As of midnight tonight indoor spaces are back up to 100% capacity. That is good news for our show in February if it holds out. The old news is that everyone must wear a mask indoors, no matter what unless they are eating or drinking while sitting down. This is something the stage manager is going to have to enforce during rehearsals. They will be ok while performing but need to stay extra safe right now. She and I had a good long talk about how I can support her in this.
I think Ashlée got moved tonight, although I didn’t help… I hope it works for her. She will be in the apartment in Rae and Roger’s house where Jake lived previously. The boys will be happy she is nearby all the time.
My contact lenses finally arrived!! I will have to try them on Thursday for MMA. I’ve been so long without them I hope I can still get them in and out.
I took time to go to the two vape shops in town to see if they had e-cigarettes that look like cigarettes for the play. I had found them online but wanted to shop local. Unfortunately neither of them had them and wow were the shops ever different. One is like a kiosk style that can be run by one person and the other was a full on stoner mall with several employees. I will have to go back to Dubz and check it out when I have time to shop. Ultimately I came back to the office and ordered online. Supposed to be like cigarettes, with glowing end and no nicotine.
After getting the day’s payrolls done this morning and afternoon, I decided I should finish my photobooks and order them as the vouchers expire today. I finished one and got ready to order it, then started working on organizing for the other. When I went to work on it online, it said expired. It must be a completely different time zone.. I sent a message to customer service and hope they extend it for me as I prepaid it. The first one I did was the trip to Santa Barbara in 2017, over Canadian Thanksgiving with the ABCs. It turned out pretty great. The next one is the Santa Fe trip which is going to be thick as I drove through a lot of states for that one. We shall she what tomorrow brings.
I was having issues with Quickbooks online today and used the chat to reach out. It didn’t take long to say that Irene was there to help me. She asked my issue and then for the company ID so she could help me. I typed it in and 6 minutes later when there was no sign if a reply, I typed Hello? She immediately left the conversation… so i tried again and this time i connected with Mark. He kept asking questions that left me thinking he didn’t understand the issue. After an hour I politely thanked him for his time and figured out my own work around to the problem. That has not been my usual experience but I think sometimes if the agents are new, I may have more knowledge of the software than they do.
I came home late to make dinner and laughed when I laid out the ingredients as my bag of beans was two large carrots. The funny thing is I was saying last week i was tired of beans. I know how to cook well enough to make them well. It was tasty and the steak was deliciously tender. I would not put as many shallots in next time, that’s all.
I am glad the theatre questions and emails were early this morning as i worked a full 8 billable on one fie today with a payroll in between. I am constantly amazed how much I enjoy doing sos jobs. Finding the problems in a file and fixing them is so satisfying. Bless her heart, around 2 pm when i hadn’t even stopped for lunch, Keri brought me in a special coffee.
I didn’t sleep too late, got my 8 hours in and then puttered at small chores, watched shows (the rest of season one of Grantchester only to find the next seasons are on the not free part of Prime)(Everybody’s Talking About Jamie was simply lovely, even if I don’t love musicals)(yes I said it!!) and then had a nice soothing bath while using my recycled square holder for my iPad to watch Netflix. I watched the rest of the first season of Russian Doll which I am now quite excitedly waiting for the upcoming season. That actress manages to make smoking an art form and horrifying at the same time.
Got out of the tub and into fresh jammies and messaged Diane to come for dinner and watch the first part of Get Back, the documentary of the Beatles. It is something, rather slow moving as the first 7 days of January 1969 takes 2.5 hours but well worth it to see the way they write and work together. Paul has what I recognize in myself, an ability to come across degrading when having an idea. I don’t think it is entirely ego, but rather creative genius in his case. To think that he and John were writing together at age 15, it’s no wonder they did it so well for the next decade and more. It was tough to watch George being left out or told to stop playing. I think it would be hard as a lead guitarist to not also be the lead singer but more second fiddle, so to speak. We look forward to the next stretch of days but it will be a 3 hour event. I also found myself mesmerized by Ringo’s odd eyebrow.
Spent the latter part of the evening playing patchwork via the app with Sarah in Bella Bella. I am trying her youngest son’s strategy to play from the middle. Am not sure it changed the game for me at all but it was fun and we needed a tie breaker when Sarah had a near perfect game. She won 2 of 3 and it was nice to chat a bit and just sit in the quiet playing the game she introduced me to when I lived up there.
