Don’t Buy Me Anything

My husband and I agreed to not exchange gifts this year.  It's one of the best decisions we've ever made.  It took the stress away of shopping when neither of us had the time to shop or find gift ideas.  As a result, we both enjoyed the lead up to Christmas so much more.

This idea isn’t for everyone likely. We just figured we buy whatever we want anyway so let’s do away with the secrets and subliminal hints and chances of disappointment. 

I remember one Christmas when my parents were supposed to do the same thing. 

Mom said, “Don’t buy me anything.”  But Dad knew he should and always wanted to treat my Mom to some kind of extravagant gift. 

In the 1980’s there was a local business that was advertising these new amazing coats from Norway or Sweden. LUDA coats. They were warm and very nice looking. Every evening after the news that store would do a fashion show on tv. It was a precursor to the infomercial. Dad had been into the store and arranged to have them model the couple of coats that he thought Mom would like. He watched for her reaction and then decided which one to give her for Christmas. 

Unbeknownst to Dad, the owner of the store knew that Dad liked a coat too. So he contacted mom and she bought dad a coat. 

I knew Dad bought Mom a coat. I knew Mom bought Dad a coat. No one else knew. 

Come Christmas morning there were two identically wrapped boxes underneath the tree. 

“What the heck is going on here” I’m sure my dad said. 

Well, they each got their coats and I was glad to not have to keep that secret any more. They wore those fancy coats for years and years.

Neither my husband nor I caved and we stuck to the agreement of not buying gifts. Now, if only we could agree to stay away from the leftover Christmas baking!

Kick Off Weekend

We always made sure to decorate our home for Christmas the last weekend in November.  That weekend also just usually happened to be CFL Grey Cup weekend.  It became a tradition that we still hold fast to.

For several years in a row we'd host my husband's parents for the first weekend of December, the weekend following Grey Cup and what we eventually coined "Kick Off Weekend".  

It had nothing to do with football.

What it was, was a festive filled weekend of shopping, sight seeing and other festivities to rev us up for the month of December.  

D & D would arrive Friday evening for visiting and catching up.  Sometimes they'd arrive early as to beat the rush to the city.  I remember one time they did that exact thing and we'd decided to go to the mall downtown.  All was fine until I remembered that school was out that day for an in-service and we came to a fast realization that going to the mall was not going to be for us.  The above ground parking was filled and so was the underground parking.  Folks were driving in and turning around and driving out.  We didn't really need to go to the mall anyway...  

Our meals during the weekend would include a mixture of homemade, Starbucks coffee, Venice House pizza or Montana's for ribs but it was breakfast we enjoyed most.  We'd get up early on the Saturday and hit up the breakfast buffet at the the Flying J.  They had the best breakfast buffet.  There was anything you'd ever want, but my favourite was the strawberry stuffed French toast.  Sadly, this buffet is no longer offered and it's now a Denny's.  I still remember how special those morning meals were.

After we were adequately nourished and caffeinated, we'd go to the Sundog Craft Faire.  This was a juried craft sale on two levels of an entertainment complex.  One level would be all the wares that people made and the second level was all the food stuffs complete with many free samples.  My Father In Law loved a free sample.

Conveniently, next door, was Costco.  That was always another stop on Kick Off Weekend.  Costco always puts out the best things at Christmastime and has unique goodies in their bakery as well as gift items.  It's a huge bonus if they hand out Lindt truffles!

Sometimes we were lucky enough that The Festival of Trees landed during that same weekend and we'd get to take that in as well.  Hubby and I went last year and wandered the streets of historical Boomtown gazing at the trees and the historical memorabilia.  The Christmas trees are so different from how we decorate our own.  They all have themes.  Some would make us ooh and ahh while we'd agree others were not for us.  There were gingerbread houses on display too that had been in a contest and we'd marvel at how intricate they were.  

One thing that we always made sure to do was drive through the Enchanted Forest.  This is an event at the Forestry Farm aka Zoo.  Different sponsors decorate a meandering drive through trees and displays of everything Christmas.  Every couple of years a new attraction is added which keeps it all fresh.  Sometimes, we'd have hot cocoa from Tim Hortons as we drove and sometimes they'd hand out candy canes.  The radio would be tuned in to a special station to narrate the tour.  One memorable time was when my Father In Law decided he wanted to see more (one trip through was all they'd allow) but he swerved/drove around a barricade in determination to see it all again!

