The Squamidian Report – Dec. 31 / 16
Issue #762
Including:
Carol
The Ontarion
Hi All,
Last week I mentioned our Christmas tradition of giving out homemade
fudge and peanut brittle to the employees at the gondola. It sure goes
over well and it is apparently looked forward to by the ones that got
in on the receiving end last year. But there it a problem, our little
tradition seems to be growing a bit. On the first year we simply made
perhaps 35 packets of goodies and handed them out to the lift
attendants and to some of the others that we had gotten to know. Then
last year we found ourselves handing out about 50 or 60 treat bags.
There were more employees and we knew more of them. Well, this year we
handed out about 60 on the Friday before Christmas, then came back this
past Monday with another box full of bags, and ended up having to make
more fudge and peanut brittle so we could finish up on Tuesday.
We probably handed out 100 small Christmas bags. Our house smelled like
a candy factory.
Word must have spread from the longer time employees to the new ones
because they seemed to come out of the wood work on the off chance we
had a bag for them. We made a point of finding all the outdoor workers
as they had been our original target and always seem to be the most
appreciative. But all the workers inside both at the upper lodge and in
the base office just happened to 'bump' into us as we headed to or back
from the lift. Next year we will have to start earlier if we want to
hand out goodies to everyone and if we want to get it over with before
we get too busy with our own festivities at home. Kyra helped us hand
out goodie bags and had a great time doing so. She started referring to
herself as Kyra-clause, and 'The Wife' as Grandma-clause and I as
Grampa-clause. Looks like this has become her Christmas tradition as
well.
Well now, it would seem this is the last Squamidian for this year. The
next one will be in next year. So, assuming we can come up with
anything to write about we shall see you then, metaphorically speaking.
We won't actually 'see' you. At least not most of you. Stay out of
trouble, keep your socks dry and lets all put the 'common' back into
'common sense'.
doug
****
From Carol
As the New Year fast approaches I was tempted to speak about all the
celebrities that have passed away in 2016, the ongoing wars, the
refugees that flee their destroyed homelands only to face resentment
here. I could mention the acts of terrorism in Europe. I
could talk about the politicians who have come to power, in more then
one country, by espousing hatred. But I’m not going to.
Luckily the bad news stories have been balanced by ones about people
who have opened their hearts and homes to strangers this Christmas
season, about people who risked their lives to save others in the face
of terrorism. Besides politics and glum have no place in the
Squamidian. This weekly letter, which Al & I look forward to
as a highlight each week, is about sharing personal lives with family
and friends. Thank you Doug and Greg for taking the time each
week to reach out and share your stories. I do miss the chatter
from the “reply alls” (at least when it didn’t turn political) so I’m
hoping more of you will take the time every once in a while to update
us all about your lives in 2017.
I clearly remember New Years Eve 1966. Everyone was excited about
the coming year, Canada’s centennial. Gary & Tim took their
BB guns outside and shot them off into the air, just to make
noise. We saw fireworks in the distance, this at a time when the
only fireworks were let off on Victoria Day. Canada spent all of
1967 celebrating. I believe that was the year that fireworks on
Canada Day first became a regular thing and when the Canada
celebrations started in a big way at parliament hill. Expo 67
happened in Montreal. Practically everyone went. Special
trains left Kitchener packed with teens & tweens going to
Montreal. It was a time of growing pride in being Canadian, a
time when the future seemed full of endless possibilities.
Actually those of us who are Boomers really did have a charmed time to
live in. Jobs were plentiful, those that did go on to higher
education didn’t end up with the same debt load students have
today. There weren’t the number of expensive things, like smart
phones and digital everything, for us to yearn for and go into debt
for. Instead of texting we spent time together. I can’t
believe 50 years have flown by so quickly and we are now looking
forward to Canada’s 150th anniversary. I was blessed then but
feel even more blessed today. I still have my Dad and all my
siblings but added to that I have my husband, my daughters,
grandchildren, nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews plus
spouses – all of whom are wonderful. And in 2017 our family will
grow with 2 marriages and a new baby. I’m counting on 2017 being
as memorable as 1967, there is so much to still look forward to.
We have been coast to coast several times but there are still parts of
Canada we haven’t seen or would like to see again. We were able
to take Australia off our bucket list in 2016 (but I would definitely
go again!) and there are countries we still wish to visit but even if
we don’t we are lucky to have had all the experiences we had so far in
our lives.
Al & I wish you and yours the best year ever in 2017.
Carol
****
THE ONTARION REPORT
Hello everyone!
Well, it’s the last few hours of 2016 and it hardly seems like we just
started the year let alone celebrating the beginning of another one!
Guess it’s just me that feels these years are going by too darned
quickly. They do seem to pass faster and faster as you I slip further
into my senior years! Sheesh, how yucky that sounds when I repeat it,
especially in bold black print on a bright white screen! Oh well, there
isn’t a one of us that reads this every week that isn’t getting older
every minute of every day. I guess if we’re around to talk about
getting older that’s a good thing! When we stop getting older we won’t
have a single complaint to blab about to the rest of the world will we?
LOL! Let’s hope that we’ve all got many more years of complaining and
reading the Squamidian and Ontarion to look forward to!
