Thursday, February 3, 2011

Life's Good and I've Got Style

I am a very private person.

I love solitude.

I spend my time in the wilderness. I talk to trees.

So would it surprise you if I tell you that I have more virtual friends than those I hog the pubs (I don't do that, by the way) or go golfing with? (As if you didn't know that already).

And what true friends you all are. Always there for me - when I'm up in the sky or down in the dumps.


Recently Su of Cheekyness made me forget all my worries and cheered me up with this:





[Conditions for accepting awards are that you are to thank the person who awards you, and link back to him/her. Then tell a number of stuff about yourself that your followers/readers are dying to know, and pass on the awards to other bloggers]

Thanks again Su. There's no rule for this one, except to pass it on. And I'm passing this smiley Award on to writer and poet Catherine Margeret Johnson, and writers Joanna St. James and Christie Wright Wild.


I've been told too that I or my blog has got style by at least two bloggers:



If my memory serves me well (and it's not doing this lately), the first was a Blogger who was Formerly Known As The Enigmatic Masked Blogger. I just call this delightful girl Mask. She's moving to Pobblestrum (a quiet little town with Unicorns and Trolls) soon, so pay her a visit if you want to know more about her or that little town. She's an artist too. And she is fond of drawing....yes, Unicorn!

If it was somebody else, please, please forgive me...will the real awarder stand up?

More recently however I know for a fact that I received that same award (which erased any doubt as to whether I'm stylish or not...ahem..) from published author Joylene Nowell Butler, the lady from Cluculz Lake, Canada.

Thank you so much Mask (or the mystery awarder), and Joylene.

It is my pleasure to pass the Stylish Blogger Award to:

The legendary Rachael Harrie of Rach Writes. She's the brain behind Bloggers' Crusade;

The very talented artist Serena Lewis;

My favourite English blogger Mr London Street, who resides in Reading and blogs delightfully out of the most mundane of scenes or happenings around him. Check out his blog for a really good read.


Do you remember I told you that I'd avoid Prozac and would resort to prayers to come to term with my situation? Well, that didn't quite work out. My physician told me that pray by all means but I need to take something to deal with my grief before it turned into full blown depression. So I have to be honest with you and tell you that I'm not completely myself. Part of me is this thing called Xanax or Alprazolam. Only for a couple of weeks though. After which the good doctor said he'll wean me out of it OR give me something stronger! Fingers crossed on that one.

Come to think of it, I may have lost everything, but I am alive, aren't I? Nothing is more beautiful than to be alive! 

And as if to convince me of that I received this Award from L'Aussie:



Bless you, Denise.

I would like to in turn pass this beautiful Award to:

Su of Cheekyness, who's having a great time with hubby Chad in Austin, Texas;

My good friend Ohio Farm Girl, whose life is full of adventure (chasing varmint, among other things) and enjoys it even in freezing temperatures;

Joyelene Nowell Butler who's enjoying life in beautiful Canada;

Kittie Howard, who's enjoying sunny Louisiana and giving us her account of her great ancestors' romantic adventures;

The Enigmatic Masked Blogger, who's having a bit of a problem disposing her property, but I want to try and convince her despite that life's good, and to be enjoyed;

Samantha Verant, who's living it up in Paris;

Maria Zannini whose two loves are writing and homesteading;

Nature Girl Anna who survived the dreaded big C and is having the time of her life traveling and discovering one paradise after another;

My dear friend Gary, who's also going or had gone through a bad patch, but has had the mental strength to go through it all smiling and sharing his humor through his blog klahanie. Life's great Gary, make the most of it my friend.

As for the other conditions for accepting the Awards, I'm tweaking them a little, if you don't mind: I have told you four or five things about myself right in the opening para, then the good doctor let you on what I'm on, so I reckon I kinda met them. If you are still not satisfied you can always read all about me here and here. If you are still not happy please leave your number and I'll call you, pronto!


I have thus killed three birds with one stone (that has to be metaphorically speaking, as I only shoot birds with my Cannon).

Here's Grandpa and Xanax signing off...

33 comments:

M.K. Nissen said...

Congrats on your awards! I do hope things improve for you, but what could be better to get you out of a funk than getting an award that makes you smile!

The Blogger Formerly Known As said...

Grandpa, how lovely of you, thank you very much. Life is good now. I love awards.

And, of course, many congratulations to you on yours too :)

klahanie said...

Hi Grandpa,
First of all, my fine friend, sincere apologies for not visiting your interesting, informative, witty, and pictorially delightful site, just recently. I've not been too proactive lately. Sometimes, depression can be rather overwhelming and I've been rather in the background.
Still, this is just the tonic I need. It's really nice to see you have been bestowed all those awards. And what's more, I note a lot of wonderful bloggers I interact with on your various lists. Isn't it wonderful to be a part of something special within this, the great blogging community? All different, all equal, in this diverse world we share.
Grandpa, I am truly honoured that you have included me as a recipient for the 'Life is Good' award. I'm in such fine company. And yes, life is good. I'm a firm believer in turning what can perceived as a negative, into an inspirational positive. So thank you and I will post up this award on my shy and humble site, very soon.
Congratulations to you and all those you have bestowed the awards upon.
Enjoy shooting the birds with a 'Cannon' :-)
Peaceful and positive wishes, your way, Gary:-) Good grief klahanie, what a long comment.....

