Christmas

Christmas got a bit of a slow start this year. November was a busy month for us and Kerry and I both had other commitments on the first weekend of December which is usually when we kick Christmas off with the Christmas tree hunt, decorations, lights etc. We did manage to find time to get the tree but that was pretty much it. We've had a real tree for 4 or 5 years now and our new tradition is to go to the Dogwood Christmas Tree Farm in Aldergrove. It's a great place to cut your own tree because they have a lot of different species to choose from, there's a place to get hot chocolate and the paths to the trees are covered in gravel or sawdust so it's not super muddy.  Apparently we aren't the only ones that think it's a great place to get a tree. Kerry likes to watch Hallmark Christmas movies and we've seen this farm in at least one of them. We managed to pick our tree fairly quickly and after a bit of sawing we brought home 'Noble - Part Deux'. We also have a tradition of naming our Christmas tree every year.

This might be the last year for us to attend the BC Hydro Christmas party. Carter can keep coming until he is 12 and he remained interested in it this year but I get the sense that he may feel he is too old by next year. It's traditionally been at Science World because it has to be a big venue. They open the doors at 7:00a and we have free rein of the place until 9:30a. We can stick around past that point but they open the doors to the rest of the public and put away the breakfast. Carter had a great time in the various exhibits. He had been to Science World the week before with his class but he was probably restricted on what he could do and when. Now he could roam free and was taking in all the exhibits that he didn't get to with his class.

We did Gingerbread houses again this year. I have a mould from Lee Valley that I use to make the house parts and Callie and Carter each invited some friends over. I had to make 6 houses this year. That's a lot of gingerbread. Prep time is a lot of work but the actual event is getting easier because the kids can put the houses together on their own. In past years I've had to try to assemble all the houses. Soup cans and heavy cups along with decorating first and assembling later are the keys to success.

Christmas holidays officially kicked off with the arrival of Barb and Reg a few days before school finished. Callie is in grade 8 this year and is taking band which meant we had some additional concerts to attend. We got to go to her Jazz band concert first which is an extra curricular club she's joined followed by the overall band concert. The Jazz one was fun because it was in a smaller venue with nice seats and only about 90 minutes. The second one was more than I could handle and was about 3 hours. Luckily Callie was first and I got to leave at the intermission. I was very impressed by how much everyone had improved since grade 7 and things get really good with the seniors.

I think I've maxed out on Christmas lights finally. I decorate the eaves of the house, all of the trees and bushes and Snoopy gets his place of honour on top of the house. I may have to start decorating the back yard. 

Christmas vacation was busy with Barb and Reg with Christmas dinner and a fondue followed by my parents for New Years Eve and a few more days before they headed off to Costa Rica. We managed to get everything taken down by New Years day and are ready for 2019!

Young Entrepreneurs

Carter is in grade 5 this year and got a very exciting project this fall. (Exciting for me at least.) Everyone in his class was tasked with making something that they could sell in a craft fair. It's a formal program and after picking their craft they go through the process of market research, determining the materials they need, getting a loan from their parents to purchase those materials, designing and building their craft, creating marketing material, creating a display booth and finally spending two afternoons selling their product to unsuspecting parents and class mates.

Carter initially started with the idea of doing painted pet rocks with super hero themes. I couldn't possibly let him pick something that didn't involve something woodworking related so after tossing some ideas around we settled on painted wooden Christmas ornaments ranging from super hero badges, to emoji's to Christmas characters like snowmen and Rudolf. The ornaments were all made out of 1/8 inch baltic birch plywood and painted with enamel paint from the dollar store. I will admit I often performed the first operation of each step to show him how to do it but ultimately he did about 90% of the work by himself which included using the drill press with a hole saw for the round ornaments and the scroll saw for some of the more complicated ornaments like the classic Poo emoji wearing a Santa hat. I think he put in about 30 hours of effort over the course of six weeks and sold almost all of his product. His grand total was $90 dollars and his expenses were a year $18. A great success and a fun project for both of us. He even donated 10% of the profits to charity.

