Glad to see the year end?

As 2010 is coming to a close, I can’t help but think of not only my life this year, but others as well. For some  people there may be much nostalgia attached to this soon to be complete year. For others, the year has been an uphill battle and they are hoping that 2011 brings with it, more positive, harmonious and prosperous times.

Whatever this past year has brought to you (or taken away), there will never be another time exactly like this. There are always lessons to learn in every step of life. Sometimes the events that happen leave us wondering where the good is supposed to be. These are episodes in life that I have always been taught to think were things we weren’t supposed to understand. However, whatever has happened, it has helped someone, somewhere, somehow. This seems a nice way to think of things and quite frankly, the best way I know how to keep as positive as I possibly can.

Have you ever heard the saying “you will not be given anything you can not handle.” Did you ever notice how you thought you could never get through a challenging time, and you did? That is definitely food for thought.

As you look back through your 2010, I hope you can find the positive over the negative. If you have experienced a lot of challenge, I hope you look at yourself and the battle(s) you have endured and realize that you are stronger and better in some way for it. I hope you have more peace, more riches, more love and more laughter at the end of this year with more for 2011. A colleague of mine sent an email and one of the things he said was, "follow your passion not your pension".  In these times like these where we are so focused on money and material things, look to your heart and it will never steer you wrong.  Listening to your heart can be a difficult thing. 

Every year, I think next year I'm going to start doing this and I'm going to stop doing that.  I have made so many new year's resolutions that I have broken as quickly as I made them.  This year, instead of making resolutions, I think it's better to focus on things I have learned throughout the year.  Lessons learned definitely help me grow as a person.  I figure the more I grow the better changes I will make in my life.

This year, I learned to definitely never take anything for granted. This is a regrettable action because you should never underestimate another’s experience, kindness, time or action. When someone treats you right, treat them right back. It is so important to life. This is what we are supposed to be like. Instead from time to time, we don’t take the time out to recognize something or someone. Think twice before going down that road. It only takes a minute or two to call, write, email or text. People really enjoy acknowledgement. They like to know their action has made a difference. The feeling of giving is a feeling that provides a feeling like no other.  Study after study has proven that people feel happier when they do something to help another.

As we all say good-bye to 2010 and usher in 2011, stand up, put on your smile face and say hello to a new beginning. This is a brand new chance to change many things to the way you really want them to be. You can not change the past but you can shape the future.  Even if things happen to you that are out of your control – this is an opportunity to do something better. This is an opportunity to help someone, help yourself, help others and who knows, help everyone.

Ontario's Green Energy Initiative - The straw that will break the ratepayers back?

The following two videos have been on You Tube for a few weeks.  They are animated videos that explain some of the issues surrounding Ontario's Green Energy Initiative.  Many people who are not educated in the electricity sector would not typically know much of this information.  The Ontario government hides bitter truths behind this initiative.  The videos below help explain some of these truths.  Provincial government continues to use propaganda to set their agendas and gain the approval of the Ontario people. 

As a ratepayer, I would be concerned as to where my hydro bill is headed and whether I will have electricity on an ongoing basis. Most middle class people are having a hard time as it is paying their way in this society. The Ontario government talks about thirty per cent "conservation" as being part of their long term plan. What exactly does conservation mean in this case? Does conservation mean that we will resort to rolling brownouts that happen in places like California?  The Ontario Energy Long Term Plan proposes that Ontarians submit to energy poverty.  Energy poverty is when access to hydro, heat and other forms of power is not attainable because people cannot afford to pay for it.   


We have endured tax increases that the liberals promised would not happen.  First the health care tax, then HST, not to mention the eHealth scandal where this government squandered over $1 billion of taxpayers money.  Next came the OLG scandal where billions more was wasted.  It gets better yet, the Ontario government has been involved in sole source contracts.  Imagine that? A government that mandates all government agencies and corporations ensure a competitive bid process is adhered to, didn't even follow their own rules.  The liberals very own former Energy and Infastructure Minister, George Smitherman sole sourced a multi billion dollar contract to Samsung for wind turbines. Prior to being Energy Minister, he was Health Minister and then he went on to municipal government to run for the mayoral race in Toronto.  He lost to Rob Ford.
 
