“The RoseBouquet”

March still roared quite a bit last week with more snow storms, but it is suppose to go above 0 this afternoon, and for the next few days, so it may be safe to say it is leaving us like a lamb. A lot of people here are quite impatient for spring by now. I’m satisfied that it is on its way.

I’ve been hearing a mouse (mice?) in my house again, so I’ve set out poison (since I don’t have to worry about kids or a cat getting into that), and i’ve begun my clean up and organize campaign.

Someone had given me some bags of good quality cast off clothing a couple of weeks ago, so a week ago Saturday I tackled cleaning and organizing my clothes closets and shelves.

I found a way to store my out of season clothes in the harder to reach area, and I also took out a lot that either needed to go into my rag bin, or passed on to someone smaller. That disposed of two garbage bags full and made nice room for the newer, better clothes. Packing away guest bed linens in a plastic storage tote, and putting it up on a high, hard to reach shelf cleared space for more sweaters in that cupboard. The things that need altering or repairs are stacked on the sewing desk.

Do you know the pride and thrill it gives to see such improvements? Wow!

This last Saturday I tackled the organizational job I dreaded the most. It may be just about half done.

I used to have a PenPal club back in the days when I was my parents’ live-in caregiver. Every month I wrote from 30-40 sometimes 60 or more letters. I didn’t get that many back of course, but I got more than I think the average person gets. However, even before Dad got sick with cancer I had been too busy (I thought) to keep up with filing the answered mail into my desk drawers, so they had been backing up. Naturally, when I was cleaning up after his death, and moving to my current home, I did NOT have time for such mundane chores. Nearly four years have passed, so I would say I have nearly five years worth of letters and cards to file.

And yes, I do treasure such things. Though I have begun to recycle Christmas cards that have nothing but a signature in them.

Well, on Saturday I worked backwards and got my 2011, 2010 and back to about 2008 mail filed. But I still have a box, the size you get a case of copy paper in, nearly full left to file yet.

Naturally, I’m packing the folders of mail from friends and relatives that have died, or stopped writing, away in archive boxes. Those will go into my basement warehouse. Now I figure it will take one more Saturday, and after that I can move on to faster moving corners and sections of the house.

Oh yes, the mouse/mice issue? Well, as I tackle a thorough cleaning and re-organization of every nook and cranny in my wee house, I want to watch for any little critters that have laid down to die after enjoying a last morsel or two of poison.

Oh-no! I’ve got to do it over!

Joe just brought up the first print-outs of the Easter tract I’ve been working on for a month of afternoons, and yesterday worked on ALL afternoon and ALL evening until midnight, in the hopes that I would have it ready for Joe to print today. Tomorrow he and his wife are flying to the USA for their son’s wedding.

I had really hoped there would be no flaws, but it turns out there are a few graphics to tweak, size-wise, etc. But the worst thing is, that while I thought I was copying the latest edition of last night from my USB stick to this computer, I accidentally copied the other way, and copied my latest effort at 5 pm yesterday here at the office over onto the newer file on the USB stick. Now I have to do all of last evening’s hours of work over again!

I hate to leave you on this downer note here, but as the author and layout editor of this tract/booklet with 16 pages, I do want it to look good and professional as well as be ready in time for people to use for distribution at Easter.

Please pray that it will turn out well, AND be spiritually effective too!

After lunch P.S. Well, I found the last version from last night after all. PTL! And I’ve made a bunch of edits and layout shifts, and am waiting for Joe to print another proof. Maybe I will get something else done today yet.

In fact, all this is working out as a blessing. I’ve been wanting to learn how to use the desktop publishing program, Scribus, for several years. I’ve cut my eye-teeth on it now with this Easter booklet, and the troubles have only reinforced my learned steps. Future layout and design work should be much easier!

If you have a website and are hoping to make a bit of money from it by adding affiliate links, you should know about ClickBank. There are a lot of people who have written good quality e-books (okay, some not so good), and have excellent sales pages. You can make up to 50% of their sale price by going to ClickBank, creating a coded hop link to put on your site, and if any of your visitors go to that sales page, you can make some fine commissions.

I was aware of ClickBank - have been for years, but only recently have been checking out the products in the Marketplace section, and discovered some great things I can promote from my sites. ClickBank looks after the actual sales of digital items that can be downloaded, and then divides up the profits between the authors and the website marketers.

Yesterday I found some good ones on natural health to go with my aloe vera site. There are many other topics too. It’s worth a look. Look over ClickBank’s Potential (Psst…! No cost to you, if you are just going to promote the links).

