Saturday, 19 April 2025

The end of an era, a quiet week, and Happy Easter!

Another sad family moment this week, when the last of my parent's generation passed away at the age of 92. If you've been reading for some time you may remember I visited my cousin B and her husband, and Uncle G on Vancouver Island a couple of times in the past 10 years. He was an avid golfer, out on the course two or three times a week until he was in his late 80's. Sadly, he's been quite ill for a few years and was ready to join Aunt A (my mom's sister). There was no service. This is a photo of Uncle G and Aunt A, at Christmas 1971. 

Speaking of services, my brother and I did not make it to our cousin's service. He had to be out of town on Friday. I didn't feel I could manage a long day, with about 8 to 10 hours of driving. Another cousin shared the link to K's obituary, so I did send a memorial donation. K was just 62, and two months younger than my younger brother. 

After hearing the news about Uncle G, I called my older brother to let him know. We realized we are now the oldest generation, and M is the eldest at 75. Unfortunately his health isn't great either as he contracted long Covid. He has been sick off and on for several months, and had a bad spell in February.  It's been 10 years since we were together for his 65th birthday. 

As for cousin B, he is still in the hospital but is improving. I haven't heard what caused the stroke, though that side of the family is well acquainted with the issue. My maternal great-grandmother lived bedridden for several years after a stroke, my maternal grandfather had his first stroke in his early 70's and my mom was even younger, at the age of 66. B is younger still, having turned 63 this past January. Hopefully, with physical therapy he'll regain the use of his hand and arm, and his speech will get better over time.

On the home front, it hasn't been a terribly busy week but good nonetheless. D has been organizing various spaces in the house.  She had purchased a new bookcase for her bedroom so brought down the older one for use as a side table in the living room. As a result, I was able to unpack the photo albums which were packed in the summer of 2023 in preparation for selling my old house. I spent an afternoon adding labels indicating the year and subject of the contents. I have several albums that belonged to my mom, a few from when I left home, a few more for my children, and the majority from the trips I've enjoyed over the years. It was fun to flip through the pages and re-live some of the memories. Though I'll admit there were more than a few photos that are no longer prominent in my memory.

As you'll have seen in Wednesday's photo, Eli had equine therapy on Monday afternoon. He shows little to no fear, even with the larger horses. Of course, they are used to children and very gentle. He wore his noise cancelling headphones as the wind was up and the barn was noisy - he's not a fan of the horse poop either. :)

We did get to the local thrift store on Tuesday, where D (mostly) filled a bag with clothing for $12. There were two pieces for me, a tank top and a pair of capris. She got two pairs of jeans and several t-shirts. Unless one "fills" a bag, the cost is $2 per piece. She did extremely well. I picked up another book to read though I have several books yet to read. I'm nowhere near the 52 that Connie at Far Side of Fifty has on her list. :)

On Thursday, D and I spent much of the morning putting together a shelving unit for storage. We'd bought a small hutch when we moved in, and it was proven to be too small for our needs. Like wallpaper, this is a job that was meant to be done by someone other than the two of us. Partially due to having only pictures, no text in the instructions, and also due to our differing interpretations of said pictures, the process took a little/lot longer than it needed to. But it is in place and we plan to pick up a few more baskets this week for storage. 

The snow has mostly melted with just a few places where the snow was piled from shovelling. The outdoor furniture should be out next week, and we're planning to use the BBQ for the first time in months. 

Though warmer, it has still been cool, but the weather is supposed to improve on Sunday. I'm hoping to get out to do some clean-up of the perennials and D is planning to do an Easter egg hunt with Eli outdoors. I think she'll need to wait until the afternoon...

Happy Easter everyone! Have a great week ahead. 

20 comments:

  1. It is a sad realization when the last of the previous generation passes. Such is the case in my family. My husband is more fortunate.

    Have a wonderful Easter! Enjoy!

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    1. It is sad, but inevitable realization. I'll admit to a moment of trepidation too.
      Happy Easter to you too!

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  2. People live, people die. That’s about all there is to it.

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    1. I guess that's the pragmatic way to view it. I may be slightly more sentimental.

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  3. So very sorry for your losses. It is the same with my family - we are now the eldest generation. Sure puts things in perspective.
    Have a nice weekend

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  4. My sympathy...that is a bit of a drive for one person alone. I have two Aunts left...that is all of the previous generation.

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    1. Thanks Connie. There was a time in my life where I would have thought nothing of making such a long drive, but no longer.
      If I recall correctly, both your parents were long-lived. That's a good thing.

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  5. My condolences to you; all losses leave their mark no matter how long the life. 💕

    Congratulations on putting together that shelving unit, in spite of differing opinions! Lol. I have been known to either take a magnifying glass to Ikea instructions to see some minute detail on the hardware or boot up my laptop and look at the PDF at 400%. It's been a year or two now, thank goodness. 😆

    Happy Easter to you all, I hope Eli enjoys the egg hunt! 🐣🐰

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    1. Thanks Kim. I wouldn't have thought to use a magnifying glass and I quickly learned to let my daughter do what she thought best. It almost all worked out. :)
      Happy Easter! He had a blast and said it was the best Easter ever.

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  6. I am sorry for your loss.
    Both TheHub's and my families have lost everyone in that generation. My last paternal aunt died in February, and my last maternal uncle died last year. Now we cousins (remembering when we all had to sit on the back porch at the kid tables for Thanksgiving meals, while the adults sat in the dining room) are the old guys.

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    1. Thanks Anne. I remember the Thanksgiving and Christmas kid's table too with some fondness.

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  7. Sorry for your loss. That is a good age but it is still sad.

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  8. That era has ended here too, no parents of the last generation left. In fact I'm feeling all too close to it myself these days!

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    1. It is a sobering thought FG. I do hope you're with us for a long time yet.

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  9. I still have a few Aunts and Uncles left, but not many. It is scary to realize that eventually my cousins and I will be the older generation. That could happen sooner than I think.

    God bless.

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    1. When I was a child and even a young adult, this time seemed so far away.

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