Getting Back to Routine, Preparing for Christmas

Posted on November 27, 2010 by bellalorigagnon
Festival of LightsMy father finally got home from the hospital this week and my life is returning to a more regular routine.  I will go there after music lessons today and we will have dinner and visit and I will spend the night and we will go to church in the morning, then I will return home.  The routine of this seems oh so comforting after the last month of daily hospital visits and no time to fit things like laundry and piano practice into my schedule.  I am so grateful he has pulled through this crisis and can be home again.
I made it through my last big budget meeting at work, cleaned our apartment from top to bottom and hosted my No Hat’s Ladies party last night.  Phew!  Now life can start to get back to my regular routine.
Christmas!  I only have a couple of gifts left to buy and the parcels to go to BC to get ready this weekend.  We are having a very scaled back Christmas this year and I am really starting to enjoy it.  It started with lack of space to store Christmas decorations in this small apartment.  I had so many!  I had gave away about half of them before the move to Winnipeg.  I used to buy some every year.  Now I wonder why???  I sorted through the ones here and for tree ornaments only kept a few vintage family glass globes I grew up with, a few goose eggs ornaments I collected in Churchill and enough mini ornaments for the 3 foot tree we are using. I even had enough of those to decorate three of those little trees!  A box of mini ornaments went off to BC for my son and grand daughter to enjoy as they spend their first Christmas together.  I also kept two musical Christmas globes, a polar bear nativity, a couple of table runners, candle holders and a mistletoe ball.  All else went.  I had a huge Rubbermaid tote heaping with stuff I took down to the give away table here.
The decorations are up and less really looks quite good!  The most important thing that happened through this process was the feeling it gave me.  I feel less burdened about Christmas.  There is less work to decorate and will be less work to put it all away after the holidays as well.
I knew I would have to cut back on how much money we spent on gifts this year and set a limit of between 10.00 and 50.00 for gifts.  Another burden lifting experience!  I started shopping in September buying one gift a pay period more or less.  I only have to buy my Dad’s gift next pay day and I am done.  Wow!  No hours of shopping in miserable over crowded stores, no real stress.  And NO DEBT that will take us till July to pay off.
I am feeling very focussed on Christmas as a time of reflecting on life, family, spirituality and enjoying things like the annual Christmas Tree Contest which is moved back downtown to the lobby of the new Manitoba Hydro building.  I am really looking forward to taking my camera there for a few hours.  They also have many fairy tale displays set up in homage to the old Eaton’s window displays.  Brings back lots of great childhood memories.
As Advent starts tomorrow, and the first candle is lit on the wreath at church, I move to this season in a better frame of mind that I have been for a long time.  I am grateful!
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Let it Snow, Let it Snow

Posted on November 21, 2010 by bellalorigagnon

Sturgeon Creek at the first Snow

Lots and lots of the white stuff falling again this morning.  Driving to church at 7:30 this morning was slow.  Coming back home was slow and scary.  It is okay on the side streets, where folks have the sense to drive slowly, drive to match the conditions.  However, get on to Portage Avenue which this morning is just as rutted with snow as side streets and watch out!!!!  So many people thing that they should still go 50 to 60 kilometers!!!  Scary!  I wonder how many accidents there will be today?
On a brighter note, it is very pretty out there, not cold, great weather for building snowmen (is that politically correct, do we have to write snow people now?  NOT!!!) snow shoeing, playing with your dog in the snow or going for a slow gentle walk.
Looking out my balcony window, down the creek, I’m imagining another time, when people wore long coats, big mufflers and wool mitts and headed out in mass to skate on frozen lakes, rivers, ponds and yes creeks.  Adults with strapped on blades, children with bob skates on.  Afterwards gathering in wooden sheds along the shore, around pot bellied stoves drinking coca and gabbing gaily about their skating antics.  I must be feeling a little Norman Rockwell today.
Here’s wishing everyone the time to slow down, get outdoors and enjoy the beauty of the snow.  For those who are caught up in the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping and preparations, drive carefully and more slowly!
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Return to Blogging

Posted on November 20, 2010 by bellalorigagnon
I made a big decision this week to start blogging again.  I have not done any since the beginning of May 2007, when I decided to leave Churchill.  The last three and half years have been difficult.  Moving to Winnipeg without my husband, helping my Dad look after my mom until she died in the spring of 2009, making the move away from my parents house to an apartment alone in the early months of 2010 and then readjusting to married life again after my husband joined me here at the end of June as we moved to another apartment.  In between all that is the continued care of my dad with my brother, adjusting to a new job and recently a new boss, and the transition of life from an isolated northern community to the city.
We love the location of our new apartment overlooking the Sturgeon Creek Parkway (pictures above), and I often think the view is what keeps me sane. Yesterday we got our first snow and looks like it will be as beautiful in winter as it was in the summer and fall.  I plan to get out my camera and take some winter shots soon.
I just finished a short creative writing course with UFO investigator and author Chris Rutkowski.  It was very enjoyable and I learned many things, most importantly to keep writing as much as possible.  Hence my decision to get back to blogging.  Thank you Chris, you were an inspiration and I look forward to reading your latest book ‘The Big Book of UFO’s’ which I have on order.
I have managed to write on and off the last couple of years with my friends Debb and Liz and continue to journal in spurts.  I’m now looking for the next writing course I can take and am going over old works, editing and rewriting, polishing them up.
Life on the Creek, although often too busy is mostly good.
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Its Spring

Posted on April 24, 2007 by bellalorigagnon

It has been almost a month since I wrote anything here.  I have had the end of winter blahs.  But now, it is Spring!

I know this picture doesn’t look like spring, but hey, this is Churchill.  It is spring.  I know that from the lengthening day, returning birds and warmer weather.  How warm is it?  Well not what most people would thing of as spring.  Today is =10c with a wind chill that makes it feel like -22c this morning.  However, it was a bright blue sky and warm sunshine that had ice and snow melting this afternoon.  In fact a lot of our snow has melted away in the afternoon sun the last couple of weeks.

I know not to let the weather fool me though, we could still get a blizzard or two before the snow is done for the year.  I know it is still 5 or 6 weeks until the river ice starts to break up.

So no, we don’t have spring flowers yet, or open spaces on the water, but I know it is coming soon,  and as Gandalf would say, “that is an encouraging thought.”  I am off to Winnipeg in 2 days, so my next report may come from there.

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Life in Churchill – It’s Spring

Posted on April 24, 2007 by bellalorigagnon

It’s been almost a month since I wrote anything here. I have had the end of winter blahs. But now, now it is spring!

I know this picture doesn’t look like spring, but hey, this is Churchill. It is spring, I know that from the lengthening days, returning birds and warmer weather. How warm is it? Well not what most people would think of as spring. Today was -10C with a windchill this morning that made it feel like -22. However it was a bright blue sky and warm sun that had ice and snow melting this afternoon. In fact, a lot of our snow has melted away in the last couple of weeks in the afternoon sun.

I know not to let this weather fool me though. We could still get a blizzard or two before the snow is down for the year.

So, no, we don’t have spring flowers yet, but I know it is coming soon. And as Gandalf would say, “that is an encouraging though”.

I aam off to Winnipeg in a few days, so my next report may come from there.

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