Journal Prompt ~ Six Words

Describe your life or current situation using exactly six words.

Air conditioning is my best friend!

Canadian Novels ~ Surfacing by Margaret Atwood

Surfacing was Margaret Atwood's second novel and was published in 1972.  I actually have a 1972 copy of the novel.  The pages are browned and getting brittle.  Hard for someone my age to understand that 1972 was a long time ago because it doesn't feel that way to me.  But it was a long time ago.

I read Surfacing by Margaret Atwood a while back but I still remember it well.  Yes, I know, you either love or hate Atwood.  I prefer to judge on individual books and this one was exciting and stressful and very real to me.  

The main character, who remains nameless, is summoned to her home town in northern Quebec to find her missing father.  She travels with her lover and another couple.  Atwood dealt with issues of mental health, the environment and nationalism through her characters.

I think this is an excellent read.  Not an easy read.  But worth it.

Journal Prompt ~ To Buy

Today's Prompt: To Buy

What are you waiting to purchase right now but don't have the money for yet?

Dear hubby and I are hoping to find a nice affordable RV to do some traveling when we retire.

160 Unusual Things to See in Ontario ~ Alvar Communities

An alvar is a biological environment based on a limestone plain with thin or no soil and, as a result, sparse grassland vegetation. Often flooded in the spring, and affected by drought in midsummer, alvars support a distinctive group of prairie-like plants. Most alvars occur either in northern Europe or around the Great Lakes in North America. This stressed habitat supports a community of rare plants and animals, including species more commonly found on prairie grasslands. Lichen and mosses are common species. Trees and bushes are absent or severely stunted.

In North America, alvars provide habitat for birds such as bobolinks, eastern meadowlarks, upland sandpipers, eastern towhees, brown thrashers and loggerhead shrikes whose habitat is declining elsewhere. Rare plants include Kalm's lobelia, Pringle's aster, juniper sedge, lakeside daisy, ram's-head lady's-slipper, and dwarf lake iris. Also associated with alvars are rare butterflies and snails. 

Alvars in Ontario include:

The rare Charitable Research Reserve – Cambridge, Ontario

Pelee Island, Ontario – Stone Road Alvar Nature Reserve

Belanger Bay Alvar, Manitoulin Island, Ontario

Quarry Bay Nature Reserve, Manitoulin Island, Ontario

Bruce Alvar Nature Reserve, Bruce Peninsula, Ontario

Baptise Harbour Nature Reserve, Bruce Peninsula, Ontario

Misery Bay Provincial Park, Manitoulin Island, Ontario

Carden Plain Alvar, City of Kawartha Lakes, Ontario, including Carden Alvar Provincial Park

Burnt Lands Alvar, Almonte, Ontario

Balsam Lake Indian Point Provincial Park, Ontario

Movie Review ~ Braveheart (1995)

Who doesn't love an epic love story?  Action?  Adventure?  A hero trying to defeat evil?  This movie has something for everyone.  It is an exciting story.  William Wallace's wife is killed by the British and Wallace turns his anger toward starting a revolt against the tyrant King Edward I and trying to free Scotland from his iron fist.  The cinematography, costumes and location are all amazing.  

Academy Awards, USA 1996

Won Oscar	Best Picture Mel Gibson Alan Ladd Jr. Bruce Davey
	Best Director Mel Gibson
	Best Cinematography John Toll
	Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing Lon Bender Per Hallberg
	Best Makeup Peter Frampton Paul Pattison Lois Burwell
Nominated Oscar	Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen Randall Wallace
	Best Costume Design Charles Knode
	Best Sound Andy Nelson Scott Millan Anna Behlmer Brian Simmons
	Best Film Editing Steven Rosenblum
	Best Music, Original Dramatic Score James Horner

Journal Prompt ~ Unwanted Win

Today's Prompt: Unwanted Win

Write about someone who wins something they do not want.

I can't write about an unwanted win without hurting some peoples feelings so I choose to write about something a little more general.

I don't wear perfume.  Perfume makes my allergies go wonky.  I hate wonky allergies.  People used to give me perfume as gifts.  Fortunately no one has done that in a while.  

Perfume is kind of a personal thing.  I think that, unless you know for sure what a person's favourite is, you should just get a gift certificate or something a little less personal.  

Okay rant over.

Journal Prompt ~Tanka

 

Pictures and keepsakes

Memorabilia and

Tickets and journals

Letters receipts childhood art

Necessary for scrapbooks

Journal Prompt ~ Procrastination

Today's Prompt: Procrastination

What are you procrastinating on right now?

