2011 Recap

Our Location Today is Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada.

We did not want to be in our house very long after retirement with all the responsibilities that goes with it on the later stage of our lives.  We were finding it too taxing with all the work, maintenance, repairs, money and time that had to go into it. There was definitely a better way to retire and enjoy life.  A house and all that went with it was not our way. We made this decision while we were still able to do it.  Our age and health may not be with us down the line and it is important that we fulfill as many of our dreams as we can.

Having less is definitely more. It feels great to be free of a lot of stuff that was holding us back physically and emotionally and in the end has had a very calming and liberating effect on both of us. We have less to worry about and take care of and have more time to do the things we really want to do. Although it was a roller coaster ride of emotion when we were going through it. We realize what is important to us and how we want to spend the rest of our lives together.

Our decision to stay put this winter was a very good one.  It is giving us an opportunity to get to know our apartment and what we needed to do to make it home. We have been feeling the stress lift from us day by day. Staying put for the winter is also a good opportunity to unwind from the roller coaster ride we’ve been on this past year.

We should be ready to proceed with our dream when spring rolls around. Our plans of 6 months in Ontario and possibly other parts of Canada and 6 months in our 5^th wheel travelling and living free should come into play at this time.  

So our message to you out there is from our hearts.  Upon retirement live your dreams while you can. Reassess your present lifestyle as it will be changing as your new one begins. Time is so short. Live life to the fullest and enjoy the love and companionship you share together every day where ever you are.  Enjoy your freedom and travel as you experience this wonderful world we live in.  It is a wonder to behold!

Have a Safe and Happy New Year

Don't Drink and Drive!

The life you save may be your own.

It’s about time

Krackers

A wife was complaining to her husband.

"Look at Mr. Barnes across the road." she moaned. "Every morning when he goes to work, he kisses his wife goodbye.

Why don't you ever do that?"

"Because," the husband said, "I haven't been introduced to her yet."

It's Back!

Our Location Today is Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada.

Those of you that read yesterdays post will recall that in the morning Kathy was down with Flu like symptoms. You would also remember that she felt well enough to go see our 10 year old grandson's hockey game in the afternoon. Well by the time she was ready for bed last night she was feeling a bit rough around the edges. This morning she could barely get out of bed.

Kathy is like myself, that during our working careers we'd still go to work sick. Even today instead of giving her body a chance to recover from whatever it is that is bothering her she'll push herself beyond her limitations. Today she got up for meals and then back to bed. This meant that she really really really didn't feel well.

Years ago when her Appendix was about to rupture she just wanted the doctor to give her a pill so she could go back to work. Not!

It seems that as we are aging we enjoy being around are grandchildren but our Immunization System is not what it used to be. Being retired and out of the workforce has also made us more vunerable because it weakens the body's ability to naturally protect itself. Going anywhere at this time of year is also adding greatly to our risks of catching anything that is going around.

Hopefully I won't come down with it because then Kathy will catch it again because her body is a magnet for these kinds of things.

Stay safe and hopefully don't catch the Flu.

It's about time.

Krackers



You might be a Redneck if

your wife carries pepper spray at home.

Ice Time.

Our Location Today is Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada.

When we woke up this morning Kathy had a scratchy throat and really felt achey all over. Sounded like the Flu to me. Right after breakfast she took Tylenal Flue tablets and laid back down hoping it would help her feel better.

By the time lunch was over the sparkle was back in her eyes and she was feeling somewhat better so out the door we went.

What's the big rush that would cause us to leave in such a hurry when only hours before Kathy had been feeling ill. Our 10 year old grandson's junior hockey team was playing for their divisions championship. The game started promply at 1:30 p.m. immediately after a  Jersey Cover up. In junior teams they only have one colour of uniform per team. If two teams that are facing one another have jerseys that are too close to the same colour one team will have to wear a cover up. A cover up is an inexpensive way of changing the jersey colour by simply slipping it over top of their normal jersey.



That's our grandson Tyler wearing the only white helmet on his team.





