WHAT.....last post in December.......

I guess Facebook is taking over...................
it must be feeling NICE in Saskatoon with 7 degrees this evening..........but I am still enjoying our 25 on a Friday afternoon.

My thoughts haven't been as deep this winter as 3 years ago but then life doesn't have quite as many DRAMATIC changes and uncertainties.   Plenty of uncertainty to go around but somewhat less dramatic and unfamiliar.

IT IS STILL THOUGHT PROVOKING TO RETIRED AT 61--62 in 4 months!!!  In Taiwan "but you look so young!"   What work do you do?    In Canada, Congratulations!   We have been blessed with good health, enough skills, bravery and financial resources that we CAN be here and work part time in Canada and friends everywhere.   Snowbirding across the ocean instead of south of the border maybe we will change our jumping off point.   Those pesky flight arrangements determine most of our planning though.

Well off to our Friday Mexican lunch,  YEP in Taiwan having Mexican.......

Another day....Supper at Mr. English

Yep another day of Kaohsiung adventure!  Melissa picked us up and we went for lunch at Don Burrito on Heti Road.  A regular Friday lunch meeting so we cannot break  the 'girls lunch' even though I do..........  soft tacos, quesadillas, nachos and a GOOD TIME.

Melissa dropped us off at the MRT (no fee ATM) so we could get $$$$ and pay our rent at the Post Office, yes, here you can do banking through the Post Office too.   Later, I went for a short bike ride, bought my iced green tea, stopped for a coffee and snack at the corner bakery Chung Hua Bakery...WHY buy tea and then coffee??  to see my tea stand friends and then a bit too chilly on the bike so coffee to 'you know' "go with the snack from the bakery".

Probably Chicken Caesar salad for supper but I MIGHT go for the burger!

New Year's eve tomorrow COULD be a quiet one....a morning wedding of a friend, I have youth 8-10pm and there was some talk of watching the EDA world fireworks from Melissa's balcony....but then I hear a lot of talk that was just a discussion of ideas......

Christmas 2011

The last few Christmas' have been very different.  Being in Taiwan there is LOTS of Christmas promotion, decoration and music but it doesn't stop December 25th with a screeching halt like it does in Canada.  Oh, it does start to disappear but music still plays however sometimes you can also hear a Christmas song in March!  Many of the sparkly tinsel decorations are used year round so there is just less of it.  For most Taiwanese it is an 'american' holiday so work and play go on as usual

This year we helped Melissa care for an orphan baby for the weekend, went to church, had lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant and Christmas dinner at our Pastor's house, met some other church members and learned a new game.  We even had leftover turkey and pumpkin dessert for lunch today!!!

Now we will see what unfolds for the week....there are a few things to do at Melissa's apartment and then her(MY) IFH work list will start to be released.  It will be very different operating the guest house without actually living in the midst of it.  Much more personal privacy for her and her dogs and it gives her a  fresh perspective for the house too.

No real profound thoughts today....................

43 YEARS Wrapping Christmas presents

Just finished wrapping some Christmas presents for Melissa ..... 43 years with short fingers.  It was 43 years and one week ago that my right hand changed forever.   And of course even at 18 I WAS GOING TO WRAP MY GIFTS MYSELF.  

Wow what a lot has happened in those years!!!  Brenda Babich, then Walrath and Colleen wrote me inviting me to Aldersgate College the day of my accident.  What else is a guy gonna do....so off to Moose Jaw I went for 3 1/2 months that have had a lifelong impact.  Little did I know it would result in a wife, 2 children, a daughter in law and 2 grandchildren.  God has kept a guiding hand in my life for many years.  MOST times it takes the wisdom of hindsight for me to realize it.

Wow a MONTH since my last post and we are now 2 WEEKS into our Taiwan winter

It has been a whirlwind month.  I finished a renovation job that will pay for much of our time here.  Packed and weighed suitcases, lugged suitcases, rerouted flights, arrived in Taiwan at the time expected, settled in to a new apartment, helped Melissa settle into hers, forked out a fair bit of $$$$$, and HAVING A MARVELOUS TIME.

Now to participate in our Saskatoon and Kaohsiung worlds.

Finding Forester or MYSELF

It's an interesting character study but what struck me beside people's biases is that at the end (it's been out for a while so no need for a spoiler alert)  Forester [as only Sean Connery can accomplish] rides his bicycle off to Scotland for his final days...............hmm if I knew I had weeks/months left where would I want to spend my final days?  I don't know......Do you?  Now don't get me wrong...that isn't a negative or loss but a HMMM.

On a more shallow note, my below freezing winter is due to end in 16 DAYS................for that matter below 10 and maybe even 15C.  Kaohsiung, Taiwan  here we come!!!!

