Month: December 2025

It just keeps coming and coming. And the Weather Network is predicting the next several days for snow as well.

This morning after breakfast we headed out to do grocery shopping but quickly turned back because of the heavy snowfall.

Later, the snow abated, we finally were able to get to metro and get what we needed.

The end of another fun filled year.

We woke up again to another big dump of snow and it’s still snowing right now.

Fortunately for us we don’t have a need to go anywhere. So today we’ll just stay snug inside the house.

Yesterday I dismantled the double bed in the garage and retrieved our car from across the street where our new neighbours, Steve and Kristen, live. Jane had done several loads of laundry which included lots of bedding.

So today it was time to make up all the beds and re-stock the bathrooms with towels etc.

Then Jane and I went on a bit of a scavenger hunt looking for a RC Hot Wheels car belonging to Max. Jane found both the remote and the car in amongst a whole bunch of other toys.

I had a frustrating call with Tangerine this morning regarding a Credit Card payment that I made on the 26th but has not yet shown up on the CC statement. It takes forever to even get through to a person and nine times out of ten its somebody with a thick accent that makes it difficult to understand. In fact, today was so frustrating that I wrote a formal letter of complaint to the CEO of tangerine. Whether or not that will do anything is uncertain.

I had one other very little task which was to change the microwave light bulb and I managed to do that without issue despite having visual difficulty with the small screws.

This afternoon is chillin time.

After breakfast everybody packed stuff up in order to beat the freezing rain predicted by the Weather network. It was a great couple of days and everybody had a fun time, especially the Grandkids.

After everyone left Jane and I did some tidying up before lunch after which we got some laundry underway.

This morning, after a breakfast of pancakes, hash browns and fruit, everyone decided to put together a Lego project. These were all done simultaneously. Fun to watch.

Afterward, the ladies went to Canadian Tire to take advantage of Boxing Day deals.

Around noon in the middle of a snowstorm, everyone arrived in time for lunch.

After lunch we gathered in our sitting room and gave all the kids their gifts.

Then we went to the Family room and the adults exchanged gifts.

In mid-afternoon I put the farm boy turkey in the oven to be ready for a six o’clock meal.

This morning I chopped up vegetables for turkey stuffing and soup. Jane is making the chicken soup from scratch as well as the stuffing.

Afterward we opened each other’s Christmas card and gifts to each other.

And I got the bed set up in the garage where Jane and I will be sleeping for two nights while the Family visits.

Colter and his girlfriend, Alayna came over with some cookies and washcloths that Alayna made. So nice. And Colter helped me get the bed together.

A very productive day.

Today I picked up,our pre-ordered turkey dinner for eight at our local Farm Boy store.

We have had this exact dinner this past Thanksgiving and it was excellent. It comes with a detailed time schedule for hearing up all the side dishes and cooking the turkey.

We’ll be having this on Boxing Day when the whole family is here.

This morning, before it got too busy, I went to Metro to pick up some Christmas groceries. I managed to get the very last carton of egg nog in the store as well as several produce items that will be fresh for the Family Christmas visit.

I pit together a scavenger hunt for each of the grandkids if things get a bit boring for them (I don’t think that will happen with all the new toys).

We are in excellent shape for an exciting family Christmas.

I had a few things to do around the house this morning, but afterward it occurred to me that it might be a good day to try out my new HS600:drone.

So I went through all the preflight procedures and took it out on our driveway.

Everything went without a hitch although things got a little tense when a flock of pigeons started circling around it.

But I managed to evade their attack and landed safely.

Since switching from Bell internet to telMAX, some devices have been difficult to reconnect. But today I managed to re-connect the Roomba.

However I have been having difficulty getting the thermostat re-connected.

I’ll have to get Steve or Chris to try when they come up.

Because this drone is over 250g, it must be registered with Transport Canada. I did that this morning and along with that registered with NavCan which is an app that shows where it’s legal to fly as well as any restricted areas.

All I need now is some decent flying weather.

Early in December I had entered a contest on the Holy Stone FB page in which they were asking folks to post their most memorable drone moment from 2025. I was selected as a winner.

Today I received the mystery prize which was a HS600 model drone which I am quite happy to get.

Once I get the batteries charged up I’ll see how it flies, but only if it’s not too windy.

Although it was somewhat breezy this morning, I took my drone outside and did a quick flight from the driveway.

In fact it was way too windy to go very high, so I took a couple of quick videos and called it quits.

On another note, Jeff Henderson from Rockland Renovations dropped by with a little Christmas token which was much appreciated.

He was the one who did a fantastic reno job on our main floor bathroom.

This morning, after our daily two out of three Yatzy games, we went to Metro to pick up a few things that are needed for Christmas visitors.

It is very mild today with the temperature around 5C and it’s calling for rain later today.

Hopefully the snow will stick around for our Christmas visitors.

Had a very nice call with Steveranski this morning after their recent return from the Dominican Republic as a guest of the company accountant.

This year has been one of the snowiest since we moved here twelve years ago.

We will be enjoying a white Christmas this year which will be nice when all the grandchildren are here for a couple of days starting Boxing Day.

We’ll get to see them open the gifts we got them which will be a lot of fun.

Since getting telMAX internet there have been a few devices that have not automatically connected. One of them was my XBox which I use for MSFS2020..

Yesterday I spent some time playing around with getting it reconnected and finally simply reconfigured the setup option which worked.

In fact, it’s better now because telMAX is 500 mbps instead of only 50mbps with Bell.

