December 31, 2021. Ancaster, Ontario. Moving On.

Tomorrow we three fly to Mexico, on a direct flight from Toronto to Puerto Vallarta. All being well, we will watch the sun set from our own balcony in Playa Royale. The sun going down over the horizen on the Pacific Ocean is a sight to behold and we are looking forward to be wearing sandals and shorts and enjoying 80 degrees. We are organized. Wendy has done all the requirements for us to board the plane and to get into Mexico. The Mexican government has put the immigration form on the internet which Wendy has done for all of us. And we have our boarding passes too. We are set. Our original flight was to be 9:30 but a month ago the time has changed to 7:30 which means we must leave on the limo at 4:00am. But we arrive at noon in PV which means that by 1:30 we should be eating lunch at the beach restaurant at Playa Royale, my resort in Nuevo Vallarta. Rachel, Norms youngest child will stay in Wendys house, along with her husband and son, who is 18 months old. Rachel and family have returned to Canada from Thailand after teaching there for several years. They have been here in Hamilton for a yar, waiting for a work permit for Ranjeth, all the while staying with relatives. Until the work permit arrived, Rachels husband was unable to get a job or a drivers license. But now he is set. And their little family will enjoy living in Wendys lovely home, as well as looking after the cat Muskoka. To get ready to move us along, we have been trying to empty the fridge. This afternoon, Dave & Irene came over for tea and to eat up the last of the wonderful cheeses we are on Christmas day. Yesterday for lunch I ate red beans and rice. For the last two night we have enjoyed roast pork along with the vegetables that Ken cooked along with the pork. By now, we have eaten all the leftover food and now the fridge is ready for Rachel. We are moving on.

December 30, 2021. Ancaster, Ontario. Roomba.

I have heard about them and I have read about them but I have never seen them in action until this afternoon. Wendy has one. And she actually uses it all the time. It is a robot vacuum cleaner and it actually works. This clever little piece of business seem to know where it has been and where it is going next. While i was sitting reading in the family room, Roomba cleaned the room, going all over both the carpet and the hard wood floor. Once it had wandered the whole room several times, it went into the kitchen to do its job. Then onto the dining room. Somehow or another, Roomba knows not to go down the basement stairs and i have no idea why. The little machine keeps going until it runs out of battery, or when the job is completed. It also stops if it gets stuck. When it is finished vacuuming the rooms, it returns to home base to be stored, all by itself. But the machine is not perfect. It can not fit under most chairs. And Wendy complained today that the kitchen was not properly cleaned so she swept the kitchen floor herself. The room where I was sitting got three times the room but when it was in the kitchen I could only hear it running a short time. And it gets stuck under chests. But Wendy only needs a cleaning service once a month because Roomba vacuums each week. I have no idea how it works but now at least I have seen it in action. Roomba is a remarkable bit of business and certainly helpful for anyone who needs to keep a house clean. Beats vacuuming yourself even if Roomba is not perfect. But for me, I will stick with my cleaning lady. i am old fashioned I guess.

December 29, 2021. Ancaster, Ontario. Muskoka, the Cat.

All cats and independant but Muskoka the cat is more independant than other cats. Muskoka is 4. She never liked their other cat, C.A.T., the one that just went to kitty heavan. They never liked each other but they never actually had a fight. They just stayed away from each other. Muskoka does not like children so when kids are in the house, the cat disappears somewhere in the house. Even Wendy can not find Muskoka. Forest is Alana's dog. When Forest is visiting, Muskoka does her disappearing act and is never seen until Forest leaves. Muskoka refuses to eat from her bowl on the floor if Forest is in the house which he does many times. So Wendy and Ken must put the cat food up on a table so Muskoka can eat. I have been here two weeks and only yesterday Muskoka would allow me to pat her, and I like cats. Most of the time, I seldon see Muskoka. She is a beautiful cat with four white paws and a white face with grey markings and a body mottled with black, white and grey. But when we three sit on the couch to watch a DVD, which we have been doing this week, Muskoka streaks across the floor and jumps on Ken's lap, all set to watch with us. It is the most astonishing scene. I have not seen the cat for hours and all of a sudden, the cat somehow knows that we are going to watch TV. Now it is true that we watch TV after dinner but that clever cat must be watching us even when we do not know where the cat might be. Muskoka stays on Ken's lap until the end of the show. But before any of us move, the cat jumps down and runs away. Somehow or another, Muskoka knows when the end has arrived even though the music and the credits are still running. So is Muskoka also watching the show? Who knows. But that cat is clever and pretty and I like that cat Muskoka.

December 28, 2021. Ancaster, Ontario. Getting Together.

As children get older, getting family members together becomes more and more difficult. For instance, David, Suzanne and the four children are skiing at Winter Park this Christmas because Abigail is working there in Colorado for this gap year after college. She is required to work during the holiday season, so the whole family went to Colorado rather than celebrating without Abigail. They are having a wonderful time with many feet of new snow since their arrival. But it is just a matter of time before some family member will not e able to gather together. My brother Dave's 90th birthday was an extra special celebration and the family gathered in force. In attendance were all three children and their spouses, in addition to all 7 grandchildren and their spouses, plus 3 great grandchildren. There was no problem getting the family together for that event. People came from Vancouver and Montreal just to be together and celebrate Dave's birthday. And another event to get together will occur in Montreal in October. Ariel, a granddaughter, will be married to Rob On October 22. So let the good times roll. The family will get together for yet another celebration. I hope I will be able to attend. I like these celebrations.