The liberals are shutting down coal-fired electricity plants in Ontario by the end of 2014, will be buying coal-fired power from the United States and ratepayers will be paying four times more for power. Those plants are in Michigan and are ready to provide Ontario the power that it will need when their Green Energy initiatives fail.  Communities in Ontario where these plants have operated in a safe, reliable and environmentally responsible way for many years are going to lose some great community citizens, volunteers, donors, and taxpayers when these plants shut down in 2014. 

As of 2014, Ontario will be entering their off coal initiative.  Steel companies and oil refineries, who both burn coal to process their products, will be exempt from this initiative. In addition to this, it's okay to buy coal fired power from our neighbours. Shutting down these plants in Ontario will at the very most save 2 percent of the C02 problem for the province and only slightly more for the country.  You can read a letter to the editor at The Hamilton Spectator here.

None of this makes any sense to me. I guess that's why they call this politics.  How do these politicians sleep at night?  How do Ontarians and supporters of this game sleep at night?  I know why I can't sleep at night and it's not because I am knowingly duping and stealing from honest working men and women in this province.  It's because I am so worried about my future, your future, Ontario's future.  This is not Ontario's problem alone, it is a global problem and we are not going to solve it alone.

Where is the green in this plan? I can make a guess where; right in the pockets of policy makers and big green energy organizations.

We are barely recovering from the recent recession and now we are going to spend billions to make a system that cannot sustain itself and needs another system to provide back up.  Residents and municipal government in rural areas have no say in what happens in their communities. 

There will come a day when the people of  Ontario will rise up and say enough is enough.  I find it sad that this plan will pull a lot of people under first. The writing is on the wall and only the affluent will stay afloat in the coming economic times.

I encourage you to view the following videos and learn more details about Ontario's Green Energy Initiative.

Attendance in Flu Shot Clinics Down This Year

In a blog from October 30, 2009, I discussed the hype of the H1N1 flu vaccine.  Last year people were racing to flu clinics to receive their flu shot for fear of catching the infamous H1N1 flu virus. There was so much hype in the media that people were literally jockeying for position as they stood in line for three and four hours with their children to wait for their turn to receive the needle. Not only was that an issue, but on top of that, they rationed the shots to elderly people and children claiming that there was a shortage. No wonder people were worried and competing to be first in line.

This is another example of how powerful our government, medical experts and media are in creating hype among the public. In the end, the H1N1 virus was not an issue through the winter season and the pandemic prediction did not come true.

This year, we see a decline in the number of people coming to flu clinics to receive their flu shots. Why?  Perhaps it's because government, media and WHO didn't create panic among the masses like they did last year. I'm sure we'll have a repeat performance when the next potential pandemic is reported.

 I didn't get a flu shot last year and I won't be getting one this year.  I have to admit that I am skeptical  about media hype and pharmaceutical companies and much of government action.  The more I watch and read the news, the more skeptical I become on many issues.  The fact is that media has a big part in shaping our beliefs, what we buy, how we vote, the list goes on, all the while, exasperating fear.

Cartoon from an editorial in the Cleavland Sun.

An Apology

I haven't posted since July and cannot believe how fast these past few months have gone by.   There has been a bit of a separation with my Internet access and I have recently gotten that problem solved.  I apologize for taking so much time in between blogs.  I am excited to get back to blogging. 
The fall is here now.  Winter is on our heels.  Where exactly did the summer go?  I certainly hope the winter season goes by just as fast.  Christmas will be here before we know it and a new year begins.

Now to get researching and find some interesting things to blog upon.
Any writer would love the following quote and it may even make you chuckle...

"No passion on Earth, neither love nor hate, is equal to the passion to alter someone else's draft" - H.G. Wells

More to come soon.  Thank you for reading.

A local artist going places was encouraged by her art teacher

Michelle Snively-Jefferies grew up in Boston, Ont. and from a very young age knew she was nurturing a talent deep within.  Snively-Jefferies stated: “My God given talent is, I believe, inherited from my family; my dad, who seems to explain most every story with a quick sketch, and an uncle, who works with many different mediums from wood to iron to paint.”