Tyler also learning  the don'ts like a payback body check

Kathy was amazed at the dexterity of the kids when they'd be checked or tripped at being back on their skates within seconds of going down. Both teams were tied by the end of the first half of the game and with only minutes remaining the opposing team managed to make the winning goal.

Our grandson is second from the left in the front row.
Tyler's dad Greg is an assistant coach for the team,
he's on the far left with his hands behind his back.

Even though our grandson's team didn't win their division they were still winners. They learned the dos and don'ts of the game as well as working as a team. Isn't that what life is all about.  

Tyler's personal fans Left to Right
Kathy, Kylla, Ashley, Karen, and Denise.

 After dinner Kathy was starting to feel the effects of the Tylenol wearing off.  She decided to take an early shower and head to bed to try and shake off this bug. Guess I'll just have to hold down the fort the best I can until she's back to normal.

It's about time. 

Krackers



What should you call a bald teddy?

Fred bear!

Visits and a couple of problems.

Our Location Today is Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada.

Just reading the title of this post most people would  think Oh-Oh they had a bad visit but that is not the case at all. After lunch today my Aunt and cousin stopped in for a scheduled visit. This was their first time to our new apartment and were suprised that it was as small as we had told them. They had thought we had been teasing them. We were enjoying talking about our pasts and growing years. Some of the memories even welled up tears of appreciation for accomplishments of what was needed to survive during those difficult conditions. In todays society things that happened many years ago would never be tolerated.



My Aunt Anna and Cousin Jackie

Towards the end of our visit with my Aunt and cousin our daughter Karen called wondering if we could help her out. Good friends Denise and Peter had come to town to visit for a few days. Unfortunately they had left Kitchener in such a rush this morning that Peter had forgot to pack his mask and hose for his CPAP machine. They were hopeful that we might have backups so that he would not have to go pay an arm and a leg for replacements. They were in luck! Peter has what both Kathy and I have which is Sleep Apnea a disorder that causes you to stop breathing many times per hour throughout the course of the night. In order to stay alive we use CPAP machines to force air into our lungs when we stop breathing.

They arranged to stop by to pick it up after 3 p.m. While we were going through our storage closet Kathy noticed liquid leaking inside one of the bins. This bin contained all the toiletries and cleaners that are taken in from our trailer at the end of the season so that it will not freeze. Kathy panicked and started pull things out of the bin onto the floor before she brought it to the sink she didn't know there was a crack in the bin.. A number of things will have to be replaced but it wasn't as bad as we thought. There was a small jug of Clorox colour safe bleach in the bottom of the bin that had somehow gotten pinched and was the cause of the leak.

After we finished cleaning up I brought out the containers ruined by the bleach to the recycle. While going down I brought the hose and mask for Peter to use and as I was dropping off the recycle they drove up right next to me. Peter was very appreciative and said they would work just fine.

A couple of hours later we finished reorganizing the closet again then we ran a few errands. We also  decided on the spur of the moment to use one of our Christmas gift cards and have dinner out at the Michigan Diner in Tecumseh. It is very much into a retro decor with fast service,good prices, large portions and great tasting food. We always order off the seniors menu and still bring home leftovers for lunch tomorrow. As we were finishing our meal Karen, Greg, all the kids, Denise and Peter came walking in. What a surprise since this was unplanned. First they stopped by to say hello, then as we were leaving we stopped to say good-bye.

From there we head back out to Kevin and Melissa's for our Wednesday night visit. This also gave Melissa time to put out many of the desserts that weren't eaten the other day. Her theory is if we help to make them disappear she won't be as tempted to eat them herself. Good for her, bad for us because even with just having eaten a big meal with all those sweets in front of you they just go down so nice. I thought I was going to get a head start on my New Years Resolution. Oh Well!

It's all about time.

Krackers



You might be a Redneck if

you think Stocks and Bonds

are a country western duo.

Slow Day?

Our Location Today is Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada.

Wow this really did feel strange. I kept waking up most of the night last night so this morning Kathy was up ahead of me. After a late breakfast it was time to catch up on E-mails and blogs.

This afternoon it was catch up on days of  newspapers that I had put aside to read. By the time supper rolled around I was three quarters done that stack of papers.