December 27, 2021. Ancaster, Ontario. Dead Televisions.

After dinner on the evening of Christmas day, we 5 were sitting haveing a pleasant conversation in the living room. All of a sudden, we heard a few crackles folloed by a loud bang. All the lights went out. We were having no storm or snow. But we lost our power. Wendy immediately went to get two coleman lanterns which provided plenty of light and our conversation continues. Ten minutes later, the lights came back on and all was well. Wendy received no text from her power company about the outage so we never did know what happened. Our life continued. Last evening, on Boxing Day, Wendy, Ken and I decided to show another episode of New Tricks. We had watched two episodes this week and I was enjoying them so we the three of us sat on the couch in the TV room all set for another show. Even the cat Muskoka was sitting on Ken's knee in anticipation of the show. But the television would not work. The screen looked as if it was 1950 and the screen was fuzzy. Immediately, Wendy realized that the television got fried with a bolt of electricity when the power was lost. They could do nothing to make it better. No show for us last night. Both Wendy and Ken checked their phones, trying to find a store with the correct size. And of course, they are looking for a set on sale. Best Buy had the correct set and for the best price so on line, Wendy ordered the set to be picked up the next day. Wendy paid for the set last evening to be held for this morning. When Ken and Wendy arrived at the store this morning, they called the store and they stayed in the car while the workers brought the set to their car. After identication was checked, Wendy and Ken came home with their new television set. Wendy reported that the whole purchase was easy. Who said that the olden days were better than today. The only problem of course was they were not expecting to replace a television set that was working perfectly well. A surge protector was in place with the old one but it did not work. That television set was just demolished. This evening, the new set worked like a charm. And I got to see another episode of New Tricks. And I enjoyed myself at our movie theatre.

December 26, 2021. Ancaster, Ontario. Dinner.

Both Wendy and Ken do not mind cooking. In fact they both ejoy both cooking and baking. And both have been making my favorite foods. The first night for dinner Ken prepared a ham with all the trimmings. We were a table of ten and both the food and the conversation was excellent. The next day Ken prepared lentil soup. When you start with the dry lentils, the process is lengthy so Ken was working on the soup all day in bits of time. We ate the lentil soup for dinner. It was worth every bit of effort because the soup was delicious. We ate think sliced break which was perfect with the soup. The next day, Wendy used the bone from the ham to make split pea soup, a French Canadian dish and a favorite of mine. Again, it takes all day. The broth takes hours to simmer. At the same time and in a different pot Wendy boiled the split peas. And of course, flovored them. Eventually they two were mixed together with yet more seasonings. Again we ate the soup for dinner. Two days later we had another bowl for lunch. And in the freezer is a container of the same soup that they will enjoy when they return from Mexico. The weather will still be cold so a bowl of steaming split pea soup will make their day. A few days later Ken prepared red beans and rice. Again he started from scratch, first putting the red dried beans in the presure cooker, then continuing the beans in an open pot, which he seasoned through out the day. And then he cooked the rice in a big pot. Finally, the rice and the beans were joined together in a dish. I ate my whole bowl and loved every bite. I really enjoy red beans and rice which is a New Orleans dish. Ken has figured out how to cook great red beans and rice. All day, in bits and pieces, Ken worked on our dinner so I got to enjoy the different smells. But the best part was eating my dinner of red beans and rice. I have enjoyed and appreciated my meals here with Wendy and Ken in Ancaster. They are indulging me. Pretty nice.

December 25, 2021. Ancaster, Ontario. Christmas Day 2021.

Wendy, Ken and I had a wonderful day, full of good food, reading and opening presents. Every few hours we repeated the sequence. First food. Next the same routine but sometimes in reverse order. Our day was lovely. First we drank coffee. Next we ate fresh baked cranberry muffins baked by Wendycame along with bacon cooked by Ken. Then we opened our stockings. Santa even found me here to stuff my stocking full of goodies. After a bit of reading and another cup of coffee we opened presents to each other which is always fun. Alana is a nurse and works at the hospital so she is exposed to Covid so she could not come to open gifts of dine with us. Also Norm and Diane invited everyone to their home for Christmas dinner but the rules only allow 10 people for each home so we split into two groups for dinner. At Wendy's home was to be the three of us along with Dave and Irene. Dinner was to be catered so Norm brought us our dinner yeaterday. Alana picked up her dinner for her and Nick while the five of us dined quietly tonight at 6:00. Wendy picked up Dave and Irene at 3:00. First we ate a platter of cheese and crackers along with a drinl of sparking water. Then we five opened more presents. We opened gifts from each other along from Norm and Diane so the gift opening lasted a long time. We had fun. Finally we sat down for our Christmas feast. We got stuffed. Eventually, well after 9:00, Wendy took Dave and Irene home. They were tired but happy. My Christmas day 2021 was a delight.

December 24, 2021. Ancaster, Ontario. Christmas Eve Customs.