Things have changed a lot in the last few years.  The Sundog Faire was cancelled last year and isn't offered anymore.  A local greenhouse did a similar event one year but so far I haven't seen anything advertised.  My Father in Law passed last year and my Mother in Law has moved.  The kick off weekend is a thing of the past but the first weekend of December will always hold wonderful fond memories and no matter what our house will be ready for company on Grey Cup weekend.

1980 - Something

Picture it.

The Christmas mixed tape is playing on the home stereo with the same songs I enjoy to this day; Jim Reeves, Buck Owens and The Chipmunks. Dad is bringing all the decoration boxes from the basement. In the box there’d be some miscellaneous newspapers from Christmases past which always mystified me. We assemble the Christmas tree and Dad strings the full size string of lights carefully on each branch.  The sky is a rose gold in the setting sun, the snow outside is light and sparkly and there’s the faint smell of the heat from the lights touching the plastic branches.  They don’t make candles to recreate that festive smell do they.

It’s nineteen-eighty-something and completely magical.

There were some Christmases that we had two Christmas trees.  We had the artificial one in the basement and a real tree upstairs.  Dad’s brilliant trick to filling in the bare spots on the real tree was to take a branch from the bottom, drill a hole where the bare spot was and attach the branch.  It’s a trick I think he got from my Grandpa.

The decorations were a mixture of shiny baubles, felt ornaments and things we made. One decoration was always a small bell with a blue ribbon that I think had something to do with my brother (his birthday is Christmas Day) but I don’t know what.  There was silver garland and not tinsel because that was too messy.  The tree topper was a multi coloured star.  At the bottom of the tree rested a small plastic manger scene.

Some years Dad would want to hang streamers and foil stars from the ceiling. Mom would protest…”what are you doing that for?”…but often let him get his way.  There’d be a wreath that hung on the back door window that made the curtain puff out kind of funny.

My fuzzy Christmas stocking would rest on the arm of the couch. We didn’t have a fireplace or chimney. I hoped Santa had a key.  

It was probably a Sunday evening in December and when we were done we’d sit in the dark with just the retro glow of the Christmas tree and soft music playing. The next morning, getting ready to go to school, the tree would be lit up in its comforting glow in the coolness of winter. 

Everything would be ready and waiting for Mr Claus’ annual visit.

Music Teachers | My Rockin' Organ Lessons Part 1

By the end of grade seven I was finishing my clarinet career and trading up into the keyboard world.  Originally, I wanted to be in a band.  Be a rock star.  My parents bought me an inexpensive keyboard/synthesizer.  I could already read treble clef notes and I was trying to play a little by ear.  I would put the rhythms on and play away and dream.

One day, my Dad came home to say that if I was no longer going to play in the school band then I would have to take some other activity.  I was given the choice...piano or organ lessons.  

Let me take you back. This was about 1984-ish. Piano's were not digital. Piano's were the standard upright or baby grand vintage. Keyboards were just coming out. The organ on the other hand was awesome. They had drums and all kinds of sounds. Organs were cool. I chose Organ lessons. I know what you're thinking...not many organ rock groups out there. I didn't care.  

I should probably explain a huge difference between the piano and organ. The piano has one keyboard of 88 keys. The organ has two keyboards, foot pedals [much like a keyboard to be played with the left foot] and the expression pedal, for the right foot. The organ is more complicated to play because of the needed coordination of both hands and both feet.  

My teacher was a lady named Su Ling Lo. I was signed up for the 8 Week Introductory Course for $99. I would go into the basement which housed the music school and wait patiently every week. When the eight weeks were over I continued. She said I had promise. I learned quickly. had fun and I was good at it.  

The most vivid memory of her that I have and probably something that become one of my own vices was her pens and pencils. She had different colors laying about all over the organ. Su Ling would want to make a correction. Look about bewildered, and grab another pen or pencil from her desk. Which, no doubt would be lost in the jumble of other discarded pens and pencils littering the organs surface.  It wasn't just the organ.  They would litter the pianos and other keyboards in the room too.

For one of the competitions I entered I chose a Beatles tune. P.S. I Love You.  I was always a Beatles fan. I don't remember being nervous. I would win second place....always a point behind Caroline Haugen. Yes, I remember.  For three years, every festival we would play in we would be against each other. She would place first and I....second. One time we had to play a duet. When it came to our performance, she messed up and I got blamed.  

