February Rising...

Hello folks! Since last I wrote, Phillip and I have come and gone and much has zipped by. I recall stating that I was looking forward to a bit of snow and cold weather for the purpose of winter fashion, but having experienced it most recently, I was surprised to realize that I have been California-fied. Yep. My blood has thinned and when Father Winter touched his cold finger to my cheek, I shuddered.

Perhaps that's why we Canadians celebrate Christmas and New Year's Eve and Winterlude at all; we're desperate for a little joviality under the long blanket of snow and cold. We were no exception this year and looked forward to seeing everyone with happy anticipation. Visiting to and fro was a breeze – we managed to avoid driving any time there was a heavy snowfall and zipped from place to place during the lulls. Chaffey's was a delightful winter wonderland and Phillip and I walked to the lock with all the enthusiasm of new tourists.

The Eastern Townships were also an easy drive this year, with clear roads all the way there and a long, relaxing visit to rest up. Phillip and I became god-parents to Brianna Kathleen Gaulin on the 22nd of December, which Brianna took in stride with a grin and a quick spit-up during the prayer. That's my niece!

Little did we know what was waiting for us back at the party; someone, I won't name names, was carrying an evil little stomach-flu virus, and twenty four hours later, by the time Phillip and I had returned to Ottawa, we were struck down. At first, we wrongly thought the culprit was salmonella in the form of leftover chicken chili – being predominately vegetarian means meat is always the first suspect. However, on the fourth day of violent nausea, stomach cramps and general misery, I got a call from my sister, telling me how almost everyone at the baptism celebration party had come with the stomach flu. Ah ha! The leftovers (not to mention Joan) were vindicated and Phillip and I settled in for an even longer haul. As a result, Christmas was much subdued for us this year, even though presents were lovely and seeing everyone was still a treat. We even managed to drag ourselves out and about for proper catching-up with friends, which made it all more endurable. Let it be stated here; a sincere thank you is in order to Christopher and Nancy, who were gracious hosts, despite the fact that we were about as entertaining and lively as a couple of zombies. Kind of a downer at the dinner table, you know?

We returned to San Diego feeling wobbly-legged and worn out. Phillip even lost weight! We spent the rest of the week recuperating in the familiar surroundings of home and got well before the arrival of Joan and Paul. Unfortunately, Phillip's weakened state probably made him susceptible to the nasty cold he brought home and this month has been one of loud sneezes, much coughing and nose-blowing and general muttering. After the stomach flu, it's a cake walk, of course, but we'll be glad to have some really hot weather back. It's been surprisingly wet and cool here.

Our guests have nonetheless enjoyed themselves, as you can read for yourself on Paul's new blog, and we have really enjoyed having them here. They'll be off to Texas and Florida next week as I prepare for another big change in my life: I got a job!

Yes indeedy. It's all very exciting, even if it's just working in a coffee shop (Starbucks). It's literally five minutes walk from my house, which is fabulous, and the pay is nice for doing what is essentially a fun job, in my opinion. When I last worked in a coffee shop, I really enjoyed it – I met so many interesting people and even made a few long-term friends. The perks are really nice: a week of training, including a chance to sample new coffees and treats from all over, a free bag of coffee to take home every week and a great discount year round (even greater during the holidays). Many of you can expect coffee-themed Christmas presents next year! This job will be ideal simply because the hours will allow me to continue auditioning and rehearsing for theatre. I'm really looking forward to it!

In other news, we've re-finished our floors, which is wonderful, since it's been a “project” since we started over two years ago. Now both upstairs and downstairs are clean, smooth wood laminate, with no trace of the thin, gray, dingy carpet remaining. Pets make carpet a nightmare.

Speaking of pets, ours are doing really well. Maverick has been spoiled with attention since Joan and Paul arrived. He loves his new extended “pack” and cries if they go out for a few hours. He'll miss them a lot when they leave. Scuttle likes having a few extra servants around the house to do her bidding, and she's even trained them to respond to specific commands, such as “let me out” or “feed me” or “why is this door closed, I need to take a nap in here”. Par for the course, really.

February, as I've said before is the armpit of the year, but I have no doubt that, with my gainful employment and more plans to spruce up the house, time will fly by. I hope we have more visitors – I know of at least one person who should have a school break... Don't be strangers.

K & P