Tuesday, January 31st - this month just flew by...

It was a fairly quiet week. The weather has stayed somewhat nice for the past week. Some chilly weather and some wind but no new snow. Here's hoping we get some soon so we can at least get outside and enjoy it.








We've been working on clearing out the room at the back of our garage to turn it into  a catering  kitchen. Once everything was moved out and everything washed down with TSP it was time to start laying ceramic tile on the floor. Our friend Jens came by on Saturday to help out, which was a good thing as it got me out of the job of fetching and carrying!  By the end of the day on Sunday it's slightly over half done. It's slow work down on the knees like that, especially if it's not something you're used to doing. But it should be done before the end of the week and then the walls can be started on.



We had a productive meeting on Tuesday of last week with a couple of ladies from Environmental Health, the folks who will ultimately be inspecting and approving said kitchen. We had several questions and they were very helpful advising what needed to be done, and making sure we were on the right track.


It's a huge job but we'll keep you posted on progress.











  Thursday marked the beginning of the winter season of Grey's Anatomy aka movie night aka wine and nibbles night.  It takes extra effort for both Brenda and I  to be done our supper chores and ready to sit down at 7:00 but we do what we can.

We had a really nice dinner with our friends Charles and Laura at their house on Saturday evening and then dinner at our house on Sunday night with Lloyd's sister Heather and her husband Kim.  It was a pretty tasty weekend 😋

Patti and I were talking one day last week. It seems their stove had died and she was in search of a replacement. Tristen was the first one to try it out with a lemon meringue pie. Well done, T.









And some unexpected but exciting news for James after his first Biathlon last weekend. In spite of not finishing in a medal spot he was still pretty successful. This was posted on the cadets facebook page:

121 Red Arrows Squadron

January 27 at 2:28pm ·

Biathlon Bronze

A Guelph cadet with the 121 Red Arrow Squadron, has come home with a bronze medal from a cadet biathlon competition.  Meadow Funkenhouser is a student at Centennial High School.
150 students competed in the event; a stepping stone to a regional competition in the Soo in February.

Also in the news... Flight Sergeant James Dennison has qualified as part of the Western Region to be part of the Senior Composite Team that will compete at Sault St. Marie. His Biathlon partner, Flight Sergeant Catherine B. will travel to the Sault as part of the Coaching and Training Staff Cadets from WOA

 

So it's off to sunny (maybe not) Sault St. Marie in February. Good luck James and congratulations. 

 

And finally, here is the best way to recycle a real Christmas tree....

 

You have to get down on your knees to get at the REALLY good bits!

 

 

 and when they're all done, there's not much left...

Thanks to the Van Gaals (all of them) who donated trees. 

As you can see they were very much enjoyed.

Tuesday, January 24th - is Lloyd's birthday gift insurance against winter?

What a great week it was. Lloyd's birthday was on Sunday and we had Brenda and Bernie in for supper on Saturday night. We enjoyed a great meal with good friends and a toast to Lloyd turning 65.  I purchased some snow shoes for him in hopes that we would get lots of snow in the next few days. Turns out we're not getting any snow, but lots of freezing rain followed by just plain rain. Not the best weather for trying out the new snowshoes.  We'll just have to keep our fingers crossed that February has a bit more snow.

A toast to the birthday  boy

I love it when the guests help out - especially if it means pouring the wine

I spent a morning earlier in the week baking a new batch of bread to put in the freezer. It's such a comforting thing to spend a morning doing.

I went with Lloyd to his flying club breakfast on Saturday morning. It's only the second time and I've always avoided it because it's usually just a group of guys sitting around talking about airplanes. This week was just the opposite. We were sat with some guys that I got into some lengthy conversations about movies and TV shows and I really enjoyed my morning.  I might actually be inclined to go out more often, especially once the good weather comes and I can take the Miata. (sorry, am I rushing spring??)

James was busy on the weekend at his first Biathlon competition in Collingwood on Sunday. Patti and Tristen went up to watch (James traveled with the cadets). Unfortunately her day was cut a bit short as Meghan was at home with her dad and ended up sleeping over at the General Hospital. She had come down with a cold on Friday and that messed up her system enough that she required some extra treatment. Apparently that can happen with diabetes. Thankfully she's home now and doing much better. 

While the big boys raced, Tristen and Patti had a turn on the trails

So where in the world was Patti this weekend?  Collingwood and Guelph General. It can't always be glitz and glamour but I know all the kids were glad to have her around for ALL the events that took place this weekend.

