Today is ThanksGiving and there is a turkey in the oven and one in the garage! LOL 
Sitting here working on this fall drawing  my furry family and I have much to be thankful for. Yesterday we spent with family, I invited myself to my aunts, she was not having thanks giving but invited me to my cousins and then I called my cousin and invited  us! LOL It was all good. We also brought Poppy! She met her two 'cousins' and very quickly showed them she is small but Mighty! They all got along great and a fun day was had by all. 
It was so nice to just 'hang out'.  We had our first Deep fried Turkey and I could not believe HOW fast or how good! I would have no clue it was deep fried, still not something I'd do, it made me nervous standing near it.  Mmmmmmm....  getting hungry all over again! 
Drawing thinking I have so much to be thankful for - Norm starts his new job! The company sounds amazing and the boss a nice guy (a welcome change), Storm is happy dong what he loves to do - and what ever he does he does it well, I get to draw everyday and spend time with my 'girls'. we are all still alive and somewhat healthy! ;) That alone is worth shouting THANK YOU! 

<><  xox

Music for your blog reading enjoyment:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dzs1K3caXJk
Wow, this cartoon smacked me right in the head ;-) Awesome.
It started with a joke from my best bud Cathy.♥ 
I was stressed wondering what to draw for 4/20?! 
The universal day of 
Celebration for Cannabis!!! 
A Plant.
Grown from a seed.
Made by *GOD.
(*original patent holder)


Medical, Recreational, Hemp, Food, Fuel.. 
It's the day and I want to say THANK YOU!  
                                       I have said it so many times, I thank God daily for this Plant! 
Give us this Day our daily Bud...  <3 Wow. YES,   I read recently  how powerful that prayer is;  Give us this dayour daily bread,  -not thanks for yesterday, or make sure I have it tomorrow. Give us THIS day.  Focus on today.
.. and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us,
 and that                 ^ ^        ^  That simply put means  ^    ^  ^             :
                                               PEACE, PEOPLE!  
Religion aside... who can argue with those lines?  How else are we going to get ahead, clearly WAR is not the answer! 
Thank you Marvin, now in my head for the rest of the day.
People all around the world who suffer over a plant. A plant less toxic than many others,  proven helpful to ease pain, yet illegal and lives destroyed because of it.    
WTF?   O.M.God.  How disappointing.  
A PLANT.  While others  rape, kill, abuse, terrorize, suffer & starve needlessly... 
enough with the bullshit distraction. 
FOCUS on the REAL problems at hand. 

Rise Up people! Speak up! <3   Celebrate this Plant! Let it be a symbol of change.
It all starts with a SEED!!!  Life.

So.. Yes!
     Give us this Day our daily bud, 
       and thank you Lord  for it!
I do! Everyday! Keeping the Love of my life happy - How could I not give thanks?
Celebrate 4/20, Spread Peace and Love !!! 
- there are already enough assholes doing the opposite;-)


xox <><

I believe that we must give thanks.
 Every day, all the time. 
I wake up and I say thank you. Really, I did not use to. 
When I woke up and never had a problem with my health,
 it never occurred to me to say:  Thank you.
Now with each new day I am given - I say, thank you. 

Yesterday was a very bad day. I have to learn to listen to my own body and do what it says like rest, relax and sleep... when it tells me to stop - I have to learn to stop, take a break.
My pain had me in tears and in bed on and off though out the day. My twitch never stopped, I caved and curled up under a blanket for most part of the day. Both my guys aware, left me pretty much alone. I was not in a very good mood by the end of the day...
not miserable - simply exhausted.  I did draw the above cartoon. 
 I force myself to draw everyday. 
I am thankful to be able to sit and draw.  I will use it to thank people. 
The little worms are:  Hear no, See no and Speak no...
  something else I try to practice daily.
If you are here and still breathing, heart beating - that is reason alone to 
GIVE THANKS! 
Say it now! Out loud! I am thankful to be here! 

