ORLD IDE EB IRCLE OF RIENDS

elcome to our November 19th, 2004 (Bigsis Original Design) Online Newsletter In this issue... Messages from members News and Announcements WWWCOF Friendship Bracelet Club Lets Do Lunch The Argentinean Chapter Ruby's Journal Tips & Recommendations Swaps Recipes Crafts Fun Tests & Quizzes Members Questions & Answers Fun Featured Sites Mystery Member Member of the Month Hello everyone! In the early 1800s, Britain was entering the mechanical age and staking its claim as the world’s foremost industrial power. This was an era when engineers were more than men in the background – they were heroes. I recently read about a three-part historical biography on National Geographic, entitled Men of Iron, which profiles some of the most brilliant and influential engineers including Marc Isambard Brunel, builder of the Thames Tunnel. It is difficult to imagine a world without machines, but before that time life on earth must of been so very different. Never under estimate how greatly these engineers helped shape the world we know today. Did any of you watch this historical biography? Messages from Members Newsletter is looking real good this week! I specially liked Liz's contribution " Road to Friendship" , Vicki's optical illusion, and the article about the Yule log. Interesting! and the dessert Just for fun personality test, I was hard pushed to choose between Lemon merengue or Brownies and found I was probable a 50/50 combination of both!! Our house is topsy turvy at present. Leo decided to buy a special oven for cooking pasties, (with trays that take 50 or 60 each) mainly because this weekend he has an order for 150 for a sports club, and he thinks that since work slackens off for both of us come the summer, we could take orders for weekends. The place he wants to install the oven, next to our grill, was taken up with an assortment of articles from Romi's shop, so he build a new storage space under the garage roof specially for that, and Romi quickly organized her stores, and several other things taking up space elsewhere in the house, several of which can be put by for when she starts up her own home. At the same time we had a leak develop in our bathroom so part of that has been stripped down the floor, including tiling. Bit of a mess all round. Unfortunately, Leo's big order for pasties coincides with Agos' end of school year cultural act Sunday morning, so he'll be unable to go, though the rest of us are all going. I'll be helping to make the pasty filling Saturday (we always make it the day before) So I hope I am free Monday! - I only have classes in the evening then. Love from Daphne We just signed up for the Christmas card swap. Great idea, since we only get one or two cards every Xmas. This will give us a chance to get mail from all over the globe. Nothing much happening on the plains. The snow we got some weeks back has gone and we are still cutting the grass. Weird. The weather has been super with daytime highs in the double digits. Not bad for being this close to the North Pole. Spent most of this past year building a deck outside along with other outdoor/indoor activities, (painting, sidewalks, etc.) We are almost finished the basement ( two more or so months)..This is a major undertaking. Exhaust fans (for smokers + air exchange), shadow lighting, trac lighting, built in 150gal aquarium, 6.1 stereo sound system, re-doing wiring and heating...Will send pictures when completed. Don't laugh, I'm much older than you and starting to slow down. Wayne Wayne & Jenny live in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, the most northern major city in Canada. Edmonton tured the 1,000,000 mark in population and in October, 2004 celebrated 100 years as the capital of Alberta and home of the biggest mall in the world, West Edmonton Mall! I came home Sunday night after operation stayed with daughter ... I am doing fine and would like to thank everyone who sent me mail Thanks Love Maxine To the Top Members Questions & Answers Does anyone like to swap & sign Decos??? I have some nice ones i would like to send out. Please let me know if your interested Deb Here is some info about Decos & Friendship books; Friendship book Often called an FB. Most swappers are speaking about a regular FB when using this term, though this term can also be used in more general sense to refer to any/all of these types of books. A regular FB often (but not always) is a few sheets of paper with a decorated cover, usually stapled together, to make a small book. Typically FBs will fit in a regular envelope, so that several can be sent at one time for relatively little postage. One person will make the FB and include on it information about who the FB is for including their address and who they are. They will also include who they are as the creator of the book (these can be created by and for the same person). The book is then sent to another FB