HAPPY FULL WEEK

Well....its definitely time to catch up here!!!  Christmas was a huge hit this year.

Christmas Eve:  We all went down to Craig and Jo's for the evening.  I am not sure how many were there but the huge house was packed.  All those people ranged from a one year old not walking yet to a very delightfully dementia(ed) couple of eighty something grammas.  They all belonged to someone...a pack full of rellies it was.

Everyone brought amazing appies!  And baking!!  And one of the couples brought christmas carol song books so at one point in the evening we had a loud boisterous awesome sing along! 

But the highlite of the night, and this whole Christmas, was when Kathy came into the living room and made a magical suggestion.  But first let me explain something.

My Mother's sister Iris and her awesome daughter Heather are spending the holiday with Kathy.  Antie I is 86 I think.  She has dementia, which just adds to her charm.  We answer her questions a hundred times over if need be...happily.  She carries around a good size bag full of wool.  Winding, untangling and crocheting is what she does continuously, stopping occasionally to either eat, sleep or play a round of giant jenga.  My other mother I always called her.

On Craig's side of the family is Carol, his paternal gramma...also delightfully dementia(ed).  I don't know her well but she is as cute as a button!

Carol was sitting over in one corner and Aunty I was sitting on the couch across the room.  Kathy came in and suggested we seat them together.  And so we did and then the magic happened.

  They started to talk to each other, repeating their questions about every three minutes:  And whats your name dear?  How do you spell that?  Where are we right now?  I don't know.  Whats your name dear?  How do you spell that?  And then they would spend a few sentences on the wool and untangling and crocheting and then....Whats your name dear?   It was soooo awesome.  And those two old ladies did that for FOUR hours!!!  We all stood back and just joyously took it in.  In fact Craig's mom, who was hosting that family's Xmas dinner the next day, asked if she could borrow Auntie I the next day.  Hahaha!

On Christmas day we had lasagna dinner up here at my place.  Christmas dinner was set for boxing day.  I bought three lasagnas from M&M Meat shop and they were awful.  I am really sad about that.  But there were twelve squeezed in at the table.   It was tight but it worked!  After dinner we played word games and there was no doubt that good ole' Auntie I beat us all!!!  Lovely day.

I got up at dawn the next morning and stuffed a giant turkey and made breakfast.  We thought we had bought a twenty pounder but it turned out to be about fifteen so it didn't take as long as I had thought it would.  Around three Monte and Anton ( our special guest that Kathy so warmly welcomed) and I packed the food into the van and headed down.  Kathy was flying around the kitchen, Jocelyn joined her and they put on a delicious dinner.  There were sixteen to table and we had yams, mashed spuds, veg. casserole, brussel sprouts, beets (mmmmm) turkey, stuffing and gravy.  I am sure I forgot something!  Then we played games and visited and played giant jenga (so nerve wracking! I almost got killed!)  What an awesome time was had by all.

The next day I layed out a spectacular lunch, if I say so myself and Anne's son Larry and family came for a visit.  Kevin and Tandy were here...Kevin and Larry are good friends and hadn't seen each other in forever.  They grew up together.  They have two lovely children, 10 and 12 and they played with Fenton and Elise downstairs.  Man we had a great visit.  K & T headed out to a hotel here in town for a couple of nights and I have the children.  Anne stayed til ten.  Another stellar day I must say.

Sometime in the night Monte woke me to tell me he needed help...his bipolar downward slide has become too difficult for him to handle. So down to the hospital he went to get help.  Poor guy...he just wants to be normal but that just isn't happening for him.  Its hard to watch too.  They gave him zoloft, I have no idea what that is or what it does.  Hopefully it will help in the long run.

So now here I sit with my grandchillens watching Jungle Book and eating junk with admonitions to not tell parents.  I think those admonitions are probably more damaging than the chocolate and chips!  Hahaha!!!  Gma's rule!!

