Issues

Well, Boxing Day began gently but it turned into an emotional storm in the afternoon.

The day began on a very good note: great weather. There was lots of blue sky and so I felt very good as I headed off to meet my friends to walk out doggers. Paula was feeling a little punk and so she stayed home. We went on a good long walk and when I got home, we had a short chinwag before Paula, and I headed off to The Surf for lunch.

It was lovely at the Surf. It wasn’t busy, our server was lovely and Paula was feeling better. We had a table beside the window, and we had a lovely time, but when I got home, my phone was missing. I felt sick when I realized I’d lost a thousand-dollar item. Not only that, when we got home, we found that the power was out.

Luckily, my land line works, and so we called the Surf. But no word about a found phone, so we drove back there. I was sure it would be there, but it wasn’t. We returned home and searched everywhere. I was in a bit of a foul mood. But then I decided to use the land line to call the cell. Paula was out checking the car again. And I heard it. The phone was in my bedroom.

I was profoundly relieved to have it back. Then there was only the power failure to deal with. I got the extension cords out and got the fridge working, and then, to kill time, Paula and I took Sheba walking through the Elder Cedar grove. We got back at 16:20 and settled in to wait for the power to come back on at 18:30. That was the anticipated time of repair showing on the hydro website.

But it came on at 17:00. Oh, was I glad. It’s nasty having company and we’re sitting in candlelight contemplating heating dinner on the barbeque on the deck in freezing weather. We had a self-serve dinner and watched a lovely movie. It was a very pleasant evening. I stayed high on having my phone back all evening.

Paula’s plane leaves at 9:30 this morning. I’ll be coming home to clean and tonight I dine with Eoin and François. 

Deliciousness and It's Over!!!!

Well, what a surprise! Christmas day dawned clear and bright. And cold. Long before Paula got up, I tidied up the living room, attended to my morning routine of posting, feeding everyone, and building a nice big fire. Then I got to chopping vegetables and seasoning them. They will line the bottom of the pan in which I cook the turkey. I want their juices for making gravy. Making the gravy is Paula’s job.

Paula got up at around 8:30, the turkey went into the oven at 9:00 and shortly after that, we all went walking on the Elder Cedar trail. High clouds had moved in, but it was still bright and cold. Once we got walking, we warmed up and it was a lovely way to spend part of our morning. And the trail was dry.

When we got back, I got busy prepping the vegetables that went onto the stove at 13:30. We sat down to eat at the table at 14:00 as planned. What a treat, and what a great day because there was hardly anything to do. I’d done all the hard parts—making the cranberry sauce and stuffing—on Tuesday.

The gravy I made is the best I have ever made. I used my immersion blender to turn all the garlic and vegetables that cooked with the turkey, plus the liver and heart, into a purée to which we added merely a little flour. It was like a thick soup and delicious. Paula was amazed and will make her gravy the same way henceforth. 

After we ate, the three of us we went for our afternoon walk and then we came home for pie. And oh, the pie! It was over-the-top wonderful. The nutmeg added a delicious flavour and there was no running juice. Just a little corn starch kept all the juices in the pie. Yum.

In the evening, we watched a movie and Paula had a long chat with her sister. We went to bed early. I ate as much as I normally eat in two days. But hey, it was Christmas, and Paula and I loved eating all we ate.

Today is very wet. I have no idea what we’ll do, trapped indoors as we will be by the weather. All traces of wet snow in the forecast are gone. Hurrah!

Merry Christmas

 

This is the pie I made for Paula/Christmas. I can hardly wait to taste it when we have out meal at 14:00. The blueberries are from my bushes. YAY! The squid in the centre of the trees is supposed to be a star, but the dough moved during making. Can you see the little stars on the top of each tree. They are sugar stars.

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I’m really struggling to walk. Between the bone spurs (mild pain) and the wound on my other let (major pain) I’m a hobbler. But we agreed to meet our friends in the rain to walk out dogs, but I will only walk half the walk as Sheba’s foot is still healing. 

It was lovely to see some of our fellow dog walkers on the day before Christmas. Regina brough treats for us to eat. Yum! We were bundled up in wet weather gear. Even Sheba was wearing a raincoat, but it is a crap one, so I bought her a new one on Amazon for next year.

When we got home, I had chores to do. I had to tidy up the car a little, and I had to empty the wheelbarrow in case we need it to move some of my potted plants into the studio. I can’t do it on my own, so I need help from Paula. Plus, of course, I vacuumed because the house is fucking full of Fir needles. I found some under the sheet of a guest bed!