This morning we went to Giant Tiger to get more coffee filters and to Home Hardware to get some potting soil. Jane wanted to re-pot the spider plants which have become root bound.

I did a little more work on the Barrie Healthcare Infusion project and made a Tik Tok promo on that idea.

Then it was a lazy afternoon watching YouTube videos.

This morning, over breakfast, Jane and I talked about the idea of doing a video compilation of previous Christmases. Both of us retrieved photos and videos and this afternoon I put together a video using Clip Champ.

On another note, Jane has been having trouble with dry and cracked lips as well as a burning sensation. She has been using blistex but it is not helping.

In speaking with our pharmacist, she suggested app,ting hydrocortisone cream and petroleum jelly. That seems to be helping.

We haven’t had this much snow since we first moved from Toronto to Barrie thirteen years ago. It’s been snowing off and on all day.

In the meantime I have continued to work at getting all devices connected to our WiFi network since switching from Bell to telMAX.

The other night, the power went out for a very brief few seconds. But it was long enough that some clocks had to be re-set and timers on the outside Christmas lights were messed up.

So today I bundled up and plowed through the snow to get them back on schedule.

Now we wait until it gets dark to see if they will turn on when they’re supposed to.

It has been snowing steadily all day and there doesn’t seem to be any end in sight.m

I am checking out how well the garage will warm up with the new ceiling heater I installed a few weeks ago.

We are staying home today.

We decided to do some grocery shopping right after our daily Yahtzee challenge and we found that weekdays were the best for doing this. There was hardly anyone in there, so the aisles were clear and it was easy to get around.

The bonus was that we got it all done before the snowfall began.

For the last couple of days we have been busy wrapping Christmas gifts and placing them under our Christmas tree.

We are in very good shape for being ready for a full family Christmas this year.

This morning I had a rare occasion to actually remember my dream from the night before. I made notes and used those notes to get Copilot to interpret that dream. Here’s what AI did:

Dream Narrative, Summary, and Interpretation

Dream Narrative

• Scene 1: The Courtroom
A courtroom filled with seniors, including Gary and his wife Jane. The judge is an OPP officer. Another OPP officer asks the judge twice for a report. Eventually, an OPP sergeant arrives, and the judge’s bench transforms into a glass room. The sergeant and judge enter, exchanging profanity.
• Scene 2: Waiting and Complaining
Gary tells Jane he plans to complain about the long wait. Around 20 seniors are seated, waiting.
• Scene 3: Transformation into a Party Room
The courtroom suddenly becomes a party room. The judge brings beer tickets to Gary’s table. When asked his name, he replies: Bruce Death.
• Scene 4: The Envelope Incident
A lady at the next table grabs Gary’s arm forcefully and asks if he has an envelope. Gary says no, but notices two envelopes on the floor. Another man claims them and takes both.
• Scene 5: The Money on the Floor
Gary finds $20 bills on the floor. The man insists the money is his. Gary ends up with both the envelope and the money.
• Ending
The dream concludes with Gary holding the envelope and the money.

—

Summary

• The dream begins in a courtroom with seniors and OPP officers.
• Authority figures argue, and the courtroom transforms into a party room.
• A judge named Bruce Death hands out beer tickets.
• A dispute arises over envelopes and money found on the floor.
• Despite conflict, Gary ends the dream holding both the envelope and the money.

—

Interpretation

• Authority & fairness: The courtroom and police presence suggest concerns about justice, rules, or being treated fairly.
• Transparency & conflict: The glass room and profanity highlight fragility in authority and conflict among leaders.
• Absurd transformation: The courtroom turning into a party room reflects how serious situations can suddenly feel ridiculous or surreal.
• Mortality & aging: Seniors and the name Bruce Death may symbolize awareness of aging and mortality.
• Pressure & ownership: The lady’s demand for an envelope and the man’s claim over money suggest external pressures and disputes over resources or recognition.
• Resolution & resilience: Ending with the envelope and money in hand points to perseverance and securing something valuable despite challenges.

Overall Theme: The dream blends frustration with authority, reflections on aging, and reassurance that even amid confusion and conflict, you retain something meaningful.

This morning we went to the local Canadian Tire to do some browsing and to pick up some batteries.

We picked up some popcorn and stopped in at Circle K to get milk and a coffee.

After getting home I did some work on creating a Barrie Healthcare Infusion site meant to encourage Health Care professionals to emigrate from the US to Canada.

We’ll see how that goes.

When the snow is clean and free of animal tracks, there’s nothing prettier.

That’s what we have in our backyard today.

It has been snowing all day and the weather network is predicting more for the weekend.

Barrie is known for being in the “snow belt” and this year is confirming that assertion.

Fortunately for us, we do not have to go anywhere and we stocked up on groceries a couple of days ago.

Colter, our next door neighbour, is doing our snow removal on a contract basis again this year.

This morning the two new mattresses from Mike the Mattress Guy arrived and were immediately placed on the bunk beds in the Grandkids room.

Right after that I took down the hot air balloon light and installed the new low profile fixture with a moon and star motif.

We’re in business.

Today Jane and I went to a bookstore here in Barrie to pick up a few books for the Grandkids – some to have here and some for Christmas gifts.

Afterward we went to Metro and picked up some groceries before returning home.

I confirmed with Mike the Mattress Guy that the new mattresses for the new bunk beds would be delivered tomorrow. They accept donations for the Barrie food bank in lieu of a delivery charge.

This morning Jane and I decided to put up and decorate our Christmas tree.

It took us a little while but it was nice to look at the special ornaments given to us over the years.