Of course there were occasional bumps in the road as there always is when families come together.  But I aint' writing about those!!!  I want a family after this Christmas is over!!!!!  Love you all and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!  TTYL

AUNTIE I PLAYING JENGA

BUSY WITH HER WOOL

VERY PLEASED WITH HERSELF SHE WAS

HEATHER CAN'T BELIEVE SHE DID IT!

UNFORTUNATELY THERE WERE A FEW PEOPLE MISSED....FROM THE LEFT...ANNE, KEO, LARRY, FENTON, KEVING, TANDY AND ELISE.  AQUINO AND MAX ARE MISSING

BELL RINGING, FREEZING, RUSSIAN BOOKS, TURKEY STUFFING

Today is bell ringing day for the salvation army.  Now I love to volunteer and do good works, but its twenty below out there.  I can't get warm inside this house, never mind out there in the windy cold.

The first stint I am doing with Michelle.  She is a good looking fifty something and does a lot for Kiwanis.  But...for some odd reason she doesn't drive.  I don't know why she doesn't drive, but she doesn't.  I don't think I know anybody over the age of 25 who doesn't have their driver's license.  Maybe she will tell me today why she doesn't.  I know its not just not having a car...she actually doesn't have her license.  She is a hoot though and I think it will be fun.  I am going to take a chair just in case.  No way can I stand for hours on end.

I asked Michelle why she doesn't drive and she told me that her husband died about the same time Spod did.  Apparently he drove her everywhere and she never had a need for a licence.  But now she is considering it.  She really is at the mercy of getting rides from everyone.

Kathy is signed up for the following couple of hours and if she doesn't have anyone to be with, and by the looks of it she doesn't, then I will go and help her out.  In this cold you need someone to spell you off for a few minutes so you can go inside and warm up.  Today we are outside the liquor store at Sahali.  Hmmm...maybe free samples would help.

I was just reading an article about how another blast of cold winter air is going to hit BC.  Okay, it continued to say that people need to look after each other at this time and particularly keep an eye out for the elderly as they are more prone to hypothermia than the younger ones.  Elderly...well jeez when are you considered elderly?  Nearly 65, fully grey headed, sore knees, sore hips, is that not elderly?   I will finish this post later and report back to you, if I survive hypothermia that is. 

Okay, I ain't gonna lie!  It was fekking cold out there!!!  It was dark, snowing and freezing.  But we made over 800 dollars!  And it was a lot of fun.  Michelle was a hoot, as I suspected she would be and it is always great spending time with Kathy.  When I got home I bundled up in fuzzy warm stuff, wrapped up in a cozy blanket and stayed sunk down in my fave kitchen chair.  But it took hours and hours to warm up!

I wrote the above a couple of days ago.  Sunday night K&K came up for dinner.  We had a great time!  They are such good company and Kerry did the dishes afterwards!  I was very impressed and even more impressed with where he put stuff!

Monday evening Monte and Anton came by to jam downstairs.  I feel so lucky that I get to have such awesome music barrelling up the stairs.  I love it!  Monte had to run down to London Drugs and whip over to Walmart.  This gave Anton and I a chance to visit.  Somehow the convo ended up on books, and Russian Fairy Tales.  So interesting.  I ended up purchasing a beautiful Russian fairy tale, hard cover, and a kindle version of the funniest book called, "The Wasp Factory" by Iain Banks. (the latter is not Russian)  He is so funny.  Its worth looking it up on Amazon just to read his preface.  I have only started the book but I can already tell I am going to thoroughly enjoy it!

Today has been a tougher day for one reason and another.  But one thing I got done was turn eight loaves of bread, six onions, half a cup of poultry seasoning and two pounds of butter into the yummiest stuffing. (NO BESMIRCHING CELERY!!  shovel list)  I packed it into bread bags and into the freezer, all ready for the twenty pound turkey coming my way soon for roasting!

