Christmas a Month Early

We wish our US family and friends a happy Thanksgiving which they have the 4th Thursday of  November.  But up here "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas."   Our post-polio group has its meetings the 4th Thursday of the month and today we were celebrating Christmas a month early.    We had a short meeting and then a big turkey dinner with mashed potatoes and cabbage rolls and all the trimmings, and black forest cake for desert.   It was really a wonderful meal catered by an older couple from out of town which someone in the group knew. After dinner there was some Christmas carol singing and visiting.    

The weather here has also seemed like Christmas a month early.  By three weeks into November we have already had at least 3 big snow storms that clogged up the streets.   This morning it was -27C with -39C windchill but the temperature went up during the day and it was -8C when we were coming home from the Christmas dinner.    So we hope for some more moderate weather for the next while.    

Weekend: Music, Football, and Birthday Party

Last week Elaine was busy with practices for her choir concert which I attended on Saturday evening.  It is quite impressive that they got about 600 people out on a cold Saturday night to their concert. They first performed Te Deum by Charpentier  which was composed in the late 1600s.   It was said that King Louis XIV of France decreed this piece be played at all official ceremonies.  This was a very enjoyable hymn of praise with the choir, soloists, orchestra and pipe organ.    The longer part of the program was The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace by Ken Jenkins which they performed before in December 2007 (when Ky and Lyn were in the choir.)   The Armed Man is quite a dynamic performance with goes from the glory of war to the horror of war to remembrance and then to the promise of peace.  It starts out with the choir singing to the beat of the drums and marching feet of the choir (army) and then builds up in the "war" part of the performance at full volume.  It is quite an experience that has you wide awake with timpani and drums at full volume with the orchestra and choir.  It was a  lengthy performance which finished with some beautiful songs of peace.   Now the next concert to look forward to is the annual Handel's Messiah on December 15.     

On Sunday afternoon/ evening all the church was invited to celebrate little Rueben's first birthday.   The Riders were in the western final so the main event was eating supper while watching the football.  It was a lot of fun watching the game with the group. The game didn't look too promising at first but the Riders seem to always let the other team get a lead at the beginning before coming back for the win.  We had birthday cake at half time and then more visiting while Rueben opened presents after the game.   It was a good time. 

Driving Carefully

We had wet snow starting last night and continuing today.   My timing turned out to be good just getting the snow tires on my Mazda yesterday.  It doesn't have much traction with regular all season radials but much better with snow tires.   I did go to work this morning but took it easy driving on ring road.  The traffic  was moving along about 60 km/h when I went which was not bad.  There were some people in the ditch mostly ones who get impatient and try to pass and spin out into the ditch.  When I went home at lunch the city streets were ridiculous with ridges of wet snow, but when I got onto ring road it had been cleared.  It was slippery but OK if you are careful.   I was just as glad to stay home then and to have Thursday off for Remembrance Day.    

End of a Beautiful Weekend

Looking across Wascana lake to the Legislature just after sunset

We had another beautiful day today with a high of 18C.  Yesterday was 12C and it was very nice all last week, a very welcome change from the stormy weather the week before.   

Yesterday Elaine and I went up to Shellbrook for her Aunt Violet's memorial service.   It made for a long day going up in the morning and coming home in the evening, but we were very glad we went.  It was good to see the family and so many people there.  With the beautiful weather the traveling was no problem.

It would be great if the nice weather would last a while longer.  It looks like the downward trend is coming this week but we may still stay a few degrees above normal.