Month: February 2023

Jane began keeping journals for each of our grandchildren when they were born. She decided that she would stop for each grandchild when they reached four years of age.

So we have begun proofreading Max’s journal. He turns four on May 9th this year. Jane plans to give each of them these journals when they are older.

It’s a wonderful project. I am sure when the kids are grown they will very much appreciate what their Grandma did for them. It has been a labour of love by her with emphasis on love.

Once the proofreading has been done, the journal will be properly bound into book form.

Cancelled my Visa Card with Scotiabank. Like so many other organizations, Scotiabank has gotten too big to provide half decent customer service. Waiting on the phone and having to listen to recorded messages is annoying especially when you get disconnected and have to start over. I have already changed from Shoppers Drug Mart to a small independent pharmacy where they actually greet me by name. And I cancelled my Enercare maintenance contract to go with a local company called Affordable Comfort. You get a real person when you phone there – not an irritating voice message. I have better things to do with my time like playing with Microsoft Flight Simulator or beating Jane at Yahtzee on line. Onward and upward

Spent today working on our income tax returns and managed to get them filed electronically.

I used Turbo Tax which allows T4 info to be imported from the Canada Revenue Agency.

It was quick and easy. Getting a refund.

To celebrate Steve’s milestone 40th birthday, we had a brunch for him at a restaurant at the Don Mills Centre. Chris, Tonya and Max were there as well as Mostafa and Arasteh.

Jane chose to stay outside in the car, because she had a cold and knew that it would be a big problem if the children or anyone got sick.

This morning was the coldest we have had this winter. Minus twelve Celsius.

Fortunately for us, we didn’t have any appointments or commitments today so we could just stay inside where it’s cozy and warm.

And to top it off, we had Dominos Pizza for supper followed by ice cream. Life is good.

Steven is now 40! A very Happy Birthday! My Jane keeps marvelling that she is actually old enough to have a 40 yr. old!

She sent an edible arrangement of chocolate covered fruit to his office, in the hopes that he wouldn’t wonder why no one is paying attention to this special day!

If he only knew what’s been going on behind his back for 2 months! We will be celebrating at a surprise family brunch on Saturday.

After a heavy overnight snowfall, Jane returned home this morning. Max is over his cold and went back to daycare today.

He did not want to go, but Tonya patiently worked through it and finally got him to go.

In the meantime, I began working on doing our tax returns for 2022. Gotta get her done!

Yesterday afternoon Jane got a call from Chris asking if she could go down to babysit Max today because he has a cold and can’t go to Daycare.

Tonya has to go to work at Ryerson and won’t be home.

In the meantime I wrapped the birthday presents for Steve which we will give to him at the surprise birthday brunch that Sara has arranged for this Saturday.

Today I finished another Bible box. This one is for a couple of retired correctional colleagues who live in Gravenhurst. She wanted this for her husband’s Family Bible.

They are going to come down Friday to pick it up.

This morning our three visitors left to return home to Toronto. It was a wonderful few days except for the fact that Tonya was very much under the weather this morning.

Max, on the other hand, was full of energy as usual. Running all over the house and making us all laugh with his knock knock jokes that he was making up himself.

He is such a delightful, charming and happy boy. An absolute joy to be around.

And his vocabulary and enunciation is way above average.

Jane and I were sorry they had to leave.

Today we had Max outside to play in the snow. We were going to make a snowman, but ended up making a snow fort.

We have been kept busy inside too. Max likes to pretend he’s Swordman and zapping the bad guys (us).

He sure is full of energy, though.

This afternoon Chris Tonya and Max made it to our place for a long awaited visit.

It wasn’t long before Max was into the toys and having a great time.

We had BBQ veggie kebabs with shrimp and rice followed by strawberry shortcake for dessert.

A great day.

I am halfway through making a Bible Box for a couple of former correctional colleagues with whom I worked at the Metro West Detention Centre.

I gave them the choice of stains and they have chosen the dark walnut.

Once the stain has cured overnight, I’ll put a couple of coats of varathane on it and cut the lid and add the hinges and latch.

This coming Saturday Chris, Tonya and Max are coming up to Barrie for the weekend. It’s been quite awhile since we’ve had them here so we are very much looking forward to it.

They will be coming sometime Saturday, after Max has his swimming lesson.

Jane has been menu planning and I have converted the crib into a toddler bed.

We have been planning some activities for him as well.

Jane got me a very nice breakfast Valentine treat today.

Tonight I am taking her to The Crazy Fox Bistro, one of our favourite dining places.