While watching the weather channel after supper and the news of freezing temperatures on the way I decided to clean the slush that had accumulated on the vehicles before that would  become nearly impossible to remove tomorrow. Two vehicles cleaned in less then 10 minutes, man that was hard.

What happened to the run run pace of the last few weeks. This almost feels like we are on vacation. The only thing we are missing is the warmer temperatures. It did not feel like life had sped up lately, but it must have because it now seems like time is just floating by with no hurried need.

Now I understand why they say the holidays are such a stressful time of year. In all my working years my job entailed working through the holidays to keep the wheels of progress going. I never had the chance to see it from the other side of the coin.

 Also this year not having to deal with repairs to our home or having to shovel snow is giving me time to think that this is what life really should be like.

It's about time.

Krackers



Why do ducks have webbed feet?

To stamp out fires.

Why do elephants have flat feet?

To stamp out burning ducks.

Another day of Celebration.

Our Location Today is Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada.

Yesterday after all the inspired looks we had from the grandchildren, we had a quiet supper enjoying one anothers company. The reason for this is every other year our family has its Christmas day meal on Boxing day. Thus every other year they attend the in-law side of the family on Christmas.

As you saw from yesterday's blog we also were given the gift of seeing the look on the faces of the young ones with cherishable expressions as they celebrated the gift of receiving on Christmas.

This morning was spent recooping some of the lost sleep that was incurred yesterday. More time was also spent catching up on E-mails and posts missed while we were out.

This afternoon we headed to Kevin and Mellissa's for the family Christmas dinner. Unfortunately Karen and Kylla both had to work so Greg and Tyler were there to represent their side of the family. Everything tasted fantastic and everyone over ate because there were so many different things to eat.

There was some play time and an exchange of gifts between the cousins. When it was time to leave we all waddled to our vehicles taking doggie bags with us and rolled ourselves into our trucks.

On our way home we stopped to see a lighting display we had heard about. A sign in the front yard told you what FM channel to set your radio to and the show would start every half hour and run for twenty minutes. The lights were syncronized to the music on the radio channel putting on quite a display. Having worked with Christmas lights before I counted 20 zones of lights. At the end the announcer noted that if you liked the display please tell your friends. Also to think of those less fortunate and if possible to make a donation to one of the local area food banks because even they were having trouble this year. That is definitely what you would call looking out for your fellow man.

Here's wishing you all had a Merry and Safe Christmas.

It's about time.

Krackers

You might be a Redneck if

You like following fire trucks

for entertainment.

First Blogger Christmas

 Merry Christmas

Many of you probably exchanged gifts with part or all of your families. Many of us have the memories of our own children tearing through the mountains of wrapping paper that was probably responsible for sending at least one tree to the pulp mill. Now many of us look at it with the eyes of Grandparents. We now see the looks of awe, bewilderment, disbelief, excitement, joy, happiness, shock, surprise, and wonderment all expressed on the faces of these grandchildren.
Isn't it Great! Here are some of the expressions we caught today.


Awe



Surprise



Wonderment



Shock



Joy



Happiness



Excitement

I forgot to mention the feeling brought on by being in touch with the ones enjoying your company.

Keep holding that camera this feels good.

And a few more for tonight, Enjoy.



It's about time.

Krackers



A man walked into a bar and shouts, "Who owns the Saint Bernard outside?"

A man replied, "It's mine. Why?"

The first man says, "I'm sorry, but my dog just killed it."

The owner of the Saint Bernard was shocked. "Are you kidding me?

That dog is huge! He's bigger than my car!"

The first man replied, "Well he choked on my Chihuahua."

Getting ready for Christmas day.

Our Location Today is Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada.

Waking up this morning we were surprised that all the vehicles in the parking lot and ground actually had a coating of snow but by 11 a.m. it was all gone as things warmed to the upper thirties today. Unfortunately for the kids the prediction is for a green Christmas holiday season. I wonder what the new year will bring? 

Our Truck and Car.

