Shave for the Brave Cancer Support

Canada is blessed with a population is that is incredible when it comes to helping a worthy cause.  There are so many wonderful folks out there that take time to organize, find pledges, and do many kindhearted things to help others out.

I would like to introduce you to one such individual - Laurita Miller.  Anyone who has had cancer or whose heart has been touched by someone with cancer should check out Laurita Miller's newly renamed site Calling Shotgun .  She has a huge heart and has collected an enormous amount of pledges for youth cancer.  On top of all that, this kindhearted woman and her equally kind son have joined together to show support by shaving their hair all off!

Enough said.  This deed speaks volumes for itself. Check it out - it is so worth your time!

First Annual Cabin Fever Writing Competition

I woke to a wonderful, sunny winter day.  It made me smile looking out the window.  The catch was that it was -30.4C (-22.7F) with a wind chill of -43C (-45.4F)!   I was up, literally bright and early to see my poor hubby off to work monitoring a fishing derby on Lake of the Prairies.  If it was this cold here, I can only imagine how cold it was going to be for him in the middle of the lake (another 3 hours north of here) with the wind howling across.

What an appropriate day to reveal the first of our writers to win a prize! 

I would now like to introduce our judges.  Tara Leach is a wonderfully creative teacher,extraordinary artist both on the stage and in the traditional sense.  Monica Donnelly  is another great teacher, world traveller and published poet!  They both very generously took the time to peruse the entries and choose who they felt should be featured.

The criteria was simply that all entries had to be under 200 words. I was delighted that not only was prose sent but poetry as well!  I want to thank all who participated - the entries were welcome and well-written.  I hope everyone will join us again next year at the same time.

It is now time for the our third place winner to be announced -  (Think drum roll and cheering here!)

As one of our most talented writers, Laurita Miller offered us a haunting piece that left us wanting to know more.  Laurita is from our east coast and her site has recently been awarded first place in the  Canadian Blog Award for the Culture and Literature category.  Her site called "Brain Droppings" is multi-faceted and interesting to read.  She not only writes incredibly well but has a huge heart and is currently working on a fundraiser for cancer and will be shaving her locks in March, since she has not only reached her goal but exceeded it as well! You can check out her site at http://ringkeeper.blogspot.com/2011/02/in-defense-of-coolth.html

Now for the main event:

Cabin Fever by Laurita Miller

She woke when the book fell from her lap. The evening sky, dark and smoky grey, told of looming snow. Where was Bern? He was very late. Very late.

She pushed up from her rocking chair. The old floor creaked, but it was warm, a blessing on a night like this. She paced the room – three, four times – then went to the back door. Snow drifted high over the porch and stretched, pristine and shimmering, for as far as she could see.

How long since she’d been outside? Two days? A week? She moved to the window and looked out upon the snow covered laneway.  No footsteps, no tires marred the frosty ripples and waves. She longed to go out, but knew she would not make it far. New flakes, plump and heavy, swirled against the glass.

She would wait for Bern. He would be back soon.



 Congratulations, Laurita!

Laurita, I will send off your well-deserved prize which includes a pair of beautiful handmade candles made by Roger and Cathy Desilet of the Ravenscreek Farms near Oakburn, MB, a Brown Sugar Keeper from Steve Jorganson Pottery Studio in Winnipeg, MB and a Timmy's Card for one of those much needed caffeine fixes.  I will be tucking in a little extra surprise as well!

Congratulations on your win  Laurita!

A good deed indeed!

Imagine, two posts in one day! An unheard of event in my life!

I was delighted when I checked my emails and postings from fellow bloggers after arriving home from the lake. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that I had won a prize from a very generous blogger, Linda at leftbrainwrite. Linda posted 30 gratitudes for 30 days. When someone posted a gratitude on her site as well, she would donate to two charities. She raised almost 150 dollars doing this! All the winners were Canadian - I don't know if this says anything about us or if it was coincidence but I would like to think that we are indeed heartfelt, quirkie and lucky. These were her winners (including moi):

The Most Heartfelt Gratitude: Written by a writer with a romantic and compassionate soul ==> LAURITA MILLER
The Quirkiest Gratitude: Should come to no surprise to those who know her ==> CATHY OLLIFFE
Lady Luck winner: Also no surprise, as this woman left more gratitudes than any other individual ==> UMBRELLALADY

I like to support a good cause and felt that not only did I benefit by pausing to think about what is wonderful in this world but also others would benefit from her generosity as well.
I didn't realize (or had forgotten) that she was also giving away prizes to us for participating - so it was indeed a nice surprise for doing a good deed!

Thank you Linda.

I must apologize if the links do not work - I am still figuring these things out but wanted to thank Linda and highlight her generosity despite my shortcomings. I will post them when I do. :)