I saw Brave Mykayla mom's has a new tattoo...
"With every heart beat there is hope." ♥ 
Exactly.


GIVE THANKS!!!

I watched a great Ted Talk the other day! 
It was about a gardener. 
A man who is making a difference, feeding the poor as well as making the world more beautiful.
L.A. Green Ground - completely volunteer and free. 
Need I say more?
AWESOME.

You can watch it here:    
http://www.ted.com/talks/ron_finley_a_guerilla_gardener_in_south_central_la.html
Hopefully you too shall be inspired! 
xox <><

Yes! We are still here! It's almost 2013 and I cannot wait! Yesterday - Christmas day - also 6 weeks to the day after my surgery, so I am celebrating! 
One, that I'm still here and although what seems like a long time healing, I am now walking better, my twitch still here -is not as painful as it was so I am grateful! 
We had a wonderful Christmas, although I was called a bit of a 'scrooge' - brain surgery is no excuse not to go Christmas shopping - this coming from 2 guys who went Christmas shopping the week/day before.  ;-)

My son  picked me the perfect gift! New pencil crayons- not just pencil crayons- they are like they ultimate drug for me! New colors, I never even knew existed! It is hard for me not to just sit and play!! I did use them for the toon above, new paint brushes and my hubby made me a new side table! No more spills! Complete with treat drawer for late night cartooning munchies.  Kermit was also a gift this year! I plan on having a bit of fun with him.  I did not need or ask for anything so it was really nice to see the thought they put into it. 

I have made up my mind that I will continue to draw what I believe! I will draw what my heart wants me to draw in 2013. As much as I believe in Cannabis as a medicine and will continue to help raise awareness (like the new changes that will hurt so many with the new MMAR program- drawings waiting) .... I see other issues that we all deal with on a grander scale and hope to address some attention to them as well & just have some fun!  We all need to step back, breath and take a break from time to time, perhaps have a giggle. Luckily for me I have my girls and guys who are a constant source of love, entertainment and material.
My own personal goal is to be a better person than I was yesterday. Every day. 
Time for a few days off to organize, reboot, clean and organize my studio for what promised to be a better, busier year!   
Get ready! 2013 is almost here! 
How will you make 2013 a better place for all of us?
xox <><  ONE LOVE 

My tribute trees..  
One of my favorite things to draw and think about. 
So much to think about now that Health Canada wants to change the rules; toon's on the way. 
When I was drawing this I told myself, draw it as a gift for someone - draw it thinking how blessed I am to have this plant in our life.
Draw it to show love and what I think is important. 
Peace and the Planet. With each seed planted we grow Peace, Love for each other  and HOPE  for a better future where people are not treated like criminals. Celebrate a plant put on this earth by our maker to ease ones mind & body.
Decriminalize. 
Make it what it is a plant. Do not ruin lives over a plant.
It is never going away. Too many seeds in the world - just like us humans ;-) 
So do the right thing and end needless suffering. Jail & Pain.  
Educate others. Stand up for your rights! 
Plant the seed of Cannabis education where ever you go! 
To You -that can be who every you want it to be! 
From Me! That too can be from you! 
Give thanks for the healing herb and help end the insanity! 
I wish everyone has a wonderful Christmas - what ever it takes to make them happy.
Click on the image below to see them better. 
xox
♥☮✞☯☦☧☨☩☪☫☬☭   ONE Love.

I love it! I love the color of the leaves, the cooler weather,  starry nights, sweaters, track pants, thick socks, hot tea or cocoa... Mostly LONG walks with my girls...
I am thankful for places and spaces where we can still roam and run free. 
Daisy - well this is her first fall. She was born in Sept so just a  pup. She loves everything about fall! 
I am a wee bit concerned at the soon recent improvement to squirrel visibility!  Oh well Squirrels beware! 

