Thankful

Pati here
I'm so very glad we started this blog. I'm thankful that we've all met the commitment to participate. I feel much closer to both of you now, and I'm thankful for that.
Do either of you have Google as your home page on the internet? Do you notice the pictures that are part of it-changing as the season changes and in response to holidays? It's sometimes my warm fuzzy for the day.

Be - Food and Snow

It seems all I have lately is food to nibble on ( all the goodies received at Christmas) and cold, blowing snow to either look at or in my case go out and shovel. And as I read your messages, you seem also to be enjoying the same pleasures.
Harry extends a request to you Cathy to grab a few free Coke bottles being given away along the Torch route - the big Coke Truck has runners along side handing out souvenir Coke bottles and of course, the parade goes by soooo fast that I did not get lucky to be handed one here in Sundridge. His brother and wife in Kirkland Lake each got one and so he is feeling left out! I wish you a happy day and enjoy every minute of the glory for Kris!
Last night Patty I hauled out The Farming Game and read the instructions all again and viewed the game board again. You have been talking about it over the last week and I remember playing it when you first sent us our own game and also playing it with you folks in Winnipeg. But that was a long time ago. We don't play games here anymore - maybe that is why I enjoy the card games with you when I visit.
A somewhat lazy day here today with it so miserable outside but I am trying to practice violin which starts up again this coming week, and also I put up my sewing machine again onto the little table in Mike's old room. Now that he has come and gone I guess it will revert to the junk/ sewing room again. Although Harry beat me to it as he has a picture puzzle spread over the bed on a board and little tables covered with puzzle pieces.
ps I was NOT the person in Ontario to win the $16.5 million Lotto 649 last night - I did not have a ticket! Sorry .....
Take care

Home for a day

We survived the Levy. As I expected there was lots of food. They put it out again yesterday and, of course, I ate more. I did come away with a recipe for a really wonderful soft ginger cookie. You can tell that the weight loss challenge starts tomorrow. I made fried chicken wings this morning for the freezer and we each at 6 for breakfast I put the wing tips in a small pot for stock. I am going to try to make some kind of tomato soup this seek. I have lots of frozen tomatoes, and we both like tomato soup. I'll let you know if it works. Not much got done on the kitchen this weekend. I hope it speeds up. I offered to take a week off work and help, but Jim didn't seem interested. I guess he just wants to work on his own at his own pace. It is a bit awkward with all of the dishes and stuff piled on and under a table in the living room. I have Friday off work and we are both headed to Brandon to see Kris carry the torch. I hope we can get some good pictures. Everything is timed to the second, so he may not be able to pose for his "fan club". It's snowing here again. It seems it is either really cold or snowing. Next week sounds good, though (until they change the forecast) If we are not going to do any work today, I may try to get Jim to watch a movie with me. We have a couple that we haven't watched. Jim hasn't been in the mood for a comedy lately and they are supposed to be funny (supposed being the key word) Rehearsals start next week. I am prompter, so I will have to be at all of them. Two nights a week for 4 months. And there are meetings on top of that. Next week I will be home only on Wednesday! I do it by choice, so I can't really complain. It's just when all of them happen at once. Time to go and look at my kitchen and decide that I can't do anything so I may as well sit and read a book.

Pleasant Surprise

Since we had done all of our celebrating etc earlier inthe week we had no plans whatsoever for yesterday. It was so cold that David actually said that it was a good thing we weren't going out anywhere. About 4:00 Loren phoned and told us that he and the children were on their way, and bringing Chinese food! A nice meal, and then they stayed and we played Farming Game again for a couple of hours. Since we had left the game at Ambers, we had to haul out the old one. No harvest payout sheet! So Loren called Amber and she was reading it to him to write down to use. They were just about finished when David found the old one tucked inside one of the game boards. ( there were two of them and this was the one we weren't using)

Loren amused us telling a story about getting involved in an Internet dating site. He evidently spent some time doing the groundwork and making careful contact with a woman, until finally they actually spoke on the phone. Turned out he knew her family quite well, went to university with her brother, and they had several friends in common. Would have been cheaper to have gone on a blind date! No word on whether they plan to speak again. He's usually pretty close mouthed about that sort of thing.

A New Year

I wonder what it brings. I was remembering the Y2K fuss at the dawn of the last decade, and thinking what a tempest in a teapot that turned out to be. Will we find that our worries and fears will turn out to be just as groundless 10 years from now? Of course, at my age just surviving 10 years will be an accomplishment. Good Wishes to you both, and your families as well. I've had a real sense of passing the torch to a new generation lately, and figuratively, passing on my hopes and dreams. I've promised Amber a list of what to do with all of my treasures. I've been thinking about it, but now actually have to get it down on paper. That should take at least 10 years.

Yes, our fun the other day carried on. On the way to Baked Expectations, we stopped at Chapters to buy a book. We found a clearance table of hard covers that were cheaper than paperbacks, although we bought the paperback we had planned to--along with several of his brothers--almost $90.00 worth. So--with that many books, and the freezer full to overflowing--there is no need for us to step outside the door for about 2 months.

Using the mouse left handed is quite a challenge. I've always know that my dominance is very well established, and I feel like such a duffer trying to make this work. I can only do it for so long. After about 10 minutes, my arm fatigues and any coordination I've built up goes out the window. So I'm having to limit it to playing solitaire right now. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Out with the old and....

in with the new. Happy New Year (and Happy Birthday Dave) Hope everyones dreams come true. We just finished slicing up ham and sausage for the Levy at the Legion this afternoon. It made quite a platter full. I know that Bud ordered a meat tray on top of this so it will be quite something. Instead of just painting the cabinets in the kitchen, Jim tore them off the wall and is re-building them. This could be interesting. I did my usual celebrating last night (in bed before 10 pm) Oh well. I am not exhausted and hung over! I read an article on the 10 best and 10 worst movies of 2009. Of the 20 titles, I had heard of one.... Inglorious Basterds. It was rated the 3rd best movie. I would have put it in the worst. I guess I am just not a movie afficiando. Our Star Choice Bill went up again, and will be going up again in February. Enough is enough. We have got to cut out some of the channels. Trouble is that they always put a channel you want in a package with a lot of garbage. We end up with hundreds of channels and only watch a few of them. The office is starting its weight loss challenge on Monday. I guess I better finish off those 4 boxes of chocolates this weekend! I would like to lose some weight and just don't know if I have the conviction. Time for breakfast (speaking of food) Love Ya

Be - Happy New Year

It's January 1 and Happy Birthday to David!
Hope you all had a nice quiet and easy New Year's Eve. I watched CBC shows until about 11 pm and then went to bed. Mike called us about 11:50 pm to wish us a Happy New Year - he had a few friends over to his house and by the sounds of the background noise they were all having a good time. I was glad to hear he was at his own home and not out and about somewhere. Today should be spent inside and I have plans to pack away all the Christmas decorations etc. It is lightly snowing right now and likely be the same most of the day.
Last night was also the Blue Moon I could not even see the full moon in the sky because it was overcast and snowy. But I heard some more fireworks going off about 9 pm.
Take care and here's to a fresh new year full of eerything good for all of us XOXOXO