Coffee only $73 a bag!!!

That's better than the time we went for water filters and spent $200.  I am going to have to start leaving Colleen in the car!!!!!  We did get 2 travel mugs, two books and a jar of antipasto but I went in for Vanilla Hazelnut coffee!

EIGHT WEEKS TOMORROW and we are on the plane for Taiwan!!  We are travelling via Calgary, San Francisco and Tokyo.  We leave here at 6:30 AM and arrive in Taipei at 10:20 PM.  26 hours is about the shortest we've had AND 90 minutes is our longest layover.  But we do have to overnight in Taipei before taking the 2 hour High Speed train ride to Kaohsiung.  (the bus and it's 3AM arrival is NOT a tolerable option).  Even with the hotel and THSR we are MUCH LESS than if we left here any closer to Christmas.   I expect we will meet Melissa on her Wednesday lunch break.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving.....our LOCAL extended family numbers about 40 now (and that's really only half......(one branch)  so we are using our church kitchen and cafe area.  We get to use the gym so the harried factor is lowered a bit.  I whine that it is not the same but it is still WONDERFUL and a blessing to have so many happily together.

To my American family and friends  don't worry yours is coming.........for once the USA follows the Canadian lead!!

Oh yeah, we are all doing well.   Melissa's melanoma surgery in June was successful and all tests continue to come back CLEAR. We've been able to spend some marvelous time with Alex and Gaby.  Although not much with Jay & Julie.  Our summer has been good, a bit relaxed and a bit hectic at times but NO major injuries or incidents!  And now to ease ourselves into our new Visalus Sciences business endeavour and prepare for 4 1/2 months in Taiwan.

love to all

WOW 6 days short of 2 months

I apologize to the non Facebookers.  As much as I say FB is not for everyone I behave as if it is........hmmmm I suppose many of us have said  Do as I say not as I do.  

We have our annual Taiwan trip tickets booked and will actually get them fully paid for BEFORE we leave.  Dec. 5th through April 19th.  It's 2 weeks erlier than we intended but adding 2 weeks saved almost $1,000 EACH.   Now to see if we spend that money here or there or actually save it.

Alex turned 6 this week!!!!!!  Hopefully we will get together soon.

Yikes!! Thanksgiving is October 9th!  We now have the 3rd generation beyond the baby stage, for the most part, so nobody's home has the capacity.   Hopefully we can arrange to use the church .  It  definitely changes some of the essence of the gathering but sanity does have value.......

I have a couple Electrical contracting jobs on the go and should get them wrapped up by the end of October so I can rest and relax for Taiwan living.

Well all for now.

This is what grandkids and summer is about!

We had a Thursday afternoon trip to Kinsmen Play Village.  LOTS of kids and parents/grandparents and the sharing was great to see.

And then off to the carousel and train. 

And we even got our the water guns when we got home after Burger King supper! 

Friday was a little bit quieter.  Melissa brought the Metrushka home from her 94-95 year in Russia.

Updates

I just reviewd the last several posts...well actually back to some of the initial posts 4 YEARS ago.
Melissa's cancer reports are ALL CLEAR.  The melanoma on her shoulder was removed successfully And the followup tests have been all clear.  Another followup test in 3 and 6 months.

Oh and Melissa has a few days off next week so THREE DAYS IN BALI..........SHE NEEDS THE RELAXATION.  The accommodations seem inexpensive and fantastic.

Alex and Gaby are coming for overnight tomorrow!!!!!!  We might not be quite as adventurous this week as last Saturday..........Colleen took Gaby for the departure bathroom trip and  the poor little girl's lips quivered because she didn't want to 'just do nothing' at home................ I'm sure it isn't THAT boring at home  OR fun at Grandma and Grandpa's !!  Alex has a BD party so she'll get her 'alone' time this week.

WE ARE BLESSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   Kids, Grandkids, a house, beautiful skies, Central Air for summer, and Central heat for winter, good health (most of the time), great family, fantastic friends, a safe country, freedom to relax and freedom to travel(as long as we earn enough extra money and don't waste too much.

Another month and Another Birthday

I have had lots of thoughts and "I should blog this" and some thoughts just not clear enough to share.  However as much time as I spend at my computer my Blogthoughts are generally in my quieter times or in transit from home to youth activities or to that tiny bit or WORK I do

I got to CELEBRATE my 61st Birthday with my grandchildren! 

I had to go through that tunnel 3 TIMES in order to get all three of us in the photo you don't see.

YES DOWN THE TWISTY SLIDE, NOT JUST POSED

And then we played in the backyard pool.  The action in the middle is Colleen not knowing I was already recording.   THIS is one way I stay YOUNG..............

