Who was Daniel Boone – From the Lady Cave

And here is another person my 30 year old friend didn’t know…

So let’s start with this, have you ever watched (or read the book) “The Last of the Mohicans”?

This is one of my top 5 movies EVER! The main character is based loosely on Daniel Boone. Oh, Daniel Day-Lewis be still my heart! “Stay Alive! I Will Find You!”

There is alot of fact and legend surrounding DBs life. You can read more HERE about his very adventurous life.

For me, just reading about him makes me want to learn more about North Carolina, Kentucke (original spelling before it became Kentucky), Virginia, West Virginia and Missouri.

Funny how educating yourself leads to more knowledge.

Who else might you want to know about? Or is there a place you are curious about? Let me know in the comments and I’ll see about it.

Who was Benjamin Franklin – From the Lady Cave

What prompted this topic was a discussion with a 30 year old…

Not only did they not know a pickle was a cucumber, they had no clue who Benjamin Franklin was and why he was so important to the creation of America. 🇺🇲

This person thought he was a President because he was on the $100 bill. 🤯

Here is a link that will help inform or educate you on Who Ben Franklin was and how he became a key negotiator in our becoming The United States of America.

Over the summer we went to Washington DC and I picked up a little book of quotes by Ben Franklin.

Here are a few famous quotes:

“A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned“

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.“

“In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is Freedom, in water there is bacteria.“

“Hide not your talents, they for use were made, What’s a sundial in the shade?“

From the Lady Cave: Sharing a Fabulous Book List

I am sharing this book list, partly for selfish reasons (I need to add a few to my TBR 😁) and to hopefully inspire someone else to read some of these.

I am incredibly Thankful for alot of things, people and situations that got me to this point in my life.

Can’t think of a better day to share this than on Thanksgiving Day, which happens to also be my Birthday ❣

Enjoy every minute my friends, make it count!

Here is a link to a post from The Orang-utan Librarian, she has the best lists: https://wp.me/p6boOO-4Ht

So, we don’t have Thanksgiving here in the UK, but that doesn’t mean I can’t share some BOOKISH GRATITUDE! I tried to narrow this down to books that have a special place in my heart or that came into my life at exactly the right time (although of course, most great books feel like that, simply by virtue of being great 😉). Annnd I’m gonna be honest, I ended up with a very different post to the one I started with, because I took out anything too dark. I think I just prefer this to be a *happy place*. Without further ado, here are some of the books I’m most grateful for:

Harry Potter– starting way back when I was 7- this was the first big book I ever read and I will always be thankful that it made me the reader I am today. Yes, I am a stereotypical millennial reader and proud of it 😉

The Hobbit– aside from being mythologically rich and having wonderful characters, this book gave me my love of fantasy- how could I not include it?

Peter Pan– this is another childhood favourite and I’d feel remiss not to include it, especially given how often it inspired me to practice flying as a child 😉 (granted, I never actually achieved my goal, but not for want of trying 😉)

Rebecca– this book always reminds me of my mum, cos it’s her favourite. And I’m always glad that she foisted her favourites on me!

The Idiot– I originally felt like I had no special reason for including this one, but whenever I think about books that have shaped me, this springs to mind. I read this at about thirteen and it just clicked. Not only did it start a lifelong love of Dostoevsky, it taught me so many valuable lessons that I carry with me to this day.

Emma– okay, quick confession, I’d already read Pride and Prejudice when I read this and I think I was too young to get the irony. I’m really happy I read this book, because it unlocked Austen’s humour for me. I ended up rereading Pride and Prejudice shortly after and loved it the second time round! (which was lucky, cos I was set it for school). Then, of course, I read all the others and have never looked back!

Dr Faustus– it just lit up my brain at exactly the right moment- yes I am enough of a dork to include academic inspiration on this list.

Man’s Search for Meaning– part autobiography, part exploration of logotherapy, Frankl’s book may seem a bit heavy on the surface. However, it’s actually the most uplifting book I’ve ever read and my brother was a hundred percent right about getting me to read it!

Mort– I *needed* this book in my life- I just didn’t know it. Fortunately, a couple of my friends did know that I needed to read this and pushed me into it… and I couldn’t be happier that they did! Plus, one of my friends knew exactly which Pratchett to get me started on. So I know you’re not reading this, but thank you.

Vicious– fun fact, I was giving blood for the first time when I read this- and it was the *perfect* distraction! It was simply too brilliant! You simply can’t pay attention to anything else going on when you’ve got Schwab for company! (also, guys, give blood- it’s a great excuse to sit and read and you get free biscuits 😉 )

Grey Sister– ah this is just a pleasure to put on the list. I was in a horrible slump a couple of summers ago and trying to deal with big life changes- this gave me a welcome distraction for a few hours- which I was immensely grateful for, I can tell you!

