The
Squamidian Report – Nov. 17 / 12
Issue #547
Including:
The Ontarion
Hi All,
The kids have entered the next big step of their lives. As of yesterday they are the owners of a nice entry level condo in Maple Ridge. It’s an end unit in a 20-year old condo project. It has had some upgrading over the years so all they really need to do before moving in is paint where they want and not bother where they don’t want. It’s a big undertaking for them but most of us have been through it before and have come out just fine. So they are in the process of moving out of here which is happy and sad. Happy for all of us to have our lives back, and sad for all of us to be going down our own roads.
The reason for them moving to Maple Ridge is that is where Lauren works so that will be good. Ryan works out of Coquitlam and will have a fairly short but heavily trafficked commute when he is actually ‘in the shop’ but more often he is doing a concert or a tour somewhere in Vancouver or Whistler or around the world so except for Lower Mainland traffic, it will work out fine for him as well. It won’t be so nice having little Kyra living 2 hours away but I’m sure we will be down there often and they will be up here often and there is always Skype which worked out very well when they were in South Africa as a means of ‘visiting’.
Actual moving day is the middle of this coming week to give them time to do the painting and cleaning that will need to be done. A lot of their ‘stuff’ is in storage in Coquitlam and the rest is here at our place. Ryan will rent a big cube van, then drive up to here empty and load up all the things here, then drive to the storage unit and load up the stuff there, then drive the rest of the way to Maple Ridge and ‘move in’. That will be a very long tiring day. At last count he had a couple of guys lined up to help. If anyone wants to volunteer, let me know and I’d be happy to pick you up at the airport. Once everything is in and set up they will bring Kyra and all her stuff down. There is no point in trying to move with a 10-month old along for the ride. That wouldn’t work very well at all.
We were all there on Friday once they had the keys, to inspect the unit and decide what rooms would need paint and which little things would need repairs, that kind of thing. The condo unit has a single car garage that has way too many storage shelves in it. There is still room to pull the car in but those shelves need to go and more efficient shelving needs to be installed. An easy day project for us in the near future. The ground floor also has a wreck room, a laundry room with a bathroom, and a room that could be an office or third bedroom. Ryan will use is as an office/studio. A flight of steps take you up to the ‘living level’. One of the nice things about their condo is that most of the living area is on one level with an open concept kitchen and living room and hall, plus two bedrooms and a washroom. There is a gas fireplace in the corner of the living room and the kitchen has a nice island in the middle. Without very much work at all it will be a very nice place for them. Maple Ridge is a bedroom community for Vancouver, and yet has pretty well everything they could need. By this time next week we will be empty nesters again, and yes, the nest will feel very empty for a while. I know Willow will miss Kyra very much and vice versa. By the way, Kyra obviously can’t talk yet, but her ‘word’ for Willow is WubWub. J
doug
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THE ONTARION REPORT
Hello everyone!
There’s a sudden rash of Christmas trees and decorations in most stores around this area so I guess we’re heading into that occasion next. We will likely have our tree up within the next two weeks. We’ve already been heavy into the Christmas shopping and only have a little more of that to do so there shouldn’t be any last minute rush this year. As soon as my Mrs Claus has her list completed, I can get at the business of deciding how many if not all of the items on it I’ll be shopping for over the next month or so. She usually makes it pretty easy for me and I appreciate that since I’m not the best at thinking of things for her on my own! Of course I always do think of a few gifts for her on my own but having a wish list directly from the lady herself helps for sure.
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I cut the grass a few days ago and that should be the last time I’ll have to do that for the rest of this year. I even cleaned up the lawn mower to look like brand spanking new and treated all my gas-powered machines with fuel stabilizer for the winter. The last thing I have to do to prepare for the winter is put my motorcycle up on it’s stands and hook up the battery trickle charger to the bike for the winter. Oh ya and I also have to put the car cover on the MGB for the winter too! I have a little junk in the garage as well that is keeping me from parking the Jeep inside. I’ll have to clean that stuff out this week as well. I like to keep the Jeep in side over the winter for sure.
Then, the next and final step will be to get the Christmas decorations down from the mezzanine in the garage and put them in their proper places on the inside and outside of the house. Don’t want to be the last folks on the street to have them up this year. It’s much easier to decorate the outside when the weather is still good! I’ll probably have that stuff up and looking good by the end of next week!
I hope this week’s column inspires all of you to get into the Christmas spirit and enjoy the holiday season for more than just a week before the big day!
That’s it for this week folks!
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>
Energizer Bunny arrested. Charged with battery!
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Have a good one..
the doug
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