FANTASTIC TIME WITH K&K AND A SURPRISE VISIT OUT

 In the last post I mentioned a horrible experience with someone.  Now, I do not write negative things about people I know unless I am super angry, which is rare, or if I don't have their permission.  I do not have this person's permission.  I thought I would but upon asking the answer was no.  So my apologies.  If I am speaking with you on the phone at some time and you HAVE to know I will happily fill you in.  I just can't put it out to the general public.  My apologies.

On Sunday after K&K left Monte and I drove to Campbell River.  We had a mini family reunion up there.  Emily and Baby Gordon, K&K, Stan and Antonia were there.  What a lovely time it was.  Stan was looking good!  Unfortunately we couldn't hug the guy.  He is battling cancer at the moment and is going through a kind of radio active treatment and we couldn't be too close to him.  Soon I am going up again.  Just Monte and I.  I will be able to hug him then.  We had such a wonderful afternoon with them all.  Gordon is growing like a weed and I think he is the happiest baby I have ever seen!!!

They have the most beautiful house.  Their back yard was magnificent.  She is a stellar gardener.  They have a beautiful deck with a little gazebo on it that they have turned into an artists studio.  It was really truly stunning.

And now back to reality.  I have made another two garbage bags of clothes to donate.  Sigh.  And there is still another mountain of clothes to go through.  What the hell was I thinking?!!  You know, every week I put on a clean old shirt and shorts.  And I wear them for a week.  I just don't need more than four shirts, two bottoms, undies and one dressier outfit.  So why the eff do I have bags and bags and Rubbermaids full of stupid clothes I will never wear?

Well thats it for this post.  Sorry about the cryptic horrible story that couldn't get told. I promise you I did not do that on purpose.  I am kind of embarrassed.  I really thought I could tell it.

 I am now about to attempt to make an interesting menu for diabetic renal low sodium peeps.  (massive shovel list). AI helps a lot but she isn't always right.  (another big shovel list).  My saddest discovery is I can't eat liver pate.  I LOVE that stuff but it has over the daily allowance of sodium in two tablespoons.  Wahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!

TFL&TTYL

PICTURES

THERE WE ALL ARE

SEE?  THE HAPPIEST BABY ON THE PLANET

MY SEVEN FOOT COUCH...NOT LONG ENOUGH

KE

 

WONDERFUL FAMILY VISITS AND ONE HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE

 The visit with Kevin and Tandy and Elise was so good.  It always is.  They are good visitoring visitors.  I did way too much talking of course, always do.  Sigh.  But it was so awesome to see them.

They got here about one and we just sat in the living room and talked.  They caught me up on where the kids are at right now and where they are at with their various issues and adventures.

Soon we were getting hungry.  So I called the Indian restaurant and got a very new to Canada little person.  She had a very strong accent but I was able to understand most of what she said.  Our order was quite complicated.  There were fourteen dishes and condiments, half of them of them spicy and the same seven not spicy.  And on top of that all of them vegan.  Except the fifteenth....lamb korma for Monte.  There were tons left over and I sent the whole lot with them.  They had a huge cooler with ice and their tent trailer has a fridge in it.  I was so happy they took it all!!!

Kathy and Kerry arrived a couple of days later and I cooked a five pound prime rib.  Delicious dinner!!!  The next day we headed out late morning for Bamfield.  What an awesome day that was!!!  Parts of it were a little tough.  I so associate Bill with Bamfield.  We started going there in 1988 until we sold it around 2005.  And we really did go there.  In fact we bought a little trailer and parked it on someone's property and spent summers there.  Eventually we bought a mobile home, a pretty wrecked one full of rats but it was bigger and accommodated visiting rellies!!!

We lived in it (it's gone now) while we built the big log house.  April was five when we move into it.  And of course we drove down there and no one was home so we did a little crawling around to have a look at our beloved house.  It was so weird I almost didn't enjoy it.  Before all that we visited Pachena Bay.  The most amazing place on earth in my opinion!  Two kilometres of white sand in a protected bay.  There could be five thousand people on that beach and it would still feel empty.  It hosts the start of the West Coast Trail.