TTYL

:(

Not such a great day today.  I will post later.  Sorry.  TTYL

WRAP WRAP WRAP UNTIL YOU BREAK YOUR BACK

I shifted stuff around in my purple room, stacked all the gifts into relevant piles, hauled in a costco table and squeezed it into the room.  I shall be wrapping in there as its twenty below outside and stuff in the garage is on the verge of freezing.  Plus I can watch my crap tv at the same time!  Nothing like a little Judge Judy to spur one on.

I counted and so far I have 82 presents to wrap.  I think I might make a quick trip back to the dollar store and get some more gift bags!

And now...the tree.  sigh.  I have a lot of decorations down in the hell hole. (shovel list)  Some of them have made their way upstairs but I am going to do my best to keep it to a severe minimum.  I know the talk after christmas involves criticism of those people that leave their outside lights and decs up too long.  With me its how long the boxes of decorations sit behind the couch and not taken down stairs and put away.That is NOT going to happen this year and to ensure that it doesn't I found the perfect solution.  Don't bring them up to begin with.

I sure learned something the hard way today.  I was frying up onion, pepper and chopped mushrooms.  I was going to add eggs then make a breakfast wrap.  So as the veggies were frying I decided to add a bunch of hot sauce to the pan and cook it into the veg.  I have been on a real chilli flake and hot sauce bend lately.  So I dumped in a ton of Frank's and Chalula sauces.  Mmmmm....and within two minutes I was choking and sneezing and literally coughed til I upchucked...twice!  And it wouldn't stop!  My eyes were burning and my nose was running and I coughed my lungs up.  Never again!

Hahaha!!  I just got off the phone with Aryn.  She and Bradley have Molly right now.  The idea was that she would be making a decision if Molly's checklist favoured living or ....well you know.  So, I don't think Molly is going to be facing the grim reaper any time soon!  Probably because she is so much more loved, appreciated and coddled, she is not freaked out by two angry people here thus she isn't peeing on their floor.  And it sounds like she is having the time of her life.  Bradley takes her to work with him and as I am sure he is finding out, Molly is an extreme babe magnet or ice breaker...depending on your current status.

I remember going for coffee with Kathy a while back.  She brought adorable baby Ainsley and I brought annoying stinky Molly.  Guess who everyone went crazy for?  One woman even tripped on the curb and damn near went down she was so busy trying to get to Molly.  So I don't think she is coming home anytime soon.  Which is great for me.  I don't even miss her.  Not even in a good way.  Its like I never had a dog.  The only time she enters my consciousness is when I notice that the floor actually needs to be swept now.  She used to keep it totally clean...she would even eat spilled coffee beans!

Well I could drone on and on here but I would just be procrastinating the inevitable and boring you folks stiff.  So I am going to jet and get at it..TTYL

XMAS....CAN BE FUN

I am always hesitant to be too honest about what I feel about some things because I know my family and friends are reading this.  When you actually put it into words either by blog or mouth it tends to make your opinions much stronger and fixed than maybe it is.

The other day I reacted to an article I was reading. It was about the fact that the powers that be are building safe places to take drugs...just in case of an overdose.  As I have made very clear every which way my sympathies do lie with junkies and the addicted.  No sympathy for the partier taking chances.  But when I read that even more money and time and energy are going into that mess downtown eastside I got a little ticked off and made a comment to that effect.  And, of course, it came out way stronger and not even really what I thought about junkies safety.  I just wish they would solve the homeless problem, put some energy time and money into that.  But Monte heard what I said and took umbrance with it and wouldn't listen when I tried to explain what I really meant.  Lesson learned...don't say crap to begin with.  But I am going to here right now.  LOL!!

I love Christmas...the tree, the gifts, the shopping, the excitement and of course the awesome food.  But I have discovered as I get older that there is a downside to it all...especially if you are the mom in the event.  Unless you are a master delegator, which I am definitely not, the work load becomes pretty heavy.  The one part though that I exempt from this is any cooking.  That part I can never get enough of.  And I love the gift shopping...the more the better!

