December 31, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. New Year's Eve.

In my opinion,  on New Year's Eve, the best place to be is at home with your family.  Many people like to attend a party.  For instance, our yacht club is holding a dinner and dance.  It will be well attended, but we declined the invitation.  Over the last 65 years of attending events on New Year's Eve,  my observation was that people seem to be working too hard to have a good time.  The frivolity seemed forced, so we stopped going to big parties.

I like to have dinner with friends on New Year's Eve too.  But tonight, Ken and I have stayed home alone and we are enjoying our own company.  Christina and the girls are at home.   Molly has gone to bed already and Mary Frances is not feeling well so is in bed, so Kate and Christina will watch the ball  drop in Times Square and then go to bed themselves.    All day it has rained so it is dark and damp which gives you no inclination to go outdoors.

Many years ago, when the year turned 1965, Ken and I were driving to Big Bend in west Texas.  As we drove west along all those miles, we heard each time zone change to the new year.  We listened to the festivities before the midnight hour and we heard the singing many times.   We can still recall gleefully celebrating the New Year many times, all when driving in our new big Ford.  But now we are old and enjoy staying home.    Tomorrow we will celebrate the New Year with the family for Brunch at the Little Saigon.    Then we will wish them all a Happy New Year.  But tonight, for us, we are happy to be home.

December 30, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. Football.

Evidently, the number of people watching football on TV has been dramatically decreased.  Some estimates are down 40%.  I have been wondering why and so have been looking carefully to see why..  I have decided that there are good reasons why people are no longer watching football.

The number of penalties is extraordinary.  While Ken and I watched a few minutes of a game, we counted 10 penalties in a row.  I know they are trying to make the game safer, but the game is being stifled.  A second irritation is the consultation of the officials with each other.  While they huddle together, we wait, and are bored.    Another aspect of the game that slows it down is the challenges.  Again, we wait while the officials in some remote spot decide the correct answer.   The delays slow the speed of the game to a crawl and finally we switch channels.  There is not enough action during a football game.

The last bone of contention for me is the players.   They are just not very good.   I see passes missed  that should have been caught.  I see players running the wrong route.   I see players who are being well paid to play defense acting like fools when they make a clever play.  I want them to get on with the game.

Many parents are not allowing their sons play football because of the concussions.  Instead the boys are playing lacrosse.  It will be interesting to see what happens to football over the next 10 years.  My observation is that in trying to improve the game they have messed it up so much that people are not watching.  Time will tell.

December 29, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. Shopping.

For Christmas this year, Ken and I gave Kate and Mary Frances an option.  They could either go on a shopping excursion after Christmas with me or take an amount of cash.  Mary Frances does not really like to shop so I thought she might take the cash.  Kate on the other hand, loves to shop.  When she was 11,  I took her shopping for her birthday.   She did well, chosing appropriate clothes and selecting her clothes  carefully.  It was the first time that she really showed her ability to make decisions and to give her opinions.

They both decided to shop with me and with Christina.   We had a lot of fun, and the girls chose lovely clothes.  And we were lucky.  Our intention was to shop on Wednesday, but on Tuesday, Christina asked if we could go on Thursday, which was fine with me.  It turned out that today was the day that the stores drastically reduced their clothing so for the same amount of money they were able to buy double the number of clothes.  We got lucky.

Christina and I sat on comfortable chairs outside the change rooms while the girls tried on the clothes.  Then they came out to show them to us.  Some times we hooted:  too short, too low cut, wrong color.  We visited two stores.  Both Mary Frances and Kate bought dresses, sweaters, vest, shirts.  They were delighted.  To celebrate, we ate lunch at the Italian restaurant.

On the way home, Kate opened all the bags and draped her new clothes all over her shoulders and lap.  And when they got home, the gave a fashion show for Christina.   We all decided that this Christmas gift was a winner.  We might even repeat the drill next year.

December 28, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. The Pittsburgh Penguins.

I am always looking for something good on Television.  This week I spotted a movie about the Pittsburgh Penguins.  Ever since we have spent time at the farm, we cheer for the Pittsburgh teams.  Everyone at the farm supports the Steelers so of course we  always joined into their cheering.   Our friends at the farm had never heard of the Penguins, not being fans of hockey, but we have been cheering for the Steelers and the Penguins since 1973 when we bought our first farm.  That is, unless the Washington teams were playing them.  Then we cheered for the Washington Capitals and Redskins.

Did you know that for 20 years, a player from the Penguins won the award for the highest point total?  Four different players have owned that title.  First Mario, then Jagr, next Crosby and then Malkin. Many teams never have even one title and the Penguins have almost owned the title.  The movie tells the history of the Penguins.  It all happened within my lifetime so I was aware of what was happening but did not really know the details.  Now I have many facts and figures to spout about, if anyone asks.  The history of the team was interesting.  The movie moved along and I enjoyed every minute.  Now I watch them play with new knowledge of where they came from.  They are a great team to watch.  Now this year we will see how far they go into the playoffs.  I was interested to see how a successful team is put together.  Look for it on the menu.  The movie is worth  watching.

