Anjou Pear Mincemeat
The drooping snow
Silky surveying the snow
And then the wind blew all of the snow into the deck
The Xmas lights are getting buried by the snow. This was taken a few days ago... I'll try to get a new pic... more snow better lights ...
This is a photo from two minutes ago...The snow is slowing drifting off the roof and the xmas lights are burning halo like holes into the snow,and lighting up the snow.. very pretty! Just don't walk under the eaves of the house!
Dang it is frosty out...-16* today which is freezing yurbuttoff cold for these parts.
I stayed indoors and made some pear mincemeat with the lovely anjou pears that Janice brought me. Considering our beautiful pear crop ripened beyond repair, I felt I should do something masterful with Janice's gift. I must say it turned out quite tasty... now to make some tarts or maybe some kind of squares... I'll have to check out some recipes... I made seven pints and have about enough left over to make a batch of something. It wasn't worth going through the canner exercise again for one or two jars.
I am upstairs trying to get out some Christmas cards. It will be sketchy as to whether anyone receives any prior to Xmas. My apologies.....but that is how she goes... when I retire, things should go a little more smoothly!
In the meantime...w e love you all and wish you a fine Christmas and a HAppy Healthy, Prosperous ,fun 2009!
Now here is my extensive wrap up of the year to date, just in case you don't feel much like looking back on the blog at all the fun we had. I emailed this letter out to most of you, so you can halt the reading if you already read it in the email. If not, set yourself back and relax and read... but most of all Have a very Merry Christmas!
Wow...Parcels went at lightening speed this year through Canada Post! Sonia received mine today and I mailed it out on Thursday... and hers came to me in 2 days...so forget the bus and opt for expedited post if you want quick and cheap!
Now for the longest Christmas letter in the history of letters at Christmas
Merry Christmas Dear Friends and Family...or as they say it in Harrop: Happy Ho-Ho-Ho!!!! and we do it the Kootenay Way!
Crack open a cold beverage and get a bowl of nuts and find a soft place to read my 2008 Xmas letter turned into mini novel/journal!
Hardly a drop of snow on the ground and only a few weeks before Christmas! Hard to believe!
(Ok, so we got several little blizzards since I first wrote that at the beginning of Dec, and it is minus 16 , freezing cold ...and windy as hell out.)
I thought I will email as many people as possible this year since it is easy to do...If you want to hang up this letter, then go ahead and print it out for yourself! I don't mind :-) Copy and Paste it into a Word document and hit Print!
I'll start back in 2007---over a year ago, Emil and I were anticipating his retirement with one party after the next from November 14th on...and to his surprise , co-workers and friends came from all over BC, to be part of the Hospital Employees Union fairwell in mid November. The luncheon that started in town at the office early afternoon, wound up at our place ,out in Harrop after it got dark! We brought all the leftovers out and ate some more and let our hair down! Even the non dancers, danced up a storm into the wee hours of the night, and I'll bet some people are still talking about it! (Well, actaully, we were, this week-end with our friend, Janice B. )!
Christmas last year was quiet...kids stayed in Victoria and we stayed here. All we were doing was resting up for the New Year's party at our house where we celebrated Emil's final day of work,Dec.31st, and once again, danced our way into the night, but this time it was into 2008! Toasts were made and Olde Lang Syne was sung,and everyone cheered the fact that after midnight, emil was a retired man!
Emil, with all this new leisure time on his hands, found us an amazing trip to Peurta Plata in the Dominican at the Rui Mambo hotel...for 2 weeks... so beautiful and warm and a wonderful way to spend the first weeks of retirement after so many years of going to work every day. Of course, we returned to the Calgary airport to find out it was something like -28* Thank our lucky souls for dear Lorraine ,who waited patiently till 2:00 am for us to clear customs. She brought our winter coats and boots and gloves and hats...brrr...after 30* weather, this was FREEZING! Then we went to her house for nibblies and a shot of Grey Goose to warm us up! We drove home on not so bad roads and I had to go to work ( at Kolmel's- the best little jewellery store in the west!) but it wasn't so terrible with having Mr. Mom at home tending the heartland and clearing away the huge piles of snow that kept on falling till practically Easter! I don't recall too much about spring, except that it was late in coming because we had the longest winter ever. You can check the archives in my blog if you want to see the snow pics of this past year ( http://beaswax.blogspot.com/)! Oh yes, I guess we did get out for the Polar bear dip...Ed dipped and we cheered! Then we did some x-country skiing, and a lot of games of Mexican Train, and a few Texas Hold-um poker games.... to pass the winter...
In fact, you can check most anything and find some tried and true recipes at my blog, plus a playlist to listen to, and a list of numerous handy Kootenay websites, such as the Highway cams, ferry ,or bus schedules. (Blogging is my hobby!)