But I hate wrapping.  I used to like it but I don't anymore.  If I had my way I would haul out all those stupid plastic grocery shopping bags you keep because, well they're bags and could be reused, that you have stuffed into every available space in the back of your cupboards and throw a gift into one and tape it up.  That would solve the bag overload problem and it would be so easy...no ripped paper, no mistaking the size of the paper you cut, no little dainty pieces of tape, NO GARBAGE!!!!

House cleaning....those corners you don't clean until your house is going to fill with company.  I know...all you out there don't have this problem because you keep your place perfect year round.  Unfortunately I don't.  So around this time of the year I start to frantically haul out boxes from under the guest bed, empty the seldomly used bathroom's garbage can, clear off the washer/dryer of casserole dishes, roasters, slow cookers etc..that never made it to the garage, clean the garage yet again, decorate the tree...finally, clean my private bathroom (which, other than the toilet and sink, I never clean), organize the hall closet so guests can hang their coats, blah blah blah...(shovel list).

And decorating.  Oh jeez.....I have a hundred giant boxes down in my hell hole full of beautiful appropriate christmas decorations.  But I really hate decorating.  I love the look of greenery boughs draped along the mantle, full of twinkling little lights.  But my greenery is stiff and unbending and just won't frigging stay there.  And I string lovely little lights all through the wee branches and then string a bright giant orange extension cord off the end and it looks like sh*t.

I have a beautiful giant wreath, a fake one with battery operated lights wound around and through it.  Beautiful.  But....the damned thing bounces every time the door opens and shuts, and when that happens little crap falls off the wreath.  Little red berries, the odd pine cone, little tiny green branches...etc...and within one day the four double AA's are toast.

I have a beautiful tall cone shaped gorgeous pretend artistic christmas tree.  Its white and glittery and has little lights....and its lopsided.  It is really pretty but when people walk into the room they all say....oh, hahaha that tree is going to fall over.  No its not.  Its just stupid.

I could go on but I won't.  I just know that by the 24th I am cranky, tired and ready to throw the towel in.  Then something magic happens.  Christmas eve.  I have never had a bad one.  The family, guests, food, laughter, chocolate, fireplace, soft  christmas tree lights, excited children....makes it all worth it...til the next day, after dinner and that mountain of dishes....LOL!!!  TTYL

THROWBACK TO THE SIXTIES

I have a feeling I had best get this post done.  I do not feel well and getting worse as the day goes by.  My head hurts, my eyes are burning, hacking and coughing and I am hot.  Whine!  I found out there is a flu going around Vancouver right now and I was at very close quarters with about three hundred Vancouverites the other night.  Dang it!!!  One of our boys wasn't feeling too well either.

At four thirty Tuesday afternoon Monte, Graham, Anton and Eithne came by April's and picked me up.  We then picked up April at her work and over the bridge to Emily's and picked her up.  The two boys had to sit on the floor and we just hoped for the best.  This is what we used to do back in the sixties in old VW buses...but smoking the good stuff at the same time.  The trip downtown was a hoot!  Turns out Emily and Graham went to school here in Kamloops together.

For those that are not in the know....there are two restaurants downtown and one in Whistler called The Warehouse and one is called the Factory.  Their menu is extensive, their food is delicious and every dish is 4.95.  Pirogies, hamburgers, fries, enchiladas, shepherd's pie, macaroni, spaghetti, salads, ribs and on and on.  Portions are a good size.  We went to the Factory and had a delicious dinner.  We then went to the concert which was even better than we hoped.  Love that band!!!  Thank you Emily!!!!

Afterwards Monte dropped Em and I off at her awesome little apartment before driving the others all home.  Em and I sat up into the wee hours visiting...good visiting.