Snively-Jefferies talked about her Grade 6 art teacher Marion Anderson at Boston Public School. Anderson taught art class and was the principal of the school. This encouraging teacher told her class one day: “You can draw. You can paint. You are stating your very own perception of the subject. It is right for you."  These words would stick with Snively-Jefferies and would give her confidence to continue to enhance her artistic talent. With much enthusiasm, the artist now enjoys spending time painting with her mentor, Anderson, who is now 91 years old.

With acrylics being her preferred medium, Snively-Jefferies got started painting about seven years ago when her husband bought her a tabletop easel, a canvas with acrylic paints and said, “Go for it.” Snively-Jefferies got going right away. Not wanting to experiment on that canvas, she started painting on pieces of old barn board. People who saw her work told her she should start selling her pieces. Things have taken off for her ever since.

Snively-Jefferies has a very supportive family and is very thankful for her husband and two children, who are also artistically talented. With a passion for painting, she will set up her easel anywhere, indoors or out and explained that, "Even during a recent house renovation she was able to create art.” There are plans in the works for a studio/gallery on the family's property and Snively-Jefferies is very excited to see that project turn into reality.

Influenced by the works of Georgia O’Keefe and Andrew Wyeth, Snively-Jefferies says she can,"see beauty in ordinary things." Snively-Jefferies went on to say that she, "wants people to see what she sees.” A day doesn’t go by without her studying and learning something new about art. Snively-Jefferies teaches private lessons and she says, “ I also learn from preparing for my students’ individual needs."

Over the years, Snively-Jefferies is grateful for having the opportunity to be involved in many shows and exhibitions, one being the Norfolk Studio Tour that runs annually in the fall. She also belongs to an organization called Norfolk ArtsCo, and explains that, "She receives a bi-monthly newsletter that keeps her in tune to all types of arts going on in the area."

Snively-Jefferies paints in the moment striving to stimulate the onlooker's senses and emotions. Her paintings now hang in the homes of private collectors across Canada and abroad:  in Britain, Europe and as far away as Saudi Arabia. Like her paintings, she too has been on a journey of self-discovery and is “ Looking forward to where this journey will take her.”

When asked for words of wisdom for anyone who is interested in painting Snively-Jefferies says, “Give yourself permission to fail and also to succeed and go for it."

Snively-Jefferies art can be viewed on her website http://www.jefferies.myexpose.com/.

Picture featured in this blog is a piece Snively-Jefferies calls "Pink Lily."

Special Friend

This past Friday, I received a call from my brother who delivered some very sad news.  I learned that a dear friend of ours had passed suddenly at the age of 50.  In fact, he had just celebrated  his birthday 32 days before his passing.

My memories of Ron Bunt span over the last 25 plus years.  He was a friend of my brother's and I got to know Ron through him hanging out with my brother.  Ron was a funny, kind, and gentle man.  Ron worked on our farm over the years and he was always a happy spirit who would do just about anything to make others smile.  He was a breath of fresh air to be around on those long work days.  His playfulness and antics were nothing short of plain fun.  Working on the farm was short-term and was only a stepping stone toward Ron's real talent.

Ron was a superb carpenter, and for years, he worked many days and nights on the movie sets in Toronto.  I heard many stories of his adventures in the making of Hollywood films.  One movie that sticks out in my mind is The Bride of Chucky.  The cast and crew seemed to have a lot of fun making that movie.  Ron had pictures of himself and the dolls that he showed me along with sharing many funny stories that transpired through the months of making the movie.  Ron had seen and met many Hollywood artists over the years.

In 2005, I was lucky enough to be invited by Ron to a Wrap Party for Fever Pitch, a film that starred Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon.  A Wrap Party is normally held for the cast and crew to celebrate after the completion of the principle filming.  I ventured up to the GTA and met Ron at his house.  We visited for awhile and ordered a cab to go downtown.  First, we went for an awesome dinner at a place that had three restaurants on three separate floors. After dinner, we went to the Wrap Party in another part of the city.

