Thanksgiving Plans

I just made reservations for Thanksgiving as Julianne's wedding is on the 11th. I'm leaving a couple of days early to visit in Toronto before we go to Halifax. Paul is leaving on Friday the 10th and we'll meet at the airport in Halifax. A problem with booking Aeroplan miles is that we won't be able to go or return together due to limited seating, but at least it is Aeroplan, and we're both travelling business class. I guess we'll soon have to book for our April trip to Santiago. I just talked to David and Candy to confirm that I'll be arriving there on the 9th.

Search for the perfect Olive Oil

After our time in Tuscany and our visit to an olive grove and production area, I'm on the hunt for some good olive oil. I got an organic, cold pressed one, that is good in salads or even mixed with pasta but doesn't taste good enough all by itself for me to want to soak a couple of slices of bread in it, and eat it straight as we did when we were there. Now I know why my skin felt so good in Italy - we were sleek and oily! - in a good way of course.

I actually lost weight on our trip, but can see myself slipping back into bad habits with the company and treats, and not climbing hills (WINNIPEG!) or many stairs (ELEVATORS!). We bought some Nutella here after getting introduced to it in Italy, but I don't think I can keep it around -it's too tempting to just have a little spoonful now and then. Where's my self-resolve?

After the Parties are Over

It is the last week before the long weekend and the begining of the new school year. It has been a year since I retired and I guess I am always going to think of September as the beginning of the year. Andrea and Brenda came over for lunch today, and it was great to get to visit with them. I find that there are a few people from my teaching past that I want to keep in touch with, and these are two of them. It is interesting to see how people continue and expand their lives once they have left a profession which absorbed so much of their thoughts and energy while they were working.

We went to Saskatoon on the weekend to visit with Rod and Phyllis, our friends from Medicine Hat for almost 30 years. We've visited with each other almost every year since we moved away, first with our children, and now it's just the four of us. It seems that we have had a long conversation over the years, which continues and grows.

I find that I'm starting to think about my fall term and the class I'm teaching, along with the directed reading course I'm doing this year.