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So it turns out I basically go an extra week between
posts. Just been too hectic with moving
to get much else done. And that’s
quickly followed with Christmas coming upon us.
With this being my first Christmas alone… and away from
Newfoundland.
This is actually the longest I’ve ever been away from
home. I haven’t been back to
Newfoundland since last Christmas. It’s
pretty much now been one full year away from it all. The smell of the sea air as you walk the
downtown streets of home… the rocky hills never far from sight… the easy going
nature. A full year away from it.
But even a year away from home hasn’t affected how much I’ve
seen my family. In fact, I may have seen
more of mom and dad this year than any other since I moved to Ottawa.
In the summer we had the BC vacation. Two weeks of all of us. Mom, dad, Edena, Duff and the girls… it was a
highlight vacation. It’s hard to say how
many more times that the seven of us will be together like that. With Fraser getting at that age where summer
jobs may remove her from the equation.
And twice this Fall, mom and dad returned to Ottawa in order
to help me move. The first in September,
helping to prepare the old place for going on the market. The second in mid December, helping me get
out of that place and into the new.
Nobody could ask their parents to do what mine willingly
offered. The help they gave financially,
and in labour was more than I liked. But
even though I didn’t like them sacrificing so much, I appreciate it more than I
could ever say or show.
I loved my old place in Avalon. Loved how close it was to a great little
urban pond. And I could get home after a
long week and just hibernate in the quiet of the place.
But I had outgrown it.
There was no room to add anything more and I was restricted in several
ways. Storage of my bike meant either
the back balcony held it or the kitchen nook did. Spare tires were always stacked on the
balcony. And those clothes I didn’t want
to put in the dryer would make their way onto a rack in the spare room bathtub.
I began longing for a basement. Looking back fondly on my time living at
home, able to venture down underground where the summer was always cooler and
TV glowed the room as a fire in the caves of ancient people.
I missed real baths.
Where you could stretch out and soak in hot water. I had tired of the test tube tub. Where the only way I could get my chest wet
was to hang a leg out over the side.
I missed real barbeques.
The electric grill served a purpose and has been good. But the idea of going back to a gas barbeque,
outside on the ground level began to haunt me.
So when we found a townhouse across from a forest and nearby
a new lake, the opportunity was too much to pass up.
And with the decision to go for it, mom and dad became my
slaves. Offering help in many of the
costs of moving. Offering to come and
help pack up, clean, and assemble.
My shoulder wouldn’t allow me to screw curtain rod brackets
to the walls… dad took over… twice my age and working for hours.
And when I suggested they’d done enough. That we should take some time for them. To go downtown or even to do something as
small as going for a walk. Mom pushed
on. Wanting to make sure things were
done to her liking before their flight home.
And on top of it all… with all they have done… the last
thing they do before leaving is buy my Christmas gift. I scoffed at the idea. Of them doing anything more. But there it sits atop my sofa. A painting that has you peering over the
trees from a high top peak. The calm sea
under a glowing yellow sky… just before the sun climbs out of the salty depths.
Thanks to my parents, I’m in a home. With a place to sit for reading or chatting
that’s separate from the place the TV dominates.
I have that cool basement, complete with fireplace.
I have that little yard for the barbeque.
I have a garage where I can work away at those activities I
could never do before… and where my car hides away from freezing rain and
frosty nights.
I have the tub that makes me ten again. Considering a rubber ducky and ensemble of
aquatic toys.
I have room for the clothes to dry, and room to store things
without the need of balconies or corners of spare rooms.
Christmas came early for me.
And although I’ll be at work for the day itself… I’ll feel close to the
ones I love and know that I’ll see them soon.
And the next time I am together with my parents, I hope we can relax and
just be. I’ve already slaved them enough
for one year.
FRIDAY…
--- Work day shift.
Fairly normal day.
--- Straight from work to the new place to meet Sarah and
Matt and figure out things for installing appliances and the TV on the basement
wall. Off to Home Depot for some
supplies to get all that done.