Samantha VĂ©rant said...

Thank you, Grandpa! Life is good! Gros bisous!

Joylene Nowell Butler said...

Thank you so much, Grandpa. Would you really call me? LOL. I'd hate to think what the phone bill would be. I am blessed to know you and hope you find the strength to continue seeing the beauty in life. Your photographs show a keen eye for what is extraordinary. I think that alone is something to triumphant about. Be safe. Stay warm.

Melissa said...

Such awesome awards! Congrats.

And having writerly friends really is the best feeling!

Su said...

Wow, thank you! Such a lovely award!

Sorry to hear about your depression and not feeling yourself. :( The doc is right-- you've had quite a rough couple of months. I'm sure you'll get off the meds and back to yourself quickly.

Denise Covey said...

Grandpa, look at those awards! Isn't that reason enough to sit back and be thankful and say, yes, life is indeed good.

I'm sure your doc will wean you off the xanax asap. You need a crutch when you have a broken leg, but it heals and you can throw away the crutch. Take your time. You have to grieve, but think about all the blessings you have when things get you down. I'm sure you do.

Bless you

Denise:)

Denise Covey said...

oh, how could I forget to congratulate all those you passed awards onto.

Ohiofarmgirl said...

Oh my golly, Grandpa, THANKS! Life is good and I'm so glad that you thought of me. Every morning I remember what you said in a post about greeting the day with "Its a Glorious Day!" and I try to do is. Even if its freezing cold and there are varmints out there. Onward and upward, my dear friend, onward and upward. We really are all in this together.

I'm sending you tons of smiles and encouragement across all these miles.

Kittie Howard said...

Thank you, Grandpa! I'm appreciative more than words can say. You're a super great guy! And I'm glad you're listening to the doc. Yes, prayer helps. But God gave us a brain between the ears that invented medication. I hope the meds do the trick. Thanks for sharing!

erica and christy said...

What an informative and fun post. Good luck, Grandpa, we're pulling for you!

Maria Zannini said...

That is so sweet of you. Thanks.

But now I'm tempted to call your bluff about calling. LOL. That would be a heck of a roaming charge.

Take care, Grandpa.

Naturegirl said...

Grandpa anyone who talks to trees is OK with me as I do too!Thank you for mentioning me in this post..YES I have beat cancer not once but twice!!
"We choose our joys and sorrows long before we experience them"
No stopping me now..waving to you from Arizona! xo

Rachael Harrie said...

Hi Grandpa, congrats on your awards (proof that you're wonderful and much loved around the blogosphere!!!). And thank you so much for passing it on to me :)

I think that's very wise to take the medication, and I'll second Denise in saying - do whatever you need to do, take whatever you need to take, to allow yourself to deal with your grief and heal your wounds.

Thinking of you heaps, and sending lots of hugs,

Rach

Anonymous said...

Congrats on your award Grandpa :)

You've got a great blog here. Think I may stick around :)

sim only contracts said...

congrats for the winning

Anonymous said...

Congrats on all those awards Grandpa, sorry I haven't been over in a while, I went a bit poetry crazy during month of poetry. Thanks so much for the award, I heart you in that you can still make people laugh and smile even though you are suffering. I suffered mild depression in my teenage years and was kind of pos-natal with my first child, so I know what you are going through. It's the complete lack of feeling that hits you the hardest. My mum told me that the Brits say walking is the best cure. Do you walk a lot? Take care, Catherine

Dixie@dcrelief said...

You have a bright and cheerful blog. I enjoyed visiting with you. Hope life is always good for you.
In peace,
Dixie

Hart Johnson said...

I am also solitary, so I hear you. I'm sorry to hear about the grief and need for medication, but reinforce your doctor's words--there is a chemical brain response to some situations that can spiral if not addressed. It sounds like there is a plan to make it short term and that is perfect. You are taking care of yourself.

Congrats on all your fabulous awards!

Grandpa said...

THANKS everyone for your compliments and good wishes. Words cannot describe how much I appreciate them.

Wendy, dcrelief, welcome to The Farm. Do stay around for as long as you wish, and I hope you'll enjoy the tales from around The Farm.

Catherine, good to see you again. I used to walk a lot, up and down the hills on The Farm, but lately I can't seem to find any pleasure in that, or in doing anything else for that matter, so I try to write as often as I can. But that's not doing me much good physically.

I'm determined though to get out of this and would hopefully be physically active again real soon.

Modern medication and all of your encouragement are helping me immensely in that direction, so thank you all.

secret agent woman said...