I am writing this on my phone so forgive the errors. I popped (haha) out of bed to get ready and head to the theatre for the open house. Over a 3 hour period I so much enjoyed sharing the new booth with members of the public. It really did invigorate the love for what I volunteer to do there.
I picked up Will and we went to Walmart after some thought where his $25 I was offering for his gift would go the furthest. he made such smart choices. I added on a little bit and a new Christmas t-shirt he fell for. I was worried about him as his nose was runny and he has a seal cough. I had made plans to go to Campbells. We gathered boys and harder there. He and Zoë were funny as she is definitely discovering boys. I think he is still a lot innocent. The adults stated watching Grantchester. The kids made a lot of noise playing. Around 7, Will came and whispered I. My ear that he was tired and wanted to go. I got him home and he was so exhausted but feeling unwell. I finally asked if he wanted to go home. He was so disappointed but said yes. Roger came to pick him up amongst many I live yours and promises of a rain check.
We bought Minions on sale to donate to toy drives and Will talked me I. To my new bathmat.
I was driving home at the end of a very long day when at 10:45 I realized I had missed having a beverage with Di at a Christmas party at 5:30. I went to the theatre to meet Keon at 4:30 and the next thing you know… time to go home. I feel bad, and I would have enjoyed that but duty called.
This morning I got ready in a bit of a rush as I had a client calling for assistance first thing. He did not. Something caught him up and it was much later in the day when we made a plan for Monday. It was nice to see that Layla had finished decorating the tree and I love the decorations Cindy and Nikki made. I worked on finishing off a file until it was time for Uncle Keith’s streamed funeral. It was lovely and I had a moment of ugly cry when the ministers wife and daughter sang my favourite hymn which didn’t matter as I was alone in my office.
After I had recovered myself and logged out I headed to the theatre to meet Keon who was bringing all the streaming gear I purchased and setting it up to record the evenings events and show it off to the funders at our gala. He gave me a crash course and I was set to film the event. I sure do appreciate him and his availability. When he says he has my back, he really does.
I struggled to get the laptop to cast the slideshow to the tv screen and then suddenly it was YouTube to the rescue and an ah ha moment! I was able to get it running on a loop from the office. I love new technology!! People started arriving and as we were gathered in the lobby chatting I learned that the Wally and Heather Smith that were there had grown up in Salmon Arm and were friends with my cousins, the sons of Uncle Keith. Wally was also the one who I spoke to via messenger when my cobbler died to arrange getting paperwork to the family. I felt like I was in this odd little whirlwind of coincidences. It also felt so good to be around people who knew the loss.
The whole presentation went well. Sheila and Maureen had set up a beautiful space, the food from the Heid Out was delicious and the cake was sublime. It was an invite only crowd of Funders and contractors and board members. People were just seeming to be happy to be there and happy to have been a part of this huge renovation. Tom Shypitka, our MLA and Mayor Lee Pratt were the dignitaries and it was nice to see them smiling and enjoying themselves. It was nice to have a chat with Brian and Kathleen. BriKat has a stellar reputation in this area. I hope they find the acre of property they are seeking for the business so they don’t have to store everything at home any longer.
I had great long chats with Nathaniel Leigh, and Matt, the electrician, met Riley the guy I hear on the radio regularly and laughed with friends, what more can I ask. Maureen came back to clean up, I was sent home with leftovers and the slideshow was converted to a movie and was uploaded to the GDrive. All and all a very productive day and I should get some sleep as tomorrow is the open house.
When I got home there was a package in my porch. Imagine my joy that it was from the UK!now I must put up my tree
I don’t know why it strikes me so funny that the Orthodox Church is advertising zoom courses on its sign. I don’t want to mock them, I just find it amusing that a church based on old school tradition is giving a course via zoom.
I did notice this morning the sad loss of the trees across from me.
it was a very productive day in spite of me needing to stop my timer, lay back in my chair and have a quick nap. Tired overwhelmed, work called….
i booted home from work to make some dinner before heading to MMA class. It was the extra meal that I did not originally order which included spices I cannot eat so I decided to make it for the Campbells. I forgot they have a Christmas party tomorrow night but Diane thinks Aiden will eat it so that is good. I did not want to waste food! When I stopped to drop it off Di told me to come back after my class. I was grateful for that as we haven’t had a catch up in a while. I dropped the food, headed for class and as I was removing my jacket realized my burn was going to make it impossible. I left and headed back to the Campbells. We had a good visit over several games of crib and made plan for the next couple days.