In 1962, my Mother gave Wendy Buckley a book, which has been read every Christmas Eve from that day to now. It was The Night Before Christmas and Rudolph, adressed to Wendy in my Mothers lovely script. In 1975 for Christmas, the book was given to my sons, Andrew and David, inscibed by Wendy. And in 1989, in my printing, the same book was given to Wendy's daughter Katey. The book is much mended and is much beloved. This evening for our Christmas Eve dinner we ate Tourtiere, a French Canadian dish traditionally eaten on Christmas Eve. In the past only the French Canadians served this traditional dish but now is eaten by the English Canadians too. Two years ago when I last celebrated Christmas here I also was served Tourtiere but I had forgotten. It ia made in a deep dish pie plate with pastry on the bottom and the top, and filled with cooked ground pork and beef along with onions and seasonings. Ken served it with brussel sprouts and mustart pickles. It is a very tasty Christmas Eve custom. The Texas family always dine on Mexican food on Christmas Eve. We often went to Christmas Eve service, then return to eat a feast of Mexican food, which Suzanne picked up at their favourite Mexican restaurant. And always, everyone was allowed to open one gift, the one that Santa delivered early and which always contained pajamas. Last thing before bedtime, Suzanne would read their copy of The Night Before Christmas. This year they are skiing in Colorado so I do not know what they are eating tonight. Every family all around the world has a tradition for Christmas Eve. At our house tonight, as we have no young children at Wendys house, our stockings are filled. But we will not open them until morning. I promised Wendy.

December 23, 2021. Ancaster, Ontario. The Couple.

We chatted while I was waiting at the gate to fly to Charlotte. They were in front of me looking at the board over the gate, which told of a flight 15 minutes before my flight. Normally I do not talk much to people at the gate. I keep my nose in my device or I watch the people. But most of the time I am silent. But not last Wendesday. I commented to them about the puzzle on the board. "Clearly, this is not correct," I said to them. We were supposed to leave 15 minutes after the flight to Fort Worth. I had already checked the monitor in the walkway and it still said gete 3. The husband went back to the big monitor and it still showed gete 3. No one was at the desk. So we started talking while waiting for an official to come to the counter. We already knew we were both going to Charlotte but after that, they were heading to New York. They were a young married couple, perhas 30 or so. This was their first trip to New York and they were excited and a bit scared because everyone has been telling them about the crime. They had tickets to a show and the rest of the time they intended to just wander around downtown and perhaps do a little Christmas shopping. The had to return to Jackson Sunday evening. Both were born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi but he had no accent at all while she had a Mississippi drawl. He has no idea how he got to have no accent. Then he asked me where I was going, which was Toronto. Immediately his face lit up. "I would love to go to Canada," he said. "I work for a company whose headquarters is London, Ontario. They hired me on line three years ago and I do all my work on line. But I have never visited London." Then he asked me if I had ever been to Nova Scotia, telling me that he has read about Nova Scotia and really wanted to spent time there. Well, I just laughed and told my story about Nova Scotia. And I gave him my cell phone. The worker arrived at the gate. The husband found out that we had been moved to gate 4, just across the hall so over we went. And we ended up sitting on the other side of the space so I never talked with them again. It was a gem of a visit and I remember them well. As they were passing me while I was in the plane and they were heading to their seats, he patted my shoulder and said to me,"I have your number in my phone." And we both laughed. The only problem is that I never learned their names. But I will recall this little oonversation, waiting for the plane to Charlotte.

December 22, 2021. Ancaster, Ontario. Travel Woes.

I left and arrived on time but during that time, I encountered three issues that could have caused me grief. Fortunately, all went well and disaster was avoided. 1. When going through security, the man pushing my wheelchair Bruce, took my computer, i pad and cell phone in a bin along with my glasses and pen. On the other side, he gave me everything. I put my phone, glasses and pen in my pocket. Bruce put my computer and i pad in my backpack. and he left me at my gate. I was about to take out my i pad but instead, I received a text so I removed my phone and discovered that the screen had changed. It turned out that Bruce had switched phones. I now was unable to do anything. Bruce had just come on duty and after a couple of phone calls to Bruce from kind people at a food stand, he returned my phone and all was well. 2. In Charlotte, waiting to board the plane, a group arrived to check our credentials. All passengers were required to provide the Covid test and the Arrive Can form. Evidently, my test was just a few hours to be legal so the official told me that I needed to leave the airport and get another test. That would have been a nightmare. I suggested that as I was a Canadian and had a Canadian passport, I could take the test in Toronto. They were happy at that point and stamped my boarding pass. And all was well. 3. I was in my hotel room at the ALT hotel. It was late and I was tired but I wanted to put away my passports from my pockets. I could not find my Canadian passport. I looked everywhere. I called the man who checked me in to ask if he had forgotten to give it back to me. He assured me that he gave it back to me. And he told me to slow down and to look carefully, treating me as a child. So I did. The lighting in the ALT hotels are poor so I turned on my phone light and sure enough. I found the Passport on the floor, just below where I removed my sweater. Onc again, all was well. My trip was uneventful, except for thos three near disasters. I left on time and I arrived on time. All was well.

December 21, 2021. Ancaster, Ontario. Pets.

