I cannot believe that Christmas is over and that Jennifer has gone home. It seems like we were in a whirlwind for the last 10 days.

Bill has won many battles with the creeping, seeping, leaking Evil Mr. Frost. It has been very hard work and uncomfortable down in the crawl space for Bill. He feels he's almost won the war. What a 'snap' that was! Everyone was caught off guard and many people had their pipes freeze, etc. We counted our blessings that we had not put up the siding! that would have been a nightmare to try and fix. Lessons learned by us: frost can creep in the tiniest of cracks, holes, you name it. The other blessing....no one lost power during the horrid -35!!

The cold was easing up when Jen arrived on the 22nd but it was still nose hair freezing weather (topping the charts at -25). On the 21st Jen began her journey to Deka and boarded the Greyhound in Vancouver in the late afternoon (around 5:45)...she phoned us at 9pm to say she was in Chilliwack!!! We knew we were in for a long haul; her arrival was supposed to be 1:30am, a time we thought we could handle quite easily and now we knew we would be lucky if she got in at 2:30. At Cache Creek she phoned and said that they would arrive at 100 Mile House at 2:45. Lord save us. So we bundled up at 2am and started the trek into town.

The roads were very icy so we needed to travel slower than usual. About 6 miles out of town we received a call from a very cold and tired Jen wondering where we were. We gave directions to the local Tim Horton's (thankfully just two doors down) and said we'd be about 10 minutes. We passed a few cars on the outskirts of town and made the comment that those parents were on time to pick up their children! Seems we weren't too far wrong. At 3am we slid into Tim's and picked up our extremely tired daughter. We got home and into bed around 4:15am. I think it was 1976 the last time I was up that late!

The next morning was a very late start but we were all happy to be together and planning Christmas Trees and dinners! It was darned cold when we went out to look for a tree but we were determined. We printed off our permission slip from the Forests site (just in case someone challenged us) and went into the hinterlands to find our tree. It took much less time than I thought it would and Jen's eyeballs didn't have a chance to freeze---her mascara suffered but that was it. We found the perfect tree (a lovely spruce around 7') and brought it home.

First it had to de-ice; it was covered in ice. We place it in the tree holder and put yards of plastic under that. It dripped for about 24 hours and we decorated it on the 23rd. It was/is beautiful! And the Moravian Star is a little worse for wear but still able to glow at the top. Must find a new one. Got the Cranberry Chutney done---that is such a good recipe!

On Christmas Eve Jen was my elf and wrapped all the presents for me as I mentioned that I might not have time to make the Paradise Pumpkin Pie if I had to wrap. There was also the Peas and Pear Salad...oh, my! I still had Jen's and Bill's to do but it was a great relief not to have to do them all. Normally I'm way ahead of the game and everything is done so that I can concentrate on food. Not this year. Evil Mr. Frost got in my way. All the presents were put under the tree and it looked even better.

Sandi had offered to make Sushi for Christmas Eve and I took her up on it. We had everyone over and had a great time! The Sushi was perfect; the dogs were frosty; the kids were sociable; the music was great; the snow was perfect; I'm pretty sure I had too much wine; everyone was happy. And to all a good night! The kids decided to leave their presents here and to open them on Christmas Day when they came over for supper.

After they left I still had presents to wrap and I usually wrote little poems or cute sayings....this time, "To: Jen" was all I could work up. Another year. Jen and Bill watched "The Snowman" while I did the wrapping. I was supposed to put together Les' Cinnamon Buns and forgot....

Christmas Day was presents, prepping turkeys, whipping up potatoes, simmering gravy, completing salads, wow! And Jen had a wonderful time in the snow. It had warmed up considerably and it was a joy to be outside. Everyone came over around 5pm and we opened presents, drank wine and ate an absolutely wonderful meal. Considering I don't have counters I was pretty chuffed at the dinner that I put together. And my Kitchen Aid hog was superb! We had crackers, wore hats, blew whistles, laughed, giggled, talked, ate and collapsed. Then there was the pie. It was long, tiring, exacting, magnificent day. And then they were gone.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day photos

The weather was going to turn on us on the day Jen was to leave (27th) so she decided to leave on Boxing Day. Now, if you ever travel Greyhound opt for the Flex ticket as there is no way in hell you can change a date unless you go into the depot. So, we had no choice but to drive into 100 Mile, change the ticket (to a flex one), and drive home; then, go back in to catch the 10:20pm bus!!!!!!!!!!!And on Boxing Day the snow started very lightly on our way in then it was blowing snow when we returned. Whiteouts are not fun; nor are windshield wipers that freeze every 20 minutes and leave about an inch for Bill to see out. Arrrgghh! We could not return that night in that weather. Let's say Jen was not a happy camper. Bill's suggestion was to go in on Saturday afternoon, take a motel and wait for the bus. That way, we didn't have to drive home which made Bill happy as his night vision is not the best especially if the snow is blowing, Jen was ensured that she would get to town and get on a bus! But we didn't count on Jen staying at the Open House til midnight and being in a very loving, up beat mood the next day. That was sarcasm.

