One Measly Hour

What a humdinger of a cold! My sleep totalled 1 hour, which was 15 % of my 6.5 hours goal, which I think is a pretty modest goal. However, I did get 2.5 hours on the previous night. What more could a sick, old man ask for?

Sha had a day off on Monday, so she brought me lozenges and mints. Our neighbour across the street scraped the ice off our drive. We will have to thank him . . .  when we can talk. My diminished voice has Sue feeling like she is the one going deaf. 

Sue is not exactly full of vim, vigour and vitality, but she’s two days farther along in this adventure, so we are making do with food and tea. She fed me an echinacea tea yesterday. I managed to get it down — most of it anyway. My main food is toast because the scratchiness feels pretty good on the throat. 

Meanwhile, waste paper baskets are filling to the brim with discarded tissues, and I am dabbing my sore nose with bag balm. 

That’s enough screen time for my leaky eyes. I’ll see you around. 

Susie MacGyver

My Sue is an impressive problem solver: a Susie MacGyver as it were. She can look around and pull together the necessary items to find a workaround to a problem. While I should have countless examples of this talent, the latest and current example is on my mind.

Thankfully, we got through the Christmas season in good health, but Sue awoke on the 26th with a persistent couch. By the next day, it had developed into a humdinger of a cold. I started to forget about that when I found myself uncomfortable in my chair, where I do most of my sleeping. So, I thought I would go to the bed for awhile. I realized before I got there that Sue's germs made that a bad idea, but since I was up, I peered in regardless to see how the lady was faring.

This ↓↓ is what I saw — in the darkness, of course, because it was nighttime.

A makeshift shelf to hold the supplies for her infirmity.
Note a lack of room for AC in the king-size bed.

I escaped back to my chair in the den, but, unfortunately for me, I did not escape the virus because two days later, I awoke with a sore throat, and it kept getting worse and worse. What a night and morning it has been! Sue's affliction began with a cough and settled into a cold. Her illnesses always seem to begin with a cough. Sickness always seems to hit me in the throat first, but like Sue, my symptoms have also settled into a major cold while my throat continues to Hirt me greatly. 

It was the MacGyver thing more than the health report that roused me from my sick bed to share this with you, but I can’t describe one without the other. 

Meanwhile, I don’t quite know what the weather is doing out there at the moment, for my window has been iced over since 10 o’clock or earlier last night, and I can’t see out. I do know that it is supposed to transition to regular rain about now, which is 7am. Then, the precipitation will turn into snow this afternoon and evening. What a winter we’re having! On days like this, I worry about Shauna’s rural drive to work. However, I am able to not worry about Danica’s transportation for another week.

Christmas Day

As determined by our boss, Danica, we were over to theirs by 8am, and soon were all seated to begin to work through the haul. We began with the overstuffed and overflowing stockings, working through them methodically by going around the circle again and again until the bottoms were reached. Of course, I snapped some pictures throughout the procedure through both the stockings and subsequent parcels.

We hadn’t got too far with the stockings when I noticed that overcast and blustery day had lit up. I thought it quite appropriate that the sun came out to shine a little Christmas slight.

I sat more or less opposite JJ, so I managed to get a few photos of the boy. You saw him exuberant yesterday, I think over his Skittle dispenser (another of those below). He was also very pleased with his Swiss Army knife. I think it is nice for a man to have one of those, so that was from Sue and me.

Sue sat beside Jonathan and quite enjoyed his happiness.

Danica was beside me and somewhat behind. I managed to capture her with the rear-facing, selfie camera. I think Sue snapped the one of her hugging her gifts, but it could have been mine. 

Shauna sat to my right and somewhat behind my main line of sight.

Sabine just about stole the show, but for now I will content myself by posting just one cat photo. Once there was space at the bottom of the tree, she found a spot to chill. I crouched my old body down and snapped a nice candid cat portrait. That seemed like a fitting end to the unwrapping, and it I think it ends this post well too.

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Uh oh. Unfortunately, we're within the yellow circle (my addition). Ice Storms are to be feared. Fingers crossed.

