Can You volunteer?

Fridays are days I look forward to. After the morning walk, (walking with a friend always) it's off to the Farmers Market in Enderby. Last Friday June 10th my friend Trina and I set up a tent and talked about Epilepsy, to anyone interested on that rainy day. (Virginia drove use down, it took three of use to get the tent up.) 

We are fed up with having seizures and feeling helpless never sure if we will make it through a day without having a siezure. 

We will be setting up at the market as often as we can, to continue to educate others about Epilepsy and raise funds for research, education and hospital beds. We are also looking for volunteers to help fund-raise with us, we are still organizing, but have some great ideas for the days leading up to "Purple Day March 26th 2017".

Some ideas;

A Walk For Epilepsy, with a costume contest.

A dance

If you are interested in helping, let me know, maybe you have some ideas.

What we need help with now is getting to and from the market with all our stuff(tent. chairs, table, info, us)

If you are not able to volunteer, stop by our table at the market and buy my Art greeting cards, 50% of the processed will go to Epilepsy, research and education. See you there! 

Lavender, calming in the garden

The small table loaded with info on epilepsy, my greeting cards, donation jar etc.

March 26th Purple Day for Epilepsy 2016

I had so many ideas as to what I wanted to do on March 26th. What I was able to do, was make a pair of purple tie dyed pants, and add cuffs and fabric covered buttons to my vintage coat, matching the coat to the pants. 

The drive from Enderby to Vancouver was not interesting and beautiful as it could be, due to motion sickness. At least I got the motion sickness over with right away. Driving to Vancouver was just the beginning of a trip that took, my sister, my daughter, my grandson and myself to Toronto, New York and Cincinnati, Ohio.

Steve loved the old phone box and the art inside.

Purple Day was the beginning of this trip, Yolanda wrapped Omar in a beautiful purple wrap and Steve tagged along, not much purple to be seen on him. I handed out epilepsy first aid cards, pencils, magnets and brochures about epilepsy, all along Commercial Drive. People asked questions and I was happy to answer to the best of my knowledge. Checked out the music shop and got to play some Ukulele's, and a banjo. The biggest excitement for the day was the run away electric scooter. We were walking up hill and there was a commotion at the top, a women was on this electric scooter yelling,in a French Canadian accent "Move out of the way, move out of the way, I can't stop!". People were  stepping aside, my thoughts were, how do you stop her and not get hurt, Yolanda grabbed the back of her seat I grabbed the handle bars and a man grabbed something else and we managed to stop her. I just held onto those bars with the wheels turned so it wouldn't get away again. Our hearts were just thumping and the woman's lips were purple. It was a good day we diverted a disaster and more people were aware of how to care for someone having a seizure. 

On Sunday we had a family dinner to celebrate Omar turning 6 months old.  It was a good weekend in Vancouver. 

Grandview Park off Commercial Drive in Vancouver. 

Grandview Park, many shades of purple, Of the brightly tie dyed tea shirt, Steve says "I would never wear such an in your face bold print.". I wanted to wear it since epilepsy is bold and in your face. 

Walking down the street can be dangerous if you have active seizures. Dress for safety, On my feet I have boots with low heels and lace up to protect the ankles from twisting and scrapping. In the last 6 months I have had my first two black eye's. My light weight glasses and the ground can do a big number on the eye's, black, bloody, bumps and stitches. When I am home alone or a seizure could be around the corner, I now wear my sports glasses. They are designed to protect the eye's from impact, during sports.
"If I had a chose of how I get black eye's, sprained ankles, torn ligaments, I would not choose epilepsy."

A Weekend in Enderby

The stunned bird seamed to pose for the camera.

I stepped out onto the back porch, Steve was not were I thought he would be, he carefully walked from the other side of the house, with his arms in front of him, a small bird sat cupped in his hands. In that moment we all looked stunned. The bird had flown into the kitchen window, it took about 10 minuets for the bird to fly away into the cedars and beyond.  

Steve nursing the stunned bird.

I cleaned up the grape vine bed. The sweet peas were dragging the grape vine down, it was mostly vine, few flowers. The treasure was the pods that had popped their seeds and twisted up with small grape vine tendrils wrapped around the tips. 