We were invited to an Open House at our neighbours' on Boxing Day. They open their house to anyone and everyone; they have a wonderful spread and are the best hosts. I think almost everyone from Deka was there. Cheryl introduced me to so many people but I can't remember half of them; there were kids and teenagers, grandpas and grandmas; you name them they were there. It was great; but a little too much for Bill who had just driven from 100 Mile in a mini blizzard with no windshield wipers. So, we left early. Jen decided to stay even though she knew no one; I was glad as that would take her mind off not getting the bus. She had a blast. Jody and Sandi plus the kids were there so she knew them at least. And everyone wanted to make her feel welcome. It was the next morning that was tough. But, she wanted to go home so badly---she was worried there would be another snowfall and she would have to wait longer. We were determined to get her on a bus!

Going into town in the afternoon, getting a motel room, letting her spend time alone to nap, shower and brood was perfect. We walked around town looking for the second book in the Twilight series (nada), browsed through stores, picked up a Subway for Jen....all through thick, falling snow. It was a good decision to come to town early as it would have been miserable driving. And we stopped at the Greyhound depot to make sure the bus was running. Our thought was, if Jen didn't get on the 10:20 she would be in town for the 3:30am but the Greyhound people said that as the routes were busy they were putting on extra buses so if Jen wasn't on one bus there would be one right after it. Yay!!! We napped, showered, watched venomous TV and went to the depot in falling snow and waited and waited....we got her on the bus---she was so happy. And we just fell into bed. We knew her journey would be long and full of crankiness and no sleep but she was on her way home.

That was Christmas at Deka.

Leftover Turkey, Chutney....and a walk in the snow

So very long since I've had time to blog.

The war with the evil Mr. Frost has taken up our minds and time; Jen has arrived and we now have a Christmas tree. More to follow---we are planning a Sushi Night for Christmas Eve, full Turkey dinner for The Day and a party at the neighbour's on Boxing Day.

The weather is changing for warmer as we speak....let's hope so!

Merry Christmas to all our friends and family. We are very blessed to know who we know.

COLD This is unbelievable! The day the pictures were taken it was -23; last night it went down to -34!!! It does not help me at all when the locals say that it's the worst in 40 years. That does not help the frost coming in the house. No, nada, not on your life, it's a nightmare.

So saying-------it's quite beautiful. Sunny skies, no wind, white, white powder everywhere. Lovely. Now if we could just get back to the balmy weather of -15.

We are having problems in the crawl space. After we talk to the Inspectors I'll give the low down. Right now what the consequence is: frost coming up into the 4 corners, into the drywall!!! I noticed it when I was in the pantry sanding (again as Jody is far too particular)and thought...hmm, this should be dry at the bottom. Not good. It is awful for Bill as he takes it on his shoulders and is using that killer HINDSIGHT. It means more work when we have other things on the go.

But, Gary the neighbour is over tonight to help with some soldering of pipes for the faucet. Yay.

Shrimp in olive oil and butter with a splash of hot peppers and lots of garlic, with Japanese noodles. And probably lots of wine.

My pictures are sometimes so touched up that they load slow. Please be patient...it's so much fun to do.

It's been a long while since I've been on the blog! Christmas, snow, construction..all play a part in keeping me away.

Light snow is falling. I'm learning that flurries is what I would call light snow and light snow is "lots"; then we are getting "snow" tonight. According to Cheryl our neighbour that means fat snowflakes. Bill was out this morning doing the wood thing so that we are prepped for the -31 weather this weekend! Cheryl was walking her part bear dog and stopped to talk. She invited us to their annual Boxing Day celebration; all the locals are invited but she wanted to make sure we knew about it. Yay! Our first party at Deka. We are very lucky to have Gary and Cheryl as neighbours. They have lived here for many years and know everyone and are aware of everything going on; they have been extremely helpful in making us welcome. Their daughter Amber is Kayla's best friend. They also have a son Coltan who we have yet to meet; we only see him and his friends in their cars. Their house is all decorated with lights and critters. Our road of two families is quite well lit now.

Most of the houses are decorated from Deka to 100 Mile. They are the only light except for the snow when you are driving at night.

The nights have been brilliant with the clear skies and upcoming full moon. It's as if someone has their high beams on all night. You can see at least a block ahead of you if you were walking. Twilight is my favourite time of night. The sun setting on the hills, the sky turning indigo with the trees black against it, the moon, oh the moon, turning the ground into a light show, the Christmas lights on our outdoor tree... Sigh.

