Tree Decorating Time!

I was recently hanging out with my grandkids, keeping an eye on them while their dad worked in his home office...

The elves were out - so thoughts of Christmas were in the air.

Can we put up the tree? one of them asked. 

Go ask your dad, I replied... if he's not on a call...

Before long, a tree - and several boxes of decorations - appeared and the two of them got to work. I just stood back and watched. Considering they're only six and nine, I really didn't know what to expect! 

But I was pleasantly surprised!

I couldn't have done better myself!

(Even the elves got in on the action!)

Winter Has Arrived!

Winter has arrived!

We woke up yesterday to lots of snow on the hedges, the pine tree branches and on the ground...

Do you think any of this will melt in the next few days? I asked Terry...

Not until April! 

(That's not what I wanted to hear!)

Winter Entertainment

It's 7:30 am - sunrise - now in early December...

As I open the blinds and look out the window, I don't just see the snow ...

I see squirrels out, jumping - tightrope walkers on a wire fence. 

Are they hunting for food?...

Or just stretching their limbs on a cold morning?!

I'm surprised to see these animal acrobats out so early on a cold day when I'd rather stay inside! But just watching them jump and climb - so exuberant, so normal, so alive - comforts me and makes me smile.

Terry's "Christmas Present"

This early Christmas "gift" arrived in our driveway last week...

Terry always wanted a Mercedes Benz! He was delighted...

He loved everything about it!

A dream come true!

The roads were snowy, so we didn't go far... but we did take our son out for lunch. They both loved it...

Then after three days, it was gone!

You see, the car was a loaner given to us while ours was being repaired! Terry's gift? For THREE WHOLE DAYS, he got to pretend it was his!!

Transitioning to a New Hike

I haven't quite finished my virtual walk down Route 66... But I'm getting close to the end... less than 200 km to go...

But a "Black Friday" half-price special that was too good to pass up urged me to sign on to my next virtual trek - along the coast of Vietnam! It's a little longer than I was planning to sign on for - just over 2000 km. 

The scenery on Google street view will be quite different...

After a year and a half walking through farmland snd desert, I'm looking forward to seeing a totally different kind of scenery!

Black and White World

Now that there is snow on the ground, the world through my window is mostly black, white and grey...

It stays like that all winter long.

This is why I surround myself with bright colours indoors! And plants!

They feed my spirit until outdoor colours and flowers return again in spring.

My Brother's Birthday

Today is my brother's birthday.

Here we are - when our kids were young... Both our families had made the trek to Kelowna one summer for a "family reunion" at our parents' house on Lawrence Avenue.

The child at the bottom right (above) looks like Jericho - but it's really his father!

Here's another memory - years later - after Ivy was born. He and his wife had come to visit my mother for her birthday.

And here's a real "blast from the past" from his university graduation...

Good times - great memories!

Best wishes for a healthy, happy year ahead!