Thursday, December 23, 2021

STROLLING THROUGH MY CHRISTMAS MEMORIES

 

Me, way back when.....
I always get a little sentimental around the holidays, but this year that seems to be magnified. Maybe it's my age, or maybe it's because this is my first Christmas without any living parents. Even though I didn't spend every Christmas with them since leaving home, it was always a comfort to know they were just a phone call away.

The Christmas's of my childhood were magical. My Mom did everything she could to make them special. Decorations all over the house, special foods, and Santa always left a special gift and stuffed stocking for each of us. We spent the majority of my childhood Christmas's at my Nannie Levy's, those trips were full of family, fun and food. My head has so many Christmas memories bouncing around in it this year, and even though I may shed a few tears, I laugh and smile too. Thankfully I have a husband who will listen to me ramble on about things that happened decades ago in another province.  

My last Christmas living at home in Nova Scotia before moving to Ontario was in 1988. After spending two Christmas's in Ontario with my older brother Jeff, I returned home for Christmas in 1991. My Mom was so excited she literally jumped up and down with joy when she saw me coming down the escalator at the Halifax airport. Little did we know at the time, but her joy was about to double. On Christmas Eve the back door opened and my brother walked through it. It was a surprise to all of us, even me. That Christmas was thirty years ago this year. That was the last Christmas all four of us were together. It was thirty years ago, but I can remember that evening like it was yesterday. If you would like to read more about that Hallmark Christmas moment, click here

I traveled home a few more times over the years at Christmas time, but the two dates that stand out the most are 2010, the last Christmas with my Mom, and 2017 when Dad, Rob, and I all flew to Alberta to spend Christmas with Jeff and his family, the last time the three of us would be together.   

Last Xmas with Mom, 2010. We had no idea how sick she was at the time


Christmas 2017
When Dad passed away this past April I went digging through old photo albums, where I found these pictures of my brother and I. I have no idea what year it is or who took them, but they make me smile. 




 

Christmas was, is, and will always be a special time of year, even though it changes. This year, again, is going to be a very different Christmas for us all, but I will do as I was raised to do, "make the best of it", and I hope you do too.

I've blogged about Christmas a few times over the years, I've included the links to previous years if you're so inclined. 

2009 - Pot of Gold

2011 - Time - The Greatest Gift

2013 - An Old Christmas Card

2015 - Christmas Changes

2017 - Christmas Cards, a Lost Tradition?




Friday, December 17, 2021

COUNTRY BRIGHT

 


When Rob and I take the week of our anniversary off, I always like to do something "Christmasy", this year is was Country Bright, taking place in Milton. 

It was a walk through thousands of Christmas light displays while Christmas music played in the background. There were also food trucks, treat stands and even Santa Claus!

Please enjoy a few photos of our stroll that Rob took with his phone. 











When I walked up to Santa, I told him I was a good girl this year. His response, "You know who you're talking to, right?" LOL!!!  

Friday, December 10, 2021

OUR NINTH ANNIVERSARY

 

Exploring a new trail in Burlington.
Rob and I celebrated our 9th anniversry of being married when we were off on vacation the last week of November. It was very low key, just like the day we wed.


We started the day by going for a nature walk and exploring a new to us trail in Burlington. Not a lot of birds, but it was a very enjoyable walk. 

You looking at me?

Me looking for birds. 
After our walk we went for lunch at Jake's Grill and Oyster House. I hadn't had a good feed of oysters in over a year and I was craving them.  
6 Malpeque, 3 Raspberry Point, and 3 Daisy Bay

First time having their Lobster Roll, it was delicious. 
We really enjoyed our lunch. Rob had beef dip with fries. We're talking about going back over the Xmas break.   

Quiet evening at home, and we finally started to get caught up on our Marvel movies by watching the Black Widow, and we watched Shang-chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings the next night.  

 
We enjoyed our week off, and our anniversary. We might do something a little more exciting for our tenth. 

Monday, November 29, 2021

FESTIVE SEASON KICK-OFF

 


We woke up Sunday morning to our first snow fall of the season, and it continued much of the day. The new snow added to that festive feeling of the afternoon tea my friend, Pat, and I enjoyed at The Tea Room in Streetsville.  It had been a while since we had done something like this together and we both really enjoyed the tea and the time together. 


Lots of decorations everywhere, even the table.   

Salad to start.


Every morsel was delicious!

Trio of desserts.

Friends enjoying a lovely tea. 

The Xmas tea runs until December 23rd, and we highly recommend!

Friday, October 8, 2021

AUGUST & SEPTEMBER RECAP

 

A raccoon enjoying the decor in our backyard.  

Here we are well into October and I haven't blogged since July!  August was pretty quiet, our free time was spent in the backyard and we enjoyed a weekly nature walk to various parks where we never knew what we would encounter.   

Butterflies at  The Riverwood Conservancy.

A Ruby-throated Hummingbird in the backyard. 

Enjoying a walk in a lake front park.

Bullfrogs were a surprise on the lake front outing. There were quite a few of them. 

I can hear their croak in  my head looking at these pics.

One of a few skunks who enjoy our backyard.

This Chipmunk entertained us much of the summer.

A sign summer is coming to an end when the Goldfinches start eating the Jerusalem Artichoke flowers. 

So adorable.

September was a little more exciting. After our birthday gathering in June, Andi and I decided we needed to have lobster together more then once a year, so the first annual "September Seafood Feast" was held on the long weekend. And what a feast it was!

Now, that's a shrimp! First course.
Mussels in a garlic wine sauce. Second course.

The main event! 

Rob also caught up to me in age last month. We both had his birthday off work, and enjoyed a lovely nature walk and picked up schnitzel and pierogies from V's Schnitzel House for dinner. 

Still a hottie at 52!

We had a vacation week towards the end of the month. It was mostly a stay-cation, but we did do one overnight to Niagara Falls. It was a much needed getaway, as we hadn't had one in almost a year. We also enjoyed a lot of nature walks, and some delicious meals at some local restaurants. Oh, and we also saw our first owl of the 2021 Fall birding season, which started September 1st. 

We stayed at the Fallsview Casino Resort.

Views from our room. 

We enjoyed a lively and very enjoyable dinner at Margaritaville, did some shopping and I won all the money back in the casino playing the slots that Rob lost. It was a nice getaway.

Our first owl of the Fall 2021 birding season! An Eastern Screech.

 I hope you enjoyed catching up with me!