Issue XXV February 29th 2004
Editorial.
Hi Folks,
I am so excited, it is only a matter of days before I fly off on my holidays again. I have a dreadful problem though, packing! I really am the kitchen sink kind of packer, I always think that I might need things and always pack far too much. Usually I end up not being able to close the case and then have the even worse problem of what to take out of the case. It really is a dilemma! I always envy those people who seem to sally forth with no more than a toothbrush, and a spare pair of knickers and a t-shirt and still manage to look groomed everyday. Maybe I am just a scruffy type who needs more help than most? (don't answer that question, please, Maggs)
So long as I remember the important stuff, tickets, dollars, passport...I think I will survive.
I had a nice surprise with the sprogs this month, my telephone bill arrived in, with the usual assortment of mobile (cell) calls and premium rate calls, and senior sprogs calls across the pond......only this time.....it only took me only two days to get the money out of them for all the extras, either my money extraction capabilities have improved vastly or I have just got scarier! (another one you don't need to comment on Maggs)
The major drama this month, was Junior's moustache. Well, a couple of months ago, I was about to send him to wash his face, when it dawned on me, that it wasn't a dirty face I was seeing but a rather dark moustache on Junior's upper lip. So, this thing has been growing and growing and Junior decided it was time to become a man and shave it off. I was despatched to the shops to get him a razor and the other paraphernalia. When I arrived back, I told him to wait until one of his elder brothers arrived home and they would instruct him on how best to remove the black growth. Did he wait? Of course he didn't!. Well now he doesn't have a black moustache but a few interesting nicks all over his chin! LOL. Now, I have three sets of whiskers to clean in the bathroom! <sigh>
On a more serious note, we had very sad news in the forum this month. Joanie, who I am sure the majority of you all knew, passed away. It seems so strange not to have Joanie in our midst anymore and I know she is missed by a lot of people. I won't dwell on things because Becca and Nanny, two of Joanies closest friends have written far nicer words than I ever could.
I hope you all have a wonderful start to Spring and the paper will be back after my trip across the pond. I am sure we will have some interesting stories to tell about all our antics!
See you all soon!
Lynda
Any comments. responses, articles, tips etc, please mail to LyndaAtCasual@Compuserve.com
Contents.
Editorial.........................................................................Lynda
My Loss........................................................................Nanny
Joanie.............................................................................Becca
Tigger's Tails................................................................Tigger
The sign of the times....................................................Cruise Air
Spring is almost here.....................................................Tracey
Lil' Bits from Ma'am....................................................Maureen
On the day that you died
My whole world was filled with high tide
I was on my way to another’s funeral
When I got the news of you by e-mail
All I could do was wonder why
I went to another’s funeral to cry
While the service was that of her
I thought of you and all else was a blur
The loss of a life stirs hidden emotion
It is like the awakening of commotion
Memories of the now dead flood the mind
My heart is now heavy with it’s beating so refined
Good times and bad times like a video collide
My mind is steadily on play and again rewind
Tears fill my eyes like high tide of the ocean
As the tears recess in tide I feel drained of all notion
I come home still not at peace
Exhausted from all the emotions release
A cup of tea and off to bed
Wishing it was a dream that no one is dead
Your own words Jo
Sleep Tight
Dream Sweet
Know that I care
Missing you
Nanny
On February 11th this forum and many of us lost a dear friend. Joanie became a part of our family in late 1999, and I believe she hit this forum running at full speed. <S> She had a special knack of making everyone feel welcome, offering her shoulder and her ear, or both, to many of us. But I can’t say it nearly as well as many of you did upon hearing the news of her passing. I will let you say what you felt and what she meant to you.
