Dear Neighbor . . .

 

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Friday, April 4th, 2025
 3 ESTATE LANE, Nova Scotia

7*C/44*F

partly sunny skies

Dear Neighbor,

What a week we have had here, of "weather." You name it, we have had it. Rain, and plenty of that, snow, ice pellets, sunshine, cold temperatures, etc. We have experienced it all in one week. Today it is a bit milder in temperature. It is supposed to get up into the double digits, but they say the temperatures are supposed to drop again tomorrow. That's April!

It's not time to turn off the heat pump just yet.  

Speaking of heat pumps, poor Sheila, my next-door neighbor, is really stressing out about hers.  I have had her here almost every day this past week wanting me to come over and take a look at it.  I can see nothing wrong with it. It's doing exactly what it is supposed to be doing. It might be a bit noisy, so perhaps needs someone to look at the bushings, but it seems to be working fine.  I am no expert. All I can do is to look and then reassure her that it is okay.  I did tell her yesterday that she might want to call the office and tell them that it was a bit noisy and needed looking at.  I suspect, however, that she has also been calling them daily, and they are a bit fed up with it all.  She said they were rude to her the last time she called.

I just try to reassure her that all is well.  There is not a lot more than that I can do.  Patience is the key. I suspect her memory is not what it used to be. We will all be there one day should we live long enough. It must be so hard for her.

 

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Someone is in the process of moving into the empty unit across from me where that fellow passed away last month, and they are getting all new living room furniture. It was delivered two days ago. A sofa, loveseat, and what looked like a recliner. They are not actually living in it yet but moving things in bit by bit. (There is actually a truck there this morning, so I expect that today is the crunch day.)

It is hard to believe that I have been in my unit four years now, come the first of May. The time has gone quickly. What a blessing it was to get my place at all.  There has been a real shortage of housing here in the Valley. Affordable housing at any rate.  They are building a big apartment building near the hospital with underground parking but looking at the rents they are going to be charging, it will be a very expensive place to live.  I suspect, however, that all the units are already spoken for.

My friend Suzanne was in the low-income housing here in town, the bungalows that Eileen and Tim are waiting to get into.  They moved all of their residents all out of their houses a week or so ago due to a black mold problem. Apparently, they need to do a lot of work on them. My friend Suzanne was moved to a unit about 45 minutes away with no guarantee she will be allowed back into the place she had at the end of all of the work being done. She had not even been in her place for a year.  

Moving when you are in your mid-seventies it not an easy thing. She has quite a way to go to get to church now, but at least the rental people paid to have her things packed up and moved to the new place.   She seems to like her new place, and it is in a nice town, probably a nicer town than this one, but it is a bit far away from everyone and of course, from our church.

Change is hard at any age, but when you get older, it is even more difficult.

 

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Are you a breakfast person??  I do like something to eat in the morning, but it is very rare that I will sit down and have a proper breakfast.  I used to love to have cheese whiz on toast but have not had that in a while. I love those toast holders that keep the toast slices separated and upright. This helps the toast to be crisper.  Most places in the U.K. do not butter your toast for you.  You get the toast and pats of butter on the side for you to spread. Toast is also not a given when it comes to breakfast when you are eating out. You have to ask for it and often pay extra for it.  I thought that rather strange when I moved over there. I was used to toast (and coffee for that matter) being included with a breakfast.

I did love that breakfast was always included when you stayed in a B&B or a hotel for the night, and that they were usually very good.  These types of places were highly judged by the quality of the breakfasts that they served.

I really loved the breakfasts served on the continent however (Europe). Usually a buffet containing meats, cheeses, breads, buns, muesli, yogurt and fruit. The idea of having a crisp roll with some cheese and meat really appealed to me.

The bread in Europe is superior. In France you need to go early in the morning to the local bakery to get your bread for the day. They are just about sold out by mid-morning. Their bread is heavenly, especially the baguettes and croissants. In Germany they had the brotchen buns which were fabulous. (I am not sure I spelt that correctly.)  But even the bread in the U.K. was lovely. I found the bread here in Canada to be a bit too sweet when I first returned home for some strange reason.

 

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Nobody loved toast more than our mom.  She had a slice of toast and half a banana for her breakfast just about every morning, up until her last heart attack anyways.  It would take her forever to eat one slice of toast. She would break it off into bits and eat it a bit at a time while she read her newspaper at the dining room table each morning.  Cup of instant coffee at the ready. She could make a slice of toast look like manna from heaven, the way she savored it and lingered over it. 

She liked to give Gary (my sister's cat) a crumb of her toast every morning, I guess. She liked Gary. She used to say that he was shy. Mom was always for the underdog. She liked to support a cause and was fiercely loyal to anyone she supported.  Even if it was only the phone company. 

She hated nuisance calls however and would often yell at them with a few expletives and slam the phone down quite heavily. (Her expletives being quite mild in comparison to some peoples.)

