A Whole New Day! May 2025

 Where to start. 13 years later, I am restarting my blog. Welcome back, and welcome in. 

A quick review of 2012 to 2025:

Chris had his transplant April 1, 2011. He was in ICU 3 months, hospital and rehab in Vancouver 11 months in total. It was a rough ride. Bottom line we came home November 4, 2011. In October Tom and Dianne moved us into a different house in Quesnel. I came home to everything unpacked.

In December 2011, I sold my business to Samantha (daughter) and Linnea (friend). I was officially retired. I had been teaching at the College of New Caledonia (accounting and microsoft office and bookkeeping courses). After a year of trying, I had to resign due to burnout.

Chris was in chronic rejection from the day he came home until his next liver failure in 2021. January he was airvac'd to Vancouver. Being post 2020 Covid, the hospital was struggling. He was put in Critical Care rather than ICU. Visits were limited to 1 person/day and only one visit. No food, water, or bathroom breaks were allowed. We struggled.

February 9th, 2021 Chris lost the battle. Many factors were involved, including number 1 - once a donor liver was found there was a 48 hr testing period for Covid, but it was only viable for 24 hours. Not a chance. We found out about that restriction months later. No one advised us. So our hopes and prayers were for naught.

I was devastated. After all the losses we all experienced during 2020 quarantines and fears, this was my last straw. I shut down. For the first year I sank deeper into grief/depression. Near the end of year two, I found a grief counsellor. I had gradually started going out for groceries and appointments, and visiting with my daughter and family. Samantha was my rock. Dianne and Tara supported my by calling regularly. 

In 2023 I met with a phsychiatrist. I started taking a sleeping pill that worked wonders. With adequate sleep and fresh air, I was actually functioning in my life.  

Chris' loss was devastating. This year we are actually talking of finding a long term home for his ashes. It was impossible to even think about it until this year. My family, including Tom my husband, have been so strong. They supported me with no judgement. There is still a huge hole in our hearts for Chris. His quiet support and smile are missed daily. The biggest gifts I have received are from friends we meet on the street who hug me and tell me that they think of Chris, remembering events and things he said or did. I no longer fear he will be forgotten.

So all done the reminiscing. Tom and I are 77 and 72 respectively. Retired, broke, surviving on CPP and OAS. Our savings were lost during Covid when we got scammed by an investment. (Yes, another loss). We are healthy, happy and doing well. Quesnel has been kind to our families. I have no complaints.

From now on my posts will be much shorter and definitely easier to read. May you return, I promise to express joy! God winks! self analysis ideas! and more.

In memory of Chris Sinkinson (1978 - 2021)

BAD DAY

So today was a BAD BAD BAD day!

Sunday night we had a terrible meal out at our favourite restaurant in Quesnel - The River Rock. It was a Sunday night and they got slammed with a table of 18 and then the rest of the dining room AND pub side filled up and they only had one cook and one service person on staff. By the time they got help in, well . . . an hour and a half to get our meal - and our meal was all wrong and bad.

Bottom line - Dianne and I both got to have wheat for supper. Yesterday, I was down and tired, with a sore throat and headache. Today was hell! Severe headache and DEPRESSION to the point that I just wanted to kill myself AND - it made sense to do so. After the first 3 hours, the rest of my symptoms kicked in (vision, dizziness, ears plugged, etc) and I realized that it was all the allergy! Scared me tho'!

How do kids survive when an allergy can make you certain that you are nothing but a handicap to all those around you. Until I got the clarity that it was the allergy, I was convinced that I would never work again.

Scarey! But feeling better tonight - just the hot/cold flashes, sore throat, head ache and plugged ears to deal with. This one was a really scarey and bad one!

Gluten and GLAIDIN ARE MY ENEMIES!