She had a softness about her and a talent to write and enjoy what flowed from her words and others. (LadySoftail)
I will always remember her as one of the first people I met online and what a pleasure it was to know her. (Userteri)
She was funny, wild , sweet mean;) sassy, sharp as a knife, Talented poet and just an exciting person to talk too. (Longshot)
Joanie will be missed by all. (Tyme)
Someone Larger then I needed you more, returning your wings to you that I think you gave up when you came to earth the first time. (Sportskat)
How we will miss her. Now who will be the first to ask "where you from, what do you do, etc." when a new face shows up in the room? It will be a long time, if ever, we can again have a "Joanie" in the room. (Lizzie)
I will remember Joanie as a very friendly ,warm caring person when I did chat with her and she will be sadly missed by this forum and her friends here. (HpykmprA)
I got to know her very well during the last twelve months .She was a real inspiration to me when my own health was not good. (Mo)
I can tell that she lit a light in here that will never be extinguished. It shines in everyone that she has touched. (Randomacts)
Sometimes I would have barely gotten into the forum and jo was paging me. We all will miss those conversations (Bobby)
I shall treasure the pictures she sent me and remember her as I'd known her for her warmth, her caring, her typos, and her quick wit and maybe most of all her sensitivity. (Gordy)
She was dear friend and she made me laugh alot. I will miss her very much. (GreenEyedFantom)
She was truly a special lady that is now watching over all of us here in Casual Chat. I will use one last saying from another member.
Angels Keep Joanie (Cappy).
God Bless and keep you safe Nako’c, until we chat again.
Becca
Polar bears are the largest of terrestrial meat-eaters. They are found
along the northern coasts and northern hemisphere as well as on islands and sea
ice floes. Polar bears are very strong swimmers, paddling with their front legs
and steering with the rear. They have been known to swim as far as 55 miles.
Their main food source is ring seals, which are found in abundance in Alaska.
Polar bears are found in such places as Alaska, Russia, Greenland, Norway and
Canada.
They communicate by body language or vocalizations. A deep growl serves as a
warning to other bears. Growling is often used to defend a food source. Mother
bears scold their cubs with a soft cuff or a low growl.
The Polar Bear is on the verge of extinction. Their worst enemies being
pollution, poachers and legal hunting.
Tigger
For teaching love and kindness, He ired both scribes and state.
His healing on the Sabbath, engendered bitter hate
They challenged his Divinity, they called it blaspheme.
In secret they conspired to thwart this Deity.
They bribed the traitor Judas; they pled with Roman lords;
And in the end the verdict was left to screaming hordes.
Was anybody listening? Did anybody care?
They could have saved this shepherd--all the signs were there.
The goose-stepping armies; the Fuhrer's ranting face;
The bible-burning campfires; the promised super race.
The cleansing of the Jews, detention, so they said;
Another Nazi lie----a pyre would be their bed.
So we, in naïve fashion, gave in to Hitler's crimes;
Lord of England's parliament said, "Peace in our own time".
Was anybody listening? Did anybody care?
We could have saved six million. All the signs were there.
Countless people hunger, while moguls sate their bellies;
Homeless seek scant shelter in rat infested alleys;
Human rights annulled by tyrants wielding might;
Still others ravage nature. We offer naught to fight.
We speak into our mirror: "Who's fairest of them all?"
'Twere better that we ask it: "Have I been standing tall?
What have I done for mankind? Where do my values lie?
Is life and earth worth saving? Or should it all just die."
This orb is ours to salvage. God left it in our trust.
Will justice rule the planet? Will life return to dust?
Is anybody listening? Does anybody care?
Earth's headstone just might read: All the Signs Were There.
John Trimble AKA Cruise Air copyright 1997
Hard to believe it’s the end of February already!! Where has the time gone? Didn’t we just celebrate Christmas and New Year’s?
We have managed to survive another winter here in Toronto. This time, without calling in the Army to clean up the mess that was a major storm in January, dumping about 30 cm of snow on the ground in a 24 hour period. By the time I went out to work, the snow had stopped, the roads were plowed and it was pretty smooth sailing. Another reason to work nights!! Just had to use caution, as most drivers have no idea how to navigate through snow.
We’ve had our share of freezing rain, a bit more snow, and even rain to melt a lot of snow, but it really hasn’t been a bad winter. Unless of course you count the -40F temps in January at night!!
The beginning of February saw my "girls night" happen. As I said in the last issue, 4 of us try to get together every couple of months for dinner and laughs. Needless to say, it was a huge success!! Our next one is probably in March or early April sometime. And yes, I even cooked!! Something I’m not too good at, but I haven’t poisoned the troops yet and Lynda, Maggs and Trish survived my cooking a few years back…so I guess it wasn’t all that bad. I’m really not into anything in the kitchen. Basic feed myself stuff..no problem. Don’t ask me to get fancy…can’t be bothered!!
