A Barrel Full of Mixed Emotions Today

Paisley, On

Today, Friday, Jan. 15^th is a special day for me and a few members of our family. Firstly, Mom and Daddy were married on this day in 1946. If they were still alive, it would be an incredible 75 years. 😊 Not unheard of, many couples live to their mid- 90’s, together.

An easy drive to work this morning

Secondly, with both my parents there to greet him, my first grandson, Taylor Jesse Patrick was born. 😊 My Dad passed away within 5 ½ months but he got to meet the little guy. So, we’re celebrating his 26^th birthday today. Well, I won’t be seeing him, and I haven’t seen him for 2 years, but in my heart, I am still thinking of him on this day. Through Facebook and Messenger, we’ve exchanged secret messages. 😊

Happy Birthday, Taylor (Tj)

Thirdly, the sad part of Jan 15^th. Our circle of friends and rv’ers lost a very special man a year ago on this day. George inspired Bill and I so much in the transition from a sticks and bricks home into a new lifestyle of full-time rv’ing. We’ve never looked back nor regretted what we’ve learned from his and Suzie’s knowledge. Last winter, in Pilot Knob RV Resort, Quartzsite and Bullhead City, we toasted him and I can see that being a tradition in the winters to come.

I don't need to remind anyone of this smiling face
for you to know who it is!
We miss you, George

So, with that out of the way, our day started out normal for a Friday. Bill went off to work and I followed and hour and a half later to my job in Durham. Another clear, dry day for driving and even somewhat mild again at 2.2C/36F at 8 am. There was not a lot of attention needed to put the laundromat in ship-shape but I did my normal cleaning routine anyway. Two customers throughout the hour and I was on my way home by 9:45.

I stopped quickly at Donna's to pick up my Avon
order, in and out

I made a stop at Walmart for a small handful of things I missed on Wednesday and a quick stop at Donna’s to pick up my Avon from her. By the time I got home, I was feeling like I’d worked a full week! I took my coffee thermos upstairs and drank it while doing the banking transaction online. An email informed me that the FedEx shipment with my coat is on schedule for Monday so now my fingers are crossed that it fits. Always something to worry about, it seems. It should, I was careful with measurements.

Quiet drive home

Around 12:30 I went down and made some cream of celery soup for my lunch. I was feeling peckish but didn’t feel like frying my egg today. I took the soup into the garage and worked on the puzzle. Not the best light so after an hour, I washed my dishes and went to the post office to find an empty mailbox. Wes had been down earlier but sometimes mail appears in the box early afternoon for some reason. I needed that burst of fresh air anyway but didn’t feel like going for a walk today.

That's my corner coming up 

I wandered across the street to see if Marty’s Bar and Grill was still going to be open and found an ‘undated’ sign that says ‘We are closed today, sorry for the inconvenience’. Hmm, today? It wasn’t too specific and was on a window rather than the door. I’ll try calling at 4, we were hoping for one last meal from the venue, they are so good. In my head, I planned to make our own burgers and maybe fries for supper, since that is what Bill wanted anyway. 😊

This is the sign I posted in the laundromat

When I came upstairs, I intended to stretch out on the bed with my book but got involved reading blogs from our friends and then starting my own. It was around 3 by the time I got to the bed and the book. A few minutes later, like 7, Bill texted that he would be home in his 15 minutes so I went down, unlocked the door and made myself a cup of tea before returning to our room to wait. By the time he walked in, I was well into another chapter.

We discussed supper at Marty’s and my plan was to check out the window at 4 and see if he opened his blinds to the restaurant. Bill dropped off to sleep and sure enough, they opened on cue. Yay! It took a while again, about 30 minutes of trying to get through on the phone to order but when she answered and said is 6:30 okay? we were quite happy with that time. Bill had his Canadian burger & fries and I had a roast beef sandwich with veggies and a baked potato.

How is that for a meal?
So much delicious tender roast beef and very little bread
Just the way I like it

Each time we eat their meals, we realize how much we’ll miss having his restaurant open. Their prices are so reasonable for the amount of food you get, I have half of mine leftover for another meal tomorrow and could even share the beef with Bill. Wow! Very pleased! We finished eating and dishes by 7:15 and returned upstairs. At 7:30 I watched Jeopardy to finish off the week and then downloaded pictures for my blog.

And this was when I was finished
LOL that is a lot of food

My pictures are taking forever for some reason so it will be a morning publish. Sadly, before the day ended, we learned that Mom’s bosom buddy, Smitty, from her air force days, has also passed. Just last Friday out in Abbotsford, BC. We don’t know circumstances but this is heart-breaking. True, she was 95 (?) and had had a stroke on the night of Mom’s passing but what’s sad is that mid-January (now) she was ready to move into a senior’s residence, sell her home and live like a Queen. ☹

Smitty and Mom reuniting in May 2019

And now, together again in heaven
Notice the picture on Smitty's shirt

Our solace is that they are now together, again and heaven will be rocking with their antics and laughter. Rest in Peace, dear sweet Smitty. (Lois)

January, 2020
A toast of friends to George

Good night!

On that note, I want to thank you all for reading today. It means a lot to me that you are interested enough to come back, day after day. 😊