December 27, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. Mounds.

For a long time, no one knew what they were.  Mounds could be found all over Mississippi in places where the ground was flat, such as the Delta, except every so often there would be a mound.  It took careful investigation to realize that the mounds were man made.  Late into the 20th Century, archeologist discovered that the mounds were ancient burial grounds.  We visited the Peter's Pottery at Bayou Mound.  Today we drove along the shore of the Reservoir and stopped at Boyd's Mound.  Evidence of houses were found as far back as 500 AD along with pottery pieces from the same time period.

Boyd's Mound is actually three different burial mounds from three different time periods.  People had been living at the site for a long time  We were driving on the Natchez Trace so we stopped to investigate the Mound and have a little walk.  The day was glorious.   Ken and I walked around this Mound through the woods, Ken using the walker and I treading carefully on the millions of leaves.  Walking on uneven ground is difficult for me but I did it anyway.  We tried to imagine what life would be like in the year 700 at this site.  We could not see the water but at that time the river would be close but the houses would have been high on a bluff.

Driving along the Natchez Trace is pleasant.  The reservoir is right beside the road so we see many white birds along the shore.   Our jaunt today was delightful.

December 26, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. Motorcycles.

I am not in love with motorcycles.  Many years ago when driving on the trans canada highway in Banff National Park, two bikes passed us.  The car ahead of us suddenly veered right across the highway to get to the gift shop.   It was an awful sight.  The car clipped the backs of both bikes and the drivers went rolling down the highway like logs.  But I know perfectly reasonable people drive motorcycles safely for years.  Jose in Bethesda drives a bike as does Bryan in Nova Scotia.   And our friends Freddie and Phyllis have driven a bike for years with no accidents.

But now, through no fault of themselves, they were in an accident in Florida.   Three cars and they were involved.  The last car hit the car ahead, who hit the car ahead who hit the third car. finally hitting their bike.  The bike was a total loss and they were both knocked off their bike.   Fortunately, no other vehicle hit them when they were lying on the pavement.  No broken bones.  Just lots of bruising and one twisted ankle.  Freddie is a careful driver and they wear protective clothes.  They always wear helmets and boots along with leather pants and leather jackets.  They were protected. from the road

My problem with motorcycles is that even if you are careful, other vehicles can hit you and you have no protection.  In a car or truck, there is space between you and whatever hit you.   I will be interested to know if Freddie and Phyllis buy another bike.   They do love their motorcycle trips both in Florida, Switzerland and Maryland so it is my guess they will drive again.  But I always think that driving a motorcycle is dangerous and wish my friends would sty in their cars.  But I am an old lady.

December 25, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. Our Christmas Feast.

We did it again.   Our Christmas feast was held at our local Chinese restaurant, the Ding How.    All six of us enjoyed our meal.  A few years ago,  I discovered that the tradition of the Jews to eat Chinese food on Christmas day had a long history, so Ken and I checked with Christina and the girls  and we all agreed it was a good idea to eat Chinese food for our Christmas dinner.   The dinner was such a hit we did it again.

A couple of weeks ago, Christina and I went to the Ding How for lunch.  While we were there, we made a reservation and selected the meal, so when we arrived and were seated at our big table, the food just started to arrive and only stopped when our lazy susan was full.   And when we were finished, Christina had four boxes of food to take home.  They will eat Chinese food on Boxing Day too.

At dinner, we talked about the odd habits that Andrew had developed over the years at Christmas.  We are still fighting the empty chair syndrome, which is one of the reasons we are looking to see alternate activities, but we all talked freely about Andrew and his funny ways and we all laughed together.

The best part of dinner was the good food, but the second best is that neither Christina nor I had to cook or clean.  And we all six enjoyed our Christmas feast.

December 24, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. Making Memories.

We are always invited.  .  Linda Creath, Christina's mother, takes the whole Creath family and us to the best Japanese restaurant in town.   First Presbyterian Church holds a family friendly carol service at 4:00 on Christmas Eve.   At 6:00, children and adults gather for dinner.  Peter and his wife Bethany and their children live in Boston so they are in town for the season, so all the Linda Creath family are together for dinner at the Japanese restaurant..  Nelson, the oldest son preorders the food so when you arrive, the food just arrives.  No fuss and no muss.  The food is wonderful as is the company.  The event is memories in the making.

Linda has been having dinner these dinners for many years.  It all started when Andrew and Christina and the girls went to Texas for Christmas and Linda was feeling a bit blue because Peter and Bethany were also not in Jackson for Christmas Eve.  Rather than missing the rest of they family, Linda, Nelson, Katy and their children decided to go out for Japanese food.  They have been doing it ever since.  Kate and Mary Frances enjoy the dinner.  The three young children sit at the end of the table.  Kate sits by me at the opposite end  with the other events.  Molly never remembers not eating Japanese food on Christmas Eve.   It is a lovely event, enjoyed by all.  It is definitely  making memories for both the old and the young.

December 23, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. Happy Memories.

