Tag Archive | wordpress

Doesn’t Everyone Bake Ten Batches Of Cookies?

Dec23

Because I regard my Christmas preparations as the norm for everyone, I’m always a bit perplexed and surprised by replies such as this one from my friend Penny. “Whew! Your Christmas preparations are dizzying but most admirable.” It’s the Martha Stewart in me; I guess I can’t just be average, I have to be over the top with everything. However so far all cookie recipients have been quite pleased by their assortment.

Here’s an incredibly stupid thing I did. I assumed a courier company meant faster delivery than what we were told to expect due to back-ups of parcels after the Canada Post strike. I went into Purolator on Friday morning around 9:00 and thought this way the parcels should surely arrive by Monday at the latest. They were weighed and placed into the shipping queue, I paid and said, “When will they arrive?”

“Dunno.” I said, “You don’t know? How can you not know when they’ll arrive?” After a few moments, once I was able to think clearly again, I decided to invoke the Gods of Shipping. I said to the woman, “Ya know what? I’m just gonna think positive thoughts and imagine them arriving there on time.” She then gave me a wink and said, “I think you’re right.” I felt like punching initially, but thankfully left with a Merry Christmas. Must be the season, right?

I got one of those hilarious Fart Ninjas, have you seen them? They’re motion-activated and make a few different farting sounds. I just like having it around as sometimes I forget it’s on the table and a cat jumps up and suddenly I hear “fraaap” or “poot.” Please don’t judge me, I have a very strange sense of humour. When bored I Google ‘People Get Hurt Slipping on Ice’ and other hilarious topics like that. I’m laughing now thinking about it.

This is the last blog of 2024 and as usual I’m pretty much ga ga with excitement and anticipation for a New Year to begin. I’m not making any resolutions, per se, but I do have two goals that I wish to achieve. One is to hire a Gen Z who knows WordPress to help me with it (this means doing most of it) and secondly, I want to start selling some old stuff that someone who collects may value.

It was good to have mom’s 100-year celebration in summer because she’s to turn 100 on February 25 and at this age it’s nip and tuck. Most days she’s in her nightgown and housecoat so not sure how much steam is left in the old engine. I do hope she’ll be in the mood for our Christmas Eve tomorrow night, and again for Christmas Day. Hamiltons are coming for dinner as they usually do which is great. Fred will wear his Christmas vest, made by Julie and decorated with snowmen and other related things.

I’ve had some very decent Christmas events here in Kelowna. The Crones came for dinner one night, and Calvin and I held our very successful 4th annual Christmas party. Each year another bowl of punch is added, and I think this time he made either three or four bowls, and it still wasn’t enough. This crowd can go through the liquor, which I love to see in young folks.

Sylvie and I had dinner at the Gasthaus in Peachland last night and today I’m meeting Marie downtown for Happy Hour, so life is pretty pretty pretty good here. I’m grateful for all of it, food, friends and family. Merry Christmas!

Now Louie’s Sick

Oct15

I suppose you think I went right ahead and applied what I had been taught regarding my WordPress site. Wrong. I was so frightened by it I haven’t been near it since. Beekeeping, owning chickens, adopting dogs and cats, growing dahlias all seem so simple compared to whatever occurs on this new-fangled typing device known as a laptop.

More technology hiccups awaited in Osoyoos when I arrived for the Thanksgiving weekend. I’d had someone come to repair mom’s roof, and in the process, he had to move the satellite, which meant no CNN or MSNBC which is the same as saying a diabetic has run out of insulin. It’s an emergency.

Luke had cleverly provided mom with the old Netflix remote and so she was back to hours and hours of Virgin River as she waited for her TV channels to come back. I phoned Shaw but they don’t have anyone available to come until October 29, but the nice person said call a local technician and see if they can do it. Turns out our friend Jim and Luke were able to figure it out all by themselves.

It was sunny and very warm in Osoyoos, so we sat out, and mom made her way out to sit on the deck with us. She managed to eat a nice plate of turkey dinner on Saturday night, and we all had a good laugh over my attempt to make pastry. Suffice to say the dessert was pumpkin custard with whipped cream.

On Sunday Jan noticed Louie was suddenly walking backwards a few steps, which was very odd, and he did it again yesterday back home in Kelowna. Then today he’s been completely disinterested in everything, lethargic, and not himself at all. I called the vet, and she said it could be kidney failure so I should take him to the hospital, but I said no, let’s wait until she examines him tomorrow and then decide.

Around here there’s always someone in medical distress. From the hen that died in the coop in the spring, to my mom weakening by the day, to the cat with his massive abscess and now Louie with whatever it is he has. And then people wonder why I drink. How else to cope?

The Crones got a surprise last week as we headed into Maestro for Happy Hour only to find the door locked. We then had to go to a Plan B which was fine as the Eldorado is right next door, so we went over there. Donna’s going to be 90 in December and weighs as much as my dog but can eat twice the amount of food in one sitting that I can. It’s kind of amazing.

We sat in the lounge and shared yam waffle fries and wings, and I slugged back at least two cocktails. That would be all the food I’d like to eat, but no, Donna said let’s go over to the dining room for dinner. So we went over there and it was lovely and quiet and I looked at the menu and said I think the most I can do is a bowl of clam chowder.

Donna had salad followed by the ravioli and ate every bit of it. It’s like watching those people who win eating contests. Some are tiny yet they can eat their own weight in hot dogs. Fortunately, this was a grade above, but still, the volume of it all. I can probably eat more than Donna does in a whole day, but I can’t do it in a single sitting.