Month: January 2021

In January 2009 my sister Caroline visited Greece with her friend Kathy, who was visiting family there. These notes are from e-mails she sent to my mother and I.

January 17, 2009

John, Kathy’s father-in-law, took us to the processing plant for the olives.  It’s up on the mountains. 

John drove. He is about 75 to 80.  He is a bit on the heavy side, and like Dad very stubborn and set in his ways.  He has a hard time shoulder checking and doesn’t have that fast of a reaction time.  He is as sharp as a tack and totally with it. I must say he is a character and then some.  I like him quite a bit.  Oh ya, he also has a flaring Greek temper.

You have to see the roads here to believe it.  They are winding and curving and up and down with huge pot holes.  There are very few straight strips of roads and to top it off some of the roads here and there are one lane, and some of these one lane areas are on the corners with cliffs, going strait down. 

I asked John if he wanted me to drive he said “no”, indignantly, just like dad would have.  So off we went with John driving as he usually does.  We traveled up the mountain in the light of day. It was spectacular views, and the little villages every mile or two were incredible.  Some of them empty and some them with a few people in them.  The olive groves everywhere on the edges of cliffs unreal.  No wonder some of these guys are in good shape, I can’t imagine how hard it would be to harvest olives on the edge of a cliffs.  I found myself quite nervous as John wound around the steep hills and curves, as he pulled over to the edge as cars passed  I would look strait down sheer cliffs. 

The plant was quit interesting to see. Gus, the guy running the machine, gave Kathy and I a tour and told us how it all worked, and the flow line.  He was tired and works long hours for three months processing the olives.  The farmers were hanging around talking and waiting for the grade of their crops.  Farmers are farmers the world over.  Same problems, the weather, bugs, fertilizer and how much they will get for their crop. 

We walked through the little village.  Right out of the past.  I got some really good pictures before the sun went down.  Some of the houses just hanging on a cliff. Big pottery pots, grape vines, fig, orange and lemon trees full of fruit.   So Greek.   Then John went into his meeting. Kathy and I waited 1 1/2  hours.  Sound familiar?  

We left for home and made it.  I figure there must be a god and he loves me because we made it.  My knuckles were actually cramped and I’m sure I dinted the floor board from breaking as somebody had to.  John wasn’t.  On the decline he would speed up ignoring the sharp curve signs if there was one or if it wasn’t so faded you could read it.  On the inclines some times the car lugged almost to stalling.  I dreaded to think what would happen if it did.  Every time a car would come he would turn off his high beams and in doing that motion he would swerve into the oncoming car and then swerve back.  Several times on that trip I thought “well I had a pretty good life, but there are other things I want to do.  I don’t want to die in Greece.”  Anyway you probable get the picture.

We made it home. 

All in all it was very interesting little trip but I won’t be driving with John any time soon. 

Hope all it well with you Mom.

Love you and I will call you when I get home.

Caroline

Januatry 14, 2009

Hi C-Anne,
 
Just a quick note.  We had an earthquake here yesterday and that added some excitement to the already excitable Greeks.  I feel so fortunate to see this culture from the inside as I think it is more real than the show that it is put on for the tourists. 
 
A few of observations:
 
Walking through an olive grove is like walking on the snow when its really cold at home.  Both of them are crunchie.  The crunch here is from the snails. 
 
No TV or computer leads to more reading.
 
Edmonton is so new compared to here, it’s like we hardly have any history. 
 
Life is what you make it no matter where you are.  Its all in your viewpoint. 
 
Greek men like to argue.  Who knows what they are saying but its loud and hands all over.  The women are quiet and not around as much. 
 
You can smoke anywhere.  As a matter of fact the butcher we just got our meat from was smoking while he cut it up.  They even have an ashtray in the women’s can.  Airports everywhere. It seems so funny. I wonder what the bleeding hearts say when they come here. 
 
I would love to do a flip here it would be so much fun.  Except the shopping for supplies.  No big box stores.  Every thing you get is at a different store.  You have to get your fruit and vegies at one store, dairy at another meat at another It’s all a social activity and you must talk and BS every where you go. Even to get the car fixed is odd the electric gets done one place separate from the motor and separate from the tires.  There is a ton of small stores. 
 
