Tomato Season on Bartlett (Part 2)

But before we moved to this house the tomato business had already started on Bartlett....

Our next door neighbor had already been planting them for over a couple of decades and he continues to pride himself of having the best tomatoes in the area...
Frank has been in Canada for over 40 years and he uses a method that he brought with him from his homeland - St. Michael's Island in the Azores.

Sometimes, I can sense some sort of rivalry in the air... which one has the biggest, the sweetest, the better shaped tomatoes...
We exchange fruits to sample and as the Summer starts changing into Fall we exchange tomato sauce and jam...

God bless you, Frank!

He is also proud of the size of his tomatoes...

Tomato Season on Bartlett

Although we live in the heart of Toronto, when we go to our backyard it's like a whole different world out there!
We call it "Our Summer Cottage"...

One of my husband's hobbies is planting  and one of his favorite plants is the tomato......

He starts early Spring with the seeds and continues through out Spring and Summer, until they become these beautiful fruits....

 

He puts a lot of tender loving care into the whole process by making sure that they are 100% organic.

My lymphatic system...

Those that are close to me, know that, when I am feeling sick, I always blame it on my lymphatic system!

In reality, the lymphatic system is hard at work, with it's lymphocytes protecting  me against viruses and bacteria, which is exactly the opposite... and although I am quite aware of their work, I still blame it on my lymphatic system!

The lymphatic system exists in all our body, except the central nervous system and the major components are located in the bone marrow, lymph nodes, spleen, thymus gland and tonsils.
This system consists of ducts, nodes and organs that transport a clear, watery fluid called lymph between groups of cells or tissues throughout the body to filter out cellular waste and toxins. Lymph helps to distribute immune cells ( B and T cells) and other factors like fats and proteins. This system plays a key role in maintaining the fluid environment in the body.  
Lymph nodes become inflamed when a bacterial or viral infection causes the increased production of activated B and T cells, causing the glands to swell. Common causes of swollen lymph glands include cold and flu; ear infection; tooth infection; throat infection; mononucleosis; tonsillitis; skin infection; gingivitis and mouth sores. Glands remain swollen until the infection subsides.

There are other more serious causes of swollen lymph glands that I prefer not to include in my post today and that I will write about them at a later time...

Exercising

When Cecille came to see me at work, she couldn't believe her eyes! Cecille is a seventy years old petite, black Lady, that has been my client since I have been at that location. She 's very special to me and when she moved to the States, I thought I was not going to see her again..... but once in a while Cecille comes in and I know that she doesn't come just for her finances, she also comes to see me.
"There's something about the way you walk that makes you look so good, girlfriend!" said Cecille, "did you loose more weight? What did you do?"
Coming from Cecille, it made me feel really good, she's very active and always watching what she eats. Cecille has been stopped at the border, because they thought that her passport had been stolen (she looked too good for a seventy years old woman).
"Cecille, I have been exercising... I got myself a personal trainer, and I try to go to the gym three days a week, to get myself in shape. It's hard, but it's well worth!"
"You look great!" said Cecille.
I might look great in Cecille's eyes, but I feel even better, my breathing, my walking, my sleeping, all my physical activities have improved one hundred percent and although I have started a little late in life, I think that it's never too late to improve our health and age graciously....
I encourage everybody to exercise, no matter how old or young.... just going for walks or going to the gym, a lot or a little. The type of sedentary life that most of us have, at a desk, in front of a computer or a TV contributes to all the new age illnesses that have been increasing so drastically.

And to Cecille for being such an inspiration and example, I have to say: "Thanks, Girlfriend!"

Choices

As we go through life we are faced with millions of choices, some more important than others! I have the tendency to analyze everything and base my choices on what's best for everybody, specially for my family. I also don't like to be rushed,off course, so that I have enough time to analyze...
It's a vicious circle...