Irene was in the hospital, having just given birth to Kenny Buckley, born on December 22.  The year was 1961.  Ken and I arrived for Christmas and of course, we wanted to see the new baby, but we were not allowed.  In those days, the hospitals were rigid about visitation hours.    Ken went with Dave, the father, to the hospital.  Ken hung his stethoscope around his neck and the two men walked through the hospital to see Irene and the baby.  Ken was a medical student at the time.   No one batted an eye at the two of them, although Irene was surprised to see them at that time of the evening.  Ken reported back to me that Kenny was a beautiful baby.

At another Christmas in Ancaster,  very late on Christmas Eve, we were putting the presents under the Christmas tree when we spotted a toboggan being given to Norm.  We decided to try it out.  Right beside Dave and Irene's  house was a small hill, so Ken and I headed out sledding.  The night was beautiful, clear and bright.  When we were finished, we left the toboggan on the front stoop.  After the presents were opened on Christmas day, Dave told Norm to look outside.  He was delighted to have a toboggan but commented that  the toboggan was used.   He was not amused   We told her that Santa Claus had used it.   We certainly never admitted it was us, until many years later.

For years, Ken and I spent Christmas with Dave and Irene and their family, first in Dundas and then Ancaster.  We had happy times, and now have wonderful memories, with plenty to warm our hearts each Christmas.

December 22, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. Turtle Creek Park.

Ken is a genius at finding interesting places.    He knows I want him to walk with me and he knows he hates to walk along the same paths day after day, so he has found little parks around the reservoir where we can explore and also walk.  This afternoon we found our first,  the park at Turtle Creek.

Kayaking is the fastest growing boating on the 33,000 acre lake where we live.   The Turtle Creek Park is the only place on the reservoir to launch a kayak, at least easily.  Three more have been approved to be installed this Spring.   In addition to the kayak launch and park area, there is also a nature trail although the only thing I saw on the trail were Canada Geese.   The trail is paved and one half mile in length.    The whole park is small, maybe a few acres.  But it is right beside the water and has benches along the path, so it is a pleasant spot to walk and enjoy the lake.

On the opposite side of the creek are houses.  Each home has a bulkhead and a boat house with docks and chairs sitting by the water.   On our side of the reservoir our homes are high on a bluff but on this side of the reservoir and creek the houses are almost at water level.  My preference is to be high and looking down at the water.  But this little park is useful.  Now we must find the other sites that are set for a kayak ramp as we enjoyed our little walk by the reservoir today.

December 21, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. Zek Elliott.

Football players do silly things after they score a touchdown or sack a quarterback.  They spike the ball or run out to the fans or act like a strong man flexing their muscles.   The NFL is call the No Fun League because the players get fined for doing silly things, like dancing in the end zone.  But Zek Elliott, a first year player for Dallas did something that everyone agreed was cute and unexpected.  After he scored a touchdown, he ran along the sideline and jumped into the Salvation Army Kettle.

The Kettle was big, about four feet tall and so he could jump in the kettle and disappear, which was right beside the Salvation Army crest on the wall.  He disappeared for  only a few seconds.  Then he jumped out of the kettle and ran do his team.  Everyone cheered and laughed.  It was very cute.  The announcers suggested that people will begin donating to the Salvation Army,  because of the gesture.  The next day, I read an interview saying that the donations began pouring in immediately.  The amount of money donated to the Salvation Army on that day was 60% greater than last year.   And many on line donations were in the amount of $21. which was Zek's number.

So far, I have not heard that he was fined.  I wondered if it was premeditated, or was a spontaneous joke.? Whatever it was, it was cute and unexpected and a bonanza to The Salvation Army.

December 20, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. Pleasant Customs.

Each time we are in Mississippi, I have coffee with Eleanor, Greta Barbour and Christina.    We shift from one house to the other.  The coffee is always set out in an elegant style.  We use the best china and silver and drink coffee and eat delicious sweets.  The custom is lovely.  I am able to catch up with my friends and family and hear all about the children and Jackson.  Monday was the day for us to have coffee together and we met at our house.  The custom is simple but heart warming.   It is one of the pleasures of coming to Mississippi.

Mary Frances chose the restaurant last Sunday for brunch.   Anjou was the choice.  It is the best french restaurant in the Jackson area so a perfect spot to celebrate the holiday season.  Our custom in Jackson is to meet the family for brunch after they are finished church.  Beginning two years ago, we turned the choice of restaurant over to Kate and Mary Frances.  And sometimes Molly will select the restaurant too.   Everyone enjoys the time together.  Firstly we always eat good food and secondly, the time period is not too long.  Our custom is a good one, enjoyed by all.

So when does a happy custom become a rut?   I do not know but I do know that happy customs make everyone happy.

December 19, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. Christmas Music.

