Last Post of 2012

Even though there are a few days left in 2012, I doubt I will put fingers to keyboard again.  So let this be the last posting of the year...  Thanks to everyone who came by the blog to check out a post or two.  Hopefully 2013 brings more pictures and stories.

Christmas was the news of the week around here, and for pretty much everyone else I suppose.  We all made it through the holidays with the usually bits of silliness, gift giving, visiting, unwrapping, eating, blah, blah, blah.  All in all, we are still alive and well. 

We started off on Christmas Eve on a bit of a house crawl.  Dinner with Don and Janet, night cap drink with John and Rhonda, a walk around the square, and home by nine or so.  Santa had not yet delivered the goods...

On Christmas morning we had a later start.  We weren't really out of bed and shaking until about nine.  We had a big scoff to eat, and just sort of puttered around.  Molly opened/tried to open a few gifts, but was not into whatsoever.  No big deal.  We never really got her anything anyway!  I went out for a run...  And it wasn't so much different then any other Tuesday. 

 

We never really got into a posing mode this Christmas with fancy clothes on and that ideal back-drop to shoot a likeness.  All of our pictures were a bit out of focus, eyes closed, missing people, and missing important moments. 

 

 

 

Shelly and her mom were quite upset though this Christmas.  Shelly's horse Lucky was "put-down".  (Not urban "put-down", rather rural "put-down".)  It was unfortunate, but necessary because of its deteriorating condition.  I went out to the barn on Christmas Eve day to give it a hoof clipping - my gift to it I suppose....  and it was laying down, not able to get up - It looked like it had a broken leg even.  At any rate, its fate was in this poor condition.  So ya...  Shelly won Lucky when she was in elementary school at a fair.  It had outlived hundreds of cows, barn cats, mice, raccoons, the rooster, and so on @ the Johnston ranch... To Lucky!

 

 

You wouldn't believe it....  But Ralph the dog was in deplorable condition too - Seemingly worse than Lucky.  Now Ralph is Shelly's mom's pride!  Gladys loves her dog more than many-of-person.  But Ralph, well Ralph was not walking, not eating, had lumps, etcetera, etcetera....  So, shall I continue? 

Ralph was also "put-down" (rural definition)....  One after the other.  It was the right thing to do.   I'll tell you, Shelly and her mom were quite upset at the loss of both of the animals - and on Christmas morning of all days.  But after a day or two, and thinking about the quality of life the animals had, it was a choice that was necessary.  On a farm you have two kinds of animals; dead and alive ones.

 

 

I have never seen the Johnston's house cat walk on such a straight path!  It knows you better be well, or else....

 



Strike

So last Monday was a new first for me.  It was my first ever strike as an employee.  I had walked a few picket lines before, most recently this summer in support of my brothers and sisters at SIFTO salt mine in Goderich, but this one was the real deal....  Well, it was real, but only one day long, so it was nothing compared to what tens of millions of workers around North America, and the globe, have had to go through.  At any rate, I did my part, and it was extremely anti-climatic, as not much of note happened whilst holding the line.  A few honks, some jeers, one middle finger....  I was stationed at an MPP office, and the faceless politico didn't even have the nerve to go to the office that day.  The strike shift was 3 hours long, I probably walked 4.5 miles, it was really wet and cold out, but we did our part and our message was sent.  To democracy!

Sister Leanne and someone else who I can't quite remember her name:

 

 

My buddies and I got horrendously skunked during the December deer hunt.  I did not even see a deer, let along any animal with four legs!  Honestly - not a squirrel, coon, coyote, etc...  I saw a few dogs and some domesticated cows and horses, but nothing, nothing, nothing.  With this, I am somewhat baffled because we are in spots that seem like a coastal-villa for deer with lots to eat, lots of cover, marshy, not beside a house or school, but then again they are so sneaky and can walk around you without you having any idea.  Besides, I don't know too much about deer hunting in general - I've only been out for 6 or 7 years.  I can clearly remember the first year though.  My buddy shot one within the first 20 minutes we were out - I took cracks at one or two each night thereafter for the week - missing of course.  But we saw tonnes of them.  And since then, it has just trickled down slowly but surely.  I don't know....  Oh well.  I still have a tag though for my bow and arrow.  It is good until Dec. 31.  So over the holidays I am going to be out and hopefully my fortunes will be better with that implement.

 

 

Molly is doing super terrific.  She is all but walking - Doing everything there is to do, but she has yet to take those fretful solo steps unabided.  No big deal.  Perhaps by New Years she'll have gotten it down.  But she is really doing swell - Enjoying all there is to enjoy at day care and all of those other 14 month old activities.

 

 

 

 

 

So the ho-ho-holidays are soon upon us all.  We don't really have any major plans.  The weather has been so mild around here.  It was 7 above zero with no wind, and no snow in the forcast.  Everything is green and muddy.  Maybe we will all get to Toronto or something for a bit of a vacation.  School starts back up on the seventh of January.  Lots of time for something, but not too sure what yet.