The Drury Family 2016 Newsletter

 

FAMILY 

a gift that lasts forever

(1979)

 

The usual a book, please bare with my recount of our 2016
 (more photos will follow in another blog post )

December 2016

When we left off last year I was recuperating from a sprained ankle which was well healed for the holidays. Christmas Eve Steve and his family were with us for a sit down Christmas meal and the next day we had a quiet day of it by ourselves, much needed after the busy- ness of the night before as well as getting everything ready for the holidays with a sprained ankle. My BP took some time to steady its self so I have seen more of our doctor than I’d like :D  and have remained on medication  throughout 2016.

 

                               Lauren is hiding

I also had very upsetting news a week before Christmas 2015 about my sister Linda.  She was diagnosed with PSP Progressive Supranuclear Palsy not a great way to go into the holidays for those that love her.  A few months ago Linda was moved to a full care facility and now needs a wheelchair when out of bed. Truly we lost her when this whole ordeal began a few years ago but it is still upsetting to see how the disease is taking over her body.

Mike is still waiting for an answer about what is going be done or not done for his arteries so has not sailed for over a year. He was told a decision will be made in early 2017. Let’s just say we are not holding our breath waiting for an answer.

Winter was pretty quiet for us as I was fearful of going out if there was any ice. We did go next door for lunch one day to catch up with our busy neighbors. The twins who are like foster grandchildren are now in high school and soon to be teens. They play ringette so quite busy on weekends.  Community service is also part of what they do and in the fall  they came to help me clean up litter along the side of a street behind a shopping mall. We plan to do more in the spring.

There were also our usual winter birthdays, we have a few of them so a few celebrations. And that was about our winter. I stayed in and  Dick curled, shopped, walked and minded grandchildren :D No wine making for over a year but he says he is going to make some in the New Year. AND of course he ends up being my sidekick and right hand man for all the stuff I get us involved in :D

Spring became a busy time with gardens waking up. And we planned for what we were going to have done outside. When I fell the first time in November 2015 decided we were at an age that we needed a safer pathway out front because I was pretty sure I had tripped over the edge of a flagstone that was sticking up.
Of course the stairs to the drive way would need to be changed too.  Went about getting estimations and made up our minds about who we would go with. Took some thought as all three contractors had different ideas.  Consequently by the time we signed a contact the fellow we choose was backed up and wouldn’t be here until the end of June. However, it gave us time to go look for the stone we wanted and to make slight changes to the plan… We also had a lot of work to do in the yards to get ready as we were having fences and gates built on both front sides of the house and the pathway would continue around the house on one side to the back corner of the house  where there is a second fence and gate.  Also included in the contract was  to be repair sand and stain our 20 year old deck..  Thank goodness for our town services as we cleaned up and had them pick up close to three cubic meters of stones and wood. The pile of stones at the curb, went down as a few people stopped by to take some. If we’d of know that before-hand could have invited them into the yard to cart them away from where the were originally and saved ourselves lugging  them to the curb…

Due to a wet spring our job got delayed two weeks and then more when we didn’t want all that work going on when Jared was with us.

Our second grandchild a sixteen year old, was here from mid-July to August 7th. We did a couple of day trips while we had him  then finished off with a third to Ottawa. After watching the Changing of the Guard we headed to the Rideau Locks - watched boats coming up the looks then headed down the stairs to the museum. I made a very speedy trip down the second flight –yes I tripped at the top on the hand rail-less side but managed to stay on my feet until the bottom  two stairs at which point, as the speed of racing down those stairs increased I could not control it and ended in a heap at the bottom. The two guys were behind me and watched with horror as I went down and ended with a thump before they could get to me.  It sure put a damper on our day and although I assured the guys I was fine or fine enough to sit and read while they went on which they did reluctantly their hearts were not in it so we headed home earlier than planned. When we got here I looked at the two stairs up from the driveway to the pathway, knowing it was going to be a challenge to do as I had pulled my groin in that stair spirit and it sure was... The next day I was in touch with the contractor to ask if he could please add a stair railing to the work. He did.  We got the railing and it is firmly installed out on the stairs where it is paying for itself in use.

