Merry Christmas (2012) from ordinary old Chris and Josie, who have a spoiled rotten
dog and 2 spoiled cats who do not earn their keep, but who are still part of
our little world here on Bowen. I am
still working for TRIUMF, Canada’s national research laboratory
for particle and nuclear physics, and am no more closer to understanding the
fundamentals of physics than I was when I joined the company 15 years ago. Chris is still semi-retired from his handyman
job here on Bowen, picking and choosing which jobs he will take on.
We renewed our mortgage
this spring at a significantly lower interest rate, but that doesn’t mean we
can take a vacation anytime soon. We
figured we would be itching to sell after 5 years, but our home has become a
place we are comfortable in....our safe place. In the
summer we are steps from the best beach on the island, and in winter, and
especially at Christmas, this house makes a warm home to cozy up in and to
welcome friends and family into. And we
are blessed with good friends and neighbours on Bowen, some new ones like Ann,
Peter, Sophie, Ellie and Abby, and some not so new, like Bob and Susan, Joanne
and Rick, Elisabeth, Kate, Ily and Kelly.
Our good neighbours Pete and Sandy are a gift, and their boys Sean and
Jack are an amazing team of helpers when you need a hand with moving couches or
chopping wood. But I digress….
Chris and I hope this
letter finds you done with the stress of holiday preparations, and relaxing in
the spirit of this wonderful season focused on birth, love, peace and wonderful
memories.
The highlight of the year
was Chris’s cousin Eve and her son Laurie coming to visit from England at the end of June. We were able to play a bit of tourist in our
own town, which is always fun. Chris’s brother and sister came over with their
families to say hi to the cousins as well.
Summer took a long time to
come this year. Our spring was one long
rainy season which extended right into early summer. Our pond was so full, the flowering water
plants were submerged. I think it was mid
July when the rains stopped, and then the drought hit and continued right into
mid-September. This strange
“wet-into-drought” year was not the best for the vegetable garden. The celery did really well because of the
moisture in the soil, as did the squash, beans and tomatoes. The rest of the garden did poorly from either
too much rain or too much drought. We
did get a good crop of apples, and a handful of plums. The pond was the lowest
we have seen it by the end of summer, and my flower gardens suffered somewhat,
but most of my plants are drought resistant so that was some consolation. Bowen Island and some of the
neighbouring island had an outbreak of tent caterpillars like never seen
before. So it was a constant vigil
plucking and destroying them twice a day from the leaves of our fruit trees,
shrubs and garden foliage. Burning or
drowning them was the only recourse. We
did survive!!
We had an elusive heron
arriving every morning this summer around 8am and again around 6pm to try its luck fishing
from our pond. Jake is the best
pond-patroller and usually kept it away, but by the end of the summer we were
down a few fish, and Chris decided to buy a sling-shot to scare it away. Oddly enough, the day he came home with the
sling shot the heron stopped visiting our pond.
Go figure!
Chris and I are well,
though we have both had our health challenges this year. For Chris, September brought him unexpected
and debilitating back pain, radiating to his left side and groin. It took until the beginning of December to
finally learn from all the tests that 3 of his lumbar disks showed diffused
herniations. He is now having
physiotherapy and feeling some improvement.
For me, my biggest challenge was an acute fracture of one the metatarsals in my left foot. This happened at the end of August and I was prescribed an air cast walking boot
which only came off on Dec. 21st.
You can only imagine how this sabotaged my exercise plan over the past 4
month. My weight has continued to be an
unhealthy obsession, and the foot cast did not help me in this area. I am
putting this in writing for all to read that come January 8th, I
will be focusing on a healthier diet for weight loss and will be getting back
to exercise. I need to get back to “me”,
and have taken the steps to do so, and framed my mindset as well.
As already mentioned, while
Chris is semi-retired and even though living with back-pain these past 3
months, he always seems to push himself, sometimes more than he should. He walks Jake 3 times a day, and is still my
full-time handyman around the house and property. He continues to play poker once a week as a
member of the Bowen Island Poker Association, and enjoys the guys night out,
and the occasional big win!!
The animals are good – Jake
is 8 now, and Smoke and Gypsy turned 6.
Jake continues his play dates with Cologne, but no progeny to tell
you about. The kitties come home at
night and are safe and healthy.
We had some scary news last
month when we got a call that Chris’s son Mike had suffered a
heart-attack. Thank God that his wife
Shae was able to get him to emergency in time for them to treat the clot. He was in hospital for a while and they did
an angiogram, but we are so happy that he will be ok, and does not have to have
bi-pass or shunts. We have not been able
to get to Campbell River to visit this year, and of
course with Chris’s back problem this fall, he could not sit in the car to
travel. We hope to get to Campbell River over the holidays, and
maybe also get to Victoria for more Weyler family
time.
Our Christmas Eve was
quiet, we went to the carol service at church, and my sister Florence joined us. Chris left after the Carols to get dinner
started while Florence and I stayed for the
Christmas Eve mass. Tortierre was on our
Christmas Eve menu, garnished with a spicy fruit chutney, and served with green
beans, mashed potatoes and gravy. A bit
of Canadianna for Christmas.
Today it is Christmas, and as
I write, we are spending a quiet day, Chris at his
crosswords, and me trying to finish this letter so I can start to roast our chicken
dinner for 2. Hopefully the holiday break will allow us time to connect with our
off-island friends and family. So here’s to you and yours. We wish you love, health
and happiness. If you’re suffering, we wish you hope and strength. If you’re happy,
we celebrate your joy. If you’re searching we hope you find what you need in the
secrets unfolding before you. If we have not been in touch as much as we should
have, forgive us and know that you are never far from our thoughts. Know that if you
are receiving this letter, it’s because you are special to us, and we want you to know
through this simple gesture, that you matter, and that we remember you at this
special time.
crosswords, and me trying to finish this letter so I can start to roast our chicken
dinner for 2. Hopefully the holiday break will allow us time to connect with our
off-island friends and family. So here’s to you and yours. We wish you love, health
and happiness. If you’re suffering, we wish you hope and strength. If you’re happy,
we celebrate your joy. If you’re searching we hope you find what you need in the
secrets unfolding before you. If we have not been in touch as much as we should
have, forgive us and know that you are never far from our thoughts. Know that if you
are receiving this letter, it’s because you are special to us, and we want you to know
through this simple gesture, that you matter, and that we remember you at this
special time.
Josie and Chris
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