It looks like we will be able to use our snowshoes (thank you Gallagher/Truters) soon. We now have over a foot of snow outside. Did you hear me???? A foot of snow and more on the way. We are arranging to have someone come clear the driveway as we can't do it all the time. Age does limit you sometimes.

Visitors came to help Bill and I shovel the driveway. Puppies is only a couple of years old and very active; Sadie is only 10 but she has arthritis and is a tad overweight. (Sounds very familiar) Sadie is the Alpha girl though. They will start looking for Jody and we are one of their stops. Puppies waited patiently for Sadie to walk back home with her but she finally left on her own full of energy. Sadie went to the front of the van and just sat there till we opened the back and lifted her in. I thought she would curl up in the back but no she moved right to the single back seat and sat there proud as punch. Bill drove her home as commanded.

Shopping for presents has presented many difficulties here at Deka. I've learned that if possible it will serve me better to take the bus to Vancouver, spend some quality time with Coral and do some early shopping in October. It's an excuse to go to Coral's, yes, but will help me a lot. Or, (and?) go to Kamloops to shop. I will not do online shopping again. So many things are available but only in certain sizes or they don't ship to Canada or if they do....$$$$$....some things you learn quickly. But I am done and am sitting here waiting for everything to arrive. It will come, right?

Bill is gamely building the frame and door for the bathroom; when you don't buy the pre-hung you have your work cut out for you. Time consuming but very satisfying; right, Bill? Gary our neighbour is going to help us with the bathtub taps/fittings this Sunday. Bathtub, bathtub, bathtub!!! Yay.

Still snowing, snowing, snowing....

Minestrone.

Loved the Dark Knight. Finally Batman the way I remembered the dark comic book character. And the very best Joker so far.

Today was Cameron day. We went for a wonderful walk with Cameron.

It was the perfect day for a walk in the afternoon. We had Cameron for a visit after taking Kayla to work; lunch at the Interlakes listening to trappers ramble on and then we went for a walk up hill and down dale in the adjacent Crown Lands. My sound effects kept Cameron and Bill laughing during the walk. Whoops, Eeek, Aaaah, I don't think I know how to spell some of the sounds coming from me. I always seemed to go through the snow into small bogs and slide over hidden logs and trip over roots. It was always with a laugh but it was not quite the sounds you would expect on the crispest of snow.

The light was again phenomenal, absolutely moors moody. The snow was soft powder and untrodden. I think Cameron was just along for the "ride" but he put on a brave face. His love is XBox and walking in the snow with his grandparents amused him for a short while. He's grown into such a lovely young boy. We haven't seen much of him since we arrived so this was a very special day for us.

We're waiting for the grader to make it out to King Road. We are the last on his map and you just have to sit and wait. It's still possible to get out so that's not a worry; it's just a little easier with the road graded. Snowmobiles have been down a couple of times (kids) and are always disappointed that the end of the cul de sac does not have a wide access to Crown land. Yay! Snowmobiles and ATVs are the terror of the lakes country.

Pork chops, apples, onions, parsnips and potato. And Gosford Park for the evening's movie.

Went to bed with a skiff of snow on the ground...woke up to about 10 inches and it turned to ice pellets and freezing rain. Holy Hannah! At least it will save on the white spray paint I was going to need for Jennifer's visit. She will have her White Christmas, that is, if we can get into 100 Mile to pick her up. Not to worry Jen, there is a local dog sled available.

Current conditions

I'm listening to Christmas music on Live 365 (highly recommended internet radio!!) and enjoying the relaxing day. Bother the drywall we say. Jody and Sandi have plans to go to Kamloops to shop for Christmas but the weather looks just so dicey. Freezing rain all afternoon and night. If they do, it's transporting Kayla to work and having Cameron (permanently attached to XBox360) over until the late evening. We're looking forward to that but I'm not so sure about the games he plays. Maybe if I squint really hard and wear ear plugs? What am I saying...I'll probably be right in there shooting the aliens.

Check the new Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer??? How cool is that? I opened it yesterday and am just looking at it all day. Is it not gorgeous? Isn't it? Isn't it? I cannot wait until I use it. There may be Love Buns this year!

What is it about Christmas music? It must be the feeling of being a child again. Anticipation of Santa, Christmas pageants, songs, hard candy that stuck together, pie, that horrible cottage cheese jello mold Grandma made, Japanese oranges that came in a wooden crate, cousins, Uncles, Aunts, Grandparents, dressing up, nuts, Candlelight service, choirs....all that good stuff except the jello mold.

Tuna melts tonight? Slaw with it? Ah, food. Oh, yes, maybe some wine in bumblebee glasses. Someone drank the whiskey.

Do I feel smart. I've figured out (sort of) how to make the links hot on my blog. I still don't quite have the actual insert right but I'll get there.