But, today I was faced with a choice, a very difficult choice indeed, based on my own feelings and without much time to analyze...
"No more pretending!" I was being told...
How do you end a relationship of over 35 years in less than a minute, even if that relationship is already sick?
Memories were coming back in a flash and as I was making my decision to end, we were going over the reasons why we should maintain that relationship.Those reasons weren't enough for me anymore!
So, when I heard the "No more pretending" for the second time, I realized that there was nothing else to be said except...
                         I HOPE YOU HAVE A GOOD LIFE, FATIMA!

In Honor of the Divine Holy Spirit

When W came downstairs and told us about his dream, we were all curious to find out what was the message behind the dream.
W said that on his dream, he was at the Skydome with Grandpa and Grandma, the three of them were hosting an event, the place was full of tables and chairs, all set up for dinner, the guests were arriving, but there was no food. They were all dressed up for a Gala and W felt that it was his duty to get food for everybody, but instead he woke up with the feeling that there were some unfinished business that he had to take care of. But what?
Thinking that it was his parents that were there with W, my husband called his sister to see if she had any clues, but the only thing that she said was "Don't worry, the rest of the message will come in due time". Later W said that my parents were the ones with him....
More ideas were flowing from all of us and it was my turn to call my sister...

The year my daughter was born, my parents came to spend one year with us, to help me with the kids (both my son and my daughter), since my father was already retired, they could spend some quality time with the grandchildren...
Great memories!

But...

the same year, being a brother of the Brotherhood of the Holy Spirit of Lameirinho, my son had the honor of being chosen to hold the Crown for one year, that period of time would end with a Coronation and a Function, where all the family and friends participate. Being so far away and having a new baby to take care of, we decided that the Crown would stay at my Sister's for the year and than returned to the Brotherhood.
W was 6 years old at the time and there wasn't much that he could do...

When I called my sister and told her about W's dream, right away she pointed out that this was his unfinished business!

HAPPY EASTER TO ALL MY FRIENDS

Birthday song

It's not very often that I listen to the Portuguese Radio Station... nothing against the Portuguese Community in Toronto, but not identifying myself with some old ideas and ways of thinking that have been adopted over the last 50 years, keeps me away from that.
Sometimes when we(my husband and I) go shopping, we put the radio on, in the car, to update ourselves to any changes that might have taken place. Today was no exception!
When we turned the radio on, songs were being played, dedicated to the Birthdays of the day! People turning one year older were getting a song according to their life stages. Some were cheerful, others more serious, others about how much back home was being missed. But the one that caught my attention was the one dedicated to someone that was turning 50 years old. The song that was played was about how much youth was being missed and that it was the beginning of the end. And for the Portuguese reader, I can say that it was a song by Antonio Calvario that goes like this: "Mocidade, mocidade, porque fugiste de mim (?), hoje morro de saudade... o principio do fim....". I am already over 50 and if any one played that song for me, I would NOT be very happy!
Now you can understand why, I stay way!

Honest, well behaved men

♥ If you have a wonderful husband that works hard to take care of you and would do anything just for you and your family, then repost this as your status to give the honest, well behaved men out there the recognition that they deserve. Because great men are few and far between, and I have one of them ♥

When I read the above comment on a few of my Facebook Friends' status, at first I was tempted to copy and paste it on mine as well, but then reading it again I realized that to be fair, a lot more needed to be said, otherwise I would be terribly unfair to all the men that took advantage of the Women's Rights movement to bring themselves to a higher level.
When women fought for their rights, they were not just getting their independence, they were in fact giving both, men and women, the opportunity to bring themselves to a higher level, where men are no longer just a "pay cheque" and women have the freedom to choose their future.
When one looks at a country like India, with all the spiritual gurus, one kind of wonders why they still have the "arranged marriages"!
I personally find it contradictory.

As a 21st Century woman, I think it's important to recognize the men that support their women through good times and bad times, the ones that have taken house chores so their women could have careers, the ones that take care of the kids while their women are in school and even the ones that have no kids because they chose to better themselves first and by the time they were ready for kids it was too late...