Missisippi College Singers held a Festival Of Lights.   I spotted the hour program on the TV Menu,  Christmas music is one of the delights of the season so I expected a joyful program of carols, sung by a college choir.  What I heard was beyond  expectations.  The choir was excellent with a pure sound.  Most of the pieces they sang were not familiar to me.  And they were interspersed with readings from the Bible with no break, so the hour went quickly.  I texted Christina  about the program and asked about the choir.  According to Kate, all members of the choir are music majors and take their task as choir members seriously.   "Much too great a time commitment for me", said Kate.  The program was on PBS and was wonderful.  What a surprise for me to hear that choir.   The program was held in the College chapel which is not big so the sound was superb.

The Mormon Tabernacle choir and orchestra was on TV tonight.  As usual, their productions are professional.  And once again I enjoyed the music.The choir is always good and worthwhile.     I am on a roll listening to this great Christmas music.   Now I must look for something good tomorrow too.

December 18, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. Birthday Celebration.

The Buckley family has celebrated this weekend.   It was a group celebration.  Four family members in the Dave and Irene family have birthdays within a week of each other in December, so their habit has been to have one party to celebrate them all.   It is a great idea and everyone in the family enjoys the event.

This year, Dave turns 85 so Ken and Anne and Elise flew from Vancouver to join in the festivities.  Wonderful Wendy suggested that we might be able to come but traveling is too difficult to we declined.   The Toronto group and the Hamilton group attended so they had a weekend of parties along with the Vancouver folks.     I am sure they had a wonderful time.

Annes' birthday is not in December but Saturday night they all went out to dinner to celebrate her birthday because no one was is in Vancouver to celebrate on her real birthday.  Perfect excuse for dinner at a fancy restaurant.  

Today is actually Dave's birthday.  So congratulations to all the Buckley family members celebrating together this weekend.  I feel sure they had a wonderful time.

December 17, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. A New Neurologist.

Dr. Cathy Gregg is a Geriatric Specialist in Mississippi.  She is our main doctor.  In addition, she is a good friend of Christina and her husband Bo went fishing regularly with Andrew.  Dr. Gregg thought that Ken should have a local Neurologist, so she made an appointment.  Friday was the day.  I went along to hear what was said.

Once again, the good doctor, Dr.Huang, was young.  At least he looked young.  He asked Ken hundreds of questions.   Sometimes I was forced to answer the question accurately such as when Ken sleeps.   At the end of the interview, he increased the dosage of the Parkinson's medicine but he thought that Ken was handling the disease as well as possible, which we both agreed was true.

But the good doctor told Ken to increase his level of exercise.  "Get away from the computer," he said.  He suggested physical therapy or joining a gym.  I did not say a word.  Ken likes to get his exercise the natural way by working in the yard or doing other projects.  The problem right now is that Ken mostly can not do those activities, so he is short of exercise.

Ken agreed today to go to a park and go for a walk every day.  Today, we went to the drug store and did our walking going up and down the isles.  We will see about tomorrow.

At the end of our meeting with Dr. Huang, I asked him if I needed an appointment with him due to my neuropathy legs.  He told me that it was not necessary because he has nothing to help me.   But we made an appointment for Ken in April.  He wants to see Ken every six months.  We will do our best and will see him when we return to Mississippi.  So here we go.  Yet another doctor here on our list of appointments.  Fortunately, they are all good and we are grateful for them.

December 16, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. The Old Man.

At first I  thought the old man putting the groceries in the bags was with the lady.  She had just checked out and was standing watching the old man.  The reason I was even looking was because I had to wait.  The checker is not allowed to begin scanning grocery items until all the previous customer has every article in bags.  At Krogers you do not wait.  The store always keeps lots of checkers so I was surprised to be waiting.

When the lady walked off with her cart, I knew that the old man was working for Krogers.   But he was not really helping much.  He was trying to sort the groceries together but the process was slow.   When I paid, the checker began putting stuff in bags and doing it quickly.  Finally, the first layer in the cart was full so the old man told me that he was going to get another cart, which left no one bagging the groceries except the checker.  She asked me where he had gone.  She made a face.  Then another young girl came over to help and they quickly finished the task and filled my cart

I felt sorry for the old man but for Krogers it was a bit like hiring the handicapped.  He was not really handicapped but he was old and bent over and he was trying to sort the groceries as he put them into the bags.  The young girls just put the groceries in the bags as they come down the conveyor best.  And they did it all quickly.  When I was walking out the door, I saw him walking back pushing an empty cart.

Ken was called to pick me up.  I waited and watched people taking their groceries to their cars.  Sure enough, my old man was helping an old lady put her bags into her car.  He took forever.  She finally began taking bags out of the cart and putting them in the back seat.  He was doing the same thing by looking in each bag and putting the heavy object on the bottom.  But you could tell the lady was ready to drive away.  The poor man.  He was trying to be efficient but in so doing he was making everyone wait.  I do not think I am going to see him working there again.  He gets in everyones way.

December 15, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. Breakthrough.

Ken has been poking around the Internet finding ancestors.   Since early in the summer he has been looking into his own family as well as his cousin Ian.  Ian's family were from Finland.  Evidently, the Finns kept careful records because Ken was able to follow Ian's mother's family back a long time.  That was fun.  Ken takes it up for several months, then drops the search for a year or two before picking up his search again.  Every time he gets back to searching his ancestry he finds more tools on the Internet.