Pets have a much shorter life expectancy than humans so a cat that is 17 years old is not long for this earth, which means that a family who loved and nurtured that cat for all those years will soon be sad. It is a sad fact for any pet owner. Neice Wendy had two cats. One of them was actually owned by Katey, who recued the cat as a kitten. Many years ago, when Katey moved into an apartment in Toronto, the cat was left with Wendy, who has loved that cat ever since. When I arrived last Thursday, it was clear that the cat was ailing. She would sit staring at the wall. And she stopped using the litter box which was in the basement. She also had lost weight. Two weeks ago, the vet prescribed medication which did not seem to work, so on Monday, Wendy had an appointment with the Vet at 4:45 to ask hard questions. The cat was black. When you called the cat's name, it was pronounced "See eh Tee" with the emphasis on the last sylabble. It sounded exotic or perhaps French. But in truth, the name of the cat was C.A.T. See eh tee. It took me a long time to figure out her real name. The vet suggested that the cat was either senile or had a brain tumor. Evidently, 50% of cats become senile in their old age. Who knew. But in truth, the vet told Wendy that there was no cure. After a phone call with Katey, the cat was put down. C.A.T. was not enjoying her life so the kindest thing to do was to send the cat to cat heaven. But now we have only one cat in the house, Muskoka, who fortunately is young. Wendy shampooed the basement carpet for the last time. We are all grateful that everyone enjoyed and loved that black for 17 years.

December 20, 2021. Ancaster, Ontario. A Tea Party.

The table looked beautiful, set with fancy china and silver. A large tray of sweets was at one end of the table and a tray of freshly baked cranberry bread, home made by Wendy, was at the other end of the table. Canadians know how to serve a fancy tea. Once again, the table was full of Family members, all to celebrate Irene's birthday. She turned 88 today. Ten of us sat at the table drinking tea from our fancy cups, eating our delicious sweet goods. We looked like proper ladies and gentlemen. The whole affair was elegant and delightful. The most important part of the tea party was that Irene was pleased. She is always an attentive hostess but today she allowed other folks to look after her. Anne and Wendy looked after everything and Irene allowed everyone to serve her, which was not normal. Irene is always waiting on the rest of us, which we appreciated. But we were all happy to see that Irene, for once, was not in charge of pouring tea or passing the goodies. Today she was the birthday girl. And I think she enjoyed it.

December 19, 2021. Ancaster, Ontario. The Big Boat.

Brunch today was wonderful. Today was Wendy's birthday so I took most of the family out to brunch to a Korean/Japanese restaurant in Ancaster, very close to home. the place is new and small so we pre-ordered our meals. we were a group of 12. They were ready for us when we arrived at 11:30. I had ordered appetizers. We needed to sit at two tables of 6 so I requested two large platters for each table so we would be able to arrive and start eating. The big wooden boat was the hit of the day. The boat covered the middle of the table, which itself was impressive. But what actually brought awe was the sashshimi and suchi that filled the big boat. It was just as good eating as it was looking at it. The food was wonderful. But the presentation was even better. The other platter was the tempurs and spring rolls. And after a cup of tea, came our main meal, which we had ordered the day before and called in by Wendy. Finally was brought a dish of melon and thinly sliced apples, all beautifully presented in a lovely bowl. The brunch was delightful and the food delicious but what we will remember is the big wooden bowl full of Japanese food. Once again, a celebration to rememberwith with my family.

December 18, 2021. Ancaster, Ontario. Snow.

There is nothing in life more beautiful than coming down in the morning to fine 2 inches of fresh snow. Everything is covered with fresh clean white snow. The scene gives a sense of magic to the world. The bushes are covered with snow as are all the trees. The railing and fences were outlined with snow. Wendy's back yard is lovely at any time, but with the two inches of snow it is even more dramatic. The best part was that we only got 2 inches of snow. Then it stopped. The bad part was that the snow turned to freezing rain. Today was the day for the party so everyone was fearful of the slippery roads. But in Ontario, they know how to handle snow and freezing rain. Eric shovelled the walkway and driveway in front of the house and by the time people were arriving at 2:00 the roads had been de-iced so guests and relatives had no trouble getting here. The party was a great success. My brother Dave was pleased. He selected the food and chef Ken cooked marvelous appetizers. I of course, talked all afternoon to family members who I had not seen for over 2 years. Old friends were there too. Wendy's house worked well for a large party. She too was pleased that the party turned out so well. The start of the day set the tone for the whole day. Two inches of freshly fallen snow made the whole day prfect. I knew I did not need to venture outside so I was delighted with the snow and spent quite a bit of time just enjoying looking outside at the snow. Once again, I just got lucky.

December 17, 2021. Ancaster, Ontario. The First Supper.

Last evening, we ate the first family dinner together. Two thirds of the family gathered together at Wendy's house to eat a delicious dinner prepared by Ken B. Of course, I was there along with Dave and Irene, the oldest members of the clan Buckley. The next generation consisted of two of their chilren, Kenny and Wendy and their spouses Anne and Ken. Both children's children were at dinner too, Katey and Alana (Wendy's daughters) and Eric and Elise who are the children of Kenny and Anne. Two signifigant others wee here too, hailing from Vancouver, Dallas and Salome, who we hope will join the family soon. We were mississing Brock, the husband of Katey who was unable to attend due to visa restrictions. Nick, the buddy of Alana was working. We missed those who could not attend but we were a happy group who had come from far and wide to gether together to celebrate Dave's 90th birthday. My parents would be pleased with the group. I only hope they are looking down from heaven to watch the show. Being around young people is always a great pleasue for me. These 6 young people, with whom I shared dinner, were lively, enthusiastic and interesting. They are all in their upper 20s and 30s. Two are in graduate school, Elise and Sal. The rest are well educated and have good jobs. The rest of the family, consisting od Normans three children, are gathering too, Ariel from Montreal and Brendon with family from Vancouver Island. The last, Rachel and family arrive tomorrow. My mother and father would be delighted with the size and expertise of this family. Every one of my brother's children and their children will sttend Dave's 90th birthday celebration. Tomorrow will be a special day. And our first supper last evening was a delight. I feel so fortunate to be here.