 

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I had a hard time falling asleep last night. I fell asleep initially, but woke up shortly thereafter. I had a hard time falling back asleep is more the truth of it.  I often do that. It's somewhat annoying to say the least.  I found myself strangely watching Michael Barrymore buy his groceries at Marks and Sparks at midnight last night.  

(For those who are not familiar with him, Michael Barrymore is a former TV host and comedian, and was one of Britain’s top presenters in the Eighties and Nineties with a string of hit shows on primetime telly like Strike It Lucky, My Kind of People and Kids Say The Funniest Things. He also hosted his own variety show, simply titled Barrymore. He fell out of favor in the early 2000's when someone drowned in his pool at one of his house parties.)

I found it quite odd that YouTube would suggest his video to me, but I found it strangely compelling.  I used to love to shop at Marks and Sparks myself and was quite intrigued as to what he would buy for his weekly food shop. He started off at Northern Face. He also did a side shop at Tesco (mostly treats for his dog, candy and ice cream.)

Never in my life did I ever think that I would find myself watching Michael Barrymore shopping, at midnight in my bed. I was never a fan to be honest.  Life can be so random sometimes. I found myself subscribing. lol

What can I say. I like watching people shop, especially when they are not spending my money but their own.

There is no way to describe how very difficult it is to change the channel when you find your cat sunning itself and having a cozy sleep right in front of the channel changing bar of the television.  You don't really want to disturb the nap.  She looked dead to the world at this point and very content. I thought I would take her photograph.

Did not last however. She soon sussed out that she was on my radar, and opened one bleary eye. How did she know ??  I was sitting on the sofa, quite far away from her.  All I can say is that cats are very intuitive and have a seemingly sixth sense about such things.

 

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These past few years have found me on a quest to simplify my life and find more pleasure and joy in the ordinary and mundane. To dwell in the quiet that opens oneself up to the gifts and wonders of the world. 

Quiet has been my study and pursuit for most of these past four years.  Seeking a special openness to the presence of God at play in creation and at work in my heart, directing my ways and drawing me into His story.  That might sound like a lot I suppose, especially when considering quiet as a concept, but these years have shown me that our capacity to be quiet and find contentedness in the ordinary and simple things of life amidst turmoil has come to shape the whole of the way that I trust to the living God, and for me to have a lively faith in Him.

I do not think that it was by accident that everything which happened to me happened in the middle of a global pandemic, a time of severe isolation, when I would be largely unable to draw upon the strength of friends and neighbors in person or to even b able to get out of my house to help to sort out my chaotic life and mind. 

Quiet was sort of thrust upon me along with the heartache of the disruption to my life amidst the lockdowns and I found myself having to rely on God in a way that I had not before.  I found myself discovering Him in tiny miracles that seemed to present themselves to me on an almost daily basis in the run up to my leaving the U.K. There was no sudden dump of serenity and peace, and yet I was able to find it in the middle of all of the chaos. In the silence of the turmoil, I found the voice of God.

Oh, I had always been a believer, but for years I was skirting on the edge of belief, not really allowing myself to be reliant on the peace that passeth all understanding. I am not sure I can adequately explain it. I suppose I hadn't needed Him before in the way that I found myself suddenly needing Him, and I discovered that He was there, just waiting for me to need Him in that way. 

Since then, I have sought out the quiet and peace that helps me to be more aware of His presence. My life, although busy in many ways, is much more simplified and I like it.

 

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I am not sure what I will get up to today.  I had thought we might take dad out this afternoon, but he spent Wednesday visiting Maryann and her daughter.  I kind of wanted to pick up some eggs at the chicken farm.  But I have enough to do around here. Spring Cleanup will be soon, and I need to get some things sorted for that, and then there is my looming income tax that I need to file. (Now that is a peace disturber if ever there was one. I don't know why I procrastinate it so much.)  I really want to dig out my paints or my sewing machine, but I have told myself that I am now allowed to until I do my taxes.

In any case, the day will pass in one way or another and I will make the best of it that I can. I do hope that this finds you well and happy, dwelling in your own little space of contentment.

A thought to carry with you . . . 

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★

 *.Nourishing yourself in a way

that helps you blossom in the direction

you want to go is attainable, 

and you are worth the effort.

~Deborah Day  ° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

In the kitchen today, BBQ Chicken and Cornbread Casserole.  I had been wanting to make a chicken casserole yesterday with some of the leftovers from my roast chicken. I didn't want the ordinary however and so I made this tasty casserole which has a delicious chicken, corn BBQ mix on the bottom with a layer of cheese on top and a delicious cornbread baked over the whole thing. It was simple to make and quite tasty! Its not the prettiest but I hope that doesn't put you off. With all the rain and snow we had yesterday the lighting was not the best.

I hope you have a fabulous day!  Whatever you get up to, don't forget!

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And I do too!