Culture Crawl

When I first moved to Vancouver in 1999 I didn't have access to a shop or a garage at the place I was renting. After some research I found a great wood working co-op where I could rent space in the evening. It was at this time that I learned about the East Side Culture Crawl.  It's a 4 day event where artists studios on the East Side of Vancouver open their doors to show off their work. It's timed for the month before Christmas as many studios also have some of their work for sale. I've dragged the family in the past however this time I asked Callie if she wanted to go since she's really taken an interest in painting and making things.

With some encouragement and an invitation extended to one of her friends from school we were off to Parker Street studios which is the largest location that opens its doors. It's an old warehouse that's been broken up into individual studios. It's an organized maze and My understanding is that when it first started housing artists they would often just put up walls wherever they wanted. Proper hallways and sprinklers came later. Callie and her friend really seemed to enjoy themselves and even collected artists cards from many shops. (They liked the pictures.) Next year I'm going to try to go again and this time check out some other studios.

Grandma Jackson

I started this blog 8 years ago as a way to share my families life with my Grandma Jackson. Since I first moved to the lower mainland she has sent me regular letters and cards, and I wanted to return the favor. It is with bitter sweetness that I write this final blog to her. She will never read it but I will look back on it and my time with her fondly for the rest of my life. My memories of her are strong because of the person she was and the steadiness of her presence since the day I was born. For those that knew her, not all of this will have the same meaning as it had with me but I hope you can be reminded of your own memories by reading those that I shared with her.

My Childhood

You lived in the same house for my entire childhood so most of my memories would start with me asking for a sleep over at Grandma Jackson's house.

• The candy tin- It was always stocked and we got to have as many candies as our age. I don't think we decided it got excessive until I turned 12.
• The corner store - It seemed so far even though it was only a block away. You got your lottery ticket and I got a treat.
• Climbing Connaught Hill - I was six. You were much faster.
• Collecting bottles at the high school - We'd take them back to the bottle depot and I got to keep the change.
• The red scooter - I was allowed to go to the end of the block and back.
• The folding bike - I don't think we ever actually got to ride it but I never saw another one until my 30's.
• Searching for coins under the meters when the snow melted - You kept that change so you could count your total each spring.
• Sitting on the front porch - You were often there with your coffee in the summer.
• Watching new drivers - They used your street to practice parallel parking and if there was a visitor in front of your house it was always that car they used to practice with.
• Juice boxes - Your cupboard was always stocked.
• Walking to the grocery store - When I got older and could drive to your house and you weren't home I would walk towards the store and help you home with your groceries.
• Canada Day 125 - They had a cake. You helped me get to the front of the line to make sure I got a piece.

Her House

I wish I had lived closer to help you look after it. The little things that needed work added to the character.

• The front gate - You rebuilt it many times and it always needed a loop of wire to keep it closed. A friend of yours rebuilt it brand new and even though it worked perfectly you still used the loop of wire to keep it closed.
• The old green shed - It leaned. The door was hard to shut. I wasn't allowed to open it until my 20's because you needed to tell me the special security measures to get in.
• The old gate in the backyard - There was a system for everything at your house including how to open and close the gate to get your car in.
• The orange car with the white seats - You drove it to the lake in the summer. It had sunk into the ground and sat for many years. It went to a good home. The guy who purchased it made sure to drive it by your house after he got it running again.
• The blue cupboards - You were ahead of your time style wise. The doors wouldn't stay closed so you had a stick to put through the handles. The drawers didn't close. That's where the candy and juice boxes were kept.
• The heavy wood doors - They creaked and crushed my fingers on more than one occasion.
• The chimney cupboard - Pots and pans piled high with what seemed like a secret passage to the attic.
• The old books - Lessons for Boy Scouts and Big Little books. They were from another time yet were so fun to read.
• The leaky kitchen tap - You fixed it constantly. The leaking was on purpose to keep the pipes from freezing.
• Your old phone - A classic telephone ring. I think you rented it into the 90's.
• The cuckoo clock - Well maintained and chimed every fifteen minutes. If only the clock repairman had stayed open, it would still be running today.
• The picture of you and Grandpa on the shelf - I never met him. You looked so young.
• Your old green couch - Not comfy. Not stylish. I miss it still. It had the box of Legos and the puzzles underneath.
• The crystal door knobs - Hard to turn. Each had a key permanently in place.
• Your attic - The stairs were so steep you practically had to climb them like a ladder. When you got to the top you always made sure to tell us about the rope ladder under the bed to escape if there was a fire.
• The two pronged plugins - No way to get home insurance with the electrical the way it was. You only had a single three pronged plugin in the stove.
• The 1733 over the door - That number is in your e-mail address.
• The screen door - If the screen door was latched you were out for a walk. Always with a destination. Never a stroll.
• The thermometers on the porch - So many layers of paint.

