Home for the Holidays

Ray’s latest carving (more of a sculpture really), is in memory of his sister, with the text coming from a version of a poem he likes.

Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there; I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sun on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning’s hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circling flight.
I am the soft star-shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there; I did not die.
~ Mary Elizabeth Fry (1932) ~

Meanwhile, I applied my beginner sewing skills to making cuddly baby blankets for Christmas gifts. Not quite the same level of artistry, but look….llamas!

Nick arrived back in Ottawa about a week before Christmas after completing six 3-hour  exams in 11 days. His life consisted of little other than attending class, going to the gym, studying, eating and sleeping. He was dreaming in mathematical formulas. Engineering at Queen’s appears to be somewhat more intense than psychology at York was back in the 80s. Go figure.

He and his housemates had a bit of excitement when they discovered a ‘rat’ in their kitchen cupboard (or possibly a large mouse…in the latest telling it had grown to the size of a small dog, so the details are unclear). He and two of his housemates were unsure how to handle the situation, so one of them called his mom. She told him to man up, grab its tail and throw it out of the house. “But it’s still alive!” he protested. No sympathy. They managed to lure the ‘rat’ out of the cupboard, slam a cardboard box over it, and planned to slide another board underneath but, as Nick described it, the rat rolled onto its back, pushed its head out from under the box and started bench pressing it off of him as they pushed down. It gets a bit gruesome from there, but let’s just say, by the time it was over, “not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse”.

Before heading to Georgetown for the holidays, we got together with long-time friends Tim, Pamela and Andrew. Born 9 days apart, our little bobbleheads have grown into wonderful young men whose bodies are now reasonably proportionate to their heads.

We left Ottawa on the 23rd and stopped en route to visit my “Little Sister” Sarah and her baby. They’re both such cuties. ♥

Our first night in town included entertaining conversation and tasty Thai food with Nick’s 40-something cousin, who makes 6’1″ Nick look short, and Ray’s mom, who in real life is a normal-sized person, look teeny-tiny. Not only is Nick an only child, he’s also the youngest of his generation on both sides of the family.

Christmas Eve was spent with a couple of Nick’s 30-something cousins, and their brood. Kids make Christmas feel so much more magical. And they also mean more baby cuddles for me!

Christmas dinner was at my sister and brother-in-law’s place with Nick’s 20-something cousins. My brother and sister-in-law and their pampered pup were also there, along with a litter of kittens that my niece was fostering. We got lots of cuddle time and I hardly even noticed the absence of human babies.

Karen prepared a delicious turkey dinner with all the trimmings, including about 17 types of veggies, and Ray made a Jalousie, a tasty pastry dish with lentils, mushrooms, walnuts and cranberries, for the vegetarians.

(For those who followed our  ill-fated trip south in the previous two posts, my sister’s ‘incident’ has been confirmed as gallstones…painful, but far less concerning than a heart attack).

On Boxing Day, I met my childhood best friend for brunch. She grew up at #3 and I grew up at #6, but with our parents now gone, she picked me up at #2, where 40 years ago – before Ray’s family moved in – we’d watched “I know an old lady who swallowed a fly” projected onto the back of the garage by a reel-to-reel projector. So long ago…and yet, when we get together and reminisce, the memories feel like yesterday.

Ray’s side of the family traditionally gathers on Boxing Day (which, incidentally, is only celebrated in Commonwealth countries) – more of Nick’s aunts, uncles, second cousins once-removed, etc. More food…more sweets.

We finished up our trip with a day visiting our Flamingo Court ‘family’ and another day at my sister’s before leaving the green grass of Georgetown for the icy streets of Ottawa.

Ray and Nick have spent a lot of time in the last couple of weeks discussing their shared dilemma of how to put on extra weight. In the last 6 months, Nick gained about 17 pounds but his body fat decreased from 13% to 6%. All muscle. He lost a few pounds over the holidays though. I’m sure many of you will join me in wishing them the best of luck in their endeavours, and when you’re making your list of things to be thankful for this year, remember to be grateful that you aren’t unable to gain weight over the holiday season. There are always others worse off than you.

Wishing you all a peaceful and healthy 2019 from the Chodura family!