 

(Blooming Common Milkweed in background) 

Throughout the summer and now into the fall and winter I have been a civilian scientist.   It began with milkweed and registering where there was good patches of the plant with Mission Monarch.  Aim was to be aware of where there is decent habitat for Monarch butterflies. From there it was to keep an eye of the patches for Monarch eggs, caterpillars and butterflies. Nothing!  Adult Monarchs didn’t come this far north and have been few and far between for a few years now.  Only spotted one out front at the end of the summer and it likely was on its way south. Thus I have ordered a Monarch kit to be delivered in July 2017 so I can share   the wonders of the butterfly with the children in my life. My hope is that there will be at least one female in the five caterpillars that I will release into an enclosure where hopefully she will lay eggs that we can watch go through all the stages.  

 

  The next civilian scientist project began in November. It  is to monitor our bird feeders/yard two consecutive days a week and report the highest number seen at one time for each species to Project FeederWatch.  Just happened to be watching during a five minute period one week when at least 8 Northern cardinals came sailing in, fliting here, there and everywhere then flew away never to be seen again. Have been feeding birds for well over 20 years and that was a first for me. Was too busy trying to count to run for the camera and get a photo so have nothing but the memory.

(Leave it to a chickadee to find a new feeder)

A week and some after Jared went home our job began and was done in record time. We are very pleased with the work and get loads of compliments about it. Having a warm end of summer that extended into the fall we got to enjoy the little patio we had added to the front of the porch so we can have chairs out there to sit and watch the neighborhood go by.

 

All of our grandchildren are in school or soon will be. The youngest starts pre-kindergarten in the New Year. We look at that little girl and wonder how did this happen, really this little tyke is going to school can’t be.  Christopher is in his second year at Memorial in St John’s and in a pretty serious relationship with a young lady from back home that is also going to Memorial. He worked at a university day camp during the summer and we got a kick out of  teasing him about the way the poor guy suffered with all those spoiled children he was trying to be in charge of :D  Welcome to the real World Chris… (Photo Chris being silly)

 The other grandchildren are spread out between grade 3 and 11.  Interesting to hear what they are up to or how different school seems to be from when their fathers were students. 

I completed three MOOCs in 2016 with excellent percentages and loads of information collected. Took one in the spring another in the summer and the third in the fall. Think for now I’ll stay away from courses and get on with other interests such as blogging which I started in November and will soon have four blogs on the go covering my writing, roots, the Elm Ramblers and now a blog to keep family and friends up to date with our family.

Cannot forget to mention Dick has gone to Laval a few times to be with the children while their parents are working or away. Granddad always comes home with interesting stories to share. Nana to our Laval Gang, is not up to late nights or at times recuperating from an injury such as my sprained ankle. When I do go though, the camera is always with me as Granddad playing dolls with Bella makes for great shots.

Sure you noticed we didn’t go very far in 2016 our outside make-over was our vacation or money wise at least and we did enjoy having others do most of the work while we sat back afterward and enjoyed it all basking in the glory and accolades. However in 2017 there are plans to participant in Canada’s 150^th anniversary of Confederation celebrations.  Our national parks are open for free to Canadians throughout 2017. You can order a free discovery pass through Parks Canada to visit the parks - our pass is on the way.  

Our 150^th celebrations will start in the spring when the anniversary tulip bulbs planted along the top on the rock garden and pathway bloom. 

My hubby only golfed once during the 2016 season – that was in mid-September and more or less was the start of our fall activities. He golfed with a group from the club where he golfed for years. They get together once a year for breakfast, perhaps dinner and to play of course. He misses his golf though and is hoping to play more in 2017. Curling was well underway by end of October. And his walking for steps has continued - think it is a well instilled habit now. Together we have been combining our steps or the kilometers then marking the distance on maps. We left home in March to virtually walk to Mike’s got there in July and have been walking around Nova Scotia since then.  My hubby is doing much, much better with his steps than I am.