collector/signer. The recipient will add their personal information: name, address, and sometimes additional information such as whether they're looking for new pen pals, new swaps, date of birth, or anything else they choose to include. The book continues to be sent to other people until it is full. Typically whoever fills it up will return to the person for whom it was made. Deco - Decos are similar to FB's, but are often larger in size. The cover is often decorated with interesting materials like magazine pictures, rubber stamps, decorative papers, and other embellishments. Each person who signs decorates a full page in the book. Sometimes the book has a theme, for example cats. Then, each person decorates their page following the theme. As with FB's, when these are full, they are sent home to the person for whom the book was made. To the Top News & Announcements Hi everyone, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry the postcard swap has been delayed so long. We will be picking it up on a regular basis after the holidays. With 2 major moves behind me and one more to go it's been a little unsettled and stressful. Thanks for hanging in there with me and I hope understanding. I would like to have eveyone that still wants to be in the swap to please send me your information. name, address, and e-mail address. I will be compiling a new list and getting ready for the new swap. I hope to have some new ideas to make it a little more interesting. See ya soon. Becky To the Top WWWCOF Friendship Bracelet Club World Wide Web Circle of Friends Charms are now available. To find out more about these or to place an order please email Marie. Starter bracelets are also available from Marie. To the Top Our Travelling Mascott Read all about our globe trotting mascot in her journal by clicking on the picture of her logo! You will be delighted to hear of her trip to Walmart! Email Ruby and don't be surprised when you see your message in her online journal! I know she would love to hear from you. The next draw will be held on the last weekend in November, to give Ruby a chance to avoid the Christmas rush and get to her next destination in time for Christmas If you want to get your name on the list for Ruby to visit you, just drop a line to Daphne and she will add you. Who knows, yours just might be the name little Agos picks out.... as she is the one in charge of that from now on. To the Top Mystery Member Marie, aka Peachy, correctly guessed Sheena as our mystery member! Be sure to email each of these gals and get to know them better. Time for our next mystery member. Clue: collects coke cola things Remember, at any time you think you know who the mystery member is please email me! The clues can be found throughout the Circle of Friends Members site and elsewhere on the many online sites. If you think it might be you..........you never know it could be!! Good Luck and......... Have Fun! If you have not completed your WWWCOF Survey yet please take a visit over to the Survey Page where you can easily complete and submit it online. To the Top Tips & Recommendations Getting Your Home Ready for Winter Quick tips Draft-proof your windows and doors. Close blinds and curtains to keep in heat. Put on a sweater instead of turning up the heat. Close the fireplace chimney damper between fires to keep warm air in. Get an annual tune-up for your furnace, heat pump or boiler. Upgrade your thermostat from manual to programmable. Does anyone else have other tips they would like to share with the membership? DISCLAIMER: Tips reflect member suggestions and are not verified by the WWWCOF. To the Top

Let's Do Lunch Liz and Pat Pajama Party/Lunch On Monday morning I chatted briefly with Liz on MSN and she said she would be here around 12:30. I finished up doing the things I had to do, took my shower and was going to get dressed. I figured I still had close to an hour before Liz arrived. So, there I was, standing in my underwear, when I hear a knock at the door. I grabbed my housecoat to see who it was, and there she stood! Just as if she had come to borrow a cup of sugar. Lol So I opened the door, and gave her a big hug; then I excused myself to get dressed. After she brought her stuff in, and I showed her room, where I had placed three angels on her pillow, cause her signature to everyone is just that “Angels on your pillow”. The one in the middle I got from Patsi in an angel swap we did a while back. I gave her the Father Christmas, boy was she tickled pink. Looking at the hockey Santa bag, she pointed to the band aids, and said we sure used plenty of those. Once that was finished we got right in the car to head out shopping. I took her to my favourite Thrift store here in town. It’s not very big (run by some church group) but they have some pretty neat stuff. Next door to that is a Craft and Fabric store where I picked up a couple of Santa heads and Liz bought some stuff to make beaded