I talked to Iris

-25 C remember ;) So cold weather isn't enjoyable at all. But better than wet anyway :]

Maybe we could make some more ice lanterns again, I remember I had to make one near our mailbox...

It would be fun to get different shapes of plastic containers to make them in, or even candle molds.

Did you see the cake mould lanterns?

Yes, bundt cake molds - those look so neat with the ridges in them. I liked those!

Evert, This might sound stupid but, I don't understand the celsius ~ I thought you meant a normal ~25 degree's.
Do you have any different idea's for the one you want to make by the mailbox?
The temp here today was 40 so my pails didn't freeze, But, It's suppose to be only in the 20's during the day for the next 5 days, So I'll make a bunch of Ice-Laterns!
~GW, I might be getting carried away here, But, I have a lot of large crystal beads that when the light hits them they make beautifull rainbow prisms, I was thinking about putting some in the outer edges of the bucket as it was freezing, I wanted to see if maybe it would make the rainbow prisms in the ice latern when the light hit it. I would put them in a clear ice latern ( No coloring) So they would show better
I haven't seen the cake-mold laterns, They must look neat.

Hmm, normal.. 25 F isn't nothing, it's nice, not too cold winter weather. Now it is about 8 F here. And oh yeah, -25 C is -13 F. :D
>> My temperature converter http://www.kolumbus.fi/evert.nylund/Sekalaista/lmp.html

It's good to know something about Celsius, almost the rest of the world uses it :}

Well, no, I don't know if we have any more cake moulds. Maybe I'll just make a normal pail-type lantern there.

Iris, Evert's cake mold lanterns are really beautiful -- there are several pictures of them here http://davesgarden.com/t/370178/

WiteRose, They are really nice!
TY much for posting a link to them!

Aren't they great? I really like those lanterns. I agree with you, they are very much like the street lanterns of the 1800's -- gaslight! Very beautiful and romantic.

How are things going with your pond, have your fish made it through the cold winter so far? Do you still have to carry pails of hot water to warm the pond?

You should see how they look like when they are a little snowy.. :) Even better. I mean the pail ones. The cake mould lanterns are covered with snow, I probably should clean them.

Yes they are!
I love the paintings done of the olden days with those kind of street lanterns in them.
The fish are fine so far, The part where one pond flows into the other, had frozen a couple of times, which would cause the bottom pond to almost totally drain out of water, I'm lucky I didn't lose any fish or ruin the pump! It was really hard walking through the snow with pails of water to try and fill it back up , Especially seeing the pond holds 165 gallons of water!
Now, I have the pump out and I let the pond freeze, I go out each day and make sure there's a hole in the ice ( For gases to escape) , Which is pretty easy, And so far, It's worked out fine.

~Evert, They look really neat with the snow on them! :)
It started snowing lightly the other night and it looked so pretty with the lanterns lit, I was quite surprised that the snow didn't put the candle out.

Am very glad to hear that you have not lost fish and that the pond situation is not quite as difficult now. Boy, have you had a "trial by fire" (and ice!) this winter. Things are truly on the upswing now, my friend.

I, too, love pictures of gaslit streets -- especially when there's a glisten of rain on the pavement and horse carriages passing to and fro. A friend of mine gave me a book of photos of Paris at the turn of the century, and it's full of images like that -- what a treat! The ice lanterns set that kind of mood and the snow falling on them must be so beautiful to see. If you and Evert happen to have your cameras handy sometime when that's happening, and if it's not inconvenient, I'd love to see a photo of snow falling around the ice lanterns!

I just went to the Photo forum and saw that Evert had posted a shot of the snow on his ice lanterns -- they are very pretty, with a dusting of snow around the tops. They must look especially soft and beautiful at night.

This message was edited Friday, Jan 10th 5:49 PM

Happy New Year overcomer!!! The best is yet to come. And thank God for the love and support Frank and the DG friends have given you. Thank you for the directiond for the ice lanterns. We are in a cold spell that is expected to last for two or three weeks so I plan to make some.

Evert, you take the most beautiful and sensitive pictures!
Garden Wife told me your age yesterday and I am amazed. You have truly artistic talent. I have seen your photos on other forums and never told you how I enjoy them. They are breathtaking.

Evert, you should have seen her face. She said, "Noooooooo! You're kidding!"

:D

I haven't been on the computer much lately, with the new puppy...... she is keeping me busy. I am wondering about you,Iris. How are you doing?