I received my first Christmas card today! All the way from England from cousins Bea and Mike. She is so talented to hand paint these cards every year. I feel blessed to receive one.
I got the laptop working again when I realized the power bar it was plugged into had turned off. Once it was recharged it booted up no problem, Yay!
I have come to a mind shift. I have just decided it is work whether I get paid or not. If I constantly watch the dollar clock I am robbing myself of the joy of doing whatever it is that I am not getting paid for. Today I looked at my list and triaged the workload. One of the things I needed to take the pressure off was to get the slideshow done for the Grand reopening and open house this weekend at the theatre. I finally just stopped the clock, and got working on it. Several hours later the file was complete and I was happy with the result. I was very grateful that I had put the file on a stick and was doing it on my work desktop as when I returned to the theatre laptop to put it back on there and make sure it worked, the laptop wouldn’t come out of sleep mode, nor turn on at all as if the battery were dead yet it had been plugged in all afternoon. I decided not to fret over it as I needed to get home and make some dinner. There is a computer shop a block over so if it doesn’t boot up in the morning I will take it there. In the meantime I will set up the software on my new to me laptop and use it. I made a heavenly smelling and tasting dinner. I just have to get better at eating earlier again.
A funny moment in the day was when I was dropping pictures into the show and saw my ex. It wasn’t him but I may have sworn in court it was. I even texted the picture of the painter to him and we had a good laugh. Chris still lives on Salt Spring Island and I think of him often. Our inner children were best friends and I miss him still.
It was dark when I got home so I will have to take a picture tomorrow. I noticed the tree people across the way. They were likely there to take down the two trees in the cul de sac that I managed to protect while I was on the strata board… sad if they are gone.
A productive day culminated in a very productive Board Meeting. I was very proud of my girl, Ashlée who calmly, firmly and assertively explained a tenuous situation and then asked for help to make her first motion. Team CCT did not all agree on everything but people stood for the right things and heard each other out and decisions were passed. Always moving forward in the Society’s best interest is what we are there for.
Sheila was so pleased with the chandelier she found for the lobby and she had very right to be. This one is beautiful and suits the period. I thought the first one she picked was gaudy but it was not up to a vote. So glad it was not CSA approved, lol. This one is spectacular in the space and I love the Edison flame bulbs.
I needed to speak to the fire department about using sparklers onstage today. Murray, the Fire Prevention officer was awesome and he said had googled smokeless sparklers and there were such a thing, We talked about me making a fire safety plan and emailing it to him, and then I got off the phone and googled ‘smokeless sparklers’… sigh.
The single bestest moment of my day was when I went to put my recycle in the car and noticed Missy. I went back in the house for my camera as I literally laughed out loud. She didn’t move, sitting there as if she was 100% camouflaged.
Do you ever just feel caught between gratitude and disappointment? Today was my final appointment with my GP. She is moving on, closing her practice and I am left without a Dr.
The funny thing is that I am more grateful for having had her in my life, for the acceptance and support she has given than I am worried about no longer having a doctor. I am terribly disappointed overall but understand that she is young and needs to make healthy choices for herself. I was grateful to have had a last appointment with her, to go over all the results, get prescriptions and to give her the gift I ordered the day after I got her letter saying she was leaving. When earlier in the year, she was removing an angry mole, stitching me up, we had a great conversation about the concert we were both at. It turns out that she is the biggest fan of Chantal Kreviazuk. I found a bag with lyrics and gave her a card that expressed what she has done for me, that she had made me a better person for seeing and accepting me just the way I am. She was moved and gave me a big hug. I will miss her.
I next met with Tanner and we FaceTimed Kimberly who was home with sick kids to work on the show poster which is very exciting. They both have a good feel of the vision of the show. Both of them are lovely young ladies who are so talented and I am thrilled to watch the talent in action.
I also booked with Kimberly for my next tattoo in January. I am excited as it will be my Kelly memorial and make Deb and I sistas.