(Procrastinating on? Procrastinating about? Procrastinating over? How do you say that, anyway?)

I admit it.  I am the world's greatest procrastinator when I really really really don't want to do something . . . but my real problem is that I want to do too many things and I run out of time to do the thing I don't want to do . . .

Book Review: A Tiny Bit Marvellous by Dawn French

This book is the perfect summer read -- light and funny.  It is the story of a mother turning 50 and totally out of touch with her teenage children which is rather awful since she is a child psychologist.  Surprisingly my favourite character was Denys.  I was almost done the book before I found out what his name was since he is most often referred to as Pater, Dad and Husband.  Denys is the glue that holds this totally inappropriate and dysfunctional family together with quiet strength and insight.  The story is mostly about the daughter, son and mother who are all floundering through some crises or another.  Funny.  Funny.  Funny.  And just a little insightful as well.

Canadian Music ~ Frog Eyes

Frog Eyes are an indie rock band from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada fronted by Carey Mercer. Their 2010 album Paul's Tomb: A Triumph was a longlisted nominee for the 2010 Polaris Music Prize. They have released eight albums and two EPs and are noted for their collaboration with Dan Bejar of Destroyer.

Frog Eyes is led by singer/songwriter/guitarist Carey Mercer. Drummer Melanie Campbell and Mercer are married, and were Frog Eyes' only two permanent members. Campbell is originally from Penticton, British Columbia, as is former member Spencer Krug.

On April 26, 2010, Frog Eyes released their fifth full-length studio album, Paul's Tomb: A Triumph, in the UK. It was released a day later in the US. It is the band's first release on Bloomington, Indiana indie label Dead Oceans.[8] Around the same time Mercer and Campbell had a son. Carey's Cold Spring, Frog Eyes' sixth album did not feature Campbell and she was temporarily replaced by Matt Skillings. The album was long listed for the 2014 Polaris Music Prize Award.

In March 2018, the band announced it would release its final album, Violet Psalms, accompanied by a farewell tour ending in July of the same year.

On February 9, 2022, Frog Eyes announced that they had reunited and would be releasing an album entitled The Bees on Paper Bag Records on April 29 of that year. They also released a single from that album, When You Turn on the Light.

Journal Prompt ~ Oops!

Today's Prompt: Oops!

Have you ever forgotten a loved one's birthday or your anniversary? Has your significant other ever forgotten?

Many many many many years ago my sister and I nearly forgot our youngest sister's birthday.  So we put together a scathingly brilliant plan.  We dressed in hair curlers and housecoats and dressed our kids in their pyjamas.  We bought a day old cake and had the baker write Happy Bar Mitzvah Irving on it.  We wrapped up presents in old wrapping paper and newspaper.  The presents were things like rolls of toilet paper and half empty box of chocolates.  And we all marched into her place of employment . . . 

It still makes me giggle when I remember.

Canadian Book Review: Breaking Thru the Fibro Fog

I read Breaking Thru the Fibro Fog by Kevin P. White MD PhD.  Dr. White is a Rheumatologist and Epidemiologist practicing in London ON who has spent many years studying what many people think is the recent phenomena of Fibromyalgia.  Dr. White believes this condition has actually been around for centuries but misdiagnosed and misunderstood.  In fact Dr. White suggests that fibromyalgia may be similar to missing limb syndrome, a problem with the nerves in the body not shutting off when they should.  (okay this is a very very simplified version of what he suggests)

I have lived with this condition for many years . . . many many years . . . and most of that time has been spent learning to deal with it on my own since I've never been able to get a referral to someone like Dr. White or much help from my family physician.  But through research and trial and error I have learned to make the most of my life.  Sometimes this condition can be so frustrating because it is hard to see from the outside . . . except occasionally when someone notices that I can't turn my neck or on really bad days when my dear hubby tells me I'm walking like John Wayne . . . again.  Many people don't really believe fibromyalgia exists; that we are just tired or lazy or exaggerating.  I'd like those people to walk a mile in my shoes.

It was very exciting to read Dr. White's book.  It is nice to know that those of us with fibromyalgia are not crazy, that we aren't lazy, that it isn't all in our heads.  (Personally I'd like for it to be all in my head because then some lovely doctor could just give me a pill to make it go away or at least make me forget about it.)

Dr. White challenges all the nay-sayers by offering scientific proof and common sense to explain this mysterious condition.  In fact he writes in a style that suits a medical book and yet takes the time to explain to those of us without medical degrees in a way we can all understand.

