Reinforcements

Rescue came again from the East.

First Victor and a few days later his dear wife Marcia.

God knows when to send the reinforcements around to lend aid!

Vic spent most of his time in Kelowna doing paperwork for Mom in regards to Dad's estate and also fixing things around the house.

The paperwork is tedious and complicated but slowly things are getting sorted out.

He also did all sorts of things to make Mom's stay here more comfortable; installing easy to use bathroom taps, a new taller toilet and he even put on a bidet attachment to keep things squeaky clean.

He is a tireless worker -  uncomplaining, incredibly helpful and oh so kind.

He is very loving to Mom.

There is just nothing like family. 

We continue to be so grateful for how Marcia has adopted us all and for how she loves us in very practical ways. 

She even turned Mennonite for the day and made a huge pot of borscht from Mom's recipe.

It was delicious and lots went into the freezer for future easy meals.

There is nothing like a good pot of soup to warm one's soul in the winter season.

We didn't get around to making a turkey dinner to celebrate an early Christmas with Vic and Marcia since the days were so full but we did have lots of good fellowship around the table.

I also had Mom's church friends over for a Christmas luncheon.

They were all so happy to be together! 

The older they get the harder it is for them to get them together, but we make a valiant effort every few months.

Sweet, loving Lucy, Tante Hilda, and dear Annie.

Thankfully there was no snow or ice on the ground to navigate.

Here's Mom with her long time friend Martha.

The conversations were humming and the joy of community was tangible.

Marcia's borscht was a big hit and there were so many Christmas goodies to enjoy.

It was definitely worth the effort!

Mom had a good long nap following all the excitement.

The one Christmas event we did as a family was to attend a Christmas Tale's drama/concert.

The drama was very comical and the music was fabulous.

Plethora of Parties

So the season of parties is upon us. 

Mom and Tante Hilda's church put on a beautiful potluck turkey dinner with entertainment so we bundled up and braved the cold weather to partake.

Even Pupcake emerged from hiding after his nap and joined in the fun.

Thankfully Victor arrived  and he was a tremendous help in getting us all in and out without incident.

The food was scrumptious and there was carol singing afterwards.

Mom was very tired and looked like she was ready to fall asleep but she hung in there as long as she could.

She is obviously not feeling great and is still probably somewhat in shock from the events of the past while, but a trooper she is! 

We left early, and not too inconspicuously, but that's ok.

When you're 91 you can call the shots and no one is going to complain. We also have my wheelchair as an excuse whenever needed which can come in handy.

I was also delighted to be invited to the Soma Christmas dinner by my friend Michelle.

I was her date and it was nice to have this event right up here in my neighbourhood!

Michelle is so full of life and fun despite the many obstacles she's had to overcome in her life.

Amazingly, they had just experienced a water line break in the venue's kitchen that afternoon so they had to order in all the food and set everything up before the evening dinner.

It was beautiful and very classy, notwithstanding all the kafuffle going on in the kitchen next door.

 I felt completely spoiled!

There was an abundance of cider and other alcoholic beverages but I'm not a big fan.

I did enjoy half a glass of fruity sweet cider though.

Beloved Donara was there, of course - she's the one who initially introduced me to Michelle and the gaggle of single women who all used to meet on a monthly basis downtown.

There was lots of yummy food followed by decadent desserts.

Such a beautiful venue!

Such delightful treats.

We were all given a sum of money to be spent upstairs where they had a mini gambling casino set up.

It took me awhile to get up the nerve to play as I didn't really have a clue, but it's not hard to get help in spending one's cash at one of these places!

I finally found a game that was accessible and understandable and I slowly gambled away my free fake cash.

Thankfully I did make a bit at one point and I quickly handed it over to Michelle who was wanting to bid on some of the prizes that were available.

There was one more party this week with my Butterfly Friends.

We had Thai food ordered in and we did our requisite picture taking.

 

Barb hosted the dinner at her beautiful new place.

She has a handsome new husband to go with the new place but he was out of town so the mice played while the cat was away.

I don't know a Butterfly analogy for that so we'll be mice for the evening. 

Such beautiful women.

So much love and years of prayer and shared stories.

The week ended with a choral concert at the German Church of God!