The next day the boys picked me up and we went somewhere in Vancouver to another super cheap place for breakfast called Bond or Bonds.  Their breakfast....pan fries, a meat, two eggs any way and toast for 4.95 and endless coffee.  Now, I wouldn't say this if any of those kids were reading this blog, they aren't, but....I would rather pay an extra five bucks and get a smaller, but better made breakfast with better coffee.  Oh, there was nothing wrong the breakfast, just not quite right.  I am picky about breakfasts.  But it was fast and cheap and something they could afford.  After a stop at Red Cat, a vinyl store, we headed home.  We left Van around two thirty and drove into our driveway at six thirty.  Made good time through the Coq.

You know, its dribbling snow outside.  Barely a skiff on the ground.  And its like twenty below.  Yet, those old dudes in the cul de sac across from me are all out shovelling their driveways.  THERE'S NOTHING TO SHOVEL!!!!  They are like that in the summer only with the lawn mowers.  I hope they freeze their knackers off!

Well I am going to go back to bed with a hot tea.  Oh, one more thing.  NO MOLLY!!!!  She is at Aryn's and the little cow has peed only twice on Aryn's floor.  Jeez, she pees twice an hour on mine.  Its soooooo nice having a break from her.  Apparently Bradley took her to work with him (he paints) and when Aryn went there she said it was so funny to see him busy with this little dog in a foofoo winter jacket under his arm!  She will be loving it!  TTYL

DANDY WARHOLS YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am sitting comfortably on April and Myles's couch in their new home.  Their home is so homey and beautiful.  I LOVE it!!!  I stayed here last night on their amazing couch.  I got the best sleep I have had in a very long time.

The first night down here I slept in the hotel room with Monte and Anton.  Sigh.  I was sound asleep when they bust in somewhere around two or three in the morning.  Then when we all settled, every little move they made sounded like a gun going off.  And jeez! they are so smelly.  Smelly feet.  Smelly pits.  Gaseous emissions.  I didn't really go back to sleep after that.

So last night around 11 the fire in the fireplace slowly died, the christmas tree smelled heavenly, the murmur of people in the distance, I drifted off to sleep and didn't wake up til five thirty this morning.  Unheard of!

Today I am spending a quiet day by myself in April's place.  I wish I had a car, I would have tried to see Clare and Tish.  It has been way too long since I saw them last.  But I don't have transport.  Monte and two buddies are picking me up at four thirty.  We then pick up a friend of April's then we pick up April from her work and then we go and pick up Emily and then we go downtown and find parking and go for dinner and then to the Dandy Warhols!!!  

Now this van has only five seats in it right now.  So two people are going to have to sit on the floor.  But I am going to make sure Emily is in a seat and belted down...my sister would kill me if she wasn't!  Actually the back seat holds three so the three girls will be fine.  But the two boys are going to have to sit on the floor.  I promised them that if we get tickets I will pay the fines!  Monte's a good driver so I am not too worried.  They can always get out and get a bus too.  Their choice.

It snowed here yesterday.  I hate to sound like those smug inlanders but seriously, you would have thought the world was ending.  People down here not only can't drive in one inch of snow, but they have awful tires.  You should have seen it!!!  A total gong show.  If you have a shitty car and a shitty driving record, STAY HOME.  Its not fair to all the other people with decent wheels and a decent ability to drive...in ONE INCH of snow.!  They would never survive in Kamloops.

Well its time to go get ready and pack my stuff up.  Tonight should be a hoot and I am spending the night with Emily!!!  Hopefully we won't be too tired when we get home and can do a little catch up.  I know she has to go to work in the morning.  I shall report soon on how it all went!  TTYL

MAMMA MIA

Yup, Kathy, Kerry and I are off to Mamma Mia tonight.  Bill and I went to the stage play of Mamma Mia in London a few years ago.  It was so funny and so well acted.  Its going to be interesting to see how this one measures up.  I have heard that its a fantastic production!  