Thank you Dr. White for letting me know its not just in my head.  Once the medical community jumps on board perhaps we will find some treatment that doesn't just deal with the symptoms but can actually cure.

160 Unusual Things to See in Ontario ~ Hell Holes, Napanee

 The Hell Holes Site with all its natural and mystical wonder relates back to the glacial period for its unique geological formation. Millions of years ago this was the route of the Salmon River, now situated north of here. The constant movement of water wore the limestone into a Karsts feature giving an intricate pattern of rocky ground with overhanging ledges, mushroom-shaped rocks, caves, gullies, potholes and sinkholes.

The Devils' Horse Stable Cave which once reached far underground was dynamited shut for safety reasons when it collapsed in the early 1900s. Legends tell us that Satan visited this area frequently and stabled his horses here! One strange legend was told of a headless horseman seen in this area on moonless nights in November looking for a new head to replace the one he lost to the Devil.

The one well-known Hell Hole Cave appears to be a large crevice in the limestone but is a narrow shaft dropping down approx. 7.5m and widening into a cavern that would hold 20 people. A flashlight is required to explore this cave.

The Natural Stone Bridge ornamented with white cedar trees is complimented on both sides with richly developed and rare plant communities. The Valley floor below presents us with dripping limestone walls of the ravine, flowerpot rocks, a network of gullies and a virgin forest made evident by numerous fallen and rotted trees. Various shapes of rocks and boulders can be found throughout the valley with the Pillar Rock showing distinct features of glacial effects. During the Ice Age rapid action of moving water under thick layers of melting ice broke down the softer layers of limestone at the base of the rock creating a pedestal pattern.

A swamp-like marshy area at the end of the valley where surface water collects from the valley disappears underground through sinkholes and possibly finding a passage to the Salmon River. Various plants are found here seasonally.

Your trail continues upward to the top of the plateau on the south side of the valley past another point of interest and returns to the entrance. https://www.hikingproject.com/trail/7099033/hell-holes-nature-trail 

Journal Prompt ~ Summer Treats

Today's Prompt: Summer Treats

It's summer in the northern hemisphere. What's your favorite summer treat to cool down with? Lemonade, popsicles, iced tea? Mine is . . . 

Journal Prompt ~ Beautiful

Today's Prompt: Beautiful

What makes you feel beautiful? (Or handsome / cute / attractive, if you don't like the word beautiful?)

I don't wear it often enough although lately I have been making more of an effort.  Red lipstick and mascara makes me feel special.

Movie Review: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

 The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

My mother always said, if you can't say anything nice you should say nothing at all.  I have nothing to say.

Journal Prompt ~ Tanka

 Journal Prompt ~ Tanka about Peace and Quiet 

Peace and quiet are

priceless Some days the only

way to achieve this

state is to stay up after 

everyone else is in bed

Journal Prompt ~ Caught Dead

Today's Writing Prompt: Caught Dead

What item would you simply not be caught dead owning, wearing, or using?

So my imagination must be short circuiting today because I couldn't think of an answer to this question.  And then I made the mistake of Google-ing "things I would not be caught dead with".  That was a mistake.  Wow . . . there sure is a lot of strange and ugly out there and chances are I wouldn't be caught dead with any of it.

Book Review: Standoff by Sandra Brown

This is a story about a hard working reporter who's much needed vacation is put on hold when she finds herself in the middle of a dangerous standoff.  It is more of a novella than a novel but that's okay.  It made for a quick yet exciting read . . .

Canadian Music ~ Fred Eaglesmith

Frederick John Elgersma (born July 9, 1957), known by the stage name Fred Eaglesmith, is a Canadian alternative country singer-songwriter. He is known for writing songs about vehicles, rural life, down-and-out characters, lost love and quirky rural folk. His songwriting uses techniques of short story writing, including unreliable narrators, surprise endings, and plot twists. 

Eaglesmith, one of nine children, was raised by a farming family near Guelph in rural Southern Ontario. He began playing the guitar at age 12. As a teenager Eaglesmith hopped a freight train to Western Canada and began writing songs and performing.

A typical Fred Eaglesmith show includes his music set between several lengthy between-song comic monologues by Eaglesmith. Topics in the past have included stories about crossing the U.S.–Canada border, Newfoundlanders, and some friends from an Indian reserve. His fans are known as "Fredheads", a nod to deadheads, who followed the Grateful Dead. He is known to tour extensively throughout Canada and the U.S.

