Open Thread

What have you been reading?

I have not found it easy to settle down to read over the last year. I did try the latest Baldacci- but could only get through the first couple of chapters. 

I have continued to read young adult novels to the boys. The latest was The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti. Historical fiction based on the true story of Helmut Hubener, the youngest person sentenced to death by Nazi Germany in WW11. Lots of deep conversations came out of this book. 

I found an intriguing-looking novel on the Goodreads site. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig was the Goodreads Choice Award for Fiction in 2020. 

"Between life and death, there is a library, and within that library, the shelves go on forever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be if you had made other choices... Would you have done anything differently, if you had the chance to undo your regrets?"

Food for thought

Happy Easter

 Happy Easter to all who celebrate. 

I know the bunny came to Amy's house with lots of colourful tasty treats. 

Our Easter bunny was lazy. He just hid the eggs in the fridge. 

I will be having a word with him as soon as I can catch him. 

Tulip festival in Holland 2021.

                    Hope you all get something sweet this morning.  Enjoy your day. 

So Sorry- I could not help myself. This is too funny.

The devil made me do it!

Happiness

 All of these pictures make me smile. 😊  Thanks to Amy for sharing these with us! 

I think I have posted this picture before, but it's worth a second look 😍

 

 Have a wonderful week everyone!

St Patrick's Day

 Today, everyone is Irish. St. Patrick's Day has been celebrated in the United States since 1737 when a group of Irishmen gathered together in Boston. It will be a mostly virtual celebration again this year, but that is our specialty. 

The Irish definitely have a way with words. 

This has always been one of my favourites. 

Music and Dance

                                  The first time Riverdance was ever presented to an audience. 

                                    'Brown Eyed Girl' is one of the most famous Irish love songs. 

Ireland is the one place in this world that calls to me. Maybe one day I will get there. 

Join me now on a little virtual tour. 

Not every blog is fortunate enough to have an in-house leprechaun. We are definitely blessed with a touch of the Irish. 

"If you're lucky enough to be Irish, then you're lucky enough." 

To you, dear friends

A virtual toast---

"May you have all the happiness 

and luck that life can hold---

And at the end of all your rainbows

may you find a pot of gold." 

                                                                    Sláinte! 

International Women's Day, March 8, 2021

Campaign Theme

"A challenged world is an alert world. Individually, we're all responsible for our own thoughts and actions - all day, every day.

We can all choose to challenge and call out gender bias and inequality. We can all choose to seek out and celebrate women's achievements. Collectively, we can all help create an inclusive world.

From challenge comes change, so let's all choose to challenge."

Every wonderful woman on WTIOC has done her part, and chose to challenge- I love you all.

 

 

 

Snow, snow, and more snow

So.... we have had snowy weather here recently. I know some of you have as well. It has been a challenge with the daily shoveling, snow blowing , and difficulty driving. The mounds of snow are so big that is it hard to determine if the coast is clear to pull out into traffic. I must say it does stress me out a bit. On the other hand, the snow is so beautiful and sparkly, and I enjoy looking at it when I am safely at home. I think Duncan is having fun too, although he seems a bit confused at times with all the snow!

Relaxation time in the log bin!

Tonight there was a beautiful sunset, which reminded me that spring will be here soon.

Have a good week! 😊

Dance Away the Blues

Gurdeep Pandher is a Punjab native who came to Canada in 2006 and is now a Canadian citizen who lives in the Yukon.  He became known for his love of Bhangra- a type of dance he learned as a teenager. 

When the pandemic hit last spring, he decided to take his love of dancing online. He offered weekly fitness classes from his little cabin in the Yukon. These videos went viral.

He has committed to "dancing every single day through the pandemic and converting all the newsfeed into positivity/happiness." 

After reading about Pandher, I started following his Twitter feed. He often posts video clips that show him dancing alone or with others. Often he is outside in the freezing Arctic winter. The pure joy and positive energy reflected in these clips make me incredibly happy.

"I think that being sad for a little bit is OK ... But the thing is, we need to get out of that sadness as quickly as possible for good mental health." Gurdeep Pandher

Can you imagine doing this at -20C?

This one is from last February just before the pandemic hit. 

I was thinking it is too cold today to go out with Mike and Sweet Pea. But now I feel like a wimp- it is only -11 here. ; ))

Enjoy your day, everyone. Make some time to dance. 

Just found this on Gurdeeps' Twitter- He sounds like a lovely person- so is the sender of the card. Words matter. 

It's Super Bowl Weekend!!

It's Super Bowl Weekend!!

We have a fine match-up... The KC Chiefs v TB Buccaneers

There is some guy, a quarterback, named Patrick Mahomes II. He is some hot shot from Texas Tech who played baseball and football for them, he decided to focus on football after his sophomore year. I won't comment on his choice of sports, but I degress. He was a 10th round draft pick, signing with the Chiefs... and he's done quite well there, so I hear. Hey, there is no "I" in team.  He's 25 years old.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are hosting the Super Bowl They were nothing until this year (this is my story whether it's true or not, so let me have my fun). No one in New England had ever heard of that team until OUR Tom Brady signed with them. I don't think he needs any introduction, though I would like to remind you all that he's a MICHIGAN guy. Not to play favorites but we, all of New England and all of the UMich fans, are cheering for him and his new team. Did I mention that his buddy Gronk came out of "retirement" so they could play together again? Also too, our TB12 is 43 years old.

All joking aside, this will be a fun game because it's a fantastic match up and should be close game. No matter which team you're cheering for, enjoy the game. Tune in at 6:00 ET for the Kickoff Show to see the wonderful Poet Laureate Amanda Amanda Gorman recite an original poem. 

Happy Monday!

It's time for a few smiles to start the week 😀

 

This happens on a daily basis!

Have a good week everyone!