In the past, he has had no luck searching out my family.  Both the Buckleys and the Houghtons moved to Canada in the early part of the 20th Century.  He had no luck tracking the families in England.   But yesterday he found the family of my Grandmother, Alice Swallow, my father's mother.  She died before I was born.  The only thing I knew about her from other people was that she was a lovely lady.

Now I know that she was one of 8 children, all girls.  I even know the first names.  Ken told me the name of Alice Sallow's Mother too.  I had never heard the name.  So far, he is back to the early 19th century.  Now he will keep going.   The Houghton family is difficult because there are so many of them.  My grandmother Houghton was a Bowler, which is also a common name.   Ken does not know if records were lost or if the English have been slow to put information on the Internet.  But Ken is pleased to have had a breakthrough.  He found the family of Alice Swallow, my grandmother Buckley.  Now that is fun.

December 14, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. The Grocery Store.

This morning, our fridge had no milk.  Nor any bread or berries, so Ken and I went to Primos for breakfast.   Going to Primos for breakfast is not a hardship.  The food is excellent and many folks in these parts have breakfast  there every day.   These regulars have memorized the menu so they just walk in and order and sit down and wait for the food to appear.

Next task was mailing our Christmas cards at the post office which is just around the corner..   And last on our list was going to the grocery store.  I can not drive so Ken dropped me off.  The plan was for me to call him when I was finished at the grocery store.  Now Ken has a habit of not answering his phone so we laughed that I might get stuck waiting outside, waiting for him to finally answer his phone.  But today he answered immediately so our plan worked.

At the grocery store, I like to walk up and down every isle.  I use it for exercise and also to look at all the items on sale.  By the time I have completed my walk, the grocery cart is full and everything on my list is in the cart.   The grocery store is excellent.  Krogers is the local chain.  It is not quite up to the level of excellence at  HEB in Texas but it is pretty close.  Their deli section has lots of variety.  And they have two sushi chefs working away every day.  I brought lunch for us today.  I actually enjoy going to the grocery store perhaps because I only go every so often.

When I first started going to groceries store  in 1958, I had limited cash so as I put objects into my cart, I added up the cost of each item.  By the time I was ready to check out, I knew within five dollars how much I needed to pay.  I did it so long that my brain automatically adds up the total in my cart.  I can still tell within ten dollars how much I need at checkout.   It is ridiculous but true.  Now, one of the joys of going to the grocery store is that I am not concerned about the money in my purse, but old habits die hard.  Our grocery store is one I enjoy visiting.

December 13, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. Southern Living.

Ken commented to a friend recently that at no time in his life did he ever dream of living in Mississippi.   I agreed with him.  It was not in any plans.  But here we are spending part of each Spring and Fall living life in Mississippi.   And liking it.

Today I talked with my friend Mary MacD. from Nova Scotia.   Walt had an appointment in Halifax yesterday so they were required to drive, even though the roads were terrible.  It had been snowing all night, then sleet. The driving was terrible.  But they made it home safely.  Today they are staying home and off the roads.  Even Gill, who does not complain about the weather, described the weather as first snow, followed by sleet, followed by rain which froze, and then turned back to snow.  The whole thing repeating over and over again.  The weather is still fearful.

Meanwhile, we in the south had rain for two days with a temperature of 60 degrees.  This afternoon the sun  shone.  By the end of the week it will be cold here, about 40.  And last week we actually had an honest to goodness freeze.  Our outside thermometer registered 29.  But only for one night.   There are many joys living in Mississippi, which includes the friendly, polite people, but nothing is better that looking out and seeing no ice and snow.  The reservoir does not freeze.   Living in the south has it's rewards.

December 12, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. Good News.

Today was a day of good news.  My friend Mary was given a boot and a different brace so now she can put weight on her broken leg.  Great technology.  She was not in love with hopping on one leg.  And she is feeling well enough to practice her flute.  Progress in Delaware.

My surgeon man checked my eyes today and he reports that both eyes are doing as well as can be expected.  Both eye pressures are fine and my right eye with glasses I can see 2/25.  My left eye is slower to clear up.  I am seeing 20/50 out of that eye.  Normally after surgery, it takes at least four weeks before they change your glasses.  My right eye is probably ready but not the left.  I will have to wait until we return from Mexico before I will be able to get new corrected lens.

The good news is that I can see out of my left eye.  Dr. K. is pleased.  I was well on the way to have no vision in my left eye but now I can see, although not too well.  He was anxious today when he realized that we leave for Mexico on January 7, and will be out of his reach.  He did admit that there was probably an Opthamologist in Puerto Vallarta.   I assured him that we found an Oncologist two years ago and all was well.  Now I do not need to see the good doctor for three weeks.  Good news indeed.  

December 11, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. Oops.