I’m sure you don’t want a play by play of my time in the dentist’s chair this last hour. I had thought I would spend that time mentally writing the RoseBouquet so I’d be off to a running start as soon as I got here. My lovely dentist wasted no time however, and with determined steady pressure she wiggled that hollow old molar out and got the job done. I clutched my hands together and made it through.

Good thing I work alone most of the day. It is hard to talk through clenched teeth to keep the packing in place.

For years I heard my parents and grandparents say that if March comes in like a lamb it will go out like a lion. That seems to be true again. Last week we had lovely spring weather with melting snow and ice all over the place, and temperatures that were even above 0 for a few hours each day. Yesterday it started to snow, and by last evening there were storm warnings on all the weather forecasts. Today the radio is full of accidents that happened because of the weather. Right now, March is behaving like a lion.

I just checked the 14 day forecast on the weathernetwork.com and I see that next week the temperatures are going to climb up above 0 and keep creeping higher and higher. So for those who enjoy a hearty storm - they need to savour this weather today for they may not see this kind of snow and blowing winds again until our next winter rolls around.

(Sigh)! Ah, I’m glad to hear that!

Late Sunday afternoon I had a phone call from a stranger who wanted to order some flowers and gifts from my website. Huh? I asked him where he saw that. I have several websites, but none offering things like that.

He gave me the URL http://www.hellotrade.com/ruth-marlene-friesen/contact.html where, lo and behold, I found my name and address and phone number given with these floral and baking gifts.

I took time to find their feedback form to register a complaint.

Immediately remove my information from this page;

http://www.hellotrade.com/ruth-marlene-friesen/contact.html
and this one; http://www.hellotrade.com/ruth-marlene-friesen/profile.html
and this one; http://www.hellotrade.com/ruth-marlene-friesen/product.html

I have NOT - repeat NOT registered or submitted any information to be listed here! Yet, I have just received a phone call from someone who wanted to buy these products from me - which I do NOT - repeat NOT have for sale! Someone hijacked my identity information to post here. Believe you me, I will be telling the world about you this week, and warning them to stay away! I will also report you to all the authorities I can find if this is not removed within 24 hour hours of right now, Sunday 4.51 pm 3/20/2011.

Very Sincerely,
Ruth Marlene Friesen

Well, this is two days later, and they have not removed those pages, or that info, so I guess I need to make good my threats, and follow through!

I realize that true identity theft means someone has tried to take on my name and reputation legally. This may not be precisely in that definition, but I’m not happy about it. For sure, sometimes I do go list my book or websites on a free site, but certainly not this way.

The crazy thing is - how can I reach someone at HelloTrade.com who will hear and respond to me. So far no reply from them. But I’ll work at it!

My favourite web business building program, SBI, has jumped into social media with both feet. They are now teaching the rest of us how to really use it effectively and profitably. In fact, SiteSell Facebook (SSFB) has just about got 10,000 fans on Facebook. They are getting ready to celebrate!

They’ve got a contest going with some big mystery surprise planned for the moment the 10,000th Facebook person simply “LIKES” their page.

Those of us connected with SBI and using the suite of creme de la creme services have been busy guessing what the surprise will be from hints dropped at the forum and in the newsletters and blogs.

Personally, I think the most crucial clue is that “…it will feel like Christmas.”

Ah-ha! We SBI-ers know that means a 2 for 1 sale at the very least! Maybe more freebies and gifts and our hero Ken is a generous man!

He says the celebratory event will not last long, so you need to hurry over there and quickly “LIKE” their page,
Go to facebook.sitesell.com/provision.html

Only those who have “LIKED” the SSFB page get in on the good stuff that happens or is given away at that time.

Quick, Go LIKE SSFB right now!

We’ve got slushy spring weather out here, with puddles in the daytime and ice over night and in the mornings, however, I am thinking I’ve talked about weather enough of late. Let it be enough, that I’m glad for the milder temps - even above 0C! I’m just hoping the icy mornings don’t last too long.

Personally speaking, I’ve known for many months that I should get some dental work done and get my eyes checked. But knowing also that these would involve some expense I’ve put them off. This morning I made time to make some appointments.

The dental one went easily once I decided to go with my friend Anne’s recommendation. That appointment is for next Tuesday morning at 9 am. which means I may be late with the RoseBouquet that morning.

