I’m so proud of Nick as he bought a house in Grand Forks and will be moving in about ten days!  I’m just amazed at the amount of changes I’ve endured in 2021.  First Luke and Jan moved in with mom in Osoyoos, then Denis sold his house and moved to Midway, and now Nick and family off to Grand Forks.

Dare I think it?  I might be done with parenting just a hair short of 32 years.  All family will now reside a couple of hours away in Osoyoos and Boundary country, also known as the Kettle Valley.  All three towns lie on the same latitude so will be very hot in the summer, especially for Nick with no air conditioning in their 70-year-old house.

I on the other hand will be wondering what the heck life is all about as I’m on my own for the first time in several decades.  As I type I’ve put whitening strips on my teeth so perhaps will decide to immerse myself in useless nonsense for the foreseeable future.

Carl the handyman is outside replacing the cement and bricks that got torn out for the electrical lines from the well to the pump installed in the basement.  It was quite amusing for the first few days as when I stood near the electrical panel I could hear frying sounds coming from it.

I phoned the electrician who said frying sounds weren’t good, and he had to come and upgrade my electrical panel.  I wasn’t surprised, given absolutely anything and everything that could break has gone ahead and done so.

My friend Beverly and her pug Charlie came for a visit during the heat dome and it nearly killed the dog.  That breed is designed to have no breathing apparatus whatsoever, and they appear unable to open their mouths very wide, so he was gasping for every bit of air he could get into his system.  It’s a curious thing the American Kennel Club and their penchant for what’s “standard” in a particular breed.

I invited Margaret and the basement dwellers for dinner while Bev was here and made butter chicken which everyone ate with great joy.  The next night for something completely different I made traditional Wiener Schnitzel for the two of us.

Thanks to having the well I can water whenever I see the need for it, and I notice my neighbourhood has now gone to brown lawns.  People used to water, but now with meters I think it’s just not worth it.   I on the other hand can’t stand a brown lawn, so mine is doing pretty well although in the Okanagan keeping anything green is a challenge.

I don’t espouse wasting water on something like a lawn, however I’m adverse to having the whole place burn down so prefer having some moisture about, especially as the place is ringed with tall Ponderosa pines.  The ground underneath them is thick with pine needles so you can use your imagination.

I got out a couple of Tupperware containers and thought I’d better pack just essentials in case of sudden fire evacuation, then went berserk trying to decide what I’d actually want to save.  I know I need my laptop, passport and accordion file of paperwork, but other than that, what do I “need”?  As a result I just gave up entirely and decided to leave it to the fates.