Her Food

Walking trips to the grocery store were to get ingredients for baking.

• Pumpkin pie - Every Thanksgiving.
• Lemon pie - For those that didn't like pumpkin pie. The meringue was fluffy. The perfect amount of lemon.
• Apple pie - The crust had an A.
• Scrappy pie - No crust dough was ever wasted. Jam was the filling.
• Strawberry Jam - With a wax layer to seal it. Canning lids are expensive.
• Ginger cookies - With a drizzle of liquid icing sugar. You would send them to me regularly as you said they 'travelled best'.
• Shortbread cookies - I have never tasted better. They were your specialty.
• Cabbage rolls - I hated them but still loved that you took the time to make them for my Dad.
• Pancakes with bacon bits that you made yourself - I still like bacon bits on my pancakes.
• Rumballs with Nanaimo bar yellow inside - You insisted we could only have one at a time. You always felt they were too strong.
• Chicken noodle soup - Lots of veggies but none that I could see. You strained the juice for me for every batch. I picked it up in a big jar. It probably kept me alive during my teen years.
• Canned pickles - Still my favourite. Water from the river but always upstream of the city. You had your spot.

Holidays With Her

Every holiday had a tradition with Grandma Jackson.

• Christmas - Your little tree and the single string of Christmas lights in the window. We would always go to your house on Christmas Eve. You always had enough food for everyone.
• Halloween - My favourite was the Bert and Ernie pumpkins you made. I'm glad I reminded you about them this past Halloween.
• Mothers Day - A trip to Art Knapps. I sent money to my Mom each year so she could keep buying you flowers for your pots.
• Birthdays - A birthday wasn't a birthday without a call from you. You missed one year because I was 'too old'. I wasn't happy. You did it for the next 20 years. I did the same for you.
• Canada Day - One year you made a newspaper hat and wore it proudly. The next year Carter made one for you.

Her Garden

It got a bit smaller every year but you never stopped. I wish I could have been closer to help you keep it from shrinking.

• Raspberries - Enough to keep 6 year old me picking for hours. Not all of them made it back to the kitchen for jam.
• The crab apple trees - So sour. They always got 'too big' and didn't live long lives in your garden. They made great jelly.
• The clematis on the side of the house - I loved sitting by the kitchen window when it was in bloom.
• The window wells with flowers in them - The bulbs came up every year. 
• Eating snow peas - So strange to be able to eat the whole pea. Shell and all. I was like a puppy following you through the garden. You would search the vines for every last one to make sure I got to eat as many as possible.
• The Lilac bushes - I have a transplant of both in my own yard. The smell of Lilacs is one of my fondest memories of you. Spring will be tough this year.
• The electric lawn mower - Whatever your motivation for going electric, you were ahead of the times. We had to bring the cord all the way into the kitchen for the only three pronged plug.
• Your push mower - The cord didn't reach the front yard beyond the fence so we had to use the old push mower.
• The flowers - I only wish that I could have saved more to bring to my own garden.
• The yellow rose bush - So prickly and only pretty for a short time but nothing beats it when it is in bloom.
• The garden at the home - Even in your 90's you still had your little garden to keep you company.

Her Puttering

You were retired but you always kept busy.

• Burning grass - The quickest way to get the grass ready for the spring. I loved being on hose duty. 

• The burn barrel - Self sufficiency was important.  

• Hanging your clothes to dry - I still remember the sound of the clothes line as you brought things in and the styrofoam container that held the cloths pins. 

• Sharpening knives on the turning wheel - I got to turn the handle while you sharpened the knives. 