It happened again! I had one of those 'Who the F*&^% is that?!'  moments in the middle of the night with my mirror. I just cut my hair short as I am getting ready for surgery and I know part of it will be shaved so I'm making the transition easier. ;-)..  I got up in the middle of the night to - what we do in the middle of the night and caught a glimpse of my reflection! I swear I let out a small scream without even realizing - it was a -did I say that out loud moment!  Where is that hot babe that always looked back looking sexy - no matter what shape her hair was in! LOL I'm still here and even though my own appearance catches me off guard I am reminded that is all it is a reflection. It is NOT me.  I think we would all be better if we did not see our reflection. 
I was watching a doc  called  'Mansome'  http://mansomethemovie.com/  we watched it on Netflix.  Norm and I both enjoyed it. Well there was this one 'indian guy" and I thought he was Hot, BUT as the interview goes on I am sick of him catching his reflection in every shiny object he can and his SO full of himself/shallow attitude was quite a turn off.
I'd much rather have someone like Zach Galifianakis anyday compared to him (he is also in the doc)  Not into the Mansome stuff.  Especially the C, S&B wax.  Ouch, yuk.
 We put too much on appearances because yes they do - we all fade, slip, sag, wrinkle and grey one day!  To which I say YIPPIE! One because I am still here to see another day- many are not much younger than I, and with each wrinkle I know I have truly earned it. I love my S&P hair! It would cost me a fortune for such streaks!!!

Anyhow as fate would have it - the very morning this drawing was on my desk not yet colored a friend stopped by and we started talking about bathrooms paint and turning on the light and catching your reflection! She said the same thing I had just drawn!  We are not alone! I know I am not the only sasquatch sighting at 3:a.m.   
Embrace it! 
Embrace the Sas when you see it!!!  It means (all that really matters)- we are sill breathing. xox <>< 

added Oct,  someone sent me this  re the above toon:
 Your blog made me remember when that happened to me. I was into my treatment { pegatron n interfon which was a yr long} for the Hep C about 3 1/2 months, looked in the mirror one morning and seen this sick looking person with hair falling out in handfulls {already cut it short} gaunt looking {lost about 45lbs} pale, skin hanging looking like death warmed over. I went back into the shower and cried my heart out. I think letting it all out in the shower helped me accept what was happening and knowing/hoping {50/50 success rate} it would only make my life so much better. It was a long hard road but I crossed that path and love the one I am on now.
My toon was really just about  age in general but yes it is important to remember when people are not feeling well and a little added TLC is needed to help them. People realize when they don't feel well - just like obese people KNOW they are obese - they don't need anyone to remind them - that is what a mirror is for. Be good to yourself ;-) 

Today our son is 20! 20!!! Even typing it brings tears to my eyes. He is up and had his birthday breakfast and off to work! 20.
It sit here and I breath deeply and I thank God with every beat of my heart that our son is here and celebrating his 20th! I feel like a milestone has been reached! A 'magic number' if only in my mind. My son- no longer a toddler, boy, teen- he is a man. 

When you are a parent of a child with a serious illness you take nothing for granted. When you are told your child might not be with you as long as you imagine as a parent - FOREVER- It can mess with you mind to say the least. So....
Today I feel like yelling a big "FUCK YOU!!!" 
Fuck you Dr.s you were wrong!  A fuck you filled with LOVE because I am so happy they were wrong!!! 
My boy - now man is everything parent can hope for and more. He is a gentleman, handsome, polite, hard working, smart and determined to make something of his life!  It has not been easy, Storm does live with chronic pain every day - always has and always will  - he is an example to me and my husband, we would not change a single thing if we could. This lesson has been one of love that we are blessed to be a part of.  So today I am beside myself! Everyday is special but today is a day to celebrate!
 The day would not be right if I also did not say Thank You God.  I have prayed for years and will continue to do so- not for a miracle but for the continued strength we all need to face each new day. Thank God for my sons medicine - YES, I thank GOD! For the plant he put here! A medicine that helps our son function, work, hope and dream and LAUGH!  Some may still  'not get it'  I honestly HOPE you never do.  I look at the baby photos and now the young man before me and I could care less what anyone thinks. I KNOW why we do what we do. FOR LOVE.  Happy 20th Birthday Storm! MANY MANY MORE!! 
xox LOVE MOM & DAD ... Tequila, Scruffy, Daisy, Darkie, Jaws, Fluffy & Larry 

