Wetland walkies

Christmas Day was a quiet one. I did have a nice video chat with the kids in Vancouver, they were at the cottage, actually. The girls were so excited to have gone out in the rain to the community outdoor heated pool. They are avid skiers, so Bryony and Cluny were happy to get outside.

We had a quiet dinner and watched some Christmas concerts on TV. 

Boxing Day, Dec. 26th, began with a frozen turkey out on the back deck. I soaked it in the pot to thaw it. 

All arrived, and we had some good chats. First thing was to open our mutual presents. It was fun.

Grampa had socks for everyone! 

Grampa wanted a new Ukrainian flag!

I was determined to have some photos of us together.

The kids are crafty. Aster is embroidering moss on her toque. Just free hand. Some of it looks like lichen! She is quite crafty, as are they all. 

Jo was working on putting kids into groups for their planned leadership camp. He and a friend are co-leading it. There is a lot of work to do.

 

Aster, Caitlin and I went walkies. Aster is supposed to do 40 minutes exercise assigned by her gym teacher. First stop was the dock and the frog pond.

OK, Aster kindly shook the tree and the tree shed its snow load on Caitlin! Laughter ensued. We'd looked at the trees, as they are riddled with yellow-bellied sap sucker holes all lined up.

This used to be Annabelle's climbing tree. We had to rehome her. Aster remembered the tree. 

We've so many large, dead white pine trees. 

We called to the barred owl. No sign of it, just having fun!

Back at the house, we fed Grampa's deer!

Caitlin tracked our trek.

Visitors

It is Boxing Day in Canada. I do have boxes to flatten for recycling. It's plastics this week, though. I have time. I did something different this year. I put everything into boxes and painted the boxes. 

I asked for volunteers to put out the garbage this morning, the kids are sleeping over another day, but I didn't get any takers! Isabel asked what time. Eight o'clock, I explained. Her eyes widened. I really was joking even if I did play the, "I have to put out garbage and it is my birthday" card.

We planned Christmas dinner well in advance, more on that later. My birthday dinner, today, we winged it.  They were hosting her brother and brother-in-law on Saturday. They are quite busy. 

 

🐈 Speaking of visitors, we had our most recent cat visitor back Dec. 20th, at 22:50! Somebody's cat must be either crossing the highway, or travelling about a km or both to visit us. I hesitate to name him. The last visiting cat was hit by a car. 

 

visitor cat from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Another visitor, the cottontail bunny.

Cottontail Dec 21 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Hubby likes to feed the deer. We know our neighbour feeds them to lure them, so of all years, we keep embracing them.

 

yard deer Joe from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Not so Silent Night

It's been a tough week. We'll get through it. Outdoor walking is treacherous, which is a shame. I drove down the 100m driveway to get the recycling boxes as it is so slippery. Walking on the snow, with a significant top layer of ice, defeated me.

Home is still safer. Our COVID numbers are shocking here in Leeds, Grenville, Lanark Health Unit. We had 253 total cases last Thursday: 542; on Monday, 556 cases Tuesday. (They don't post on holidays or weekends.) The last time it was this high was Dec., 2020, when it was at a peak of 314 cases. 

🎵♪♩🎵♪♩🎵♪♩🎵♪♩

On a lighter note♪...  I miss the church music at Christmas. 

We had many happy times in the church choir, we (my mom and dad), as well as Wendy and Andrew. Both my parents sang in the LPCC choir, begun by my aunt back in the 50s. It was a musical family, my adoptive family. 

On Dec. 21st 1973, 47 years ago, I travelled to Timmins to be present for my friend Wendy's wedding. It was a long bus ride and I was nervous. Billeted in her friend's house, it was quite an experience for me. 

Wendy and Andrew were students in the university nearby. I was telling two of my three kids about the choir and thought of the good old days. We reconnected on Facebook. Wendy and Andrew's daughter just graduated with her PhD! They have a granddaughter, as well.

We spent hours singing at LPCC. This is the foyer of the church. 

I joined the choir when I was in Gr. 8, 1969. I sang there until I was married at Lawrence Park Community Church on Dec. 10th, in 1976. I tried being in a choir here, but the politics of the church and church choirs, set me on edge. This brings fond memories. 

Wendy, and her then boyfriend, were in our church choir. They graduated from the local university and settled in Toronto. A beautiful couple, with good hearts, and fine spirits. Both talented musicians, they kept up their church choir work. When I think of them, I think of our choir at Christmas. We had many candlelight services in the church. 

Wendy and Andrew (my mom called them Wendrew!) have worked long and hard in the musical community.

Donaldson is the third of seven children born to Northern Ontario missionaries. He and his wife, Wendy, have lived in the Hambly Avenue area of the Beach for almost 50 years.

Donaldson received a B.A. in French and English studies from Glendon College, York University (1974), and studied classical guitar at the Royal Conservatory of Music, where he received the Associate Diploma (ARCT) in classical guitar performance (1979).

A 2017 photo from Holy Trinity church

They have worked hard in many different countries.
Andrew Donaldson

In these COVID times, they have pivoted, as many musicians have been forced to do. There are many musical videos online of their work.

This is his beautiful arrangement of Silent Night. (Singers and Players of Beaches Presbyterian Church, Jo-Ann Thornton Dell, soloist, Don Anderson, piano, Andrew Donaldson, conductor.)

Also, Andrew has his YouTube channel with more music.

Here they are in a delightful piece. Wendy is on the far left.

A Birthday Bash

Christmas. The fun continued! We played and visited Christmas Day. Mightily entertained by Cluny.

December 26th

Breakfast in the hotel. (It is included!) Then, off to Caitlin's house.


We did lots of visiting. With six adults, and four children, we had much fun. Grampa went back to the hotel for a nap in the afternoon. The dads and the 2 middle cousins went out to play. Josephine grabbed my camera. She took the first three through the window.





The moms, Gramma, and youngest and oldest cousins stayed indoors. Jos took some fine photos. We had so much fun. Bryony can stand, and is about to crawl, but she'll almost walk, if you hold her hands.


Caitlin and three of the cousins disappeared into the kitchen, and the door was closed. Jos secretly took a photo with my camera. Cluny roared out, and proudly told her mom, "I put icing on the cake!" No surprises here! I knew something was up. Jos took a photo.


Much of the day was spent doing Lego. The kids, as well as Momma.


Play-do

Also, we played with Izzy's new Boxer Robot. It is amazing! It comes with these cards, which it scans, and does what the card says to do. It has a soccer ball. It will hunt around for it and kick it. It chats to you, in robot language.

Papa printed off a track, which Boxer will follow.



Work continued on the crossword puzzle. By now, it was a group effort.


My family!


After dinner (my favourite: spaghetti carbonara), the cake. My dear daughter built me a cock-eyed cake. (Remember Peg Bracken's I Hate To Cook cookbook? No dairy, yeast or eggs!)

Me, with my granddaughters! All FOUR. In one room! Some were dressed, others, not!!! I had bought myself a new dress for $20 at a local 2nd hand shop. I paired it with black tights.


Here are the girls! Josee, Bryony, Caitlin, me, Stacie, Cluny and Isabelle!