At the Wrap Party, Ron and I were standing over by a set of pool tables when a guy comes over and starts setting up for a game.  The guy then asked me "if I wanted to play a game of pool?" I remember saying something along the line of "Are you sure because I'd kick your butt." We stood there for a few minutes bantering back and forth.  Ron stood off to the side and looked on with amusement.

During our bantering, I tell the guy, "I know karate", and he replies,"I'll just steal your energy and throw you over my shoulder."  I laughed and turned to Ron who says to me, "do you know who that is?"  I say to him, "I have no idea."  Ron then informs me that it is in fact Jimmy Fallon.  I was in shock - I did not clue into the fact that he was the star of the movie.  After that, I turned all shy and Ron and I went over to the other side  of the room.  For the rest of the night, I avoided making eye contact with Jimmy. Ron and my night together was fun and full of entertainment.  The food and drink was amazing just as a true Hollywood event would be.  Ron and I stayed up really late that night telling stories and laughing.  I can hear his contagious laugh in my mind.

I have often thought about that night and other fun times I had with Ron. Today, I just can't believe that a guy so full of life and so much left is now gone.  His family is so sad - it is heart breaking.  Thank you to Ron's brother who told me that Ron was so fond of me.  I was truly blessed with a friend who cared. 

Click here and view some of the movies that Ron is credited for as being Head Carpenter.  Good on you Ron!

 Just in the past two weeks, I've thought of Ron so many times and was going to call to say hello.  Today, I am wondering why I waited so long. Just like that - my chance to talk to him is gone.

Rest in peace my dear friend.  You were loved by many and are sorrowfully missed.

Sedona Sweat Lodge Tragedy Update

In a previous blog in October 2009, I wrote about a tragedy that happened in Sedona, AZ that ultimately took the lives of three people and hospitalized eighteen others.  These people along with many others, were attending a spiritual retreat in Arizona hosted by guru James Arthur Ray.  One of the activities of this "Spirtitual Warrior" retreat involved a very intense sweat lodge.  Events surrounding this sweat lodge have been under investigation for almost four months now. 

On February 3, 2010, authorities arrested James Arthur Ray on three counts of manslaughter. It will be interesting to see if these charges actually hold up in a court of law.  I believe he definitely needs to be held accountable for his actions that caused three people to die in his intense sweat lodge.  I still can't believe that people paid close to $10,000 each to attend this weeklong retreat. He promosed a profound experience and he delivered in a way that may not have been in line with the intentions of the participants.  Through my research on this self help guru, I am convinced that he is a person who is charasmatic and has the potential to attain a strong hold on his followers.

Now that James Arthur Ray has been arrested, the families of the people who lost their lives may now feel that they have some kind of closure. This story really touched me when I orignially read about it, and I am comforted that authorities have pursued this investigation.

Mom Graduates to the Next Level of her Healing Journey

On February 22, 2010, I received a call from the social worker who works in the Burn Unit at Hamilton General Hospital where my mother had been admitted since January 3rd.  The social worker explained to me that mom was now officially past the very acute stages of her injuries and was being transferred to another health care facility closer to home. Mom had been placed on a waiting list for this program and a bed had become available in the Reactivation program on the Complex Continuing Care Unit at Brantford General Hospital in Brantford, Ontario.  On this unit, mom will continue her healing, build her strength back up, and re-gain her mobility.

Because her right arm was so burned and received two different grafting surgeries, a condition called Hypertrophic Ossification developed in her elbow.  This is described as an over abundance of calcium, in turn, causing rapid bone growth, which leads to limited mobility and much debilitating pain. Just another issue that has presented itself, likely because of the trauma she has been through.

She has become quite good at using her left hand considering she has been right handed all her life up until this unfortunate development.  Mom is frustrated by her inability to use her right arm, although she has worked really hard to re-gain some movement here.  Things that a normal person would take for granted are huge obstacles for a person who has gone through trauma and has lost mobility.  For example, touch your index finger to your thumb. This movement may seem easy for you, but to my mother, to be able to achieve this goal has taken a lot of hard work.  One of the most difficult tasks is to try and bend her arm at the elbow. That may never happen due to the hypertrophic ossification, but we are not giving up hope because we know what mom is already capable of.