Please plant the seed of Cannabis education. I can honestly tell you I do not think my son would be with us today if not for his medicine. Please share - You might be helping other parents- other children. xox <>< 
http://www.georgiatoons.com/uploads/4/1/0/5/4105506/stormsstory.pdf

To share or not to share that is the question, and I have decided to share.  I have decided because I myself have had a difficult time finding anyone with this medical problem. For the past 3 years I have not been well. It started with a tiny little twitch in my right lower eyelid, every now and then.. I did not give it much thought. Then it started to twitch all the time - more aggravating than anything but I did go see my Dr., tests were started. To make a long story short- and trust me there are days when it feels like an incredibly LONG story ;-)  It is now to the point where I have a constant twitch that can only be partially controlled by numerous botox injections.  Even with the botox  the twitch continues- I've noticed you can't see it as much on the outside but I feel it on the inside and I still have my mega twitches which pulls my face to the side and feels like it will stay that way  & it is very painful. 
Sometimes it is triggered by stress and other times simply by smiling. I have had a second opinion, and now my neurologist has arranged for me to see a Surgeon.
How has this twitch changed my life?  It stops me from socializing - partially because of how I look but mostly because it is incredibly uncomfortable, I lose my train of thought when I feel pressure pulling the back of my eyeball - IT is all I can think about when I am having a twitch attack. It is depressing. It is exhausting.  Every time the botox wears off the twitch is there with a vengeance. At that time I am a recluse. I even have difficulty walking (balance), drawing, reading and the twitch controls my life. I have to go lie down and pray it passes quickly- some so strong I fear that I just might not be normal when it is done or make it out alive during. It has taught me time can be shorter than we think - so best step it up -  it was the ultimate kick in the ass and I have accomplished quite a bit in the past 3 years - even feeling insane and in pain over 1/2 the time.  
Medication and botox are only  masking the problem at this point.
I am so ready to meet with the surgeon- I see it as hope, I know it is not going away - it's been 3 years, I am concerned as there have been some other side effects that I can not attribute to hemi facial spasm, pain in the area of the brain for one, weight loss and nausea.
I have read of people who have that the surgery and it stopped completely after only a couple of days- I can't even comprehend that at this point! 
So while I wait. I need to stay de-stressed, no coffee only GREEN tea for me and my medicine - Cannabis - even it does not stop the twitch but I will tell you what it does do- It allows me to get past it!  It makes my brain say - get up! Lying here will do nothing to help - Go draw! Go garden! Go play with the dogs! IT allows me to live my life.  It lets me see the beauty that surrounds me and gives me hope. 
So yes, Please do send me some loving vibes! I'll take all I can get! And remember - death does not take a holiday- if you are aware and breathing - you have another chance to get it right, do some good, make someone smile! Have some FUN! That is WHY we are here. 
I am thankful every day I wake up. I say thank you every time my brain wakes up. 
I thank God for another day to create - if not art than a memory. xox <><

 I need time out. Time to stop stressing and focus on what I love to do. Draw. Spend time with my family, read, & relax.  DRAW. 
It is at the point where my twitch has taken over.  Even with botox it never stops. As the botox wears off it gets more painful and stronger. It can stop me from doing what ever I am doing and holding my breath until it passes.  It is mentally and socially distracting and uncomfortable, for me and who ever is watching.  I have become somewhat of a recluse.  It gets stronger I get quieter.  Drawing is the only thing I seem to be able to do sometimes, because I have different stages of drawing depending on how I'm feeling.  

