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