This is it! It's TIME!  My Sherpa  Norman is packing the truck  Books, toons and STUFF!  I
have to admit I do not nearly have what I thought I would - only a few of everything ;-)  But I have more than I did last year so it's all good! Today I had serious pangs of nervousness because I know I have to speak to a lot of people! On the topic, I am NOT nervous! FAR FROM IT!  I know why I will be there. I want people to know how Cannabis changed our lives for the better! Saved our sons life.  Has given him  a life - like everyone else. 
As we get older we deal with more and more pain, imagine being born with pain and experiencing it every day, all the time -then like MAGIC you are able to somewhat control your pain, manage and even omit some symptoms! So - It is not what I have to say  it is other health issues I am experiencing. But, I have help!  I will be surrounded by people I love, like and care about! Friends and FB fans ;-) 
Fans of CULTIVATING Compassion! A PRO -Cannabis cartoon strip  that was just picked up by another magazine today!!!  Wow. 

The Happy Hippie is se up in my home - a few touch ups and he is ready for the EXPO.  I love this guy and so did the many people who had their photos taken with him last year.
People can not resist becoming a bud! My own aunt and uncle were up on the weekend and they both had their photos taken with Buddy ;-) LOL  Neither tired cannabis ever but are very supportive of our medicine.  Photos are memories - I don't care if someone buys something or not - He is here to take a photo and hopefully make someone smile ;-) 
I heard about a car show my cousin was at - he has a beautiful classic - and The Fonz was there  YOu know AAAAEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeee! It's The Fonz!  My cousins friend wanted a 
photo with the Fonz - I would too! BUT apparently it would cost him $20 bucks! FOR WHAT a PHOTO of the Fonz- who is not quite the FONZ anymore!?  Man it is all about $$! I was so disappointed to hear that. Last year someone asked me ( they were staring at the display and smiling and I told them to take a picture-) How much? FREE OF COURSE!  OMGosh! 
It makes my day to know someone wants a photo with my HH or this years Laughing Buddha! If I think that each time they look at this photo a little smile will sneak across their face - Well that is worth more than $20. bucks if you ask me. ;-)  I don't care if they do not know who I am or about my son.  I get such a smile watching them take the photos ;-) I took a few last year and e mailed to those who did not have a camera ;-)  FREE of charge. 
So COME take your PHOTO- PLEASE!
 FREE! 
SMILES FREE!

Fonz- $20. for a photo? Tisk Tisk Tisk  I still love you - but I wont pay $20 for a photo, now a kiss on the cheek.. an AAAAAAAAeeeeeeeeeeeeeee...   perhaps. 

Wow - when it rains it pours! GREAT stuff!!  Today my baby gets his first vehicle that he is purchasing on his own!  WOW - He drove my car to the end - the past year we had to have it towed a few times and Storm is also looking for a little more comfort and we safety ;-) I am SO proud of him ( both of us are) He works very hard and saves his money and today he will drive home his new wheels and drive his mom to the EXPO in comfort and style! LOL I can't wait till he brings it home. * note car for sale- great clunker  for getting around, also great starter car for new kid driver. DOES not go very fast hee hee hee.
In just 3 more days I'll be setting up for the EXPO! I'm as ready as I will ever be! My sherpa (below) in the garage making boxes for the originals, LB is painted and ready to take photos! The Happy Hippie is ready to GO!  I AM SO EXCITED and I'm feeling GREAT! 
My botox seems to be at it's prime and I have to thank the Dr.  he is mastering where the injections go and I am NOT in as much pain! :-) YEAH! Any that I am, is quickly  helped with Cannabis!!   I am SO READY! 
We did open the pool on the weekend and Daisy LOVES it! All Storm had to do was whistle and she was in - right over to him and would stay in the pool as long as he did.  Some photos below I have to go and do some last minute painting!!! <>< XOX

I will say that I will be happy when the EXPO is over so I might resume cartooning - the ideas are backlogged in my brain - Not much room in there these days ;-) 

