Finally The Snow Has Stopped

We have a day without it snowing; at least it's stopped for now. The skiing should be good for the hill. The dry spell will allow work crews to get the machines out and clear up the downtown Street and business. The three feet of snow overnight is just too much for us to handle. I wonder how the seniors and disabled are managing, a lot must be house bound. In past years clearing the driveway a snow shovel was all that was needed, but now a very large snow-blower is all that could handle this stuff. With this sort of weather we have thought about investing in a snow-blower but so probably and much other residence of Collingwood and the out lying area. Who knows if we buy one next year we may see the last of storms like this.

Enough is enough

Shovelling never seems to end and with the amount of snow we got in Collingwood, today is the first day to start digging the worst of it out. So far we have only been able to dig a walking path to the front door so that the postal carrier and other delivery services can get in. Fortunately I do not own a car anymore so shovelling a driveway to get out isn't necessary.

Today is the first day in days that it seems to be slowing down. The downtown and the Streets is a real mess. I read in the Enterprise Bulletin that the dump trucks hauled away and built a hills 35 feet high the length of a football field, not only one but two of them. The problem was the three foot banks going into stores that people had to climb to get into from cars, another reason why I'm happy I don't drive…

The crazy thing about some people is when police tell them to stay off the roads they mean it, but some don't listen making tow trucks and body shops busy. Wasaga Beach got it really bad also; it funny because not long ago Collingwood had most of the snow and the beach was spared. But it wasn't long until Mother Nature came along and hit Wasaga with a big dump of snow.

I hope this winter that these storms are the end of the worst of it and we get some sensible winter weather. It's bad when they close down a ski hill, because of the storm that getting bad. Usually the ski hills love the white stuff, but maybe not that much.

What May have Seemed Bad, Turned Good

It was snowing hard and our window I could see a stranger wandering door to door. So out of concern for the protection of the neighbourhood with the break and enters going on I called the police. While taking too dispatch I saw him walking by so I could give a full description. A little while later a police officer showed at our door thanking me for calling. Apparently the man that was wandering had Alzheimer's disease and was lost and disoriented. The police were able to get him home and the officer thanked me for calling it in. It just goes to show keeping your eyes open and calling the police can turn out to be a good thing. What may have been a robber was actually just a poor sick, lost man who needed some help. It warmed my heart that I was able to help in some way.

Winter here in Collingwood

The third day now of the winter storm has hit Collingwood and part of Georgian Bay. The storm will continue till Wednesday then we should have break from it on Thursday. Once the temperature drops on the lakes it should slow the storms down. We should have a great base for ski trails and the ski hills. Boarder, skiers and cross country skiers will love this sort of snow if the roads ever get clear enough for them to get to the hills and trails. What I love about the snow is it really makes it like Christmas. It gets you in the holiday mood with snow on the ground.

The Finger Style Guitarist

Started back playing finger style guitar, funny how something like that you just don't loss. I guess it was from all the accumulated practicing that I did over the years. My timing and tone was reasonably well, but if I were to practice for a long time, I may start to think I'm pretty crappy at the guitar. It seems that after a time away from the guitar picking it up things don't seem so bad, but give it time and lots of practice, then you find the difficult areas of your playing. I always wonder about guitarist who believes they have nothing to learn. A lot of it Is to much big ego and to little humble pie. How can a guitar player ever improve or move to another level?

The History of my Guitar Playing

Memories bring me back to the time with my first guitar learning it in a downstairs basement of my guitar teacher Mr. Allan. What I can remember as a child was the large f holed guitar he played and taught me with. At the time I had a horrible Sears's guitar with a high action which gave me blisters on my fingers. My teacher tried to convince my father to buy a better quality guitar. Out of his catalogue I saw a nice Gibson Melody Maker which I asked my father for, but I wasn't successful in convincing him for I was only seven or eight years old.

In my teens I took up the bass guitar, seeing that it only had four strings I thought it would be easy, but I was sure fooled. I tried out for a few bands but with my limited knowledge of theory, I wasn't successful as a bass player. At the time I had a 1964 Hofner Beatle Bass, the same instrument as Paul McCartney's. After some years, I sold it and bought a Fender Jazz bass. But all these years of teenage life, I turned back to the guitar once again something that I continuing to learn and progress. I now play acoustic and electric guitars, a Larivee and a Fender Telecaster.

