luxurious spa day coupon handed to us after that oh so lovely experience of the pap.

When you have completed the hot flash-ridden, fog-brained, mystery weight shifting/gaining, hormonal rollercoaster that is menopause, you should get a big fat cheque to reimburse you for all of the pads/tampons/panty-liners you have ever had to purchase, oh,  and a free cruise.

Fair counterbalance, just sayin'.


I will be forever grateful for the fact that by simply being lucky enough to be born where I was, I can receive all of this care, preventative, treatments, procedures, operations and having kids, all without any out of pocket cost to me. I need not buy any extra insurance to make sure I can take care of myself and my family. Something afforded to all of our citizens, regardless of income level or job security.

As of right now, not all things are covered, as we still need to pay for chiropractors, dentists, optometrists, and physical therapy. I'm hopeful that those steps will be taken in the future.

So, although we complain about the tests and procedures that we need to go through, we should always keep in mind all of the people out there who can only look at the care we receive, and see it as some distant, far-fetched dream.

So I will suck it up. All of it. But, I still wouldn't turn down the cruise.


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So besides having a sleepover with the sweet faces, the past few days have been a slight pain in the butt, literally.

A few weeks ago I tried to turn my daughter's steps into a slip and slide, and failed miserably. Things were healing up nicely until I did something weird to the already injured hip by doing something so crazy as putting on a boot.

This made me a couch jockey for a good chunk of the week. Apparently, with all of the growth and maturity that supposedly is absorbed through aging, I must have missed the day that covered being a patient patient.  I suck at this. I know it, and I'm trying to get better at it. It's tough when you are so used to being the one taking care of everybody else. Not so crazy about this trip to the flipside.

As for the upcoming days...........

A Christmas themed tradeshow in Swift Current, writing, and working at the shop will be on the agenda. Hopefully, all goes according to plan!


Yeah, like that ever happens! Life would be pretty boring if it did.


That about does it for another week, until next time............


May the fog lift, the cramps fade, and the booby vice be kind.
May you realize, even though, at times it feels as such, you're really not losing your mind.

May the hot flashes hit only, and I mean only, when you feel incredibly, uncomfortably cold.
May they completely bugger off during meetings, in restaurants, and in the checkout line where your groceries are sold.

May any and all news resulting from the indignities endured, be benign.
May you reward yourself, for being a woman can be tough, with some ice cream, maybe some wine.

May you give yourself permission to take real care of yourself, and do it guilt free.
May you embrace the role of care receiver, though foreign, though unfamiliar, when need be.



See you next week!

www.margyreidbooks.com

Remembering What's Important................

This weekend, we get an extra day off.  It's no regular stat, it is there to remind us of, and to honour those who went before us, dying to fight for our freedoms.


What they sacrificed affords us the freedom to say what we feel, disagree, agree, and fight passionately for what we believe in, no matter what it is.


As stewards of those freedoms, it's our responsibility to ensure that they are preserved respectfully. These freedoms have evolved to become more inclusive. Allowing grown people to now marry any other grown person. Allowing women to make choices regarding their own bodies, desegregation, and steps have been taken toward equality of race, gender and religion. Steps.

It's so important to keep moving forward, celebrating and embracing these freedoms, adding to them. Although we will undoubtedly, at times, completely disagree about the path on which progress will take, it's imperative that respect, communication and compromise remain at the forefront.

We should continue to strive to have everyone wake up with a true sense of security and safety. No one person who lives within a democracy should feel threatened in any way.

When our great-grandparents, grandparents, parents, siblings, husbands, wives and friends sacrificed their lives, their limbs and their emotional health for our freedoms, I can't imagine it came with exceptions. The ones who sacrificed came from every religion, ethnicity and orientation, yet they were brothers and sisters in arms.

If they, in those circumstances, with life and death on the line, were able to see past their differences to find common ground and a way to work together, then, for us to do any less would be a slap in the face to their memories.

They had no problem remembering what was truly important, neither should we.


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This week has been pretty interesting.

It began with spending some time with friends, which is always fantastic!

I was a bit couch bound due to my complete and utter gracefulness in slippery situations. This didn't allow me to sit and write a whole lot, but did give me way too much time to follow the American election.

I guess time will tell. Their decision has been made. I doubt that it will get any less interesting.


As for the upcoming days.

Tomorrow we will observe a time of silence in honour of those who are responsible for our freedom.
Later, the day will be anything but silent,  as we celebrate that freedom by having the grandbabies converge on our house for a movie night/ pizza and ice cream/ dance party/ sleepover.

The rest of the upcoming week will be spent, writing, working and carrying on with life as we know it.


That about does it for this time around, until next time.................


May we keep in mind how it might feel to have our freedoms threatened, our liberties at risk.
May we be cautious not to instill in others those feelings, those fears, let's be gentle through this.

May kindness and hope trump any darkness or hate, filling us all, once again, with light.
May the shadows lift, revealing a rainbow, no one colour better than the other nor more bright.

May our respect for one another's spirituality grow exponentially, for each soul's journey is entirely unique.
May we understand that darkness doesn't live in how, or to whom, or if, we choose to pray, but in the level of glory our ego will seek.


