Mostly Alicia

Just a blog by Me (Alicia) and once in awhile Robert where we share photos, family history, and just life in general with family and friends.

Friday, 2 January 2026

Weekly Musings of the 2nd

 

Well, here we are in 2026, isn't that something?  I am kinda sad that those days of the dances with live bands that were held everywhere from the Legion to the Optimist Club are pretty much gone.  I use to wake up on New Year day and find party hats, noise-makers and other items from the party.  It was like getting a mini Christmas present for New Year.  Although I did know enough not to blow any of the noise-makers before Mom and Dad got up.  They had dressed up in formal clothes and danced the New Year in not getting in until after 1 in the morning.  Those dances were on the way out when I was an adult and I never went to such a party but I remember when they were. 


  So, we managed to keep it quiet this week considering first the weather decided to go with a full winter spell although I hear next week it will go up above 0C once more so we shall see about lasting effect.  Hubby thought the ice on the trees looked pretty with the back lighting and I agreed.  The ice on the trees always looks pretty although this time there was no sun the next day to make the world sparkle.  The next wave was this...


Not fog but snow coming down which lasted for several days.  Not a lot of depth but a lot of wind.  We stuck to home on the Sunday because of the ice and snow and the whole tire and no heat trouble with Sparky.  It is nice our parish posts the Mass on YouTube so we were able to listen to it at home.  

Tuesday the weather let up enough that we got all the errands run which was a good thing as the car was going in on Wednesday for both the tires and to find out what happened to the heat.  By the end of the day the tires were all replaced on the car but the reason there was no heat, the fluid that was part of the system had a hole in it and was leaking all over the place.  Of course with the holidays ordering the parts was not going to be an easy go and of course, they had to keep the car while we wait.  Last day of the year we decided, after taking the car in, to do a proper cleaning as last week it wasn't going to happen.   

So, New Year's Day arrived and hubby and I walked to church for Mass.  Not too bad a walk as the sidewalks had been mostly cleared of ice and just had snow on them.  One of the things I am grateful to Ottawa for is knowing how to dress for cold weather.  It is totally different than what I would wear when I was growing up in this area and now I really appreciate what I learned in Ottawa.  I was good and toasty as well as bundled up.  We will be doing the same walk this Sunday and our usual brunch after Mass is on hold until the car is back as the walk to and from the diner is just a bit much at this time.  I don't mind walking for necessities but brunch is a treat and not a necessity.  

The saddest time of the year for Tigger arrived after we got back home and we put on the Rose Bowl Parade and began putting away the Christmas tree. 


 No one is happier when hubby puts up the tree on the 1st of December and no one is sadder when we take it down on the 1st of January.  She sits down where it was when all is put away and looks at us with the sad eyes as if to say 'How could you?'  

So, until the car is fixed and back we shall be keeping close to home.  And so until next week...


  Have a great weekend!



7 comments:

  1. Wishing you blessings for a healthy and happy new year.
    Looking forward to another year of reading your reviews, recipes, and adventures. 💖🤗

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    1. Thank you so much and to you and yours too. Huge Hugs.

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  2. Happy New Year! What a lovely, nostalgic trip down memory lane to start 2026.

    There really was something magical about those "mini Christmas presents" left behind from the big dances, wasn't there? Though I must say, showing enough restraint to not blow those noisemakers while your parents slept in makes you a much more polite child than most!

    I’m so sorry to hear about poor Sparky the car—talk about a chilly way to start the year! But it sounds like you’ve mastered the "Ottawa layer" technique to stay toasty. I love your perspective that brunch is a treat and not a necessity, though I hope you get that car back soon so you can get back to your Sunday tradition.

    Give poor Tigger a chin scratch for me! She’s clearly the "Queen of Christmas," and I don't blame her for giving you the guilt-trip eyes over the tree. Eleven months is a long time for a cat to wait for her favorite indoor forest to return!

    Stay warm and safe out there! (((BIG HUGS)))

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    Replies
    1. We gave Tigger extra attention and treats although she gave us the look like she wasn't buying into it at all and still sat where her tree was. Thank you, it was tough holding back, my sister didn't manage to hold back but then the dances were not as big as they were in my youth. You too my friend, huge hugs.

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  3. Happy New Year... what wonderful memories of "how it used to be done" with the dances on New Year's Eve. I'm old enough to remember card parties and trying to stay awake four hours longer than usual, as a kid!

    And poor Tigger! You took away her favorite toy! And extra lap session sounds like a good consolation prize to me, but Tigger's opinion may vary.

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    1. We would love to give her extra lap sessions but she only sat on a lap when she was a kitten, once grown she has refused to do so at all. I, too, would try to stay awake until midnight but it rarely worked for me. - LOL

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  4. I am finally catching up :) It’s surreal to me as mom and dad never went to any parties after you left. I may have had one babysitter (papa) when I had mono, but as for parties they stopped happening until I could stay at home on my own. (Which mom was always home) They weren’t anything to do with the legion or such. It was the holiday ‘St. Francis’ party that they use to go to. Interesting that they did less and less together as time went on.

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