Matthi's First Christmas

There was still lots of snow on Christmas Eve and it didn't go away for Christmas.  We had below zero temperatures as well.

We were privileged to spend Christmas Eve and Day with Nathan, Tara, Orson, Liam, Keaton, Lochlan and Matthias.  What is Christmas if not grandchildren? 

Matthi was born in March.  I can't believe he is 9 months old already.  The time has flown.

Last night we spent time with all our children on google+.  It was rather noisy and I didn't hear much of the conversation, but it was good to see them all together.

We hope you all had a very joyous Christmas and we wish you a wonderful 2012!

Forecast - Green Christmas

For the past month or so the forecast has been for a green Christmas in our area and that was alright with me as I prefer roads without snow.  Well this morning it started to snow.  Bob shoveled the driveway about 10:00 a.m. and then went for a walk and took a few pictures in the neighbourhood.

About 300 p.m. Nathan and Orson came and shoveled the driveway again and cleaned off the car.  As soon as they left, the snowplow came by and plugged up our driveway with a big ridge of snow.  Lucky for us our wonderful neighbour got his big snow blower out and opened our driveway for us. 

Since our last post we have attended the ward party where Orson played the bagpipes on the program and Liam and Keaton were in the Primary part of the program.  Bob gave a talk in Church on "The Second Coming".  We had the young elders at our home for supper one night and we had supper at the Robinsons (The Temple President) one night.  We spent some time with Tara and Nathan's family.  They had supper with us one Sunday and we went to their home the next Sunday.

They were to change the Temple from propane to natural gas this past week; they got just about finished and they didn't have enough parts.  So now they have to wait until after New Years to finish.  Today was the last day at the Temple until after Christmas.

Karen and Ron Murphy's grandaughter (Lena and Brent Purnell's daughter) was at the Temple tonight.  She married a young man from the Maritimes.  Last night and tonight were very slow at the Temple - tonight only 7 patrons for the whole evening.

Some of the Nova Scotians say that the snow could be all gone by Christmas, but I don't think that is possible!

The Leaning Tree

There is a tree in our backyard that leans over the deck.  It began to lean some years ago during Hurricane Juan.  The house owners were advised to cut the tree down, but the lady of the house didn't want the tree cut down.  I am sure that it is going to come crashing down on the deck sometime and I just hope that it won't be until after we vacate the house.

Today we have been experience winds with gusts above 100 k.  The house is shaking.  I videoed the tree in the wind.

December Already?

We attended a family home evening group on Monday evening.  All that snow that came in November miraculously disappeared overnight Monday.

Tuesday we had district meeting, but I left in the middle of role playing and went to the family history library to look at a film that I ordered in.

We went to Halifax twice this week.  On Thursday we used the mission van and hauled a couple of bed frames over to a missionary apartment.  Bob installed blinds on one window and we got the beds up on frames and got back to Dartmouth in time to go to the Temple.

Friday was very relaxing.  We took the ferry over to Halifax and did a little shopping and had lunch there.  The trees along the harbour were covered with burlap, the clock had scaffolding around it and the ticket office for Theodore Tugboat was closed for the season.

There is an intriguing island in the harbour called Georges Island.  Although it has been named a National Historical site, it is not open to the public.  It is supposed to open by 2014, but we will be long gone by then.    It once had a fort called Fort Charlotte on it.  Some of the  Acadians were kept there before they  were expelled from the Maritimes to the Thirteen Colonies in the middle of the 18th century

US Thanksgiving

All the senior couples in the mission were invited to Thanksgiving dinner at the Mission Home yesterday.  Attached is a picture of our group - three couples including us are from Canada.  (The Pearsons from Taber are on the left at the back and Sister Hunter is in the middle with the red jacket and Bro. Hunter is to her right in the picture.  The mission President and his wife, Brother and Sister Simpson are seated in the middle.  We have couples from Alaska, Utah, Wyoming, Wisconsin and the President is from Idaho.)  Temple attendance was boosted that evening because the Senior Couples all attended the six p.m. session.

