2018 The Drury Family Roundup

2018 The Drury Family Roundup

Early in 2018 hoped to get going with Izzy dolls but got hit with whatever bug was going around and was out of it for 6 weeks, it was March before the Dollard Art Hive Izzy Dolls Project got underway. Our goal is 210 dolls to be created and delivered to Health Partners International of Canada by end of December, at this point we are only a few dolls away from the goal.

Stephen turned 45 in February – we all have birthdays of some significance the same year and

Michael was 50^th the following month. Gees where did that time go for both our sons?

We both had our DNA tested via Ancestry - there were few surprises if any for both of us as I had found out where most of our roots came from through my genealogy however, links to our fathers have not been increased that way. Was hopefully that my husband's paternal line would produce some direct links to his surname but it didn't or not yet . And l found a direct link to mine not via my DNA but by searching for other trees my great grandfather Harrison was in. Bingo a second cousin, our grandfathers were brothers :D Jenny Harrison and I have stayed in touch and she has been sharing photos with me, One that she sent is of our young grandfathers, a three generation photo I so enjoy seeing images of the ancestors I have had in my tree for some time, it helps to bring them to life again. At the end of the summer my nieces Judy and Barbara brought me a box of keepsakes from both their mother and my mother. I found treasures and history in that box such as some baby clothing I am sure had been Mom's – the plan is to put them in a shadow box. 

 

Christopher came to Kanata Ontario to work for the summer in April and in May we went to see him on the Mother's Day Weekend it was also Dick's 75^th . So we celebrated with Chris and my eldest niece. Speaking of Richard, he didn't golf once and decided to take a break from curling. He continues to get his steps in plus in daily thus helping his blood tests to 'pass' :D Very good news for sure. Our stock of wine is running low so the plan is he will be busy making more in 2019.

It was our turn for the natural gas company to work on our street which started in May They put new pipes along the curb and to where the gas comes into the house when they could. Our entrance had to be changed as they could not get to the original, the deck and old cement stairs at the back door were in the way (deck is built over the stairs)

Gas now comes in through the powder room. And goes under the back door landing to the furnace room.

My sister Linda passed away July 1^st - she is now in peace after a difficult last year of Progressive Supra-nuclear Palsy a disease often diagnosed as Parkinson's . Seeing her go down hill
was very sad, as a life-long friend said I lost my twin, although we were not twins we were often taken to be because we were dressed the same and always together. Miss her but truthfully having had a few years of losing her I had starting grieving long before her death so it was not as difficult as I had imagined it would be to have her gone completely. I did make a couple of Izzy dolls in her memory (twins) that I am holding

onto for now... as well as the one created the day she passed away.

About 5 days after we said our final goodbyes to Linda, Monarch butterflies showed up in our gardens. That is the earliest I have seen Monarchs around here and I am sure my sister had a hand in that as she know about my quest to have our city mow natural areas at better times of the year for not only Monarchs but all pollinators, wildlife, the environment and we humans. The Summer of 2018 became the summer of Monarchs. Several eggs were laid on our common milkweed so I raised some, had help from the twins next door and then their mother when eggs were found in the natural areas days before they were to be mowed. In other words we 'saved' them. Elm Park residences became involved too so now there is a small team working with me to have the natural areas saved. The hope is that 2019 will be the year to mow differently. We are also growing milkweed in our gardens, sharing seeds and/or plants and letting others know of the need to do so. A group of us got together to spread seeds in part of a natural area, Dick of course gets roped into whatever I do so he is part of our little group.

In August Christoper came to spend a second weekend with us and we took him back to Kanata so we could hold onto some of the stuff he needed for the summer for when he came back this way in the winter which was pretty well a certainty

It was great to see the cousins together and watch the interaction between our youngest and eldest grandchildren.. Isabella and Chris. Alex will be starting high school in 2019 and Bella in now a Spark, (youngest age group of Girl Guides)

A painter was here just after Labour Day to paint our dining area, kitchen and down the back stairs to the basement. He were followed by a flooring company to put down sheet vinyl in the kitchen and down the stairs. Both companies would be recommended for their workmanship, cleanliness of work area, friendliness and speed of getting the work done. Love the floor, it does not show dirt and is easy to care for.

 Our family doctor is retiring at the end of 2019 so our names are on a provincial list for another doctor

Hopefully that will happen before the doctor I have been going to for at least 35 years gives it up but not very encouraging to know we were numbers 300 plus on the list and there is rumor several doctors are packing it in next year.

Another big birthday mine came and went in October now have a micro lens to get close up shots of for instance butterfly wings. I too was 75 so that's it for five years before all four of us have birthdays that stand out.