After having breakfast this morning it was time to charge camera batteries and cellphones all the little things that could easily be forgotten as the pace of the day picked up. Next we were off to the Grocery store to pick up fresh produce for the salads that we will be bringing for the Christmas celebration dinner at Kevin and Melissa's house this year.
This afternoon a Christmas eve visit to our friends home to bring gifts to a special little boy definitely readjusted our hearing ability with screams of excitement. From there we went to the 5 p.m. Christmas eve service at the parish church. Kathy chose this mass because it had all the school choirs singing and it always seems to add to the beauty of the celebration.  





Luck boy with his own
Transformer Watch.



Even Murphy was dressed for the occassion.

                                        

 This evening we'll be getting everything ready for tomorrow morning's mad dash out the door. That mad dash has been a tradition since the grandchildren could remember. They couldn't get out of bed to see what Santa brought until Gramma and Grampa arrived  at 7 a.m.. With the little ones they have trouble waiting for that time to arrive. Now as some have turned into teenagers they'd rather we wait until after supper so they could sleep in. The day will come when they will be the middle persons in this tradition. After opening Santa's gifts they go through what Gramma and Grampa brought. After enjoying coffee and Breakfast it will be time for the next stop.

From there we'll trek from Tecumseh to Amherstburg for our second stop of the morning.  These little ones were probably be out of bed before Gramma and Grampa but we needed our sleep too. Their faces still beaming with excitement from the gifts they already received brighten even more when opening the gifts brought in by Gramma and Grampa. It is definitely Christmas overload in some cases as they can't make up their minds of what to play with first or finish opening the gifts before them.

In both cases dad and grampa will be kept busy adding batteries and doing assembly that is required.

 To all of you reading and following this blog from Kathy and myself.

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah

Lets continue to enjoy the spirit of the season with more Chistmas lights.
 

Another house with the real meaning of Chistmas



Could this be the new Griswald award winner?



It's actually two neighbours that have worked their displays together.





Not only did they decorate their garages but Santa and his team
 are fying from one house to the other. How cool is that?

It's about time.



Krackers



You might be a Redneck if

Your grandmother wears a tank top

 without a bra.

Coasting

Our Location Today is Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada.

We managed to sleep in again this morning since we had nothing pressing. After breakfast we got caught up on answering E-mails and reading blogs. I also downloaded pictures we had taken the last few days, but because of the way I've been dragging just didn't do it last night. One of those pictures I immediately up loaded it to yesterdays post because it involves my grandson and I am putting together one of his toys. I figured if you write about it and have a picture post them together not on different posts.

Kathy was reworking our family picture frame so I had to scan and resize a few shots for her. With six kids and a dozen grandchildren that's a lot of pictures. If you put them all in separate frames and hung them up, that's a lot of holes in the walls. If people are looking to buy your home that could be a real deal breaker so we found a simple way to do that. We found a frame that holds 21 pictures. Some mounted as portrait and the others as landscape. This allows us to have family pictures and school pictures of each grandchild plus a picture of Gramma and Grampa for good measure and it only used one screw hole. When we moved to the apartment it surely came with us.

After lunch we filled the car with gas and headed to do some store walking. We stopped and had a great chicken dinner holiday special with all the trimmings at the local Swiss Chalet diner. From there we waddled home to the apartment.

My sister Anna stopped in for her Christmas visit. It's her first time seeing the apartment since the last time she was in town when we were away in our trailer. She was impressed but said that she's just not ready for an apartment yet even after we showed her the indoor pool. We had a great visit as usual and when  it was time for her to leave there were promises of getting together again this year that we will definitely be keeping.

Until that happens we'll celebrate Christmas with our own kids in two days. Look forward to spring in 98 days. Best of all until then we can still enjoy looking at more Christmas lights.

It's about time.

Krackers



Two snakes are talking.

One of them turns to the other and asks, "Are we venomous?"

The other snake replies, "Yes. Why?"

The first snake says, "I just bit my lip."

Not a half bad day.

Our Location Today is Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada.

Why can't they air the new to us, unseen Christmas Shows between our visits and errands during the day. Oh No! They wait to play them at 11:30 at night so you are awake watching them until 1a.m. To top it off it's one of those that grabs your attention and keeps you totally into it until the end.