Mississippi has a lot of musicians.  Many restaurants have entertainment while you dine.    Sometimes you wish they didn't because  if the place is already noisy, the music just adds to the general din.  When Suzanne was here we went to the Yacht Club for dinner.  The music was so loud we could not carry on a conversation, but today, Ken and I enjoyed the singer at the Pelican Cove.

Mostly we go for brunch with the family at 11:15 but sometimes there is a change.  Mary Frances sings in the junior choir and today they sang at both services, at 8:15 and 10:45, so the plan was to meet at 12:30.  But I forgot so Ken and I went to the Pelican Cove at 11:15.  Christina is seldom late so I texted her to see if I had the wrong restaurant.   Fortunately, even though she was in church, she told me that we were to meet at 12:30.  Oops.  

The day was beautiful and we were sitting overlooking the reservoir.  We ordered our meal,  drank coffee and listened to the musician, who turned out to be excellent.  He sang and played the whole time.  One song after another with not a break.  We were still eating when the family arrived at 12:30. The singer was not young.  Ken went to put a tip in his jar and commented to him that he had done this before.  He laughed and said "More than I care to think".   He sang in tune,  and he played an interesting piano.  And he was not loud.  Ken and I enjoyed listening to him while we waited for the family to appear.   While we were still there, other musicians appeared.  Beginning at 2:00, the Pelican Cove was holding a Musicians Christmas.   For the rest of the afternoon and into the evening, the various groups were to take turns.   We knew it was time for us to leave when all the big speakers were being set up.  But Ken and enjoyed listening to song after song, sung by a very experienced musician.  The Oops turned into a bonus.

December 10, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. Memory Lane.

I have been going down memory lane.   As I write the Christmas cards I recall each person and their families.  Every one on my list has been important to me sometime over my life so I remember each person fondly and sometimes I laugh.  No one else knows but me the connections, but I know.

For instance, this afternoon I wrote the card to Fairie and Murray Lewin.who now live in Oshawa.  Fairie was the only daughter of Fairie and Edgar Halsey who I have known all my life.  Mrs. Halsey was a Muttant who lived in Calgary.    She was an excellent pianist and accompanied my Father when he played his first trombone sole.  He was a teen and she was but a child.  Then the Halseys moved to Toronto and lived on Davisville Avenue.  Fairie and I walked home together from North Toronto Collegiate Institute.  We always stopped to say hello to Mrs. Halsey before I continued my walk.  I always checked into their refrigerator to see what goodies were in store.   And of course, I ate some of the brownies or cookies.  Happy memories.  Murray I have known since we moved to Toronto in 1953.  We joined Danforth Corps, which Murray attended.  We called him Moose.  I wonder if anyone calls him Moose now?

I wrote a card to Bill and Irene DeGroot, who still live in Galveston.  Bill was in charge of the Pulmonary Lab where Ken did his research.  Irene at that time had two children and when Andrew was born she would invite me with the baby over for afternoon tea.  It was a lovely gesture.  Eventually, she had two more children and I one more so the children played while we chatted.  An of course, her daughters enjoyed playing with my boys.    They had a swimming pool so on good days we took all the children into their pool.  The afternoon with Irene and their children was a delight.

It has been a day of nostalgia.   And I still have half of the cards to write.     I must not stop so long to linger with my happy memories.  Christmas is coming.

December 9, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. Sombro.

Around my birthday each year we have a party.   Years ago we rented an ice skating rink in Wheaton and invited our friends to come and skate.  When I was an agent I invited friends in addition to clients, always the Saturday closest to my birthday.   It was fun.  We served hot chocolate and donuts. and it was easy.

Since we have moved to Mississippi, we have been entertaining at Sombro, a Mexican restaurant near the Renaissance.  Tonight was the night.  We invite our friends and their children for Mexican food.   The children drink lemonade while the adults drink margaritas.  Everyone is happy.  The food is excellent and the service good.  All I do is pay the bill.  This is the fourth time in Mississippi we have held this event.

Normally I do not like to repeat an event but on the way home Ken suggested that the children like the idea of going to the same place.  He thought they were more relaxed in the familiar surroundings. I had intended to find another restaurant for our event but I could not muster up the energy to check out restaurants so I took the easy path and booked Sombro.   We invited guest for 6:00.  By 8:20, we were driving home.   This is a perfect amount of time to entertain  We were pleased with the evening and I think the children and guests were too.   The Christmas season has officially started.

December 8, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. The Cold.

Right now, the temperature is 39 degrees outside.  I know because we have a small device telling me the exterior and interior temperature.  I am certainly not going outside.  I look at the outside temperature every morning because Ken always asks.  Yesterday I admired all the pansies on the boulevards at the Renaissance.   They were beautiful even into December but tonights freeze will do them in.  Tomorrow the pansies will all be frozen.   In Ontario, pansies were planted in the Spring but in the south, they are planted both in the early Spring and the Fall.   In the Spring, the plants thrive until the heat kills them and in the Fall they last while the temperatures and moderate.  Some winters they survive the whole season.