In November started looking for dog sitters for Brandy and now have a great place for her and a back up too. The plan is to go to Italy in May of course it will be a coach tour because that is the easiest, stress-free way for us to travel now.

When I started to write this I was creating animals for our youngest grandchildren and Izzy Dolls too of course. I spent the mid November weekend at the Dollard Craft Fair in the civic centre promoting Izzy Dolls and the need for knitters and/or donations of yarn for us to make Izzy dolls. Many were aware of the dolls and some said they would make them plus we have had two donations of yarn. Not sure if we'll have anyone join our little group but as long as they are making dolls that is what counts. Have added an addition to the dolls that will also go to HPIC to be given to children in crisis areas throughout the World. A little bear to be created with the white and gray yarns that have been donated to the Art Hive. The bear pattern will be shared with the group when we start up in January.

Changed to front door decorations . The wreath was an idea I had and was lucky enough to find (new and old) materials needed to create it :D The house has also been decorated and most of the wrapping done so on with the meals etc.

Photos and a bit about our other grandchildren. Katie, Lauren and Jared. Katie is now a Girl Guide, Lauren a teen and Jared is in the military reserves He did part one of his base during the summer and will finish it in 2019. In the meantime he gives at least one weekend a month to the reserves and works part time.

  Christopher will be with us for a couple of days early in January before heading to Kanata to work until the end of April. Looking forward to seeing him and celebrating his 22nd birthday with him although a couple of days late. Seems hard to believe that it was that long ago I was with his parents when he was born - his grandfather joined us a few day later to met our eldest grandchild.

Until next year stay safe and healthy throughout 2019.

2017 Drury - Harrison Newsletter

 2017 DRURY - HARRISON NEWSLETTER

It is the end of a very warm October and my plan is to work on roots and stories in November thus I am starting to put together the Drury 2017 newsletter early.  Earlier in the year I promised myself that my Canada 150 project would be to finally published some of our family history and the genealogy I have been doing on and off for several years.  Need it be said that project, although it got off to a good start, was in a traffic jam and stalled when life and other interests overtook it. So what have we all been up to? 

The highlight of the year was when Mike took a leave and came to spend a week with us. We simply enjoyed having him here and his company. At the end of his time with us we went with him to Cornwall to pick up his two youngest so they could come spend some time with us for a couple of days - they had been visiting one of their aunts with their mother.  When Mike and/or his children are here we have a family meal and take group photos.  They left  for home very earlier one morning and took part of our hearts with them.

Update December 6 2017 - I did it!  Three of THE HARRISON - DRURY FAMILY book, (for the

boys and one for us), will be ready to be picked up today. I was so elated and spent after they were left to be printed yesterday that my mind and body wouldn’t settle to anything concrete – so I started making an Izzy Doll – more about this later. Now that I have started to print our genealogy information the goal is to continue in smaller bites than the mouthful this first print was – not today though.

The summer was disappointing, weather wise, as we had no summer so to speak, during the months we expect to have it. It arrived in September when the kids were back in school and many summer attractions have closed. The warm fall weather has delayed the fall foliage and we are still waiting for a good frost to kill off the plants that will need to be cut back before winter moves in.

Well the weather has changed since I started this and we are ending October it a windy, jackets needed day. Dec. 6^th update – weather has been up and down through the fall and the weather reports say the temperature will drop down by the weekend and stay there for a while. However, because of the silly weather, many of the leaves on bushes and plants never dried up but froze.  Now they stay attached limp and sad looking. 

However let's go back to January of this year.  During the 2016 holidays I was concerned about

Brandy's eye sight and was pretty sure it was cathartics.  Her vet confirmed  her right eye had a full blown cathartic and the other was well on the way. We decided to leave them be and prepare the yard and house for a blind dog. We didn't have long before her left eye was almost as bad. By the spring she  pretty well knew the set-up in the house as long as we didn't move furniture or put anything in her path ways.  As we prepare for the holidays Brandy is once again learning to navigate the house again. Outside has been a changing learning for her as snow melted and we figured out how to keep our pooch from falling off the deck yet allowed snow to be shoved off. It took a bit of thinking to come up with something for summer and then winter that would stop her from falling off the edge. The summer method wasn’t permanent or that work in the winter. It took a tea break while sitting out with nature surround me, the sound of bird song especially.  Posts were put up on the corner and near the stairs, cup hooks were added at a height Brandy would walk into the rope barrier on the hooks and she has already adjusted to

the newest safety barrier.  The ropes can be removed if need be and snow can be plowed underneath them.  During the late spring we were planning to go to Southern Ontario for a few days on a dog-friendly vacation. Brandy was coming with us because her sitter is no longer taking care of dogs and I didn't want to put her with a stranger in a strange home as she was still fairly new to blindness.   The plan got scraped when it was not clear when the procedure would be to remove the skin cancer on my face.  We then planned to go in September when school was back for the year but that was scraped too by the weather and other nonsense. In the end it would have been too hot for Brandy. Another try this time to leaf peep Thanksgiving Weekend but again the weather interfered - thus we didn't go anywhere during Canada's 150, not even on a day trip.

