Friday 27 July 2012

My Lonely World


I encountered a lonely Alzheimer's patient today, and I could not forget that look of desolation on the face of this unfortunate individual.  Of all the debilitating diseases of  old age, this disease and other forms of dementia scare me the most, because of its depressing tendencies.  It is so terribly sad to see because  it makes you feel so helpless and inadequate.

My Lonely World

You came into my world today
You saw, you understood
The presence of a poignant loss
Of something sweet and good

You gazed into my woeful eyes
Your sympathy profound
My smile was weak, my outlook bleak
But your empathy was sound

You held my shaking hand awhile
My fingers you caressed
My face was blank but in my mind
I knew you were impressed.

My dynamic life has faded now
Its exuberance diminished
My vibrant verve nonexistent now
My zest for life is finished

I appreciate your kindness
I am grateful for your caring
But compassion now is bittersweet
As is the Pity you are sharing.

We cannot turn back the hands of time
Or control our aging progression
We but hope to face, with a calming grace
The end without depression.

Tuesday 24 July 2012

I'd Like to Be


Today I feel wistful and dreamy, wanting to be something I am not.  I have no idea where this feeling comes from.  It's not that I have anything missing, or unsatisfactory in my life , but it's just that.......

I’d Like to Be

I’d like to be a blue bird
Trilling lilting melodies
In wild abandon, never ending
Mother Nature’s rhapsodies
I’d like to be a bumblebee
Soaring, roaring, through the air
Landing softly on the blossoms
Bright and fragrant waiting there.
I’d like to be a perfume
Wafting softly in the breeze
Melding visions, nature’s beauty
With wonderful memories
I’d like to be a dew drop
Shining bright in the morning sun
Sitting on a lovely petal
Of a blossom newly sprung.
I’d like to be a rainbow
Arched above the world so high
Glorious colours softly blending
Like a halo in the sky.

Tuesday 17 July 2012

Treasures Lost


I  was just reading  letters Ruth Jackson's blog  http://www.memoirwritersworld.blogspot.com/ where she posted  her father-in-law's letters from World War I,    Ruth is very fortunate to have such personal and intimate records of her family members.


My father, Dmetro Bailuk, served in the Austrian Army sometime back at the beginning of the century but I have no records of it other than an old portrait of him in army uniform.  (This portrait was damaged in Dauphin's flood of 1975 so not even that it is in the best condition.) Both my Mom and Dad came from the Ukraine at the turn of the century, but never preserved any  records. 

I was not  trying to do extensive records like Ruth.  I simply wanted some information for our family tree but such sources of information are difficult to obtain now. I envy Ruth her rich and reliable records.  Few of us are that privileged. I tried variations of spelling but was not successful at obtaining information.  Even the 1916 census did not have him listed because he must have been away from home and working somewhere.  Mom is listed as the head of the household in that census. I even tried contacting Bailuk's on Skype in the Ukraine with no success.
My father went to work on the railroad here in Canada after he married my mom (they married in 1914 and farmed in the Mossey River municipality of Manitoba.)  I'm sure he wrote letters  home also, but Mom never thought of preserving them.  So all I can say is: those of you that have old records like that, cherish them.  They are more precious than gold!        

Friday 13 July 2012

Give Me Time


Give Me Time

Let me revel in the splendour
Of a blazing sunset
Reflecting on a glassy lake
Is shimmering hues
Rivalling the heavens above.

Let me bask in the glow
Of an evening campfire
Brilliant tendrils of flickering flames
Reaching into the darkness
Like outstretched arms
Eager to embrace the night.

Allow me the luxury of a leisurely walk
Meandering through lush green meadows
Musing on the shyness of the violet
Watching wild daisies bow their heads
To hoards of working bees
And lazy flamboyant butterflies.

Let me savour the ticklish trek
Of a misguided bumble bee
On my outstretched arm
Searching for that nectar he’ll never find.

Grant me that enchanted moment
To smell the velvety chasm
Of an orange tiger lily
Mindless of the brown smear
That stains my nose when I get too close.

Permit me to relax serenely
On a rushy shore of a meandering brook
A refreshing coolness caressing my bare toes
And a soft breeze toying with my hair
As I listen to the haunting cry of a distant loon
The bark and howl of a lonely coyote
Echoing through the evening hush.

Let me forget for a moment
The must-be-done tasks
Those endless mundane chores
That always wait for me
And must be done - again
And again, and again, and again……

Monday 9 July 2012

Morning Glory

The Pleasures of Summer
Nothing heralds a wonderful morning more gloriously than the sights and perfumes of summer blossoms.  I love morning glories and it is a pity that morning glory blossoms don't smile at us this way throughout the whole day.  Alas, these gorgeous blooms are at their loviest in the mornings but shyly fold in the hot sun.

The thick and luxurious vines are quite easy to grow, and, depending which  type you choose to plant, they can grow up to as high as fifteen to twenty feet if you provide some sort of a trellis or netting for them to climb on.

I had a maple that died one winter when a February thaw turned cold and killed it.  I trimmed some of the branches down and planted morning glories around it. I also hung finch feeders on the bigger branches.  Between the sights, the sounds and the fragrances, this arrangement provided me with many wonderful hours of pleasure.

I also  grew them along the side of my deck and often by mid-August through September they would almost totally cover the open side where I provided them with the netting to climb on.  They actually gave my deck the ambient  look and feel of a  rich tropical garden room.

Monday 2 July 2012

Celebrating CANADA DAY

                                            Celebrating Canada Day

Okay, I apologize.  We got rain.  A nice downpour yesterday during the day but by evening it had cleared out very nicely to give us a most glorious evening for watching the spectacular fireworks.

 At 10:30  in the evening, we joined the throngs of people who lined up along the Promenade overlooking the serene and verdant River valley to watch the fireworks over the distant High Level Bridge.  It turned out to be a beautiful evening, balmy with just a whisper of a breeze. A magnificent moon,  like a sovereign in the heavens, watched over his dominion of twinkling city lights below.  Even  the cacophony of cheering voices failed to quell the tranquility of this nature's oasis of the peaceful river valley in the middle of the bustling city rush surrounding it.   I wish I had a camera that could capture the atmosphere.  Still pictures just don't do the trick at all.


As we walked home after the display, a hint of delicate perfumes of various blossoms permeated the air to enhance the ambiance of a perfect summer evening.  What a beautiful country we live in!