Day 375 - Driving Like A House On Fire & A House On Fire

Today was my acupuncture appointment. Today was a day I should have just stayed in bed.

We left late for the appointment, so Jaco was speeding. I usually do a pretty good job of backseat driving, but today I felt weak & sick again, so I wasn't watching the road. We met a cop. Jaco was driving 142 km/h in a 100 km/h zone. We got stopped. It gets better. Jaco doesn't have an international driving license. The cop didn't care about his SA license. I couldn't find the insurance. I could find plenty of expired insurance in the glove box, but not the current one. He also got upset when I found an extra license plate sticker. (?!) He really got upset when he couldn't read the VIN# & thought the car was stolen.

Thank goodness he didn't ask me for my license, as I haven't been able to find it since last week. We received a $281 fine & I had to drive. In the end, the cop was actually quite nice about the whole ordeal. It could have been a lot worse! Apparently he could have towed the car & given Jaco a much heftier fine, but he didn't! Additionally if Jaco had added a mere 6 kms more to his speed, he would have had the lucky opportunity to meet some of Canada's finest in the Judicial System!

Thankfully Dr. Zhao still held my appointment, even though we were 50 minutes late!!! (for a one hour appointment!) I think I neared 30 needles today & I was quite restless for the last 10 minutes - not sure why.

Our next stop was Fishman's to pick up my wedding dress. I dropped it off on March 18th (coincidentally our anniversary) & told them I would pick it up in June. It's November. When I went to pick it up, I asked them to put it in one of those special boxes that helps to preserve it. The gal at the counter told me her boss would have to do it, so I need to come back another day. I hope they don't mind waiting another 8 months!

Next up was Safeway for oranges & Banzai Sushi for... SUSHI!!! $4.50 makes for a great supper! We drove home to greet the girls & unload the car. Mom arrived shortly after & asked if we wanted popcorn. I told her not really, but I'd probably end up eating some. As I left the room, I heard her bragging to Jaco about a new 'popping technique' that Ken had showed her. Whatever.

I'm in the bedroom on the laptop (as usual) & Jaco came in to join me. I commented to him that Mom must have forgotten about the popcorn because I could smell something burning. He giggled with me - remembering our 1/2 hr whistling tea kettle from a few weeks ago. The next thing I hear is Mom stomping into the kitchen muttering about her burning popcorn & then it turns into, 'JILL! JACO! We've got a FIRE! You better come help me! HURRY! WE'VE GOT A FIRE!'

I fly off the bed & into the kitchen, grab the water jug & start coughing like crazy. Before I get anything wet, she tells me 'It's okay. I think I've got it out.' Meanwhile the entire kitchen is a white haze. I'm not sure if it's the burnt popcorn or the baking soda she dumped on the flames. We're all coughing & hacking & standing out on the deck. There isn't much air circulation, so she drives to the bunkhouse to get a few fans.

When she returned, she told me how she removed the lid off the pan & it burst into flames. By the time she went to the cupboard for the baking soda, the flames had doubled. That was when she panicked. I asked her why she didn't just put the lid BACK ON the pot & to that she replied, 'I didn't want to burn myself!' Hmpf. Needless to say, it was a little smokey on the homefront tonight.

When I had called her prior to the fire & told her of our police fiasco, she said, 'Sometimes these things happen to remind us of what's really important - what we have on hand.' So I told her after the fire fiasco, 'Sometimes these things happen to remind us of what's really important - what we have on hand.'

Somedays are just better spent in bed. Under the covers & relatively safe. And I use the word 'relative-ly' rather loosely. Thank goodness the day is done. Sleep peacefully & safely.

Oh! I also talked to Sylvia tonight. She told me about the surprise party her girlfriend's threw on the 23rd. She asked me if I went to Extra Foods in Athabasca, which I had. Why? I asked. Her friend was in Extra Foods & later looked at Sylvia's photos & saw the same chick with a henna'd head in the photo as she did at Extra Foods! Hah!

xxxxA charred Maria, Jaco, Valentina & Oceana

What do you say? 

 Cough! Cough!

'At least it wasn't your good pan!' 'It was my good pan!' (All Mom's pans are good pans, FYI) 

When I went in to take the photos, the left front burner was actually on & sizzling away. Was she trying to start ANOTHER fire?  

 Good ol' baking soda. Here's another use!

Oil, baking soda, heat & a good pan. Just what the Doctor ordered for a night of mayhem.

Day 352 - Thanksgiving Dinner

Today Jaco experienced his first Thanksgiving dinner. Boy, did I ever get put to the test. He was asking me what Thanksgiving was all about... It's about giving thanks, right? But why? Where did it come from? Why is the Canadian Thanksgiving 6 weeks earlier than the Americans? Who do you give thanks to? So many questions & no connection to Wikipedia while I'm driving! And one more tuffy, why are Canadian barns red?


Here's what he found out:

Canadian Thanksgiving, held on the second Monday of October, has origins dating back to a 1578 homecoming feast for explorer Martin Frobisher when he returned to Newfoundland after his search for the Northwest Passage. However, like Native Americans to the South, Canada's First Nations people celebrated harvest festivals long before Europeans came to North America.

The purpose and frequency of Canadian Thanksgiving has fluctuated over the years, but the current commemoration date was set in 1931. After WWI, Armistice Day and Thanksgiving had both been celebrated on the Monday falling during the week of November 11. In the 1931 the holidays split and Armistice Day became Remembrance Day. The holiday is statutory for all provinces except Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

For Americans our version of the holiday seems quirky, fitting in the same category as pronouncing the letter "Z" as zed, calling soft drinks "pop" and paper money in multiple colours.

In the U.S., Thanksgiving originated in 1621 as a three-day harvest feast celebrated by the Pilgrims at Plymouth Colony and incorporated prayers to survive the winter ahead. During the American Civil War, president Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving a national holiday to be celebrated on the final Thursday of November. Today the holiday is held on the fourth Thursday of November.

The American holiday is now focused on family reunions, NFL football games and, of course, turkey. Over the years, Canada's holiday has come to mimic U.S. celebrations - with family and food taking centre stage.

You can find the original article here on Yahoo! Canada (not Wikipedia!) 

We had our Thanksgiving dinner at Ken's place with all of his children & their children. It was a nice gathering & the meal was fabulous! I have always enjoyed Mom's cooking & over the years, there are several dishes that I have coined as my favourites. The broccoli dish, the pistachio dish & the pumpkin dessert. Hardly healthy, but definitely delicious. We enjoyed stuffing, turkey, cranberry sauce made from scratch (never from a can!), mashed potatoes & gravy, mango salad, & sweet potatoes & carrots in the slow cooker - the same recipe we used for the wedding. 

If you're really hungry, send me a message & I will give you the coveted recipes... If you ask nicely!

We took the dogs & they were a hit until Oceana got grumpy with Ken's daughter-in-law & Valentina stole the sausage from Lola, Allison's Chihuahua. I came straight home & watched Cesar! We've got some work to do!

I also got a speeding ticket. From Ken's grandson, who is about 6. It read:

"NOSEE

IIIIIIIIIIIIIOOO

NO-SPEEDIN

CG

DVD

STOP"

How cute is that? Thank goodness there were no demerits involved & that he didn't ask for Jaco's driver's license!

Sleep well... I know I will with all that turkey in my tummy! Happy Thanksgiving! 

xxxxMJV&O

ps - I'm thankful for:

My wonderful husband, my family, my friends, my Doctors, socialized medicine (!), the people who have supported me throughout this health journey, Valentina, Oceana, and a last kick at summer! (There's a lot more, but that's a good start for tonight!)