A patch of skin cancer on my face was removed July 4^th and my four month follow up was positive so do not have to go back for a year. However, there is a precancerous area on my face I will be treating after the holidays January is a great time for me to do that – it will keep me in, away from slick patches ice and the dead of winter too.

Dick got in a few more rounds of golf in during the summer than he did in 2016, his partner though was laid up for a good part of the season so Dick never got out weekly as he did before

the club he belonged to closed. As I write that he is curling, yesterday too and came home saying, “I’m old.” When asked what he meant he said he heard some of the guys talking and mentioning their age, he is older that they are, at one point he was one of the youngest in both sports. Wine, two lots of it he made early in the year so I’d have my summer wine - seems I will get two summers out of this lot, not sure about the wine he made for us but he drinks. Very proud of my husband as he continues to get steps in  and now despite his Fitbit giving up.  He has tallied up enough steps to walk across Canada and then some in the last 18 months !

 I gave in and joined the Dollard des Ormeaux Senior’s Club. Surprise, surprise I am old enough to enjoy it ! That was my excuse before but found that there are members much younger that I am what a shock LOL. One reason I wanted to be a member was the knitting group so I’d have a place to donate what I make to give away. Have done that for years but

thanks to one I donated when I joined the group. It was held back as the sample.  Some of the yarn in the sample had come from the Art Hive stock. In the New year a friend and I will be heading up a project for the Art Hive; Izzy Dolls. Look them up on-line and you’ll see what a worthy cause they go to. The dolls were started by a mother before she lost her soldier son in Croatia – Mark Isfeld lost his life cleaning up land mines.

much more since the Dollard Art Hive began in 2016. There are containers full of donated yarn so with that and the odds and ends I have a lot of items can be made for worthy causes. At the end of October the knitting group gave away 720 items the ladies, yes we are all women had made over the year. The storage containers are already starting to fill with items to be given away next fall.  In 2018 we will be making Twiddle Muffs.  In September I gave a crochet demo at the Art hive and had two of the  people that attended interested in leaning or refreshing their skill . I brought a bunch of samples and a display board with m

 The Elm Park Ramblers CWF Wild Nature Family Club I head up has not done very much this year due to busy lives and weather. However the highlight for me was sharing with them the Monarch butterfly egg I found at the end of the summer. It was found after a disappointing loss of the five caterpillars I bought to share the experience of seeing them grow and change into a Monarch, with the children. The egg was named Sommer for where it was found, along the edge of Somerset Street at the top of the development we live in. Sommer hatched, grew and went into the chrysalis while I held my breath, fingers crossed all would go well as the area and patch of milkweed the egg was in was mowed to the ground a week after I rescued the egg.  Monarch caterpillars only eat milkweed – what a shame but three years ago I had started planting milkweed so had some fresh clean food for Sommer. What about any other caterpillars that were depending on that mowed area though? Thus Sommer will become a Poster Child to help me save the natural area that they and other wildlife need to survive in 2018.   The end result of Sommer a beautiful female was set free on September with 12, children and adults, were here to say good bye and wish her well on her voyage down to Mexico for the winter. Hope possibly her grandchildren will come back this way next year.

 

When I gave Sommer her freedom I also set up photos and information about Monarchs to share with the children and their parents – It turned out that the adults were more interested than the children which made me realize if adults do not know about the wildlife around us, few children will care so the aim maybe should be on adults??  The shocking fact that Sommer’s food source was mowed down a week after I rescued her as an egg grabs the interests of adults as soon as they heard that – thus I have a little group now interested in saving the areas where milkweed is found.  That is a goal for me in 2018 with the help of those interested and Sommer of course.  

Some of us have also planted some Common Milkweed so there are little patches available among us.  I have two areas in our gardens that are becoming concentrated areas for Monarchs and other pollinators.

Our area of town was a construction nightmare through the spring and summer and apparently it will be our turn 2018.  It shouldn’t be a nightmare to get around as it was this year as it will only be in concentrated areas or here’s hoping.

