Has it really been since September...?

2020 was kind of a bad memory for most people, and I am surprised that I had dropped all updating of this blog since mid-September. It is now mid-March, so I guess I should update everyone on what is going on!

Essentially, not much of consequence has been happening since last year, but that is a good thing! I am still alive (not a given, unfortunately) and time has seemed to have slipped by very quickly. The last thing I had posted about was the airshow that the family went to at the end of August and the restarting of my fully online term for teaching. Since then, teaching has been continuing online (but now 8 courses this term!), and we have already bought tickets for the drive-in airshow in London for late August 2021. Here are some of the other things that have been happening around our place. 

Wendy bought a food processor in the late fall and has been making things in the kitchen! She has made chili sauce (her main reason for getting the machine), falafel, pickles, soup, etc. and has enjoyed the new hobby.

Wendy and I took the fall break week to go away to an AirBnB cottage in Thomasburg (near Tweed, north of Belleville). It was time to get away, do some hiking in the beautiful fall colours, go horseback riding, and especially to visit Wendy's favourite cheese factory (Maple Dale Cheese)... several times. Great view, nice and quiet, and a good way to get away while still in a pandemic. 

Adam moved back home from North Bay after his final classes ended at Canadore College. Kind of anticlimactic, as he simply got his diploma in the mail. We now have lots of extra 'stuff' to store around the house, but this did allow us to "upgrade" to some better electronics and better kitchen things... Wendy got her braces off the same day that Adam moved home.

My health continued to improve and stabilize and all my scans said the same thing - the cancer is no longer detectable! I signed a consent for a surgery to improve my vocal cord functions, but that has been delayed by COVID. Maybe early spring? Here is my 2020 health summary in pictures.

Wendy's best friend had an unexpected urgent surgery, so Wendy flew down to her place to help out while she was unable to walk and care for herself. Yes, Wendy can cook (and drive)! 

Wendy having Chick-Fil-A!

While she was away, we continued to upgrade things in the kitchen and got a new refrigerator (she had helped choose it before she left). We got one with an ice and water dispenser.

Wendy was away for about 2 months and arrived back in Canada to self isolate for 14 days - ending around the 24th of December. In the meantime, Eric had a potential exposure to COVID during a medical appointment that had him go into isolation for a full 21 days (he is special!). Sadly, the isolation essentially didn't change his normal daily activities of going to the basement to teach online, eating now and again, and sleeping.  He was able to get out of the house the day before Wendy was ready to come home. Consequently, Christmas was done in a very minimalistic style this year. 

The new year dawned and we used the most commonly used phrase of the year and told 2020 that "you're muted!!!" - then simply went to bed a few moments later. 

Starting the fresh new year, one which I had never intended to see, was not as exciting as it sounds. It was same old, same old... all over again. Since there seemed to be no companies hiring Aviation Mechanical Engineers, Adam got a full time job at a company in Dundas that calibrates equipment - only a 4 minute commute! Parker has continued to work full time for Purple Bricks from home (on the phone all day) and he decided he needed to sell his car. He got a good price for it and saved a ton of money on insurance. He really doesn't need a car at the moment. 

Bye, bye, Mini!

We did have a birthday party for Maddy, as she turned 10 in February. We even bought an ice cream cake so she could have a small piece.

Maddy turns 10!

In early March, we also bought a new bed (old one was starting to be very uncomfortable). We eventually got some shorter legs for the base/platform (long story) and it is now 3 inches lower. Maddy and Wendy appreciate the ease of getting into the bed.

We also captured the boys to take a family photo on Maddy's birthday. 

Family photo 2021

Hopefully 2021 will get a little more exciting and we will be able to do things outside of the house more. We have had some serious snow in the last month, but also have had some serious heat - this week it was 19C a couple of days. Winter isn't done quite yet, but the signs of spring are starting to appear.

Today marks exactly 365 days since I last stepped foot into my office. Hope it isn't another 365 before I get back to normal! 