Tonight will be cold.  It will probably drop below freezing which for Jackson is unusual.   The front has come in bringing freezing weather.   People stay home because of the cold.   And they wear fur coats and boots.  When the temperature is 45, people speak of it as freezing and they always feel cold.  I have learned that temperatures are relative.   Jackson folks say nothing about a 80 degree day while the Nova Scotians think it is ungodly hot.   In Texas, the workers could not work when the temperatures got to freezing while they would work in 90 heat.  The opposite was true in Nova Scotia.  The workmen worked outside all winter but when the temperature was 80 or above, they were forced to stop working outside because of the heat.   I think we learn a set point in our bodies where the temperature is comfortable.

Ken and I have adjusted our set point a bit.  We have learned to like 80 degrees.   But we can still keep warm in the cold which is a good thing because tomorrow will be cold.  Very cold.  There will be a high of 45.  Whew.  Almost freezing.

December 7, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. Being Home.

My life has been spent going out.  Both Ken and I  went to work every day except when we were on vacation.  We attended concerts and parties.  And we went for long walks.  But we certainly did not spend a lot of time at home.  We were always on the go, attending band or songster practices or meetings of one kind or another.   And we entertained.

Now we are happy to stay at home.  I am still amazed that I am content to stay home.  Recently I read an article saying that one symptom of senility is when you cease to want to go out.   I wonder if this is true.    I guess we will find out.  One would think that not being able to drive is a major irritation to me, but it is not.  I am just relaxed about it and I do not fret.  I probably assume that one day I will be able to drive again so I am just waiting for my eyes to heal and my glasses are corrected.

Of course, our homes in the past were not as beautiful as those we live in now, but our homes were fine.  We just did not spend much time in them.  At our age and infirmities, being home is easier than going out.  And we both enjoy being home together.  This is a surprise and a delight.  It is true.  You can teach old dogs.  We are the perfect example that these old dogs have learned to stay at home and enjoy themselves.  Wonders never cease.

December 6, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. Birthday Girl.

Today I am the birthday girl.  In 1937 I was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, which means I turned 79 today.  I was born at Grace Hospital, the Salvation Army hospital where my Aunt Miriam was the person in charge.   Next year will be a Big O year when I turn 80.  Already friends from work are asking if we will have a Big O party.   Our party was to celebrate folks  in the office who turned an O year that year.  We celebrated in style at a hotel downtown.  Snow was falling so most folks took the Metro.  Great party in 2007.

I had learned early in my life to organize  my own party so this year Christina, Ken and I ate my birthday lunch at an Italian restaurant in the Renaissance.  Christina picked us up so we did not even have to drive.  The food was excellent, as was the company.  Elizabeth, our cleaning lady brought us dinner tonight so I have been well looked after today.

The rest of the day I spent checking my e mails from all my friends from Facebook.   And other friends and relatives contacted me too both by phone and Internet.   When we came home from lunch, a lovely floral arrangement was at our front door.   It had a Christmas theme so it fits right in with our festive decor.  David, Suzanne and the girls sent me the flowers.  Christina always bakes me a cake so I will enjoy that too.  I feel well loved and grateful.    Being the birthday girl certainly has advantages!!

December 5, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. Maple Syrup.

Today I poured the last of the gallon jug of maple syrup given to me by my sister and brother in law from Williamsport, Ontario.  Carol and Ken visited us each year.  They came to the farm every so often, to Nova Scotia every Fall and to Texas every few years.  They always brought us a gallon jug of maple syrup from their Mennonite friends who were neighbors.   Both Carol and Ken died several years ago so we will not be getting any more.  I felt sad when I poured the last.

Sometimes we were overloaded with the syrup so I froze it, which is why I am just now using the last of the jug brought down from the farm.  Ken used to laugh about it because we always had so much on hand  but he will miss it now.

Making maple syrup is not easy and is labor intensive especially as the Mennonites use no electricity.   Their friends always saved sever gallons for Carol, so we never went without maple syrup in our homes.  I think we have enjoyed that syrup from Carol and Ken for over thirty years.  We like maple syrup.  Ken uses it every morning on his cereal.  Now we will have to buy our own.  But it will not be the same.  This summer I used the last of our supply in Nova Scotia.  Now we have eaten the last here in Mississippi.  Hats off to Carol and Ken for their generosity.  I still miss them and their maple syrup.

December 4, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. Mary Frances.

If the story is true, it is not bragging, just factual, at least according to my Mother.   Mary Frances has been in a play at her school, Jackson Prep.  You must audition for a part.  The play was not familiar to me, "The Dining Table", but she got a juicy part.  The school was entering the play in a competition, to be held at Mississippi State.  This competition, held on Friday and Saturday this past week, is for schools in the northern part of the state.  Four of the 20 winners advance to a state wide competition against the souther winners, to be held in mid January at Southern Mississippi University.

The play was performed at school on Thursday evening, which we unfortunately missed.  I can not drive at all and Ken will not drive at night, but Christina reported that the performance was excellent.