Another festival, I learned and performed As Long As He Loves Me.  Instead of performing live, we recorded my performance onto a cassette tape and the tape was sent to be adjudicated.  I remember doing it and Su Ling asking me "is that how you want to do it?".  Weeks later when the results came in she expressed her displeasure at how I didn't win.  She wasn't upset with me but was upset with the judging.  She made comment about the person who did win.  Looking back, as a teacher now, I completely understand those feelings.  We know how hard the students work and we always want it to pay off.  

My parents were always supportive of my efforts. There was always music in the house.  Many a weekend morning would include pancakes on the griddle and country tunes on the stereo.  Dad would come home from a long day at work and plop down in his favorite chair in the living room.  

"Play that song for me," he'd say.  

"What song."  

"The one that relaxes me."  

I'd flip pages to Endless Love and play away. Pretty soon Dad would not only be relaxed, but asleep. I'm still not sure if it's a good thing that my playing put him to sleep!  

The third year that Su Ling Lo was my teacher, she decided to combine students into groups. There was four of us in a group all playing organ. The problem was that two of us practiced and two of us didn't and sometimes one wouldn't show up at all. I was one that practiced. In fact, I would often be called up to the front of a class to demonstrate songs.  

I was probably about 14 to 15 years of age then. I was so far ahead of the other people in the organ group that I was hindered from progressing. We asked if I could again have private lessons. When we got the notice of the new schedule I couldn't believe what she had done to me. I was booked for Friday nights at 8 o'clock. Friday night to a 15 year old is totally unreasonable. Unthinkable. Friday was movie night.  

Dad and I took off for the music store and inquired about changing teachers. Not a problem, we were told. This was the end of my organ lessons with Su Ling Lo and her pen and pencil fetish.

Merry Christmas

Before we all get super busy with our Christmas celebrations, I wanted to take a moment and thank everyone who has followed and read along with my posts over the last month or more. I’ve received some very nice comments and appreciate the conversations. 

I had wanted to share a few more things, but our schedules get so jam packed this time of year so those memories and stories will have to wait for another time. I will do some follow up posts about my advent calendars, which I loved and which I thought were the best for my money so stay tuned for those.

I plan on keeping up this blog now that I’ve attracted you all here but if you’ve found yourself here from ABC Football and wonder where that talk is, don’t fret, I fully intend on getting back to that site as the CFL season ramps up for 2023. 

I hope you have a fantastic Christmas shared with those you love and you get a moment to rejoice and marvel in the glow of the lights, bask in the sounds and immerse yourself in the delicious smells of the season. 

Let It In

I had wanted to write a blog about our 30th anniversary and the Christmas that followed our wedding.  Truth be told I don't remember lot's about the Christmas at Fredlund's house and feel like I should because most people in Hubby's family recall that as THE Christmas.  Maybe it was because I was so new to the family and it was just all overwhelming.  I'm not sure but when I think about it I also think about all the family members who aren't with us anymore and that reminds me that even though I've been trying to share all kinds of heartfelt things on this blog, the holidays are not full of happy memories for everyone and some people are living with celebrating a first Christmas without their loved ones.  We are also that family.

It's been a year.  That's all I can say.  2020 was a cakewalk compared to 2022.  Stay at home and bake brownies all the time while working from home?  Sign me up because back then everyone was well in my family and safe.  2022 was a year where I didn't dare ask 'what next' and kept saying over and over God will not give us more than we can bare.  

It's been a test of Faith.  When the pandemic hit, we stopped attending church like most people.  We keep saying we need to go back but haven't.  We've watched like many do on YouTube.  I know attending church is important but I also think praying in the quiet stillness of home is what's helped me endure.  I'm reminded that no matter how messy our life is, God is there to help us pick up the pieces.  And man, 2022 has been messy.

I've had to lean on a lot of people.  Of course my family and friends were there for us but it was my coworkers who probably should get an award for the amount of venting they've endured!  At the same time, wow, what special people they are.  They listened without judgement and it really meant a lot.  The ice cream cake for my 50th birthday, which should have been a fun day, was amazing but happened during a time of grief and misunderstanding.  The Moderators on ABC Rider Fans just took over when things got really tough and they listened and listened and listened some more.  It's because of all of these people that when the holiday sparkle was slightly ignited back in November, I decided to let it all in.

Kicking Up Their Heals

At some point during the Christmas season, my parents would attend my Dad's work Christmas party and I would get to go spend the night at Grandma and Grandpa's house.  I was young and it was a long long time ago now and I don't remember specifics but I know spending time with them was always special.

