I would like to wish you....

Peace on Earth, and all the very best to you for this magical day of the year!!!!

Merry Christmas!

To Sleep, Perchance to Dream

I have always placed a high value on sleep. Apparently as a babe, my mom needed to wake me to feed me, I loved sleeping so much! As a teen even I would rather sleep than wander the neighbourhood after dark with my dearest friends -- much to their frustration. Not only was I afraid to get caught out of bed, and aware that I am very cranky without the full quota of zzzz's, but I was also worried that I might miss something in dreamland. I was blessed with a good waking memory of my dreams and even some lucid dreaming (though not consistently).

Up until adulthood I very very very rarely dreamt I was myself, I could be anyone at any time or even anything (Ever dreamt you were the wind?). Unlike watching TV, these were experiences on a full 5- senses level! I love dreaming smells and textures.

I am getting off topic here though, I really wanted to write about two particular dreams.....

The first one isn't mine. My dad once told me about a dream that changed his life forever. In it he was at a club, and there was a raised floor in the middle of it that had very serious adults. From his perspective they were stuffy and boring, he was on the lower level dancing, drinking and whooping it up with friends and laughing at the people on the higher level. THEN something changed and he saw the other people as what they were, mature, successful adults, with plans and achievements and full lives and suddenly he wasn't satisfied with being on the lower level as an immature partier with no future and no responsibilities. He wanted to step up onto the platform. As he approached it, someone that he had jeered at earlier smiled at him and said he was finally ready and welcomed him up.

Dad told me the the dream because it had changed him so profoundly -- literally overnight! And at that point he really did take control of his life and his business. He went from being a job-to-job labourer to a respected general contractor and built up a modest empire of well built, custom and spec homes before he died only a few years later.

I saw the results of recognizing a dream's potential first hand!

Of course I am not saying ALL dreams carry this much influence with me, but you know some dreams just feel more powerful and stay longer with you...

Just this morning, I remembered one that I had a long time ago.

Before my dad got sick I had a dream that scared me so bad, right to the core I was worried about what it might mean. I had to tell dad, because it was about him. The dream happened about 20 years ago so the details are fuzzy, but the message was painfully clear -- in hindsight.

I was sitting under a tree watching my dad and stepmom playing tennis. They were smacking it back and forth and a young lovely woman wanted to play, she asked to play dad next -- Dot's reaction was toxic! And Dot's game got aggressive, I was alarmed at Dot's anger, even though my dad was kind to the lady but obviously not interested in leaving his game with Dot. Sitting in the dappled sunlight of the tree at my back, I noticed there was a tree behind dad and one behind Dot. Dot's tree was twisted and tall and (if I remember the dream correctly) had more than one top like it had been broken and kept growing. Interesting, kind of scary tree.... then I looked over at dad's and was horrified to see that it was lush and healthy at the bottom, but bare and dead at the top third! I panicked! I wanted dad to look at his tree, but he wouldn't look, he was too focused on his game. I had the terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach that the longer he played the game, then the more unhealthy his tree would be, but he wouldn't stop and he didn't seem concerned at all! With a wave of dread, I tried to look at the top of MY tree. I was standing at the bottom and no matter how I tried I couldn't see past the bottom-most branches lush with green and sunshine. I ran around the tree looking up, but I could not see how tall my tree was.

Then I woke up.

I told dad about the dream. It disturbed me so much and I thought maybe the young woman was important. I told dad how worried I was about the game. He brushed me off and I am not sure if he heard me at all.

It wasn't too long after that that the cancer came back to kill him. Dot fought hard to be the martyr of a dutiful wife and would not let anyone else care for him (though she desperately needed the break and he desperately needed a calm, rested, attentive caregiver). I was too young to know that I needed to advocate harder for his care, but really I know she would not have let me anyways. I feel most sorry for my sister whom Dot kept away from my sick dad. I don't even know if dad knew how many times Sharon TRIED to come see him only to be sent away by Dot (because "one teenage girl sapping his strength was bad enough" That is a quote. Nice, eh?).

Dreams are important to me. I don't remember as many as I used to, and they seem to evaporate almost immediately when I wake up these days.... it makes me sad, like I am losing something very important. Sleep has become almost mundane, another chore that has to be done --- I still NEED the full night's sleep to function, but without the dreams, it's just sleep.

And life goes on.

Cammy is sick, just a cold, but the coughing, hacking and endless snot is coming at a bad time. I have deadlines, and appointments this week. I have Christmas shopping to do and the puppy demands a whole lot of attention these days too.

It's a bummer, but we do what we can, right...

AND why is it my internet working, but not my email?

At least the puppy is sleeping longer.

I need sleep.