I got home in time to meet Diane R here to have me cook dinner and enjoy a great evening. She bought a great truck, a 2022 Tacoma! I wholeheartedly approve! Before I could get far on dinner she gave me an awesome gift. There was a time when we were kayaking and chatting and I was telling her about the Christmas party when there was a battle over scotch rocks and I was disappointed to have them stolen. I had always thought I would get some as a gift after that, but no. She is such a good listener that sure enough she brought me rocks. Not just any rocks, beautiful little ones that won’t bang my teeth, with a bag, a box and tongs. So thoughtful. She hears my love language, time spent together and proof that she is listening. I think that is why we are friends, a lot of time can pass but we know nothing is wrong… and then we connect and play games and catch up.. as if no time had passed at all. Much to be grateful for!! Although she did kick my butt at Patchwork….
It is 8:50 at night and i have only been awake for 7.5 hours. I find my self barely able to keep my eyes open. I don’t know why but yesterday I had 8.75 and today 11.5 hours of actual sleep. I barely even rolled over in the night. I am not sure if it is the seasonal change or what. At least I am tired tonight so I won’t throw off my work schedule. I will try to go to bed so I don’t get a second wind. I had coffee, puzzled a bit and then headed to the afternoon hockey game. I felt like putting on some Ducks gear and was really glad that I did when I found out Josh Niedermayer was playing with the Penticton Vees. He is the son of Scott who is one of Cranbrook’s favourite sons and an Anaheim Ducks star. I thought it especially fabulous that he plays with the Vees since the Ducks favourite move, in the movies was the Flying V. It was puck toss night to raise funds for Jr Hockey. Lovely to see Paula and her grandson Ezra. We know each other because our Moms were good friends growing up.
I love that it is decoration time!!! 4th St has some great decorators and it makes me smile in the darkness
puzzled most of the day away… once I got up that is… And there were two pieces missing. I found one but so far, not the other. I did catch Missy on the table one day so suspect I will ultimately find the piece under a piece of furniture or something one day. Very disappointing though! I did enjoy reliving my Brighton Pier memories.
I took a break to repair my inflatable man. He stood watching me for the afternoon but I decided he had to go outside once I started talking to him. I think the Mrs. was a little pissed off that he was gone so long.
I decided I had better cook a good late lunch/supper or lupper as Jake and I used to call it. Unfortunately the burger fell out of the package and splashed hot oil up my arm. I ran it under cold water but it bothered me most of the evening and I can’t lean on anything. I have never done that before, lots of oven rack burns and other more horrific ones but hot oil was new… not the type of new I was hoping for in my life.
Just before 6 I dropped off my hockey ticket at Rae’s as I was to volunteer at Key City Theatre. Tonight I was to tend bar and was fortunate to get to see a lot of the show. Mike Delamont is a comedian who makes me laugh out loud. He did not disappoint. I mean he is PG but not raunchy. There were some very current references to the state of things in the world. It is very intelligent comedy. He does his homework. I highly recommend his show. And who doesn’t live an ‘80s power suit?!
Stacey gave me a tree that I took to work for outside of my office. It is a bit misshapen out of the bag but Cindy came and did an awesome unfold and fluff service. It will get more decorations soon and I will take another picture. I love that it came with lights, berries and cones.
Today was pretty productive on the paid and unpaid front. I arranged Lukas to come help at the theatre tonight, handing out stickers. He did such a good job. I wish I had taken a picture. I was there with several hats on tonight. I scanned tickets at the door, took pictures and videos for our archives, tended bar during intermission, emceed during the last break and then stuck around to clean up the green room afterward. Got home at 11:30 after Dave graciously took all the things to return to Maureen. I have zero complaints as it all went so smoothly and the whole crew that put it together was awesome, from the planning at Board meetings to the gathering of supplies, staging for the bands to charming intros by Dave, crewing by Jamie and cleanup by all. The bands left happy and the audience even happier. I must say it was lovely to hear the audience hoot and clap for our sponsors as I read them out. I am so grateful to the team members who apply for grants that allow us to put on these concerts. To have the theatre sold out at half capacity for free to eager, music loving folks is such a thrill after all this time.
I also had a great highlight when my besties in England filmed themselves with the seasonal items I sent. Gosh they make me smile. So much love both ways.
