NEWS FROM PETERBOROUGH – CHRISTMAS 2007
We trust that our update finds ev’ryone well!
I’m hoping each stanza, a story, will tell;
Humble confessions of what fills our days. . .
Well, mostly the good, cheery stuff, anyways!
There’s no guarantee that you’ll comprehend
all of my thoughts from beginning to end!
Times may arise when I break from the flow;
to wit, what’s my point in the stanza below?
Early to bed. . . we all know that rhyme.
I’ve had late nights this year, most of the time!
I do get up early, and still have my “health”;
Perhaps what I’ve missed on is “wisdom & wealth”!
I like quoting proverbs; their magic goes“deep”
But four lines used up, just to say “I lacked sleep”?
The “wealthy and wise” part. . . still workin’ on those;
thus now, t’would be wise to move on, I suppose!
I trust no one minds that I’m strangely poetic. . .
*(Our children were worried that it was genetic)!
When I say “That’s it, all the news has been shared”,
I’m havin’ a beer; there’s a cold one prepared!
This year has flown by, so it seems, in recalling;
Not sure where to start, but I ought to quit stalling. . .
Times, on occasion, were far from routine! . . .
In good times and bad, and those times in between!
Gladys, Barb’s mom still resides here with us;
Each Tuesday she rides in the “Handi-van” Bus,
Off to the place where Seniors all meet,
She’s made good friends; they all think she’s sweet!
In rather good health, at this time we report,
the occasional cold, and things of that sort.
However, last spring, a cracked bone in her hip. . .
A myst’ry to all, with no fall; not one slip!
A bone scan helped locate the source to her pain,
So out came the Tylenol 3s once again;
She nicely recovered, the pain had calmed down,
When our doctor wrote to say “I’m leaving town”!
*We have here, a shortage of doctors right now,
But Barbie, pulled a few strings, some how ;
The father of one of her students, you see,
Approved her request; he’s our new GP!
A few big events – have this year occurred;
Barb had her surgery, perhaps you’ve heard!
Yoga & supplements; prayers and retreats;
No gluten, less honey; lay off those red meats. . .
Hopes of self-healing slowly erased. . .
And in August, she had her left hip replaced!
Following up, . . .states a post-op report,. . .
the leg is no longer one-quarter-inch short!
All of the children, have left us alone:
two with degrees, and off on their own;
two still in school, and living with friends . . .
How are we coping?. . .well that all depends!
Further along, I will tell of their treks;
discretely of course, in all due respects.
Two or three verses, for each, that should do:
Not out of rhymes yet, I still have a few!
First to admit it, Barb misses the crew:
… just can’t get over how quickly they grew!
Busy, Mrs. B. . . works without rest,
Thus, keeps her mind off of our “empty nest”!
Why does she do it? I think it’s because. . .
She really likes teaching, no, loves it she does!
In a motherly tone, to students she’ll say . . .
“Go wash your hands, or you cannot play”!
Her symphony role: that she loves too,
but from the spring concert, Barbie withdrew;
She suffered with limited agility!
Her hip, was affecting her mobility:
The cartilage going, by spring it was “gone”,
making it hard even putting socks on!
Summer approached and she purchased a cane
to aid with the walking, and lessen the pain!
“An orchestra time-out, what then?” you inquire. . .
Barb sang, instead, with our fabulous choir!
She joined in the concert, while nursing that hip
but then, a decision: the mid-summer trip!
A full week of singing; . . .a stamina tester;
that famous cathedral. . .the one in Winchester!
We were persuaded by our leader, Syd, . . .
We’d have a blast, . . .so have one we did!
A choir of 40, plus other supporters
embodied the task of “music exporters”!
We landed in London; then hopped on a bus,. . .
Who slept on the plane? Well it sure wasn’t us!
Then straight to singing, no time to unpack;
We hit all the notes, . . .then, we hit the sac!
Yes, we had free time; to “Stonehenge” one day;
a day trip by “steam train”, that, too, was okay!
First seven days went by in a hurry,. .
Then hopping a train, we headed to Surrey.
Malcolm, Barb’s uncle, welcomed us in;
. . . incredibly nice to see him again!
We met cousin Ruth and her family, too. . .
Then off to the pub, for some grub & some brew!
A day and a night, was all we could spare,
our visit too short, still, we had fun there!
Now heading home; lots of climbing “on board” . . .
Trains, buses, planes, . . .all good, but “good Lord!”
Back to our house, with some apprehension;
Surgery pending had our full attention!
The doctor was great, and procedures went well:
A sister then came to stay for a spell!