After the Storm

Yesterday we had fourteen inches of snow followed by sleet and rain.  Bob spent three hours this morning shoveling the snow and chipping the ice.  The snowplow didn't come by until ten a.m.  Usually it comes just after midnight.  Last year we didn't have snow until nearly Christmas.  The senior missionaries got together at the mission home last night, but Bob wouldn't venture out on the roads so we missed it.

Above is a picture of the end of our driveway after the plow went by. The street is on the other side of the pile of snow.  Luckily our wonderful neighbour has a big snow blower and he cut through the pile for us.  Yesterday when we left for the temple at eight a.m. it wasn't snowing.  When we came home at two p.m. the neighbour had already run the snow blower over our driveway.

For the past two weeks I have had a sore throat and a cold.  It seems to improve and then it gets worse again.  I missed two days at the temple and spent five days in bed.  Bob also has the same thing but won't give in to it.  He only spent a couple of afternoons in bed.

The first evening I went out after the five days I noticed Christmas lights and houses and yards all decorated for Christmas.  One month to go until Christmas.  Seems to get earlier every year.  I noticed that the decorations included Santa Claus, and other non-religious symbols, but no angels or wise men etc.

We have now been in Nova Scotia for over a year. People are starting to ask when we are going home.  Someone said she couldn't remember when we hadn't been here.  Is that good or bad?

Tropical Storm Sean

11 - 11 - 11

It has been nearly two weeks since I posted anything, so I will give a summary of the last while.
Lets start with Halloween night.  It was quite a surprise to have somewhere between twenty and thirty trick or treaters visit us.  There doesn't seem to be many children in our neighbourhood, but they were there for Halloween.  Some of our favourite trick or treaters came over to visit for a while.

 A Scared looking Scary Skeleton

Little Tigger

On the first of November we spent a little time at Tara's and then we came home so the furnace people could do the annual maintenance on the furnace.  Later in the afternoon I got a haircut.

Wednesday we were at the Temple.  Thursday we had zone training most of the day and then the Temple in the evening.  Friday we were at the Temple in the evening and Saturday we spent most of the day at the Temple.  Bob had a sore throat so he came home to bed, but I enjoyed supper at Nathan and Tara's.  Sunday was church as usual.

Monday we cleaned, washed and Bob worked in the yard.  In the evening we went home teaching.  Tuesday we had district meeting and spent some time in the afternoon at Tara's.  We were at the Temple Wednesday.

Wednesday evening we attended the Dartmouth & District Pipe Band Association Awards Night.  Orson and Liam both received trophies.  They played a duet. Following is a videos of the last number that the band  played as they left the auditorium.

Thursday was a busy day.  We drove to Halifax to inspect two missionary apartments.  Then we went to visit a distant relative of mine that I met some years ago through genealogy.  We had an hour visit before we had to rush back to Dartmouth to get to the temple on time.

Today we had planned to go to the Spryfield Legion in Halifax to watch the Remembrance Day Parade in which the Dartmouth Pipe Band was participating.  However this morning the wind was howling and the rain coming down in sheets and we decided to stay off the roads and stay home.  The parade was cancelled but the band played under the overhand on a loading dock at the mall where they held the ceremony. The only thing we heard about Remembrance Day was the canon at the Citadel at 11:00 a.m.

Bob tried to get pictures of Tropical Storm Sean  but they don't show the wind howling or the extent of the rain.

Happy Halloween

It was a fairly quiet week.  On Monday evening we attended a family home evening group for the first time.  I made individual cheesecakes to take for desert.  We went to our district meeting on Tuesday morning and to Tara's in the afternoon and stayed with the boys while she ran errands.  Wednesday, besides the regular morning temple sessions there was an extra session in the evening (not very well attended).  Thursday, Friday and Saturday temple sessions were very small except for one Friday evening one.  Saturday they cancelled the last two sessions. 

Friday Nathan's family all came to our house for lunch.  Bob had been to Costco with them and they had picked up the food to bring here.

Saturday we left the temple early and went to Truro with Tara so we could see Orson and Liam receive their Champion Supreme Awards and play solos.

