Winter’s coming

Reporting from a Starbucks in Kelowna as I wait for Mazda to change the tires and in all other ways ready the car for winter. Oddly enough it’s one of the warmest days in over a week, 15c, but we’ve had cool wet days which have left snow on Terrace Mountain and Silver Star. Winters in the air. I bought my dual cross country pass last week. Before coming to Starbucks, I walked across the road from Kelowna Motors to Walmart to see what I’ve been missing by more or less boycotting it; bargains it seems. I bought a sports bra and chemise for $7.00 each and a big wiener for tomorrow’s end of the season Ramble and bbq for $1.48. I don’t expect much from the latter, but the former are made by Danskin which used to be a good name. “Am I right or am I left,” as the BFG or one of Roald Dahl’s creations used to say.
Now it’s Sunday, October 29, and I can report that the wiener from Walmart was as tasty as a wiener can be; especially when flavoured with cheese and jalapeño pepper. It was a beautiful day for a hike and I saw parts of Ellison Park that I had never been to before.
Vernon is not without culture either.
On Thursday this week I went to a play at the Powerhouse Theatre about a local artist, Sveva Caetani. Her aristocratic and eccentric familiy arrived in Vernon from Italy in 1922 and never left. Their huge house remains, not far from mine. They and it have nourished the imaginations of Vernonites ever since. The play itself was not exceptional, but sets, props and costumes were wonderfully artistic. I’m sure they would have satisfied Sveva.
I bought my tickets to and from Malaga last week, just hours before hearing on the news that the streets of Barcelona were full of jubilant Catalans celebrating the declaration of their independence from Spain. Of all the hot spots to avoid travelling to in the world these days, who would have thought Spain would rise to the top of the charts for even a day. But it did. It can’t stay there for long. Consider the competition. After living for over 30 years in Quebec, I have some idea of how long a nationalist pot can simmer, so I am more curious than nervous.
I put the yard to bed for the winter today. I’ve been working at it in slow stages this year because my knee still isn’t perfect. Will it ever be? I still haven’t been able to contact an arborist to cut down the rogue branches on the maple tree. My new stove was delivered this week but it didn’t quite fit into the space in the counter, so I baked Jin Hee’s birthday cake in a stove that was abandoned in the middle of the kitchen. Jay will fit it in when he gets a moment next week.
We had a very tasty Korean meal at Jay’s for Jin’s 15th birthday. May is a great cook. She’s mastered kimchi.




Jin Hee’s birthday dinner


And dessert


The last bike ride of the season

Same old, same old

Same old, same old and that ain’t all bad, not by a long shot. My little house is warm and safe. The friends I do the things I do with are still here , those who aren’t out of town, and we’re carrying on. Jay and his gang are well. Jay kept all the plants in the yard alive and only almost drowned one of the house plants. The kitchen stove is so close to death that I finally accepted the inevitable and bought a new one last week. That opening of the purse strings inspired another and another. Now I’m arranging to get the huge maple in the back yard cut back. It looks as if it was pollarded about 30 years ago and many of the new branches are like trees themselves, stretching precariously over fences and into neighbouring yards. I have arranged to have the gas stove and fireplace checked and serviced and the car’s fluids and tires changed for winter. The leaves are beginning to turn, and the days are so cool that on the last two hikes, after getting into a sweat on the uphill part I have been so cold during the lunch break that I have put on all the clothes in my pack for the walk back to the cars. Today we saw snow on Terrace Mountain so winter can’t be far off.

We had Thanksgiving dinner at Jay and May’s yesterday. I went over there at 2:00pm with my contributions. We worked together on the dinner, Jay, May and I that is. The girls did their girly things. We watched a movie, “The Dark Tower” starring Idris Elba, my hero from “The Wire”. Then we all gathered for a meal for which we were thankful.










Thanksgiving dinner








Dishes at sunset








Jin Hee fighting blackheads








Min Hee chilling