jewelry (I guess this is the latest “in craft”. After that we headed to Welland where I took her to another Craft and Fabric shop and to the Amity Goodwill store. (Hey where else would we go?) And then down to the street to the Mall in Welland to, none other than Wally’s. We debated about what to do for supper and finally decided to buy pizza and wings to cook up ourselves and eat in. We also grabbed a whole bunch of snacks. Then we headed for home for a quite evening of relaxing and talking. Not to mention eating and of course Liz’s now famous Caesars. Believe it or not, we were in bed before midnight. The next morning we got up and, after chatting on line for a bit loaded ourselves and Ruby in the car to head for Niagara-on-the Lake. We were truly blessed both days with fairly mild temperatures and sunshine, so it was a beautiful day for a drive. I took her through the Falls to see our fabulous new Casino and, the Falls, of course. Then we stopped at the Gorge to have a look. That’s where I took the picture of the flowering cabbage I wasn’t sure if that was what they were called, so I emailed Ruth (our resident gardening expert) and this was here reply: Hi Pat, It is called a flowering cabbage or some call it flowering Kale and it is edible. Very pretty aren't they. They will blossom as long as it cold like this. They are annuals and have to be planted again in the spring. You can usually get the seeds or plants from a nursery. Hope this answer your question. Did you and Liz have a good time today? Ruth We also went in to the gift shop where Liz bought a butterfly calendar for her daughter-in-law. I bought Ruby a Canadian/Niagara Falls pen to include with her journal, some stickers about Niagara Falls, and the cutest little pink bear pin, and she’s carrying a Canadian flag! We had already driven past the Butterfly Conservatory and The Sir Adam Beck Generating Station. We also drove past the Floral Clock and then we saw Brock’s Monument. Lastly, we passed Old Fort George and Niagara-on-the Lake. Was pretty busy for a Tuesday mid-day, but the weather was absolutely gorgeous and that may have attributed to the influx of visitors You couldn’t ask for any better (for this time of year). One of the first stops we made was to Greaves Jams & Marmalades. Greaves Jams & Marmalades is an all-Canadian company, located in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario since 1927. This is the store with all the baskets out front, and Liz had already told me she wasn’t allowed to bring home any baskets or glass. We visited many of the numerous shops along the main street. And we stopped in front of the Shaw Café & Wine Bar where Liz took my pic with the George Barnard Shaw Statue. By this time we were ready for lunch. We sat at a table overlooking the street and it was very pleasant. We were all set to leave when Liz decided she had to buy “just one more thing”! To round out the trip I drove back through St. Catharines, and pointed out the Garden City skyway. When we finally got back to my house Liz commented how many times we had crossed over, or gone under the Welland Canal. I said well that’s what happens when you have the canal passing right through the heart of the Niagara region. Here's the link for the album and the password is: circle All in all it was an enjoyable two days. Not a lot of excitement, but relaxing and the company was great. Liz and I talked about me making a visit to her house in the New Year. To the Top The Argentinean Chapter The 22nd of November is the day of the National Flower of Argentina and Uruguay - that is, we share the flower, I am not sure if we share the date. So here is what I found on this unusual flower (flowering tree, really) Though it says it grows along rivers, lakes and swamps, I don't need to walk very far at all to find this tree, people grow it as an ornamental tree outside their houses. 22nd November day of the National Flower of Argentina “THE CEIBO” The flower of the Ceibo tree – also called Seibo or bucaré – was declared National Flower of Argentina in December 1942. It is a tree originally from the Americas, more particularly Argentina, Uruguay (where it is also the National Flower), Paraguay and Brazil. It grows along the banks of the Parana River and the River Plate, and can also be found near rivers, lakes, or swampy areas. It comes from the leguminous family, not too tall, 6 to 10 meters, trunk a browny-grey, its bark thick and rough with deep tracks. The tree top is irregular shaped, with twisted curved branches with needles, and its leaves are caduceus of an intense green. Its flowers are large and very red. The trunk is twisted and it has solid roots which grip the soil protecting it against erosion caused by the waters. Its wood, of a yellowish white colour and soft, is used to make things that do not need much weight, like boxes, orthopedic uses, floats, whittling, toys, model airplanes, etc