Woke up this morning to snow and a bunch of inflatables laying down on the job. They also make me smile. Cheerful things take the sting out of any darkness, brighten any week filled with loss, make a day better.
The three bands that played tonight were Shiva, Tall Timbers, and Pretty For the People. Three cover bands that covered from the 60s to the now.
Worked on getting a lot done today as I listened to CBC reporting on the current state of emergency in BC. Hearing the stories of the people rescued from the mudslides etc was heart wrenching. A man was choking up telling how he was only rattled when he was able to continue on his drive and saw that where he had sat trapped over night was only a few hundred feet from big danger. They are saying the Coquihalla Highway won’t reopen for some time. That will send all transport trucks on winding Hwy one or Hwy 3 with 4 mountainous passes. It is going to be a tough winter for long haul drivers. I am still so grateful Jake avoided any serious danger.
Part of my day that I really enjoyed was making Christmas party invitations for a client. Paperless post is such a great App. Nice to do something different.
It was knife play night at RMMA. There are getting to be nearly too many women there now. I liked the more open feel in the space. At least we are all wearing masks and they take our temp when we get there. I am so freaked out by knives, swords and axes when I watch fights on TV or the movies but seem to be doing ok with them in fake fighting
I had my Hello Fresh arrive a day late and my Good Food which I forgot to cancel was supposed to arrive today but didn’t. I hope it shows up tomorrow or it will be bad by Monday.
It’s snowing at the moment, will be curious to see how much there is by morning….
I am having trouble swallowing again today. I wish I could figure out what is causing it right now because I think I’m handling my stress well and I’m eating normal. Oh well, I shall survive.
My Mom called mid morning to let me know that her Uncle Keith had passed away. It as not a surprise, he had been fading. Just two weeks after his 74th wedding anniversary and 5 weeks before his 102nd birthday, he left his dear Pat and large family of sons, grandkids and great grandkids behind. Many will mourn his passing, such longevity garners many who love and respect. He was a gentle man, always kind and welcoming to me. He raised good men. It doesn’t matter that it was not a surprise, it matters that he was a part of our family and we were blessed to know him.
I wonder that anyone still follows along on this silly blog. I feel that so much is negative. There were very positive things in my day..
I found a sponsor for the play I am producing for the community theatre and that is a huge weight off as well as an exciting move forward for the marketing plan I have. I completed the books and financials for the upcoming board meeting and just have to do my director reports which is an even bigger weight off. I enjoyed apple pie made by a co-worker, mmmmm. I treated my inner 4 year old with Pogo for dinner, which is a corn dog on a stick… mmmmm. I got a bunch more puzzle done this evening.
An odd moment happened tonight as our janitor in the building was telling me that most of Hollywood actors have been taken to Guantanamo, cloned and killed and replaced back in LA. This included for example Tom Cruise and Mel Gibson. I couldn’t even argue this but did ask if he gives money online. He said no, never so I am going to let him reside in his fantasy world. It really boggles my mind how this crap feeds the lower IQ folks in the world. I suppose there must be a lack of a rational brain to just believe this stuff. It is sad but I won’t crush him.
I started the day by reliving yesterday and wondering how long it would have normally taken to get to Jake’s house from here. As it happens maps knew there is no way to get to the coast except through the the states but that also is not possible as you would need to have been very recently Covid tested to go that way. I heard today they are planning to change that for BC residents who have to get from A to B.
It was icy and windy still today but not as windy as yesterday. The tarp blew off the roof of my shed but is bunched in the corner by the fence so I can recover and secure better on the weekend. I had a physio appointment at 2 and Mark worked on my right hip again. He told me to come back if I needed him. I am sitting on the heating pad stretching it out at the moment. Who knew that bone spurs on a hip were even a thing? Not me! The cause the muscles and ligaments down my leg, up my side and up my arm to seize but at least I know what it is not and have stretching exercises to help. Knowledge is power!
Part of the stress of the day was knowing I had a meeting at 3:45 with potential new clients. I was referred by an accountant I used to work with and as a favour to him decided to meet with them and maybe assist them in setting up and train them to do their own. As it happens I really liked these two young women who are the ages of my 2nd and 3rd children. They have a solid plan and I look forward to helping them be successful. I can’t say what their business is as it won’t be fully operational until April but suffice to say I have the trifecta of clients in Kimberley now. I am grateful they were willing to have their yearend when it worked best for my workload.
