PATTINSON TIMES CHRISTMAS 2022

Holiday Greetings to friends and family around the globe.  May the new year bless you with all that you need and a generous serving of what you want.

2022 has been a transitional year for the four of us.  Tony and I have decided to hang up the shingle in 2023 and he pulled out of the call schedule this year so that he could learn to sleep at night.  Its been a challenge for him after 47 years of training to do the opposite, but armed with his c-pap mask and a nighttime shot of scotch on occasion, he's getting the hang of it.  The nurses from L&D surprised him with a great party and a beautiful watch on his last shift.

We've both been working hard at the gym to try to regain muscle lost during the shutdowns but this year we've felt the effects of aging and the uphill battle is a little steeper.  In our chronic state of denial we continue to blame most of our aches and pains on a hard workout rather than old age.  

We've managed to evade covid despite being surrounded by it with diligent masking, vaccination and generous doses of vitamin D. Grace contracted it the first week that masking was eliminated in the schools but had only mild symptoms and enjoyed a week of hiding in her room, having room service, and isolating from her big sister. 

Grace graduated from grade 8 and launched into the IB prep program in high school this year.  She was described by her peers at graduation ceremonies as the person to go to if you want to know the brutal truth about yourself!  Her expanding athletic challenges have included beach volleyball, swimming and beating Dad at golf.  Grace is ruthlessly competitive and when she bites into a new challenge, get out of the way.  Dad is both proud and a little crushed at her mastery of golf which now challenges his 30 year experience with the game, but now has a parental obligation to watch endless golf tournaments with her.  Its a little chill break from the extreme nerdiness that defines Grace.

Not to leave the right brain behind, Grace continues some artsy projects on her own after winning awards in grade school for her work.  She is quite a remarkable kid, always firing on all cylinders and keeping us on our toes as well.  We're hoping she'll lean towards architecture as forensics and pathology can be a little dark - but she's always liked dead stuff so we'll wait for her to tell us.

Lil has had her first real life experience with EMS this year and our expectation was that the first time someone threw up on her shoes, she would switch programs.  She and Mom have spent long hours studying and while Mom remembers emergency care from 45 years ago, every day is groundhog day for Lil.  However she has persisted, some courses more challenging than others and after exams this week, she'll know whether her future lies working with EMS or serving double-doubles and blueberry explosions.  She starts a new part time job at the hospital next week in the Tim Hortons in her never ending pursuit of carbohydrates and continues to work at our local Chinese restaurant on weekends.  We see insulin in her future.

Lily also reached drinking age in 2022, and she promptly spit out her first gulp of wine into the sink.  (We made her practice one sip before taking her out for dinner and drinks).  We suspect that she is destined to be the designated driver on those nights out with friends, and we are totally ok with her ordering her usual - chocolate milk or apple juice.  

Running has gone by the wayside this year given her course load, but weight lifting has taken over as she must be able to lift and carry a 220 lb patient with a partner each term to pass.  The prof has dubbed her his best "lifter" despite her small frame.  It did pay off at the Canam games this summer when she won the "Women on Fire" competition.  She's also doing some swim coaching with the Riverside team to help out when time allows as a way of passing the torch.

This was the first summer that I really did not want to leave my yard/farm to go to work. My garden, with the benefit of my new greenhouse and the raised beds that Tony built produced a phenomenal crop of plants for myself, neighbours and friends.  I might have overdone it a bit with the tomatoes this year given that we filled the pantry with salsa and the freezer and still have some ripening in the greenhouse.  

I have decided that winter no longer exists in my universe and I continue to grow brussels sprouts, parsnips, kale and parsley under cover.  Its hard to imagine having too much kale isn't it?

Grace and Dad took on constructing the greenhouse like a lego project as it arrived in dozens of pieces.  We secured it to what used to be the old fire pit and between my raised beds, garden beds, flower beds and the greenhouse my yard now looks like a farm.  We added a bat house, a renovated bird house and lots of feeders so that we could enjoy the wildlife at work around us.  All I need is a back hoe, some goats and maybe a few more squirrel chasing schnauzers...

Tony has also been busy in the workshop, and in addition to my demands for garden structures he managed to create a beautiful table for the living room.  We considered building him a new shop on the property but are dragging our feet at the idea of another renovation. We've also thought about building a tiny home on the property for Lily as  property values are beyond reach of most young adults now.  Grace can design it, Lil and Dad can build it, and I will put a rooftop garden on it!  

 

Tony and I got a little wild and crazy and drove to Wisconsin to help my sister Annie celebrate her 65th birthday in September.  We had not travelled to the US since the pandemic began, in fear of the ArriveCan app.  After carefully entering all of our vaccination data prior to leaving home and taking screen shots and written copies of everything, the customs officer wasn't the least bit interested in our newly acquired tech expertise...crushing for a couple of people who spent hours preparing for this moment,  I suspect he was completely exhausted from teaching seniors how to use their phones and anyone with 2 or more wrinkles got a free pass through customs.

We had a terrific week with Annie and Stew, my niece Lindsey and her hubby Josh and my nephew Nick and  his wife Claire and best dog Heinrich both in Madison and then up at their cottage in St. Germaine.  We possibly ate too much but it was required given the importance of a 65th birthday!

I did get into a little mischief with Heinrich, Nick and Claire's golden retriever. He wasn't feeling his best, so I started preparing him eggs for breakfast and an assortment of meats and veg for dinner, and that seemed to put the spring back in his step.  Unfortunately Nick and Claire now have a 100 pound furry child who now expects fresh cooked meals.

The night before our return, we got a call from Grace who said "Mom, we have a situation".  Apparently, Ollie had discovered a black and white "squirrel" in the yard which he persisted in barking at until getting skunked.  Lil was hard at work in the shower trying to get herself and Ollie clean while Grace was running around the house reporting on the action with Sophie hiding to stay out of the line of fire.  When we returned home, the kids, dogs and every stick of furniture smelled like skunk.  But other than smelling bad, everyone was still alive and standing and that's better than we expected.

I want Mom to come home.

Exhausted but happy

We recently welcomed a new member of the family on November 12; Theodore Raymond Ruenger - a tiny little block of a baby who couldn't get a sense of direction and came into the world by C-section.  He is adored by his first time Meme Annie, who is sure to spoil him to bits as it should be.  Congratulations to my beautiful niece Lindsey and her hubby Josh.  

Meme and Theo

We're going to venture out a little more this holiday season than we have in the last few years.  Mandy is visiting from Vancouver at the end of the month, and we have a few gatherings to attend.  Lil is cooking up a get together with her paramedic student friends which I am sure will be sedate and cordial.  But for the most part, we will enjoy the peace and quiet at home with the girls and pups as we've come to appreciate in the last few years. But if you're in the neighbourhood, please stop by for a chat and a little Christmas cheer.