Christmas Eve

Today, we are off to visit extended family in a cottage they are renting for a week, just an hour south of us. Cancelled due to weather and health on both sides. This is the AI summary of the morning conflab* on FB  

For the sake of the blog, however, it is time to catch up with Christmas doings. We all prepare for so long, but then it is over in a flash. Today, I take you back to Christmas Eve, which we hosted for, I think, the first time since we moved here.

We only graze on Christmas morning before we all disperse by noon, but we have a meal on the Eve. This year it was Mexican Lasagna. In this first photo, Sha and Dani were at the stove about to serve themselves before heading to the table.

It was apple pie for dessert, served from my mother's ancient silver, pie plate holder.

There were post-dinner games at the table: Tiddly Winks in the first picture, Wizard in the second. I think JJ won at Tiddly, and I know that Dani won at Wizard because she noted such very clearly on the scoresheet which we will keep. 

The kids enjoyed hot chocolate.

Sue revived the Christmas Journal in which everyone leaves a note. The practice stopped with COVID, but it was time to revive it, especially since we were here for Christmas Eve and Sue recently came across the book again.

It was a very nice Christmas Eve. On this occasion we didn’t need to bundle up and drive home in a cold car that would barely have a chance to heat before we arrived. 

* Spellcheck doesn’t like conflab, but it is in the Dictionary: “noun INFORMAL an informal private conversation or discussion.”

Boxes that Delight

Boxing Day for humans must be Merry Catmas Day for the kitties.

Speaking of boxes, Jonathan couldn’t have been more pleased after opening one yesterday. It contained a Skittles dispenser, and JJ does love his Skittles. He just has to hold his and under the device, and a Skittle will drop out. What more could a boy want?

Christmas Cards

I know you are all busy with family festivities today, but through the miracle of setting a time to publish, I can still get my cards and wishes out there even as I am presently visiting the kid and opening gifts with them. The timing feels right to me, even though this post may not be seen by many.

We have two cards for you today, but you have already seen both base photos without the added text.

Why two cards, you may ask. Well because after I prepared the first, I had the urge not the waste the second image that came my way. I've told the story of the second image previously, so I shan't repeat myself. What I will say, is that I have embraced the Happy Christmas variation more and more because that is what I hear on all of the British telly that I watch. After Happy sounding odd at first, it now seems very right.

However, I would hate to eschew the good ole North American, Merry, so here we are.

If you actually get here on Christmas Day, I hope you are having a good one. If you happen to drop by later, I hope you had a good Christmas.

The Eve is Upon Us

The Eve is upon us. The 23rd involved some last-minute preps, including cooking the Mexican Lasagna that we will share with our little family tonight. I had to drop some parcels off at the kids' for Christmas Day tomorrow and asked if they wanted my to bring them any goodies from Tims. 

Danica: Omg yas. Can I have an iced Capp please 

Jonathan: can i have a chocolate dip donut perchance and a lemonade

It proceeded to snow for most of the day. We had a photo in mind downtown in the evening, but we weren't keen to take the car out with the roads not yet being plowed. So, we just took a little evening walk up and down the street. In keeping with the spirit of the season, I photographed a few of the lighted houses.

One house has a moving display, so I took a short video clip. There was accompanying music that the phone did not pick up well.

Happy Christmas Eve to you.

A Bit of Winter Driving

Yesterday, JJ asked for a drive into work for an 11 o'clock shift. I had some grocery shopping to do, and Sue had some other shopping to attend to, so we all headed out. There's nothing exciting about that, but I thought that I would share this photo of the drive from his house toward the store: just a typical winter day in Eastern Ontario. It was just a light snow, and we can deal with it. We have to deal with it.

To drive to our downtown, I would turn left at the lights, but we were going straight ahead to the next lights which are maybe a half mile ahead where we would turn left to JJ's work. If one didn't turn there, they would find themselves leaving our modest town, after which traffic would flow freely and not too heavily for quite a while before getting closer to Ottawa.

I dropped JJ at his grocery store, then drove Sue over to Winners before driving back to the grocery store. I had told Jonathan that it would be nice to have him help check me out and use his employee discount, but it was not to be. It was crowded in there and the boy was in great demand.