I called Jake when I got home from buying cat food. I am not sure if that is the next hoarding thing but the shelves were picked nearly clean in the reasonable price range at Safeway. He told me all about the route he had to take that caused him to be on the road a total of 27 hours rather than the 9 it should have been. He has a good outlook though and said he saw a gorgeous part of the Province and wants to go explore it once the weather improves. He said we shouldn’t have worried as nothing could happen to him, he’s the main character in this story. I am impressed with his boss who responded to a tweet he saw with a personal message to get him accommodation or have him stay at his place if he could make it that far.
Sat and puzzled, the sort usually takes the longest for me but is so worth it. This one brings happy memories of Brighton Pier, the first place I was taken in England to dip my toes in the channel.
That is what they are calling this torrential horror show. Jake left late yesterday afternoon and by 1 am he had texted that he was stuck as both hwy 3 and 5 are closed for mudslides. I messaged him when I woke up and got no response at first. I can only imagine he was catching a nap or out of cell reception. I also noticed he had forgotten his car blanket. When we finally heard from him it was just after 9 and he said he was between a mudslide and a flood and that they said it might be 24 hours. At least he had the 3 bananas, 2 Wonder Woman waffles and 1 wee can of coffee I sent along with him. Wish we’d thought of water. Finally heard from him again at 5:10 saying he had gone a long way, to lillouette and down through Pemberton. I heard after that that all roads to the coast were cut off. Sounds like he was lucky to get through at all and at 8 pm we got the message that he was home. I love my kids sense of humour.
I tried hard to concentrate but was basically annoyed by all office noises. I even skipped through 3 podcast episodes and finally just turned on CBC to listen for updates. It was a heavy payroll day and that takes a lot of concentration which helped. It also took a lot of effort to stay focused. I came home in time to make soup before heading to a Board meeting. Before I left I got thinking about my ABC friends and messaged them about the storm in BC. It turns out that one of the houses in the pictures I’ve been seeing all day is my friend’s rental in Princeton. The tenants were evacuated but it looks like the damage will be major.
Our meeting was productive and we will have our concert on Friday at Key City. I am doing the marketing in the lobby, thanks to another board member for getting things ready for us. I am going to try to get enough work done to take off a bit early that day.
The wind is intense.. and of course I put up my inflatables this weekend…..
I am looking forward to sleep, it’s been a long day. Friends are suffering all over the Province today.
For 15 years Jake and I lived on Salt Spring Island. Many of our best memories were captured by local photographer Derrick Lundy. He was even the photographer for my wedding on January 1st 2000. I remember the first time I saw him driving around the island in his jeep and asked an acquaintance who the Magnum looking guy was. At first they didn’t know who I was talking about and then the response was ‘oh that’s just Derrick!’ I still chuckle about it all these years later as there were so many great moments when he would just look at me with his sparkly eyes and speak in his gentle voice and even though he became a friend, I never saw him as ‘just Derrick’. Exactly a month ago he had trouble with his vision and was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer that had already spread and the day before his 65th Birthday he died. Today, on that day that should have celebrated the beginning of his senior years, we instead mourn his loss and I know I am better for having known him.
On a happier note, my morning started with Emmy and Jake again. I made waffles and did Emmy’s hair before they headed out. She loved my salon which was only possible because Jake helped me rehang my mirror. I still need to clean it though!
After they took off I poured a hot bath and used one of the bath bombs I’d been gifted. Turns out it was a glitter one… the tub is still leaking somewhere and now there is glitter everywhere, lol. I enjoyed the second to last episode of YOU before moving to the table to start working on the Gala Photo Slide Show. I finished that show and then moved on to binge MAID. Andie McDowell and her daughter are both very good actors. I had heard a lot about the show, so many people had gut responses to it. It sure covers a lot of familiar places, out of context but familiar, from Fulford Harbour to Goose Spit and more.
I saw Emmy kissing Santa Claus, underneath the Willow Tree today. She didn’t see me creep on the porch to take a pic…
Jake drove Emmy to meet Danika in Fernie. After they left I found her letter. Jake dropped the booster seat off on the way back through town. We had a good hug and off he headed back to the coast. It was nice to have him here.