Each day we see improvement in mom's burns and grafting sites.  Her strength is slowly coming back and she has recently been able to walk a short distance with the assistance of a walker.  She is working toward total independence.  Her Physio Therapist and Occupational Therapist are working diligently with her to help her achieve this goal.  This progress is exhilarating and gives us all much joy.  To see her coming out of her cocoon and continue to develop her beautiful wings is elating.  The healing that she has done so far is incredible.

It will be several more weeks before we will see mom come home again.  She will go back to Hamilton at the end of the month to follow up with her plastic surgeon.  The surgeon will take a look at her burns and grafting sites and determine whether they are healing as expected.  Mom will likely be referred for fitting of pressure garments depending on how far her healing has come.  These specially fitted garments will be worn for 23 hours a day and will help minimize scarring.

The journey continues and is still much like a roller coaster for all of us.  When one is down, the other will help bring them up.  Mom is definitely in need of constant accolades and encouragement.  Understandably, she does get frustrated from time to time.  The good thing is she knows what her goal is and will continue to strive to reach it.  Mom and the rest of us are very thankful for the support of her health care team, family, friends, and many others that continue cheering for us all.

New Year Brings Sorrow with New Beginnings

I have been away from blogging for a couple of months now.  There is a reason why this has happened.  My new year did not exactly start happy.  There are things to be happy about though.  You will see when you read this post.  My apologies in advance for the length of this one.

On January 3, 2010, I was busy at home doing various chores and anticipating my return to work the next day.  Since I live in the lower part of my parent's house, I make frequent trips upstairs to see how they are making out.  This particular day, I was up and down a few times looking for my mother.  My father told me that he thought she was in her room reading.  I hadn't seen her yet, and I was waiting for her to appear.  In the meantime, I went back down to my place and continued to do paperwork.  Little did I know in a matter of moments, my life would change in a drastic way.

All of a sudden, I heard yelling and stomping on the floor.  I immediately knew there was something horribly wrong.  I took a big breath and ran upstairs.  What I encountered, ripped my very core from my body.  My mother was totally engulfed in flames and my father was desperately trying to rip the burning clothing off of her.  My first instinct was to run and wet some towels and put them over her to extinguish the fire.  All of this happened so quickly, and my mother remained very quiet.  No doubt she was going into shock from what had been a major trauma to her body.

I called 911 and tried to explain the situation to the operator - this was hard as I was hysterical through this ordeal.  In no time, the air ambulance was circling the area looking for a place to land.  The fire department, ambulance, and police arrived in a matter of minutes.  The attendants loaded my mother into the ambulance and took her to meet the helicopter.  From about 3 kilometres up the road, they airlifted her to the Burn Trauma Unit in Hamilton, ON.  The helicopter could not land near our house because of windy conditions.

My mother had been cooking poached eggs on a gas stove and caught her clothing on fire and couldn't put it out.  I am so thankful to have been home on this day as my father and I were able to react to the situation in the best way we could at the time.  My father sustained some superficial burns on his hands from the flames, but my mother received 2nd and 3rd degree burns to 40% of her body. 

We were able to see our mother for a few minutes on the evening of her accident and were told that her condition was grim.  The next morning, they put mom into a drug induced coma with a drug called Versed to keep her calm and sleepy.  To control her pain, she was given Fentanyl.  In order to help her breathe, she was intubated.  The first few days after the accident seemed like months had gone by.  For 72 hours, we did not know the full extent of our mother's burns.  Existing burns continued to deepen and new ones appeared during the first three days.  The family was so grief stricken and worried, we couldn't focus on anything but the well-being of mom.  I know for myself, flashbacks of the accident have haunted me, tears have been plenty, and nightmares of the incident have interrupted my sleep cycle.  My doctor spoke to me about a condition she feels I am suffering from called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Over time, I will experience less and less anxiety surrounding memories of the event.