December 16, 2021. Ancaster, Ontario, Safe and Sound.

I am at Wendy's lovely home. I arrived at noon today after spending a restful night at the ALT airport hotel. Since my arrival, I have enjoyed a cup of herbal tea, talked with my grand nephew Eric who arrivd from Vancouver yesterday, and I have eaten a bowl of delicious lentil soup, made by Ken B. Alana, Wendy's daughter has taken the Vancouver family to view Niagara Falls. But the clan is gathering. This evening, everyone will be coming here for dinner so I will get to see Katey, Elise, Kenny and Anne and Dave and Irene. And of course, I am now connected with the wider world via the internet. Soon I will go upstairs and organize my bedroom. Getting organized in a new place is difficult to me so I must get organized slowly. But once I am set up, I will be set for the duration. I have already learned the first floor. I know to stay away from the stairs to the basement. Wendy and Ken will look after me. When you travel, things happen to you, some I do myself and somethings out of my control. Three times during my travel day yesterday could have caused me trouble, but did not. I arrived safe and sound and on time in Toronto. These days, this is a minor miracle. Now I look forward to my visit for the Buckley Birthday celebration. We will be celebrating my brother Dave's 90th birthday, my sister in law Irene's 88th birthday. neice Wendys 64th birthday and nephew Kenny's 60th birthday. All worth celebrating. I am delighted to be part of the party.

December 15, 2021. Madison, Mississippi. On the Road Again.

Today I travel, first to Charlotte, then on to Toronto, where I will stay the night at the airport hotel. Travelling these days is always an adventure. But with any luck, all the puzzle pieces will fit together and I will arive at the hotel late tonight in Toronto. Many many different people must do their job properly in order for me to get from here to there. And to arrive on time would be a miracle. But I am hopeful. Kashina was here this morning to help with last minute tasks such as putting out the trash and doing last minute laundry. She has now left. I have paid Chantes for the roof. He is now doing the last of the garage. After completing the clean up, he hopes to be done by 1:00. So all is well. After completing todays little blog, I will pack up the computer and put the bags by the front door. Chris, my Lyft driver will take me to the airport. But before that, I must shower. Now I hope for an ordinary, everyday set of flights. And I will hope that evryone does a good job. I will enjoy the journey.

December 14, 2021. Madison, Mississippi. New Roof.

The crew started work at 7:30 Sunday morning. A host of people were on my roof, ripping up the old cedar shingles. They were noisy. I feel sure that there is a noise ordinance on Sundays but no one said anything to me, but I was surprised. This house was built in the early 80s. Most houses have already replaced the roofs even though cedar shake roofs are supposed to last the life of the house. My garage was already leaking and a tree took down the peak of the garage. I decided to put on another roof. Sunday morning they started. Chantes was the contractor and he arrived with a lot of people, including two women in the crew. They worked until 6:30, already in the pitch dark. Monday was the same. All day with lots of people. By the time they left, the area around the house was clean, which pleased me. Monday the crew was smaller but they still worked a long day. Today they hoped to be finished but half the garage needs to be done. Reroofing a house is a big job. And expensive. But if it lasts another 40 years I will be happy. They need to be finished before I leave tomorrow at 11:30 so I can pay them. All the houses in this area were built with cedar shake roofs. And the rules require it. But when the insurance companies no longer insure houses with cedar shake roofs, the home owners association agreed to use an engineered shingle roof. All the new roofs use that material. Now I am one of those with a new roof. No leaking garage for me. Fortunately, the weather was perfect for roofing. Sunny and 65 degrees. I just got it done in the nick of time before I leave town. Hurrah for Chantes.

December 13, 2021. Madison, Mississippi. Papers.

In order to get into Canada you must have papers. Multiple papers. The same with Mexico. On Sunday I took a Covid test. Christina made an appointment at a private site just for Covid tests. So first we made the appointment which was for 1:05 on Sunday. First I registered and paid my money. $165. They guarantee results within 24 hours, which I could get on their portal or pick up a hard copy after they call with the results. This morning, when doing errands with Kashina, we stopped in to get the hard copy. They were efficient and I was pleased. You must also be sure to carry your vacination paper when entereing Canada. If you have not been vacinated you must isolate for 14 days. I carry my vacination card with me in my purse so I am set with that. And you must receive permission from the givernment of Canada. Christina ordered on line to receive the official papers authorizing me to visit Canada. She looked up ArriveCan and filled out the form with ALL the necessary information. I was told that they only issue the papers three days prior to the travel day. For that we paid some money. I did not receive any papers so today I started looking and discovered that we had been scammed. The Canadian government does not charge for the papers. Some company pretending to be the government takes all the information, takes your $65. but never provides the papers because they are not part of the government. It is a scam. This evening, Wonderful Wendy was able to input my information to the real government web site and now my paper is on the printer downstairs. I will retrieve it tomorrow. Christina is upset that she fell for a scam. But there was nothing to tell you anything that seemed suspicious. Neither of us knew about the charges. I am disputing the charge with my credit card. Now I think I have my papers in order. I watched a bit of a show about police states, showing all the papers required for everything. Pictures could be seen from movies taken in East Germany, Russia and other iron curtain contries. Interesting how similar we all look.