This is the card Emmy made for Diane yesterday. She wrote my name for the first time, hers and her Dads. Pretty great for 4
I woke up to a delightful ‘Hi Nana” and a crawl in cuddle from Emmy. 4 is such and interesting age, she definitely is showing that 2 with a better vocabulary side of things today. Jake is so calm and consistent with her, I love seeing him parent in action. I got up and make us all brunch of ham, eggs and Pillsbury biscuits. I have to admit sharing breakfast with others will always be my favourite meal to share. After breakfast Emmy tried on a costume in the tickle trunk, put on her Dads glasses and said “I am Jake”. I am pleased to know she saw the same face in breakfast as I did.
Once we were all ready we got dressed and went outside. First chore was to put my motorcycle to bed for the winter and then put up the inflatables. Sadly as night fell I noticed most of them don’t light any more but I leave them up all day anyway.
We all came in and I rented Paw Patrol the Movie as Emmy and I both felt Jake needed to see it. I enjoyed it just as much and may have even noticed more the second time. Emmy was funny asking Jake if she could tell him a spoiler about Rubble’s luggage. He said no but she laughed and pointed out what she was going to say when it happened. I took Emmy and Sawyer to see it when it came out and she remembers all the small details! After the movie she was hungry so I got making dinner and even though it wasn’t anything Jake would like.. he did! Win!
After dinner Emmy asked if she could give me a make-over. Make-up and hair. Of course I said yes and she did her finest. She then chose a picture she had coloured and signed earlier with her Dad and her name to give to Diane for her birthday. I had explained earlier that my friend was having a birthday and I wanted to go give her a hug. She added my name to the picture and together we went to give it to Diane in our fancy makeup. It was too late stay but we had hugs and wished her a Happy Birthday. I was happy to see the Dance Party was about to begin and I hope she won.
Once we got home a bath was in order complete with Minion science bath bomb in a container. I made it explode inadvertently. She got some in her eyes but it was more hysteria than an actual injury. Bed soon followed and then I finished my puzzle while Ashlée showed up to entertain Jake in a few games of crib. I entertained them with Alter Ego. We all felt the same about this cheesy CGI music show. With Will.I.Am at the helm, I wanted it to be sooooo much better. I then introduced them to The Masked Singer which in spite of the hammy acting of the judges we enjoyed much more.
I had barely gotten underway on the treadmill this morning when Jake called that he was at my front door. It was so good to see him as I was intentionally ignoring the fact that he was driving from the coast in the shoulder winter season which can be some of the worst driving conditions. We had a quick hug and off to bed he went to catch a few hours before being on work time. I headed to the office and once again made good work of the time in my day. Another call with CRA ended in positive news for a client again. While I was on hold waiting for an agent to answer Lance and Jordon went to check out my motorcycle and then came to talk to me to make a deal to swap it for the work on my 46 Willys. We had worked through the history of her when the agent came on the phone so they left. I called when I was done and we made a verbal handshake on it. I guess I have officially ‘sold’ my Triumph. My heart is sad and happy at the same time. I am glad it is going to friends, and sad it will no longer be mine. I bought her on May 13th 2009 and have put most of the Kilometers on her. I will store it for the winter and hopefully be able to ride it out there in the spring but if not that’s ok too. It is the end of an era but not necessarily the end of me riding. I have been licensed for 41 years, this may be the end of this bike, not the end of me being a motorcycle enthusiast.
After work I popped home before heading to the hockey game. It was fun to be there with the crew. The Alberni Valley Bulldogs won 4-2 which is no surprise as we looked a lot like we were tired or frazzled. It was still fun though as it was the turkey night. A 20 dollar donation would give a turkey dinner to a family in need. A guy in a turkey outfit raced against Stagger the mascot during the first intermission. Our prices are very reasonable especially compared to the Seattle Kraken at $16 US a beer.
When I got home Ashlée had left after playing games with Jake for the evening. She is going to pick him up in the morning to get Emmy and drop his car to get the winter tires put on and then I am going to make us breakfast buns. Jake and I had a good visit and catch up and then he all but insisted I open his Christmas present. I am so glad he did as it made me have happy tears on the perfect day for it. I have a tattoo of a few of my defining things.. my zodiac sign, my motorcycle and my motto for life. He found the most perfect gift, what a good boy. I had to hang it immediately. It will always remind me of this day of a tough decision.
triumphgal 