Oh yes, we migrated up to Vernon for Ronda's son, Matthew's graduation. Once again, it was another great party, and we were entertained by Ronda's son Ryan, who flew in from Nashville,especially for his brother, Matthew's grad. Ryan and another guitarist kept the bluesy notes flowing and we were all tapping our toes and wishing that we could all sing better! Another good party with family and friends.! Before we returned home, we visited Emil's dad, at the Noric House Long term care facility in Vernon. He has had more downs than ups, of late, and is mostly confined to his wheelchair or bed. After a bout of illness this fall that put him in the hospital, he recently returned to Noric house and is now recovering slowly. Not up to snuff yet, but generally improving. That is as good as we can hope for at this stage of his life.
The real highlight of my year and biggest party came at the end of June when so many dear friends and family accepted my invitation to a big lawn party for Emil in honour of his retirement and his birthday too. We are so blessed with so many , many amazing friends and family that all came for this great get together to honour Emil's retirement and birthday. (If they couldn't make it, they sent their regrets) If you weren't notified of it, I do apologize.It was a full house in every way possible!
Best of all, Sonia and Kaleigh and Maddie and Annette were here at the same time for the first time in a long long time. It was the absolute best to have them all back home again. To top it off, both Eva and Dave and Mackenzie came, and so did Correna and Joe...so the four cousins actually got to visit one another for the first time in ages! With about 80 people here, it was the biggest party on the property since the StanAli cup and Brian's memorial in 2007! The front yard turned campground with trailers and tents all over the place, and it started around Thursday and kept going till the Tuesday of the following week, complete with a golf game and many other games under the willow tree. Sad to say,the wind took the old tree right down, a month or so later...thankfully ,no one was parked under it and no one injured. I miss my old wumping willow! The party was a huge success thanks to all my elves!
Thank-you so much to my sister Joyce and her hubby Morgan, and my cousin Lynn, and my daughters Sonia and Annette and Grandaughters, KAleigh and Maddie for all of your hardworking help, and thank-you to our friends whom we comandeered to work like beavers to set up the tents and tables and decorations, and help with the food and with the cleanup... I couldn't have done it without you all! Thank-you Sweet Friends and family! Emil, I think , had a good time and we saw our life long friends who came from almost every city we have lived in, near and really ,far to join in the festivities and get reacquainted! If I start naming everyone, I'll for sure leave someone out, but Once again, check my blog for video clips and web albums on the right sidebar....just scroll down until you get to them. The words "Retirement Party" will be in the header.
Not a few weeks after the big party, Sonia and kids returned and then so did Annette to enjoy some quality beach time and boating time... everyone tried out the new water skis. Sonia and Annette, became masters, and me just flopped head over heels like a tuna, and nearly drowned myself! Kaleigh and Maddie may have to come back next year to practice up a little more before they get their butts up out of the water!!! i think I will leave it up to them! When the water skis weren't out, then the tubes were in the water and there were screams as "Grumps'" took them on a good bumpy ride over as many waves as possible! It was a fun time in the hot weather,especially now that we have our boat, our Annie!
Sonia and Annette returned to Victoria and Mr. Mom looked after Kaleigh and Maddie while I worked. Summer was a nice hot one, so the grandkids and us spent a lot of quality time at the beach. Lynn brought out her cuties , Abby, and Matthew out and all four kids had fun together, both on the beach and in the water tubing and around the campfire... (One can never have too many campfires in the summer ).
Grumps in the weeks they were here, taught Kaleigh and Maddie some of the finer points of life...like how to make an omelette for breakfast, and best of all, he taught Maddie how to ride a two -wheel bike! Maddie was pleased with herself and we were all proud of her too! Emil did good and so did Maddie! Kaleigh rode my bike as support person to MAddie and did well until she, herself fell.. oh dear! She isn't a quitter, s o despite the war wounds, she kept on bike riding!
Emil drove them back to the ferry at Tsawassen near the end of August and then things were almost back to normal when Emil returned home.
Oh yes, we helped to celebrate Ron and Phoebe's 80th birthdays, held at their house at the end of August,with a ton of family in attendance! I have to say that Kathy did an awesome job with the ""Welcome to Paradise " Tiki theme, decorations for the party. It was fun to see Jami and Shawn again and to meet Shawn's fiance, Cynthia. Lawrence and Lori rocked up a storm with singing and pickin' and Ronda's daughter, Jessica belted out more songs too.! The dark horse singers of the evening came out late at night when Ronda's son, Ryan played and sang us a delectible blues number, followed by Jami who tore into Johnny Cash's " We're goin' to Jackson"...you know ,the one about being "hotter than a Pepper's sprout".