When Eaglesmith appears in solo performances, he bills himself as Fred J. Eaglesmith. In addition to his own albums, he frequently collaborated with the late Willie P. Bennett, a former member of Eaglesmith's band, who stepped down after a heart attack in early 2007. Eaglesmith publishes his own records.

Starting 2012, performances were billed as the Fred Eaglesmith Travelling Steam Show and included opening songs performed by Bill Poss, The Ginn Sisters, and Tif Ginn.

Fred co-wrote Tif's self-titled 2012 album with her, and the pair married in 2014. The backing band was disbanded in 2016 and they have been touring together as a duo since. (Wikipedia)

Journal Prompt ~ Cooking

Today's Prompt: Cooking

What was the last thing you cooked?

It has been so hot this week that there has been no cooking happening here . . . unless toasted tomato sandwiches count as cooking.

160 Unusual Things to See in Ontario ~ Simcoe Island Ferry

Simcoe Island is about 6 km long and 1½ km wide. It is the first of the Thousand Islands, marking the very beginning of the Saint Lawrence river. Mainly farmland, with a historic lighthouse at its westernmost tip, it has a population of about 80.

To get there you need to first take the ferry from Kingston to Wolfe Island, and then turn right and drive 5 to 6 west from Marysville before turning right into Simcoe Island Ferry Road. It's a simple cable operated 3 car ferry – about the size you expect for such a small island.

The Simcoe Island Ferry operates on-demand. It takes about 5 minutes to make the 450 m trip across.

The diesel powered cable ferry is called the Simcoe Islander. It was built in 1964 and has the capacity for 3 cars, 12 people.

Book Review ~ The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

The Testaments was released in September 2019.  It nicely ties up a lot of questions remaining after The Handmaid's Tale.  It also tells the story of the downfall of Gilead.  And the story of Offred, including her real name.

If you are a lover of Margaret Atwood, you really want to read this book.

If you are a non-fan, which I just can't understand, read it anyway for closure.

Journal Prompt ~ Avoidance

Today's Prompt: Avoidance

What are you avoiding?

Yeah . . . somedays are just like that . . . 

Things I avoid:

1.  Making phone calls (unless I am in the mood for a chat).  

If I just need information I don't want to be drawn into a huge conversation.  I've had days where a simple phone call has turned into a lost morning and me no wiser than I was before.  I also hate automated answering machines.  One day I called the same place about 6 times before I gave up and decided to live with the problem (whatever it was) all because I would press numbers and end up lost in the maze that is automation.  Email and chat is so much simpler.

2.  Humidity.

'Nuff said.

3.  Planning anything.

As soon as I finalize plans, get all excited and pay down the deposit you can guarantee something will manage to screw it up.  I think the world has secretly hacked into my calendar and turned messing up my plans into a drinking game.

4.  People I don't like.

There aren't too many of them on my list.  But there are a few.  And they must be avoided because the alternative is that I may say things I can't take back or I may even injure them and end up in jail (okay a lot of exaggeration here).  So avoiding them is in my own best interests.

5.  Scales.

You know the chances are greatest that the numbers are not going to be good.

Movie Review ~ Fight Club (1999)

I know I watched part of this movie back sometime in the murky past but I'm pretty sure I have never seen the whole movie.  Knowing I can't write a review without actually seeing the whole movie, I decided to give it another try.  It took most of the afternoon to watch it because every time I got annoyed I would hit pause and walk away for a while.  My grandson stopped in and asked me what I was watching.  "Just about the dumbest movie I've ever seen," says I.  "So why are you watching it then," says he.  "Well because I've made it all the way to the last half hour and I'm going to just stick it out to the end now."  And I did.

I like Edward Norton and Brad Pitt.  I think Meatloaf as Bob is cool.  Helen Bonham Carter always cracks me up with her eccentric characters.  So why don't I like this movie?  I guess it just seems dumb to me.  It is just too far out for me.

I think the Academy agrees with me . . . 

Academy Awards, USA 2000

Nominated
Oscar Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing
Ren Klyce
Richard Hymns

Journal Prompt ~ Astrology

Today's Prompt: Astrology

What is your astrological sign? Do you exhibit any traits commonly associated with your sign?

Traditional Leo Traits . . .

Generous and warmhearted
Creative and enthusiastic
Broad-minded and expansive
Faithful and loving

Leo On the dark side . . . 

