Snow, snow and more snow

We are happily ensconced in Canada for the Christmas and New Years holidays.  One thing we really like about being here is the snow.  That’s when we have lots of it.  We have, in the past, had Christmas without snow and just rain which makes everyone very grumpy.  Last year we had Christmas in South Carolina which was very different for all of us but still lots of fun.  What matters to most of us is being with family and sharing the memories and making new ones.  This year we are lucky enough to have our grandson Jack all to ourselves for a week before the rest of his family joins us.  It has been a few years since we have had that opportunity.  He is growing up a wonderful young man and very easy going.  He has a wicked sense of humor and loves to tease.  Today when he was putting the Christmas lights on our tree, he wrapped me in with the lights and didn’t say a word just kept on wrapping the lights around the tree.  We had a good chuckle over it.  We had a very Norman Rockwell moment when we went to cut down our tree and it was snowing quite heavily.  I took this picture of him dragging the tree that was just cut down through the snow to the car.  We tied it to the roof and then drove slowly home, hoping it would not fly off the top of the car.

Trying a new location for the tree this year.  We need to door in the family room to let our new puppy Winchester go in and out onto the porch.  It is similar to a fenced in yard as we have gates on the entrances and with the snow cover it feels just like a backyard to him.  Nice for us to be able to let him out and not worry about him even though we keep an eye on him the whole time.  So we moved the tree into the living room which I think will work well for all of us.  More room actually and it means we will use the living room more.

 

Memories

At this time of the year it is not unusual to spend time reflecting on the past year and anticipating the coming one.  I am a very reflective person and tend to enjoy reliving past holidays and memories.  To that end I have kept a Christmas Memories book for the past 22 years.  I first found the book in 1994 at Mystic Seaport and thought it was wonderful.  It was published by them in 1978, at least that is what the copyright says.  I have kept it every year since and it contains a wealth of stories and photos and pretty much every recipe we ever used for Christmas dinners.  I bring the book out usually a couple of weeks before the holidays and begin to read it and reminisce about those Christmases.  There is a record of the guests who came to visit and when, the weather of course, special gifts and things we want to remember.  A vast array of information that I can refer to when someone says “do you remember the Christmas of the ice storm, what year was that?”  I can tell them.  I think its the reason I have kept a daily diary for most of my adult life, so I can look up the answers to those kind of questions.  I am so glad I went to Mystic Seaport those many years ago and I found that book.  Should you be interested in getting one for yourself or perhaps for a young couple just starting out here is the link:  Christmas Memories Book .  You can see from the picture that I am now on Book 2.  Each book holds 20 years of memories.

 

Walking and Puppies

One thing I have noticed since I got back to Canada is that it is a lot harder to go for a walk here in the winter.  Either you are worried about slipping on the ice that is hidden under the snow or it is below 0F and blowing wind which makes it almost impossible to be outside, or it’s freezing rain and the roads are like a skating rink.  Despite all those excuses, the dogs still need to get walked and so do we.  This past week was no exception.  I love to go for long walks here back up in the hills but I was only able to get two long walks in this week, the others were pretty short by comparison.  However, we have done pretty well getting the dogs out each day.  The one day that we only did one walk was the one where the temperature was well below zero with a wind chill that was ridiculous.  Yes, you can bundle up but then you can’t move because of all the layers of clothing.  A couple of days I did get to do my golf course walk and both of those days it was snowing.  It was rather magical to be out there and walking in the snow.  It takes a real commitment to get out during what many would call lousy weather but I am glad that I do it when I get out there.  The nicest part is coming home afterwards and finding a big fire going in the fireplace to welcome me home.  I rather like that – in fact – I like it a lot!

As with all things there are some good and some not so good.  The balance to the cold weather up here is the gorgeous, double sided fireplace that is the center of the house.  It used to be two fireplaces but we knocked out the wall between them and now enjoy one big fire that can be seen from either side.  It tends to heat most of the house and helps us keep the heating bill down.

 

Holiday Parties and Eating Healthy

All I can say is use the 80/20 rule.  Eat well 80% of the time and just don’t worry about the other 20%.  If you spend all your time worrying about what you are eating and gaining weight just know that you will go back to living your healthy lifestyle as soon as you can.  In fact, you may find that you crave fresh vegetables and fruits and healthy foods especially after you have indulged a bit at a party.  I tend to gravitate to the vegetable platter anyway, I just like that sort of thing but occasionally find myself eating a dip that is delicious.  This week we went to a party and I tasted a mushroom dip that was out of this world.  I want the recipe but I really don’t because I think I would make it too often but it really was wonderful.  It had mushrooms in it and I bet a whole lot of cheese and other good stuff.  The trick is to eat it with a crudité!

Also enjoyed singing this week in the choir at my old school.  Some years ago I was invited to join the choir at BCS for their annual Nine Lessons and Carols concert that is held at the end of term.  It is a wonderful way to start the holiday and this year was no exception.  It was just beautiful with the lessons read by students in their home language and English.  We heard Mandarin, Russian, Italian, Spanish, German and French as well as English.  For some months I didn’t really feel I could sing but recently my wind seems to be stronger and I am enjoying singing again.  I will join the choir at my church this weekend for their Lessons and Carols service too.  Another wonderful holiday tradition.  Embrace it all and relax and enjoy it.

 

Puppy Update

Winchester is thriving here in Canada.  He continues to love the snow and is getting used to all the comings and goings that seem to happen around here.  He and Miss Q are actually playing now when we go for our walks and they have been found asleep together on the big dog bed in the family room.  My brother will arrive with his daughter’s puppy and I am pretty sure they will have a wonderful time chasing each other in the snow and through the woods.  Miss Q will not join in!

Family will gather this week from various parts of the country.  They are all driving and as always I do worry about how the weather will affect their travels.  My mother will join us once again for the holiday.  She is now 92 years old but still stays in her own house.  I was there this week decorating it for her to welcome her.  She has not met Winchester yet, it remains to be seen what she thinks of him.  She does like Miss Q because Q doesn’t jump.  I hope the same can be said for Winchester.  We shall see.

I will also get to see my sister and some of her family.  It is very special for me to see my mother and my siblings at this time of the year.  As we get older we are all so busy with our own families that we drift off into our own traditions.  I am so glad that we are able to be together this year.  Every year is precious.  Next year my brother will have three more babies in his family and my sister will have her first grandchild.  My mother is very excited to anticipate four more great-grandchildren which will bring her total to nine.  What a legacy!!!!!

Recipe of the Week

We will have a traditional Quebec Christmas Eve Tourtiere dinner.  It is actually a French Canadian tradition and while we are not French Canadian, I thought it would be fun to embrace this idea this year as we are once again celebrating in Quebec.  I will admit to you that I am not making this myself.  There are two places here that make their own and I have bought a couple of pies from each and we will do a taste test to see which one we like best.  This year I am trying, yet again, to make things simpler and not stress myself.  Since I am not a natural cook or baker, buying these already made actually works better for me.  Just so long as I get an accurate list of the ingredients and there are no artificial additives which I know there are not.  If you do make these, let me know how they turn out.  Joyeux Noël!

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This year I will miss some friends who died this past year. 

Warren Ransom, Brad Mitchell and Emily Satterthwaite are three special ones. 

Blessings on their families.