We had an early dinner tonight.
We laugh! It reminds us of, "You can't open your Christmas presents until you finish your breakfast" or "No trick or treating until you have some dinner". In our case, it's "No TV yet". And what are we watching? Well, the results of the US Presidential election, of course.
And I have hiccups from eating too fast.
Postscript: Christmas and Halloween have better surprises.
We had Thanksgiving dinner yesterday at Penny's. Penny has bravely stepped into the breach and is now hosting the holiday dinners. (Thank you, Penny!)
Together with Penny, Bill, and Sarah were guests Arleen and Chris.
Penny met Chris when they were both working for the City of Vancouver, and Tom and I met Arleen when we all worked for Family Services of Greater Vancouver, some 40+ years ago, and before Chris and Arleen even knew each other!
Great fun catching up!
Remember I said that Joe and I share a love of science fiction?
Me to Joe: Know what this is?
Me to Joe: It's a Klingon Bird of Prey tattoo!
Joe to me: I thought it was a Romulan Warbird.
Hahahahahaha ...
Maybe it's learned behaviour or genetics. See, when I was a kid, my dad would often go for a walk after dinner, by himself. Sometimes ... sometimes ... I went with him.
I'm in Vancouver for a few days to see a show and get some shopping in.
Flew over on HeliJet, which provided spectacular views of the fog that has been wreaking havoc with air travel this week.
As luck would have it, my nephew, Joseph, from Ontario, was at a conference in Vancouver at the same time, so we managed to fit in a dinner together before he flies to (wait for it) Victoria to visit the rest of the westcoasters!
Always great to get together with Joe. We have remarkably similar interests (especially when it comes to science fiction) and, after talking with him, I always come away with new books or shows to check out.
And then ... off to the theatre to see "Jersey Boys".
Great music, great acting, GREAT SHOW! I was singing and dancing in my head all the way back to the hotel. I do so love musical theatre!
Tomorrow it's off to the Ecco store to see what new shoes I just have to have.
Oh, and just a side note ... Here are the pillows that the hotel puts on my bed, compared with the pillow I bring from home and actually use to sleep on. "Oh, what a night!"
I've been thinking about those 4 plus years missing from my blog, so I thought I'd give you a quick update as to what happened during that period.
2020:
I took a course at UVic in Philosophy and Science Fiction and wrote a paper asserting that Cylons had moral standing. The course was disrupted before the final class because of ...
... Covid.
Tom had a socially-distant 95th birthday celebration.
I underwent treatment for breast cancer.
2021:
Our condo building was remediated, and Tom had 96th birthday wishes from the crew.
2022:
I took my first flight - from Victoria to Vancouver - with HeliJet and got a picture of our place on the way out of town. I am now a frequent flyer.
And I apparently didn't take pictures of Tom's 97th birthday celebration. However, I did take a picture of the Santa's elf who made us Moose Milk cocktails.
2023:
Tom had two (!!) cakes to celebrate his 98th birthday - one from Chuck and Jacquie ...
Sadly, The Collective closed for good in July. We were so sorry to see them go; they had become part of our family.
2024:
The BIG NEWS of early 2024 is that Tom celebrated his 99th birthday!! A number that big required two birthday parties:
One with family ...
And that's a quick summary of the last four years.
I love Fall.
And one of the things I love about Fall is the fog.
I remember walking home one night in Napanee in fog so thick that I felt like a character in a Victorian-era horror story.
I remember driving to work in the mornings and seeing ground fog blanketing the farmers' fields on either side of the highway.
And here in Victoria, the fog drifts in across the park, smelling of the ocean and accompanied by the haunting sounds of the fog horns.
Today I worked my my first shift this year at Ogden Point.
I volunteer at the cruise ship dock for Destination Greater Victoria, greeting visitors, handing out maps, and directing people to the many great things to see and do in Victoria.
Usually by this time of year I'd have put in a half dozen or more shifts but, for a variety of reasons, today was my first. It had been so long that I wondered if I should even bother anymore, maybe volunteer elsewhere. But as I approached Ogden Point, I began to remember why I like this job so much.
When the folks get off the ship, they're smiling. I smile back at them, and they smile back at me. It's such a happy place to be!
The Disney Wonder was in port today with 2,700 passengers disembarking for an exciting day in Victoria.