Mary, from Edmonton; cleaned and made meals;
A sign of support, and we like how that feels!
With some fab re-hab. , she’s healed! Yippee!. . .
In rather short order ( Barb may disagree)!
On a side note, perhaps just a stage,. . .
I, too, have moments that show off my age;
Perhaps years of coffee ( my body’s protest):
but menus have limits to which foods digest!
A high pitch, steadily, rings in my ear. . .
I think an F Sharp, and it’s been there all year!
Age, still relates to whom you’re among. . .
Enough said of that; now news of our “young”. . .
Clara, completed year 2, back in May
and planned out her own little holiday!
Off to New Brunswick; first time on a plane;
She’d get some rest in Aunt Helen’s domain!
Visiting cousins, and time by the ocean;
A welcome relief from big city commotion!
The ruckus of school, and all the demands,
meant Clara had no spare time on her hands;
However, she managed her summer work’s pace;
as in years past, down at “Joanne’s Place”. . .
Now back at school, year 3 under way;
busy as ever, but doing okay.
With Laurier Singers, a concert or two. . .
Barb and I went once, and got to sing too!
Angie is also in school once again. . .
I happen to know, though, she finds it a pain!
But somehow, Toronto and Angie “agree”
Still in her sights is a Music Degree!
At Humber College, her second year there;
Working at “Chapters” (it’s downtown somewhere).
She puts her “all” into all that she’s doing;
examples ; her music, . . .or work . . .or canoeing!
Angie seems happy to be in a band,
with her guitar, or, her spoons in hand. . .
We went to listen to them in November;
Country-Rock flavour, as I do remember!
She sings with passion, and that’s no surprise!
At home in this group – by the way – all guys!
Summer brought bills, and cause for concern,
two jobs she juggled. . .some cash to earn!
In March, daughter Katherine, flew down. . .
To a small Guatemalan town;
A tiny school; her placement for “Queens”. . .
at least they had hydro and indoor latrines!
Poverty levels made teaching a chore! . . .
Crime and corruption, were hard to ignore!
Somehow the children, would all hug and smile,
Kat found them sweet! . . .Her trip was worth while!
Her new career could provide such enjoyment:
A Qualified teacher, seeking employment!
So she applied to our local School Board,
Her resume (and police check) explored. . .
Landing a job that was temporary. . .
Involving Core French: to Kat, that was scary!
The job had another requirement, too
Teach Literacy; . . . she said “that I can do!”
Her job will finish, not far down the road,
it’s been a good, but demanding work load:
She put on a play and it went like a charm. . .
Just one little glitch. . .someone pulled the Alarm!
Last summer, Kat worked in New York state,
Helping a friend to “redecorate;”
It turned out to be a complete renovation:
Still fun she admits, both work & vacation.
James has been strong facing this year’s ordeals,
with lots of decisions; we know how that feels!
Last year his job teaching music and band. . .
was just temporary, you understand;
A school in Aurora, 10 minutes away
Required a teacher of music, so hey!. . .
with his good reference and contacts, why not?
“Got-a-shot”, he thought & the spot sought. . . he got!
Sorry about that, I couldn’t resist
Though surely, you ought to have caught my gist. . .
“Yes, he was hired” ; I said it with rhyming,. . .
clever word placement, . . .all with good timing!
July of next year, there’s a wedding in store. . .
James and Jocelyn. Yes! It’s “l’amour”. . .
Plans underway, and a house purchase done!
Commitment. . .sacrifice. . .yes, it’s begun!
The summer was hot, a continuous haze!
We took in a ball game, Toronto’s Blue Jays; . . .
Our pool stayed warm to the end of September! . . .
First time “not camping” since I can remember;
Here, in October, Barb’s siblings all merged;
Kate, would be 60; “A party!” She urged!
From Holland, arranging by phone and on line. . .
What fun! Great food (and of course, beer & wine)!
In all that life brings, sometimes there’s no answer!
But “Why should a 5-year-old suffer from cancer?”
Yes, Lauren, a daughter of Jen, my niece;
Fought a tough battle, but now she’s at peace!
True, as we witness, there’s far too much pain,
But we still have family, through loss or gain!
As you end this verse, won’t you pause with me:
A moment of silence, for Lauren Gillee.
12 months of news is a chore to compress,
A few things were missed; tell ya later, I guess!
Sending out email updates when I could,
Still need to try harder; I know that I should!
I’ll put this rhyme on the *home page, I will.
More photos, too, to add to the thrill!
I hope that our news has delivered some cheer!
Oh ya, . .. “Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year”
rwhilts 