It's Victoria DAY!   Or better known to us Canadians as 'May24' Even though it is officially the 21st - still May24.  24 as in GRAB a 24 THE weekend is here! It is also time for us to brave the garden! Plant the seeds - frost is past!  Time to open the pool (done and swam yesterday!) We had company yesterday too ;-) The weather could not be more beautiful!
There are many reasons to celebrate! IT'S a HOLIDAY! Family day! 
DID you know that Queen Victoria did dabs? Used Cannabis apparently on a regular basis
for menstrual cramps! Cannabis, cramps and ran the country - Go figure! LOL 
It was no big deal then - Cannabis was a widely used medicine and has been since the beginning of time. Just as it should be, so today we will also celebrate Cannabis and Thank Queen Victoria for NOT being a stoner but another fine example of someone in the past 
who used Cannabis to ease their pain.    HAPPY VICTORIA DAY! Cannabis or No cannabis celebrate it today doing what you love! 

We booked our hotel and of course because I left it so late - EVEN yesterday - I almost forgot again - so when I tried to get the same place as last year - it was booked, well we could have had a more expensive room with a cot! I think not..  after trying 4 places all booked for that weekend I was able to book us into the Delta Chelsea.  
Later Norm and I were talking and I was telling him it is a bit stressful the hotel $$$  but we tried to drive one year and if we did that I would not be able to give it my all for the EXPO (too tired) - Norm reminded me we stayed at the Delta Chelsea before.  It was the worst hotel stay of my life.  It was not the hotel. 
We stayed there when Storm was going through many tests just before his initial diagnoses
Hospital during the day  hotel at night - it had (has) a great kids camp that Storm did visit last time. I on the other hand would come back to the hotel and CRY.  Every day at sick kids they gave us test results and bad news.. I never ate, never slept so I don't even really remember the stay. So it's booked and  I thought FUCK IT! ;-)!!!  The last time I stayed there we were told our son might not make it past 12!  OUR son is 19! We are at a Cannabis EXPO spreading the word about his life saving medicine!! I will be reminded once again of what I am doing and WHY! We re going to enjoy every second of this trip! It's only $$$!! I will be up and in the pool at 6! LOL - Storm says he will believe it when he see's it! 
I can't wait we are so excited!!! READY OR NOT here we come!   Us last year at our not as nice as this time  hotel!:

I am thrilled! The Pool is open and just looking at it makes me smile. LOL It is too cold for me to swim but already I am constantly shouting  "Scruffy - Out of your boat!"  The second Norm starts we all gravitate to the back deck, so many fond memories to be had and make!  The opening of the pool is significant! Who is the first one in the pool?  It's been a challenge over the years! Last year was a guest from TEXAS! LOL Who - LOL - not use to our Canadian summers THOUGHT that that water must be as warm as the air - so he did a cannon ball  without doing the 'toe test" I'm still giggling at the Texas 'YELP!'   Storm has been it, Norm has been it a few times, Don (our oldest entry at 70) JUMPED in as soon as the cover was off one year! KOWABUNGA thank God he never had a stroke!   Tequila  has been it a few times too!
It also goes without saying if you are on the pool deck in our home you are 'fair game'  *EVEN Storm with his hearing aids has to be careful.  I can't tell you the number of times I have gone in fully dressed - not expecting to swim. So after 20 years just the thought of doing this as I sat and watched Norm on Monday brought me a bit of marriage bliss. 
I know that I would get away with it- it is expected of course.. and we would even laugh about it later. I did not do it. Probably because after 20 years he does know me too and he usually ends up dragging me in with him!  I am positive there are more pool toons to come!
xox

