HAPPY NEW YEAR

 

Wishing all my Friends and Family a very Happy Healthy and Safe New Year.  We have all been thru hell and back this year and the majority of us have managed to survive the year obeying all the social distancing and mask wearing and hand washing and hand sanitizer suggestions made by the  professionals.  We are the fortunate ones.  We are still here.  2021 has to be better.  I miss my friends and family and my travels with my Sisters.  I miss hugging Charlie and Monty.  I miss seeing everyone.

Here's to 2021!!  Cheers!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE

 

Wishing everyone a Merry Safe and Healthy Christmas!

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS AND BIRDS

 

Fun with the woodpeckers.  We have two hanging around since we put the suet in a hanging cage so the squirrels and blue jays can't steal it.  I thought they would get along but I was wrong.  But it seems they only fight when they are close to the feeder.  

Dinner at Roger and Ute's last night and after we drove past Mayor Rozenburg's house down the road.  It is beautiful!!  All the lights are so colourful.   There are no street lights so the decorations really stand out. They really do a good job and I am sure it is a must see for the residents of Thessalon.

Then on the way home the Tunnel Lake Trading Post is all lit up for Christmas.  Keith does a wonderful job every year.  Always nice to come around the bend and see the beautiful lights.

WORKING

 Well, the first picture is of the squirrel on the bird feeder.  Foiled again!!  We didn't see how he got up there so the saga continues...

We helped our friends transfer their wood from their yard to the garage yesterday.  Thanks goodness Ron had a tractor which made our job much more easier.  And it was a nice sunny day to boot - unlike today where we have snow - finally.

Jobam is iced over but I wouldn't be walking out there any time soon.  It will take a few more cold days and nights for the ice to be safe.

DONE

Rejean put the lights up because I hate doing that.  400 little multi colour lights from Walmart on 8 strings.  I put the decorations on.  I bought a couple of containers of white and red bulbs last year and I had apples from when we lived in Windsor.  I also had some custom bulbs from a local lady that I purchased a few years ago.  And finally my red cardinal as the topper.  It is not done until he goes up.  I have a red buffalo plaid table cloth that I will put around the bottom closer to Christmas.  A regular tree skirt is going for $50-$75 which is too expensive for me.  

Now that the tree is up and my other decorations are out, it is beginning to look a lot like Christmas - except for no snow!!  Usually we have a ton out there by now.  It is coming... 

FUDGE ON THE SHELF

Jodie sent this picture of poor Fudge, the boys'  Elf on the Shelf.  Apparently, he has to quarantine  for 14 days ...

OH CHRISTMAS TREE OH CHRISTMAS TREE

Because of Covid, we are staying home for Christmas this year so that means we get to cut our first Christmas tree down on our property.  We have been looking for a few weeks and have spotted a few that we like so today we headed out and picked one out and brought it home.  A perfect height and just enough "Charlie Brown Christmas Tree" for Stacey's liking.  It gets decorated tomorrow.  Pictures to follow.

THE SAGA CONTINUES...

The squirrel has been getting into the "squirrel proof" bird feeder for a few days now.  Every time Rejean sees it, he goes out to shoo him away.  The squirrel waits until the last second before he squeezes himself between the bars and jumps to safety.  We had put the metal guard on the feeder a week or so ago to stop him from climbing up the pole.  Rejean had even tried spraying the pole with Pam so it would be too slippery for the squirrel to climb.  Today we figured the squirrel was climbing up the pole and hang on to the bolt on the underside of the steel sheeting and pulls himself over the steel sheeting to the feeder.  Rejean got out his tools and cut the bolts off.  So far no squirrel but time will tell... 

ANOTHER DAY

Today was the day we put the boat away in the Sea Can.  It is a very tight fit - less than 1 inch at the front and back and about 3 inches on the sides.  The nose of the trailer hitch "folds" to the side and if it didn't it wouldn't fit.  The snowmobile is now in the other garage ready to bring over for the winter in case we use it.  

I also made my Christmas urn with all the white birch and greenery I collected and I must say it turned out pretty good.  Looks amazing next to my pumpkin that is still solid.  You really can't screw it up.  You just stuff branches and add some colour and voila!!  I still have lots of logs and branches left to make a few more decorations.  

Tomorrow we pressure wash the tractor and quads as it will be a lot warmer than today.  It was -10 and breezy all day.  The lake is starting to ice over in the bays and along the shores.  And we got the bird feeder up - picture tomorrow. 

SUPPLIES FOR A CHRISTMAS DIY PROJECT

It was a beautiful day on Saturday so we decided to go get some white birch for our Christmas DIY porch decorations.  Susan made one and it was beautiful so I Googled some ideas and off we went.  It was down a local logging road where they push the trees over when they make new roads.  We had spotted this area when we were out looking for birds (which we never found) so we didn't kill any living trees.  Even Sam found a stick he liked.  Rejean had his chain saw and it made harvesting our selection very easy.  We got some nice logs and branches.  Rejean made a side table for Stacey out of a log and one log was chosen for my centrepiece with some holes drilled for some small candles.  I intend to add some tiny lights and ribbons and berries.  I know that these white birch logs and branches are quite expensive down south.  We are fortunate to be able to get these at no cost.

And to top off the weekend, we celebrated Stacey's birthday.  She had some wine.  LOL

PS  a message to Anonymous; Thank you very much for letting me know about Janis.  I appreciate it 

A DAY TO REMINISCE

It started when I asked my sisters who had the picture of our Father in his RCAF uniform.  Joanne had it plus a few more which led to the following pictures.  It was a day of some good feelings.

 My Mom and Dad's wedding pictures.  It has been a very long time since I have seen these pictures.  they were so young and happy on this special day.  Their good friends Iola and Pete Heaton were their Maid of Honour and Best Man.  The top picture was taken at my Grandmother's house in her dining room and we commented we could remember the wall paper and the china and red lantern lights that Susan now has.  

Joanne also shared the newspaper clipping of when my Father made the first night landing on Pelee Island to bring a young girl back to Windsor because she had swallowed some pills and needed to be brought to the Hospital in a hurry.  My Father worked for Leavens Brothers at the airport and flew the mail to the Island.  He also took hunters to the Island during hunting season.  I remember seeing pheasants in the sink downstairs that the hunters had given him. 

 It was during the night and it was arranged that a few cars on the Island were lined up along the runway so Father could see where to land as there were no lights at the small airport at that time.  He said the return flight took only 35 minutes.  He was a hero and we were so proud of him.

It was nice to see the old photos and remember them.  I miss them.

FISHING IN NOVEMBER!!

November 6th and the guys went fishing today.  It got up to around 17 degrees and nice and sunny.  The fish weren't jumping in the boat but everyone caught some.  Roger got a nice pike!  Rejean got snags!!  HaHa.  I worked around the house getting rid of my flowers and raking the pine needles.  I met them at Hooverville around 2pm.  They had been out at 8am.  Too nice to come in.  They had 5 in the boat but one was pretty small so I released him in our lake and he swam away without a care in the world.  

We had the fish for dinner tonite and they were delicious!!!!