After sadly paying full price and then loading my car, JJ appeared in front of me, helping to load a lady's purchase. All is not lost when you can get a photo of your grandson.

I picked up Sue and we drove home and put the car in the garage for the day and for the night. It is snowing again this morning, and I think we'll have more snow than yesterday, but we will be out again regardless. Sue will be meeting a friend for coffee, and I have an errand or two to run.

Her First Parade

Good morning and good grief, for I have had this post sitting in my queue for a whole year. Last December I scanned some old negatives, including the ones below, of Shauna's first Santa Claus parade in 1973. I had other restorations to publish at the time, so when I couldn't get this posted before Christmas 2024, I put it aside for this year. With Christmas looming, I could easily have missed posting this year too.

These photos are of Shauna's first Christmas parade in Sarnia in 1973. A year or three later, we, somehow, managed to take her all of the way to the really big parade in Toronto.

We seemed to be early for this parade in Sarnia in the first photo, and we must have thought better of our location because we had changed position in the other pictures.

Sue's leather coat was tres magnfique! and Shauna was well bundled
against the cold, but if memory serves it was not a terribly cold day
 — milder Sarnia weather, not Ottawa winter weather.

Some folks think we take too many pictures, but looking back on them is a treat, and we enjoyed the slideshow on Shauna's birthday. I am not sure what the grandkids thought of it, but we who were present both then and now really appreciated the stroll along memory lane.

Happy Solstice

You've seen this photo here before but without the words. I think the low, weak sun with snow below is very suitable for a solstice card.

I haven't flooded you with photos from Sha's birthday, But I'll post a few now. I really like this candid of Dani, not so much of her although she is fine, but I find both the light and bokeh to be quite appealing.

Just a few other photos from the evening. You've already seen Shauna, but we'll include JJ and Sue too now.

53

We knew that Shauna would be perplexed when she opened her card. Wouldn't you be?

front
The figures at the side are from me cutting and pasting from the images below and others

inside
note: Sue and I did sign on the left

What happened is that Sue found a whole, forgotten booklet of verse and paintings made by her mother with graphical help by Sue's sister, Heather, who was a teen that the time. Yes, Grandma Pearl really created a whole book for Shauna's first birthday. Here are a few sample pages out of the (I think) 20 that she created. What an odd delight that I don't think I had seen for 52 years.

Cover Page

We had Chinese takeout for dinner. There were the usual five of us, but then Shauna's friend, Krista, who had been visiting family in Ottawa, surprised her. Danica's friend, Matt, also joined us at the last minute. 

A few pictures, but not many.

I was right about Shauna being very puzzled by the strange card that she opened.

Oddly enough, however, she remembered the book. Neither Sue not I had. Some of it was pretty funny in retrospect, 50 years after grandma put it together with love in her heart.

As is traditional, cake was served.

I nabbed a pretty awful group photo before the gathering broke up. I am holding my arm oddly because I had triggered the phone form my watch. I did have 3 seconds to lower my arm, but it didn't cross my mind.

Sue, Danica, Matt, Shauna, Krista, Jonathan, AC

Shauna Pics from Long Ago

Our baby completes her 53rd year tomorrow, but we'll be having a family dinner tonight because — kids and their work schedules and their whatnots. I will likely have some photos to post tomorrow, but for today, I will take you back — way back. I did scan many old slides this year, so I don't think I have posted any of these previously: perhaps one. They are more or less in chronological order.

Sue and Sha by the Christmas tree which the cats brought low,
many times, that year while Sue and Sha were in the hospital.

She liked her carriage, often sleeping outside in it, even in winter.

She enjoyed telling my mother and father about the fish that got away. It was THIS big.

Standing with dad's help.

Posing with Grandma, Mother and Aunt before they
went out for the evening.

A shower of leaves provided by Mom outside our first house.

By the Christmas tree in our second house.

A snuggle in my den. The pictures to the left and right on the bookshelf behind me there
 are also behind me in my present den more than 4 decades later.