These days I don't play as much as I should, but when I do there is a sense of pleasure that I am sure every musician gets from their instrument. I since my cataract surgery I plan to do a lot more practicing once both eyes are repaired.

Diabetes

With diabetes I should have been monitoring my blood glucose levels closely. All the years that I let it go mainly living in denial, cost me pain and money with costly cataract surgery. I was told the reason why at 55 years of age in had progressive cataracts was due to diabetes, by not one doctor but several. The reason I am writing this is not to make a personal confession, but to let everyone realize the importance of being checked for diabetes, and if there is any indication of elevated blood sugars, start doing something about it before it's too late. In my situation it wasn't so serious that it couldn't be corrected, but kidney failure, heart disease and many more illnesses that are associated with diabetes, one cannot take a diagnosis of type II diabetes as not serious. Medication, diet and exercise are the main practices that will defend against any serious disease of diabetes. Diabetes cannot be cured, but it can be control.

Economy over the Environment

Should there really be a choice between environmental sustainability and the economy. It seems that the economy is all that is on the political choice of most voters these days. I wonder if they realize that going Green does help the economy and also the future of human civilization. Without looking after the environment nothing is sustainable, because it's a lie about growth that keeps going without limits. The truth is there are always limits in what we can do with dwindling natural resources.

Carbon Taxation is one of the many political solutions to the problem. Reducing our carbon footprint not only saves the environment, but energy which too saves money. So where does the saying Green Shift is a Green Shaft? "What non sense!" Going green creates jobs in many areas, for once the auto makers cannot sell cars with peak oil around the bend people will need jobs in other areas.

Ideas from a Manic Mind: Cataract Surgery Tomorrow Morning

Ideas from a Manic Mind: Cataract Surgery Tomorrow Morning: "Today I started the three antibiotic eye drops that are needed to be taken every five minutes apart, four times a day. This is for the catar..."

Cataract Surgery Tomorrow Morning

Today I started the three antibiotic eye drops that are needed to be taken every five minutes apart, four times a day. This is for the cataract surgery that I have done early tomorrow morning, in Owen Sound' Hospital. Actually I admit that I'm a little nervous about the cataract surgery, the thought of someone making an incision into the eye is troubling. They say there is nothing to it these days, with all the surgical technics and professional staff. It will be my right eye will be done first. And because I also have glaucoma it is necessary for me to go back to the doctor's office at 4:10 PM after well after the morning surgery. He probably has to take my pressures and make sure everything is alright before he sends me home. My left eye will be operated on in January and hopefully I will have good vision, so that it is possible to read normal print once again. For so long, I have been relying on zoomed web browsers, large print book and sitting close to the television set My left eye got worse for a long period of time, but the vision has improved in it somewhat allowing me to do computer work and read. All I can do is cross my fingers and hope for the best that everything goes well. I had measurements taken in the surgeon's office two months ago and they reassured me that they would such an improvement. I hope so for my sake.

Teaching Joyce to Knit

I downloaded a book to my Sony Reader on knitting; the goal is to teach my wife to knit. She has little to do with her time and Joyce wanted a hobby that would fill her time. I will have to read her the step by step instructions and maybe I will learn a craft besides this too. In the past I have read to Joyce, but with her scanner and computer it takes away the challenge. The book we are going to work from "A Passion for Knitting" hopefully will take me through the steps of helping her to continue on from what she has already learned. Joyce had someone teach her how to cast-on and off but that was about the extent to it, no one wanted to work with her, and it wasn't that she couldn't grasp it. I believe they didn't feel comfortable around a blind person, because they never came back to teach her again. My hope is with this book I can get her going and from there she will have a wonderful hobby that will occupy her time. It will give her something more to get up in the morning too than just the same old thing. And I look forward to the things that she may knit like a scarf or even a sweater for me.

The Best Move for Me and a Health Confession

I have to make a confession; several years ago my weight went up to 364 lbs. The doctors told me that this was due to medication. I have since then had medication changes and with some exercise I am lost some weight I know weight 288 lbs. but I need to lose more. The only way I can do this is through exercise like walking and weight training.