December 12, 2021. Madison, Mississippi. Our Christmas Party.

For almost all our married life, Ken and I hosted a party closest to my birthday. So in some ways, it was my own birthday party, but in other ways, it was the start of the Christmas season. For years, we hired the Wheaton Ice Rink, and invited our friends and their children to skate and drink hot chocolate and eat donuts. Then our closest friends came back to our house for soup. When we moved to Mississippi, we hosted a party because we wanted to say thank you to the friends who had been kind. For the first couple of years we had the party at a Mexican restaurant. Then we started to use the Yacht Club. We have always invited our friends and their children. Last evening I hosted the party at the Yacht Club. Last year I was not able to have the party due to Covid so many of the children I have not seen for those two years. In the past, I have asked the children where they prefer to have the party and they always vote for The Yacht Club so from now on, I will stay there. For me, it is close to my home and Christina just stops to pick me up, so it is easy. And the facilities are excellent. Every year I select a different menu, usually better than the last, Definately, the food last night was the best. Wonderful appitizers and carving stations of beef tenderloin and ham for dinner along with vegetables and a Greek salad. Little squares for dessert. The party was lovely. And I was pleased. The Christmas celebrations have begun.

December 11, 2021. Madison, Mississippi. My Shower.

I love showers. I was not brought up with showers. We had one bathtub in our house. When I was swimming at pools, I always took very long showers growing up. In fact, my friend Joyce and I swam every week at the swimming pool of the residence for single women the WCTU, we spent so much time in the hot shower that the little old lady in charge would come and admonish us to get out of the shower. I did love those showers. Now of course, I have been showering for many years but I still appreciate showering. Most especially I like the shower I use at my Mississippi home. When we first moved in, the shower was terrible. The water pressure was weak and there were no hand holds. The plumber fixed the pressure and Chantes our handyman installed the bars for holding on. Ken kept insisting yet another bar to hold on. Now it is perfect for me. One bar is outside the shower so I can hold on while getting in. All four sides of the shower have a bar to grab. So whereever I am facing, there is a bar for me to grab. It is perfect. This Mississippi shower is my best shower so I will miss it when I am gone. Not having bars to grab becomes increasingly important. The Mexican shower has no hand holds at all so I just use the wall to steady myself. But here in my Mississippi home, my shower is perfect, thanks to Ken, who kept adding more and more bars. I appreciate every one.

December 10, 2021. Madison, Mississippi. Neighborhood Christmas Party.

Every year in Roses Bluff Subdivision a Christmas party is held. Last year of course, it was cancelled due to Covid, but this year the party was held in the house next door. The folks who organize the party keep it simple. and inexpensive. This year the odd numbered people were asked to bring a dish. Next year the even numbered folks bring food. And everyone brings something to drink. They always have good parties, I am told. And it is easy to organize. I was unable to attend. In fact I have never been able to attend the Christmas party. Since we moved in, in 2015, Ken has been diagnosed with Parkinsons which made it difficult to get to the parties in the dark. And most years, I have been taking chemo, which messes with my immune system so my solution is to stay away from groups of people. Even though the party was held right next door and my neighbor would have escorted me there, I could not mingle with all the people. So I stayed home by myself. On their way home, Donna, my across the street neighbor brought me a plate of food and left it at my front door. When she got home she texted me and I put the plate of food in the fridge. Today I ate the left over food for both lunch and dinner. There was so much food, which fortunately was very good. I enjoyed every bite. In addition Donna brought a plate of desserts. For breakfast this morning I ate a piece of home made pecan pie. Actually, I only ate half. I do not eat sugar, and there I was eating the pie which certainly had sugar. I caught myself in time. I was sorry to miss meeting people but I certainly enjoyed the food. Maybe next year I will be able to attend. Lets hope so. They had a good time.

december 9, 2021. Madison, Mississippi. Celtic Woman.

PBS is back raising money so they show special programs to get people to send money. Many of them I enjoy but mostly I am irritated because I miss their regular program. The other evening they showed Celtic Woman. The program was lovely. Three young ladies with beautiful voices singing Irish songs. Plus one violinist with red hair. All four ladies were beautiful and they sing like angels and wore lovely long gowns. And they sang out of doors in beautiful settings.. The best part might have been the pictures from around Ireland. The program was called Postcards From Ireland so as the postcards were read aloud, the scenery could be seen from the same area as the postcard. Then the ladies sang a song about that place. It was a wonderful reminder of our visits to Ireland. The ladies sing with that clear sound which is beautiful. But after a few songs, I felt that they all sounded the same. Eventually they included a few men and other ladies to acompany. And then came the bagpipes and finally the dancers, which made the program more interesting. I enjoyed Celtic Woman. They sang and played like angels.

December 8, 2021. Madison, Mississippi. Lists.

