"Layin' low on the (little) island"

Fortunately Ron and I began restocking our freezer and pantry before the panic buying and COVID-19 craziness began.

We feel like we're in a pretty good spot to ride this thing out at the moment. Ron had a follow up visit with his doctor(s) last week and we were told at that time to self isolate for the duration. We were also told to expect this to be the case for the foreseeable future.

I have been busy with the sewing machine and plan to continue with my pottery evening once a week as long as it continues. We are also using this time to tinker on all the little home repair/improvement projects we have around here. I think we have been a little bit more diligent in our scripture study, in part by YouTube lessons (Come Follow Me Scripture Gems, Scripture+, and church videos)

Kaili will likely be joining us as her ulcerative colitis treatments leave her very vulnerable to the current disease making the rounds.

I'm sad we won't be able to meet our newest granddaughter for awhile and our trip to California this year is off indefinitely. Fortunately, we have the technology to "keep in touch" with friends and family.

A batch of sewing is heading to Manitoba today or tomorrow for a 4 year old's birthday. There's also a "crinkly taggie for the baby and a new pair of slippers for the biggest sister.

Our other recent projects have included new shower walls and floor. Next we are adding more fencing to better contain Madrone. Not everyone walking along the trail by our yard appreciates his youthful exuberance.

We are concerned for our friends and family and pray they are taking this situation seriously and using the necessary precautions to stay safe. We know of one friend in Folsom (the town, not the prison) who is currently sick with a suspected case of COVID. She works in health care and has been unable to locate a test to confirm her status yet.

Please keep in touch (not literally ATM), wash your hands, and keep your distance. Love to you all.

The Christmas "Letter" 2019

This year has definitely offered us some emotional challenges. We had to say goodbye to three of our pets; 17 year old Patchyface, 15 year old Aurora, and 14 year old Isis.

We also spent a great deal of time and energy in Ron's battle with and recovery from esophageal cancer. He is doing so much better than he was at this time last year.

We have adopted a new puppy and he is keeping us very busy as well as entertained. We call him our toddler, and he is very much like one. He gets into everything, has no concept of personal space, and loves to play.

We also have a chicken named Henrietta. She's got a portable coop and is a good egg producer in the summer. She's just coming out of her molt and is taking a rest from laying.

I have been struggling with seasonal depression a bit more than usual this year. My motivation has not been great but, I have managed to sew a few small Christmas gifts (slippers mostly) and I have baked a few dozen cookies. Of course, about 4 batches of almond roca have been produced as well.

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year. We're praying for a less emotional "rollercoaster-y" year. 

Fall

We had to say a sad farewell to Rhody a few weeks ago. He was just too obsessed with the cats and focused on escaping the yard. The rescue organization we got him from suggested the Nanaimo SPCA may have better luck finding a forever home. We left him there with tears and as much information as possible. He's been adopted now and we're hoping his new family is a good fit for him.

He was such a lover when he wasn't digging holes, jumping over fences, or wandering off. 

Madrone's attitude immediately improved when Rhody left us. He's much more relaxed, eager to please, and happy. He's currently dealing with a minor mite infestation the vet said may have been exacerbated by stress. I think the sibling rivalry wore him down a bit.

Boomer is beginning to come out of hiding, though he's still leary of the 50 lbs of puppy coming at him to say "Hi". So the fence in the house still stays up most of the time.

Isis is hanging in there, she is scheduled for surgery on the first to remove a large tumor on her front leg. Then Madrone will have his two little growths removed on the fourteenth (neutering). Thank goodness for a vet that takes payments and the "pet friends" organization who will also help us a bit with the financial part.

I had a really good bout of bronchitis that was finally starting clearing up after 6 weeks of coughing. (Yes, I went to the doctor at week 2) It has been 8 weeks now and I still have a lingering intermittent cough.

 We had a nice Thanksgiving weekend visiting some of the artist studios on Gabriola. There were 82 studios on the tour this year. We only went to about 20 of them over the 3 days. We had friends from Nanaimo join us on Saturday. Sunday we had a nice dinner with Ron's Sis, BIL, niece and nephew, their girls, and Kaili who was here for the whole weekend.

We are definitely into the gray, cool, wet of fall, punctuated by periods of brilliant crisp sunshine. The leaves are showing their colors. I have the lemon tree tucked away in the cold frame, which is slowly becoming a more permanent type of structure. I was able to add three glass doors this year.

If you look closely at one of the top glass panes, you can see a nasturtium blossom peeking out. There's a tomato plant in there too. It's got a few more grape tomatoes on it, but I'm not sure how long it will last with the frosts we expect to get later in the week.