Another surprise, the plum is blossoming again.

Bouquet of the sweet peas and a bit of grape vine. 

Trina March playing "Snifty Snakes". Trina came by with her Mom, sister and grand daughter on Saturday afternoon. We pulled out the game "Snifty Snakes" and we played the game for the first time. Steve has had this game kicking around for years, he just thought it was funny. The game box had a Burnaby BC address on it, Trina's mom was raised in Burnaby and had a games manufacture in the neighborhood, the one that made "Snifty Snakes". Fun was had by all. 

You Took A Photo of What?

Enderby had a party downtown on August 28th. Cliff Avenue was lined with classic cars and what did I take a picture of, the bottle depot with an orange sky above it. It was still smoky on Friday, which gave the rich colors in the sky.We enjoyed our evening with friends from afar and close by. 

If I have no friend to walk with, I take pictures of things in the yard, mostly flowers, shadows on fences can be pretty interesting, to this artistic mind.

Latest Creations

My latest creations are ready for the Arts Festival! They are made with three layers of laminated wood, some are plan, some are macrame with stones and some I painted. Now to finish packing for tomorrow. The festival starts at 9:00 am Saturday July 25th 2015. The rain we have been asking for is upon us, I will embrace the challenge of "vending in the rain". Hope you can make it!

Reasons to Celebrate!

Today's bouquet 

I was on a roll, heading into my 119th day of no seizures, every day was a celebration. The last two years from January to June I have had 8 seizures in those time periods, each. This year 2015 from January to June I've had three seizures, less than half, more reason to celebrate. Friday the 10th of July my friend Angie and I were heading to the Farmers Market, I didn't make it, a tonic-clonic seizure overcame me in front of the church on Mill Ave. My friend Karina just happened to be there and a woman named Kathy came along with water and drove Angie and I to my place, all two blocks that I could not manage with a twisted up ankle, short circuit of the brain and the platform sandals that added to the twisted ankle. Today is Monday and I am still a bit sore, when I have a seizure like that my whole body is tense like a cramp and it can be sore for days. Flailing around on the sidewalk I  scraped up my ankle and elbow, even tho a blanket  and coat were placed under me, with great difficulty I can only imagine.

As I go into a seizure I always have a profound awareness  of something we all strive to understand about life. In those brief moments I can only watch and wonder as I slip away falling in and out of reality. When it is over and I wake from the exhaustion of it all, it's gone, lost to my confused brain waiting for the memories of the last hour to slowly return.

At 41 Celsius for days, my body was stressed and the neighbors love whatever it is that spews forth chemical perfumes which seam to expand in the heat  and permeate my house, meaning I can not leave my windows open at night or I am inundated with chemical perfumes that make me ill. The smell sticks in my nose and it won't go away. The neighbors singing doesn't bother me but most of the time he is cursing what ever is in front of him, yelling for his wife or his son, yelling at the many dogs just being dogs,  he doesn't seam to be able to do anything with out cursing , long streams of potty mouth. Stressful.

The bracelets getting a coat of Varathane.

I have been getting ready for the Art's Festival, working on some wooden bracelets, sometimes my ideas feel like a train wreck spewing out of my brain, with so many ideas I will have many projects I will be working on in a day. The race is now on, what will I finish in time for the Art's Festival? I lost the last three days. Lucky I have a lot of art to fill up my booth not just the bracelets.

http://enderbyartscouncil.ca/arts.html

July 25th downtown Enderby hope to see you there!

A "Victoria Day" in the Garden, 2015

Relaxing in the shade by the plum tree, with the cliffs being a spectacular view.

Steve and I spent Victoria Day working and playing in the garden, we were very sore by the end of that beautiful day.

Mattie camouflaged in the sun.

Hosta of brilliance with dying tulips.

Bells hang from the porch.

Just stopped to chit chat and chit chat, chit chat and chit chat.

Steve concentrating on taking off the curled leaves that have a fungus on them, common to peach trees.

Cool place to sit and read beside the plum tree.

Karen taking a brake from planting.

Strawberries, patiently waiting for the first bit.

Peony.