My Quiet Place

I am sitting at my new desk in front of my bedroom window feeling "at peace" with my world this morning. My window is open slightly (had to close it last night because the smoke was so thick I was actually coughing from it) and the lightest breath of air is coming in to refresh my cobwebbed mind. I am looking out on my yard where all our summer "things" are in place waiting for us to come out and play. My window sill has my new bedside water glass and jug in pink crystal with my candles and latest fav CD. The coffee is perking in the breakfast nook and, yes, Tom is snoring behind me. I have a collage of my grandkids in front of me on the desk (soon to be hung on the wall immediately under the window in front of where I sit.) My journals and journaling books are on the desk beside me - beckoning me to take the time to let my brain overflow onto their beautiful pages. There is a package of Victoria Creams Miniatures chocolates from Mary's Gifts (now being called Joyful Expressions) waiting to be opened and sampled. My Angel of Courage from the Willow Tree collection is sitting by my coffee coaster encouraging me to dive into my day.


Can you feel my space? Can you feel my heart overflowing? Can you sense the "rightness" of where I am right now?

I can and it feels glorious!

Peanut (Butter)

What a fun time I have had at Tara and Dales home in Calgary. During the work day, Daphne and I are home alone with Peanut. For a 10 month old puppy, she is amazingly well behaved.

Peanut is becoming very protective of her home and family. Yesterday during the paving of the street out front, a single worker walked down our side of the street. He was in his work coveralls, wearing the usual safety vest and hard hat and workboots. Peanut was inside the house and suddenly every hair on her back was straight up and she was at the back door screen barking her STAY AWAY! She stopped when we went to the door and checked, but she was not in a playful mood for sure.

Peanut's tricks include the usual sit, lay down, roll over, but the funniest is her "play attack" mode with Dale. She loves to go all wild dog and playfully dive and growl etc. Never does she actually made contact with her teeth on any part of your body. She loves to herd your feet and ankles, which was particularly funny when Dolly was here and she tried to herd Dolly. (Imagine trying to get under Dolly's belly to nip at HER ankles!) LOL

Peanut inspires me to get to work on Stetson. We have alot of work to do on him, but he is intelligent and loving - great assets to learning.

More Peanut pics to follow.

July Holidays

Ok, so I am on holiday. That should mean lots of time to blog, right? Then how come this is the first time I have gotten this close to my blog in 7 days. Don't look at the months since my last update, please :(

If a holiday is to relaxing . . . well, this one rocks! Sleep in, go to bed early, drink coffee for 2 hours every morning, then get dressed and decide if it is worth going out or staying in . . . If I relax any more, I will be comatose. LOL

Scrapbooking has taken a back seat to reading and playing on my computer. (Did I really put that in print -- shame on me!) I only have one 2 page spread completed and helped Daphne do a card for a girlfriend. I did resort 329 pics of T's Mexico trip, and get some additional cardstock to do layouts. Not enough to justify the 2 trips to Michaels already. I am soooooo bad.

So, back to my computer and my new "Artful Blogging" magazine. So how do I get fancy backgrounds and pics on my blogspot postings???? HMMM???

Long Weekend Plans NOT!

Ok so the gods are not in our favour!

Dman is off to a long weekend sports event with the Cadets at Terrace. Ok, so it is a little cold (down to 1 last night). He is young and will survive!

Our well pump decided to come off the water pipes last night and we have no water in the house of 6! Repair man to be here at 9am.

This was to be our Saturday to go garage saling - brrrrr! Dress warm.

This afternoon is our Creative Memories party at 2pm - only 1 other confirmed guest.

Can you see the pattern happening here???

Family is . . .

After reading through my family's blogs this morning I am touched by the power of our technology today. Although I live in the same city as 3 of my children, and I get to spend time with them all the time, their blogs allow me to catch a glimpse of them as the mature parents and adults they really are. Somehow when I am with them I tend to see them as my kids . . . although I am proud of the adults they have become!

When your children become your best friends (when they are adults), you enter into a very special relationship. Unlike other friends, these ones are lifers, they will never go away or betray you. But, they also have the secrets to your soul. They know from experience just where your buttons are and how to push them. But that works both ways - I too know how to push their buttons. That is where the respect comes in. Because we respect each other and we are proud of each other, we tend to forgive the button pushing and see it as just a simple "slip of the finger", shall we say.

Most families do not get to this point in their relationships and when you see another, it is almost a bonding experience. I have identified a couple of parent/adult child relationships that share this same bond and it is beautiful to see. I automatically respect that parent and child a little more. I hope others see that same relationship when they observe me with my family.

So love your family, value your family, respect your family and be proud of your family. They are special.