It's been very cold for Bill and I (-13 overnight) so our little Coast van is plugged in every night and we are adding to the fire throughout the night. Snow is to come tonight and then freezing rain this Friday.

Yesterday was town day. The drive in was again beautiful as the world was frosted. We went by the way of Lone Butte to pick up my Chapters books (the post office is in Lone Butte for the Deka Lake people) and then into town. My absolutely, splendiferous Kitchen Aid Ultra Stand Mixer in sexy black was in at Sears!! Today I'm unpacking it and just going to look at it for a while. This means so much to me as I love to bake/cook but mixing bowls and I do not work well together since I hurt my left hand at work. (Yes, Library work can be dangerous; it's embarrassing that your injury is referred to as "washerwoman's syndrome"!). Coral's family and two friends gave me a gift certificate for Sears (my favourite store now) and this is what I bought. Such a wonderful piece of equipment. Jam-Jams will be made this Christmas and Love Buns (look that up).

Christmas shopping is a little more challenging for me this year. Number one we don't have the choices in 100 Mile and Number two...what money? I spent most of my time asking store owners if someone sold Emu boots. That went over like a lead balloon. They have Bearpaw boots; you know, actual boots you can walk in snow, ice, etc. 100 Mile has some nice stores but just not the choice. It will take just a little more thinking. Liquor is always nice.

Our floor was delivered on Tuesday. We were expecting large young men driving a hi-ab but nope. Roy, around 70, with dog came with a trailer load and he unloaded 1300 sf of floor, handing it through the bedroom window then through the living room window. Bill then placed the lengths on two walls. I played with "turkey" the dog who has not quite picked up the concept of chasing stick then letting go of stick. And it was freezing! Sunny but soooo cold. We got it all in, though. Bill figures we're the only people building a house ass backwards. But James has been holding the floor for a few months and it really needs to acclimatize in the house. And I like to have things paid for. Our next big money item is the siding which we hope will be in the early Spring. We're saving putting the siding up until Dan can join us. We'd hate for him to be left out of the process. He needs to bring up another tea bag as Cuddles has eaten the other one.

This morning just looks frozen out there. A good morning to play with new toys and add a few pics to the blog now that I have half an idea as to what to do. I do miss my ITS group. It was much easier to yell at Alan for help or phone John in tears. Now I have to do it myself as Bill seems to be busy with other things...building, taps, book 2 of the Jack Strong trilogy, ya, ya.

We've learned a new word "prorogue" this week. A word we all could do without knowing the meaning, I'm sure.

Movie of the day: Pete Seeger, the Power of Song
It is such an exhilarating statement on how to live your life within a community. His wife, Toshi, is my hero. I had seen it a few months ago but Bill had only seen bits of it. A good compromise movie for us. Although, he did agree on the rental of Martin Scorsese's Stones Shine a light. Looking forward to watching this. Bill's not a fan of all their music but he's interested in seeing how this group functions (can you use that word with the Stones?). We shall see.

Open present, have lunch, scrape wall, fill any problems, move on to side seems, go for daily walk.....hasta.

Some new pictures for everyone to look at. Enjoy.

December 1! Twenty days until Jen arrives and we celebrate our first Christmas at Deka Lake.

It's been a few days of unusual weather here. Cold and snowy then the last day has been melting weather; now it's cold again and looks like it's here to stay for a few weeks. Brrrr. The minimum over the next two nights is minus, yes minus, 13! Time to plug the car in.

I've done some more mudding and the pantry is coming along. I have no idea if it's correct but after reading far too many versions on how to do it (including the cynical "Hire a professional"), I chose one and am sticking to it. It's not perfect but Bill seems happy with it. My learning curve has taught me that the absolute right equipment is important. You can't go cheap as it will show and you'll be cranky. I would like to go to sleep one night not thinking of it, though.

As the weather has been low so have I. I am affected by severe changes in weather so I'm sure that is part of it, plus suddenly realizing that this is it! At midnight last night it just hit me---left my work, my friends, my daughter, my home---a sudden revelation. I absolutely love it up here but I need to grieve a little bit I think; there was so much happening when we first arrived I didn't quite grasp the importance of what I had just done. The house was overwhelming me too...it will be a long journey. Humans are so curious.

We have a feral cat tip tap toeing around the place at night so I decided some of Digger's treats should be left for the cold pussycat. That will help him warm up. When we were on a walk yesterday, we saw the prints of a Grey Fox (I looked them up); also, the sounds of gunfire were in the air as the locals were practicing at the nearby shooting "range". Not a sound I'm used to but it goes with the territory.

So, how about Cauliflower, Potato and Pea Curry? Then a movie later?

Movie suggestion: The Savages with Laura Linney, Philip Seymour Hoffman. It was wonderful; great writing and acting. It isn't often Bill and I agree on a movie choice but this one worked well.

Pictures of our walk