Tuesday, January 17th - the times they are about to be changing

As we settle into the heart of winter, our focus is on more than just the snow (or lack of it at times).
In about a month or so, we will have three goats giving birth to new kids. Our little herd that was only one this time last year, could well be up to 10 in a few short weeks. We're hoping all goes well and that the weather stays not too cold. It's hard for those new mamas to keep the little ones warm when it's -20' outside. but we'll all do our best.

After much consideration, we've decided to give the whole catering thing a try. We have a space we're planning to utilize to build a catering kitchen that will be inspected and licensed. What's that expression - if you build it, they will come?  Here's hoping. We have lots of plans but we have to get things in place first. We're in discussions with the health department to ensure we do everything right from the start so nothing has to be done again because we misunderstood what the regulations were.  It's going to be a bit of a challenge but nothing ventured, nothing gained as they say. Construction should start this week.

So lots to think about and deal with over the coming months.  Stay tuned for updates from time to time.

Mild weather last week did a number on the snow that we had and no more has fallen.  The warmer weather also gave us an opportunity to clean out the barn. Both the goat pens and chicken pens badly needed cleaning out. It's been a very long time since I've had any amount of manure to shovel but trust me, I'm well experienced.  Having had horses for most of my growing up years was a good training ground for a few goats and chickens. The changing weather made for some pretty spectacular sunrises this past week as well. . The up side of that is the ice that was almost totally covering our yard and lane is now gone so the  constant fear risk of falling is somewhat lessened.

One of my favorite Christmas gifts was a beautiful dragonfly. I've hung it in my kitchen window and on clear days I get very  bright sun streaming through in the afternoon. It looks absolutely stunning when the sun shines through.





 It's been a milestone birthday kind of week. Caitlin celebrated her 30th birthday  while she was away on her latest adventure to Galapagos. She could run but she couldn't escape. Her boyfriend, Mike, contacted her friends and family and asked them to send video greetings and he  put them together into a video for a party that was planned for last weekend. He did a really great job and also sent  a video of her watching it. Congrats to Caitlin for achieving her goal of  visiting 30 countries by the time she was 30! That's really quite the accomplishment. 

Of course, I can't leave off without wishing Lloyd a happy birthday this coming Sunday. The old boy will be 65 this year. He has no immediate plans to retire, at least not fully, but he hasn't decided yet. We opted to invite  friends over for dinner to celebrate rather than going out or having a party. That was his choice. So we'll celebrate on Saturday as he has to work on Sunday night.

 

(I think I've used this greeting in  a previous post  but it's just too perfect!) 

And finally, Where in the world is Patti?

After spending the weekend in Paris, she left on Monday for her final flight to Turkey for the season (can't say I'm sorry about that!).   I'll be glad when she's home again, safe and sound.

She sent a photo of a meal that Greg made for them - steak sandwiches with garlic aioli, potato salad and crispy fried onions. Well done, Greg! He might need a chef jacket for Christmas next year?

Tuesday, January 6th - Welcome 2017

Well, the family finally got away. I drove them over to Moncton on Thursday where they were able to catch a flight to Montreal, and then on to Toronto.
Our trip to Moncton included a couple of stops - Cows for ice cream ...

and the big lobster in Shediak.
The weather was more than cooperated albeit very windy. The sun shone and the roads were clear and dry. Could not have asked for any better this time of year.

Now that everyone has gone home, it was time to put Christmas away for another year.
I spent the next couple of days sorting, editing  and putting away boxes of Christmas 'stuff'.  When some things had languished in the dark cupboard for almost 8 years, it's time they were sent off for someone else to enjoy. 

Saturday was a chilly but sunny day with very little wind when my friend Margie called to see if I was interested in going for a walk. Great idea. We met at her house and walked a total of maybe 2.5 km. Not a lot but enough for our first venture out in a very long time.  It was good to get outside and get some fresh air and a bit of exercise - before the storm hit overnight and Sunday.

All while the kids were here we were hoping it would snow but such was not to be. It waited till they'd
been gone a few days and boy, did it snow. Apparently we received somewhere between 30 and 40 cms.  Good thing it was a Sunday as it would have been a total snow day.


Tuesday was again a gorgeous day and now that I'm home all the time, I can go off snowshoeing in the middle of the morning with my friend Brenda!
We headed out into the woods but it was slow going. The snow was deep with just enough of a crust on top that it took a second or two to break through (well,Brenda did, I had it easy following in her footsteps!).  We didn't go too far, again, not wanting to overdo it on our first outing of the season.

Things are quiet now that the kids are gone and Lloyd is back on his regular shift. We're still working out just how our days will flow.  The only one who's really having issues seems to be Pumpkin. He's really missing having a ready lap to sit on whenever he wants. I think he's missing you Meg and Tristen.