--- No TV tonight… so it’s computer time. Some hockey pool stuff and some Netflix on
the laptop before bed.
SATURDAY…
--- Up too early as the roofers are banging around above me
at 8:20 in the morning.
--- Help Matt a little with my place and do some running
around with that… Home Depot and bringing some boxes back and forth.
--- Night shift is quiet and I’m exhausted by 6:00 AM
Sunday.
SUNDAY…
--- Up around 10:30.
Over to the new place and do some work there for much of the day.
--- Mom and dad arrive this evening. A bite of supper at Kelsey’s… a tour of the
house… and some sitting around.
MONDAY…
--- Busy day around with some shopping for the house…
several trips back and forth moving stuff… Phil there to help in the back and
forth in the morning… and also physio for me in the early evening. Bed comes pretty early.
TUESDAY…
--- Move move move.
Movers come… Rogers come… Bell does not (because Bell is useless). So the majority of the stuff is in the new
place but my home telephone is still in the old.
--- Chinese for supper in the new place and we relax some in
the evening. Fairly early to bed as
tomorrow will be another busy day.
WEDNESDAY…
--- Very busy.
Driving back and forth from my new place to the old. Mom and dad basically stationed out of the
old spot cleaning and packing stuff up… me loading the car and driving it over…
dumping in the garage… and back again.
--- Lawyer visit in there as well and an evening out to the
hockey game. Boston beats Ottawa 5-2 but
it’s a pretty entertaining game overall.
Hate what Tim Thomas did to the Canucks but love watching him play.
THURSDAY…
--- Too busy to do my update today… it’s pushed a day or
two.
--- Shopping… cleaning the garage… organizing the storage
area… curtains up… Christmas tree up… cheque from the lawyer for the selling of
the old place (Bois Vert Place and Avalon are no more… although I’ll visit the
pond)… Go to bank where my head hurts… lots going on. But the place is looking good.
FRIDAY…
--- Busy once again.
Some shopping… some returning of items… some physio… a visit with
Melissa and Nick… curtain rods put up… more shopping… and a few breaths at
about 10:00.
--- Bell are incompetent.
After four days go buy from the first attempt to set up my phone… they
try the same thing the second time. Now
they’ll call on Monday to set an appointment for a 4 hour temporary
install. So tempted to switch to Rogers.
--- Got the basement sofa and love seat picked out… be
delivered in about a month. And a new
coffee table as well.
SATURDAY…
--- A bit of mom and dad left in Ottawa. Get my Christmas gift… a nice painting for
the new house… hang some pictures… a quick walk with dad… drop them at the
airport… and off to work.
--- After work, supper with Sheila and some TV for the
night… my first night alone in the house.
SUNDAY…
--- Night shift. I’m
exhausted by the end of it but it’s a quiet night and I don’t need to be too
alert most of the time.
--- Got the garage clean enough for the car. No more scraping the frost from home.
MONDAY…
--- Second night.
Busier than last night but not too bad.
TUESDAY…
--- Up early with Bell coming. They’re here almost 5 hours and leave with me
connected to a land line.
--- Off to physio and groceries… drive by the old place on
the way back. It’s weird and a little
nostalgic going through the neighbourhood.
It was a fine place for a good eight years.
--- Home and find my telephone is dead again. No dial tone.
Fed up.
--- Also spend much of the evening on my wireless
setup. Moved the modem and stuff from
the basement to the main floor and after doing it, I can’t connect with the
iPod Touch or iPhone. After hours of
figuring, I reset some stuff and get it back to good.
WEDNESDAY…
--- The phone rings today.
Bell calls to check on things.
The dial tone is back… odd. They
did nothing.
--- Freezing rain day… and I have a car in a garage. Pretty nice.
--- Dentist as well today and some house work. Half the office is done… with the filing
cabinet being organized and some boxes emptied.
Cut up boxes in the garage too… lots for recycling.