We'd sit at the dining room table and play card games.  Grandma and I would play Go Fish and Grandpa would play Solitaire.  We'd drink tea but Grandma would always call it "coffee/tea" and laughed about the time she poured tea into Grandpa's coffee making it real CoffeeTea.  Grandma would also say things like "heavens" when I'd tell a far fetched story and reply with "they're busy kicking up their heals" when I'd inquire as to what my parents might be doing.

I remember cousin Kim being there once and teaching me how to draw Snoopy and I remember Grandpa carefully teaching me how to make an origami bowtie.  It's something I can still remember how to make today.  However, one very special thing stands out first and foremost.  One time Grandpa got out the Consumers Distributing Christmas book and it very well could have been the Sears Wish Book or both.  I was writing my letter to Santa Claus.  Grandpa told me it was very very important to tell Santa all the page numbers, product numbers and prices of everything I wanted.  I wanted a lot.  This was the year the new Barbie-like doll Sindy came out.  She had an elaborate house with incredibly detailed furnishings.  There were tiny dishes and cutlery and just amazing things that tickled my fancy.  I carefully wrote it all down for Santa.

In those days, Christmas Eve was spent at Grandma and Grandpa's house.  We would exchange gifts with them and have snacks.  This particular time there were many gifts with my name on them.  When I got to open my presents they were all the items I had so carefully listed for Santa Claus making my wildest childhood wishes coming true.

It would take hours to set up that Sindy house and it took up lots of space but it was so special.  It would stay set up forever because it took so much work but as I grew up and was less and less interested it all got packed away.  I'm pretty sure its still in storage at my parents.  I don't know if there's anything like it for kids these days.  I don't know if today's kids would even want to play with such things, but I sure did, and for a while it was the best gift ever.

Christmas Beans to Eat (Swedish Brown Beans Recipe)

At Christmastime 1999, I got the Hanson Snowed In CD.  It's still one of my very favourites to listen to for getting into the holiday spirit.  There's one song titled "Christmas Means to Me (My Love) but my husband has changed the words to be Christmas Beans to Eat.  We had just moved into our new house and had Brother In Law and family as our first house guests.  I remember how hectic it was to get the house finished for their arrival.  When we moved in the kitchen wasn't even finished!  The best memory though, is our Nieces singing and making up dance routines to that Hanson CD.

Sunday Roast Supper

I am not Scandinavian.  Well, unless you count my Grandfathers sister (I think it was) married a 

Norwegian man...but that doesn't have an actual impact on me.  What does have an impact is that apparently when you marry someone who is Norwegian and Swedish you yourself adopt lot's of their traditions.

One of us!  One of us!

My favourite Christmas item on the big festive meal is Swedish Brown Beans.  The odd thing is that those who grew up in the family prefer other items, but for those of us who married in we love and look forward to the brown beans.

My Mother In Law grows Swedish beans in her garden.  She has a fantastic garden and even when she says things haven't turned out you can guarantee they're more prolific there than anywhere else.  A good number of years ago she gave me a cool whip container of beans.  I'm going to say it was at least 5 years ago.  I put them in the back of the pantry with the intention of one day cooking them.

One day finally came last Saturday morning where I awoke with the idea to cook them in the instant pot.  I got out the "Cooking Favorites of Covenant Women" cookbook from my treasure trove of cookbooks and quickly searched for the recipe.  It had been submitted by Mrs. Doris Anderson.  See all good recipes worth making come from this cookbook and I have one which was passed down to us.  The inscription in perfect handwriting says "To Aunt Emma From Evelyn" with my name and Hubby's added below.

The photos and instructions below are my account of cooking these Swedish Brown Beans in my Instant Pot in about an hour.  The original recipe states 4 hours.  You should be able to 'right click and save' if you're so inclined to try it out and please let me know if you do!

 

My Dad Knew Santa

Faint jingling bells could be heard from the other end of the hallway that led to the Bridge Room on the top floor of the Prince Albert Daily Herald.  The room was filled with little kids dressed in their Christmas finery and bursting with excitement.  I was one of those kids and what made it even more special was that my dad actually knew Santa Claus himself.

You see, my dad was the Press Room Foreman at the Daily Herald and co-chaired the Social Club.  He was in charge of organizing the children's Christmas party.  A few days before the big event, Dad would bring presents home, on Mr. Clauses behalf, to hand out to the kids.  They'd be from The Bay and would be wrapped in festive wrapping and bows.  Ice cream cups would be picked up...you know the kind, with those little wooden spoons that even as an adult leave you with a dry taste in your mouth.  The entertainment would be planned, and hamburgers ordered.

