Merry Christmas everyone !
Now, back to yesterday ... Christmas eve ...
The day flew by. There were two main activities -- getting the Christmas tree and going into town for Mass at 2:30 p.m.
Getting the Christmas tree proved to be one heck-of-a chore. It was hard work trudging across the lake where the snow cover was up to a foot deep in places. Being windblown, crafted into wave-like structures, it was heavy going. Where the ice was clear it was easy walking. With the temperature at 0F / -18C and a wind coming down the lake, it was hard on the face.
The tree that we found is directly across amongst the ones that came down in the mini tornado a few years ago. With snow piled up around those logs it was difficult to get to the base, but I did. Cutting it down only took a minute but then it was a struggle getting it out of there. Having fallen in the direction that we wanted to go, of course those branches were then pointing the wrong way to drag through the snow. Eventually I managed to turn the tree around, base pointing towards the lake and we got it out of there.
I was determined to have a tree shorter than prior years so I hacked off a foot at the bottom. We still couldn't move it more than a couple of feet at a time. At that rate we'd be dragging it across the lake well into the New Year ! I hit upon a solution -- get a tarp and drag it on a tarp. Of course it would have been better to think of that first ... Sandy waited while I walked back to the cottage and got a tarp.
We rolled the tree onto the tarp and then dragged it across the lake. That took a long time. We'd go about 100 feet at a time, pause, change sides because it was hard on the back, then get started again. Trudge trudge. Once we got to our cove, then we had to pull it uphill to the Davies side of the deck and then onto the deck where there is almost 2 feet of snow.
This really is insane. However, unlike prior years I didn't have to cut 4-6' of trunk off the tree at this point. What we dragged is what we kept.
The tree is hugely bushy, unlike prior years. Getting it through the doorway was problematic. No sane person would do this. What a mess of branches, needles, snow ... thank goodness we have tile. Standing it up was dicey. We got it width-wise in the room and then Sandy held the base down while I propped it up. We then got the stand under it; Sandy held it while I went and got the ladder and then tied it to the light fixtures, as usual. Whew. It's up and in place and safely tied. Whew.
Guess what ... it's even bigger than last year. What an idiot ! This picture was taken after I cleaned up. Thank goodness for a wet/dry shop vac !!
You can even see the tarp in the snow on the deck outside. I'll get that today. It's not going anywhere.
Our work is cut out for us today. Decorating the tree will be a challenge. At least that's an indoor activity !
I have more pictures ...
The girls at The Mercado, our restaurant for dinner before the ballet. No, we weren't allowed to just grab bottles of wine ...
From our hotel window, Nathan Phillips Square down below. Skaters on the ice look like very little people from 32 floors up.
The St. Lawrence Market; Megan and Lauren with Sandy in the background.
Abby in her warm spot right beside the fire.
The day wasn't over. I headed into town early because I needed to stop at the General Store (now just the post office), Home Hardware, the LCBO and Buchanan's for gas in a jerry can. I was going to do the latter after Mass.
Well, I got the mail. I then went to the LCBO and picked up a case of beer. Home Hardware was closed. Rats. No one was at the church parking lot ? I went to Buchanan's and they knew that Mass was at 3:30, not 2:30 which I'd actually confirmed with the Priest when I talked to him the day before. Rats again. I was an hour early. What does one do in Loring for an hour when almost everything is closed ? Roxies and Jakes were closed too. Well, I wandered around Buchanan's for a while, found some spark plugs for the 3-wheeler, so David will be happy and a couple of other things. I went back to the LCBO and called Sandy -- it's the only place in town with cell service, albeit marginal, to tell her that I'd be a while. I had the SPOT on so she would know where I was anyway ... come to think of it, SPOT is probably still in the car.
Mass was at 3:30 ... we (Betty Ann and Marie) visited a bit since we were in the church before everyone else arrived, including the Priest. There were a few people from Trout Creek who came to this service but not like other years. Perhaps 3:30 was too late for them ? Usually Mass is at 2pm.
In other news - Betty Ann now has a garage ! She got herself a Christmas present, as she said, and it was built just within the past few days. It's on skids and will be moved a little further back from the road, eventually. She got tired of cleaning her car. Good for her !
As I was chipping ice away from the entrance to the church before Mass, Betty said that there was nothing wrong with the old church that couldn't be fixed. She said that in one more year, it would have been 100 years old and designated a historical structure and they could have gotten grants for it. Interesting. The new church has been in place for quite a few years now but I still remember the old church with its old side room that was only opened when we had a crowd.
Anyway ... Mass over, I went back to Buchanan's for gas but it was closed. Rats ! I didn't want to have a jerry can full of gas sitting in the car while I was in church. I wasn't worried about heat-related problems, just the smell, in spite of the cold. Oh well, I'll have to make another trip in for gas. Either that or I can pump some gas out of the Bayliner that has a relatively full tank. Perhaps I'll do that today.
When I started the car yesterday, the car thermometer said 9F but it was 0F outside. Sheltered and warmed by the earth below, it's better to have the car inside. I won't be starting it today. There's nowhere to go anyway !
We had crappy for dinner; the last of that, along with roasted brussels sprouts and quinoa.
When I got back from Mass, I had pulled up the fishing rigs. There had been no activity all day. Guess what, one had a pike on it. How long had she (yes it was a she) been hanging out down there well hooked and not pulled the flag ? I'll never know. Anyway, we now have another dinner in the fridge. All I have to do is catch one every couple of days and we'll have a steady diet. Fresh pike is delicious.
Onward.
No comments:
Post a Comment