James had a successful speed skating meet over the weekend. He came home with a bronze medal,
something he hasn't done in a while. Now that he skates with the big boys, the competition is much stiffer, so well done, James










And sadly, 2017 hasn't gotten off to a great start.

Although it wasn't a big surprise, I was deeply saddened to learn about the passing of a dear friend's mother. My friend Cathy and I have known each other since public school and I have many fond memories of time spent at their house growing up.Unfortunately I wasn't able to attend the funeral but Patti went in my place. Maisie had been a good friend of her Aunt Jean and Cathy is also her god mother. Apparently when Tristen learned this bit of information, he asked if that made Cathy his great god mother. Cathy replied that it absolutely did. Our condolences to the entire family.







Then a couple of days later I received a message from Patti that one of Meghan's friends had passed away. She had been diagnosed with cancer about a year and a half ago and had lost her difficult battle. I know Meghan is taking it very hard as I'm sure all the dance school students are, as Chelsea was one of them.  Again, our condolences to her family and friends. The dance studio posted this information

Holly Hughes Dance Academy

January 7 at 10:29pm ·

Our hearts break with sadness that the world lost the bright and beautiful soul of Chelsea Visentin today. Your classmates are honoured to have dedicated their dance to you in June Chelsea, and we will cherish your rehearsal and recital visit! Your smile, laugh and true beauty will be ever so missed... we are just at a loss for words. As we carry the dance "Alive" with us this spring know that our comp dancers are dancing for you. You will be forever in our hearts and we know you will keep dancing in heaven ❤️ #dancefamily

Thursday, January 5th - a very belated Happy New Year to everyone!

It's been a busy few days at our house and things like blogs have had to take a back seat. James arrived around supper time on the 28th and Patti and the others arrived in the afternoon on the 1st.

"What looks good in the third race?"

Lloyd, James and I decided to spend New Years Eve at the races. Of course James isn't old enough to bet but he had some money that Lloyd could bet for him. I gave each of them $20.00 at the beginning of the evening and that was to be their limit, as was mine. We didn't make any money but the up side is we all came home with over half of our original $20.00 so it was all good.

Patti and the other two kids arrived on New Years Day. Greg had to be back at work on the 3rd so it would have been such a short visit as to not be worthwhile, so he stayed home and dog sat. The first order of business of course, was opening presents. I had made some fleece pajamas for James, which he wore the entire week, sometimes all day. I'd also made a chef's jacket and pants for Tristen, our budding young cook. He was quite pleased. Meg's gift was meant to be a gift card for one of her favorite stores in Ontario, but I forgot to remind Patti to pick it up. So instead she got cash, and she was quite happy with that.

Making meatballs for our guests

We had invited Lloyd's sister Heather and her family over on the 2nd so Patti spent her first full day here helping in the kitchen. And a good thing she was here, or I never would have gotten everything done in time. Of course Tristen helped as well.

On the 3rd (Tuesday) we went into town. We dropped the boys  and Patti at the pool while Meg and I went to the movies. We saw a kids movie called "Sing". When asked how I enjoyed it, my only response was any movie that opens and closes with a Beatles tune is alright in my books!

We spent pretty much the whole day on Wednesday in the kitchen. Tristen and I were very busy quite early in the day. We made pasta dough for pasta later on. We made pie pastry for lemon meringue pie, a favorite of both Papa and James. We made two batches of Monkey Bread (we were sure one batch wasn't going to turn out, but in the end it did) and Tristen also wanted to make potato chips.

Assembling the dough balls for the monkey bread

Rolling out the pie pastry

Deep frying the potato chips

Sampling the baked monkey bread - mmmm tasty!

Rolling out the pasta dough

It took most of the day but we completed all our projects. We had a great day in the kitchen. Of course, there was no shortage of samplers. We even invited Brenda to come over and have tea as there was no school due to the miserable weather.







Perhaps the biggest hit of the visit was Pumpkin. I don't think his feet spent very much time on the floor. If you wanted to find Meghan you looked for Pumpkin. If you wanted to find Pumpkin, you looked for Meg. The rest of the time he was with Tristen.

Tristen enjoyed his morning and evening chores, feeding the goats and chickens and collecting the eggs every morning.

James has it in his mind he'd like to try his hand a building a computer from scratch. He and Lloyd spent quite a bit of time discussing what might be needed and where said part might be obtained.

Two geeks at work

Help with the dishes is ALWAYS appreciated although Patti did way more than her fair share!

Nightly monopoly games were better than sitting in front of the TV

James has a speed skating meet this weekend so they need to get home, but unfortunately all the flights seem to be sold out. As a result, we are heading to Moncton this afternoon. It appears they may have a good chance of getting on from there so we're heading out around lunch time. There are at least two flights later this afternoon so hopefully they can get everyone home today.