Pompous and patronizing (I can't help it)
Bossy and interfering (I'm working on fixing that)
Dogmatic and intolerant (I'm pretty sure I've fixed this one)

http://www.astrology-online.com/leo.htm

Yeah, I think that pretty much sums me up . . . sigh . . . but I still don't believe in astrology.

Tanka Tuesday ~ What's for supper?

What's on for supper

I don't know what do you want

I just can't decide

the fridges freezers pantry

nothing but ingredients

Book Review ~ Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman

Elizabeth Buchan's book REVENGE OF THE MIDDLE-AGED WOMAN is about the destruction and ultimate resurrection of a single life. At the start of the book, Rose Lloyd's life appears idyllic. Married to Nathan for twenty-five years, she has concurrently raised a son and a daughter, forged a career as a book critic and editor, and kept a beautiful home. Life is comfortable, easy and lovingly predictable. She feels blessed by the ease with which her days pass. Whether she is tending her garden or dining out with colleagues, Rose is grounded and at peace.

But then one day, forty-pushing-fifty Nathan comes home and announces out of the blue that he wants out of their comfortable, easy, predictable existence. He uses the oldest cliché in the book: he has found love, or at least lust, with a younger woman. And, ouch, the younger woman is a good friend of Rose's. As if this devastation is not enough, a waterfall of catastrophic events happens in quick succession, sending Rose over the edge. She loses her job, a beloved pet dies, a child marries while in another country and her mother becomes ill. Buchan hits every potential nerve, leaving readers raw from the emotional barrage.

Rose sinks to the greatest depths of depression, drinking too much, eating too little and sleeping too much. Buchan spends many pages expertly plumbing the recesses of a devastated psyche and, for anyone who has ever experienced such grand and vast loss, Rose's self-questioning, self-hatred and self-abuse will be all too familiar.


As low as Rose sinks, ultimately, REVENGE OF THE MIDDLE-AGED WOMAN is about resurrecting one's life from the unrecognizable heap of self that is left after loss --- and resurrect she does. Buchan never fails to write without great wit and Rose never loses sight of the irony of life. She rises a newer, sleeker model, armed with the knowledge that 1) she can carry on and 2) "it took so little to destroy someone." Poised by book's end to rekindle an old passion, Rose truly embodies the Spanish proverb "living well is the best revenge."

Thoroughly British, smart and witty, REVENGE OF THE MIDDLE-AGED WOMAN will have you crying and laughing as Rose roller-coasters through the dissolution of her marriage and an inspirational renewal.

--- Reviewed by Roberta O'Hara


I couldn't have said it better myself.

Journal Prompt ~ Scary People

Today's Prompt: Scary People

The news has been full of some pretty scary people this week (what else is new, I guess - it just seems particularly bad, recently.)  What kind of person scares you most?

The type of people who frighten me are those that don't seem to realize what they are doing is wrong or immoral . . . but the scariest people know what they are doing is wrong and they just don't care.  

Canadian Music ~ The Four Lads

The Four Lads were a Canadian male singing quartet which, in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, earned many gold singles and albums. Its million-selling signature tunes include "Moments to Remember"; "Standing on the Corner"; "No, Not Much"; "Who Needs You?" and "Istanbul".

The Four Lads appeared on many television shows, including The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom (1958); Perry Como's show Perry Presents (1959); Frankie Laine Time (1956); and the award-winning PBS special, Moments to Remember: My Music.

The original quartet grew up together in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and were members of St. Michael's Choir School, where they learned to sing. The founding and core members were Corrado "Connie" Codarini, bass; John Bernard "Bernie" Toorish, tenor and vocal arranger; James F. "Jimmy" Arnold, lead; and Frank "Frankie" Busseri, baritone and group manager. 

In 1984, the Four Lads were inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS). They were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2003.

(Thank you, Wikipedia)

Journal Prompt ~ Lottery

Today's Prompt: Lottery

Imagine you won $500,000 in the lottery. How would things change in your life? Is that enough to quit your job, pay off your debt, or do what you want?

I would like to say that I would give all my money to my family and charities . . . but I wouldn't.  They would get some . . . but . . . 

I would like to fulfill a dream my hubby and I have had for as long as I can remember to buy a motor home and travel.  I don't want a big fancy motor home.  I want one like we rented a few years ago that slept 6 but would still fit in the drive thru of most Tim Hortons.  We would travel Canada and the northern U.S. in the summer and fall and the southern US. in the winter and spring.  We would stay as long as we enjoyed where we were and then we would move on.  We would blog, write articles, take photos, letterbox and just enjoy.

