Today I was supposed to go to Hamilton for a Board of Directors meeting at the Teachers College. All day I felt a bit under the weather, so I finally called Arend and said that I had decided not to go. Then I called Daddy and told him that we weren't going and that he could eat supper here instead of having to go out somewhere.
I called the College and talked to Allard Gunnink, explaining that I wasn't feeling 100%. I asked him to tell Christine van Halen that I wasn't going to be there tonight.
Immediately after I made those phone calls I started feeling better and by supper time I was almost giddy. It's almost as if I was not supposed to go. It has given me a bit of an eerie feeling. Now I am going to be watching the news to see if there were any bad wrecks on the 401 or 403 around the time we would have been traveling those roads. I'll also watch the weather reports to see if there was freezing rain anywhere.
I'm not superstitious, but I know there is no such thing as coincidence. God is always in control.
Friday, November 9, 2007
Thanksgiving in Canada
October 8, 2007
Today is the Canadian Thanksgiving. It is rather quiet here since no one was able to come for the holiday. That's okay, though. We know that it is difficult to get to visit with all of your family members when there are so many people wanting you to spend time with them. We have always been content to see our children whenever they are able to visit, whether or not it is on a particular holiday.
Yesterday we were able to spend most of the day in Strathroy with Maynard (Arend's brother) and Susan and their family. It has become a tradition for us to go to Strathroy for Thanksgiving. It all started when all of our children were small and has continued into the next generation. Everyone brings a part of the meal, but Susan cooks the meat (turkey and ham this year), the potatoes and gravy, vegetables and apple sauce. The rest of us supply salads, desserts and sweets for coffee and tea times. Usually I take pecan pie and a seven layer vegetable salad. As usual we were completed sated by the end of the meal since there is ever so much food available! You certainly don't leave there hungry!
After dinner the 20 people present each stated what he or she was thankful for this year. It was quite interesting to hear what each person had to say. Perhaps the nicest one was what my dad said...that he was thankful that I had married into such a nice family. He is not the only one! I am always thankful for the Smids; they have treated me like one of them from the moment I first met Maynard and Susan on December 31, 1971 - six months before Arend and I married.
The one disappointment yesterday was that John, Nadia and Noah couldn't be with us. They had started out on their way to Strathroy, but realized about 45 minutes into the trip that Noah was too sick for any of them to really enjoy themselves. As a result, they called and said that they were going back home. When I talked to John later on in the afternoon, I could hearing Noah fussing in the background and could tell that he wasn't feeling 100%. Poor little guy.
Today is the Canadian Thanksgiving. It is rather quiet here since no one was able to come for the holiday. That's okay, though. We know that it is difficult to get to visit with all of your family members when there are so many people wanting you to spend time with them. We have always been content to see our children whenever they are able to visit, whether or not it is on a particular holiday.
Yesterday we were able to spend most of the day in Strathroy with Maynard (Arend's brother) and Susan and their family. It has become a tradition for us to go to Strathroy for Thanksgiving. It all started when all of our children were small and has continued into the next generation. Everyone brings a part of the meal, but Susan cooks the meat (turkey and ham this year), the potatoes and gravy, vegetables and apple sauce. The rest of us supply salads, desserts and sweets for coffee and tea times. Usually I take pecan pie and a seven layer vegetable salad. As usual we were completed sated by the end of the meal since there is ever so much food available! You certainly don't leave there hungry!
After dinner the 20 people present each stated what he or she was thankful for this year. It was quite interesting to hear what each person had to say. Perhaps the nicest one was what my dad said...that he was thankful that I had married into such a nice family. He is not the only one! I am always thankful for the Smids; they have treated me like one of them from the moment I first met Maynard and Susan on December 31, 1971 - six months before Arend and I married.
The one disappointment yesterday was that John, Nadia and Noah couldn't be with us. They had started out on their way to Strathroy, but realized about 45 minutes into the trip that Noah was too sick for any of them to really enjoy themselves. As a result, they called and said that they were going back home. When I talked to John later on in the afternoon, I could hearing Noah fussing in the background and could tell that he wasn't feeling 100%. Poor little guy.
Travels With Charlie - Chapter 4 - Port Huron
October 3, 2007
Today Granddaddy had another doctor's appointment in Michigan. This time, though, it was in Port Huron just across the St. Clair River from Sarnia, Ontario. Granddaddy had not been too happy with the location of the doctor's office in Detroit when he went in September. That doctor's office was located in an area of the city that seemed to be somewhat poor and run-down. The doctor's office in Port Huron was in stark contrast to what we had experienced in Detroit. This doctor's office was in a nice area of the city and the office itself was incredibly well-decorated with dark wood paneling and furniture, lovely paintings on the wall, carpet on the floors and very nice examining rooms.
