Christmas Memories with Ornaments 2014

A little whimsy goes a long way in preserving the magic of Christmas, a time when we can suspend our disbelief. This is a short post to wish you happy memories of the season.

A Moose, to represent the cool, cool north rests against a Merry Christmas sign.

Christmas Moose collectible, photo by DG Hudson

 

 

 

Shepherds guard their flocks from wolves and other predators. The Santa Shepherd below guards his 'motley' crew of sheep as well, made by four different crafters.

 

 

Santa Shepherd and Sheep, by DG Hudson

 

 

A mantel Santa gathers with Norwegian wood Santas, a Santa toy that moves, a fancy gift box from Paris, France and a handmade sign, North Pole.

 

 

Shelf Santa with other Collectibles, by DG Hudson

 

 

 

The flexible Santa below keeps company with a felt mouse on the same mantel. All these little Santas remind me to smile and look forward to another year. I collect angels too, since we always had one at the top of our tree during my childhood.

 

Soft Santa for the Mantel, by DG Hudson

 

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays!

May you enjoy your time with family and friends.

 

 

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Please leave a comment to let me know you were here, and I'll respond. Thanks for visiting and always count your blessings. You know what they are.

 

Also, these items were purchases or gifts, crafted by other people.  Photos by DG Hudson, 2014.

 

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Hospital Life, Paramedics and Advocacy - One Viewpoint

What if you or someone you loved ended up in one of these? This is a typical hospital bed.

Creative Commons Image, Public Domain use*

Do Not Assume

Illness or injury could affect you or your loved ones at any time. Being informed is one step in the process of getting quality care. The information in this post is specific to Canadian hospitals, in particular in transition units, but is generally applicable in the US as well, and concerns dealing with staff in hospital care and advocacy for the patient. This does not refer to independently funded, private hospitals, which have different guidelines and rate scales.

Know Your Rights and Advocate for the Patient

Incompetent and autocratic nurses may try to order you out of the room, OR use old practices such as mixing old food with new food for patients on liquid feed solutions. This practice was changed once it was questioned. You have a right to stay in the patient's room if you want to, so state your intention. Some staff do not like being observed in the care they provide, hence they ask the family or loved ones to leave. Your not being there can result in undue roughness, unsuitable comments to or about the patient, or mistreatment of the patient (with no explanations).

Do not be intimidated by doctors or nurses. Shoddy care can result in the spreading of hospital-incubated illnesses. I've seen the result of poor sanitation and not reading a patient's chart. Ask questions. Ask for upgrades in food given to patient - swallowing tests, dietary considerations, OR request more physio, doctors to check ailments, more training for patient, and progress) Keep a journal of patient's progress if stay is prolonged. Record names so you can be specific when making a complaint.

Be Aware

Find out what resources are available when you have a problem with how your patient is being treated. Demand proper treatment by contacting the appropriate personnel. Meet the Nurse practitioner who works with the patients. Social workers are available at hospital locations. They act a liaisons for the patients, family members and the hospital. This is specific to the health industry. Be wary of nurses or care aides trying to teach the patient  (dementia, brain trauma or injury patients) when they aren't qualified. They can cause confusion on the part of patient.

Advocate for the patient, speak up directly to the staff and when that is ignored, go above their level of  responsibility. Some doctors have made inappropriate comments to worried family members, and some senior nurses in particular remember the days when nursing staff ruled the corridors secondly after doctors. They do not like the fact that family can now be in attendance nearly all the time and observe firsthand the care given. 

Finally, if all options are exhausted, there is the formal complaint process. Dealing directly with the specific unit in the care location is preferable.

The Good Guys

Paramedics and emergency personnel save the day, IMO, as do the attentive care aides and nurses who show compassion and will discuss the care of the patient, without just wanting to check off 'done' on their patient charts.  Many times when the vocally 'short-staffed' nurses ignored the patient's call bell, it was the care aides that saved the day and treated the patient with more respect. Having a family member there to translate from the patient to the staff what is needed is most valuable in these situations.

In these days of cuts to hospital funding, the family is drawn more and more into doing the job (or assisting) nursing staff at rehab places and in hospital transit units. Waiting for the nurses for assistance with basic requests usually means inattentive care for the patient's most basic needs. Be prepared to devote a certain amount of time to the person in hospital care. Side issues to consider are parking fees, and your own health during a stressful and demanding time. You may have to deal with administration issues concerning the family member, adding to the stress

I saw the difference in how a patient is cared for when no family members were around, as I was in attendance for 5-8 hours a day, all days of the week. I gathered a complete image of care except for the wee hours of the morning. There seems to be little awareness that the aging population is a coming trend.