More pandemic updates and a big birthday

Trying to find things to do during a pandemic is not easy. Since going out shopping, visiting family, or going to a restaurant are not available at the moment, we have been doing what we can to keep busy and keep connected.

Wendy, Sally and I were able to set the stage for a Yahtzee night with our friends Terry and Theresa. We did it using the online meeting software Zoom. They sat in their home, while we sat in ours, and we played Yahtzee (a dice game) together. Physical distancing, but not social distancing. We even set up the webcam so it was on top of our living room TV, so it felt like we were right there with our friends. Life sized! Sally won the whole thing with her beginner's luck!

Yahtzee night!

I have been continuing to make an effort to get back into doing stained glass. The large project I have been working on for a long time (4 years...) was still there and called to me again last week. I have been doing what I can to move it forward, while my fingers have been doing their best to try to stop me, but progress is visible. This project is for our friends Mel and Murray and I plan to finish it before the end of the pandemic restrictions.

It is a custom Northern Ontario scene with deer, hills, trees, water, rocks, etc.

Our hiking hobby has taken a beating, and not just because of my health. All of our local trails are closed to prevent people from getting too close. Many times we have seen people sliding their bicycles under these new barricades - they clearly are not capable of reading.

Our wildlife has been active and getting around, even if we haven't. The deer are out all the time, as are the turkeys. Yes, turkeys. Big things walking down the street, flaunting their newfound freedom from all those pesky humans hogging all the streets.

My 56th birthday happened last week - and if the doctors are correct, that may have been my last. I thought I would spend my first pandemic birthday doing interesting things. The first thing, after a web conference with students and some marking, was to make my own birthday cake. I made my favourite - poppyseed cake with a walnut cream filling.

Early in the morning, our friend dropped off for me a Cuban cigar on our front step. I know, I don't smoke, but it was a bucket list item to have a Cuban cigar in Cuba... that trip didn't happen because of my health. Our friends went and were able to bring this one back for me. Of course, what better day to try something new than my birthday?

Not long after, another friend dropped off (safely, without interaction) some refreshments for Wendy (the Coke) and I (the not Coke). The day was looking very promising and I hadn't even finished the cake!

Here it is cooling.

It didn't turn out to look the way I wanted... but it tasted great. The sauce was too thin and it kind of mushed out the sides.

Later in the afternoon, it was quite nice outside, so I did smoke the cigar and have a beer. The cigar smelled good! Maybe I should try a pipe next...

To compete with fire, Wendy decided to roast marshmallows at the same time. I still made more smoke than Wendy, though.

We had an online drop-in birthday party that evening on Zoom, with the same setup as our Yahtzee night. It was a lot of fun and seemed to become somewhat of a drinking game, as people popped up on screen. It was wonderful to see everyone and hear how they were doing.

This is the view that we had from our end of the party. For a while there, it look like the intro to the Brady Bunch, sometimes looking more like Hollywood Squares. For those not familiar with those TV shows, check them out online. It was bewildering, but it was a blast!

I was very happy with my birthday party and I think we made it a full and very memorable day.


Since my birthday, life has not slowed down! The next day, Adam's friends Neil, Mike, and Nick sent a package over with something liquid inside... he has some very thoughtful friends and they selected a very good scotch to commemorate an important milestone. Thanks, guys!

Wendy was lamenting that her hair was getting out of control, so we decided that I could take a stab at cutting her hair. She was definitely apprehensive about what was happening where she could not see. I said that it didn't matter how well it turned out, as she would be working from home for a long time to come... surprisingly, that comment didn't help much.

A nervous look...

No blood was drawn, and the initial apprehension gave way to a reasonable first time result of me cutting her hair (I have cut Adam and Parker's hair for years).

Not bad... can still see the pink that I put in for Wendy several weeks ago.

Not sure if she will allow me to do it again, and I am considering whether I should have her cut my hair in return...