I took Sheba’s bandage off and her foot looked good. It’s a blessing to be able to let her out without needing to put a waterproof sock over her bandage. It’s wonderful to have her back to normal. And it was wonderful to get home after our wet, wet walk in air that was only 3°!

Once home, I enjoyed the calm before the storm. Company for 2.5 days is always a challenge, even when I adore the guest. Paula is, like Dianne, very, very easy to be with. I know we’ll have fun, and tomorrow is going to be a blast to have a full-on turkey dinner with so many homemade condiments. 

Oh, how I long for a spa. I crave being submerged in hot water while outside in brisk air and listening to birdsong. It is so relaxing. Showers just don’t do much for me in the way of relaxing. I reckon that in four months, I can get the spa back working. I can hardly wait.

At 12:30, the rain turned rather white. I don’t know if it’s hail or snow, but it’s falling with rain. At 14:40, we left to pick up Paula on the docks at Silva Bay. Her plane wasn’t crowded and she emerged in good form with a cup of coffee in her hand. We came home, got settled and after lots of talk of catching up and the schedule for today, we settled in to watch a movie. We had soup and toast for dinner in front of the telly.

I’m looking forward to our huge meal today. I’m not going to eat a lot of anything, then I’ll have seconds for dinner. We’ll walk and we’ll talk and we’ll watch movies. And I did not have a seizure yesterday!!!

Baking and Cooking Day

Well… it wasn’t raining and there was no wind yesterday, and that was very good news because the wind had caused ferries to be canceled and out local float plane was grounded. Paula is due to arrive at 15:00 today via the seaplane, so yesterday I was happy to believe that she’d make it.

I spent all morning prior to my session with Dr. Shoja doing chores. I vacuumed up billions of Fir needles that get everywhere, and I dusted shelves, put out the garbage for collection, sorted recycling, walked Sheba and had a shower with my leg wrapped in cellophane so that I wouldn’t have to change the bandage again and clean up cups of blood.

It worked perfectly. My bandage stayed dry. You have no idea how great it was to not have to change the bandage! Plus, I love how great I feel after a shower, and it warms my body so that I feel toasty warm all the while we walk through our spectacular trails. Every walk is a healing walk.

Our walk was short but sweet because Sheba continues to show improvement with her walking. I may remove her bandage today. It was cold yesterday morning as we walked; it was only 1° and we may get snow overnight this week. Paula will have to help me move some plants into the studio so that they don’t freeze.

On the way home, I stopped to pick up my mail, and I got quite the surprise in a letter from the Pacemaker Clinic at Nanaimo Hospital. There has been a recall of the type of pacemaker that I have, so next year I must go for an in-person appointment to assess the condition of my machine and to get a software update for it.

My session with Dr. Shoja was, as always, a good one. I feel better every time I see her. I continue to learn about myself. We talked about how averse I am to my birthday and why I never wanted to show my visual artwork. I have no idea why I hate attention. She thinks something happened to me that taught me that attention was bad. She thinks it’s subconscious anxiety. 

And when we were done, the brood and I had lunch before Her Highness and I went into the village to shop before making the blueberry pie with berries that I grew here at Pinecone Park! That thrills me! I usually listen to the CBC all day, but I can’t stand hearing all the Christmas music, so I baked in silence which is uplifting in its own way because it is so incredibly quiet here.

When the pie was done, I started on the stuffing. I’ve never made stuffing before but as part of my commitment to avoiding processed foods, I chose to make my own rather than buy a mix. And man-oh-man did I do a good job. (I allow myself to brag at Christmas.). I knew what spices I wanted to use, and I had dried bread squares ready, and for moisture I added lots of sliced celery and onion, plus I added dried cranberries and I absolutely love the delicious results.

When the pie came out of the oven, Her Highness and I went for our afternoon walk. Again, it was short because we both have a bad food—and I have two sore feet. And then I got busy with making cranberry sauce. I love making all the sauces and dressings I need for my meals. I’m chuffed to not be buying processed foods. The cranberry sauce looked very good when I took it off the stove, and it is stinking delicious!! I’m going to impress Paula.

After all my baking and cooking, I was beat. I fed the brood and then I got on the chaise. I was too tired to make my own dinner. But after a good chilling on my favourite piece of furniture, I was ready to get back into the kitchen and cooking yet again. Dinner on the chaise: Yes!

But there’ll be no cooking today. We’re going to order pizza or have African soup and toast for dinner if Paula’s up for that. The soup is very hardy, so it makes for a good dinner. I pick up Paula at 15:00. Let the fun begin.

Merry Christmas everyone.