We had a blast of white stuff again during the
week and it actually was a lovely sight when I looked out on Thursday
morning around 8am to see the trees looking like they had developed
white leaves on all their branches. I guess the wind had stopped
blowing while the snow dropped straight down and built up on all the
branches. It reminded me of Doug’s description of how it snows out
their way, straight down with no wind and it piles up thick and fluffy
on the top edges of the fence around their yard. We usually have so
much wind that that doesn’t happen very often here in Ontario. On
Thursday morning I awoke at 8am and looked out the front of the house
to see that it had snowed. I immediately jumped into my snow blowing
gear and headed into the garage thinking I’d better clear the walkways
before the kids began they daily trek to school. I was half done the
front walk when I realized that there were no kids walking to school
that day because they were on holiday for Christmas and New Years. Oh
well, at least the walkway was nice and clean for the Mailman or should
I say “Letter Carrier” since in this time of political correctness we
have both male and female mail delivery persons! It was a nice dense
snowfall with a hint of packing quality to its texture, which just
happens to make for the best “TOROing” after a storm. When the snow is
like that, the snow blowers seem to work their best and toss the snow
further than when it’s either slushy or too fluffy! It didn’t hurt that
there was no wind that morning either. I don’t like it as much when at
times it becomes necessary to direct the blower chute into the wind!
Sometimes one just has to tough it out and blow the snow into the wind.
Luckily I have plenty of warm clothing just for the purpose of clearing
the snow so even if I do have to suffer the backlash of howling wind
and snow I’m always warm and dry. The only part of me that suffers a
little in that situation is my face. I wear a balaclava but my eyes,
nose and mouth are not covered. Guess that’s a good thing since I still
need to see and breath while doing the snow clearing! LOL!
I know that I mention this every year but it’s
one of those things that just bugs the life out of me whenever it
happens. The city snowplows still have a habit of spending late night
hours plowing bare asphalt which are most assuredly clocked in as
overtime! Can their supervisors not see that there is nothing to gain
by having the plows scraping clear pavement till all hours of the
night? Thursday morning when I got out nice and early to clear our
sidewalks the roads were still covered with about 5” of snow! Where the
heck were the plows at 3 and 4 o’clock in the morning that day? At
least they’d have done some good for the morning commuters in stead of
getting out while most of the traffic of the day was heading to work
and having to dodge the monster plows on the side streets! I guess
maybe someone complained that they don’t like the noise of the plows at
3 and 4 in the morning so they figured they’d teach us all a lesson and
not plow till later morning when they’d be a nuisance to drivers
heading for work! Oh well, I guess you can’t win when like the saying
goes; “You can’t fight City Hall”!
Just to change the subject a little, I hope
you all had a lovely Christmas! We had a nice quiet Christmas as usual
and enjoyed our usual turkey dinner on Christmas Day. Carole likes to
have the Christmas decorations all packed away before the New Year
rolls in so we took advantage of the mild weather on Boxing Day to do
just that. I looked after undecorating the outside of the house while
Carole looked after the interior decorations. She of course had the
more arduous task of removing the decorations and replacing them with
the items that occupy the walls, tabletops and shelves of the house for
the rest of the year! Once I have the outdoor items packed into a few
large Rubbermaid tubs I just leave them on the garage floor. I then
start carrying the dozen or so tubs from inside the house out to the
garage where once they are assembled I enlist Adam’s help to place them
up on the mezzanine in the ceiling of the garage where they remain
until next December and we start the process all over again! By the
time the next December rolls around, we are all looking forward to the
festive decorating so we can complain about how much work it is every
year to take it all down and pack it away on December 26th! LOL! Gotta
have something to crab about don’t we?
In truth, we have always enjoyed Christmas and I’m sure we will for
many years to come! Its just human nature to need something to beef
about I guess!
Well, I just looked out the window and it’s snowing like crazy out
there again so I guess I’ll be firing up the TORO once more in the
morning. That’s alright, I enjoy the crisp morning air and the
challenge of edging the sidewalk just perfectly with each pass of the
blower! I don’t like it when I see a chunk of grass blow out of the
chute. That means I’ve come a tad to close to the lawn that’s hiding
beneath the snow! After 44 years of clearing snow you’d think I’d be
perfect at it but like they say “stuff happens!” LOL!
Once we get a few more good blankets of snow on the ground there won’t
be any grass chunks to squirt out the spout and it’ll make staying on
the track that much easier!
That’s about it for this final edition of 2016!
I’ve enjoyed writing every week again this year and sincerely
appreciate your kind and continued patronage of both The Squamidian and
The Ontarion Report! Thanks to each and every one of you for your
support and I’ll be back at it again starting next Saturday with more
interesting and exciting stuff for your entertainment! LOL!
God Bless each and every one of you in the coming year!
May you all be Happy, Healthy and Prosperous in 2017!
Thanks for tuning in and I’ll look forward to talking to you all again next week in The Ontarion Report!
Bye for now … Greg
PS: Something To Think About>
Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong!
PPS: Sometimes you get and sometimes you get got! Hmmmmm…..?
“HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!”
****
Have a good one..
the doug
The Fine Print!
The articles in these issues are the sole property of the persons writing them and should be respected as such.
|