Until next time...........

www.margyreidbooks.com

Most Humble, Most Kind!

Hi folks!




Well, here we are in November!




Soon, the United States will finally have a new president. Finally! I find it hard to understand why they drag their process for soooooooo long.

In my opinion, it shouldn't take longer to campaign for any office than it does to grow a human in a uterus.

It seems a bit crazy to me that they feel their process warrants this span of time. For one thing, it's got to be exhausting for those actually in the race. For another, that is a ton of money that could be so easily spent in better ways. Look into the hungry eyes of a child and tell me again how important it is that you spend millions for months, saying the same things over and over again. And for yet another thing. as if there needs to be another thing, if they were kept to a much tighter timeline, it would force all involved to focus more on policy and platform. There simply wouldn't be time for all of the silly, if at times entertaining, noise.

I haven't found another democratic country that does this. I would love to know the why behind it.


In my heart of hearts, I hope the citizens of America choose well, both for them, and the world they live in.


So while we wait to see who next resides in the white house, we carry on.

We carry on with babies being announced, being born, school pictures and Halloween. We carry on with new jobs, new houses, losing loved ones, meeting new friends, and cherishing those we already have. We carry on, crying on shoulders, and being the shoulder on which to cry. We carry on.

In my heart of hearts, I hope the citizens of America choose well, choose wisely, choose carefully. Putting the one in that historical home that has proven to hold dear the things for which we carry on. The one with their own history of working for the betterment of others. Past behaviors are a heavy determiner of future behaviors. Please push aside the noise, and take a clear, objective look at the lives of both. Choose the one who truly reflects how you want your country to be viewed by the world.  When you look at the leader of a country, a leader chosen by it's citizens, the world can't help but think that that leader is a true reflection of the nation that put him in such an esteemed position.

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As for the past week around here,

Halloween.......I had the pleasure of giving the kids in our community a bit of a fright........hehehhehe

There was a trade show, month end, part finding, bill paying, customer care, writing, laundry and a dust bunny rodeo.


As for the next while...............

Some time with friends, writing, work at the shop, some more writing, and, with any luck a grandbaby snuggle or two.


Until next time, I'll leave you with this wish............


May you be thoughtful in your choices for their consequences linger.
May you weigh them carefully, the mirror is a hard place for pointed fingers.

May you see beyond the circus, beyond all that distracts from what truly matters.
May you look, with objectivity, who builds up those around them, who shatters.

May you make this decision keeping your world of neighbours in mind.
May you remember no one thrives in a bubble, pick who's most humble, most kind.





Until next week!

Sneaky Ninja Ad Attacks!

Hi!




Holy Cow! October is pretty much over! Halloween is upon us, and, if we are to believe ads on tv and in the stores, Christmas is the very next day!



The powers that be in advertising, seem to be in an incredible hurry to move the calendar along. They advertise spring allergy medication in January, they start the bikini body stuff right around March, they begin advertising 'back to school' sales before we can dip our toe in a lake, Halloween in August, Christmas in October.

What the hell is the hurry!


With all of this buzzing around our heads, it's no wonder we have trouble living in the moment.


One of my personal pet peeves is being rushed, and I feel like I'm being rushed by these people all the time. The relentless pounding of hurry hurry hurry, it's coming, it's coming, the next holiday, the next thing to prepare for, the next thing is coming! Their job is to create an urgency to make us want to rush out and buy. Buy whatever is the product or products of the upcoming moment/season.


I think it affects us without us giving it any real, conscious thought. Sneaky, ninja ad attacks.


I, for one, am going to make a concerted effort to fight the hurry, and take the time to enjoy now. Just because they want to put me in a panic, and try to make me feel unprepared, and rushed doesn't mean I have to let them.

So, to the sneaky ninja ad creators I say, I'll get ready for upcoming events, holidays, and seasons when I''m good and ready. I don't need you to add any more pressure to situations that can feel stressful enough all on their own. I'm perfectly okay with picking up the things I need when I need them and not when you would like to insist I need them.

If, by chance, the exact thing I'm looking for is somehow impossible to get at the time, I'm sure I will survive.

I'm choosing to enjoy the time that comes between now, and whatever comes next. Time flies by fast enough without any assistance from you, so do us all a favour and just chill.


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Ths week has been pretty jam packed with helping my sister and her hubby move, a date night with my hubby, work, writing, visiting another fantastic school (Thanks again for having me Elrose Composite School!), and more writing.


The upcoming days will include, a Tradeshow, Halloween,writing, work, month end shenanigans, and more writing.


Like I said, life flies without assistance, let's sit in every moment we can, for as long as we can.


So, that about does it for another week.

Until next time......


May time slow down to an enjoyable, manageable pace, relaxed, unrushed.
May we quiet outside intruders who want to insist on panic, don't let them in, keep them hushed.

May you live your life at a measured cadence, one that brings you peace.
May you let go of all unnecessary, unwanted stress, free yourself, release.

May you give yourself permission to not chase, not care, not try, to keep up with false perfection.
May you see it's an exercise in futility, sacrificing your peace to feed others' perception.