Now fast forward to 9 a.m. when your eyes are saying they don't want to open but you know it is laundry day. First trying to hit your mouth through half open eyes is not a way of having your breakfast of champions. This almost makes you feel hungover but you haven't had alcohol in ages. What is going on here? We used to watch the late late shows when we were raising our families and still be up at 5 a.m. to go to work. I truly feel it is something in the broadcasting signal it can't be anything else.

Again while I was doing the laundry the Tazmanian Devil was zipping around the apartment not leaving a speck of dust in the place. So we headed out after eating lunch at 1:30 to run an errand and stop in to visit a couple of the neighbours near the old homestead. The first place we went was Louis's place. His car was home, the paper was still on the front porch but no answer. Maybe he was having one of his afternoon siestas again. After repeated attempts we walked over to Pete and Cathy's.

Pete had just gotten home so we got caught up on what's happening and gave him our speal. Next thing you know the kids are coming home from school. At first glance I though Emily was her older sister. Then when Ashley walked in I'm wondering what happen to the two kids we saw at the beginning of the summer. Time can't be flying that fast.

After a stop at the food court at the Devonshire mall we had a quick but light supper. It was actually easier to eat there because we had a variety of different things to eat without having to drive all over town for it.

From there we headed downtown to see our daughter Rose and grandson D.J. Since we won't be getting together for Christmas day the visit was a way to deliver the Christmas gifts to D.J. He made quick work of the wrapping paper for a 6 year old. Then Grampa was put to work first installing batteries in one gift  & then  assembling of another. It was funny how the little guy couldn't understand why I couldn't see this when he had it within an inch of my face. Brought back memories of many years ago.

We were home shortly before 9 p.m. and it seems my eyes are giving me trouble staying open again. I'm almost finished the post and Kathy just told me there is another new Christmas special on tonight. Until then I am just going to enjoy looking at more Christmas Lights.

It's about time.



Krackers



You might be a Redneck if

Your maid of honor is

the groom's ex-wife.

Time is flying.

Our Location Today is Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada.

My thoughts go out to all the procrastinaters that haven't finished their Christmas shopping let alone all the wrapping they still have to do. Warning Christmas is only four days away. That only leaves you 3 shopping days left. Do you know how much mental stress you & all the other procrastinaters are putting yourselves through.  I'm very lucky that both Kathy and I like to get the shopping over with early and don't have to put up with scenes that happened with some of the Black Friday shoppers. Since the end of October the only shopping we had to do was for each other and that has been done for awhile. Now when we go to the malls it's more just to walk around and people watching.

This morning turned out to be a slow relaxing time getting caught up on our reading and other things that fell to the wayside while we were away this past weekend. Kathy was finally able to get in touch with our friend Pauline Smith who we hadn't heard from for some time. They did some quick catching up  and shared holiday wishes.

This afternoon however was back to running like crazy. First we had to go for hair cuts so we'll be all spiffed up for the Holidays. After that we had to go do our laps around the mall. It's a good thing we are both retired or we'd never have time for ourselves.

Being that this is Wednesday we went over to our son's in Amherstburg. Unfortunately it was Mellissa's turn to put in overtime at work. She was just running in the door as we were getting ready to come home. The boys are counting down to Christmas and on their best behavior.

I know that we appreciate not having any snow but it is still nice to have some on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. After that all the memories of the hours I spent shovelling snow at our home kicks in and I can live with the lack of it.

In the meantime we can still Enjoy looking at all the Christmas lights.

It's about time.

Krackers

This duck walks into a bar and asks the bartender, "Do you have any grapes?"

The bartender says, "No we only sell beer here".

The duck leaves, but the next day he walks back into the bar and asks the bartender, "Do you have any grapes?"

The bartender says, "No I told you yesterday we only sell beer, and if you ask me again I'm going to nail your beak to the bar."

So the duck leaves again, but walks back into the bar the next day and asks the bartender, "Do you have any nails?"

The bartender says "No."

The duck then asks, "Do you have any grapes?"