Happy Holidays

We here are most definitely Merry Christmas types, but I like to take a stab at wishing folk the more inclusive Happy Holidays, and I have decided to post that on my annual, homemade card, below. I am posting earlier than usual this year while there is still a chance that most of y'all will see it before going a'wandering or a'wassailing. 

The scene is from the park around the corner, and since I just got Photoshop up and working, I used generative fill to add the other bits and bobs. Generative Fill is what Adobe calls their AI. In this case, for example, I targetted the area on the lower left, and typed white snowman, and what you see is that which the program inserted, As you can see, I also added bridge lights, a sled, and a deer in the same way although I don't know about that deer; it seems a bit odd looking to me.

I thought that all these things added a bit of fun and interest, at least for me, even if they are a bit kitschy. I like to learn and experiment or more likely experiment and learn from my mistakes.

Anyway, it is my card to you as I wish you happiness and joy in this festive season.

Christmas is almost upon us. We've moved everything back a day to accommodate split families. We will do Christmas Eve on the 23rd and celebrate Christmas on the 24th. We will have snacks and things and likely play games on the Eve, and I shall make a Mexican lasagna for our Christmas meal. We'll have an apple pie for dessert that I will pick up at the Ashton Church, which you see and read about several times a year.

There will be a somewhat disappointing difference on Christmas Eve, for Sue and I shall return home after our little family gathering. For all of the years since the grands have come along, except for the COVID interruption, we have slept over at theirs and been present in the morning for the fun to begin. Now, with my rotator cuff nonsense, I can't get comfortable in bed, and so I sleep in my chair. We will drive back there bright and early, however.

I have been sleeping in my recliner for months now, and it is pretty well a necessity. I gave into temptation the other night went to bed, but I only managed a few hours before the pain was irritating me too much. My arm was also sorer than usual the next day. So, I will return home to slumber on our Christmas Eve and will return to Sha's early on what will be our Christmas morning.

Today, however, is the actual beginning of Christmas for us because it is Shauna's birthday. My little girl has been living in tis world for 51 years, How can that be? She was born on the 20th of December 1972 and came home on Christmas Day. What a Christmas present!

However, Sha was not happy about being home, and we were at our wits end until Sue's mother arrived all of the way from Toronto (200 miles) with Christmas dinner. More important than dinner, however, was that grandma knew just how to settle and comfort a distressed Shauna. Thankfully, she was able to teach us before she return home abut a week later. Basically, we had to bounce her (Shauna, not grandma) furiously in the carriage or rock her with exuberant gusto. People couldn’t believe what we had to do to keep this little baby girl content. 

Once upon a time, Sue’s Aunt Elsie came to visit. When Sue was out, Elsie took Shauna for a walk in the pram. Fortunately, she was walking with our neighbour who also had a baby girl. Shauna was unhappy with the way Aunt Elsie was pushing the carriage, so the neighbour, who knew the routine, took over the carriage, bouncing it with considerable enthusiasm. This settled Shauna right down, and Elsie, pushed the neighbour’s normal child sedately, as normal people do for normal babies. I swear that I am not exaggerating. Our routine perplexed and astounded many a person, let me tell you. 

I re-edited this photo of Baby Shauna in her snowsuit. There was no snow on the ground, but that was often the case when we lived in Sarnia. The snow came and went and came and went again. Here in Easter Ontario, it tends to come and stay although the big snow of December 04 did almost vanish before we got a little more on Monday night.

I used generative fill for the background. Why I didn't specify snow, I know not.
I simply asked for trees, and AI gave me very summery ones.
Perhaps I shall retry later when I have the time,
for it is going to be a busy day.

That is our precious and beautiful, Christmas baby, Shauna. She looks sweet, sedate and normal. Doesn’t she? Actually, she was always sweet but just not normal. However, I think she had grown out of the frenzied state by the time of this picture, which I liked well enough to print as an 8x10, just to have around for the party.