The doctors and a naturopath told me I would be dead if I didn't get the weight off. 55 years old so far so good I have diabetes due to obesity, but since I've lost weight my blood sugars have fallen into normal ranges. Being obese isn't great and it isn't good when you over hear comments about your weight being spoken, or jokes about you being called names like the Michelin Man. I know there are a lot of fat jokes out there, but it's not that easy. I didn't eat at MacDonald's every day or any fast food joint. Actually I don't eat that much and I am a vegetarian who doesn't buy junk food or sweets, so why do people judge me before now that it's medications made by the Lily company that caused my weight gain and also my diabetes.

MY PLAN

• Watch my diet by calorie counting and using a food journal
  
• Walking and treadmill workout daily
  
• Weight training two to three times a week
  

I try to do this and start out doing it for a couple of weeks, but then I get sidestepped. I need a way to get on track and the best way is one step at a time not to many steps on my plate.

Being Visually Impaired isn’t the End of the World

My wife "Joyce" who has been visually impaired for years has been surprised at the comments from the public, which comes out of plain ignorance. They ask how do blind or visually impaired people eat or go upstairs and many other comments that Isn't beyond the stigma that the public create about a visual disability. I have talked to other people who are in the blind and visually impaired community; they also unfortunately have the same stories. People say to me how can she get around they tell me how frightened they would be, but if you are the one that is visually impaired you have to do what you can to get around. The Canadian Institute for the Blind and other service dog schools, one can gain their mobility with help. But people who are ignorant cannot see beyond this so the judge from what they think how they would feel if they were blind.

I am getting handle on what visual impairment is like, for I have cataracts and on Thursday I will be going in for surgery on my right eye. Fortunately blindness isn't something that I have to live with, but there is life after losing your sight. My wife has adaptive technology for her computer, and she has audio books that come from the CNIB daily. Though the reading material isn't the amount as text available for the sighted community, it is available to the blind community.

Many years ago I had a dream to start farming with draft horses, but the cost of starting a farm and buying, land, building and horses was daunting. I went to college and studied equine management and after that I sat in on a workshop that was using draft-horses. In the workshops I actually got to work with a three horse hitch, the feeling of power is more than any car or motorcycle could possible give me. I loved it and every moment of it.

I guess it was the romantic vision that I had of being connected to the soil with a team of horses working before me. I always predicted an end to oil or a climate change was we would have to stop relaying on fossil fuels to power our farms. The truth is that many people will not go back to the horse, it's too slow and it's really hard work. I watched an interesting program on the television the other night about biodiversity in agriculture. It's simply letting nature do the work for you that machines and man have been trying to do. The only thing we will have to eventually reduce or meat intake and reliance on gains. The solution word be for the world to eat a basically vegan diet. I know a lot of people will not like the thought of this but this planet cannot sustain the amount of mouths it will have to feed by the end of this century.

Hockey Announcer and Big TV

I watched a Ontario Hockey League game on our local cable channel, what I noticed was good play-by-play announcing without all the opinions and comments that you hear, from broadcasters on the CBC to name a few. I know they don't want such thing as dead air, but with this game there wasn't a moment of it. Even the fights were play-by-play. Very descriptive that is the way hockey and other sport used to be announced before the days of television. I feel for the blind and visually impair who I am sure would love to follow the game, but because of these so called announcers, they have to really on a friend or family member to describe the plays. I say back to good old announcing, sometimes old is better that new and this goes for sports casters.

Why We May Be Alone and How to Remedy Loneliness with Kindness

Many people are looking for lovers and friends, but never really find what they are looking for. To find true friends we have to stop thinking about ourselves, and start caring about others. Look at people who are happy and have many friends they may not be rich, or wealth, good looking or intelligent, but you will probably find a kind heart within each of these people. They have loving families and caring social networks which they take part. I someone who asks "Why is she more popular than me, she has more friends but isn't any smarter than me? Why?"

I asked myself today "will there be anyone who will miss me when I die?" I realized that I only have one or two close friends now, I don't mix with people. But it also doomed me that I haven't helped many people in our community or reached out to our family. So self-absorbed, in my own little world in my own little mind, I've got to breakout and how. Got to get back to the real world instead of the world inside my head...

With Christmas coming up it makes for a good time to change, but not only Christmas, all year long. We have to work to be kind and caring to others, if everyone did this we wouldn't need war, and crime that goes along with all the negative stuff that goes along without human understand. I don't really believe in devil or evil the only cause of it is out of the lack of love in the world. Love and kindness would heal the world if we all gave it a try. Reach out to your family or the homeless person on the street you will be surprised how easy it is. I may sound like I'm coming off a bit to preachy, but I really think there is a point to this so please read it and take it to heart.