Today the appliance repairman showed up to get our washing machine going. It’s a warranty job but we have been waiting for five weeks to have this fixed.

He had a replacement motor which was brand new, but when he took it out of the box, it was defective. He is ordering a new one. Very frustrating.

Earlier I replace a fill valve on the main floor toilet because it was making a whistling noise.

This morning we headed off to the Big Smoke to take some Valentine stuff to the Grandkids. Originally, the plan was to stay overnight at Steve’s but Sara is under the weather and we didn’t want to risk picking up anything in case Jane is called upon to babysit Max.

Instead, we did a quick pass by and dropped the things off at their place and then over to Chris’ to see Max. Tonya is under the weather there too.

Stopped at McDonalds on the way back home and then picked up a few things at Foodland in Stroud.

Finished off the Pickering bible box.

We have been invited to Steve and Sara’s for tomorrow and to stay overnight.

Jane has some Valentines things for the children and wanted to just drop them off. But today Steve invited us to stay over.

We will swing by Chris and Tonya’s because we have something for Max too.

Steve and I will watch the Super Bowl.

One box is complete. It’s the one for the Whalen bible. Jane’s Great Grandmother was Rebecca Whalen and she bought Maxwell Island in Georgian Bay and started a resort there.

The second latch which was meant for the Pickering bible box was defective so I have returned it to Amazon.

Today I sanded and stained the two bible boxes after which I applied Varathane to protect them.

I used clear labels for the names which are on the top lid of each.

I secured all the corner brackets and tomorrow, after cutting the lid, I will install hinges and hasp. And then it will be complete.

I am expecting some corner reinforcers for the bible boxes I am making. Once they arrive, I’ll dry fit them and then round-over the edges of the box.

I still have to get compatible hinges for them so, if I cannot get them locally or on Amazon, I’ll go to Lee Valley because they have extensive selection.

Today he turns 36 and the time just seems to fly by! We are thinking about him and I catch his mother staring off into space on his day, and Steven’s. A lot of memories about them both in that head of hers.

I started another woodworking project today. I’m making two bible boxes to help preserve Jane’s bible and the one my Grandfather and Grandmother received in 1901.

While there is a religious aspect to them, my interest is more in looking at important family dates that have been recorded in them.

Here’s what the bible looks like and the start of the bible box.

I will stain the box with a walnut stain, add corner reinforcements and a handle to allow the lid to be lifted off.

This morning my sister, Terry, called to tell us that she was experiencing some medical issues. In fact, she had blacked out while driving but fortunately regained consciousness before going in the ditch.

She now has a series of cardiologist appointments which are being set up.

She also is on medication for bronchitis and experiences shortness of breath from minor exertion.

Fortunately she has neighbours and friends who are checking on her.

Jane and I will also be checking in via text messages and Facebook messenger because right now she has shortness of breath speaking on the phone.

Jan 30th was Tonya’s and Feb 7th is Chris’, so we decided to celebrate both today and drove down to their place this morning. On the way, we stopped at SanRemo Bakery in Etobicoke and picked up some food and cakes.

After lunch, Max and I helped Chris assemble a new bed for Max.

Max is happy.

Then we went over for a quick visit with Steve Sara, Roxana and Royce.

A very productive and enjoyable day.

We contracted with Artistic Snow Removal for the season and they have performed beyond expectation. They send out timely email updates routinely and sometimes come back twice in one day when there has been snowfall.

We still shovel our sidewalk, but it takes no time at all.

We had a very cold night here last night, going down to -15C.

For sometime now my computer has been very slow, especially on startup. Jane told me tat her computer used to be very slow too, so she installed a program called MacPaw which analyzes and fixes slow devices. It made the operating speed much quicker.

So I found a similar program for Windows called ReImage and I am using it to try to speed up my computer.

It will probably take all day. We’ll see.

We are having quite the snowfall here in Barrie, so we are just gonna stay home.

Today Jane and I went to Penetang to visit her cousin, Helen. She’s a feisty 85 year old and has a cottage on Whalen’s Island in Georgian Bay, near where Jane’s cottage used to be.

We took some sweets from Cobbs Bakery and when we got there, Helen made some tea.

We had only planned for a very brief visit but Helen brought out some very interesting documents and photos including a Family bible.

It was especially interesting to Jane because of her genealogy passion and because some of the material referenced relatives of hers.

We ended up spending most of the afternoon there and Helen gave the bible etc. to Jane to keep. Jane was thrilled and most appreciative.