Jeez!  I am freezing!  And if you know me you will know that that is ridiculous.  I am always too hot.  I have a feeling its pretty cold outside tonight.  I just know that even though the furnace still says 19, it sure don't feel like it!  In fact, I have to admit, that a few times today I have taken my phone and gone and sat in my bathroom for a while.  I have the heater Monte gave me last Xmas in there and its toasty toasty warm.  So I sit there and warm right up.

Well this is kind of a sad day for me.  I washed my hair today, which now that its volume is less than half what it was a year ago, is easy peasy.  And tonight I am putting it up, with great difficulty, in its very last poof.  My hair has become so thin and not curly that its a struggle getting it up there.  Next week I am going to make an appointment and get it cut off and hopefully some kind of perm.  I have had a poof up there for more years than I can remember.  The upside of it all though is that I will be able to go swimming now and get my head wet.  But I am still sad.

Well Monte and a couple of his little friends and I are headed to Vancouver tomorrow.  Today I got all the laundry done and the packing.  I should just leave my suitcase packed.  I only wear about two shirts and two tights here at home.  I never wear anything else.  Day in day out...the same thing.  The only time I alter into other stuff is when I travel somewhere.

 I am the same way about my food.  Same thing day in and day out.  Although now and then I will suddenly not want whatever the current food is and change it up.  Then the same thing over and over for a month.  Right now its wieners cut up, croutons, chopped tomatoes and whatever other veggies there are and homemade thousand Islands dressing.  A complete balanced meal if you ask me!  Once in a while I throw in a tv dinner.  I love them!  Especially the instant mashed potatoes....my all time fave food.  And I am pretty sure they always put sugar in their vegetables...what ever they are.  One thing for sure...I am NOT going to cook meals for myself.  Other than wieners I hardly ever eat meat.  So what do you cook?

Well I don't have much else to report.  I have my fingers crossed we won't have any significant snow between now and next Wed. when we get home.  TTYL

I AM SO BAD AT SELFIES

THERE IT IS, MY POOR SKINNY SAD DEAD POOF.  ITS GOTTA GO:(

I'M SO MAD RIGHT NOW

I have tried really hard to keep news events, current affairs, politics out of this blog.  We get enough of that crap on social media.  But....I just finished reading an article on the fentanyl crisis.  And every time I do read about it my dander goes up.

I am a taxpayer...a hefty one.  And I am quite happy to have my taxes spent on creating and maintaining a healthy, educated and housed citizenship.  But there are times when it seems to me that there can be a real imbalance on the allotment of those funds and along with that a lot of whining.  

I guess what really got me this time is that even though the government is spending over fifteen million on this latest drug crisis, it isn't enough according to a lot of people...especially the families of the recreational drug players.  I have a pretty harsh judgement of this, which let me make clear, does NOT include the downtown eastside type junkies. Obviously they are true victims and they need all the help we can give them. Starting with housing...but thats another topic entirely.

No, I am talking about all those peeps, dead ones now, out there that are not addicted, they just want to party.  There are a lot of them.  And they knew exactly what they were doing...playing Russian roulette with pills instead of bullets.  And not only do I have zero sympathy for them, but I am pissed off.  I don't think even one dollar should go out to help those, especially when its taking it from the ones that clearly do need the help.  And if I hear from one more grieving (whining) mother of a dead kid that knew better but did it anyway I am going to scream.  What the hell did they think was going to happen?

In the article I just read, the mother was so upset because 'the government' wasn't spending more money than they are on helping our youngsters understand the seriousness of doing drugs.  Are you serious?  A little brat is going to do what a little brat wants, risking death or not.  And she was pissed off because more money was spent on one of the killer flus that came through one year...you know, the illness that killed our truly innocent, seniors and babies, than on a drug problem that  her darling  chose to participate in...fatally.  

Okay I am getting mad again so I will stop.  And if this offends anyone well, I am not sorry.  And if you have anyone in your family that might be stupid enough to play this roulette game of pills, have a chat with THEM, not the government.
TTYL