Until next time check out  www.margyreidbooks.com

Some Things Are Just Dumb....It's True...But Some Are Funny Too.....

Well folks, Fall is in full swing. You know how I can tell?   Because we've been covered by snow, had it melt, and are now left with depressed leaves, not all of which have left the trees.

The once vibrant golden cascades have become a rather maudlin imitation of what they were only weeks ago.They are soggy, heavy, their colour faded.

But, not all is lost, for these are signs that Halloween is just around the corner, and I, for one, always look forward to seeing the costumes everybody comes up with.


By the way, what is the deal with these creepy clowns?

From what I can gather, they are some sort of unsolicited promotional idea for an upcoming sequel to a horror movie?

I love a good prank as much, or probably more, than the next person, but this is just dumb, not to mention dangerous. Isn't threatening people with weapons illegal, regardless of the outfit your wearing? On the flipside, how many people do you think you're going to terrify before you meet someone who is going to take you at your word and protect themselves?

I can't see as anything other than a lose/lose situation. But, what do I know?


Oh, I know. I know that it's dumb to go around terrorizing people with dangerous weapons. That's what I know, and I'm pretty secure in the assumption I'm not alone in that knowledge.


It's kind of right up there with sticking keys into power outlets, jumping the grand canyon on a bicycle, and checking to see how many smacks it takes to piss off a skunk while the two of you are trapped in a porta-potty.


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As for the past week........

There was some writing, some working, some running around, and a reading at a school where I had the privilege of hanging out with some great kids. Thanks again to St. Peter's School in Unity, Sk. for inviting me!


In the upcoming days..............

Assisting a move, writing, work, and another visit to another great school!


Gonna be a good week!

Until next time.........


May your week be free of creepy clowns, and all things cringe-worthily dumb.
May you see it may not be as easy as you think, to avoid the things that make your mind numb.

May you see, to avoid them completely may detract from the overall joy we get from seeing others epically fail.
May you see you can't help but to giggle as you watch the guy step clumsily, inevitably, into the paint-filled pail.

May the videos of misplanned daredevil stunts, and people running into glass, find their way into your life.
May you see, as humans, we love the prat fall, the slapstick, it mysteriously, but most assuredly, relieves our daily strife.


Until next week...............

www.margyreidbooks.com

Vessel By Vessel, Vein By Vein..............

Hi!





Well, this was Thanksgiving in the Reid house this year!


I'm so grateful for any and every opportunity to have these faces under the same roof. A few are missing, but it was still pretty great.

We broke with tradition and had chicken and dumplings for our meal, followed by birthday cakes to celebrate two very special little girls.

These kind of days are so special, and should never be taken for granted.


We can never assume that tomorrow is ours. It's never a given. Soak in every ounce of joy.



This week, in the news, there was a story of the separation of a set of conjoined twins. They were joined at the tops of their heads. The surgery took 20+ hours, and needed the skilled hands of over 40 doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals, checking egos at the door. They were a team.

They painstakingly separated these little boys vessel by vessel, vein by vein, nerve by nerve. The boys, now completely separate beings, are said to be okay and recovering. I'm sure it will be a long road, and likely, an incredibly tough one.


It's incredible. The things that can be accomplished when people work together toward a common goal are infinite. The strides possible working for the betterment of mankind are endless. We are limited only by our pride and our ego.


So many decisions, albeit personal, business, national, international or political, seem to be muddied and made so much more complicated than need be by either chasing ego, money, or, in some cases, both.

Companies want to run pipelines through sacred burial grounds, political decisions are being reached without proper research into long term effects, acts of violence are continually being perpetrated in the name of country and religion.


Imagine if we put just half of the energy that is put into trying to hurt each other  into working toward common goals.

I think, for the most part anyway, we are all kind of after the same thing.

We want a safe planet for future generations to enjoy.
We want everyone to be able to live in peace, with a full belly and a warm, soft place to lay their heads at night.
We want to live without fear of each other.
We want our beliefs respected even if, and especially when they are not shared.

I think we can agree we all want these things.

If we could just quit tripping all over our egos, we just might be able to make it all happen.

A skillful team, vessel by vessel, vein by vein, nerve by nerve. Recovery. It can be done.

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Other than an awesome Thanksgiving, this week involved a visit to a great little library in Colonsay, Sk. Thanks again to Sandy, Gail and Erna for putting it all together!

There was also some working at the shop, running errands, planning for upcoming events and some writing!

As for the upcoming days..........

There will be writing, working, a school visit, more writing, and a day to help my sister and her hubby move into their new house!


Until next time, I'll leave you with this wish......


May the nip that now resides in every breath bring cozy cuddles by the fire.
May these lengthening nights and shortening days lead you toward your true heart's desire.

May your every effort bring you closer to your peace, whatever that may be.
May you know it needs no explanation, the opinions of others are plentiful, meaningless and free.

May you strive to not only to do no harm, but create joy with every step you take.
May you strive to leave ripples bubbling with kindness and laughter in your wake.



Thanks so much!

Thinking of stocking stuffers? Check it out!

www.margyreidbooks.com