We are talking about surgery. That will be my next decision. One I am not taking lightly.
Not being a fan of hospitals or surgery anywhere in the vicinity of my brain is frightening. 
Time to take drastic measures. - I have decided to seriously try to DE-STRESS. I will focus on the positive, drawing, planting the seed and being thankful that I am still alive - it's been a difficult 3 years and I have to say am a better person because of it.  Yesterday after making the decision to stay off FB, I instantly felt a sense of relief.  I went and drew, watched an amazing Doc. that affirmed my decision! Who knew! Great documentary
 *I AM    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpVEH-Bpdes&feature=player_embedded
I told Norm I am on withdraw-lllll  meaning I must draw.  As much fun as all of this technology can be- it is truly a weapon of mass distraction. I think - 'I'll just go on for a few moments' and hours fly by, hours that I could be enjoying nature, family, pets and spending time truly enjoying my passion. That is how I will heal. I will of course continue to educate myself on topics that are important to me and try to share as best as I know how...
I Am most inspired by nature. Mother nature... as I see her :

I Love Daisy's!  I'll give you a daisy a day dear... (remember that song?)  Even our dog is named Daisy and she is as pretty as a Daisy - HAPPY!  A Daisy is a happy Flower! Tall and strong - who has not =  "she loves me... she loves me not..."  with a Daisy at some point in their life?  So my bouquet of PEACE would definitely be Daisy's!  
We can't go wrong if we plant these seeds! LOVE, HOPE and COMPASSION. 
You can not help but grow GOODNESS when you plant such ideas in the minds and hearts of those you interact with.
So never mind Cannabis today (We'll be right back on track with that Monday morning!)
Plant some LOVIN'  NOW!  If only in your own mind and heart - it's a start!!!
xox <><

I hear this time and time again at the EXPO. Not me personally - but others telling me that they deal with this all the time. WHAT does sick look like? Can you see Cancer? Can you tell when someone is dying from a terminal illness? In many cases NO- So stop making Assumptions people!  Thank God,  everyone who is sick does NOT look sick - that is an entirely new issue to deal with -TRUST ME on that - I know!   My son does not look sick.  He does wear hearing aids and glasses but other than that he looks good! Several times he has had strangers  comment - WHAT the heck !? Is there not more serious issues to deal with? Why must someone LOOK sick to justify the use of Cannabis as a medicine?! 
If no one ever smoked it and only used "medibles" -medicated - baked goods, these comments would probably stop.  Smoking is the fasted way to medicate and I don't know about you but when in pain - I want it treated as quickly as possible. WHO does not?  It was one of the biggest problems for my son when he was little - by the time he asked for medicine - (codine for example)  the pain was so great that it took even longer to work - at the same time - if you know the side effects who wants to give a child codine ALL the time. 
 I am So happy my handsome son does NOT look sick.
I on the other hand have been dealing with a very 'visual' problem and get the opposite! Especially from those close to me - I have lost a lot of weight and have a very painful 'Twitch", Luckily my Dr., is able to somewhat control the twitch (contractions) with Botox for the time being - but as you can see in the Video below - it is obvious I am dealing with something. I've had people look at me and comment on my appearance for the past 3 years! 
"Did you have a stroke?"  "OMG are you O.k.?"  "You look terrible!"  "You better not lose anymore weight!"  AND I MUST say - That ON TOP of dealing with  actually NOT feeling great is even harder. It is depressing! I can't smile like I use to - I look like a mad woman sometimes - I use to be a bit of a hottie. Yet I don't feel that anymore when I look in the mirror.  ;-(
So MIND your business!!!
What does it matter to you? 
People if you use Cannabis to medicate, lucky if you have a Dr. that cares and has prescribed Cannabis -- - don't justify yourself - forgive the ignorance and look past the reefer madness! If you don't look sick than thank God -*Buddha,  Jehovah, Yoda- whoever you need to thank - thank them! 
Thank your lucky stars you look fine!  It is ONE less issue to deal with.
Video taken at the Treating Yourself EXPO - I was nervous. But I MUST look past my appearance - I am on a more important mission. If you can't get past my appearance that is your problem.  Thank you to Remo - the Urban grower for this - helping me spread the word! xox  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GgzJ3Kj1pI&feature=g-u-u