Tag Archives: Terra and Lares

Clear and Frosty Morning

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Yesterday we got to see almost all of our Grandbabies! Terra hosted a family get together at their large country house. Luna and Janus and Imp and Elf and Tink were in Quebec City for Christmas, a work related situation, and stopped for a day and night at Terra’s house. They arrived at Terra and Lares’ home yesterday morning, minutes before we did. Terra cooked a delicious turkey dinner, I brought pumpkin pie squares, mincemeat squares (homemade mincemeat), Attila’s chocolate chip cookies, and ice cream. We enjoyed a wonderful day together, saying our goodbyes late in the evening, as Attila and I left to head home. Luna and family left this morning to make another stop before carrying on to their home.

What wonderful little creatures grandchildren are. Their personalities, their innocences, each unique and fascinating. It always, always, surprises me that they remember me, that they love me even thought so little our lives are shared, and how much I love them. I think they can tell that they delight me, to the very core of my being. My highlights were Sunny and Sky strutting around in their new foot blankets, tottering a bit now and then in their toddlery ways.

Another activity I enjoy with the Grandkids is back massages. Elf and I exchanged back rubbing and hand rubbing, taking turns. Elf has always enjoyed physical affection, as do I. I have been rubbing his back, his feet, his head, ever since he was a baby. This visit he gave me a hand massage while I rubbed his back, then I gave him a hand massage while he rubbed my back… could there be any greater joy in life! And the back rubbing continued, as Imp took her turn having her back rubbed, and then Tink took her turn. I love touching these wondrous living creatures, feeling the warmth and softness of their skin. It is life affirming, this contact with healthy blooming lives, that are a continuation of the love passed down by my Mom, my Granny, my Grandpa, and those loved ones who came before them and shaped our lives in untold ways.

It is very cold right now, a true cold snap. We are very grateful to be tucked up here, safe and warm, in Mist Cottage. I worship our thermostat, which I still do not take for granted. Attila is spending his time off work happily in the kitchen, preparing all his favourite foods, taking his time, enjoying the leisurely pace. Attila loves to eat, and thankfully he prefers his own cooking!

My days are floating gently by, filled with a bit of crochet work, a bit of writing, a bit of baking, a very difficult crossword puzzle (Van Gogh’s Starry Night), a bit of dithering about on the computer, and the hard work of resisting the urge to overindulge in all the wonderful holiday food we have in the house. The extreme cold is enforcing inactivity at the moment, the elliptical machine calls to me from the corner of the living room, I’ve ignored it for days… but not tonight.

Worldly Distractions

Weather

DATE: Wednesday 27 December 2917
A few clouds
-28°C
FEELS LIKE -38
Wind 14km/h NE
Wind gust 21km/h
Humidity 78%
Sunrise 7:43 AM
Sunset 4:33 PM
Pressure 103.3kPa
Visibility 24km
Ceiling 30000ft

EXTREME COLD WARNING IN EFFECT
-26°C
Date: 6:00 AM EST Thursday 28 December 2017
Condition: Clear
Pressure: 103.8 kPa
Tendency: Rising
Temperature: -25.8°C
Dew point: -30.1°C
Humidity: 68%
Wind: W 16 km/h
Wind Chill: -37
Visibility: 24 km

Quote

“The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place: from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape…”
Pablo Picasso
1881 – 1973

Weekend!

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We had a lovely weekend. A weekend! My sister and her hubby came for a visit on Saturday. We had a spaghetti supper, then headed downtown to look at the Christmas display, which is quite pretty. We also visited some of the older buildings in town, viewing the architecture of the exteriors, which were well lit.

They stayed the night, and that was an adventure, but we did it. We made enough room for the pull out couch to be opened up into a bed, which Sis says was quite comfortable, with the memory foam that we added to the top of the mattress.

The next day, after a bacon and egg breakfast, we all drove down to Terra and Lares place to show it off to their Auntie and Uncle. Terra and Lares were out of town visiting Lares’ brother’s brand new baby girl, born on the 11th of November. So we walked around the property, peered through the windows, and enjoyed the wonderful view. The dogs watched us through the sliding doors, they were so cute! Attila and I also took the visit as an opportunity to drop off a chair we were giving to Terra and Lares.

Sis and hubby then drove towards home, taking the scenic route, which they quite enjoyed by all accounts, travelling through wine country, on the slower, quieter highways. Attila and I headed home.

The weather is unbelievably pleasant for mid-November! The sun shone all day, and one needed nothing but a sweater to stay comfortable out of doors.

Today Attila started working at his new job. He is working 12 hour shifts, I think they call it a “continental shift” rotation. This was his choice, he feels there are several advantages, like fewer trips to and from work, as he will be working fewer days to put in the same number of hours as the regular shift. We now have something tangible to adjust to!

My day has been happily busy.

The projects began with sweeping up the pine cones and needles on the driveway. There are a frightful number of pine cones and seeds from the next door neighbour’s ash tree. These were swept into piles, then dumped into a pail using a broom and dustpan. The organic debris was carted to the back yard and placed in the open compost.

When I took the first bucket to the back yard, our feline friend was sitting in front of the compost, trying his luck with hunting. He was glad to see me though, rubbed against my legs, and followed me back to the front driveway. There he enjoyed rolling in my gathered pile of pine cones and needles. I enjoyed his company.

The cell phone rang just after the first bucket load was dumped. It was Lares, stuck at the car dealership in town, as they decided his car needed more work than anticipated. He wondered if I would drive him home. So I stowed my bucket, broom, and dust pan in the garage. Then I loaded the firewood in to Tank, that we had saved for Terra and Lares, from the dead branches of the Crabapple tree in our front yard. Then I headed out to pick up Lares.

It was a beautiful day for a drive, Terra and Lares live about 20 minutes out of town. When we arrived I helped Lares stack the firewood, then headed indoors to visit with Terra and the dogs and the kitties. Terra was busy unpacking Christmas decorations. She does a lovely job of decorating her house for Christmas. We chatted for a bit, then Lares headed off to work, and I left to enjoy the beautiful drive home.

After a quick lunch, I prepared two more books for shipping. I was quite surprised to get an order from Australia. I know of the relatives there, and have corresponded with my distant cousin on many occasions. She ordered the book, much to my surprise, as she does excellent research herself. The postage was very costly.

Once home, the rest of the day was spent cleaning the driveway.

It has been a satisfying day.

Worldly Distractions

Weather

6°C
Date: 6:00 PM EST Monday 16 November 2015
Condition: Clear
Pressure: 102.8 kPa
Tendency: rising
Visibility: 24 km
Temperature: 6.2°C
Dewpoint: -4.9°C
Humidity: 45%
Wind: NE 15 km/h

Quote

“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
Martin Luther King Jr.
1929 – 1968