The eye appointment is turning out to be more of a problem. I thought I’d call the Eye Dept. at City Hospital where I’ve been before, and it is covered by our basic Health Care in this province. But when I tried to call there, one has to know the name of the doctor you want to see, to choose the right extension. I couldn’t recall the name of the specialist, except that it was a l-o-n-g one. I called the Hospital switchboard and that operator connected me to a different number where I had to listen to canned music for a while, but finally got on and made an appointment for next week Friday morning. Got to thinking though, that will cost. So I called back and cancelled it.

I tried the eye clinic again, and had to leave a message, but now had a secretary call back, and I know that I have to be referred by my doctor or an optometrist. Hm… that means a different appointment first, doesn’t it?

As I’ve said before, once you start with medical appointments they just multiply and multiply!

Well, some of the new pages on two other sites are completed, and I can give you the links to go see them.

On my Shopping site:
www.online-shopping-guides.com/Consumer-Reports.html
www.online-shopping-guides.com/Find-the-Best-Phone-for-You.html
Hopefully I’ll finish another batch this week yet.

On my Aloe Vera site, I put up this page yesterday;
www.aloe-vera-and-handy-herbs.com/eating-my-aloe-vera.html

I confess I am hurrying here this morning though, because I need to get started on typing up the minutes of the WTM Board meeting last night. It went really well, so it is not something to dread.

No doubt you are also trying to take in the awful disasters that have hit Japan. First there is the shock - then, how can we possibly help? Isn’t it all way too big?

I enjoyed most of the Harvest Fest missions conference on the weekend. Especially the personal story of an amazing woman, Marie Ens, who was a missionary in Cambodia with her husband for many years, but was evacuated six times because of the war. After her husband died she went back again, but discovered that when she reached retirement age, she was suppose to retire and go home.

Go home? That was her home! She had taken possible martyrdom and many hardships in stride, but this she could not accept.

After a while she decided to go back to Cambodia on her pension and start an orphanage. Place of Rescue has become three lovely orphanages and homes for families with aides, and also a home for destitute Grannies. I tell you, Marie’s story is very touching. For pictures and more see, www.placeofrescue.com

Her son-in-law has started a ministry for her, and looks after all the legal paperwork and sees to the promotion and fund raising for her orphans. They work together so well!

Last week Thursday was my sister Elsie’s birthday. But I had not got around to preparing any card or gift or anything ahead. At 7 am I considered phoning her, but I knew with the time zone differences, I would be getting her out of bed at 5 am. I decided to wait until I got to the office and go online and order her a single rose or something like that.

Well, online floral orders seem to start at $36 or $40 and then there is a delivery charge too. I saw some sites offered baskets of wonderful chocolates, or even a cheesecake or some cookies, but these too, would cost me $47 - 50, plus delivery fees. Ouch!

But that gave me an idea. I had been thinking of trying out a pound cake recipe in one of Mom’s old old cookbooks (I had been given a left-over tub of butter after a church breakfast). I decided that I could just as easily go home, bake the cake, and put it in the mail the next morning. What’s more, that kind would not fall apart as easily as another, and wouldn’t need icing. Surely the postage would not cost THAT much, and I could just call Elsie in the evening to explain that I had not forgotten her.

That plan went okay. While I was waiting to take the cake out of the oven, I made my phone call, but Elsie was racing out the door to keep an appointment, so I just had time to say “Happy Birthday” to her, and then she handed the phone to her daughter Jalise. (Jalise and her kids are sharing a house with Elsie).

When I told her of my cake sending plan, Jalise urged me to keep it in my fridge until Monday, since her Mom was going to the Queen Charlotte Islands off Vancouver for work over the weekend. Besides, she reminded me that the post office would have it in storage somewhere over the weekend and who knew in what conditions.

Okay. I agreed to that. But when I sampled a slice of the cake, warm out of the oven, I decided that it tasted much too sugary. (I do not have the great reputation for cooking and baking that Elsie does!) So on Sunday afternoon I decided to try again, but with a different recipe. Then I could send her the better of the two cakes.

That batter looked like more than one pan full, so I made a little one besides to take to the office for sharing. But the one that was to be the bigger one didn’t get as high as the one I baked on Thursday evening. Hmm… now what to do? It tasted fine, but maybe Elsie and the kids would enjoy the extra sweet one too.

Solution: I found a box big enough to pack both pound cakes and yesterday morning I took the parcel to the post office. (Postage was about $23). Hopefully by the end of this week I’ll hear that they are voting among themselves as to which is the better pound cake. And they’ll be laughing again at the weird things Auntie Ruth does.