• Your push vacuum for your short green carpet - Not really a vacuum. More of a dirt collector. I was always worried it was going to get my lego. 

• Fixing the chairs on the front porch - They were so many different colours it was impossible to know what the original was. 

• Bird watching - You used your binoculars regularly. Your bird book had so many birds that I didn't know existed. 

• Keeping Gus going - I made you a windmill. You named him Gus. You repaired him until you could repair him no more. 

• Dish cloths - We still use them today. I made sure Callie learned how to make them. I saved the first one for you but I won't be able to give it to you.

Her Love of West lake

A small plot of 2 acres that will hopefully stay in the family forever.

• Squirrels - You had multiple platforms for feeding them peanuts. They always came. They always teased our dogs.
• The trailer - So small yet so practical. Everything in it had a purpose. I never understood why it was so far from the lake front but I'm sure there was a reason.
• Keeping things clean - Forest management practices before we knew what the term was. All the brush was kept short.
• Cutting hotdog sticks - We couldn't cut every little tree down. We still needed hot dog sticks for the camp fire.
• Your little signs - Instructions for lighting the stove and how to pull out the bed. There was no other way to make sure we knew what to do every spring.
• How to deal with bears - The whistle was on hand when the bears came to visit.
• Your little garden at the lake - I tried to keep it going. I don't know how you managed to keep it alive for so many years.
• Your barbecue at the lake - For when the fire danger was high or it was too windy.
• Building a fire pit - Every year the winter ice would take it away. Every year you would rebuild it with logs surrounding it to make sure little people didn't fall in.
• Agates - So many found. I have your collection. I can't look up when walking on a rocky beach. I'm looking for agates.
• The old rowboat - I never saw it floating but one day I will build one like it.
• The bench you got from the mill softball tournament - Made with nothing but 2x4's but so comfortable. I've made several and will keep the one at the lake going.

Her Stories

So many stories. I wish you could still tell them.

• Your dog - I think his name was Shadow. You spoke of him fondly. 

• Softball - Sports weren't just for boys. I never saw you play. I'm sure you were great. 

• Rowing to school - 5km to school every day including a trip across the river. 

• The cutbanks - You loved to climb them. 

• Award winning gladiolas - Best in show. 

• The West Lake cabin - And so many other stories about the history of our property at West lake. 

• The hole in the stucco - A poor parking job by one of Uncle Bob's colleagues.

Her Keys to a Long Life

• Vitamins above the fridge - A tray of simple vitamins. Vitamin C was my favourite.
• Garlic pills - All the benefits without the bad breath.
• Walking everywhere - My six year old legs could never keep up.
• The rowing machine - When you no longer had access to the rowboat to cross the river.

Her Years as Great Grandma (GG)

I'm glad you got to see my kids grow up even if it was from afar.

• Hearing you sing to my kids - Not the best voice but it sent chills through me. I'm sure they were the same records from when I was a baby. 
• Puppets - The kids couldn't wait to get to PG to see GG with the puppets.
• Food - You always made sure to have food for visitors in the home. Even it if meant sneaking an extra cookie from lunch.
• GG Jaywalking - We had to get you to the local McDonalds but the sidewalks were too bumpy so we took you down the side of the street.
• Puzzles - We always brought you a puzzle and got you started. You always finished them.

Her

There were certain things that defined Grandma Jackson and later Great Grandma Jackson.

• Messing up your grandsons names - Erin and Evan. Jesse and Jordan. That might not have been your fault. 

• Facetiming - You learned to use an iPad in your 90's. You always said you didn't understand but I think you understood more than you know. 

• No backing down - I remember your argument with Jesse on the number of steps up the to the attic. He had to remember the number before he could sleep up stairs. He wanted to count stairs. You wanted him to count steps. He had to sleep downstairs that night. 

• Fun Money - Everyone got a treat for Christmas and their birthday. You always had loonies and toonies on hand for when we stopped by. You lived simple and shared what you could. 

• Picture taking - No visit was complete without a picture with everyone. 

• 95th birthday - In a home. In a wheel chair. Using your feet to push yourself around to go visit everyone.  Your 95th birthday ballon attached to your chair. 