Geez, I'm really late here (Sorry about that) Happy New Year toyou too LB! The support I got from DGrs was overwhelming! If it weren't for all of you (And Frank) It all would have been so much harder! TY!
YW for the directions for the ice lanterns ( They were really Evert's directions so he deserves the credit) Did you end up makng some??? Love & Hug's!

~Lizh, Hello! Puppys do tae up a lot of time LOL ... They are always so cute in all they do! (Do you have a pic of yours?)
I'm doing ok over here (TY for asking) Still not back to the way I was yet, But hopefully n time, I will be. ~I hope you are doing well, And wish you much luck with your new pup. Love and Hugs!

Iris, it's so good to see this post. How are you feeling now? Is your strength beginning to return? Is your throat still sore? Am praying for you daily, and hoping that with each new day you will be filled more and more with the realization that you are free, safe, healthy and with your whole life ahead of you. God bless you, dear Iris.

Oh Iris, so good to see you post. I hope every day you will feel better and spring will be here soon.
Here is a pic. of Babe. We had her ears clipped this Tuesday & Thursday the Doctor had to put her to sleep again to put in about 6 stitches she pulled out.

Oh, lookit dat puppy belly! I love puppy bellies. :)

Liz, she really is the dearest little girl. That face! Oh, she just melts my heart.

Hello WhiteRose!
neck still bothers me, Still numb and acky, But, probably just going to take time to heal from the surgery and radiation, Still worn out too, but, Time will probably show me progress ( TY for asking) And TY for your Prayers! And "God Bless You" also WhiteRose!

~Lizh, TY :) and thank you also for posting a pic of that 'Beautifull' little puppy!! She is soooo cute!!! So sorry to hear that she had to go back for some re-stitching, I sure hope she makes it to the point of re-healing without anymore self-removals.

Iris, it's been two years since surgery and radiation for me, and I can tell you that at first I was almost totally numb exceptfor the ability to feel pain and achiness. Very, very gradually, it gets better. I now have a only a small area of numbness, and no more achiness at all. Nerves regenerate very slowly and there are many weird sensations that go along with that process. It truly will get better. Also, I was extremely tired for an entire year after the whole experience. You only finished radiation a month ago, so you're just at the beginning of the healing process -- you will get better and better from now on, but improvement probably won't be very noticeable at first; then, suddenly, you'll realize that something has changed...you'll stay at that level for a little while, and then there'll be another realization that things are improving. Eventually, your energy level will have returned and you will no longer be in pain. God will be with you throughout this process, as He has been during the months of diagnosis and treatment, guiding you from victory to victory.

WhiteRose, Your words always 'Ease The soul'!
TY for letting me know how the process of healing was for you, It helps me to realize it's going to be quite a while before I'll be myself again. But, With Gods help and 'Food Friends like You' ~ I know I'm well on my way!
Love & Hug's to you!

Everyone's healing process is different, and yours could be speedier than mine -- but don't be disappointed or needlessly worried if it takes longer than you expected, either. All those nerves and healthy cells and layers of tissue are being rebuilt now, and that takes a lot of energy -- which is why it's especially important to eat nourishing food and get as much sleep and rest as your body requires.

Another thing I experienced in the months immediately following radiation was fear -- fear that I wasn't having enough followup (or the right kind), especially. That was because there had been such intense attention paid to the process of diagnosis and treatment -- and then when the treatment was over with, and there was nothing more that could be done, the hours stretched before me and I felt as though I should be doing something more to be healed -- but what, I didn't know. I even felt abandoned psychologically by my doctors, because they had done all that they could do, and suddenly they just weren't there any longer. All of that is normal for the post-treatment period, and it fades after several months. When you've received a scary diagnosis like cancer, you quickly become accustomed to the intensity of surgical intervention and treatment, and it isn't easy to get used to not having that schedule of treatments and doctor appointments to meet -- it sometimes feels as if the urgency, itself, is part of the healing process, and without it you hardly know what to do with yourself. Depression can set in as a result.

You might not be feeling any of those things, but if you are, you are not abnormal or ungrateful -- it's an aspect of the recovery process that lots and lots of people go through. In fact, the American Cancer Society offers counseling for just that situation -- our doctors are there for the "big guns" of diagnosis and treatment, but they don't linger to pick up the pieces, emotionally. If you are having some of those feelings of fear, or feeling that you've been "cast adrift" without oars, know that you're okay and that this, too, shall pass! And don't deny yourself the relief of visiting with someone from the American Cancer Society in your area, if things gets rough. You know that you can always call me, too.