December must be the mother lode for lists. Starting on December 1 and ending on January 1, the lists seem endless. Just when the first list has been completed, another one is just behind. And with a trip in the middle, the lists are doubled. Both the Christians and Jews confront a daunting list of things to do in December. I have finished my list for Christmas. My cards are ready to mail. The bags and gifts for the grandchildren are ready. I took the gifts to the Texas family to Packmail and they are gone. I have given nuts to my friends and the gifts to my neighbors are ready to be delivered. Kashina will deliver them on Monday. I order food for both families and they have been ordered with some things already delivered. When Wendy and Ken visited me this summer, I sent birthday and christmas gifts back with them in their car to Ontario for my family. The Christmas gifts need to be put into bags. No Christmas bags could be found this summer in Liverpool. But my Christmas lists are complete. Now I must work on getting ready to go to Ontario. I leave in a week, on December 15, so I have time to complete my lists. I do better if I collect my belongings early. The day before travel is difficult for me. So far I have set out my small case plus backpack. And I am trying to decide whether or not to take a case for books and magazines. I set it out. I have clothes in Ontario and I have clothes in Mexico so all I need to take with me will be medications, and necessary items while in Ontario. I have a beaver coat in Ontario. And Wendy has ordered me boots. My list is not too long. I already set out the Canadian and Mexicam money. Tomorrow I will have a pedicure, which is on my list. And today Kashina picked up my prescriptions. I am coming along nicely. I still must have a covid test, which will be done on Sunday. At the beginning of December, thinking of wht needs to be done can be overwhelming but only if you look at all the lists. My solution is to only look at what needs to be done today. Then bit by bit, I peck away at my tasks. So far this month I am doing well. Now I must put out my bathing suit because I just realized they were not on my list. Oops.

December 7, 2021. Madison, Mississippi. Pearl Harbor.

I have always thought that Japan made a stupid mistake by bombing Pearl Harbor. Within 6 months, the US had built the largest navy in the world, greater than all other countries combined, including our allies and our enemies. Up until the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the attitude in the US was to continue to isolate themselves from the war. But the bombing changed everything. This bombing occured 70 years ago on December 7th. Many folks remember my birthday because it was the day before Pearl Harbor. This evening on TV, Dr. Hanson discussed Pearl Harbor. He is an expert on the Second World War. He reminded everyone that the attack was unannounced. No declaration of war by the Japanese and no warning. According to him, the Japanese expected to turn the Pacific Ocean over to the Japanese and the US would continue to be isolationists. But they were wrong. Evidently, there was to be 2 bombing raids but the Japanese thought that the whole American fleet had been demolished after the first bombing run. Again they were wrong. Several American Commanders took their ships out to sea, thus saving their ship. And after the President spoke, calling December the day of infamy, the citizens rallied around the president. And the US entered the Second World War. I have often wondered what would have happened if the Japanese had not bombed Pearl Harbor. And I also wonder what would have happened if the Germans had not attacked Russia. Of course, when dealing with crazy people, they do crazy things. But we know the end of the story. I have asked myself this question: "What were they thinking?" Both actions started their demise. This all happened 70 years ago.

December 6, 2021. Madison, Mississippi. My Birthday.

Today is the most important day of my life. It was the day I was born. I was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada because my parents were in charge of the Dovercourt Corps of The Salvation Army. Evidently, I was an easy baby, which is often the way with a third child. My father called me sunshine. Now, 84 years later, I am an easy adult. And I retain my sunny disposition, which has been a great blessing all my life. Today was a splendid day. My friend Linda came to visit me this morning at 10:30, to help me celebrate and to drink a cup of tea. Next I went out for lunch with friend Lisa. We ate at a Greek restaurant new to me. Great food and good conversation. Lisa both picked me up and drove me home. First thing this morning, Kashina and I drove to Packmail, to send the Texas Christmas gifts On the way home we stopped at Walgreen pharmacy where Kashina selected the last gifts for the Mississippi bag of goodies. Teresa my cleaning lady cleaned the house, which on a birthday is a real treat. The rest of the day I either talked on the phone to the important people in my life or I read e mails and texts. Modern communication is a real joy. So my day has been lovely and I have gotten to enjoy being 84. So far so good.

December 5, 2021. Madison, Mississippi. Birthday Celebrations.

Tomorrow is my birthday. I will turn 84. Today we celebrated at our family brunch by eating at Manships Restaurant, perhaps the best restaurant in Jackson. Kate, Mary Frances, Molly and Christine were all in the mood to celebrate and celebrate we did. They serve an appitizer complete with smoked salmon, nuts, avacado and a few other things. Ususally we order one , but today we ordered two. And we ate the whole thing. Now that is called celebrating. And after eating our main meals, we ate dessert. It is not often you turn 84. In life, the little things often bring the greatest pleasure and being together with the girls beaming with joy certainly gave me great pleasure. Christina brings me home after brunch. Today we took Molly home to study and to pick up my birthday gift. Christina made the first cranberry cake for thanksgiving at the farm when Kate was 4 and Mary Frances was a baby. Christina has been making that cranberry cake for me every year. The cake is delicious and I like it very much. Also she helped me with several things that were difficult for me. And she did them all. I appreciate Christina's competance and I appreciate her willingness to help. This hour attending to my requests was another birthday gift. The celebrations have not ended. Tomorrow Linda Creath is coming for coffee. And I will have lunch with Lisa at the Strawberry Cafe. Nifty turning 84.

December 4, 2021. Madison, Mississippi. Global Warming.