Carry On– I can’t stop being thankful for this magical book- because it has the power to pull me out of any slump and give me all the *warm fuzzies*!

That was fun- I feel like I should steal more traditions from across the Pond 😉 Hope all my American friends have a Happy Thanksgiving! (and if it’s not to late, the same to all you lovely Canadians!) And, I’m curious, what books are you most grateful for? Let me know in the comments!

From the Lady Cave – Crochet and other thoughts….

This isn’t about crochet solely, so feel free to insert whatever your hobby is into this message.

I was at my cancer center for my 3 year checkup, all clear for another year!

I just love dealing with the people who work here. They are genuinely nice, helpful and down right courteous.

For the last couple years, I’ve made a point of stopping at the volunteer desk. I crochet and like making hats, so I inquired to see if they needed any. Up until today, they’ve always told me they had a surplus. They had maybe a dozen hats and that was it.

So I sounded the bell of need to my crochet friends. Everyone that can has stopped what they were working on to crank a couple hats out. I even joined a couple new Facebook groups just so I could pass the word; they’ve all had a few people agree to help.

I hate the thought of someone going without a hat if they need it. I can’t stop thinking about “what if I didn’t stop to ask?” even though, each year I was told they had all they needed.

My point is, it never hurts to ask. So if you have a hobby and if you’d like to share it, ask a local charity if you can help.

If we all gave a couple hats, no one would have to go without.

pass it on…

From the Lady Cave: Cancer (3 yr Check Up Day)

About 3 years ago I was diagnosed with Kidney Cancer; but so where many others and a few people close to me.

One minute you’re in that “that won’t happen to me” or “that happens to Older people” club. But what happens next once you are diagnosed? I am here to tell you there’s a lot of guess work; educated guesses but staying positive is crucial!

They never know really what causes cancer to grow but they can tell you stress will feed it. I know stress comes in all forms and sometimes you don’t even know that you are stressed. But your body is a mysterious and knowing thing. We can ignore the aches and pains or we can run to the doctor at the first implication of anything that could be wrong.

Sometimes we get so inundated with information that you are sure you’ve got whatever it is…This is Stress!

In my Opinion, I recommend Educating yourself; admit that anything is a possibility. But first, be rational and positive!

So I was diagnosed and had surgery in about a 6 week period and this type of cancer cannot be treated with Chemo or Radiation. What!? I know isn’t that weird?

Doesn’t everyone who has cancer need one or both of these to treat it? Nope, now ask me how that feels?

I was relieved at first, luckily I didn’t lose my kidney (it was 1mm away) but they took a nice hunk out of it. Today I am fine and incredibly thankful and humble for everyone involved in the whole scenario.

But there are other people in my life that weren’t as lucky as me; and I feel guilty. Now here me out before you say “don’t be”.

Please make no mistake; I am not looking for sympathy or attention by telling you this. I want you to know that these people matter to me and their families. Many people really don’t talk about their ordeal. Many fade into the background. Many just don’t want people to hover or make them feel like they are dying. Because let’s get real here, the first reaction by most people is the “aw damn so sorry for your lose” look and statement. The person is still alive and has hopes and dreams of coming through this with at least some scars, but still alive.

Me, I refused to give into the negative thought that this was the end; this was a part of my journey. My mantra was “You can’t sweat the stuff you have no control over”!

This is not a unique thought. I saw a man who was given 6 months to a year to live and made it over 18 months and those were the most memorable months a family could ask for.

I saw a woman endure her whole ordeal in almost complete silence. I watched a woman come to grips with her next chapter in the universe.

It is all heart breaking but what hurts me here is people really aren’t talking about any of it. I know it’s a really tough conversation because it is such an emotional subject. But we need to share our experience to help educate others; other caregivers, other cancer patients, other doctors, see the ripple effect here?

Every one of us thinks it’s just happening to us, no one is going through what we are going through and if, you want to split hairs that is true.

But what about the people that are going through it with you like your caregiver or family? They are watching you and for the most part taking the lead from you. No one wants to be a burden. To be a burden implies the stress of thinking you are not worthy. Let me ask you, would you take care of someone if they were in your place?

I think some people would say they would rather take care of someone else. But think about this, could your experience help someone else in the future? Could your knowledge of your experience help you help someone else? I think the possibilities are endless a “ripple effect” if you will.

I am a big proponent of “what you put out in the universe will come back to you”.

So staying as positive as possible is a must but you have to take the step and put it out there.