I consider myself a lucky women that got herself one of those good men, because he has been supporting all my craziness with a smile and a kiss... he gets up at 7:00am to take me to work when he could be in bed sleeping, he cooks dinner when I'm working and he drives me to professional events and picks me up later without any complaints, he celebrates my successes and he lifts me up when I am down.

It just wouldn't be fair to say that he works hard without explaining the level!

Casa de Saude do Espirito Santo das Irmas Hospitaleiras

When I received the call from my sister telling me that Mother's doctor recommended that she moved from the nursing home to the "Casa de Saude do Espirito Santo das Irmas Hospitaleiras", I admit that I was devastated. That was the place that Mother always asked not to go to. How could we even consider having Mother in a Mental Institution? Although the doctor guaranteed that it was another wing, that it was a nursing home for women, just the thought of going through the same entrance door was getting me worried.... Mother would never accept that and worse she would never forgive us for agreeing to that! My sister was looking for my input and although my heart was saying no.... she can't go there, my mind was saying yes... that's where she will get the care that she needs!
At the nursing home, the staff wasn't prepared to deal with Alzheimer patients and they would call my sister every single time Mother had an occurrence. She was not forgetting... she was being difficult...
Several years have passed... Mother has passed away and to this day, I thank God for the decision that we both made. With that decision, we gave our Mother a much better quality of life than if she had stayed at the old Nursing Home. She was able to get care 24/7 with doctors, nurses, caregivers, nuns... she went on road trips, to the theater, played games, exercises, physicals every time it was required, you name it and she had it.
Two names that come to mind and I want to thank them for all their care and support; they are Sister Encarnacao and the Male Nurse Saul, they were both a big part of Mother's life.

But Mother's favorite time was her Sunday Afternoon with my Sister and Brother-in-law... going out with them was the highlight of the week!
My sister would call me every single time, so that we could talk to Mother on the phone. To this day I still wait for that phone call, every Sunday around 12:00pm.

I have no doubt that the three of us, we still connect at that time every single Sunday!

Exchanging Energies

One of the many books that I have been reading ( and I have the tendency of doing it all at the same time) is called "You are PSYCHIC - The art of clairvoyant reading & healing" by Debra Lynne Katz.
I usually jump from one book to another trying to put some thoughts and ideas together, without even realizing who wrote what...
But this time what got my attention was the part that Debra talks about the exchange of energies; and I quote:
"Clairvoyantly, I have seen that there are minute threads of energy, in the form of light, connecting everybody and everything together..."
Reading that, brought me back to the time that I attended a funeral and during the Cemetery Ceremony some of us saw long threads of light almost touching us and going over the trees, as if it was connecting all of the attendants. It was the most beautiful "web" that I have ever seen!
But not everybody was able to see it and that made me wonder why some of us were able to see it and others not...

ALWAYS IN OUR HEARTS

In Memory of our Mother

Albertina das Dores Vieira

November 25th, 1925 to January 29th, 2010

I give you this one thought to keep

I am with you still - I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sunlight on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you awaken in the morning's hush,
I am the swift, uplifting rush
of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not think of me as gone -
I am with you still - in each new dawn

~~ Author Unknown ~~

Blog World Celebrities

I want to take this opportunity, to say that I have had the honor of spending some amazing time with the two women behind K-Line and Searching the Inner Me during their meeting at the Pantry.
Two amazing women, whom I have the greatest admiration for, having breakfast together and sharing their thoughts...
Thanks Kristin and Seeker for having me there with you!

SPECIAL MOMENTS

Any moment spent with my family is a Special Moment to me!
But when I have my Family and my Sister's Family together, that moment is even more special!
And that moment has happened, the two families together celebrating my baby sister's Birthday!
It was a week of celebrations that has taken us from the ROM to the Bowling Alley, through the SPA , the Jersey Boys and a few vegetarian and not so vegetarian restaurants.
It was a seven day moment that started with our Orthodox Christmas Eve and ended with the promise that we would find an excuse to get all together again and live another Special Moment!

Happy Birthday, Sis!