After Granddaddy's appointment, we went and did a little shopping for things that we aren't able to find in Canada. With the Canadian and American dollars "at par" right now, shopping is a bit easier because we can compare prices more quickly. You will be surprised to read what we bought - instant grits, refrigerated pie shells, dried beef in glass bottles, vanilla wafers and lamb's wool. Although it takes about 75 minutes to get to the border in Sarnia-Port Huron, it is still worth the effort to get things you would really like to have.
When we were coming back into Canada, we talked with the border services guard at the kiosk where we crossed over, asking her about what we needed to do to import Granddaddy's car. We already had a pretty good idea of what was required, but it is always nice to have that information reinforced. Once we get the "Recall Clearance Letter" from the Ford dealer in Lock Haven, we will be ready to move onto the actually importing of the car. Little by little we are getting Granddaddy more Canadian-ized.
Today Granddaddy had another doctor's appointment in Michigan. This time, though, it was in Port Huron just across the St. Clair River from Sarnia, Ontario. Granddaddy had not been too happy with the location of the doctor's office in Detroit when he went in September. That doctor's office was located in an area of the city that seemed to be somewhat poor and run-down. The doctor's office in Port Huron was in stark contrast to what we had experienced in Detroit. This doctor's office was in a nice area of the city and the office itself was incredibly well-decorated with dark wood paneling and furniture, lovely paintings on the wall, carpet on the floors and very nice examining rooms.
After Granddaddy's appointment, we went and did a little shopping for things that we aren't able to find in Canada. With the Canadian and American dollars "at par" right now, shopping is a bit easier because we can compare prices more quickly. You will be surprised to read what we bought - instant grits, refrigerated pie shells, dried beef in glass bottles, vanilla wafers and lamb's wool. Although it takes about 75 minutes to get to the border in Sarnia-Port Huron, it is still worth the effort to get things you would really like to have.
When we were coming back into Canada, we talked with the border services guard at the kiosk where we crossed over, asking her about what we needed to do to import Granddaddy's car. We already had a pretty good idea of what was required, but it is always nice to have that information reinforced. Once we get the "Recall Clearance Letter" from the Ford dealer in Lock Haven, we will be ready to move onto the actually importing of the car. Little by little we are getting Granddaddy more Canadian-ized.
Travels With Charlie - Chapter 3 - Granddaddy's Birthday
Ignore the date on the website. Something is really crazy here!
On October 2, 2007, Granddaddy (AKA Charlie) celebrated his 86th birthday. While this was a momentous occasion, it was even more exciting because he celebrated it for the first time in Canada.
Actually his birthday celebration covered a much longer span than a birthday normally would. You see, it all began on Sunday evening when Matt called to say he was coming to Ridgetown to sleep since he was in southwestern Ontario taking notes of soybean development for Monsanto, his new employer. He had done exactly the same thing the week before, calling to tell us he was in the area and would like to spend the night and visit with all of us. What a nice treat it was to see him twice in seven days!
Tuesday, Granddaddy's actual birthday, was a normal day except that Arend and I took him out for dinner at Rossini's restaurant in Chatham. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal and then returned to Ridgetown for cake and ice cream. Granddaddy always has room for dessert, even if he couldn't finish his main course. Hm-m-m, I guess that's were I got it!
While we were enjoying our dessert Charles and Rhonda called to wish him a happy birthday. Almost immediately after, Will called to do the same. To extend Granddaddy's birthday even more, John called on Wednesday with his good wishes.
All in all, it was a fun time.
On October 2, 2007, Granddaddy (AKA Charlie) celebrated his 86th birthday. While this was a momentous occasion, it was even more exciting because he celebrated it for the first time in Canada.
Actually his birthday celebration covered a much longer span than a birthday normally would. You see, it all began on Sunday evening when Matt called to say he was coming to Ridgetown to sleep since he was in southwestern Ontario taking notes of soybean development for Monsanto, his new employer. He had done exactly the same thing the week before, calling to tell us he was in the area and would like to spend the night and visit with all of us. What a nice treat it was to see him twice in seven days!
Tuesday, Granddaddy's actual birthday, was a normal day except that Arend and I took him out for dinner at Rossini's restaurant in Chatham. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal and then returned to Ridgetown for cake and ice cream. Granddaddy always has room for dessert, even if he couldn't finish his main course. Hm-m-m, I guess that's were I got it!
While we were enjoying our dessert Charles and Rhonda called to wish him a happy birthday. Almost immediately after, Will called to do the same. To extend Granddaddy's birthday even more, John called on Wednesday with his good wishes.
All in all, it was a fun time.
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