Its flowers are used to dye cloths. Its generic name is Erythrina of Greek origin from "erythros" which means red, according to the colour of its flowers. Its specific name is crista-galli also comparing the colour of its flowers to the cockerel’s crest,. taken from this site. LEGEND OF THE CEIBO. The legend has it that on the bank of the River Parana, there lived a little Indian girl called Anahí. Even though Anahí was ugly with coarse features, her spirit was sensible and sweet. It is said that in the summer evenings, she delighted the people of her tribe with songs inspired by their gods and the love of the land that they owned. But one day the conquerors arrived, white skins, war- worn and at the same time violent. These people invaded and destroyed the tribes and took away from these aborigines their land, their idols and their liberty. Anahí did not escape being caught. Confined with others of her people, she spent many days crying, while the nights were insupportable wakefulness. Nevertheless, in spite of the sadness and fear, Anahí lay in wait like a wild animal. One of these nights, what she had been waiting for happened…. The guard who watched over them fell asleep. Without even thinking about it she started to escape, but the crackle of the dried leaves under her feet woke the soldier. Without missing a beat, Anahí buried a knife in his chest. She quickly ran away towards the forest, but the screams of the dying guard woke the other Spaniards who chased after her. The persecution soon became a hunt, and it didn’t take them long to trap Anahí. Wishing to avenge their dead companion, the conquerors decided to burn her at the stake. They tied her to a tree and lit the fire. The flames crept nearer and near the young Indian girl, who bore the suffering in silence. Slowly, Anahí began converting herself into a tree, identifying herself with the plant in an amazing miracle. Next day, instead of the remains of a bonfire, the soldiers found a beautiful tree with shiny green leaves, and red velvety flowers which showed up splendidly as a symbol of courage and strength on facing suffering. Legend taken from : Argentine Legends You can find more stories and legends of trees and wildlife of the country I adopted here Love from Daphne To the Top Remember to take a moment to enjoy looking at some pictures Pat, aka Bigsis, is continually publishing online for us. Click on the My Photo Album button below to view our new Circle of Friends Album. Once there, you have to login. You will see a yellow bar with No albums, no image(on the left and) [slideshow] [login] (on the right) Click on [login] and another screen will popup that says "Login to Gallery ". Type in the following: Username: BigSisPat Password: wwwcof Or you can link to it from the Vital Statistics home page More Photo Albums for your enjoyment! Member Albums To the Top Newspaper Articles Tilbury Times - July/04 The Hastings Reminder Contact Sharon

Member of the Month Nominations Now accepting nominations for November's Member of the Month. Member of the Month awards. Take a moment to complete the form below indicating your choice for the November, 2004. Member Nomination Date My Name My Email Please tell us who you would like to vote for as Member of the Month (November, 2004) and why you have chosen this person. All information is kept private and will never be given out to other members without your prior permission. FEATURED SITES Back by popular demand is our Christmas Card Exchange Club. This is what some of our members have to say about last year's Christmas Card Exchange. Bea says: I saved each card from last year, so beautiful and what happy memories I have! Enjoy this picture she sent us I have signed up for the Christmas Card Exchange. It was so much fun last year and I look forward to doing it again this year. This should become a WWWCOF Tradition. Lois; BigSis Pat says: I too loved last year's exchange. It is so nice to hear from folks from all over.; I really enjoyed the Christmas Card exchange last year and I still have my cards from last year. It was lots of fun.Crafty Jayne; Loretta adds that: I was in the swap last year and yes it was fun to get so many cards. So far we have the following 19 members signed up for the Card Exchange Jeanette, Maxine, Lois, Pat, aka BigSis, Florida Marie, Susie Q, Bea, Jen, Becky, Marie, aka Peachy, Charla, Wayne & Jenny, Crafty Jayne, Patsi, Loretta, Kendra, Ruth, Dee and Sharon and we hope to see your name on our ever growing list but please remember that the deadline to join is November 30th, 2004. Do take a moment to visit the Christmas Card Exchange Club website and submit your form. Also be sure to keep track of the progress being made on our logo cross stitch pattern project. Do you have a favourite site that you would like to share with the members. Please let me know and I will be happy to put it in the newsletter. To the Top Crafts Craft