Dodged another crappy holiday season with little to no damage done. We ate three separate Xmas dinners, oddly enough each one good enough in their own way but sadly lacking that traditional flavour...either not the right veggie combo, or the right turkey dressing, one didn't even make dressing. That is sacrilegious, who doesn't make turkey dressing, even stove top is better than nothing for Christ's sake...
Any way, enough about food. We timed the arrival at Robert's nephews just right, arrived there just 10 minutes before eating and left directly after, we would have stayed longer but we got heaved out the door so that they could go to the Xmas church service in their families little Lutheran church...we made our escape, but left without taking part in the movie exchange later that night...outside in the snowy parking lot...Roberts brother caught up to us and asked if we would come to his place for dinner on boxing day...and Robert, I am ashamed to admit, barked out "who else is coming"....how rude....his brother Tom said "phht, what do you mean who's coming...me you and Cathy"
Robert was reluctant to commit ourselves so we left it hanging and his brother walked away...insulted I think.
On Christmas day, we lazed around, well I did, Robert had to feed the cattle. But at 4 pm we got dolled up, and headed into town (local) to a friends house to join their family for dinner...the food was okay...but their grand kids were there and you know I finally have to admit, I, in my old age find young children horribly annoying... perhaps it would be different if they were my grand kids, but some body elses....yikes...especially the boy age 11, he kept having to be the centre of attention and was shooting foam darts from a massive gun he was given for Christmas at everyone in the room, company not exempt. He got Robert in the face twice. Robert, I could see, was getting a little miffed....as would I have been, and the grandpa grabbed the darts and put them away..so the kid just opened a second package of them...thank god supper was ready and we all went to the table... They have two adult children the son is about 38 and talked of nothing but zombies and science fiction movies all night..and the daughter age 35 didn't talk...except she kept calling Robert, Roger all night...until he finally told her to just call him Sue...she clammed up after that... and kept going outside to smoke...yuk...
We left around 10 pm...I had a bad sciatic nerve thing going on in the back of my thigh and buttock so it made sitting on anything excruciatingly painful...boy weren't we just the life of the party....grumpy Robert and tight lipped from pain Cathy...hahahahah bet we don't get an invite back there next year...hahahaha
Boxing day, we headed off to Roberts brothers...at noon....stopped at a walmart (big mistake in my mind) to grab a cheap movie for the exchange.... I wrapped in on the go...ahahahah what a mess...but at least they never guessed who brought that movie...hahaha looked like a 5 yr old wrapped it.
When we arrived at Tom's, Robert the chicken that he is...dropped me off at the door and said to go in, he was going to turn the truck around for an easy escape...so I had to face the dragon by myself...and low and behold...she was there all right...Tom's suppose to be estranged wife...the one who called the police on him over a year ago and had him removed from his house for three months and then put him through the hell of a court case to get a peace bond...all because she is an unrepentant alcoholic...who doesn't think she has a drinking problem... but apparently she did the exact same thing to her first husband and ended up getting his acreage in the settlement... She and Tom lied to us the whole time they were together...and so when the shit hit the fan with them and they were estranged we hoped that he would end it and go through with the divorce...but no...he thinks he can help her with her drinking and wants them to be together... THIS was the first time we had seen her in a year and a half. NEVER would have been too soon to suit us. anyway, there she was.. standing inside the door with arms thrown wide...crying my name like we were long lost twins or something... she threw herself at me and hugged me...while I tried unsuccessfully to extricate myself...what a hag...she definitely has not aged well...her hair was lank and stringy..dark circles around her eyes, she is nearly emaciated but her eyes had the distinct look of someone well into the sauce...kind of glazed looking... a hug from tom and I was in the house....I excused myself for being rude and made my way straight to the washroom....by the time I came out Robert was at the door...she tried the same thing with him but he just crossed his arms and refused to hug her....
We moved toward the dinning room and nearly fell to our knees in gratitude when the door bell rang again and two old neighbour ladies of Toms came in....they were invited too THANK GOD !!!!! so if not for Ella and Stella being there...things would have been very ugly I think, since Robert was in no mood for her bullshit...I wondered how things would go.. and thought it would either be a knock down drag out fight or she would pretend nothing had ever happened....and that is the card she played...she acted like nothing had happened...and she hadn't nearly caused tom to kill himself in despair...of losing her and nearly losing his home , he did lose his kids because none of them will talk to him for getting back together with her.... Anyway, after a couple of hours sitting there in their blue haze of cigarette smoke, my eyes were burning, my throat was sore and tightening up, with no puffer on hand I told Robert it was time to leave...so all the way home we had to smell the stale smoke smell on our clothes and the moment we walked in the door of the house we stripped and headed straight for the shower...to de-tox ourselves...hahahaha boy that was emotionally draining...sitting through that...but the worst is over, the first time being the hardest...we do intend to talk with her about her behavior and let her know why we are mad and don't want to have anything to do with it but didn't think boxing day was the time to that...another time perhaps...
I never heard from my son other than the card his wife sent...just Robert and Cathy love Rob and Eleesha... no note, no call, no visit... I wrote a nice note in his card inviting him to come during the holidays for a visit since they both work and I never know when they are home it is easier for them to come or call here. Since when I call it is always to get his voice mail and they never call back... So, I am going to wait awhile and if I don't hear from him, he is dead to me....hahahahaha like the Mafia....banished....
Yesterday, Robert and I spent the lovely afternoon, it was only -5 out and sunny, preparing a big hill for tobogganing....our friends that we spent Xmas day with are coming out for a tobogganing party today...so we were getting it ready yesterday and had a hoot....first Robert put the bucket on the tractor and back bladed a few runs down the hill...then I tested them out with the toboggan and calf sled...we decided which one was the best and developed it further...putting in a few humps to get you air born...and such....oh man did I have fun....I even got old stiff in the neck Robert to go down a couple of times...and he screamed like a little girl all the way down...because this some some serious sled hill...steep as hell and long....we are going to use the tractor to taxi people back up the hill....should be a blast...hot dogs and hot chocolate afterwards at the house....and Xmas baking of course...have to get rid of it before I start in on it...managed so far not to because Robert had his nephews beef on top of it in the freezer but now that that is delivered...butter tarts are calling my name.... so I hope to have a few pictures of our sledding day to post soon....
In the meantime, between all this holidaying...I have been working on a not so small project for my friend whose family lost a great uncle in the sinking of the HMCS Esquimalt... what an interesting story that turned out to be and I have been emailing with the author of the article and he had helped me enormously...I have put together a collection of articles about the ship, the day it was torpedoed and about the German u boat that sank her..along with some photographs and such...it is a gift to her and her great aunt (whose brother it was that died on that ship). I know, I know....over the top again but what can you do...I am just that kind of person...if I do something, I like to be thorough. Type A personality disorder....over achiever, it has many names... take advantage of it while you can...I hope to change someday...
Well, that's all for today, I'm off to defrost the hot dogs and polish my toboggan bottom...hahahaha
Splendor
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