family, friends

Mom’s ceramics

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We found Mom’s ceramics.  Two were in a cabinet in the living room, and one was stored away in a cabinet.  Here they are.

Long ago, when I was a kid living in BC, Mom went to a ceramics class.  She didn’t mould these.  They came pre-made.  But she painted them.

The salesperson represented Glenn who apparently, at the time, sold corn (or maybe eggs) along the street where we lived.  The musician represented me as I apparently had musical skills.  The girl in pink was to represent Angela who apparently had no qualities or talent aside from being a girl.  (A person cooking or dancing might have been more appropriate.)

I had no idea that Mom had painting talents.  I knew she wrote songs long ago and may have had them published and played professionally if the old man had shelled out a little to get it started.

So now they sit in our cabinet.

Glenn’s birthday

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Aizlynn called me, thinking of Glenn’s birthday.

We talked for a bit about dentistry (root canals, extracted teeth, and implants), Glenn (his life, his death, and things between), and pierogies (in England, they don’t have pierogies, but the closest thing they have is filled with strawberry!).

Glenn has been gone 10 years.

Veronica & Jane

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I just met a woman from Ireland named Veronica.  She was standing in the town square in Basingstoke, UK near a statue of Jane Austen.  How’s that?

I video called my sister via WhatsApp.  When she answers, she was talking to a friend of hers on the street and introduced me.  I showed Veronica the snowy landscape in Lethbridge, just outside my windows.  It just so happened that we’ve had about a foot (30cm) of snow.  She was quite amazed.  Aizlynn showed the town square, a quaint, picturesque place.  There is a statue of the writer, Jane Austen, nearby.  We read some plaques on the ground showing bits of into.

Aizlynn & Caleb were on their way out to supper, so off they went.

Mary’s TD passbooks

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I wrote an email, last known address, to Mary telling her of my Mom’s TD account set up for her long ago.  The email bounced back.

Too many unfortunate events in the world, powered by lies, greed, pride, selfishness.

Sadness.

FT’s road trip, house #2, new fridge

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FT is on the road again, on a trek to Saskatchewan with TF.  So I’m on my own now for two weeks.  Nothing wrong with two old guys rattling across the prairies in a Pontiac.  They went last year, making this a now annual event.

This leads me to my next topic – travel.  I haven’t gone anywhere this year.  I’ve been working on the rental properties and the teardrop trailer, working only half days the past few weeks because of the heat.  Since Floyd’s leg started acting up, I’ve decided to take it easi(er).

The plumbing for the rear suite (formally called the garage) at house #2 is now complete.  It passed inspection just yesterday.  It is still a garage for now as there is still a bay door in it.  But that will soon disappear.  Next task: framing interior walls.

On my way back from trying to pay the Gutter Shop for work to be done at house #2 (turns out they closed down their storefronts, and Google hasn’t caught up to it), I stopped at Starbucks for a cup.  Nice day for a coffee in a shady outdoor area.

I bought a new fridge a week ago, and it finally arrived yesterday.  It’s a Whirlpool 18 cu. ft. freezerless fridge.  The problem is, it has to go back.  The fridge door is not reversible!  I haven’t seen a fridge with no reversible door for ages.  So I called, and they’re sending someone in the next few days to bring it back.  So I ask you, why would they make a fridge that 50% of the population cannot use?

Their explanation is that it is stainless steel.  …  What?  What the heck does that have to do with it?  I thought and have come to the assumption that people who want stainless steel fronts do not want extra holes with plugs in them.  There aren’t many fridges out there without freezers, so pickings are slim.  In the mean time, FT has opted for a normal fridge with freezer at the bottom.