Well, off to see a ruin talk to you later.
 
Hope you are all not freezing.
 

It is so beautiful in Edmonton this weekend.  Soft downy snow has been floating down from the sky for days, piling up on the bench, the lawn chairs and the barbecue.  The braces on the fences and the branches on the trees are overflowing and anything that offers any perch is spilling over with whiteness. The berries on the trees are dressed in little white hats.  In the dim light the blanket of snow is studded with diamonds lit by the street lights, and even the air sparkles.  It is so quiet, as if the falling snow catches the sounds and drops them on the ground leaving nothing in the air but the crunch of my boots on the snow.  It is so beautiful in Edmonton this weekend.

January 17, 2021

Ten years later, and I still love winter in Alberta. This winter has been incredibly mild. At eight this morning it is already above 0. The wind has created a crust on the snow which is now littered with twigs, spruce and pine needles, and sand spread on all roads and pathways. I would love some fresh snow to cover it all up, and some colder weather to put that rosy glow in my cheeks.

I’d like to say today was, like every other day, just fabulous – full of inspiration and evidence that the universe is lining up everything for the accomplishment of my goals.  However, today was actually a bit of a tough day, for no reason at all.  I struggled with technology, got cranky with an air miles rewards agent (those rewards points are just a hoax), met with police to give them keys to one of my rental units so they could get in, absorbed the dismal fact that butter has an outrageous number of calories, and mucked around unsatisfactorily with considerations about who I really and and what I really want to do.  I missed going to an event with friends, and wasted some time on the computer.

On the other hand, today was a pretty good day.  I didn’t find myself sitting in a police car while the police evacuated my boyfriend from our apartment after we had a fight.  I did manage to squeeze in a couple of hours to read War and Peace; and other than in the pages of a book I didn’t find myself facing down Napoleon’s army outside of Schongrabern, ill equipped and obviously outnumbered.  Today I actually had some time to consider who I am and what my goals are, and while I may not have answered that to my satisfaction, how fortunate I am to be able to take up such consideration as a part of my days activity.

Last night I observed the true meaning of life – in Edmonton’s very own Wunder Bar.  And even though I had a bit of a headache this morning, I have basked all day in the warmth of better understanding.  It’s simple really, so simple that it often slips through my fingers while I wrangle with the hectic day to day commotion of life in 2011.  Meaning comes from moments of recognition of others.

I watched the warm greetings of friends arriving at the same location from different places, the intimate conversation of two lovers in a crowded and noisy room, the pleasure emanating from the musicians as they spill their hearts out to the audience and the interest of the audience as they absorb the rhythm and poetry.

Since waking this morning and through every moment of the day I have been enjoying watching life recognizing and appreciating life and it makes me love living!

In Alberta we have now been shut out from “normal” life since March 2019. The day the government announced the first shut down I cried. Not for me, but for all the people who have small business in which they have invested their savings and their lives. Shutdown doesn’t make too much of a problem for me, but what about the kids (anyone younger than me)? Learning is best when kids are out and about, in the real world. What about all of the people who will no longer be able to keep up their mortgage payment? What about that young chef from ?!Why Not!? who was just getting his restaurant going?

In the summer of 2019, a friend who works diligently to keep us all in touch, sent a questionnaire for each member of our little group to respond to. Here are my responses.

What has changed? What is your day like?

Everything about my life has changed in the past couple of years, so the lockdown was just a step deeper into the change. Sort of like super-retirement! There doesn’t seem to be an average day, or any regularity. I sleep in as long as I want (up between 5:30 to 9 am) and go to bed fairly early (some time between 8:30 to 10 pm). I’m not well planned. Other than staying in touch with family and friends, I just take up little projects that catch my attention. Cleaning and organizing seems to be high on the list. Even went through my clothes in the Marie Kondo style, freeing up all sorts of space and finding that extra dresser is not needed at all! 