The Bare Facts: Examples of the Bad


Nurses not reading reports, but asking family members

Too much sedation given without consulting family or family doctor

Suggestions not appropriate: 'The patient could have had a stroke' after too much sedation, OR 'some just let them go-regarding feeding processes

Staff Demands for family to leave the room for any procedures during normal care

Care Aides who try to teach patients and confuse them

Restraints too tight which leave 'embossing on skin', which are used for 'safety'

Staff ignoring the call bells of patients, while they chat or update records at nursing station

Lack of attention to patients at risk, resulting in falls, then blaming the family member

Staff speaking inappropriately to family members or arguing re-requests for patient care

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Have you observed behavior that isn't appropriate in a hospital setting for yourself or a loved one? Do you know who to contact? Have you had an incident with a careless health professional? Do you think our health care industry is in trouble yet? Will health care be adequate to handle the aging population we hear so much about?

Please leave a comment to let me know you were here, and I'll reply. Thanks for dropping by. In this post, I'm referring to the treatments of ailments other than the high profile cancer units, or children's hospitals which seem to do a better job and get more funding. 

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References

* Hospital Bed Image: Creative Commons, Public Domain  This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication

The person who associated a work with this deed has dedicated the work to the public domain by waiving all of his or her rights to the work worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law. You can copy, modify, distribute and perform the work, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission.

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Halloween 2014 - Gothic South Tales

On All Hallows Eve,
Don't look Up, or Within. . .




Abandoned House, USA, WC-PD*

The house in this reminiscing isn't the one above, but was built in the mid-1870s or sometimes after the Civil War in the US. I lived there at one time, when the paint was fresh, and repairs were kept up. Grandmother saw to it with her four young sons. 

Thanks, all you elders of the southern clans, emigrated from Scotland, for continuing the practice of trying to scare each other with tall tales (or were they?). . .The stories that make me think of ghosts and spirits who wander in the night, but seldom in the day. They secret themselves in closets I avoid opening, walk across deserted verandahs and sit in the porch swings after everyone has gone to bed. The tales told by our grandparents on hot summer nights rocking on the front porch were eagerly listened to by the wee children sitting nearby, tired from play.

There are currents that emanate from certain parts of the old house I remember. Some places in that house felt like portals to another realm. The landing is one of the strong places, the under-stairs closet is another, and that one back room with the window always locked. I can't go into the room next to the under-stairs closet. The belongings of a dear member of the family were stored in that room before my family moved into a different house. Spirits that pass unsettled tend to hang around locations familiar to them.

But back to the landing and the stairs. There was a family story about a man, one of the previous owners, who hung himself in the landing halfway up to the second floor. He was devastated by the death of his beloved brother, killed by a rogue lightning strike. He was the last of their family. No other relatives, if there were any, ever came to check into his demise.

Why do I think of these things when I must pass by that very place? I duck my head so I won't imagine the body swinging there, the shoe grazing my shoulder. I dare not look up, the light is too dim. 

At the time of the supposed hanging, a beam ran along the upper ceiling, fifteen feet above the landing, but there was no evidence of how he managed it.  His body was found dangling a couple of days later when a neighbor came to check why the house was so quiet and dark. The police crawled all over the place, but could find no evidence of foul play.

What's worse, it's Halloween and that's when the veils thin between this world and the other realms, when spirits become able to visit those they left behind. I hear my cat's meow and pick her up and cuddle her. That helps somewhat, but she seems apprehensive too. I'm sure cats sense those from the other side. I close the curtains and the blinds, so I won't see anything in the windows and I don't look at mirrors on this night, especially in this house.

All Hallows' Eve is not remembered at it once was, but it still owns power. This house structure still stands, but it's been renovated, so most wouldn't recognize it. But, I can tell and it's over the same plot of ground.  I wonder if the new owners have cleansed the spirits from the place, or if they can. . .

Partly based on true events, partly not.  I won't say which. . .

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How about you? Visited any haunted houses? Or remembered stories told by our parents and grandparents? Do you have a costume for Halloween? What was your favorite costume?

Please leave a comment to let me know you were here, and I'll respond. Thanks for dropping by! .

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For more ghostly tales, see The Rainforest Writing Blog for the monthly challenge of WEP, aka Write...Edit...Publish.

Last year's Halloween offering - http://dghudson.blogspot.ca/2013_10_01_archive.html

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*WC-PD NOTE:
http://abnf.co/Ohio.htm Photo credit, free use image, used to set the mood. Not the actual house, as the real place on which this story is based has been renovated extensively and has a new owner.