Our grandchildren are all growing like weeds and in school now. Bella our youngest started kindergarten in the fall and her cousin Christopher is in his third year at Memorial University in St John’s and working too as part of his education. Jared will graduate high school in June; Lauren is in mid school while Alex and Katie attend the same elementary school as their sister.  Between their schooling and their parents schedules we see little of the children let alone their parents so try to enjoy our time with them when we do.

Well as I finish this it is snowing, Christmas music is playing and soon I will be getting back to creating gifts for our gang.  Dick has taken on some of the tasks that I usually and has become the dinner chef allowing me to get on with my creating, I so appreciate not having to break to get a meal on the table. 

Wishing you and yours the best of the holidays and a healthy, safe 2018.

Walking: Only Medicine Needed

"Walking is a man's best medicine"

Hippocrates

Want to share the end of year result of The Body Matters  MOOC I took during the late winter of 2016

 In the first week, one of the lessons was presented by Steven Blair an internationally renowned physical activity expert. He enthusiastically made the point that to maintain health all that was needed was 150 minutes a week of moderate exercise.  That is only 2.5 hours a week or 5 half hour sessions or any way you want to do it. Keep in mind though walking at a leisurely pace doesn’t cut it other than it is better than being a couch potato.  I found Activity Level Defined by Steps per Day  and posted it on the fridge (need to dig it out and post it again )  

 

 

 He also showed us the  only medication needed,  pedometer in a prescription bottle.  Gave one to our family doctor to keep on his desk as a conversation piece :D  

 Steps Count Web Site     https://stepscount.wordpress.com/ description of the value of a pedometer.

“… Wearing one and going about the day is the simplest way to get started on the road to better health! The ability to see the total steps taken in a day gives a baseline to an individual’s physical activity level, which makes it easy to add an extra 1,000 – 2,000 steps to a typical day.  It is the immediate feedback the Piezo® pedometer provides that enables the recognition and motivation needed to make a difference in one’s health. “

 Shared what I was learning with my hubby and for some reason that 150 minutes a week stuck He started wearing a pedometer and walking.  In May I gave him a FitBit for his birthday which he wears daily and we stated combining our steps in virtual walks.    Our steps were converted to kilometers and the distance drawn on a map. 

  

In March we started off from home to walk to our son’s in Head of Chezzetcook Nova Scotia. By the end of June we were into Nova Scotia and at our son’s by mid-July.  From there we headed east clockwise around the circumference of the province.

Each week I’d mark our distances on the map, by December 31^st we had reached the South Shore at Sable River not far from Kejimkujimkujik National Park, where we will rest for a while.  Maybe one day we’ll be back to finish the remaining 150 kilometers to Dartmouth to complete the Counter Clockwise Walk Around Nova Scotia.

  However I didn’t keep up my part of the walk , my partner did most of it with me hitching a ride for most of it - so have my gear out and ready which I hope will motivate me to get my duff up and moving.

 

As usual my pedometer will be worn. It is one of the first things I put on in the morning and the last to come off at the end of the day.

Realized as I wrote this that 150 minutes of exercise  and Canada’s 150 anniversary of Confederation could be linked somehow – have yet to figure it out how to link them but think where we have decided our virtual  2017 walk steps will intermingle with the 150th.

 We decided hubby will head east from Victoria and  I am going  west from home so we know who walked what when we meet up. It would be nice to do it by July 1 in a really great place to virtually celebrate the 150^th Anniversary of Confederation.   

Now need to think of a visual way for us to see our progress as marking a map is not as motivating as it was 9 months ago :D

To show my hubby  how well he had done,tallied his distance then figured out how far that would have been…

 His steps took him from home to Head of Chezzetcook and back home again.

Then to Ottawa, down to Kingston and was almost home again  However, with what he did without step counters  he gets a free ride for what he did before March.. 

During 2017 I plan to carry my own weight.   

Why do I want to do this?  Think the poster says it all :D

       "Walking is the best possible exercise.       Habituate yourself to walk very far."

                Thomas Jefferson

 

Favorite Recipes that Cover Our Roots

“No one who cooks, cooks alone. Even at her most solitary, a cook in the kitchen is surrounded by generations of cooks past, the advice and menus of cooks present, the wisdom of cookbook writers.”

LaurieColwin

December 17^th  2016 

For several years we have been attending the December International Christmas Dinner, organized and hosted by one of the families in our block of the street.  They turn their house upside down to accommodate 20 or more people . We are contribute to the meal. For many years I made a double lot of Boeuf a la Bourguignonne  from one of my old cookbooks because we like it but with a couple of changes, Ketchup for tomato paste and beer for the wine :D.  It has always been a hit at the dinner and some have asked for the recipe. However, last year when I sprained my left ankle decided to do something a little easier especially to transport the short distance down the street as the Boeuf a la Bourguignonne was hot so needed good padding to keep it that way and to protect the person carrying it.   