The next day we went to the Historical site of the McLain Mill on the edge of town.  It is quite the place.  So peaceful and interesting.  It was a perfect visit.  Pics in the next post, maybe. (shovel list)   They left at the end of that mill visit to head down to Cobble Hill to visit a brother of Kerry's.  We had such a lovely visit.

So this has become quite long so I will mention the horrible thing next post.  I have to be delicate about what I say but it will help people understand, if they give a hoot, a little more about someone near and dear.  I apologize for being so cryptic but I need to think about it a little more.  Fortunately the one I will write about never reads this.

Well tomorrow will be another stellar day.  We are heading up to Campbell river to visit my brother.  Emily and new baby will be there and so will K&K.  It will be a chance for us three kids to get an updated picture of the three of us.  Monte and I don't plan to stay for supper.  That is a lot for my brother's wife and she isn't young anymore. Plus Monte can only hold it all in for two hours max.

So thats it for today.  I shall check in a wee bit sooner next post.      TFL&TTYL

 

WELL IT IS 12:30 PM AND THE HOUSE IS CLEAN, BROWNIES BAKED AND KEVEN ET AL ARRIVE IN HALF AN HOUR.

I just hope that they have eaten their lunch.  I have not one thing in this house that is vegan...other than a pan of brownies.  Speaking of which I asked my bff AI what do I replace eggs with in baking.  And she told me to use one quarter cup of unsweetened applesauce per one egg.  So seeing as how these had to be vegan I did just that.  And guess what?  They turned out beautifully!!!!

I have the table set, for three days now.  There probably is dust on the dishes.  But as I have said before if you get it set early nobody dares put stuff on it.  And so that was one thing I didn't have to do today or yesterday.

The last time they were here Tandy cleaned my whole house.  I am pretty sure she was doing me a huge favour but it also it crossed my mind she felt it wasn't clean enough to sleep and eat in.  I do not want my guest, especially special ones feeling like they need to clean my house.  If I can't keep up with my house I might as well tromp over that rainbow bridge that is getting brighter all the time, right now.

I must say though as I am packing garbage bags up and out onto the deck to wait for Shane's next dump run, the house is getting a wee smidge better and easier to keep up with.  There is still a long long way to go.  Next on the list is all my clothes.  I haven't culled yet.  But its all laundered and in three Rubbermaids and two laundry baskets waiting to be decided upon...fold and put away or garbage bag for the thrift shop.

I think the next cleanout has to be the laundry room.  OMO!!! (that is Oh My Ohm) you should see it.  There is a small buffet, giant organ, many many Rubbermaids of stuff, bags of stuff, two whole walls of cupboards full of stuff.  It never freaking ends.  That room should be called I WILL DECIDE LATER!  And now it is full of decisions.  I know somewhere in there is and unopened box with a Tiffany lamp in it that I bought six years ago from Overstock.  Never opened it.  Isn't that what hoarders do?  I would like to say I am ashamed but I am not really.  When you think of it three people with homes full of stuff moved into this little house.  And we all brought our stuff with us.  Lots of stuff.

Well I am not making dinner this time.  I can if there is a second person to entertain guests whilst I am in the kitchen cooking.  Monte doesn't talk.  He feels that 99% of what people talk about is not necessary and not relevant.  He isn't into small talk and niceties.  I would like to blame his autism but I don't think thats it.  Right now his bipolar is more prevalent...snarky might be the word.  It's a down time.  The up time is scary so I am okay with cranky.

That being the case I am ordering Indian food.  They are masters at making their dishes vegan so that will be easy.  We will have a nice big feed and brownies for dessert.

Now when Kathy comes I am giving her the choice of a prime rib roast I have in the freezer or vacuum packed salmon.  I shall wait for her response and do the one she likes best.  Or both...surf and turf!  Mmmmmm....rich brown gravy all over my miso glazed salmon.  

Well thats it for today.  They aren't here yet but I will do one more check on the house and go hide the vacuum cleaner!!!!  Pics tomorrow by themselves in their own post.  TTYL & TFL