" It was all pretty funny and the best entertainment in these parts in years! Thanks everyone for the good tunes and not to forget Shawn who DJ's now...He provided the background music when the singers weren't singing! Emil and I had boated down, s o we spent our very first night on the boat...a little sleepover, just so we could say we did! It was warm and a good experience,tho very dark around the dock. Next time we will take a proper flashlite !
Is this calendar long enough???
In October, I drove down to Victoria for a short visit with the girls... It had been over a year and it was very nice to see Annette settled into her part of the house and also to see Sonia being such a great mom and holding down the fort upstairs! Kaleigh and Maddie have both grown into fine young ladies and so much taller! Hard to believe!
We cooked the turkey that almost never got done because of a major power outage... the power returned, and the turkey got deliciously roasted, but poor Sonia had to dash out the door in the event that something more serious was going on which PEP ( Provincial Emergency Program) might need to be involved in. She was on stand by...so off she went with no dinner! We ate our turlkey without her,and she got her dinner sometime around 9:00pm! Poor hard worker!
Congrats to her for landing a new position as Operations Specialist at PEP. She works Monday to Friday dayshift...and manages to juggle work and kids with Steve and Annette's help and even Nonie & Don ( in-laws) who comes down to help from time to time also. Things are working out, but it has been a couple of years of huge change for Sonia since Steve parted company with her. Good thing Sonia is from strong Russian/ Ukrainian/English stock,that can stand up for herself and move forward when the situation calls for it! Also, with Annette there, they give each other all the support they can.
Back to my October visit:
On the Monday, Annette and I and Kaleigh and Maddie took a spin in the rain, up to Nanaimo to have a big visit with Nadine and Dick and their sweet kidlets, Nolan and Georgia.They were so cute! Lynn was there for her Thanksgiving visit too, so it made for a lovely visit with the whole family...thank-you for the yummy dinner too! It was good to finally see where Dick and NAdine lived... and to catch up on the cutey -pies!
Annette ,who is a Mutual fund Investment Specialist at Van City Credit Union in Victoria, has gone through a whirlwind year of romance gained and romance on hold for the moment, but ,hey, nothing like studying up for a big exam to take your mind off of everything. She wrote the last of her exams before her final one ( next June) to get her C FP..Canadian Financial Planner designation. Way to go Annette!
She is doing well and with being co-owner with Sonia, and has taken on responsibilities of home ownership!
Emil was down to Victoria for two weeks to help both the girls get some fall cleanup done and do some house repairs that are better left to menfolk! He had fun with the kids and got lots of odd jobs dealt with too! We are very proud of both Sonia and Annette for their fortitude in stepping up to their individual challenges these past few years, and succeeding in what they strived for! They have matured into beautiful, smart young women that amaze me every day. Best of all, they still know the value of having fun! ( that comes from good Shumey/Brewer stock!)
August 8th saw the big clan gathering of the Gladdishes for Morgan's 65th birthday,at the farm. Correna and Joe and Virgina and Corey and Kendra, Derrick and Barb with Ethan and Jamie,all came.. Even Arlene and Loucame out for the party. Nice to see my older sister for a change too....We still had Kaleigh and Maddie here, which gave them an opportunity to get to know that "other side " of the family. It was great to once again visit with everyone!
All in all, our two daughters and two beautiful grandaughters bring so much happiness to our lives ,that we are very thankful for having all of them. I was happy to have them here twice this year and then both Emil and I had great visits down to Victoria, and maybe one day , we'll even co-ordinate a trip together! The thing is that Kaleigh and Maddie are growing up so fast, that we hate to miss seeing them for very long now.They are busy big girls now, but once the boyfriends kick in, look out!
In 2007, we lost two dear friends, Brian Miller , husband of Laverne ( Reese), and Bill who was our neighbour, and Emil's big buddy right next door practically. Emil misses Bill fiercely, but here is the good news that arose out of the bad... Bill's daughter, Deb,and her hubby, Ashley and their daughter's , moved into Bill's house in order to keep up the yard as beautifully as Bill did. Considering they have to commute to Castlegar daily for their jobs, I give them a lot of credit for taking the plunge. Here is the neat thing... we have become really close friends with them and their family. In fact, we never really knew Bill's kids, until this past year...until after Bill passed away. Ironic as it is, each of us has had the sting taken out of Bill's loss, just by the fact that we have all grown closer as not only neighbours, but also as very good friends now. We've shared a lot of times around the campfire, and the kitchen table, and over a game of Mexican train. In September Deb and Ashley drove down with us to attend the (StanAli) / Brian Miller memorial golf game held in Princeton. Half of the same friends who came to Emil's retirement party ( almost the whole Reese family...and Woody and Diane) were at the golf tournament, plus a whole lot more,including John and Ronda ! Tee off was an early 8:00 am start, but we struggled though the morning eating M&Ms and playing a new kind of Mexican scramble...something to do with the M&M's and a lot of beer.... all a bundle of fun and laughs! Sandy and Bill and Dennis brought their guitars, so we had entertainment back at the motel... Lets just say that I had a lot of fun! The drive back ( me driving) was also entertaining,with many stops and a a picnic... so it was a weekend to remember in Princeton! By the way, the food is delicious at the new pub...the Station... by the old Mr. Mikes just off the main drag at the big intersection as you go through Princeton.