At each performance at the competition, an adjudicator makes suggestions and evaluations.   He singled out Mary Frances by saying that her performance by words and body language made her character believable.   During the play, she ages and eventually becomes senile.  The judge asked her if she had anyone in her family that she had observed to learn so well her character.   She said no.  Whew.

Mary Frances' school advanced to the next round of competition.   She was thrilled.  The teacher/director also won the prize for being the best director.  Evidently, every one in the cast had a great time.  They got to see all the different plays in addition to performing.  Jackson Prep has an excellent program in performing arts along with art.  And the academics are of high level as well.  Congratulations to Mary Frances and the cast of The Dining Table.  They did well.

December 3, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. My Friend Mary,

My friend Mary broke her leg, a compound fracture of her left tibia and fibula.  Not a good break  Of course, no break is a good break but these breaks on load bearing bones are especially difficult.   She is prepared for a long recovery.

She was in the attic retrieving Christmas decorations at their home in Delaware when she stepped in a hole on the attic floor.    Her leg got caught and she lost her balance and fell, which left her leg in the hole.   Mary could see what she had done and immediately called 911 who came promptly.  The big problem was how to get her over to the stairs and then get down the pull up stairs.  They suggested calling a crane to lower her down but she refused.  Instead, the emergency attendant put a balloon cast on her leg.  Then Mary scooted like a crab on her back side and arms and one good leg while the attendant held the broken leg.   She came down the stairs the same way.  Once on the second floor, she had clear sailing as they had a chair that wheeled down the stairs and to the waiting ambulance.

The surgery was done that afternoon and she stayed two days in the hospital.  Now she is home but she may not put any weight on that leg and won't for many weeks.   When I talked to her today she was busy looking on the Internet to purchase a wheelchair.   At the moment, she gets around using a walker, hopping with the one leg.  When their home was renovated, they installed a stair electric chair. Wise move.

Her timing is good.  There is no gardening to be done right now and sailing season is over so she can rest to her hearts content.  But the moral of the story is to keep your Christmas decorations in closets on the main floor.  My friend Mary now has a lot of time to practice her flute.

December 2, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. Eye Drops.

My full time task these days is putting drops in my eyes.  I have four different drops to put in my eyes.  It seems simple enough but trying to remember when you put the last drop in and at what time is actually difficult.  Dr. Kosco gave me a chart: 6 times a day with the bottle with the white top in the left eye, 4 times a day with the tan top bottle in the left eye, two times a day with the red top bottle in the left eye and one drop in my right eye with the pink top bottle.   Keeping it straight is not easy.  At first I was using a pen to mark on a chart but I finally arrived at a clever system that is working like a charm.

I made a chart for the times each day when I use the drops for each of the four bottles.  I spaced the times out on a paper.   The chart gives me the times throughout out the day so as I put in the drops at 8:00, I moved the white top bottle onto the 8 on my chart.  I do the same with each bottle.  So I know immediately what drop needs to be put in my eye at any time.  My system has worked for two days.  It is a bit like playing snakes and ladders in that I move the bottles across my chart.   For instance, this evening I have only one time slot empty which is the white bottle for the 11:00 drop.  The system is simple and effective.  Of course, if anyone moves my little bottles off my simple chart I will be in trouble.   Ken will leave them alone but Elizabeth the cleaning lady will never leave the clutter on the bathroom counter.  But there is hope.  I see the surgeon again on Monday and he doubtless will change my schedule.

The brain is a funny thing.  When you do the same action multiple times, the brain stops registering what has been done, which is why we must keep medications in a little box separate for each day because we do not remember what we have just done.  Actually the same is true for muscles.  You must change your pattern of exercise to increase strength.  Now I am set with my drops.   But I will be ready for this eye to be healed from the surgery even though I have solved the problem of what drop to use.  My system works well, finally.

December 1, 2016. Madison, Mississippi. The Grey Cup.

My family had moved from Calgary to Vancouver late in 1947.  In fact, my brother stayed back in Calgary in order to complete his high school and joined us in Vancouver the next June.  My father moved to Calgary from England with his family somewhere in 1913, so Calgary was his home town and he always cheered for The Calgary Stampeders even when we lived in the east.  1948 was the first time the Stampeders won the Grey Cup, the championship of the Canadian Football League.  They had won the Grey Cup several times since 1948.

I remember the year because a family friend,  Mr. Honeychurch,  sent my father a big package that said in large print Calgary 35, and in tiny letters, the opposite team and their score.  It was fun.  When my father died, we found that package in his belongings.   I wonder where it is now?  

This past Sunday, the Calgary Stampeders were expected to win again, but they got fooled.  The Ottawa Red Blacks beat them for the championship.  According to the announcers, the Stampeders were heavily favored but for the first half it was all Ottawa.  But Calgary stormed back in the second half to tie the game, only to see Ottawa win at the last minute.   It was exciting but as usual, I can not sit still for the whole game.  I always cheer for the underdogs but my father would not be pleased to see me cheering for anyone other that Calgary so I stayed neutral.  But to tell the truth, I was pleased to see Ottawa win the Grey Cup.  Our Ottawa family is pleased too .