CHRISTMAS 2010
Another loop around the sun
Means “twenty-ten” is nearly done;
It’s been a splendid year, through & through!
A few sad moments; those were tough,
But each day, mostly, happy stuff;
So let me tell you all a thing or two!
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I’ll try to be, at least, concise
Elaborating once or twice
And each depiction, true reality!
So take a moment to prepare;
A cup of tea; a cozy chair;
I hope you are relaxed! Now, let me see…
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First, I think that I will start
With several words straight from the heart
To you, our dearest friends and family!
We’re hoping all are doing fine!
Perhaps you’ve had a year like mine…
Filled with joy and great variety!
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One sad thing, which I must convey
Was parting with our Daisy Mae;
Who would have turned 16 in November!
That last trip taken to the vet
Was a one-way trip, and yet…
She smiled, at the end, as I remember!
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Barb held up, I’d say, pretty good…
And said goodbye as best she could;
Knowing we would miss our special friend!
In all that time she’d never fail
To lick your face or wag her tail,
So long sweet Daisy… faithful to the end!
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Now, if emotions are an issue
Take a minute; grab a tissue;
Wipe your eyes, and nose, if required!
If there be more tears ahead
Let them be for joy, instead!
My plan is to be cheery and inspired!
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Many milestones to report,
Birthdays, and things of that sort;
Like Gladys, turning ninety in September…
And Pat, Barb’s sister, sixty now,
Wanted to arrange, somehow,
A gathering for every family member!
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So a Cottage, booked for seven days;
To celebrate in lots of ways,
They came from far and near, to attend;
From Amsterdam and Edmonton,
New Brunswick, Milton, Hamilton;
Some, who came, even brought a friend!
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With cottage cramped, …to supplement,
We brought our trailer and a tent;
The weather wasn’t too bad for September;
The sun would often refuse to shine
But the fellowship, and of course, the wine;
Created a reunion to remember!
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Gladys handled the party well,
Despite one time she nearly fell!
Her health has been an issue, just a tad!
With respite care not quite enough,
Her stay with us was getting tough;
And symptoms would, at times, be quite bad!
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I think they’re know as mini-strokes,
But, Gladys wasn’t Gladys, folks!
She’d space out; become confused and quiet!
The time had come, we did concur;
Some things we cannot do for her!
Though change is hard we knew we had to try it!
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At Springdale Manor a room was free,
A near-by, small facility,
And Gladys, now is there, and fitting in!
Despite some slips and falls she’s had
No broken bones, which makes us glad,
Just bruising to her arms and to her chin!
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As for children, first I’ll say
The older three are moved away;
News of their endeavours will be swift!
Clara, still, is as she was;
She goes all out, in all she does!
And music, as we all know, is her gift!
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She’s working and composing too;
One song’s published! Yes, it’s true!
Later, she arranged a Beatles tune;
The song, you know, was “Let It Be”
We performed it …cheerfully
With “Peterborough Singers”, back in June!
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Clara sent out an email flyer
Asking friends to join her new choir,
“Music’s my life” she says, and we believe her!
Then, making choices for the “good of the many”…
Brought home a car, then, brought home Phinny,
A short-legged, Duck Tolling Retriever!
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We had great cause for celebration
At Angie’s recent graduation:
She’s working, now, for a sporting goods store!
Her band, the “Rucksack Willies”, say
Another CD is on the way:
They still do music gigs and so much more!
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Angie loves Toronto life;
We think she does, despite the strife!
And, someday, all of the hard work will be done!
A “music” career is still first choice;
She has the talent and the voice;
And still displays how music should be fun!
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Katherine’s news I’ll mention next,
Her life, right now, a bit complex;
As for countries soon a time will come for choosing!
New Zealand, that’s where Ryan is now,
They want to make it work somehow;
I think she finds it all a bit confusing!
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Kat will spend her Christmas there
Meeting families everywhere;
She hopes to spend time cruising all the beaches!
Then just 2 weeks and back she’ll fly;
To her current job, which by the by,
Is Grade 1 French Immersion, which she teaches!
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Now James, permission slips in hand…
Took To Chicago with his band,
And I understand they played their best;
On Clarinet with the band in Barrie
James plays, but it’s just voluntary;
Most days, we hope he finds a time to rest!
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Our son James and Jocelyne too,
Carry on as parents do
Bringing up Emile with love and care!
With their permission, I now say
How Jocelyne’s in a “family way”!
To us, this is the happiest news we share!
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This busy year that we have seen,
Took us where we’ve never been…
Now I will try, briefly, to explain!
Thinking back to late July,
Our summer plans would see us fly
To Edmonton! From there we’d hop the train!
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Through the mountains we did ride
To Jasper on the other side!
What happened next was not part of the trip;
A freight train switched tracks on approach
Colliding with a sleeper coach…
This caused it to precariously tip!
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While no one’s injured at the scene,
They had to check out each machine
And get the derailed cars back on the track!
If one could choose where plans break down
You could not pick a better town…
Someday perhaps, to Jasper, we’ll go back!
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The crew worked hard; 3 hours past
But we got under way, at last!
Then quickly to the dining car, to dine!
At Clearwater, we disembark…
No ride, no phone and really dark…
But minutes later everything was fine!
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A four-day stay, as per agenda,
With cousin Dave and his wife Linda:
Dave knew several trails we should climb!
I’m troubled by which words to use…
Describing such majestic views,
But “awesome” seems to surface every time!
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Mountains, everywhere, capped with snow,
Now on to Banff, Alberta we go;
Barb had a music conference there, in town!
With one free day, some thrills we seek;
On Sulphur Mountain, to the very peak;
The gondola took us up, and later, down!
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Mountains, rivers, deep ravines…
So many panoramic scenes;
Oh Canada: I’m proud to call it home!
I hope that I’m not boring you,
Our trip is only halfway through;
Now off to San Francisco we shall roam!
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To Santa Cruz, we were invited;
To say the least, we were excited!
I’d never been that far south or west!
Picked up there by Barb’s friend Joanne
And husband Mike; they had a plan,
To show us California at it’s best!
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The coast was merely miles away…
We went there nearly every day;
Our vacation, getting better and better!
The heat wave they were calling for
Had not appeared there on the shore;
Often Barb would borrow Joanne’s sweater!
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When ever fog obscured the view,
We found some other things to do!
For example: a Shakespearian, outdoor play;
Live music at Joanne and Mike’s;
A daily swim; a ride on bikes;
Or a day-trip to the Bay at Monterey!
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We returned on a ‘Red Eye’ flight,
Direct to Toronto, we flew all night;
Catching up on sleep – that took a while!
As the past eleven stanzas tell
Our vacation time was swell;
And each, new experience brought a smile!
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Nearly time to wrap this up,
Put on boots and walk the pup:
Other things of note… just one or two:
Barb’s learning how to Syncro-swim,
With a girl friend from the gym.
How is that for trying something new?
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Now the space for words is gone;
Sorry for the rambling on!
If you need more details, well, I’m sorry!
You could email, write or call:
Merry Christmas one and all!
I can’t wait to start on next year’s story.
rwhilts 