Marie was singing and had invited us to attend so we enjoyed a diverse and fun selection of Christmas music.

There were yummy goodies following in keeping with the holly jollies of Christmas! 

Downtown December

December downtown!

How delightful to have the Christmas manger scene right in our city centre in this day and age where political correctness so often rules. 

When I was growing up we had a little cardboard version of this sitting under our tree.  I loved pulling out the box and putting it together and setting it up.

Ours was much smaller though ha!

Mom and I still enjoy going for an occasional coffee ride to get out of the house and to take in the lake view.  However, now that mom lives with me we usually have our coffee at home, all cozy and tucked in together.

We have been enjoying very mild weather and I am exceedingly pleased that there is NO SNOW!

Marie hosted our Christmas gal's gathering and I dropped mom off at Tante Hilda's since they conveniently live in the same building.

When I got in the door and saw all the familiar faces in the familiar setting I felt like we had just done this a week or two ago!  Apparently the others had said the same thing.

Time

Flying

By.

Everyone brought something to the table and we feasted and caught up on the last few months of life.

Loralee has become something of a cozy/mystery writer sensation and has been pumping out books like crazy.  She writes in Europe in the fall and has started to spend her winters in Mexico writing. Marie is still blessing our beautiful deaf community with her sign language skills when they need an interpreter and she also sings at the hospice. Anita, of course is still doing the doctor rounds in Iqaluit when she's not here looking after her Dad and keeping me company. 

Sweet Lisa had other commitments so we missed her presence. 

Since it's December I felt the urge to do my one requisite baking extravaganza.

Pfeffernusse!

The spices were lined up and I finally found a really great recipe that originated with the Mennonites so I thought it was a safe bet.

It is quite a tedious process since I double the recipe, but the effort was worthwhile.

I am of the camp that puts real pepper in for an extra punch with every crunch!

The house filled with the the smell of Christmas and I was delighted with the hundreds of little cookies that covered the counters.

Mom tasted them and pronounced them good.

Whew!

Elsie was over with Pupcake overseeing the project.

God painted the sky beautiful as a goodnight kiss.

Oh how I love Him.

Dance of December

Crisp, cold air and colourful lights created an idyllic entrance to December and the Christmas Season!

I made sure to get a few decorations up for the First Advent, especially since Mom is staying here and she spends so much time in the living room.

I want things to feel cozy for her. 

I attended a Craft Fair scouting out gifts for our renters.  Instead of doing the normal "box store" run that is so simple and rather impersonal I thought I'd try to support our local economy and I found a good friend selling all sorts of goodies that I will purchase closer to the date. 

I also found some gifts for the kids and ran into all sorts of wonderful people!

Such a festive delightful atmosphere. 

I had purchased tickets some time ago to attend a local performance of Handel's Messiah.

It was magnificent and the performers were top notch.

It is such a moving piece of music and I was able to sit alone near the back giving me a really great view and the personal space to enjoy it.

Music is such a powerful force...  I found myself thinking of Dad and tearing up.

It actually felt good to finally be able to connect with some emotions and deep feelings about his passing.  

Such a gift to be there.

Afterwards Ollie and I drove to the airport to pick up Anita who flew down from Iqaluit for the holidays. 

Nice to have her back again. Mom also feels better when the house is full of people.  She kept asking about when Anita would be back and finally she is here!! 

Jennifer popped over to pick up something and we had such a nice visit together with Elsie and Anita.

Chai and cookies were served next to the little furry table ornament.

It was so fun to catch up with my old housemate and to laugh together again.

Anita, Elsie and I joined my friend Donna down near the lake for the lighting of the Menorah at the beginning of Chanukah. 

It was absolutely freezing, but I happily ate some traditional latkes and a jelly donut to celebrate the occasion while we waited for the Rabbi to make his speech and to get the Menorah lit.

We also hung around to witness the dropping of "Gelt" for the children from the top of the fire engine.

Entering into some Jewish cultural traditions here!

The kids had fun scrambling on the ground to get as much of the chocolate money as they could get their hands on!

Even Anita who is used to the Arctic weather was cold so that is saying something!

Somehow being downtown in the winter witnessing the skaters and the Christmas decor is very invigorating.

The lights are simply enchanting.