There was wild anticipation but there would always be a movie or two.  The movies would be rented from the library and were the real kind of movies using a film projector.  Every year, we'd watch the one about the Maple Leaf hockey sweater.

Then...

"I think I hear Santa coming!" Dad would say and sure enough the Big Man himself would start the jingling and Ho Ho Ho-ing as he entered the room.  Santa would greet the kids and do the customary questions like whether we'd been good or not.  Of course, we'd been good!  Treat bags would be handed out containing bridge mixture, those little foiled bell chocolates and balls and of course candy canes.  The most important would be the gifts because it was always something we really wanted.  One of the last gifts I received was a large plush stuffed pink and white teddy bear.  The kids would rip into their gifts and paper would fly as holiday chaos ensued.  

Santa would make another round of greetings and he'd be gone.

We'd eat our burgers, fries and ice cream.  Families would start leaving and after tidying up the Bridge Room we'd leave for home too.  It was the best afternoon ever.

Ye Olde Photo Camera

I was watching the Hallmark movie Haul Out the Holly last week and there was a part of the story where the main character had a Polaroid camera.  It was a flashback to when she was young and took photos of the Christmas celebrations in her town.  It got me to thinking that I also have a Polaroid camera.

It was very late and possibly midnight, but in a fit of nostalgia I dug through the cabinet doors of the hallway built in, to find my Polaroid camera.  There it was in its carrying case as pristine as ever.  I knew there was film left in it because a number of years ago I took it to work with me as part of my tourist Halloween costume.  I stood in the corner in my pajamas and lined up my camera in hopes it might still work and snapped a photo of our Christmas tree.

Nope.  It didn't work.  Well, it did take a photo but because the film cartridge has its own battery power it was likely so old that it just didn't want to work to its potential.  So, the two photos which were left didn't want to pop out nor were pictures visible.

Bummer.

A quick perusal of Amazon, London Drugs, and the Polaroid website told me that yes, indeed you can still buy Polaroid film in a vast array...for $29.99 which I suppose isn't that bad for some thing so retro.  But hold the train, that only buys 8, yes, EIGHT, photos.

Yikes.

I have 1000 photos saved on my iPad alone.

The difference is that besides sharing them on Facebook or Instagram, no one really sees them.  Gone are the days we'd take a roll of film to be developed only to find out weeks later how the pictures turned out.  We'd save them into photo albums and haul them out to show family members and guests.  One of the favorite activities at my In-Laws is to look through old photos and hear the stories connected to them.  I don't remember a Christmas as a little kid at my Grandparents where there wasn't at least one or two pictures resting on the coffee table waiting for the images to appear.  Now we post, share, like and maybe comment before moving on and it's all forgotten.

It's not all bad.  If it weren't for social media helping us to see what is going on in each other's lives I wouldn't get to see my friend who lives in Edmonton on the beach in Mexico.  I wouldn't get to see my Nieces share photos of their little one's meeting Santa.  This last year, when we wanted to gather photos of loved one's remembrance, I dove into the photo albums though.

The last time I had photos printed was in 2019 and at Costco.  Now they don't even have a photo department.  I made my Husband a collage shadow box of our trip to Utah and Nevada for Christmas that year.  It now hangs in our living room.

At work, I take photos of my students and print them myself to post on my classroom wall.  They love to see themselves and others who have completed the same music books they have.

Some of you still take special Christmas family photos for the annual Christmas card.  Are you planning on taking pictures this year?  How will you share them?  Maybe this is the year to set them out on the coffee table for the family to enjoy.

Cookies! (Recipe Included)

 

From "Christmas Cookies" by George Strait

I saw a meme last week that says every recipe blog starts off with how the blogger was out for a wintery walk and it reminded them of tobogganing as a child and yadda yadda yadda and the poster just wanted to hurry up and get to the recipe and who cares about the other stuff.  While I do feel the pain of having to navigate all that nonsense to get to the real information, I think we all want to share our warm fuzzy memories of the season with our readers, family and friends.

There's a Roughrider fan in every crowd!

Some of my fondest Christmas memories are of my Mom and me baking cookies. I remember having to kneel on a kitchen chair at the cupboard and watching with wild anticipation as Mom would roll out the dough and then we'd choose just the exactly right cookie cutters.  I was really blessed to have a childhood which contains sweet memories like these.  I was equally fortunate to have a niece and nephew who I was close to, so when I was older and married, I'd invite them to my house to make cookies.  One year in particular, my niece was sick and couldn't come for cookie decorating so my nephew and I did it but put some aside in a special care package to take to her.  She proclaimed that the Christmas cookies held special healing powers because upon eating them she immediately was feeling better.