I finally decided it was time to venture into vehicle ownership once again. One thing about not having a car, no gas, no maintenance, no insurance payments. On the other hand, it means limiting my work choices so I can get there on public transit. What made me decide to do this? Well, I signed work that finishes at 2:40 a.m., because the thought of getting up early is not my thing. I’ve been taking taxi’s home but that’s about to change.
A friend of mine’s father passed away over a year ago. She had kept his car (which was extremely well-maintained), for her daughter. Well, her daughter took driving lessons, didn’t feel comfortable driving, so the car was just sitting there. It’s an older car (1991), but in immaculate condition. When she heard I was looking at buying a car, she suggested looking at her Dad’s. Well, I have known her since we were 13, and her family (all now deceased) as well. Her Dad started calling me "Gracie" and it stuck. By the way, he was the ONLY person ever allowed to call me that. So, we figure Dad is smiling down, knowing that "Gracie" is going to buy his car. The nice thing with this is that I won’t have any car payments to make!! Of course, insurance is another story.
I’m looking forward to my Las Vegas trip in March. Each time Lynda has "crossed the pond", I’ve gotten to spend time with her and am looking forward to seeing her again. Seeing Trisha and Maureen again will be fun and meeting Rascal and Lizzie for the first time too. Rascal is bringing along his wife, so I guess us ladies had better behave!! Ladysoftail is talking about coming along as well, so I’ll be meeting one of my own "neighbours" for the first time after messaging with her for so long.
The next edition we’ll all have plenty to tell about our adventures in Vegas!! I hope someone takes good care of the bail money while we’re there.
Till next time…
Tracey
Is anyone else ready for "winter" to be over? I know living in California is not
as bad as all the snow country area's but WOW what a doozie this has been. We
just got hit with a huge storm and according to Tech's weather station <he has
them everywhere> we had high winds of 64 miles per hour and the mess we have can
prove it. Tree's down and various articles flying off the buildings. I am ready
for Spring, real soon!!! I have been busy getting ready for Lynda to arrive. I
have all the wine tours planned and a trip to San Francisco before we invade Las
Vegas. Looking forward to this visit and have warned the locals to be prepared
<grin>
LAS VEGAS TRIP. Anyone else interested in meeting in Vegas. Please email me at
MaureenAtCasual@compuserve.com . I will give you details and the information on
the rate I was able to get at the hotel we are staying. The dates are March 18th
thru March 22nd. There are several of us confirmed and looking forward to seeing
everyone again and meeting the new folks. Time is running out so let me know.
There are a few changes with the games in Casual Chat Forum
SUNDAY
Hang the Host 9:00 EST
Back by popular demand, join us in the Theme and Game room to see which "host"
is going to swing.
MONDAY
Tigger Trivia 8:00 pm
Join in on a fun filled hour of trivia. Each week will bring a variety of
trivia, word games and many different topics. Hope you join us for getting
together with friends and making new ones. See you there. Theme and Game Room.
We are not sure WHO will be the lucky one to hold the BAIL MONEY for those of us
in Vegas. We did slide by without using it in Montreal but Vegas may be a
different story. Hope we keep our record "clean" but ya never know!!! We will
have a complete err well maybe not complete update on the trip in the next
issue, make sure you check it out.
Until next month, hugggs from Ma'am..
One last thought
As most of you know, we have lost a dear member of Casual Chat Forum. Joanie
passed away this last month. Our sympathies go out to Joanie's family and all of
us online friends will miss her very much. I know I will miss Joanie's greetings
to me every morning.
That's it for another month Folks! I hope you enjoyed this issue! Be safe and keep well, until next month! (if they let me back home again) LOL
Come on Everyone! Get those pens busy for next month. Lets have another bumper edition! Mail all your contributions to me at LyndaAtCasual@Compuserve.com
We want all your contributions, don't be shy! This is a paper by the members for the members......that means YOU!
Please remember, this is a fun/interesting/informative addition to the many features on offer at Casual Chat, critique is welcome but nothing that attacks members, personalities or other fora will be.
Lynda [Editor]