January 2010

Wow! Here we are at the end of January. We have had some snow and some really cold weather.

Today is bright, sunny, and cold. the temperature is ''minus 16'' in the sun. If you factor in the effect of wind chill it feels like ''minus 24''. That's right! Nice and crisp. In fact you need your sunglasses to cut down the glare of the snow. Here we are all bundled up in multiple layers, scarves covering our faces and wearing sunglasses.

Late in November, 2009, I had some touch up surgery on my eye surgery from 2005. It seems the bleb (?) was not draining properly. The treatment didn't work too well. So, I had another ''treatment'' last week. This time with stronger medication and a larger blade into my right eye-ball to release the pressure. Before the ''treatment'' the pressure was 24 and we are now in the mid-teens with medication twice daily and some external pressure. I am back to see the doctor in 3 weeks and we will see how the pressure has stabilized. The doctor is trying to stabilize the pressure to avoid further damage to the optic nerve. (My left eye is fine)

On Thursday, January 28, 2010, I went to visit the Salvation Army Camp at Lac L'Achigan. The dining Room which was destroyed by fire last February is rising again. The footings for the foundation walls have been poured. They were pouring the footings for the columns which will support the beams which will support the joists for the floor. There is another site visit planned for 2 weeks from now. I will take pictures and post them so that you can keep track of the progress.

The construction is to be completed by the end of April with the deficiency list corrected by the middle of May. Hopefully there will not be any delays and all will be up and running for the camping season of 2010.

February is just around the corner and then March is not far behind.

More later,

New Year 2010

Sorry folks, I guess I missed my December update.

So, on this first day of January 2010 I will high-light some of the December activities.

The best part of December was celebrating Christmas with the family. We were able to actually celebrate on December 25 for the first time in several years.

Nick, Sue, Darcy and Wesley arrived in time to go sledding on Dec. 24. And what a time we had. We laughed and laughed. We had lots of fun. Unfortunately I was unable to take pictures as I had to pull the grandchildren on the sleigh. We had many trips down the hill with the snow flying in out faces. Auntie Stephanie was with and did get some great pictures.

On Christmas Day we had the traditional family dinner followed by the exchange of gifts. This year we tried a ''Secret Santa'' idea in that we drew names and bought a suitable gift for the adults. The children received gifts from everyone. And there was paper. the living room floor disappeared under the discarded gift wrap. Wesley decided at one point to get in a gift box and put paper over his head. Much laughter all around. I will post some pictures on my flickr site later. All too quickly the visit was over as Nick and family had to return to Windsor with a stop at Cambridge on the way.

Today, New Year's Day, Gigi and I went for our traditional walk on Mount Royal. The light snow, the winter sun, and a balmy ''minus 5'' degree temperature made for a very pleasant way to start the new year. A stop at Fairmount Bagels on the way home rounded out the morning.

So, Happy New Year to you all!