{"id":545,"date":"2020-12-16T01:02:35","date_gmt":"2020-12-16T08:02:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spiritridge.info\/wp\/?p=545"},"modified":"2021-01-22T14:38:17","modified_gmt":"2021-01-22T21:38:17","slug":"merry-christmas-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spiritridge.info\/wp\/2020\/12\/16\/merry-christmas-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Merry Christmas 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

…. So this year started out with a clear plan: Deb was going to work until Easter; vacation till the end of May and then retire; we would head south while on vacation to catch the end of crawfish season and gorge ourselves and then plan out the rest of our lives. Deb would have the chance to spend time at the cabin in Cadiz \u2013 and decide if she liked it as much as Pat does or if we should sell it and look at alternatives for the investment, but then Covid 19 happened and the world changed and we accomplished very little of our plan \u2013 but I am getting ahead of myself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pat came out of retirement to go to Smithers and take over operational management of the Human Services programs at the Office of the Wet\u2019suwet\u2019en for a period of three months starting in January. He stayed at a great AirBnB \u2013 coming home for Valentine’s weekend. Pat was fully involved in trying to keep the family support, justice and day care programs operating during a time of protests, road blocks, police intervention and government to government negotiations. His time ended with being one of the early implementers of the working from home protocols for the agency staff – and challenging them as to what they could do for children, families and elders while maintaining safety. He worked his last two weeks out of Cranbrook \u2013 supporting staff from a distance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is safe to say that Pat saw the request to come and help as a great honour \u2013 and has made some lasting friendships with staff and elders there. The trust that they placed in him to keep things operating while their leadership was fully engaged with everything else was both humbling and a huge responsibility. It was a great way to cap off his career \u2013 and his only disappointment is that although all his recommendations for the future direction of human service programs were accepted \u2013 COVID has significantly delayed their implementation \u2013 and may be less relevant with the passage of time and change in the dynamics of the work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By mid March, it became clear that no one was going to be able to proceed with this year as planned. Deb\u2019s eldest sister Gail and her husband Randy were in Mexico, Gail\u2019s son Devon in South East Asia and Deb\u2019s second sister Arlene and Ross were in Kuala Lumpur when everyone was advised to return home. Gail and Randy came through Cranbrook from Calgary and picked up some groceries they\u2019d left and headed to their new-to-them home in Grand Forks to quarantine. They spent the rest of their summer with amazing renovations and gardening. Arlene had some medical challenges and they attempted a number of flight reservations and cancellations before finally arriving back in Canada in late March. They had rented out their house until the first of May so we opened up our cabin and they quarantined for two weeks and then stayed on and we were able to have some socially distanced visits with them before they returned to Okotoks. Ross cleared and chopped some wood for us while Arlene recovered and started to make homemade bread which she has since perfected. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first of May we moved to the cabin \u2013 having made arrangements earlier for Josie (Keelan\u2019s girlfriend) to stay at our place while we were planning to be in Kentucky-the cabin became our home until November. We had never spent more than a week or two at the cabin \u2013 and therefore many of the things that you accept or live with in the on weekends or vacation become things you want to address. So the \u201cto \u2013 do \u201c list that we have had for years started to come into play. We began with purging clothing, camping gear and many other things, setting some aside to go to Kentucky and bundling up the rest for donations (once allowed), we reorganized what was left and put them on repurposed shelves in the loft. Deb sorted through the kitchen, organizing it to cook real meals (not just smokies and barbecue as was the norm on weekends). We moved around and replaced some furniture including gaining a leather look couch from the Moyie Mall (aka the dump). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another on the to do list was that of replacing the tarped storage shed that we had used for more than 15 years (and collapsed twice). So we bought an 11 x 19 metal shed and once the weather was warm enough we tackled assembly. Simple right??? not so much. We purchased about 30 used railway ties to use as a base for the frame and as framing for a patio. We had to dig out about six feet of the bank in order to have enough space for the shed and then try to level and square the ties. First wrinkle with the shed was that the dimensions on the shed were inside measurements not outside measurements \u2013 which was not discovered until it was part way built \u2013 thus making the foundation not correct. Secondly, the instructions were wet and stuck together which meant we were missing being able to read about 20%. Third, there was not a wall panel or roof panel, that we did not have to take apart and re-assemble \u2013 as the instructions that we could read were not clear. At one point when Deb was in town \u2013 Pat got temporarily wedged putting up the roof panels \u2013 obviously not designed for big guys to assemble. Remember the 6 foot hole we excavated at the back? Needless to say that there were times when we were trying to erect the flimsy walls on this structure by ourselves that we joked about one of our bodies fitting in back there. Once the shed was up, we built a patio outside the back door using the railroad ties as a frame and then ordered 4 cu meters of 3-5 inch rock and 6 cu meters of road crush to fill in the foundations of the shed and patio. All of it had to be carted over by wheelbarrow and then tamped. Despite many setbacks and 6 long weeks\u2013 the shed was finally complete \u2013 and works well to hold our trailers, canoe and kayaks but Deb still calls it the shed from hell. It also serves a bird, chipmunk and squirrel feeding station \u2013 as Pat has set up feeders from which we get hours of enjoyment watching the antics of the local tenants \u2013 including the deer trying to get in on the act. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the patio finally built we worked on moving and setting up the hot tub. The hot tub had not been set up and running in over 10 years \u2013 but with Fix a leak and a plunger (don\u2019t ask) Pat got it working \u2013 and it became a welcome rest most nights \u2013 and one of the things we miss when we moved back into town. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After unsuccessfully trying to secure a contractor (all busy) \u2013 Pat decided to tackle the other renovations on his own. This included framing in a second basement bedroom, adding a cold storage room and a very small half bath to the music\/gaming room. Given that there were few (no) existing straight walls and ceiling \u2013 he did a not bad job. The bathroom reuses the old patio door (covered with write-on blackboard wall paper) and currently has a portapotty and hand sanitizer \u2013 not the gold standard but nevertheless a welcome facility according to Deb\u2019s sibs in the middle of the night. The cold storage room necessitated boxing up all of the kids various gaming systems (plus recycling 4 old tube tv\u2019s) and moving and reorganizing all of Pat\u2019s music and their systems. The games have been replaced with Pat\u2019s bourbon and mini-bottle collection and games waiting to be taken to Keelan\u2019s home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deb escaped some of the renovations by continuing to work part time during the summer as her position was not filled. It was a nice blend of all the work we were doing while also having the opportunity to continue the work she enjoys (and part time is wonderful). The annual family reunion at Loon Lake was cancelled this year in consideration of the request to minimize out of province travel and especially to areas where hospital services are limited. However, we were able to all get together for a few days at the cabin at Moyie where we spent much of our time outside and used extra sanitation when inside. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In September, we had a quick trip to Regina to see Pat\u2019s Aunt Wanda (and introduce her Chloe to our Sadie). We were able to have a walk at Regina Beach and at Wascana park and visit with Tara and Sam. We also went up to Smithers to return a computer to the Office of the Wet’suwet’en and had hoped to say goodbyes that he did not have when he left in early March due to Covid-19, Unfortunately, there was some covid spread in the community so he was not able to do as much as he had hoped. We visited with a couple of friends in Prince George and then returned via Jasper where we camped and hiked for a couple of days. It was absolutely gorgeous weather, the leaves were turning and the scenery amazing. We will certainly return another year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mick continues to live in Calgary and work with Hitachi Security. Ever since the outbreak \u2013 he has been working from home \u2013 and mostly enjoying that format. He has his groceries delivered, and and the time he saves without having to take transit allows him to get out on his bike to Fish Creek Park. At the end of last year it was discovered that the daily injections he was taking for his MS were not effective \u2013 and he was moved over to twice yearly infusions called Ocrevus. He handled the first infusion (in two parts) well and came home for a couple of days in between to rest and relax in late June. His next infusion is scheduled for the latter part of December or early January. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 1, having taken Mick back to Calgary \u2013 Pat returned to the cabin with a Sadie- a ten month old chihuahua\/terrier cross \u2013 (or as Pat refers to her Mexican Terrorist). She was the runt of a litter and was sort of forgotten about by the breeder\u2013 and allowed to just hang around with the other pups (breeder has 4 different breeds). Therefore she had never been off the farm north of Calgary, never been on a leash, and was very timid. Pat has had his work cut out for him \u2013 but has now got to the point where they walk twice a day for a total of about 7 km \u2013 as well as a couple of longer hikes over the summer. She has overcome her timidness \u2013 and we are now working on her protective attitude. She is content to curl up and sleep in the crook of Pat\u2019s legs at night \u2013 and is rarely out of his sight. She still needs to get better with other dogs and people \u2013 but it is slowly coming. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keelan renovation plans for his house \u2013 have been a slow go \u2013 due to COVID and how busy the contractors are. He has had to overcome of few roadblocks – contractors having a hard time believing that a 23 year old was serious about doing the renovations; a non-load bearing wall becoming one; having to redesign his plans based on the unmovable wall; having to do remediation for some hazardous material; waiting on contractors \u2013 all of which are overbooked. His initial plan was to have everything finished by September – and then have a bit of time to get things organized before Josie moved out of our place and into his at the end of October and we returned home. Well Josie has moved in and in mid-November their cats (Mew and Tate) moved in with us \u2013 so they were out of the way of the contractors, and things have started. Having the cats at our place – means that we have split the house in half \u2013 with Sadie living upstairs and the cats living downstairs. Their \u2018parents\u2019 come over to visit and get and give the requisite snuggles as they are able. Hopefully they will have the renos completed before the new year and can begin to enjoy their new space. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keelan continued to work at the GM dealership throughout this year being one of only two mechanics that worked through the early days of COVID while the company established the required adjustments for safe service. He has attended a couple of GM training sessions in Calgary – which has given him the opportunity to get visits and meals in with Arlene \/ Ross and Mick. Keelan and Josie outfitted his truck with a tent that fits in the box and we donated some of our extra gear and got a bit of travelling in. They took a trip and saw Keelan\u2019s cousins in Edmonton and Calgary, Josie\u2019s grandfather in Edmonton and then a loop around through Kamloops. We met Josie\u2019s parents and other grandfather when they came and camped together at Moyie. We had a good visit, good food and Deb got out for a kayak with Josie\u2019s grandfather. Keelan continues to enjoy going out and doing photography and he and Josie try to get out for a hike once a week. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, it is now the 12th of December and Deb is giving me a hard time for shaving off my \u201csanta\u201d beard this morning (wasn\u2019t getting any job offers), and for not getting the annual christmas letter finished. So I had better wrap this up – the pictures below are the cabin backyard (shed from hell in the foreground), Deb beside a chinese oven used by the migrant workers building the railway, now part of out rails to trails system and Pat and Sadie. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this unusual year \u2013 signing off in my usual way of \u2013 take care and stay healthy \u2013 just does not seem adequate. We all need to take care of each other – at the same time we keep our distance. We need to stay connected with each other \u2013 at the same time as we shouldn\u2019t be in the same room. So maybe the best that I can hope is that somewhere in the next year we can start the process of moving back towards normal and hope that you all have founds ways to manage the current challenges…. in the words of Dr. Bonnie Henry: \u201cBe kind, be calm and be safe\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and all the best in the New Year! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pat, Deb and Sadie <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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…. So this year started out with a clear plan: Deb was going to work until Easter; vacation till the end of May and then retire; we would head south while on vacation to catch the end of crawfish season and gorge ourselves and then plan out the rest of our lives. Deb would have […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/spiritridge.info\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/545"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/spiritridge.info\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/spiritridge.info\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spiritridge.info\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spiritridge.info\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=545"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/spiritridge.info\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/545\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":554,"href":"https:\/\/spiritridge.info\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/545\/revisions\/554"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/spiritridge.info\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=545"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spiritridge.info\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=545"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spiritridge.info\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=545"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}