These are some of my projects:  reading, sewing jogging pants for granddaughter Matilda, taking an on line course on how to make videos on your phone, trying to make videos, getting my income tax done, playing with Kaldi (our happy pooch), planning and planting the garden, baking bread and cinnamon buns, practicing the ukulele, repairing the fence, moving a raspberry patch, walking about 5 kilometers a day in the river valley, transcribing a great aunt’s 1901 journal, writing, creating a web site for family recipes, organizing photos…. well, that is the gist of it. The only regular activity is taking care of Matilda one day a week. Having her in our bubble has been a blessing. All days seem to go by very quickly.

What do you miss most/find most challenging?

1. It has been extremely difficult helping my mother and Richard’s father. My mother is 94. Richard’s father was 95, and sadly passed away during lockdowns. The isolation, while perhaps good for many of the younger residents in their homes, has been devastating for them. Seeing family is really  their main reason to live, and that was taken away. Phone calls are just not the same thing. My mother, while remaining incredibly upbeat, has expressed that she doesn’t really care if she lives any longer, she just wants to be with family, to see their smiles and feel a warm embrace from the ones she loves. Both of them lost cognitive function and mobility as a result of the isolation of lockdown. The residences they are in are excellent, but paid staff cannot replace family.

2. The lack of physical contact with friends and family is also the most challenging part of the lockdown for me. It was great to see  some of the neighbors at Elaine and Cole’s 50th anniversary event last summer. It was heartwarming to see so many turn up on the road and sidewalk to help celebrate this occasion, even if it was a brief encounter! When I arrived Margaret threw her arms out as if to give me a hug, and then quickly withdrew them as it was not possible. I cried all the way home. I hope this is not one of the things that continues from this day forward. 

What do I like about lockdown?

The biggest benefit of the lockdown has been the opportunity to reflect. Definitely there has also been a gift of time. The lockdown took reflection further, not only for me but for everyone – which has awakened the mind to possibilities and generated conversations as to what to do from here. Sometimes when a road is blocked there is no other choice but to take a different path. 

What have I learned by being in lockdown?

There is so much to learn and challenging times seems to provide even more learning opportunities! Here are a few of my insights:

1.  I already have everything I need, I don’t need to go to any store. (except for plants, I need plants.)

2. I’ll never be a seamstress or a ukulele player. I spent more time ripping out than sewing those miniature jogging pants. And with the ukulele I can’t remember the cords from one practice to the next. So, the sewing machine is now reserved for mending; and for now the ukulele is back in the closet.

3. While all techie things look like they should be easy, they are full of pitfalls and take a lot of time!

4. Making bread is so much fun, but eating it has undesirable effects. 

5. And one that just keeps coming back to me: You have to let people choose their own adventure… and smile and wave!

I guess that is about it for the survey. I’m looking forward to enjoying appetizers and wine with my lady friends some time in the future. In the mean time , during the first lockdown the blossoms were beautiful and the spring greening happened. And during the second lockdown the river trail paths are proving a great retreat, and the wonderful strangeness that is life is still there to be enjoyed!

I check on line for news, look at Facebook and check my e-mail several times a day. I am looking for some kind of news, but I haven’t figured out exactly what. It’s always disappointing, always the same sort of news from the regular media, a bunch of disasters, murders and mayhem. The social media is not very social, it seems to have turned into a egoic platform for anyone to try to convince others that their viewpoint is the right one. And we all know how that goes – try to tell someone they are wrong, and you’ll just get more resistance! Of course the nice part of social media is that there is some humour there, and some friends who are letting us know what they are doing to find pleasure in simple moments.

It’s all well and good, but why am I checking. What am I looking for I wonder, in this mindless ritual. I need to make my own news.

So I put the phone down this morning and looked outside. The weather is pretty mild, cloudy with a chance of sun later today. I noticed that the squirrels are sprinting along the top of fence while my pup is curled in my lap. The chickadees are still singing their sweet two or three note whistle and a lot of critters that are never seen leave track in the snow to let me know they have visited. The world really hasn’t changed much in spite of all the disaster the media reports.