Last night it started to rain and the wind howled.  It rained most of today and the wind is still blowing.  We even got a bit of slush in with the rain.  We were glad to get home from church and stay inside.

Pumpkin Country

Last Thursday we had steady rain which lasted 24 hours and dropped 4 inches of rain on us.  It cleared up on Friday and we had lovely sunshine for several days in a row.  Today it has started to rain again.

Saturday was a very busy day at the Temple.  A busload of people came from P.E.I.  Several vans brought people from New Brunswick.

The fall trees were pretty when the sun shone on them.

Tomatoes don't grow well in Nova Scotia, but I think pumpkins must.  There are pumpkins everywhere here - in the stores, piled in front of Farmer Clems greenhouse, sitting on the steps of houses and lining the sidewalks.

 Even a White Pumpkin

Even the Baines House has Pumpkins

Thanksgiving and Beyond

Last Monday was Thanksgiving day here in Canada.  We celebrated at Nathan and Tara's with good food, good company and a good walk after dinner.  Here is the group after the walk.

When I lived in my parents home in Brooks we always had our Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday.  That was because pheasant season opened on the Monday.  When we are at home in Lethbridge we usually have our turkey dinner on Saturday because it doesn't interfere with our children's in-laws. They usually have their dinner on Sunday or Monday.  (This is in response to Amber's comment on the Baines Blog.)

On Tuesday Bob got snow tires put on his Honda.  Hopefully we will do better on the roads this winter.

We had our usual four days at the Temple - Wednesday to Saturday.  We also did some home teaching.

Saturday evening the boys came and stayed a couple of hours with us while Nathan and Tara went out for supper.

It is Tuesday again and we had district meeting this morning and finished our Home Teaching tonight.

The maritimes are known for their beautiful fall leaves, but this year left something to be desired.  As soon as the leaves turned colour they were blown away.  We have had wind and heavy rains lately.  However this afternoon was fairly nice.  Bob and Keaton went out walking this afternoon.

Fall Colours

When we look off our back deck we can see a bit of colour in the trees.

The colour reflects in the lake.

Joan and Earl left on Wednesday evening and I was very sad to see them go.  The wind started howling and it poured rain and the temperature dropped.  We Bob had to turn the furnace on.  When the furnace is turned on the hot water heater gets changed to using fuel oil instead of electricity.  Some handle on the hot water heater quit working and water began to leak.  We had to call in a plumber to get it fixed (a new handle). 

It was very quiet at the temple this week.

It quit raining after over 4 inches has fallen.  By Saturday afternoon it was beautiful again and Tara and the boys came for a weiner roast in the back yard.

It gets dark here by 7:30 p.m. now.  I am not looking forward to another winter here, but only one year from last Saturday until our release date.

Aviation Museum at Shearwater

It began to rain on Tuesday afternoon.  Joan, Earl and Bob went to visit the Aviation Museum at Shearwater.  Most of the planes were navy planes.

The blades on the helicopter retract so they don't take up so much room on the ship.  The wings on some of the planes fold up as well.

 Model of the Ship Shearwater

It poured rain all night and was still raining Wednesday morning when Bob and I went to the Temple.  We were at the temple until 2:00 p.m. and it was still raining when we came out.  We came home, had dinner and then took Joan and Earl to the airport so they could return home.  It quit raining but the wind howled all night long and the temperature dropped to 4 degrees C.  Bob turned the furnace on.

Salt Marsh Trail

On Tuesday morning it was cloudy but quite warm so we decided to hike the Salt Marsh Trail.  It is a 6.5 k trail along an old railway bed and at one time connected Cole Harbour and Dartmouth.  Joan and I went for
2 k and then decided to turn back.  Bob and Earl went on for a while before turning back.  It is  supposedly a bird sanctuary, but most of the birds we saw were gulls and ducks.  Bob saw a few others - a blue Heron and some sandpipers.

There were a few flowers in bloom along the trail.  There were also warnings about poison ivy.

We kept thinking there was some kind of bird on the rock but I guess it was a piece of wood.