160 Unusual Things to See in Ontario ~ Martello Towers

Murney Tower is a Martello tower in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, whose construction dates to January 1846. The tower is one of five components of Kingston's fortifications that defended Kingston Harbour, the Naval Dockyard, military supply depot and the southern entrance of the Rideau Canal. Murney Tower complements the fortifications of Fort Henry, Ontario, Cathcart Tower on Cedar Island, Shoal Tower in the Confederation Basin and Fort Frederick on the grounds of the Royal Military College of Canada. In addition to protecting the harbour and approaches to Kingston, these fortifications were designed to concentrate fire on Gardiners Island; it being the only place to effectively land artillery at the time.

When the tower was first constructed they planned to call it Murray Tower after the Master General of Ordnance. The land however, was owned by the Murney family and was called Murney Point by the locals. They thus began calling the tower, Murney Tower. This name stuck. The original inscription stone above the door read ‘Murray Tower.’ An ‘N’ was affixed over the first ‘R’ so that the current sign reads ‘MURNAY TOWER’, a hybrid spelling of the two versions.

Construction began on the tower on February 7, 1846. On June 19, the walls were built to their full height. Construction of the tower was finished on November 10, 1846.

The tower was occupied from 1848 until 1885. The main floor (ground level) was the barracks level where the soldiers and their families lived, ate, and slept. It was manned by the Royal Canadian Rifle Regiment until 1870, then by Battery A until 1880, and Battery B until 1884. After 1885 it was watched by the Princess of Wales Own Regiment. It could house a maximum of 24 soldiers and one officer or multiple soldiers and their families.

A birth was recorded in the tower in 1882. Sergeant Thomas Pugh and his wife Martha Mary lived in the tower with their seven children: William, Thomas, James, Murney May, Lillian, Bertha, and Sydney. Murney May Pugh was born in May while her family was living in the Tower. She eventually left Kingston to become a nurse and served overseas in the First World War. The Pugh family have had a significant impact on Kingston and Canada's history, serving over 470 years in the military.

The tower stands surrounded by a dry-ditch and is accessible only by a bridge. When the tower was originally built, there was no bridge to cross the dry-ditch. It is likely that soldiers would have accessed the tower through two ladders placed in the ditch. Murney Tower was constructed with locally quarried limestone with special brickwork on the barracks and basement levels of the tower's interior. On the thickest side the walls are about 15 ft. thick at the base and 13 ft. thick up top. On the weaker side the walls are about 8 ft. thick. The walls are thicker on the south side because a naval attack from the Americans was the most likely form of attack and thus is what the tower is prepared for. Cannonballs from enemy ships should have theoretically bounced right off the walls.

Currently, the barracks has two internal carronade cannons that would have fired 32-lb cannonballs directed out shuttered windows. These carronades had a range of 400 metres and would have been used for anti-personnel warfare in case of a land attack. These cannons could be moved about the interior embrasures, and so cover multiple approaches, including the bridge.

The lower floor contained the ventilated gunpowder and artillery magazines and storage rooms, along with 4 capponieres, which acted as a defense system for the dry-ditch surrounding the Tower, allowing soldiers to fire through small loopholes at troops attacking the Towers base. Caponiers were unique to the Kingston Martello Towers, due to controversy surrounding them. The walls are much thinner in the caponiere than in the rest of the tower and are thus more vulnerable to attack. However, they also provided troops with the opportunity to protect the dry ditch through rifle loops, with strategic additional doors and rifle holes meant to keep out any enemy who successfully breached the caponier.

The uppermost level is the artillery or gun platform, which supports a Blomefield cannon (which also fired 32-lb cannonballs) that could be rotated along an iron track, thus, providing full coverage around the Tower's entire circumference. The Blomefield cannon was redesigned by Thomas Blomefield, Inspector of Artillery and Superintendent of the Royal Brass Foundry in 1780. Blomefield redesigned the Armstrong cannon that had been previously used by the British forces, replacing it with a cannon that was simpler in design, lighter, and had more effective recoil restraint. The cannon weighs 6429 lbs, with a range of 2000 metres.

Roofs are not original Mediterranean design of Martello towers, but the addition of a roof is a common feature on Canadian Martellos. The original roof was installed in 1849. In 1921 a windstorm removed the original wooden and tin roof. Parts of the roof date to the reconstruction that followed in 1925, but the majority of the present roof dates from the 1970s and is not removable for safety reasons. Despite being one of the most sophisticated Martello towers designed and built by the British, Murney Tower quickly became obsolete due to improvements made in military weaponry and ship design.