For a Canadian flavor in haunting, peruse this list:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_reportedly_haunted_locations_in_Canada

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The Louvre - Sculpture Confirms An Era

Bigger than life and meant to impress. . ..at the Louvre Museum, Paris.




Antiquities, Louvre Museum, by DG Hudson

Sculpture and massive stone monuments confirm man has existed for centuries, even perhaps many thousands of years. Just as some museums feature bones of reptilian dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures to show Earth inhabitants long ago, it gives man a sense of security to know that even though dynasties and empires thrived and fell, their art survived.  Proof of existence.

Why so large? Monolithic size could be seen from a distance and implied greatness on the part of the person who commissioned the sculpture. Perhaps the image above was to adorn an entrance to a temple, tomb or royal building.

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Sentinels on Guard
Sphinx styled





Sentries in the Louvre, by DG Hudson

Repetitive patterns such as the sentries imply order and make for interesting images. The work would have been done with ancient techniques yet they achieved such regularity. The workers were probably many and had no choice in assisting. In modern times, we speculate and study records to learn how such art came to be.

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A Parade of Man and Horse

An Antiquity Globe with Circular Pattern, The Louvre, Paris, by DG Hudson

All images were found in the Antiquities section of the Louvre Museum. I didn't specify which historical areas as displays may change and my purpose was to see as much as I could of such a treasure trove of history and art.
 
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Art with Inscriptions

These creations of Antiquity document a time when objects were made to last. When man destroys these icons of existence, what do they prove except their own destructive tendencies and lack of understanding of history and its consequences. Museums protect our history and keep it alive for future generations.  To see it firsthand is to learn.  To learn is to broaden your mind.

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Do you enjoy history or museums whether anthropology or art? Do you like sculpture? Modern (Picasso or Zadkine) or Antiquity or all sculpture? If you're not a fan of sculpture or 'old' art, you can say that, too.

Hope you enjoyed this peek into the Antiquities at the Louvre Museum. Please leave a comment to let me know you were here. I'll respond, and thanks for dropping by!

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Additional Posts

The Louvre Museum from the A to Z Blog Challenge
http://dghudson-rainwriting.blogspot.ca/2012/04/l-louvre-museum-to-z-blog-challenge.html

Paris Posts (a page of links to posts and images)
http://dghudson-rainwriting.blogspot.ca/p/paris-posts.html 

More Louvre Museum statuary
http://dghudson-rainwriting.blogspot.ca/2012/03/statuary-at-louvre-study-in-stone.html

PARIS - Antiquities and Bastet at the Louvre
http://dghudson.blogspot.ca/2014/01/paris-antiquities-at-louvre.html

PARIS - Outtakes and Museum Art

So much to see, so little time. . .

 

Avenue des Champs-Élysées

 

A boulevard in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, the Avenue des Champs-Élysées runs from the Place de la Concorde to the Place Charles De Gaulle, where the Arc de Triomphe is located. Along the way many interesting and unique sights are visible. In the image below  an entrance gate with detailed styling catches the attention of passers-by. Paris excels in wrought iron work.

  

 

A Parisian Gate along the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, by DG Hudson

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Versailles

Back Garden, Long View

Versailles, France - the back gardens, by DG Hudson

The gardens at Versailles are magnificent, but don't step on the grass, as the security guards are always attentive. That's what I heard from someone else who had been there and was reprimanded with French fervour. Considering how many tourists visit and how many may or may not be considerate, it is likely a requirement to preserve the beauty. The walk is long, but this was entertainment for the royals and the court.

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Designer Mini-Display
from the 20th Century

 

Lanvin miniature display at the Carnavalet Musee, by DG Hudson

 

 

There were not so many 'designers' as there are today when the label, Lanvin, was in its heyday. The display above was shown at the Carnavalet Musee, Paris. Fashion is another byword in France, thanks to Coco Chanel, Lanvin, Dior, etc.

 

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Carnavalet Musee, Paris

 

 



Carnavalet Musee, top of the stairs, by DG Hudson

A wall Mural graces the top of the stairs in the museum. How many of the faces in the painting were of guests at the house or the owners? It's interesting to speculate, but murals were intended to reduce blank spaces and add interest for guests.


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What have you seen lately by walking around your neighborhood? Or cruising the internet? How great would it be to have murals on the walls of your residence?

Please leave a comment to let me know you were here, and I'll respond. Thanks for dropping by!