Doctors and nurses were constantly monitoring her and adjusting things to keep her alive. No one could ever imagine what this has been like.  Little things like hearing that her urine output was adequate were like amazing steps to healing.  With her being so burned, keeping fluid in her body was a challenge and her wounds were like sieves.  Her bed and floor surrounding her bed were puddled from saline fluid coming out of her wounds. Her vital signs were constantly monitored through an arterial line that was inserted into an artery below her clavicle.  Through this arterial line, they could monitor her vitals, as well as take blood work which happened constantly.  They placed an NG tube through her nose into her stomach to give her constant feeds to keep her protein levels up.  Proper fluid and protein levels are both important factors for healing, especially with burn patients. 

We learned that the medical team would have to perform skin grafting surgery on mom and would have to take healthy skin off of her and place it on the burn sites.  The process would involve a total debridement of the dead skin and then the new skin would be placed on the burn sites and held there with hundreds of staples.  We were told that mom had a 40% chance of making it through this surgery.  We were horrified and sat waiting to hear news.  After waiting for over eight hours, we saw the doctor come into the waiting room.  Mom made it through the surgery, but within a few days, she suffered a heart attack.  The medical team was quick to respond with medications to help her condition. We knew that she would need more surgery because they were only able to do so many areas during the first surgery.  The major concern was always her burns.  I was told by the medical team that burn patients are the sickest patients because every system of the body is affected. 

Mom needed more surgery and the team held off for a few weeks due to the fact that her condition was further weakened from the heart attack she suffered.  When the team felt she was stronger, they decided to do the second surgery.  My sister's and I were at the hospital bright and early that morning to see mom before she went to the Operating Room.  I texted my brother, as he had to be at work that mornng.  The hours ticked by very slowly and finally we got some news from a nurse that the surgery was going well.  It wouldn't be long and she would be back in her room.  She made it through another one and we were so relieved.  Within a few hours after the surgery, her left lung collapsed.  We were back in panic mode and mom had to have a chest tube inserted to inflate her lung.  Within the next week or so, mom was improving and was able to come off the respirator and breathe on her own.  For the next few days, her vitals were off and her blood pressure was extremely high. She was working harder on her own without help to breathe and her body was reacting to this.  The team finally got things in check again.  One of the doctors that were taking care of mom came into the room and said "ah we fixed her".   He then said, "was it the drugs or was it all the love that brought that blood pressure down"?  This was such a compliment to our family to have the medical team notice the warmth and love that surrounded our mother.

Once she was more stable, they moved her out of intensive care to the step down care.  This was an exciting time for all of us.  She was coming off of the heavy drugs and was now talking to us.  Conversations were convoluted as the narcotics play a big part in confusion in patients.  Within a couple of days, we learned mom had developed an infection in her blood commonly known as sepsis.  Doctors quickly put her on a couple of antibiotics to combat the infection.  They did blood cultures to see what the best course of treatment would be and they found that Vancomycin was their drug of choice. She has received this drug for two weeks now.  Her temperature has gone to normal as well as her white blood cell count.  The team suspects that the PICC line they inserted into her was the cause of her infection.

The team in the Burn Trauma Unit has been amazing with the care they have given our mother.  It has been over six weeks since my mother's accident and she has been through two major surgeries for skin grafting, was asleep for over a month, and has fought an infection in her blood.  She is improving day by day and is now regaining memories and making conversation.  Her road to recovery is long but she is healing and that is a gift.  She will have to go through physiotherapy to regain mobility and control scarring for the better part of two years. 

I am thankful to the Burn Trauma Unit team, my family, and friends for their support, love, strength, and commitment.  The many prayers and healing thoughts that have been sent to my mother and our family have definitely played a big part in how this story has been shaping up.  Mother has proved her strength and will to live.  She has amazed her medical team and many others.  We love her so much and are so proud to call her mom. 

In a card to our mother, my sister and I wrote a poem that says the following:

The healing thoughts and healing hands that you have felt;
Are lifting you out of the sickness that has dwelt;
Accept this love, that encircles you;
It's your guardian angels that will get you through.

I can honestly say I have learned a few things from all of this. Never give up on the possibilities and certainly never underestimate the power of LOVE.