In 1925, the tower was opened as a museum for the public by the Kingston Historical Society. It continues to be operated by the Kingston Historical Society as the Murney Tower Museum through the summer months (May - Labour Day in September). Displays include three cannons (32-pounder), period uniforms, muskets, and other mid-19th century military artifacts.

Although 14 Martello towers were built in Canada, only 9 are still standing, 4 of them in Kingston. Currently, only Murney Tower Museum is open to the public. Fort Henry has two towers that resemble Martello towers, however, they are branch ditch towers.

In 1930 Murney Tower was designated a national historic site due to its sophisticated design.

In 1989 the Kingston Fortifications were designated a National Historic Site of Canada.

In 2007, the Rideau Canal and Kingston Fortifications (including Murney Tower) were recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was recognized as having played an important role in the defense of British North America and in enabling Canada to develop its own political and cultural identity.

("borrowed" from Wikipedia)

Book Review ~ Full Disclosure . . . Part 2

I went to the library in person to order Beverley McLachlin's Full Disclosure and make sure I received the right one.  It was sitting on the shelf so I grabbed it and ran . . . 

It was an excellent read, enjoyed by all . . . which was nice . . . except that it made for a boring conversation at book club.  There was wine though.  

Journal Prompt ~ Fathers

Today's Prompt: Fathers

It was Father's Day recently, so today tell me a little about your dad.

I can't tell you much about my father.  He was well respected in our community.  Everybody seemed to be his friend.  He had a sense of humour.    

I didn't know him very well.  To me, growing up, he seemed a distant figure; not really part of the family but rather peripheral to it.  I always felt sad about that.

Movie Review ~ Pulp Fiction (1994)

I'm probably going to rile up a bunch of people with my opinion of this movie.  I absolutely hated it.  I tried to make myself watch it again to properly review it and perhaps give a solid reason why I hated it so much but I just couldn't make myself do it.

A while back my dear hubby and I were at a dinner party with a group which consisted mostly of theatre people and the topic of best and worst movies came up.  When I mentioned that I thought "Pulp Fiction" was one of the worst movies I had every seen they all stared at me like I was a calf with three heads.


So, the other day I decided to watch Pulp Fiction again.  I kept an open mind figuring perhaps I just wasn't understanding the movie.  I lasted about 30 minutes before I shut it off and walked away.  So I guess I must be the three-headed calf.



 
From IMDB:  

The lives of two mob hit men, a boxer, a gangster's wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.
I really don't understand why I don't like it.  I love so many of the actors in it . . . sigh . . . 


Academy Awards, USA 1995

Won

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
Quentin Tarantino
Roger Avary

Nominated

Oscar Best Picture
Lawrence Bender

Best Actor in a Leading Role
John Travolta

Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Samuel L. Jackson

Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Uma Thurman

Best Director
Quentin Tarantino

Best Film Editing
Sally Menke

Journal Prompt ~ Escape

Today's Writing Prompt: Escape

What have you escaped from lately?

Every few days I feel the need to escape from all the demands (admittedly, some are self-imposed) on my time and energy.  Usually I do something creative like scrapbooking or art journaling.  I just found out a friend likes to take a book, lawn chair and coffee and hide in Pinafore Park to recharge.  I may be taking a page out of my friend's book.

Tanka Tuesday ~ Blossoms and Blooms

TUESDAY, MAY 6, 2014

Tanka Tuesday: Blossoms and Blooms

It's time for the next installment of Tanka Tuesday!

Tanka is a form of poetry similar to haiku. It's short, and the lines don't need to rhyme. The just must have a set number of syllables: 5/7/5/7/7.

Today's tanka prompt is: Blossoms and blooms.

the sun is shining 

perfect pink petals reach out

toward the sun's warmth

dew glistens on each leaf

spring is here yes spring is here

Book Review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

So I began reading . . . just a few chapters . . . and next thing I knew a couple of hours had passed.  I stopped reading to get some chores done.  But I kept coming back to the computer and reading a few more chapters.  At 11 that night I gave up pretending I didn't really want to read the book and settled in with a cup of tea.  At 2:30 in the  morning I could no longer see the screen but I was almost done. The next day I brought my supper into my office and finished off the book in very short order. I think this book is very simply and clearly written, perfect for the teen audience this book is meant for, and yet it remains mature enough to keep an adult's interest.  While the characters were not particularly easy to connect with, I was happy when I learned who the winners of the Hunger Games were.  And I have to say I was kind of impressed that the author didn't end with the perfect happy ending.  Well, of course, there are three more books.  Perhaps the happy ending is in one of them.

