My Mother's' Childhood Christmas

This old fashioned Christmas picture reminds me of stories my mother told me about her childhood...

These days, children go to bed early on Christmas Eve so that Santa can deliver toys...

Not in my mother's childhood years! Instead, on Christmas Eve, the whole family would pile into a horse-drawn sleigh and head to church for a special Christmas service. When they eventually got back, around midnight, they'd eat a special supper of roast goose.

Roast goose at midnight?! I'd exclaim. Who wants a big meal at midnight?

I didn't ask if someone had to stay home to tend the oven... You surely wouldn't leave the house for several hours - with a roast bird cooking - would you?! Maybe you would! 

After eating, they opened gifts. 

(I don't know when they finally all got to bed?)

Everything Old is New Again

Walking through the mall, I stopped...

Wide sweater sleeves... are back in style?!!

Years ago I knit this green sweater with baggy sleeves. It was very comfortable - but I haven't worn it in ages...

Just last year, I pulled it out, wondering if I  should trim some of the sleeve width. 

Just as well I didn't... if wide sleeves are back in style!

Shortest Days

This past week, here in Ottawa, we have been experiencing our shortest number of daylight hours... 8 hours and 43 minutes. It stays like that for about a week.

Sunrise and sunset have been closing in on each other since the summer. 

(These pictures were taken between 4:30 and 4:45 in the afternoon... By 5 o'clock, it's dark.)

Soon - on December 25 - our hours of daylight will begin slowly spreading apart!

How I look forward to those lengthening days!

An Old Fashioned Phone

When I'm old enough to get a phone, I want an old-fashioned one, my 7-year-old granddaughter told me.

Old-fashioned? You mean one that plugs into the wall? Where you turn a dial to call someone? I asked.

She looked confused. No, one with a circle in the bottom.

I think she means an iPhone 8, my daughter explained. (See above!!)

When were they new? I wondered. Hmmm: 2017... The year my granddaughter turned one! Yes, they would probably be "old-fashioned" to her...

To compare, I looked up what phone came out the year I turned one. It was the black phone above. 

Phones looked like that much of my adult life - though eventually black phones were replaced by coloured ones and rotary dials were replaced by push-button dialing.

TO ME... an old-fashioned phone looks like this! A box on the wall with a bell, and separate components for talking and listening.

I remember using one at my uncle's house. They had a shared "party line" - shared with half a dozen neighbours in the country.

Each family's number had a unique ring. One long or two short - or any combination of long and short rings. If any of the neighbours were talking on their phones, we could lift up the receiver and hear the conversation. But we couldn't make or take a call unless the line was clear. 

So many changes!!

Another Medal Arrives!

The medal marking my completion of the 298 km Cabot Trail virtual walk has arrived!

When I signed up for these virtual walks, I was looking forward to the scenery (as seen on Google maps). But I really did not expect to enjoy getting these "awards"... In fact, had there been an option to pay less and NOT get the medals, I'd have chosen that!

But it IS fun to look back and view these reminders of real steps taken - in my case, adding up to 1385 km since April!

So few of my daily efforts are counted... I have no idea how many meals I've prepared, beds I've made, loads of laundry I've done - or (to be fair) how many hours Terry has spent vacuuming the house, cutting the grass or shovelling snow this past year!

Would getting a medal of appreciation from time to time made these tasks feel less onerous?! I wonder!

December Day Trip

Last week's warmer weather inspired Terry and me to take a few day trips. One to Perth, Ontario, was particularly successful...

We walked...

Had a great meal...

(Right after the noon hour rush, the restaurant was quiet.)

We also did some shopping - with hot chocolate on the side.

A perfect day!

New Virtual Walk

Immediately after completing my virtual Cabot Trail walk, I signed up for a longer walk ... in India. 

India is a country I've never visited, so the scenery is of particular interest to me.

I wanted a walk that would see me through the winter - and this walk, near the border with Nepal, is about the same length as the Camino de Santiago, which I followed last summer.

I expect it will take me about 4 months if I walk about 5 miles a day.