Monday, March 18, 2013

CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES, COME ON

I just finished reading this really Cute, Lovable book
 
 
Seriously, darling
 
Anyway..............it gave me my inspiration for this post
hang with me here
 
To put it in a nutshell
it is about a very old lady, quite eccentric, but a LOVER OF LIFE
and PEOPLE
She'd say the craziest things and affected so many people
 
In part of the story she is talking about her LOVE OF THOMAS EDISON
 
 
a friend of hers (story character Elna) tells this story:
 
She loved electricity and appreciated it more than anyone he had ever met before.
She wanted to meet Thomas Edison. She wanted to shake his hand and had a picture of him in her house.
She was upset that there was not a national holiday for Thomas Edison.
Why He lit the entire world!!  (she said) Just think, without old Tom Edison we would all still be sitting in the dark, no lights, no radio, no electric garage door openers. I think, after the Lord, of course, I'd rank him number two, that's how highly I think of old Tom.
She said...that even though they did not have a national holiday, she personally celebrated his birthday every year by turning on all her electrical appliances at once and leaving them on all day.
 
SO THAT GOT ME THINKING
 
If you could pick someone you wanted a holiday, celebration
named after
who would YOU pick
 
There are lots of holidays out there
Presidents Day
Columbus Day
Valentines Day (yeah he was a person, not just cupid)
St. Patricks Day
 
For Canada I did some research but didn't find much
other then Victoria Day
a day actually named after a person
I figured, surely there must have been some trapper
or pioneer, Eskimo
who was worthy of a holiday
 
Other then these two
 
 
Bob and Doug McKenzie
I like these guys
 
So I had to start thinking who's out there 
that is worthy of a day
named after Them
surely worth celebrating
 
So
since I am now a country girl
And live around fields and fields of crops
how about JOHN DEERE
 
 
I don't think there's a farmer out there who wouldn't agree
He was the founder of Deere & Company
Wow, just think of all the equipment with his name on it
out there
 
John Deere (Feb 7, 1804 - May 17, 1886)
He invented this stuff a long time ago
He started out as a blacksmith in Rutland Vermont
and one day
had this HUGE BRAINSTORM
hey, There has to be an easier way to do things
in these parts
 
We even wear his hats and t-shirts
 
Surely he deserves a celebrated day on his behalf
Then in the spirit of Elna like in the book
We could all have a parade
and drive our John Deere Equipment down the roads
and high five everyone
 
Or , again, since living in Canada
where would we be without SKATES
 
The oldest pair of skates known date back to about 3000 B.C., found at the bottom of a lake in Switzerland. The skates were made from the leg bones of large animals, holes were bored at each end of the bone and leather straps were used to tie the skates on. An old Dutch word for skate is "schenkel" which means "leg bone".
Around the 14th Century, the Dutch started using wooden platform skates with flat iron bottom runners. The skates were attached to the skater's shoes with leather straps. Poles were used to propel the skater. Around 1500, the Dutch added a narrow metal double edged blade, making the poles a thing of the past, as the skater could now push and glide with his feet (called the "Dutch Roll").
 
Now where would any good Canadian be
without their skates
HOCKEY ?????
I tell ya, they take their hockey Seriously around here
like scary seriously
 
and just think
Without skates, there would be no guys
in tight pants and sequined shirts
during the Olympic figure skating events
 
So
all that being said
this is a serious situation folks
we need more reasons to Celebrate
and have days off work at the very least
 
WHO WOULD YOU NOMINATE
for a day a year
tell me
 
Celebrate the happiness that friends are always giving
make every day a holiday and celebrate
just living
(anonymous)
 
And.....since I just lost 10 lbs
I think that calls for a PIZZA
wow
maybe we need a holiday for the Pizza dude


Monday, March 11, 2013

IT'S OFFICIAL....I'M CANADIAN

I know, you are all wondering what I am talking about

 but
I was born in Canada
so that makes me Canadian
but I also took out American Citizenship
and have an American passport
it gets confusing

But this past weekend
I SEALED THE DEAL

I went with some neighbors CURLING

  Yup
I actually played the sport I used to mock 
laugh at
wonder "what the heck" 

BUT IT WAS SOOOOOO FUN

  I wasn't sure what the dress code
for curling was
so I played it safe and wore my Duck Dynasty t-shirt

 that's Uncle Si there on the back

I have a WHOLE NEW RESPECT
for this game
It's HARD

See those black things there on the ice
Those are for you to put your foot in
and position yourself

you use the broom to support  you as well
I must have had a defective broom
as I did spend a few times splayed out on the ice
less then graceful

on the bottom of  your shoes you can wear SLIDERS
slippery devils
It wasn't working for me very well

 these were just some "spares" they had around there
you can buy OFFICIAL sliders
(I prefer buffaloe pork sliders...tee,hee) 

We divided into 4 teams

 spouses had to be split up
so as we'd want to go home with each other later

I didn't have a clue about how to play
or any of the terminology

like, these are NOT balls
I was corrected, stones


these suckers weigh 42 lbs folks
HEAVY

each game I learned is NOT
called a round, set, or inning
but ENDS
who knew 

 At the start of each game
we all put one loonie in the pot
then at the end of the END (cause that's what they are called)
The winning team collected all the loonies

   for all my American peeps
a loonie is ONE DOLLAR
In Canada they don't make one dollar bills
we have loonies
and Toonies
(I KNOW, Canadians are weird)

SO LET THE GAMES BEGIN
go big or go home

(some photo's were taken by a friend)


I am admiring the form, he was one of the better curlers there 
for sure
unfortunately NOT on my team 

getting some instructions
"huh"...was my usual reply

me and my team mate sweeping
  this helps the ice get slicker
(or something like that)
so the stone will go further
you got to sweep FAST  


my team capy-tan (captain)

I'd ask


so, do you want me to put it over there

or over There??

And that's important to know
KEY to the game
because

are you ready for this
DRUM ROLL PLEASE

the way you twist your hand on the stone
is what makes it
CURL
hence, CURLING

who knew


Mr Gorgeous (now wannabe Olympic curler)
did it the easier way
you get  this pole thing
slide it over the handle
so you don't have to bend down and push the stone
(hence, less time splayed out on the ice)

(but I don't think they'd allow that technique in the Olympics??)


here is a photo of one of the winning teams

Big smiles
and hands full of some of MY LOONIES

My team didn't win one single game


I am making the LOOSER sign

So there you have it
I'm Canadian

I always wondered how that game even got started
like
maybe some Eskimos were sitting around in their igloo
one cold afternoon, bored
eating whale blubber
then one of them says
Hey, lets go gather up some frozen polar bear turds
and see who can slide them the furthest on the ice

BUT NOT SO
if you want the official history, I'll just let you google it
I think mine is more colorful

the
END

(get it.....)