Retirement Musings and Everyday Delights
I ended my last post with Ray, Nick and I exploring Canmore. For our second day there, I told the guys they could climb a mountain together and I'd entertain myself in town. They decided on Mount Lady MacDonald. Canmore is grizzly country, so they rented bear spray, packed some snacks (for them, not the … Continue reading Life on the Edge
My summer of cancellations has continued unabated. Tutoring is back off the table after only two sessions (just too much going on in their life right now). A Toronto meet-up with a friend from the UK was cancelled because she got sick, and a sister's weekend in Kingston got cancelled because Karen was sick. Keeping … Continue reading Is it lonely being an only?
Canada's birthday is coming up and, coincidentally, I've been digging into my Canadian ancestors again. I've been exploring the French Canadian branch of the family tree, who arrived in the mid-1600s. That line also includes French-Métis ancestors (as opposed to the Scottish-Métis ancestors I'd already discovered). Growing up, I was told our ancestors were English, … Continue reading Miraculous Grains of Sand
On the Myers-Briggs personality scale, one of the criteria is intuitive vs sensing, which is basically whether you collect information through observation (the five senses), or through gut instinct. I score 100% on the Intuitive side. My observation skills are virtually non-existent. I don't notice if Ray shaves his beard...or his moustache after decades of … Continue reading Spring Surprises
I am feeling more hopeful every day. But still, the Canadian spring seems interminable: days of bright sunshine that set the brooks singing and the spirit soaring are followed by icy rainstorms and bitter winds, and even snowstorms in April, in a cycle of hope and despair that lasts for months. That's a quote from … Continue reading Perspectives from the Past – Part 4
It's minus 29 outside. Minus 37 with the windchill. Ray is visiting his mom in Georgetown and I'm having a pajama day. The weather warning states that "if it’s too cold for you to stay outside, it’s too cold for your pet to stay outside." They probably need to add some context, or I'd keep … Continue reading Oh, Canada, why can’t I leave you?
Like many Ontarians, our holiday plans were impacted by back-to-back winter storms. Fortunately, they didn't affect Nick and Megan's flight home from Vancouver, or our plans for Christmas Day. Nick spent Christmas Eve and Christmas morning with Megan's family, while Ray and I drove to Georgetown to spend Christmas morning with his mom. In the … Continue reading Reflections on 2025
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before!"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store.""Maybe Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!" And he brought back the toys! And the food for the feast!And he, HE HIMSELF! The Grinch carved the Yemeni chicken! After the Thanksgiving turkey jerky incident, my sister was determined to make … Continue reading Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more
Our Thanksgiving weekend started with some Wii bowling and a pizza lunch with Ray's mom - who is looking pretty sharp for 95, don't you think? - and Ray's nephew, Curtis. My sister hosts Thanksgiving dinner, but she's always so busy getting dinner ready that she doesn't have time to visit, so this year she … Continue reading Happy (Canadian) Thanksgiving!
After three missed family Christmases - two covid lockdowns and a winter storm - (anyone else read that to the tune of 12 days of Christmas?), we were finally able to gather for the holidays, but covid still made an appearance, both before and after. Ray's mom was on lockdown in her suite until two … Continue reading Planning for an ‘Adventurous’ 2024
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