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References:

Carnavalet Musee, an 'a to z' post
http://dghudson-rainwriting.blogspot.ca/2012/04/c-carnavalet-museum-z-blog-challenge.html

Versailles, also 'a to z' post
http://dghudson-rainwriting.blogspot.ca/2012/04/v-versailles-palace-to-z-challenge.html

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Pick Up Sticks, Hand-carved - A Photo Study

There are many uses for sticks, something any child and any dog can relate to.  Sticks appeal to anyone who needs the help of a walking stick, or likes one for hiking. Think Gandalf and wooden swords.

Hand carving produced these sticks shown here, a hobby that hubs just started doing in the summer of 2013 when we picked up a few branches that had fallen. After that, we acquired some more branches from a vacant lot next to a friend's house, and trimmings left near some of our walks. The wood used for these sticks was 'found' wood, not purchased.


A sampling of the Collection

Hand-Carved Wooden Swords, and Walking Sticks, photo by DG Hudson

There are three wooden swords in the first photo, and hubs has also fashioned a few wooden knives, suitable for use as props perhaps. There were drumsticks for a musician friend, and magic wands for those who needed one. (we are Harry Potter fans. . .) He liked the creation process and everything was hand done, carefully hand-sanded, stained with tea stain or for the dark areas, a purchased stain. Each is protected with a varnish finish to protect the stain and provide some weatherproofing.


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Details

Detail of carved sticks, photo by DG Hudson

The yellow stain on some of the tops of the sticks, in the photo below, was created by soaking a few threads of saffron in water and using that as a stain. Depending on the amount of tea stain applied, nice shadowing results on the natural air-dried wood. Some effects result from leaving the layer underneath the outer bark in place, as it will retain the stain differently.

Carved wood collection, prop of DG Hudson

 

 

 

 

More Detail 

Basic Staffs and Walking sticks, photo by DG Hudson

These photos illustrate something you can do to occupy idle hands or just for the thrill of hand-carving something that is pleasant to look at and possibly useful. I had planned to show these prior to hubs' illness, as he agreed. We are not taking orders or selling anything, this is simply a sharing of hobby ideas. I am the recipient of two walking sticks and one French style sword. The time may come when I need them. . .

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Do you have a hobby or skill that you use to produce gifts or interesting things? Do you like walking sticks or a staff (like Gandalf used)? 

Please leave a comment to let me know you were here and I'll respond. Thanks for dropping by!

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PARIS - Aerial Street Views and the Étoile

From the Arc de Triomphe and the Étoile, the pattern of the streets radiate outward and buildings must adapt. The trimmed chestnut trees lining the boulevards soften the effect until winter comes.

Paris - Streets and Architecture from the Arc de Triomphe by DG Hudson

The Étoile (renamed the Place Charles de Gaulle*) forms the center with the Arc de Triomphe rising majestically above. Architectural conformity creates pie-shaped wedges, altogether a pleasing pattern from above, and not as noticeable at ground level. In the top horizon on the left of the photo above is the hill of Montmartre and the outline of Sacre Coeur.

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The Long View

The straight line effect was intentional to allow a free flow of military parades and were part of the Haussmann plan for fixing some of Paris' major convoluted streets. Georges-Eugène Haussmann, commonly known as Baron Haussmann was appointed by Napoleon III to renovate the older streets. 

Wide boulevards allowed the military good line of sight and eradicated unwanted elements of society along with decaying buildings and impassable winding streets. Originally these accommodated carriages and later vehicles as seen in the images.

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A sense of order

On the left in the image above, you see the stone edges of the Arc de Triomphe top level as I needed to photograph between the restraining bars on the top level of the monument.


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At ground level

Back on the street, this is what it looks as you circle the Arc de Triomphe on left. Round and round they go, with up to ten lanes of determined drivers. This is an orderly version shown below. (One driver told us, you must be somewhat aggressive, and pretend you don't see the other drivers. That sounds like a lot of places. . .)

Note: Place Charles de Gaulle came into existence as the Étoile, translated as 'Square of the Star' and includes the Champs-Élysées. It was renamed in 1970 after the death of General and President Charles de Gaulle. It is still referred to by many using it's original name, and a nearby metro station shows 'Charles de Gaulle - Étoile'. The historical axis of the monuments (Axe historique) cuts through the center of the Arc de Triomphe.


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Do you like aerial views? Are you interested in the layout of various cities, and how architecture can emphasize the design? Would you climb the 300 plus steps to get to the top for these views?

Please leave a comment to let me know you were here, and I'll respond. Thanks for dropping by!

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References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Place_Charles_de_Gaulle Place Charles de Gaulle or Étoile

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges-Eug%C3%A8ne_Haussmann Details on Haussmann

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