winter

Monday, December 3, 2007


an antique silver pitcher, a curling club prize, from my grandmother Flo's home

Well it would seem that winter has arrived here in Nova Scotia, we've had a cold blustery weekend, the ground is covered with crunchy snow and today's forecast is for another 20cms (about 8 inches). Doesn't sound like a lot but if you combine it with our normal seaside winds you end up with lots of drifts, often well past my knees and even deeper for les chiens. Although the pastures at the beach often get blown practically clean of snow which makes for perfect walking.

Today will be day three of the boy's most recent round of medications and we've not seen any remarkable change. After our regular midnight trip downstairs so he could go out I convinced him to come up on the bed with me where he slept the rest of the night. My Noodle. I am trying to think positively, to not assume that his ongoing loose poop is the sign or symptom of something big & bad, but it's difficult and it's hard not to be worried. It's hard not to look into those gentle almond shaped eyes and not feel sad and heartbroken I want so badly to fix him. He still is super energetic (he secretly nears drives me crazy at times he's so wound for sound - we need to have two big long walks each day or else he's very restless), he needs a lot of exercise and stimulation, he's still really hungry, he does not seem sick at all - except for the frequent and loose poops. I'm going to pick up some more pure pumpkin this morning (that did seem to help) and Miss Dixon loves it.

Had a great long chat with my sister Sandra yesterday morning and she totally agreed, and let me off the hook with this Christmas present thing. We decided that beginning next year the only gifts allowed will be hand made. I do still hope to send a package of Christmas food goodies, caramel popcorn, fudge and the like -off in the post to them.

Draw, draw lots of finished photo frame drawings and big long wintry walks with les chiens my only priorities today.


les chiens - Jake & Winnie Dixon

2 comments:

  1. Oh, Susan,... I am fervently hoping for better days for Jake and many more of them. As you say, perhaps his age is against that... but as long as he seems to be enjoying his life and eating well... there is hope. As usual; all we can do is plod along ... one foot in front of the other... til we know which direction.


    The impossible storybook Christmas, hey? Commercialism and the media are crushing people under the unbelievable weight. Maybe I am lucky in that, as kids, we never had great ones... we knew the other side early on.

    My family is just one sister really. I have another in the U.S. but she has had nothing to do with her Canadian family since the 60's; and a bro. with whom we haven't spoken regularly. He never writes; forget about gifts. (although, last year Mountain Man got a computer..so now, we do get one liners; it's great)

    My sister,(my best friend too), has never had money. We talked about the situation years ago. WE always just send a tiny remembrance of the season.. small, thoughtful, unusual, or useful; often home made by each of us. She has quite the collection of my bears and a doll; she used to make me tea towels and place mats. Nicely wrapped and with our card. Nowadays, I do baking for her. She fell on ice 5 years ago and is left with some brain damage from a major concussion;cooking is not high on her list of priorities anymore... tiny print and confusing info make her nauseous. She loves to get a box of baked goodies on the Greyhound each Christmas and I love to bake but have nobody to eat it. Perfect match.

    Greg and I just buy ourselves what we want or need during the year anyway...mostly things for the house.. why wait for Christmas? It is just another day really for that sort of thing. We get each other some little things to put under the tree... underwear, perfume,soap,'jammies... just like in the "olden" days. We love it.

    The magic of the season for me is decorating the tree, hanging a few lights, listening to Christmas music, making up a dozen or more shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child (that is my little thing)..
    looking at the "catalogues", like we used to do when we were kids...marveling at all the glitz and glam and saying oooo and aaaa, but then, just carrying on with our lives. Without buying a ton of stuff and putting ourselves into debt. No credit cards getting 20% of my money.

    Christmas morn...we toast the season with a glass of Bailey's and I sniffle a bit because the last 25 years have been the best of my life...no vicious drunks to beat anybody or knock the tree over.. these are great days. I love my life and we always say how fortunate we are to have our warm, safe haven.

    Who needs to stress themselves out or get sucked in to the media frenzy? Not me... I refuse with ease. A simple Christmas suits me best .

    long winded as usual..but, that's me.. Just to let you know I applaud simplicity. It is often the beginning of a much easier time at the silly season.

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  2. I love that wonderful old silver pitcher that was your grandmother's. The patina is that perfect mellow gunmetal gray.

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