Those meds can be life-savers, and it is no different than taking a medication for, say, diabetes. I hope if the short-term Xanax doesn't work, you're physician has something non-addictive in mind as a next step.

Hang in there, you have a lot of people holding you in their hearts (Me, included).

shanaz@RS said...

Dear Grandpa,
I am just delighted to come across your wonderful site. I am taken by sight looking at the pictures you have up at the sidebar. I never knew the durian has other nicknames - "Raja Kunyit" and "Musang King" Interesting! I take this chance to congratulate you for the awards that you have received and for keeping a strong and optimistic stance towards life while dealing with grief. I will be coming back here often, grandpa. Please take good care of yourself :)

Grandpa said...

secret agent woman, thank you. Actually the doctor gave me three types, the other two being Lexapro, and Valium to put me to sleep. But I'm so fearful of their side-effects and of developing dependency I decided to start with only Xanax. So far so good.


Shanaz, hi, what a pleasure to see you here! Welcome to The Farm.

I worked rather hard yesterday after a long break, walking up and down the hills, as Catherine suggested, getting rid of some weeds and putting some organic fertilizers to the trees. I took my Xanax at 11 pm and slept like a baby.

I woke up this morning feeling fresh, on my laptop, and there you are! Can't be a more wonderful start to my day...

I do love Life, in all its glory, I really do. I've done so many diverse things and had traveled to so many places. Very often I am able to say "been there, done that".

But I'm not quite done yet. There are so many places I still want to explore and things I want to do. And this episode in my life makes me even more determined to do all those, as you'll never know what's around the corner, as they say.

I'm encouraged by the many friends dropping by here. I read their comments, not once but many times, for they inspire and encourage me. They give me strength and had prevented me from doing foolish stuff like discarding this wonderful gift of life. For that I'm eternally grateful.

And now Shanaz, you have come into my life, not a moment to soon. I look forward to seeing you here often, and to reading that wonderful blog of yours. Have a nice day, take care.

caterpillar said...

Congratulations on the Awards Grandpa...I agree with your point that you have more virtual friends than real life friends...coz I'm just the same....

Grandpa said...

caterpillar, thank you! I have very few friends because I don't talk very much and I pity them as they'll be doing most of the talking! while I just listen and can't contribute much.

Whereas in writing I have the time to think, compose my thoughts, and at least decide if what I was going to write make sense, or if they offend people or not. Spoken words can't be retrieved or deleted, as you know, so you may hurt people in the process.

Take care, and have a nice day!

Lee said...

Hi Grandpa, well done....have fun and all the very best to you this rabbit year.
Keep well. Lee.

Grandpa said...

Thank you Lee. Happy New Year to you too. Take care

Pearl said...

What a lovely blog you have!

And yes, Mr. London Street writes beautifully, doesn't he?

Pearl

Grandpa said...

Hi Pearl, welcome to The Farm.

Thanks for the compliment. It's one of the things that has kept me going - almost gave up on it too if not for my virtual friends cheering me on...

Yes, MLS writes beautifully. So do you.

Kittie Howard said...

Hi, Grandpa! Loved your comment. Er, is there a purple and gold cloud in the sky shaped like a tiger? :)))

About hardships endured: One of the best books I ever read was years ago and about Singapore. Can't quite remember the name...Chatham Road??...something like that. Anyway, the book opened pre-war with such cultural and historical perspective I was hooked. The book ended with a sparkling re-built Singapore. The main thoroughfare thru Singapore today is where the book opened, all the traditional houses that are now gone. Tough times then, very tough!

Grandpa said...

Hi Kittie, I suppose there are at times - sometimes in the shape of a dragon too!

I think it is Chaltham Road you are referring to. Singapore was of course part of Malaysia until she left us to go it alone. And she did extremely well,considering she doesn't have any natural resources.

Malaysia (Malaya then) on the other hand was blessed with tin, oil, and later rubber and oil palm. We were an agricultural economy basically until we went industrial and hi-tech.

The majority of our parents (mine included) were illiterate and spend almost all their time working, many in the padi fields and plantations. So we hardly see them, let alone depended on them to teach us addition or multiplication like yours did! All they did was to teach us to be good and God fearing. The rest were left to us and Him.

Serena Lewis said...

I'm sorry I'm only just managing to catch up with your blog today, Grandpa, but I sincerely thank you for the award. You certainly deserve these awards...I do love to read your blog.

I hope things work out okay re. the Xanax. I'm not keen on mind altering medications but, recently, we had to make a choice for my oldest son, Brad, due to a neurological condition he was dealing with. We decided to give it a chance but, after only three days, the drug effected his hearing so he had to stop taking it. Unfortuanately, side effects can often be harder to deal with than the reason the drugs are needed in the first place. Anywhoo, I hope that you won't have to deal with too many side effects and I think it's a good thing that it won't be long term usage.

I also have more friends online than I do in person. :)

Take care my friend,
Serena