Journal Prompt ~ Memories

Today's Prompt: Memories

Was there ever a moment in your life when you thought, "I must remember this exact moment, forever." What struck you about that specific moment? What details can you still remember?

I am so lucky to have many moments in my life that I would like to remember forever.  I've noticed a lot lately that early memories long forgotten seem to be coming back and yet I have trouble remembering what I had for lunch two days ago.  Thank goodness I am a photographer and scrapbooker and journaler.  I have concrete ways to remember those moments . . . 

The first time I held each of my children and grandchildren and felt my heart grow larger each time . . . kind of like the Grinch I suppose . . . LOL 

When Hal and I were married (the first time) and it was simple and exciting at the same time.

When Hal and I renewed our vows it was a special moment . . . a reminder of why we were together in the first place and a chance to celebrate our amazing family . . . 

So many memories . . . and even if my memory fails I will have my photos and scrapbooks and journals to keep them alive.

Book Review: The Honey Thief by Elizabeth Graver

I'm getting a lot of reading done lately.  I just finished The Honey Thief by Elizabeth Graver.  First . . . what's good about the book . . .

Graver does an interesting job of introducing the characters a little at a time, sharing all their goodness and all their flaws as well.  You become involved with the lives of the little girl, her mother and the bee keeper very quickly.  And you really want things to work out for them.

My one complaint, if you want to call it that, is that I wanted the book to continue.  Is there a second volume in the works?  Please?

Canadian Music ~ FM Static

FM Static was a Canadian Christian pop punk duo based in Toronto, Ontario. The band was formed in 2003 as a side project for Thousand Foot Krutch. The band consisted of Trevor McNevan and Steve Augustine. The original lineup included John Bunner on guitar and Justin Smith on bass. The band released four studio albums, most recently My Brain Says Stop, But My Heart Says Go! (2011).

Journal Prompt ~ Six Words

Journal Prompt:  Six Words

Describe your life or current situation using exactly six words.

I'm huddled by the air conditioner.

160 Unusual Things to See in Ontario ~ Kingston Penitentiary

J. A. Edmison wrote in his book, The History of Kingston Penitentiary, “If [KP’s] walls could talk, we would indeed have stories of drama, of tragedy, of cruelty, of every vicissitude of human emotion.” Though Canada’s oldest and most notorious maximum-security prison closed in 2013, some of those stories have survived. 

While KP has become one of Kingston’s top tourist attractions in recent years, this isn’t the first time in its history that sightseers have been allowed in. In the 1830s and 1840s, the new penitentiary charged admission to the “better classes” to gawk at the prisoners. Charles Dickens was one of those early tourists, and in his travelogue American Notes he wrote that KP was “well and wisely governed, and excellently regulated, in every respect.” He was deceived. An 1849 report detailed flagrant abuse of prisoners, and the warden was accused of “mismanagement or negligence reducing the penitentiary to a state of utmost disorder.” The Kingston Pen tours were cancelled in the early 1900s. 

But now that tours of KP have resumed, you can get behind the prison’s foreboding walls. For tour tickets visit https://www.kingstonpentour.com/visit/admissions/ 

A visit to Canada’s Penitentiary Museum is a must when visiting Kingston Pen Tours. Admission is by donation, making it accessible for everyone to explore and learn. For more information, visit https://www.penitentiarymuseum.ca/

I have seen Kingston Penitentiary but I think I would like to go back and take the tour.

Journal Prompt ~ Lost

Today's Prompt: Lost

Describe an object you have lost recently.

I can't think of anything I've lost recently. Of course, that is probably just because I can't remember now and not that I don't lose anything.

Do you know who loses things a lot? My son, Tim. He is constantly searching for his phone, his keys, his coffee cup . . .

I am a creature of habit so I don't have as big a problem of losing things . . . except when I need something right away.

Hal & I binge-watched the TV series Lost a while ago. He hated the ending. I loved it.

Canadian Novel ~ Unless by Carol Shields

I tried for several days to read this book.  I think my problem is with the characters.  They are well developed and even interesting (a bit) but I don't like them.  Should I try to read it again some time in the future?  I don't know.  According to the "300 Books . . . " list, I guess I should.

That's all I have to say.