Jingling Rider Fan Medicine Woman.

Flash forward to when I became a more enthusiastic Saskatchewan Roughrider fan.  I purchased a set of Wilton Football Themed cookie cutters.  The set includes shapes for pennants, footballs, jerseys and helmets.  I only used the jerseys and helmets pictured below, although the recipe, which is coming up soon, makes enough cookies for the whole neighbourhood and then some so you can use your whole array of cookie cutters.  I do have a very extensive collection from all the obvious Christmas shapes to Snoopy and that cute truck with a tree in the back.  Of course, you may already have your own favourite sugar cookie recipe, or you might not have the time to make it and in that case the cookie dough in the cooler section will do just fine.

Makes 5 dozen cookies

Without dragging it out farther... here is the recipe for Mom's Sugar Cookies.  There aren't any special instructions except throw it all in a mixer to combine.  Form it into a roll, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.  If you don't refrigerate the dough, it will be pretty much disastrous and frustrating as the dough won't be able to be worked with.  Roll out the dough and cut into shapes, football themed or otherwise and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 8 minutes.  I use silicon mats on my baking sheets, so the cookies don't get overly brown and so cleanup is a snap.  One substitution you can make is the butter/shortening.  You can use margarine instead and the recipe still turns out wonderfully.

Once the cookies are completely cooled you can frost them with your favourite method.  Back as a kid we'd just use your regular butter cream homemade frosting with a myriad of sprinkles.  These days because my Hubby calls sprinkles "gravel" I bypass that method.  One year I purchased Cakemate Cookie Icing in various colours and although it didn't turn out to be my favourite product the cookies turned out pretty and tasty.

Go Riders!

Another year, I coated the cookies in white frosting and then used food markers to decorate.  These turned out to be my favourite cookies although the process was very time consuming because the markers had to dry completely, or they'd smudge.  That was also the year, where Hubby didn't know of how I'd toiled over the cookies and a good portion of them had "disappeared" before I'd found out.  

The table display for New Years Eve 2019

Maybe you want to make a batch of these for your favourite Riders fan or just make some sweet memories with some close family members.  I hope this blog was enjoyable to read and if it was, please share it with others on your Christmas list.  Nothing says love like a homemade gift-wrapped stack of sugar cookies shared with your family and friends.

Oh Snap! Looks pretty happy for a guy who just lost a leg!

Christmas Cards

Do you send Christmas cards?

I had stopped for a really long time.  Before that, I was the person who had the letter written in October and had all my cards addressed and stamped to go out in the post December first. We would receive so many cards that we had a specially designed wreath just to display them all. Then over the years, we stopped getting a lot of cards in the mail and friends and family chose to send virtual greetings or not to send at all, so it seemed like there was less meaning in putting in all the time and effort and expense into sending cards.  

One year, I quipped, "sure would be nice to get something in the mail other than flyers and bills." and I even mentioned to Hubby how much joy it brought me to receive something in the mail that was personal and didn't require payment.  He simply responded with, "why don't you give that feeling to other people?"

He was right.  

So, I set out to reform my card list.  That was a chore.  Some people on the list had passed, lot's moved and some had grown up to have families of their own.  Just making sure I wasn't leaving anyone out or spelling names wrong was another adventure.  I had once had a really cool adobe type list where I could add the date and whether I'd sent or received cards.  Surely there must be something similar for this new tech world.  I mean, there must be an app for that right.  Well sort of.  I found an app for my iPad simply called The Christmas Card List.  For me this works perfectly.

I remember being a kid and sitting with my mom at the dining room table as she addressed cards.  There seemed to be an art to choosing just the right design and poem to send to each person. It took what seemed like hours just choosing and writing.  When I was in a store this past weekend, there was a couple picking out Christmas cards.  I overheard their conversation about who they needed cards for as they looked and selected.  It was very sweet.  I tend to buy a box of cards that are all one design so then everyone gets the same card.  That's kind of like wrapping all your gifts with the same paper.

I've done that too.

