A Hazy Shade of Winter

I know I live in Canada and most days, I'm proud to be a Canadian. But why, oh why, do Canadian winters have to be so long? And snowy?

I realize this year is not nearly as bad as last year. We didn't really get snow until after Christmas this year. As I recall, last winter we were buried from November until spring!

However, I've reached my max. I'm tired of shoveling. I'm tired of the groan my car makes in the morning when it's -20. I'm tired of winter boots. I'm tired of the puddles left from winter boots. I'm tired of everything looking so bleak.

I need sunshine! I need green! I need flip flops! I need a warm breeze!

Come on spring! Please come early.

Family Day

A few years ago, Dalton McGuinty and his Liberals created a holiday for us Ontarians in the middle of February. Family Day. One of his best legacies, I would say. It's so nice to have an extra day in the middle of the cold and snowy winter to get out and do fun things with the people you love!

To celebrate, all kinds of activities are planned in communities big and small. You can even go ice fishing without a license on Family Day weekend!

I spent my Family Day with my niece Kaelyn. To celebrate her 10th birthday in September, we had planned to go to Fanshawe Pioneer Village. Plans got changed and life got busy and we found ourselves in the middle of winter! She thought skating would be a good idea and I agreed. We considered the outdoor skating path at Storybook Gardens but when the temperature plunged to well below zero, we opted to skate our way around an indoor rink instead!

It had been about 8 years since I was on skates. I'm pretty sure the last time I went skating was when I took Madison for her fourth birthday! I was a bit apprehensive, but told Kaelyn we would depend on each other! It turned out that we were both better than we thought. Only one little tumble for her as we were getting off the ice.

In addition to the skating, we explored the community centre with a scavenger hunt, played a couple of games of Sorry! and, of course, "When I Opened Grandmother's Trunk". I taught her this game while we were ice fishing and it's become a favourite.

Was happy to spend my Family Day with such a cutie.

90 Reasons to Celebrate!

This weekend we gathered to celebrate a very special lady. My aunt Peggy turned 90 today!

When you speak to anyone that knows her, it's obvious what a treasure she is... much loved sister and mother, special aunt, cousin and neighbour and a cherished grandma and great grandma!

Peggy was twenty years old when my Dad was born and has always been more like my grandma than my aunt. She was present for most birthday parties, Thanksgiving and Easter dinners and special moments like a graduation or piano recital.

She is the most giving person I know and willingly sacrifices her own comforts for those that she loves.

She's a fighter. She entered the world as a "preemie" and proudly tells that they used a man's handkerchief for her diaper. She hasn't stopped fighting. During her days working at a factory in Windsor, she lost her index finger but that hasn't stopped her from crocheting and quilting!

She has proven more than one doctor wrong by overcoming an aneurysm, heart attack, broken ribs, broken hip and cancer. During one of these hospital stays, she told me that she would need to live until at least 90 to get everything done that she wanted to do. Well, she did it. And this week she told me that she's now aiming for 100.

I have no doubt that in 10 years we will be gathering for the celebration of a lifetime!

Showing off her new wrinkle cream :)