• Puzzle Games - Wooden or plastic puzzles. You weren't happy until you not only solved them but could repeat the process. 

• Chinese neighbours - You understood that everyone was equal and cultures were just cultures at a time when that wasn't always a common view. You treasured the Chinese calendar you got from the neighbour each year and we all know our zodiac sign.

Her Influence On Me

You helped make me the person I am today.

• My earliest woodworking projects were for you.
• I garden because of you.
• I still play the lottery because of you.
• I collect coins because of you.
• I putter because of you.
• I hope to age half as well as you.

Good Bye

I only remember being upset with you at one point of my life. 8 year old me didn't like when you gave me advice and then repeated it over and over. 41 year old me wishes you were still here to talk to, still here to sing me happy birthday. This is the first blog I won't be able to share to you. I will always miss you.

Aldor Acres Pumpkin Patch

This year was the 30th anniversary of Aldor Acres Pumpkin Patch and I think we've been going for about 15 of those years. It's a great family farm that gets better every year. This year they opened up an area that used to be their dairy farm and had several pieces of old farm equipment on display. A highlight of the trip is the petting zoo area. No biting turkeys this year but there were lots of goats. Apparently goats really enjoy pumpkins. We saw two of them fighting each other over the chance to stick their head inside. They were very competitive.

We like to get a family photo in front of the pumpkins each year and as we were wandering around suggesting locations, Kerry vetoed a particular spot because it would have sheep bums in it. This of course was an excellent suggestion from the kids point of view so I immediately found a spot where I could get a family photo with the sheep bums. We took another elsewhere with pumpkins but I think the most honest smiles were the ones in this picture.

We took the hayride to the pumpkin patch and we got to go to the field up on the hill which is much more scenic then some of the other fields. Unfortunately it seems it's also been a bit cooler as many of the pumpkins were rotting and we chose not to get one from that area. We went to an area closer to the parking lot to find Carter's and Callie decided she would get hers from Superstore. This is okay with me as they are much cheaper and the farms sell the good ones to them first. Carter still very much enjoys the trip and hopefully we can keep going for years to come.

Drones

Carter had a goal for his birthday this year. He wanted to save enough money to purchase a drone. We spent quite a bit of time researching different brands and capabilities and with an initial birthday money push from us he saved up enough to get the one he wanted. It had a camera and automatic stabelization abilities and it can even do a flip in the air.

We were a bit quick to try it and avoided reading the instructions. Big mistake. Let's just say I had to bring the ladder over to the elementary school to get it after one of our first test flights. After carefully reading the instructions and starting off in the middle of the soccer field, we have now mastered the basics. Still a bit more practice required for close quarters flying but it's been fun so far with some neat aerial pictures.

Carter's Birthday Party

Carter's birthday planning started immediately after Callie's birthday in August and you would think this would have been plenty of time to plan for a party in mid-September. The theme originally started out as Guardians of the Galaxy however we struggled to find decorations and one week before the party Carter shifted directions towards a Medieval theme. This meant knights and castles and catapults. It also gave Kerry an opportunity to redeem her last castle cake. She made one for Callie when she was 2 and let's just say it's good that Callie didn't remember it. This year was a big improvement.

Carter had arranged for a four hour birthday gala at our house. Most parties are two hours at a location like bowling or trampolining so there was a lot of pressure to make the four hours exciting. Things started off at home with some knight fights, a trebuchet launch and then continued over to the school for some street hockey. Kerry had brought home some sticks from the school and the recently paved parking lot at Frost Road made for an excellent playing surface. It seems hockey is a dying sport though because none of the kids had any hockey experience. Everyone still had a great time.

Dinner for the party was pizza and Kentucky Fried Chicken. Pizza for those that didn't like the chicken and the chicken because that was what Carter felt the knights of the round table would have eaten. We finished off with the very chocolatey cake, gift opening and a dragon piñata which turned out to be really quite difficult to break. Every kid got several hits and we finally had to encourage one of the bigger kids to just wack at it until it was broken. There's nothing like a piñata to bring a big group of kids together in mayhem.