A Gentle Snowfall

It's snowing gently outside, though it hasn't accumulated to any depth yet.  The dedicated fellow who shovels our sidewalk was here shortly after 7, scraping away outside the front door.  We never speak, but I hope he knows he's appreciated.  Now the world just looks white with a nice coating of tiny hexagonal crystals.

I've had a new caregiver the past two mornings.  It seems really remarkable if I think about it, but here you can have a complete stranger come into your house and become a sort of friend very quickly.  It's partly the expected roles of course; I'm the client and she's the Personal Support Worker (PSW) and we both know what we need to do.  But still compared to my past life the situation I'm in now makes us adapt quickly.  I become the instructor again and guide her through what she has to do.  At least all my 5 main caregivers are nice people, even though they have quite different personalities.

My wheelchair needed a service call yesterday, so I had to stay home from coffee.  The right arm felt about ready to fall off, but the tech was able to tighten things up and it should be fine for another few months now.  Given that it costs as much as a small car (though our government picks up most of the tab - one of the few home care things it does right), I guess I should expect to need occasional service.

Our resident Ostrich with its head (almost) in the snow.

I'm working on writing another article these days, and vaguely planning another couple.  So if you were to see me sitting in front of the big window staring out vacantly for awhile, I'm actually working hard.  I usually spend a lot of 'mental time'  thinking things out before setting fingers to keyboard.  This one is a second article on geology in the valley.  A friend thought so well of my last newsletter article that he recommended to the Bruce Trail Conservancy that they publish it in their magazine, in preparation for the next annual meeting which will be held here in the valley next fall.  I'll have to share it with you sometime.

I add this picture just to show you that I can learn from my mistakes.  I explored my simple editing program until I found the 'straightening' function.  I posted this yesterday with a very crooked horizon; today I have it about right I hope.

I also brightened up all these pictures except the first one.  That's one thing you get used to quickly when shooting pictures in a snowy landscape.  The camera automatically tries to damp down the exposure, but this usually leaves pictures of snow looking a little too dark compared to what I actually see.

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Very sorry to read last night that George, of Our Awesome Travels has passed away.  He learned of his cancer just this October and moved into the hospice in Stratford in late fall.  He or Suzie kept posting in his blog right up to the end, and you can find funeral arrangements there today.  I was very impressed at how he kept being his cheerful self throughout this ordeal.  Our thoughts are with Suzie and their family.  We met George and Suzie three years ago; he is one of 4 Ontario RV bloggers who I've followed, heading south for the winter and back home each summer.  George was a chef and you can access a long list of great simple recipes on his blog.  Rest in peace George.