And I have a sunburned nose, sore cheeks, and a bounce in my step!
When the Covid mask mandates were introduced, I was undergoing cancer treatment. With a compromised immune system from the chemotherapy, wearing a mask in public was a no-brainer for me. It was vital to protect myself from catching Covid. Even now, some 4 years after the start of the pandemic, I still mask up on the bus and (mostly) in the mall.
But now I'm masking to protect others from my Covid infection.
Thank you to all those who masked up to protect me when I needed it. Happy to return the favour.
I tested positive for Covid this morning. At first I thought I just had a cold, though that would have been equally surprising as I haven't had a cold in over 4 years. AND I've had 8 Covid shots AND I'm still masking on the bus and in the mall (though I will admit that I have been shirking a bit in the mall).
I called 811 and spoke with a Health Services Navigator who told me how to look after myself and protect others, and then redirected me to a nurse to see about my eligibility for Paxlovid. She then connected me with a pharmacist who reviewed my health status and my medications. He determined that I was not at high risk for hospitalization, and that the Paxlovid would interact negatively with another medication I am taking.
So here I am, masked in my own home to limit Tom's exposure and taking Tylenol. (I also had a nice nap this afternoon.)
And that is why I'm happy to pay taxes.
Before Covid (and before Penny moved to Victoria), Tom and I would go to Vancouver for Christmas. One of our traditions was to go to the Sandbar Restaurant on Granville Island with Penny and Bill. We would sit on the outdoor patio, under the heaters or beside the fireplace, wrapped in blankets, and revel in the magic of the Christmas lights on the boats in False Creek and the apartment towers in the West End.
Pat and I went there for dinner tonight. Even though it's June and not dark, the magic was still there.
Pat lost one of the lenses in her reading glasses yesterday, so our first trip this morning was to London Drugs to buy a pair of cheaters. The cashier was sympathetic to Pat's plight, confessed to his own failing eyesight and advanced age, and removed all the tags from the glasses so that she could put them on to read the credit card machine instructions. When Pat thanked him for his great service, he replied, "That's what we do at London Drugs - heal the sick and cure the blind!"
Later we stopped at the Ecco shoe store where the clerk not only remembered me from my visit two months ago, he even remembered what shoes I bought! He knew exactly what style would fit Pat's sore feet and she walked out with a funky (and comfortable) pair of Soft 60's.
Pat had her first helicopter ride today. It was, as she described it, both terrifying and exciting.
We are in Vancouver for a few days to see a play, eat out a lot, and do a little shopping. I confess, though, that it is only 7:30 pm and we are both in bed watching movies on our tablets. Such is the life of the senior jet-setter 😁.
Pat, Robbie, and I spent a couple of days together in Toronto before my return to Victoria.
We walked over 10km in a single day! We ate a lot and drank margaritas. We told every restaurant server that we were sisters and challenged them to guess which one of us was the eldest. (All of them declined to take up the challenge 😁.)
We complained about the humidity, the heat, and our aching feet and arthritic joints.
We laughed a lot.
We're sisters.
The Ottawa Valley Recreational Trail is a 296 km repurposed stretch of the former Canadian Pacific rail bed that runs from Smiths Falls to Mattawa. As luck would have it, it passes through Braeside (where it is called the Algonquin Trail) right at the bottom of Pat and Jim's street.
It is a beautiful spot for an early morning walk.
Spring has come to the Ottawa Valley ...
It is blackfly season in Ontario, ugh.
But today the sky is blue, the trees are blooming, the seedlings are sprouting, and Pat and Jim are getting the backyard patio and pool ready for the summer.
And then dinner with Mum!
Another early night for me. Jet lag is the pits.
I have a gun. It is an orange and blue pump-action super soaker, and I am a crack shot with it. It is a very effective tool for encouraging the peacocks to leave the flower bed.
It was a cloudy day. I was sitting in my comfy chair waiting for the dryer to beep, telling me that there were clothes to fold. I was wandering through the Bookmarks on my computer and came across the shortcut to my blog, Pineapple Salsa.
I haven’t posted to the blog since Dec 2019, and I don’t
remember why I stopped updating it. But
reading those old entries inspired me to put virtual pen to virtual paper once
again.
I tell myself that this time I’ll be more disciplined; I will post more regularly, but not too much.
Yeah, sure …