The earth has been cooling and heating ever since our world has formed. The hysteria concerning our human impact of a warming world is the issue. But what is never written are the positive impacts of a warmer world. In past centuries, many people died trying to find the Nort West Passage. Now, for some summers, the passage is open, but you never hear about that event. Commercial vessels can sometimes ship cargo across the top of the globe thus saving thousands of dollars for avoiding the expensive Panama Canal. Cruise ships are taking bookings to go throught the Northwesr Passage. This is a good thing. Even Wester Head is more pleasant in th summer. When we first moved we were told that Western Head was too cold and we would never be able to sit on our new deck. It is true that we are at least 10 degrees cooler than Liverpool, but that too is a good thing. While people in town swelter at 85, we are comfortable at 75. So Western Head has now gotten trendy. The limit of crops has snuck up too. The farmers can grow their crops furthur north. Not a lot. But a little. The animals and the birds have always adapted or evolved with the changing of the weather.. They either adapt of become extinct. We find fossils of animals are now extinct. They lived and died long before humans roamed the land. Yet the doomsayers are constantly telling us that humans are causing global warming which will make extinct birds and animals. I am not buying it. Much impact of a warmer world is positive. But no one ever admits this. I enjoyed sitting outside for lunch yesterday. I am a fan of global warming.

December 3, 2021. Madison, Mississippi. A Splendid Day.

Today was exactly the same as a good summer day in Nova Scotia. The sun was shining with not a cloud in the sky. The tempersture was 75 degrees. And this was December 3rd. My neighbor and I went out for lunch, something we planned a month ago. We decided that due to the weather, we would eat at a restaurant with outdoor seating overlooking the reservoir. The place we selected was fairly new, across the spillway and a place I had only been to once. But Donna and her husband had dined there many times but always by boat. The restaurant has a large dock area so when they were boating or fishing, they came to that reataurant for lunch. During the Covid when restaurants had no indoor seating, they put tables up and down the large dock area so people could be distanced from everyone, which I thought was clever. The menu today was interesting so I will want to return. My lunch was delicious. But the best part was that I brough home with me an avacado stuffed with frest tuna, which I ate at supper time. Hit the spot. My day got started with coffee with friend Greta Barbour at 8:30. She intended to go Christmas shopping today so she started her day with me by bringing two cups of coffee, which we both enjoyed. I always like her company. That was a perfect way to begin my splendid day.

December 2, 2021. Madison, Mississippi. Tea With Friends.

This morning my friends Eleanor and Jim came to visit. Yesterday afternoon Eleanor texted to ask if they could come for coffee at 10:00 on Thursday. Jim was not working today so he wanted to come too which pleased me. I had seen Eleanor since my return in October but I had not yet seen Jim. Coming to see me is an act of kindness. They live in the country so just getting here makes for a 45 minute drive. It turned out that we did not drink coffee. Jim had had his fill of coffee already and Eleanor joined me with a cup of tea, using a pod to make the English Breakfast tea. I had set out a variety of nuts but we ate not a thing. They brought a beautiful large poinsettia which now looks perfect on the hearth. It was the first of the season and will probably be my last as I leave on December 15. All we did was talk. It was Eleanor who first suggested I ask Chris to take me for my excursions so they wanted to know where we had gone. So I gave them a blow by blow. And they were not up to speed with my health so I needed to bring them up to date. We talked about the Christmas music, which I will not be able to attend due to my immune system. And finally we talked about their four children. They stayed until 12:30. I enjoyed their company for sure. Before I leave town, I have been invited to their house so I can see their home decorated for Christmas. We just must make a date. My friends indulge me by visiting. And I am grateful.

December 1, 2021. Madison, Mississippi. Outing # 3.

The Delta holds a special place in the heart of all Mississippians. I am not sure why. Today Chris and I went to the Delta to see two potters but we only visited one. We had a great day but we ran out of time to visit the second potter. The day was perfect with full sunshine and 72 degrees. And we enjoyed driving in the Delta, which is flat. Ken and I have driven in the Delta several times and for our money, the most important fact is the land. It is flat. Perfectly flat. No hills. No valleys. Just flat. Everytime I see the Delta I forget. Today I remembered. The Delta is flat from just above Vicksburg to almost the state border, it is called the Delta and it is flat. Christ always drives on highways less travelled. Our route was lovely, driving through country roads and many farms. We were heading to Marigold, the home and business of the most well known potter in Mississippi. We were intending to go to Bayou Mound, where Petters Pottery can be found but we ran out of time. The name of the potter escapes me but his place was interesting. The store inself did not have a huge inventory. But what they had on display was beautiful. Behind the little store is a garden with lots of places to sit to enjoy the birds and fountains. I could have bought lots of those beautiful objects but I restrined myself and purchases only two, both to be given away. Evidently they sell out every day even though there is not a sign to be found outside. Another person commented to me that you need to have a bit of magic just to find the place. The family also runs a charming little restaurant just around the corner in the tiny town. No sign there either. The place was quiet and restful and the food was excellent. After lunch, we headed home, returning the same way we arrived, on the small highways. Even then, we arrived home at 4:30, having left at 10:00. I love to drive the backroads of Mississippi and Chris is happy to indulge me. He also enjoyed the day. Today was another successful outing, today driving the Mississippi Delta. I enjoyed every minute.