Again, no postings for over a month. Things really have come to a complete standstill in our lives. We’ve been doing the usual – groceries, prescription pick-ups and WalMart runs, much to my chagrin. With no other choice, it’s frustrating that WalMart is our mainstay to purchase the everyday necessities, certain cheaper grocery items, or even an inexpensive pair of slippers, T-shirt, running shoes, etc.
On a happy note, we’ve been to a couple of dining-out events. One was a great get-together with some former workmates which I have not seen for close to 15 years. This small group of ladies get together every couple of months to catch up on events and have a good ‘ole chinwag. I kind of invited myself when having lunch with Michele and it was great fun. I will admit, however, that I felt myself getting a little hyper as the night went on. I could feel my lips wagging faster and faster and had to remind myself to shut up so others could talk. There was so much news in my life and apparently not enough time for my brain to get it all out!
We were having our evening out a JJ Kapps in St. Catharines, and as I ordered a steak sandwich on garlic bread, the new dentures were given a workout not expected. As a result a bit of adhesive began to give up the ghost and as I rambled on after eating, I could feel them dropping. I quickly grabbed a thumb to stick them back up where they belonged all the while pretending to suck on my nail as if I had a bad habit!! Trust me, I’ll know better next time.
The second meal was at Bugsy’s for Bridget’s birthday. Another nice time and really good meal – fish and chips – which hubby and I enjoyed immensely. This time I wasn’t out as late as the previous night, but we all had a good time and can’t get over the fact that our youngest granddaughter is finishing her year at Brock University and will soon be out in the working world. Mom and Dad will become empty-nesters and wonder what to do with all of their spare time. I’m sure they’ll both find lots to do.
With the quiet times at home, I’ve taken some time to try some new baking. I found a couple of cookie recipes – Walnut Sugar and Potato Chip. They both came out pretty good and hubby thinks they’re “keepers”. A couple of newbies for the recipe book.
Today I also tried Brioche Rolls which I found quite easy to do, but man the butter content was unreal – a stick and a half!! Haven’t tried them yet, but they look and smell fabulous. Can’t wait to try them.
On an extremely sad note, a great friend of ours’ has passed away. Cecil was the better half of our former neighbours when living on Green Maple in St. Catharines. We would join Cecil and Floris on their front lawn early summer evenings and have great chit chats about family, events and anything newsworthy. Once they moved to another part of town we continued to visit almost on a nightly basis to join them on their back porch. Then we moved out of town and although the visits back and forth decreased with time, we always tried our best to keep in touch via the telephone. I’m not a telephone conversationalist, but talking with Floris was always fun, funny and very enjoyable.
Cecil, a man with a dry sense of humour passed away this weekend. He had become sick and his ailing body could no longer keep up. I loved this man. A tall, gentle figure that would go for early morning walks to keep his achy joints pain free and had a stride that would take me 3 steps to 1 of his to keep up. He was an avid golfer until most of his foursome were having ailing problems of their own. I’m sure he missed his games but understood time takes its toll and spares no one. He would sit quietly in his chair as Floris and I would chatter away all the while listening intently and answering any questions that his wife would throw his way. With a bit of a minor disagreement now and then, he would concede to his wife with a polite nod and the conversation would continue. Once in awhile you could see a twinkle in his eyes while listening and then a quiet sly remark would be injected into our talks. His dry sense of humour was quick and if you were not listening you’d miss it. God, he was quick! My husband, too, enjoyed his talks about golf and other ‘man’ things with Cecil along with appreciating his quiet presence.
The love between this lovely couple could be seen through their eyes. When we were living on Green Maple, Cecil took sick and ended up in hospital. Floris was beside herself as the two of them had never slept apart from one another during their entire 60 + year marriage. There were times when their kitchen window and ours were open at the same time and we would hear the two of them laughing to the British TV comedy show they would watch while having their lunch. It was infectious and I would begin to laugh, too, as I was washing up at our kitchen sink. The best of times were being enjoyed by two wonderful people and you hoped it would never end for them.
Cecil will be missed and we can only hope that Floris will find solace in the wonderful memories they made together. Here’s to an enduring love.