Decided to make another favorite.

Dad’s Greek Salad not sure if I had this at a meal with our daughter-in-law’s family, they are Greek Orthodox or found it on-line myself  at  http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/dads_greek_salad/

It was also a hit so that is what we are bringing again tonight. I’ve been busy between writing today, chopping vegetables. crumbling Feta cheese and making salad dressing. 

One thing I did differently this year was buy slices Kalamata olive instead of pitting and cutting them myself , it took forever to do last year and my hands were stained afterward. 

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The recipe has been copied from the Simply Recipes site.

Dad’s Greek Salad

This Greek salad is a favorite of my father’s to make during the summer. We usually have plenty of tomatoes and cucumbers growing in the garden, and all you have to do is toss in some red onions, olives, bell pepper, feta cheese, a few herbs, and some olive oil and vinegar and you have beautiful, cooling, fresh, Greek salad.

    Prep time: 15 minutes Yield: Serves 6.

Tip from my mom: to take some of the bite away from the onions, after you chop them, soak them in a little vinegar or lemon juice.

Ingredients

    6 Tbsp olive oil

    2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

    1/2 teaspoon fresh chopped garlic

    1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

    1/2 teaspoon dried oregano or 1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano

    1/2 teaspoon dill weed or 1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill

    Salt and freshly ground black pepper

    3 large plum tomatoes, seeded, coarsely chopped

    3/4 cucumber, peeled, seeded, coarsely chopped

    1/2 red onion, peeled, chopped

    1 bell pepper, seeded, coarsely chopped

    1/2 cup pitted black olives (preferably brine-cured), coarsely chopped

    A heaping half cup crumbled feta cheese

Method

1 Whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, vinegar, oregano and dill weed together until blended. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. (Can be prepared 3 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Re whisk before using.)

2 Combine the tomatoes, cucumber, onion, bell pepper, olives in a bowl. Toss with dressing. Sprinkle cheese over and serve.

Hello! All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish this recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words and link back to Dad’s Greek Salad on Simply Recipes. Thank you!

Read more: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/dads_greek_salad/#ixzz4T7ga1vxt

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That’s about half of our roots and those of our grandchildren covered. Didn’t realize when I start contributing the Boeuf a la Bourguignonne that yes we live in Quebec and my mother-in-law was French Canadian but both my husband and I have roots back to Nouveau France. My ancestor via my maternal grandmother came in the early 1600’s and my husband’s through his maternal grandfather, not many years after mine. Only found this out about three years ago :D

Now Maybe I should think of a food for our British and Irish roots.  Maybe Eccles Cakes which originated in Manchester Lancashire where my paternal grandfather was born and the family owned the Parsonage Nursery/ Green Grocers in Lostock not far from Manchester.  Coronation Street fans might remember Eccles Cakes as one the tea break goodies the girls from the factory would pick up.

Dinner with Julie has a recipe for Eccles Cakes very close to the one I have made

http://www.dinnerwithjulie.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Eccles-Cakes

Perhaps Irish Stew would cover my hubby’s roots . It seems his paternal grandmother and grandfather had Irish – a new find that come though my genealogy. The later mentioned ancestors came over towards the end of the potato Famine, what a lot to research as they seemed very leery to trust anyone. So the facts and names etc. were always changing or was it a lack of them not reading or writing – some of the census takers had the same problems but another player in the mix was they lived in predominately French areas and some of the poorest in the city.  

Simply Recipes where the Dad’s Greek Salad was found has a simple Irish Stew that looks delicious.

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/irish_beef_stew/

And then there are our Nova Scotia grandchildren, one of my favorite recipes is Hodge Podge.  A Truro friend since 2001, when we met via a birding site, introduced it to me one time when I was staying with her and her husband for a couple of days. . It is best in the summer when vegetables are fresh out of gardens but hey no need to tell my neighbors that :D  

The Wile's Lake Farm Market and Bakery Web site has changed since I got  Pheter's Hodge Podge recipe but it is the same recipe not sure about the name of the market though.  The market is near Bridgewater and could likely be why my friend is familiar with Hodge Podge as she grew up around there, I have yet to find another person in Nova Scotia that knows about is delicious side dish.

 http://wilesfarmmarket.com/main-courses/peter-s-hodge-podge-recipe