Passion and walking

There is passion for life, passion for the ones we love, but there is also the passion for the activities we do. I see so many people who do not have an idea of what they are going to do after they reach the age of retirement. Some continue to work pass the ripe old age of 65 but others take the pension and sit back then illness and senility creep in. Our golden years should be treated as golden, we need to take time a create hobbies and activities that we can take into these years. It is good to financially plan for retirement, but one needs to plan what they are going to do with their time in these years. Learning hobbies and crafts right now is an excellent way to get ready for these years to come. If you don't live that long, at least you've learned something valuable.

My brother is 73 years old and he is quite active physically. I gave up driving car years ago out of cost factors and vision problems. We have found that walking everyday has a found of youth benefit to it. Living in walk-able communities is idea for our health. My brother loves to socialize with people on his walks and has made many friends. I too enjoy walking, but should do more. The winter weather makes it hard to walk when it comes to icy sidewalks. I recommend every individual walk, my doctor makes a habit of walking and he tells me that you can live to a hundred. He may be exaggerating but I am sure walking has good benefits such as controlling weight gain and aerobic fitness. You may ask what about shopping carrying groceries; well my brother has a grocery cart with two wheels and a handle which he tows behind him. These carts are in expensive and cost around $40. For what he carries, you would be surprised big bags of dog food and a small amount of groceries. Other times he has a large amount of food. What I'm getting at if we live in a city that we can usually walk to the stores and get what we need. We must not really on box stores, for the reason these stores are successful is due to the amount of automobile using consumers. With the entire buzz on Climate Change, Pollution, and The End to Peak Oil we need our feet to do the walking or pedalling.

There you have it, a raving bipolar mind going from one idea to the next as you see. This is typical of me to write or talk continuously from on topic to the next. I really need to learn how to stop getting off topic but maybe just writing what comes to mind is ok.

Ideas from a Manic Mind: My New Cocktail of Meds

Ideas from a Manic Mind: My New Cocktail of Meds: "Starting a new cocktail of medications I will see how my moods change. Right now after I took the meds for the first time, my mania seems to..."

My New Cocktail of Meds

Starting a new cocktail of medications I will see how my moods change. Right now after I took the meds for the first time, my mania seems to be levelled out somewhat. I will follow through with this blog and keep an update of how the moods do swing. One thing is for sure, I would rather be high than depressed. Depression so too often reminds me of what it would like to be buried alive, at least this is the emotional feeling I get from clinical depression. People often speak to me about being depressed and I don't know if they are suffering a clinical depression. Some of their depression is due to drinking too much alcohol, no doubt they are depressed, but it is because of substance abuse. I notice when I get depressed I come down with the flu and colds. My immune system is all out of order when I'm depressed. The thing about rapid cycling depression, you know the depression is not going to last long, not like others who suffer for months at a time with unbearable depression. The solution for bipolar disorder is to keep the mania and the depression from going to high or to low. It's to keep it in a balance. This is what medications are supposed to do.

Ideas from a Manic Mind: Tears

Ideas from a Manic Mind: Tears: "I should introduce myself as a rapid cycling bi polar consumer; by consumer I use mental health services and resources. Well the other few w..."

Tears

I should introduce myself as a rapid cycling bi polar consumer; by consumer I use mental health services and resources. Well the other few weeks I was in a mixed state of depression and being a male in my fifties I find that the older I get the more emotional I get. Seeing the Giants win the MLB World Series brought tears to my eyes as does seeing the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup after all those years without a win. I don't really know if this is a part of being bi polar or just being an emotional guy, but I cry when I see beautiful things like nature and happy faces, but also when people are crying too. I know some of you may think of me as a sap and it could possibly be but on the other hand, maybe being emotion is feeling a tender side that is in all of us.

My father was a first war veteran and he always told me not to cry it was unmanly, but on one occasion when I was very young he took me to his battalion reunion. The room was not filled with the young men that he had remembered, but old crippled men in wheelchairs. Father couldn't take much more so he took me outside with tears in his eyes and told me that they were not the comrades that a went to war with.