Sunday night after all the hustle and bustle of the shopping day I sat down with the box of cards and my card list app.  I had bought more than enough Santa stamps and I even had some American stamps left.  Sometimes the thought of the task takes more time than the actual task, but I felt good at the end of it.  It's a part of the season we seem to have forgotten about and it's important to continue to let our loved ones know we are thinking about them. Addressing the cards helped me reminisce about friends and family over this last year, which has been a hard one for not only me, but many others.  Maybe a joyous Christmas card will be winging its way into your happy mailbox soon! 

No One Tells You

No one tells you the grief you that you will feel when your pet passes away.  People try to console you with hugs and thoughts and words like "it gets better with time."  It doesn't really help.  Everyone means well, but it doesn't change anything.  What could it possibly change?

It's been two months since Brandy~puppy the Super Dog went to Puppy Dog Heaven.  To say I miss her,
doesn't really tell you the story.  I know she was sick.  I know she was dying from the lymphoma.  I know she couldn't have lived much longer.  My heart still breaks thinking about it.  She was my best friend and making the decision to end her suffering is a decision I never want to make ever again.

The grief isn't about just crying and mourning her life.  It's small things.  It's not having to lock up the garbage.  It's no one to try to steal your blanket.  It's no one begging for the last bite of your sandwich.  It all becomes so routine that you don't realize it until you are about to toss the sandwich in the air that you realize she's not there to get it.  It's that moment that grabs you and clinches your heart.

With time it gets easier.  I don't think it's because you don't feel the grief.  I think it's because you just learn how to deal with the grief.  At first, people wanted to hug me.  A hug would bring on uncontrollable sobbing for a half hour so I refused hugs.  After a week, everyone assumed I'd be me again....be normal again.  But there is this big gaping hole that nothing else fills. 

When a person dies there are cards and flowers and people bring you food.  You know what happens when a beloved pet dies?  Nothing.  Sure people say things to you.  But nothing happens.  They make cards for these occasions....I know they do....I've seen them.  I didn't receive any.  I think that really hurts too.  Brandy was an amazing dog who never believed she was a dog.  Anyone who knew her would know that.  I certainly expected more from family and especially those who've lost pets before.  The family who did really care lived too far away to help us.  I don't know how a single person could go through this.

Gradually, Brandy's belongings have been cleaned and packed.  Some things got thrown out because they were wrecked or dirty.  I've filled her Groovy Dog dish with little red heart stones and put it on the shelf near where she used to eat.  Other belongings are waiting for me to assemble a shadow box when I have the time to do it.  We sold her kennel aka house a few weeks back.  It was sold to a woman who needed to train her dog.  Yesterday, I gave two dog dishes and a bandana to a student of mine who just adopted a cockapoo male puppy.

Even though we've been making these strides....she's still gone and we still miss her.  I mentioned to our contractor how our walls are covered with dog slobber.  He called that 'memories'.  We sure do have tons of those.  It's spring and the snow is just good for trying to scale the mountain of snow in the back yard or for traipsing through the mud and tracking it into the house.  Except there's no one to do it anymore.

And that's what no one tells you....is that your heart still breaks.

Groovy Dog

After seeing an ad in the newspaper on January 7th, 2000 we drove to Weldon, SK and adopted Brandy from a family whose last name was Haldane. She was the last puppy.  She was born November 11th, 1999.  

A dog for the millennium.  She was my Christmas present that year.  She's been a gift every year since.

Through our 14 years together she has taught me some valuable lessons that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

Greet every loved one as if you haven't seen them in years.  We should be excited for those in our lives and we never know how long they are really there.  Everything can change quickly.  Never let a day go by without telling a loved one you care.

Nothing counter height is yours.  If you leave your drink unattended or drop food they belong to the dog.  In fact, nothing on the counter may be yours either.  That is especially true if it is slightly dangling over the edge of the counter or too close to the edge.  Leaving a steak on an open barbecue is definitely an invitation.  Always push the chair in to the table when you leave or you might be missing something off your plate when you return.  Also, none of the blankets in the house are yours.  They all belong to the dog who will promptly curl up on them and never give them up.

Embrace the change of the seasons.  Stop and smell the flowers.  Eat peas straight from the garden.  Stomp in the autumn leaves.  Plop your feet in the puddles.  Feel the mud between your toes.  Dash out the door on the first snow fall and frolic in the flakes.

Take time for yourself.  Indulge in a spa day.  Have your hair done.  Get a message.  Have a pedicure.  Buy some new clothes.  You will feel like a new dog.....er, person after.

Breakable Christmas ornaments have no business hanging on a tree.  This is especially true if they are hanging down low because they will fall onto the floor and crash into a gazillion pieces.  Some breakable ornaments may be hung at a higher level however, the tree may fall over at any time smashing them to smithereens.