The work was finished and our back yard is back to rights

For me it was to continue to clean up litter in our community which had been instigated in the spring as a civic project in preparation for the MOOC, my third of 2016 that began in September. It was a very intense course at times but will be carried on for a long time. Have met other students from across the world via Facebook groups formed for the course and saw firsthand that litter is a world-wide problem though their eyes, postings and articles.  This was a first for the 5 MOOCs I have taken -  students and instructors become close and friendships will carry on.

Also have been helping out at a food bank, not often but will keep at it when I can. 
 
 My fun time has been to go to an Art Hive at our Civic Centre with a friend where I tried water colour painting, (not for me as I'm too shaky now).  Decided to get back to my drawing. Plan is to render a drawing of each of our grandchildren when they were babies. There too, new friends have been acquired.  One is a young woman, the ceramics instructor, my friend and I have been helping  her with her knitting. She is so happy we are doing this and shares her joy with her grandmother in Mexico who is pleased as well.  Looking forward to getting back to the Art Hives in 2017.

One of the twins next door said she wanted to learn to crochet so I spent some time with her showing her what to do, not easy for a lefty who taught herself to teach a right-handed person but all of a sudden it clicked and she was on her way  what a boost it was for me !  Must ask how she is doing and find out if she is ready to move on past the basic stitches.

 

Discovery my tablet's panoramic option  

Perennial sunflowers started from a handful of Dad's years ago

In September we took Alex and Katie out to Ste Anne de Bellevue my old stomping grounds, for a fun day of free admissions and activities. We enjoyed visiting the farm and the arboretum after some time in Ste Anne’s to be present for the release of Monarch butterflies.  We had taken Katie to see Monarch caterpillars at the DDO library the day before , then the two of us watched the  “Flight of the Butterfly” movie that night so she had a good idea of what was happening the next day. At Macdonald Campus Farm the highlights were the petting area and holding a chicken.  Off to the Morgan Arboretum the children made pine cone bird feeders and we had a stroll in the bush for a while by that time the children were truly enjoying the day which had started off slowing for them with too much adult stuff to see and do.

In October we took them out to Hudson to the  Le Nichoir Wild Bird Conservation Centre for an activity sponsored by the Redpath Museum and the CWF Wild Family Nature Club.  I was intriguing with what the club is all about esp. the NATURE aspect pf it and have started the Elm Ramblers a little group of four families that live around us and our Laval family. You can read all about it in the Elm Ramblers blog (see end of Newsletter)Let’s just say, after years of not working with children and nature this little club has lifted my spirits - as a friend said, “You are in your element.” -  so true.

December has been about the holidays. The house and outdoors are decorated and now it is onto food and gift wrapping.  Our Laval Gang will be with us for Christmas dinner and we will see Mike and the kids via Skype at some point.

Once again I am working on our cards and the newsletter late into the game... hoping I get it all together in time to get it to you before the holidays are upon us.

Enjoy the holiday season and have a happy, healthy 2017.

 We start and end the year with our resident male Northern cardinal :D

5 CM turned into more like 15 - lovely though

 

Before posting this decided to add a couple of photos of our snowy day.
 

Cathern's Blogs and a Storify creation:

 Elm Ramblers       http://elmramblers.blogspot.ca/

  Sharing our Canadian Wildlife Federation: Wild Family Nature Club rambles 

 Merging Roots                   http://mergingroots.blogspot.ca/

The ancestors, history and stories of two families  united through marriage (Harrison - Drury)

 BUT You Have to Milk the Cows…       http://cathernstories.blogspot.ca/

 For years I have been writing about life stories and other bits and pieces of life in general.

   

 Merrily Rolling Along with the Drury Family    http://druryfamilynews.blogspot.ca/

This blog is to share our lives as time goes on 

  

MOOC Litter Project report: My Litter Journey    https://storify.com/Cathern/my-experience-with-litter