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.....in our new home....
For Denise, a coffee mug picture!
It is said hospitality is a learned character trait and practicing it makes one better over time. I happen to agree with that statement for it is not something found in usual neighborhoods anymore, that is, unless you live in the country or in a small town it seems.
Hospitality in alive and well!
Later in the afternoon on Christmas Eve, a neighbour up the road appeared on our doorstep with a plate of cookies and kind note offering in her hand. When my husband alerted me to having company over, I was knee high in gift wrapping; several tape pieces ready on my pant leg to prove it. It was such a lovely gesture for Anne to wander over to greet us, and give us the run down on the new neighbourhood in general. It was especially interesting to find out she has two teens at home approximately the same ages as ours who are avid sports minded kids, loving and working at a local as ski mountain part time.
A usual site these days....and we finally have a calling plan! Yes!!!
Guess what the girls are thinking?
Speaking of sports, our older son was placed ninth on the waiting list to play ice hockey in the city near to us, and after inquiring with another arena in a smaller town, one spot awaited his tryout. The initial skills tryout took place at 6am. on Christmas eve, and the team transfer is still lingering and in progress.
Early morning hockey practices happen in the wee hours
Each Wednesday, the team has a slotted hour for morning practice and (you guessed it) it’s at 6am. My husband decided he would drop him off just before 5:30am on his way to work and my duty will be to pick up just after 7am. Living in the country, the roadways and byways are very dark in the early hours of the morning, and frigid temperatures offer little more than a freezing cold drive thus far. I am so thankful for the seat warmer in my vehicle, a “butt warmer” I call it.
Gas prices are down, just in time for our explorations!
Earlier this week I visited our post office and spoke to the postmaster. As he browsed a few stacks of sorted mail set aside in the general delivery section, I turned to apologize slightly to the woman waiting behind me for the delay in the line up. When she realized I was new in town, she extended her hand offering a greeting and welcomed me to the area. Likewise when I was finished my business with the postmaster, he too told me his name and shook my hand while welcoming me here.
It was a terrific reminder to me on the importance of hospitality and how infrequently most folks today practise this action in their daily living. Simple gestures warm the heart and after several examples offered here I can only tell you my heart is warming right up, even with more snow to come today.
Snow! Over five feet fell upon us!
Making snow angels below...
Speaking of snow, after five feet of it fell from the sky and landed around our new property, the day to day chore of shovelling it became overwhelming due to a sizable driveway like our last home. There are no neighbours here with farm tractors to come to our rescue as guardian angels in the wee hours with secret driveway cleaning missions, so after several days of having sore backs, oh - to have a snow plough appear one evening shortly before the dinner hour, complete with tutorials.
Vrooom! Vrooom!
We sure miss our neighbor farmers, so now we have to have this baby to use for getting out of our driveway!
A contraption like a snow blower requires such good safety and common sense ruling, and a timely reminder the day after we acquired it came by way of a news article about the dangers of losing fingers or even a hand in the augers at the front of the machine. Hearing about Joe Sakic losing three fingers (a hockey player) was a recent revelation in the news, and showed how easily something like that could happen.
“Safety First” – a great motto to adopt!
Oh, one more thing....Go Canucks Go!