Go for car rides.  Travel.  See the world.  Drive with the windows down and let your hair blow in the wind.  Dip your toes in the water.  Find a new spot and make it yours.  Enjoy the sights.  Smell the air.  Be inquisitive.  Escape.

Protect your turf.  Keep an eye out on your neighbourhood.  Keep watch.  Make sure no one is sneaking around or messing with your stuff.  Patrol your yard and make sure everything is as it should be.

Remember when it's garbage day.  Always empty the garbage.  Inevitably a dog will Houdini itself into the garbage under the sink and spread it through the house if you don't take care of the garbage in your life.  This may promote the installation of child proof locks on said kitchen cabinet but a dog is always aware and one must ensure the door is always firmly closed.

Accidents happen.  Sometimes you poop on the floor but there's no point being upset.  Yes it's embarrassing but don't dwell on it.  Clean up your mess and move on.  No one else thinks about it anymore so why should you.  Everyone makes mistakes.

Be loyal and love deeply.

Know when it's time to go.

My little Brandy~puppy the Super Dog was diagnosed with a form of lymphoma on December 27th, 2013 and after a short rebound she went to Puppy Dog Heaven on January 27th, 2014, where she was greeted by her friends, Gonzo, Gunther, Lucy, & her mortal enemy Squeak the Cat.  She was The Mom's angel and The Dad's fur seal and will be greatly missed but forever in our hearts.

Mommy & Daddy love you baby puppy.  More than you will ever know.

Sand Bucket Update 2 ~ A Weekend with Family ~

On Friday I scheduled a substitute teacher so Brandy and I could pick Hubby up from work at 4:30.  Hubby's "Brodder", Sister in Law & their grandson was visiting the In Laws for the last week.  Also, Hubby's Sister's two children were spending the month at their grandparents.  It was important to make the trip while everyone was home.

It is a 4 hour drive south east.  We stopped after driving for 1 hour in a town called Humbolt.  I had coupons for A&W.  We had two-can-dine-for-$9.99.  It was so yummy!  It was two teen burgers with fries and a drink.  We had to share some fries with Brandy.

On the way we listened to 620 CKRM and the pregame show.  It was the first Rider preseason game.  It made the trip go really fast!

"The Home Place"

When we arrived the TV was quickly turned on so we could watch the second half of the football game.  The Riders beat the Edmonton Eskimos 31 - 24.  WAHOO!

For some reason, Friday night Brandy thought it would be best to sleep with her head under this table.

It was a very rainy weekend, but Saturday afternoon it stopped long enough for the boys to get outside and find something to do.  Brodder in Law got some guns out and set up water bottles.  The guys loved...LOVED shooting the water bottles and soon ran out of targets and had to switch to bricks!  They laughed that when the bullet hit the brick there would be a poof of dust.  Hubby called it "shoosting."

Left to Right: Hubby, Brodder in Law & Father in Law

Baron is Brodder in Law's 8 year old German Shepherd.  Baron does not know he is a big dog.  He has the friendliest face and it is so expressive too!  He wasn't sure what to make of Brandy.  They'd met before.....twice even, but it's been a long time between visits.  There was a slow motion chase in the family room.  Picture this....Baron trying to get away from Brandy by walking away with Brandy trotting behind panting all the way!  In the end, they were BFF's and even shared each others dog food and water dishes.

Sunday was the last day of our visit.  Hubby's Grandpa came for lunch.  Grandpa turned 95 a few months back but is still as spry as ever.  You should have seen his face light up when we mentioned there was pie!  I'm pretty sure he had both the coconut cream and banana cream!

I was responsible for the whipped cream & decoration.

 It was a good visit but it went much too quickly.  We gave the kiddos gifts because we don't normally give presents except for Christmas and even then we are never together.  Nathan will be 10 and is devouring Hubby's Hardy Boys books.  We took 6 more books for him.  For Ava, we bought a toy pony that walked.  Cole was the lucky recipient of Hubby's baseball glove and ball.  He was so surprised with his gift!  It was awesome to see their happy faces.

Great Nephew, Nephew & Niece.

We set out for home and had fairly good weather the whole way.  I was happy that I only had the 4 hour drive and not the 3 day drive like Brodder in Law.  We made vows that we'd go visit them next year for sure.  I'm pretty excited to think that we'll maybe hopefully be able to make the trip to Oregon and Idaho!