Resemblance!

I find it fascinating to see family resemblance!

Which one is the father?!

Which one the son?!

It’s “Family Day” in Ontario

Today is “Family Day” in Ontario. 

Family day is a relatively recent holiday - instated the the year I retired… 

Here’s a picture of our family taken in my parents’ condo in Kelowna quite a few years before that. The photo is dated July 1994, the year my father died. We had driven to Edmonton for his memorial service. He had died in Europe, while on vacation, and was buried there. Our kids were 10, 12 and 14 at the time.

We used to drive to Edmonton and Kelowna in August every few years when they were young - but that summer was definitely different. One of the "fun" things about that somber vacation was returning home not in one vehicle, but two. My mother had given us her car - so Terry and the boys travelled in our station wagon while my daughter and I followed them in our new-to-us white Topaz. (The kids loved having a "girls' car" and a "boys car.")

We tried to stay together as we drove across the continent - before cell phones existed. But inevitably at times the vehicles became separated in traffic. Looking back at that trip, it's a miracle we always managed to find each other in the end...

Memories!

Thankful For All Mothers!

I was going to write a blogpost about the mothers in my family - but of course, Mother’s Day is much bigger than that…

I was reminded of this when a friend sent an email wishing Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers…

It brought tears to my eyes, thinking of all the “mothers” Terry and I have had and known! I have so much appreciation for them all!

Meeting My Grandfather’s Brother

In early May - when I was 19, I left Canada for an amazing adventure. I flew to Europe en route to Israel, where I was planning to study for a year.

I was allowed one stopover on my ticket. Although I really wanted to see Paris - I had taken French courses and wanted to practice my French - my mother persuaded me to have a stopover in Germany, where we had relatives both my mother and grandmother corresponded with.

Rather reluctantly, I changed my plans… (What teenager wants to meet elderly relatives?!)

In retrospect, I’m very glad I did, as I had the unique opportunity of meeting my grandfather’s youngest brother.

My grandfather (pictured above) died when my mother was two years old, so she had no memories of him. His younger brother, Gerhardt Gohl, lived in East Germany and happened to be visiting his sister, Lydia, who lived in Frankfurt.

Our meeting was a step back in family history.

Here is a picture of the two of us. I don’t remember what work he did before he retired, but I remember his sister Lydia saying that, having grown up on a farm, he had been an excellent horseman.

He was married but had no children. His wife wasn’t well enough to be able to make the trip with him.

He kept calling me his brother’s daughter - whereas I was, in fact, his brother’s granddaughter. It was hard for both of us to totally grasp the significance of who the other was.

I’m glad I was able to meet him - as I never had the opportunity to see him again.

Family Day!

Last Monday was Family Day here in Ontario…

We were lucky enough to have our grandchildren come from Toronto for a visit!

Terry even got down on the floor to play with toy cars and trucks…He hasn’t done that in a while!

I developed new bedtime routines.

Life was much busier. We were sad to see them go!

Family Resemblance

Friends of Terry’s recently sent us this photo... 

Terry is holding our daughter - who was a year old. 

Who does she look like? Terry immediately asked...

She looks so much like our grandson! (The son of our youngest son - who wasn’t even born yet!)

The power of genetics!

Could We Go Back?!

I spent the first six years of my life living in a small community - a village of about 300 in Alberta. 

What was it like for me as a child? Looking back, I think it nurtured my independence. It was total freedom! I remember spending my pre-school days wandering here and there, talking to people, hanging out with kids, seeing what people were doing. I knew everyone and everyone knew me. 

I’d get up in the morning and say: “I’m going out to play.” Where that day would take me was anyone’s guess! 

The village was only about four blocks by four blocks in size, surrounded on one side by a railway track, on the other three sides by farmers fields. There was no river to fear falling into. (Everyone pumped their water from a well.)

When I got hungry or thirsty, I headed home. If my parents wondered where I was, they’d simply ask someone if they’d seen me... 

For me, as a child, it was blissful freedom! (For my parents, pumping water by hand for all our needs, heating it on a wood stove - and all the other things they had to do - it was a lot of hard work!)

I should add that I never attended kindergarten for the simple reason that there was none in our community. 

The village of my childhood still exists - and it hasn’t grown much over the years. I now subscribe to their Facebook page.

Listen to this, I told Terry recently - as I read him the schedule of events at the August family fun fest (above)...

If we lived in Hay Lakes, you could even get involved in village politics...You’d enjoy that!

For Terry, who grew up in a small town of 3,000 in Quebec, the idea definitely has appeal.

If Hay Lakes weren’t halfway across the country, we might consider going back!

Fun and Games 1999

It seems like yesterday... They were all teenagers! 

Occasionally they'd hang out together and play games...

Was it someone's birthday?... Was the game new...?

Glad they had fun together! Memories are made of days like this...

Family Time!

Before heading home from southern Ontario last weekend, Terry and I spent some time outdoors with our grandchildren who live in Toronto.

Our granddaughter, who recently turned 5, showed us her bike riding skills on a track near their home.

Our 20-month-old grandson entertained us at an outdoor cafe.

And of course, we had to have ice cream at our favourite East York shop, “Lickadee Split.”

All in all, a wonderful visit! Hope to be back soon!