My letter wouldn't be complete without mentioning that my cousin Lynn and my sister Joyce and I make a point of seeing each other often for visits and hot-tubs and little get-togethers of brunch or appies, all through the year....It keeps us close knit and up to date on all the kids and their news ,and all of our impending ailments and latest recipes and bargain finds, and whats new in our lives. I like nurchering these friendships very much. Also, Happy Retirement to Joyce this fall! Her HEU group put on a lovely dinner at the Hume in her honour with a load of x-coworkers in attendance, and lots of funny stories to be heard. Lynn came over for it too, which was very nice!
Sadly, we lost our sweet Uncle Paul who did an amazing job at hanging in there for the birth of their very latest great grandson, to Gerry and Angelique. We will all miss him, but not nearly as much as Auntie Mary, his wife and partner for over 70 years! She is in Halcyon Long term care facility in Nakusp.
So in closing, I'd say that it has been one fabulous year, particularly because Emil retired. He spent more time working in the yard and visiting the neighbours than ever before. He still managed to make loads of wine, go fishing with his buddies, and moi, and take a boat cruise with me and our grandaughters, and fit in time to golf, take trips and enjoy year 1 of retirement to the ultimate! I, on the other hand, have had to listen to him say: "Oh, guess what ? It is Saturday again!" every day that I head out the door to work!
Thats ok, he makes a wicked salad and can BBQ just fine! He also fenced in my "new garden" and built me two nice gates to keep the critters out. I have had fun moving old plants into their new location, and generally trying to come up with a garden plan that is more flowers than weeds and veggies. If things, grow, you'll see pics on my bloggy, where the majority of my life ends up! Speaking of pics,I was pleasantly surprised recently to receive second prize in a photo contest held by the Invasive Plant Committee of the Kootenays...a cheque for $100.00! My claim to fame will be to have my photo in the display of all winning photos in the window of Vogue Studios ,sometime in the spring. I still continue to work at Koleml's. selling silver and gold bling Monday to Friday. It is a pleasant place to work with lots of laughs and fun, and great customers and bosses. I'll continue to work as long as I can get my sorry butt out of my bed !
And parties don't end with retirement ones. I had a huge hen party at the end of November to showcase Partylite and Pampered Chef products. My house was full of wonderful girlfriends who came for an afternoon of fun and food and drink and laughter. The fun part was that people met their relatives here and other friends that they hadn't seen in an age, and we all met our newest Albertan neighbour, Gisele, who , it turns out is related in a long round about way! So it is a small world and the more we get together for laughter and fun and visits, the bigger our hearts grow as we meet more people and make more friends, in a spiral that can never be too big nor stop growing .Thank-you to one and all who come into our lives and bring us beer..oops...make that JOY! Love you all... Have a terrific Christmas and a fabulous 2009!
Love Bea and Emil and Silky.
All names mentioned were intended to be spelled correctly. All names ommitted were not done intentionally nor meant to harm or discredit those who weren't named for acts of kindness or generousity. If your special day was omitted, it was due to ALzheimerS and I apologize profusely. Emil had no input into what was written, nor had my children ,sisters, brothers or grandchildren or anyone at all. In the event that you have a complaint to lodge against what was wrtten, or which party was held without notification, once again, we are not liable for those actions. No harm was intended. We only had enough money for one portapotty. This disclaimer allows no one to sue ,slander or send spam my way. If this letter has upset you, then please take a valium and call it a day. If you received too many compliments, just take as many as you need. If you feel that Emil is having too much fun in his retirement, feel free to interrupt him with a few projects next year. If you feel that Bea is being too critical, then bring her a Pomtini. See your doctor if pain persists...do not operate heavy machinery after reading this letter. Do not do dishes, do not vacuum . In fact you should pour yourself a nice drink and crank up the Eagles and start dancing... you'll feel better almost immediately.This message paid for by the committee to relect Emil and Bea as your firends for another year. If you are related, then you are stu-u-u-uck with us! If you are wondering why this letter has no photos, then go to my blog and check the sidebar for archives or tag lines and you can sit back and enjoy more laughs. Uh... the blog is here and the photos are in the archives as I said,( scroll bottom right and pick a date...or I have many in the web albumns on the right...or you can choose the one that says all photos that I have posted... you'll be snoozin before you get through all of those! By for now! Happy Holidays!
"The Creator"