Im really having some fun painting for this EXPO!¡ I'm letting lose and letting the painting guide me. I am a cartoonist in my blood. Even my paintings have a cartoon  feel 0 Im no realist but I LOVE to paint this plant!  I am working on a piece  - will NOT have it done for the EXPO - too bad but I am not rushing it just in hopes of selling, it will probalby take me several weeks with all the detail in it. I do have a few small ones like above BUT only a few - you see I like to toon! That takes most of my time. LOL I only have a few of everything! I am at the EXPO to help try to educate - that is what is most important to me - not about $ - clearly I hardly have enough inventory - I do hope by talking to people I can help spread awareness  and there is always someone who knows of someone who has a sick kid (sadly) 
I pray that they look into Cannabis as an option in treating a seriously ill child. I think so much when I draw and paint and the other day I was thinking our LIVES literally changed OVER NIGHT  when Storm started using Cannabis.  OVER night! Thank GOD. 
OVER night the suffering was eased, sleep introduced, life returned, pain managed!
So do you wonder why I do what I do ? HOW could I not!? 
Please some say hello if your at the EXPO. 
xox <><

Don't spoil the whole bunch baby! It's true with any and everything!  A perfect example (I hope) is on Fb especially, you see when bad cops are caught - today was terrible a bad cop kicked a pregnant woman ( bruised belly:( and he has 'let off'. WTF? Anyone else and that is inexcusable, unpardonable, unjustifiable and DISPICABLE!   
BUT we MUST remember one bad apple don't spoil the whole bunch baby. 
I am going to be very honest here... After the recent 420 event - photos were published everywhere and part of the problem before anything is the media shows - "stoners"  or it shows the more exuberant, lively, eye catching or dazzling of the crowed.  The images that people look at and think - they dress like that cause they smoke pot! BUT they don't .. they dress like that because they are different and express themselves differently and this is PEOPLE. Who is anyone to judge someone by how they LOOK.  They do not show the  everyday people who do use Cannabis  - medically or recreationally.  It all contributes to the negative stigma - a bunch of pot heads with nothing better to do!  Where or when  else do you see so many people gather ALL OVER the world to protest the legalization of a plant on one day! PEOPLE want CHOICE.  So let them continue to try to stigmatize The Cannabis consumer - but you can't hide the truth for long! More news posted today on MS and LUNG studies - have a read !  http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-205_162-57356548/study-no-lung-danger-from-casual-pot-smoking/   &  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/14/medical-marijuana-multiple-sclerosis-cannabis-spasticity_n_1515692.html_         So I guess where I was going is there are bad cops, teachers, Dr.s, priests and politicians! (Go figure) BUT ONE bad apple don't spoil the whole bunch baby! Below are some images of successful Cannabis consumers - far from pot heads! MOVE on - open your mind, hearts and educate yourself on cannabis.  You won't see me smoking a 10 foot joint wearing leaf pasties and  not much else! LOL - Thank God I hear them sigh already! Hee Hee Hee.     Want to see and learn more ? Come to the Treating Yourself EXPO - get educated - say hello ;-) 
http://www.treatingyourselfexpo.com/   Below JUST A FEW - very famous and somewhat successful  Cannabis Consumers.  Not bad apples. How many can you name?

I had a great mothers day! As always any day I call myself MOM is a good day ;-) Better when my son calls it! I sat outside pretty much the entire day - Norm opened the pool - a little cold but beautiful to look at. My mom joined us for the day which was also nice and brought some goodies  brought the meal - but NO cooking! - Storm did the cooking and Norm the cleaning and it was a beautiful RELAXING Mothers day!!  Love my new OFFICE chair and my son pulled some strings to get me a perfect little bouquet ;-)  LOL - Not quite the the one I posted that WEEDS sent out but  beautiful all the same! More so! 
Today it's back to work! Painting , tooning  - stuff.  I also must do some research - outside in my new chair ;-)))  Love my guys.

Where has the time gone!?  The EXPO is 2 weeks away and I have stuff to do! I did up this little Plant the seed toon in hopes that people would spread the word and that is exactly what is happening. it is being shared. It is important that we share our knowledge! Not every one is going to listen but at least you can plant the seed!  Usually that is all that is needed and then the curiosity grows and one will research and find out the facts for them selves.  If you really want to learn all things Cannabis come to the Treating Yourself EXPO!
I will be at the top of the escalator come say hello and Plant the seed in your mind and the minds of others. This is how the insanity of Cannabis prohibition will indeed end ;-) 
Back to painting ;-)   xox <><