3 weeks of rambling thoughts

I am now able to say I am RETIRED.  I've spent 3 years getting my head past a layoff with severance.  Not dealing with it but describing it as retired.   Dealing with it has NOT been a problem.  Actually I should be semi or quarter retired to support our lifestyle!  Each year has been an adventure in scheduling, working, enjoying, pondering, playing, learning and seeing what God has for us.......

Retired means that while in Taiwan visitng Melissa I can think of a 3 day visit to my brother and as we discuss it let it grow into a week's drive across Kansas and back!  I had a great week with my brother.  I got renewed with second hand smoking, and both of us with cousins,

Rocky and Leona Faye Mason (Hugoton)

We stayed with Linda Wright in Liberal

aunts, uncles cousin's kids and grandkids.   We even got in some Tornado shelter time.

 

We got to go out to Arkalon Park with my Mom's brother Fred.

Arkalon was developed by OUR DAD to develop wildlife habitat and also use excess treated sewage from the City of Liberal KS.  A true sign of the skill and isnpiration that does NOT require University degrees and training

We had one hotel night to reward David's grandson.....after all a 9 year old deserves some FUN. 

But I managed to hurt my foot playing in the 3 foot deep water...................I would be on crutches but the Walmart we went to didn't sell them  (go figure)   Aleve did the trick though!   Enough that we could visit

my Dad's cousin, Lillie Kissinger, in Mulvane            and                        our cousin Calvin in  Wichita.

I OFTEN ASK OTHERS WHAT WAS THE HIGHLIGHT FOR YOU.........

WELL FOR ME IT WAS REACQUAINTING WITH MY BROTHER'S VOICE

We probably haven't had more than 6 or 7 days together since 1968!   Not that we caught up on a lot of stuff but I think we caught up a bit on who we are..............

Wanting to be 3 places at once

Well maybe even 4...................

Melissa's surgery went well and her recovery is doing well and within 24 hours she should have the results of her 3 scans in 5 days after the removal of the melanoma on her shoulder.   What a week, and month!  It was only 5 weeks ago that she had the biopsy, Taiwan DOES NOT mess around with long wait times!  The medical care is superb (IMHO) and the personal care provided by Colleen and Melissa's friends has been FANTASTIC.

As my trip to visit my brother in Kansas City gets close I am missing my family.  The reality of NOT living around my aunts, uncles and cousins is working on my mind the last while.  Curiously it has been stimulated by the months living even farther away in Taiwan........  and more time to ponder thoughts and feelings rather than working on a daily JOB or projects.  We are going to have a great time as brothers and visiting family in Liberal, Tyrone, Mulvane and Wichita.

I'd LOVE to spend some time with Jay.  I need to learn how to visit with my son.  How did we manage to get so far apart in our ability to talk?    Maybe I will never know.  I know I WANT to know but don't NEED to know.

Maybe some of this is having Colleen away.  Maybe it's a stage of life thing.  Maybe?

Oh right place number 4....  I think it is right here in Saskatoon.  Yeah I think......

Where do I start......................

General Conference was good.  Colleen is in Taiwan with Melissa who was admitted to hospital for surgery to remove a skin cancer on her left shoulder.  I helped with Power Hour at church and started with 1 Grade 7 worker, ended up with 17 toddlers.......also ended up with 3 more adults and one Grade 3 helper.  We thrived, well maybe it was survived................

I know most of you are back with Melissa................I was just chatting on Facebook with one of my Taiwanese youth friends and she phoned Melissa to check on her.   HOW COOL!!   I still don't have a name for the type of cancer other than it is considered 'skin cancer' and has a 5 year recurrence of 10%  so if you have to have IT this isn't a bad choice.

With Melissa, General Conference, Colleen travelling to be with Melissa, life in general, time with Alex and Gaby, essentially NO time with Jay and /or Julie my brain processes have been FULL.  Oh and in the midst of this I am making a 7 day trip to Kansas to visit my brother and some of our relatives and keep an eye on friends house while they are away.  busy enough? 

Oh and I finally got our 2010 income tax filed.  It only took 10 days to have the refunds in our bank account and 10 hours for it to be dispursed!

Some of you will have seen our pictures a couple weeks ago with Alex and Gaby. I got to spend 4 hours with them again today. I LOVE IT and them.  Here's today.........

FUN AT MARKET MALL

Gaby wasn't so excited about being in the free side of the car without a seatbelt.....

But Alex doesn't look THRILLED either, ok it's just the timing of the photo.....

I WILL POST

it will take a few  more days...need to finish income tax, some billing and STOP procarasitnating in this and 17 other things.

My plane for General Conference in Mississauga leaves 6 am Friday so I will be on it   and I am going to be on a plane June 9th to visit my brother in KC for a week.   OH and come back to Saskatoon in between.