Educational Toy

I never studied anatomy when I was in school. But now that I’m older, I’m more aware of where my aches and pains originate - under my skin.

My granddaughter will be ahead of me! One of her birthday gifts, for her recent 5th birthday, was an anatomical sewing kit of major organs.

She’s been working on it... though she seems as puzzled, looking at it, as I would be.

My daughter, who works in medical illustration, loved it - especially the friendly eyes and smiles attached to each organ part!

Happy Birthday!

This little princess is turning 5 today!

I haven’t seen her since December...and then only from a distance...

We haven’t acted like a “normal” granddaughter-grandma “team” - eating ice cream or popsicles together - since last summer before she started kindergarten.

Hopefully we’ll be able to sit close to each other again before long. Can’t wait for this pandemic to be over...

So glad we are able to talk to each other via FaceTime!

Happy birthday! Hope you have a wonderful year ahead!

A Year Ago!

Today is my daughter-in-law’s birthday! 

I wish her an amazing year... a totally different kind of year! 

Last year at this time, we had no idea what lay ahead. The COVID-19 pandemic had not yet arrived in Canada. In fact, I don't know if I even expected it to come... 

I was living day to day... staying with her and the children while my son was away on business.

(He reminded me recently that he returned on his wife's birthday...)

Being with them was one of the highlights of my year... 

It was such a joy...

Making forts with a then-three-year-old... Watching a two month old discover the world around him...

All too soon it changed to social distancing... 

My hope for us all is that we will soon be able to return to life as it was before... when we can hug those we love, and we don't have to worry about "the virus," as my granddaughter refers to it. So glad for the memories! Children grow up very, very quickly!

Family Visits During the COVID Pandemic

As we headed back to Ottawa from Guelph, a week ago, we stopped briefly at our son's home in Toronto to say hello...

Since our four-year-old granddaughter is out in the community, attending kindergarten in a public school, Terry and I (as seniors with existing health conditions) aim to keep our distance...

Our visit took place on the sidewalk...

And with masks when we came within two meters of each other.

I

My granddaughter was still able to show me her latest coloring...

We miss the hugs - but it's still lovely to see family again, even without touching!

(I can't wait till these days of social isolation are a distant memory!)

Wedding Anniversary: My Father's Parents

Today is the wedding anniversary of my father's parents.

My father's father, August Gellert, was born on October 20, 1878 in Poland. He died in World War I - a cook in the front lines - in 1915, at the age of 37... So young!

My father's mother, Helene Hartstock, was born on November 24, 1890, also in Poland. They were married on November 24, 1908, which would have been her 18th birthday.

They went on to have three children: my father (Wladyslaw), his sister (Elsie) and another son who died as an infant, whose name I don't recall. I'm not sure if he was older or younger than my father.

Seven years after her husband's death, my grandmother remarried a man named Julius Domke (son of Johann Domke and Wilhelmine Listke). They had at least three children. Two - Walter and Lydia - eventually immigrated to Canada. But the youngest, Emma, remained in Europe. Emma had two sons whom I met, when I visited Germany with my mother, to put a headstone on my father's grave. (My father contracted meningitis and died in 1994 while travelling in Germany and Poland with my mother, on a greatly-anticipated vacation to the village where he was born.)

My father's siblings who lived in Canada were part of my childhood. We visited back and forth, and I got to know their children well.

My father's mother, Helene immigrated to Canada when she was in her early 60's, after the death of her second husband. Most of that time, she lived in Edmonton - but she did spend one year living with my family in Hay Lakes, babysitting my 2-year-old brother while my mother taught in Kingman, returning home only on weekends. My grandmother died when she was in her 80's.

Should any of my children be interested in genealogy, as my mother was, I should add that my father's father, August Gellert, was name after his father, August Gellert (born around 1860). His mother's name was Elizabeth Albrecht.

My father's mother, Helene, was the daughter of Edwardo Hartstock and Othelia Krause.

Home Office Plus

Like many office workers, our daughter has been working from home since March.

When 9 am comes around, she turns her dining room table into a desk - with two computer monitors ... and sometimes a cat...

Her worst fear is that the cat will accidentally modify an email, then "send"it!

That hasn't happened yet - but the cat sometimes does walk on the keyboard!

Summer Memories!

What summer memories will this active three-year-old have as she gets older?!

Her first soccer goal?!

Playing outdoors in the warm fresh air?

Shared ice cream cones?

Her first merry-go-round ride...?

First time strawberry picking?

Barbecued burgers too big to bite?!

Parents - and grandparents - are in the memory-making business! 

Sunday Drive

During football season, our older son always comes over on Sundays to watch TV with Terry. Of course, they cheer for different teams!

These family get togethers continue when football season is over...

But now, occasionally, we take a Sunday drive.

On one recent Sunday afternoon, we drove to Arnprior for Wes's delicious French fries...

(This is a long way to go for French fries, Terry complained...)

But we all enjoyed them...

Then on to a nearby park to look at the water.

The last time we were here, much of the river was covered with ice.

As we drove through town, I noticed a horse-drawn carriage giving rides.

Fun! But no time for that!

We were on our way to a rib fest in Kanata, a suburb on the edge of the city...

What a great day!

Perfect weather - delicious food..
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A Sunday drive can be so much fun!