How can anyone be angry at that cute little fuzzy face?
No me! Even at 1:30am, 2:30am, 4 am and 6 am cleaning up wee puddles (and more -- ugh) and having my nose used as a chew toy when I am trying to get back to sleep, he is SO CUTE.

Obviously I slept down by his crate last night as his first night away from his littermates.

He is nocturnal -- I am not.

He sleeps very often, just not very long, (like a baby) and when he wakes he pees, chews and bounces around.

oh boy, it is going to be interesting. ..... So sleepy.

I am so proud

My son had to write a story for school, I think it turned out very exciting.......

The Future
by Steve , age 10

It is the year 3000 AD and the human race is almost extinct.

The War started when man went to Mars, and the Martians struck back. It turns out they tampered with our early rovers so we thought it was clear. They declared war as soon as we set foot on Martian soil in the year 2030, no explanation was ever given. Now centuries later the war is almost won – by the Martians.

The entire human race relies on us 3 intergalactic warriors; me (Steve), a skilled engineer and ace pilot; Ricky, a top-gunner; and Charlie, a gifted translator. We are searching the galaxy looking for allies, and on our journey we have met many foes.

Charlie lifts his head from the console. He has been napping on his watch when he was awoke by a new sound. “I hear something!”

Ricky and I wake up, ready for action. I run to take control of the ship and then look at the gauges, they are all down. “Something has cut our power – Ricky, check the main gun, Charlie, try and translate that noise while I try to get the power back! There is a whole alien fighter squad outside our window and we’ve been hit in the main generator.”

“These aren’t Martian ships neither” says Ricky.

“Get the power up so I can try to talk to them!” calls Charlie.

The ship shudders as the alien’s craft latches to ours. Then we start to move.

“I wonder where they are taking us?” I say to the men. Soon it was obvious we are being taken to an uncharted planet about 120 lightyears from home. The alien ships are dragging us at amazing light-warp speed.

When we stop, Charlie looks closely at the ship towing us, trying to figure out what the numerals on the side of the ship are. “Hey! That’s Martian writing, but those aren’t Martian ships!”

“How can that be? No way any Martian ship I have ever seen could get way out here, they just don’t have that technology!” I argue.

Ricky adds, “Some THING is fixing our generator and it sure looks like a Martian to me!”

“We got full power back -- Charlie start communicating, we need answers.” I order.

“On it.” Charlie replies “ They are definitely speaking a Martian dialect…” a look of concentration on his face.

Ricky says, “I hate to say this, but let’s wait to see what they will do with us, they must be friendly or else why would they fix our generator?” He lets his thumbs slide over the main gun triggers as he talks.

Charlie explains what he has learned, “They got our signal for help from Earth, they have been looking for our ship, the generator failure was an accidental overload from their communication beam, so they dragged us back here to fix it.”

Charlie yells, “You aren’t going to believe this! It seems Mars is kid of like ancient Australia was to our old Britain, a big penal colony! They are a bunch of desperate criminals we have been fighting!”

“No wonder they decided to attack us instead of leaving us alone” Ricky sighs heavily.

“These aliens want to help us! They want to help Earth! They are going to catch and imprison the criminals before the Martians can use Earth’s resources to build a new fleet to attack these friendly aliens that are towing us.” Charlie’s huge smile gives me the most hope that I have had in my whole life.

“Do you know what this means?” says Ricky quietly. He is staring at the alien ship.

“Yes,” I let myself grin, “WE DID IT!” We found a way to save our planet from losing this war!”


---- the end ---

He wanted to go on with the rescue, the battle and more, but it was supposed to be a 2 page story, so I had to stop him short. I am so proud!!!!!!!!!!

Spaceship Image from: http://www.apple.com/ca/games/articles/2005/05/x2thethreat/

Snow Story

It was the first REAL snow of the season, and one for the memory books too. Nothing bad happened at all, the power even stayed on, but there was so MUCH of it!

Of course me (and the cat) were sensible enough to stay inside and enjoy the warmth of a modern home... except when I was dragged out on a field trip by the hubby. But I was kept amused in the car by letting the boys use the camera.

It meant a whole lot of shovelling and lots of coat and mitten rides in the dryer, I think everyone enjoyed it actually.... except maybe my roses (what's with the roses blooming in December anyways?)

Then as suddenly as it started, the great snowstorm finally stopped after dumping MORE that a foot onto us ( between 14 and 18 inches I beleive) And NOW the weather has gotten very wet and very warm. A balmy 12 degrees with loads of rain! The snow is melting rapidly after acting like a fog producing sponge.... between the melt and the rain, there is too much water and people are being flooded, roads are blocked off from water, and there is a "boil water" advisory because our city's drinking water is spoiled with run-off.

Ah well, the joys of a westcoast winter.