of the Month is coming our way January, 2005. Crafty Jayne and Loretta are hard at working putting this together for us and I can't wait to see it get started. What fun we will have! Keep your eye on this section for updates. Be sure to check out all the wonderful craft ideas in the WWWCOF Craft Site and add your own favourites or email Crafty Jayne who will be happy to add them to our ever growing collection. To the Top Recipes Do you have a recipe for us to enjoy? We would love for you to add it to all the wonderful recipes being collected in the WWWCOF Cookbook or email The Recipe Lady aka Claudia who will be happy to add them for you. To the Top Fun Tests & Quizzes Just wondering if you: are like an angel. As everyone knows, angels dwell in heaven. They were desribed as shining ones wearing white and the idea that they have wings is believed as well. Guardian angels are the ones that many people think are dead loved ones who try to protect the living friends or family they have on Earth. They usually had blonde hair and maybe brown with flawless appearance and sweet dispositions. They were cheerful, hopefull, selfless, loving, and kind. Angels are the one mystical creature that a majority of people truly believe in. Encounters with angels are poping up all over the world and reassuring people's beliefs in angels. or what Mystical Creature Are You? To the Top Swaps MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!! May all your holidays be full of love and joy and may we continue to find a comforting peace to our wonderful Circle of Friends. WWWCOF SWAP RULES Be sure to stay in touch with your partner throughout the swap. Let each other know when you are sending your parcel and when you receive theirs. Be sure to contact your partner by email before you send out your swap; confirm their mailing address, etc. -- please do not send out your swap until you have heard back from your partner. If you sign up for a swap and do not send a parcel to your partner you will NOT be allowed to take part in a WWWCOF swap again. Keep your eye on section of the newsletter for our International Swap Information. Questions? Need additional information? Email our Swap Queen, Ruth. These exchanges are a lot of fun, they are inexpensive and are a great way to get to know the fantastic people who belong to this wonderful circle. Have a wonderful time doing these swaps!!! To the Top Just for Fun Irene thinks We should act like a dog THIS IS SOME GOOD ADVICE! If a dog were the teacher you would learn stuff like: When loved ones come home, always run to greet them. Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride. Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy. When it's in your best interest, practice obedience. Let others know when they've invaded your territory. Take naps. Stretch before rising. Run, romp, and play daily. Thrive on attention and let people touch you. Avoid biting when a simple growl will do. On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass. On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree. When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body. No matter how often you're scolded, don't buy into the guilt thing and pout...run right back and make friends. Delight in the simple joy of a long walk. Eat with gusto and enthusiasm. Stop when you have had enough. Be loyal. Never pretend to be something you're not. If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it. When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently. Be sure to visit our Computer Humour site! Email Daphne with any computer jokes you have and she will happily add them to this collection. To the Top I do hope you have enjoyed this week's issue which I would like to close with the following words of advise from Florida Marie: HOW TRUE IT IS Another year has passed, and we're all a little older. Last summer felt hotter, and winter seems much colder. I rack my brain for happy thoughts, to put down on my pad, but lots of things that come to mind, make me sort of sad. There was a time not long ago, when life was quite a blast. Now I fully understand, about "Living in the Past!" We used to go to weddings, football games and lunches, now we go to funeral homes, and after-funeral brunches. We used to have hangovers, from parties that were gay, now we suffer body aches and while the night away. We used to go out dining, and couldn't get our fill, now we ask for doggie bags, come home and take a pill. We used to often travel, to places near and far, Now we get sore asses, from riding in the car. We used to go out shopping, for new clothing at the Mall, But, now we never bother.... all the sizes are too small. We used to go to nightclubs, and drink a little booze, Now we stay at home at night and watch the evening news. That, my friend is how life is, and now my tale is told, So, enjoy each day and live it up.... before you're too darned old!!