Jan 12, 2014

Ken's Top Ten Happy Moments of 2013



It is usually mid December when I typically think about putting together the annual list of my highs and lows of the past year for Scribbles. Twenty five or more of the best and worst things that happened to me in the last 12 months.

The problem with that concept is that in 2013, it felt like there were far more bad days than good. 

Too many things going on that hurt me and that I was having trouble believing and inevitably accepting. Too many wasted days being in pain or attempting to manage it.

If I was to do that thorough type of list, the event that I remembered most vividly in 2013 was not a pleasant one. Nor would many of the others on the list. So rather than do that, I decided upon a list featuring only the happy moments of the year.

It may be a shorter list, but at least there's smiles and laughter associated with each of them and that's something we could always use more of.



MY TOP TEN EVENTS OR MOMENTS OF 2013 ...JUST THE "GOOD" STUFF!


10. ACCEPTED FOR DISABILITY. That might sound like a strange statement, but I was greatly relieved when CPP accepted my claim for disability which meant I would also receive ODSP with medical coverage. Had they not seen what I already knew, I’m unable to work right now, things would have been very different. 

I am grateful to have this assistance (the drug coverage is especially important since I am on so many pills), although it does mean things are super duper tight money wise.


9. SHARON & RHONDA’S WEDDING. When I first met Sharon Janzen and Rhonda King, they weren’t even seeing each other yet. That wouldn’t happen until a few years later and it’s been a modern day storybook romance ever since. The two were wed in April in Niagara Falls, ON. and it was so great to have been on the guest list, see many old friends and watch two peas in a pod make it all official.
 

8. TIME WITH FAMILY & FRIENDS. I still laugh when I think about Labour Day weekend at the campground in Vineland and the fire fighters arriving on the scene after a generator blew. That entire weekend with pals Doug and Heather was frickin' hilarious!

Other notable times with you in 2013 included Niagara’s annual Pride in the Park, live plays by the Dunneville Community Theatre and GCP, coffees with Cathy, the surprise party Convergent Telecom put on for Becky Lee’s 50th Birthday (I saw so many great friends that day), family get-togethers and when my mom or nephew slept over at my place.


7. MEMORIAL PARK. My Top Ten list would not be complete if I neglected to include Welland’s massive Memorial Park. It’s only a few minutes drive from my apartment and the perfect outdoor escape. 

It would be rare to find me there unaccompanied by my dog Timmi and it was also where I would often bring guests such as friends, my mom and nephew. Many days became brighter and less stressed out in 2013, after a visit to Memorial Park.


6. GRANDMA’S GRANMY AWARDS. I went a bit overboard with my Grammy Awards themed birthday party for my mom last Feb. 

Oh, it was still a birthday, complete with dinner, cake and gifts, but it was also a music/talent contest which would find each guest “on stage” performing before we gave out Grandma Grammy Awards for those who participated. 

It was really quite entertaining and worth all the time it took to put the entire themed package together.


5. ADOPTING TROUBLE. I had no intention of adopting a cat. I was at the Seaway Mall on route to Target to see if they carried a new air freshener product which I had a coupon for. 

Up ahead I saw the sign: “ Kittens and Cats $50, includes neutering/spaying, and 6 week pet insurance”. It was a shop set up by the Welland Humane Society. 

The rest is a blur. My feet took over, marching me directly to a cage where a little gray tabby was chillin' out on a blanket. 

He would soon become JJ and although he was thin and sick the first few weeks residing at his new home, this hyper active kitten has made up for it every since.

 
4. DADDY, DOGGY TIME. If they were giving out a prize for having seen me at my absolute worst in 2013 and still staying by my side, that prize would go to my dog Timmi. It’s amazing how intuitive he can be at times.

Of course, Timmi has also been with Daddy when he was at his very best. 

We went to many local parks and Merritt Island, enjoyed drives to St Catharines to visit Nana and my sisters homes and he was my co-star in Scribbles “Love Will Keep Us Together” video. 

Anytime is a good time to share a nap in Timmi’s books, which worked well with my odd sleep pattern. 


3. SHE WAS JUST POPPING BY. Although it was almost Easter, it wasn’t the Bunny who made a surprise visit to my place early this Spring. 

Our Toronto friend Francesca Mackie contacted me to see if I was going to be home the following day. Our mutual friend Henry Strevens of the U.K. was visiting Francesca and her family and Cheska said they wanted to visit me.

The next day Francesca, her kids Colin and Catriona and Henry came over for a tour of my place (and to say hello to Timmi and take pix.) We then enjoyed lunch at M.T. Bellies, a popular Welland restaurant, before my guests headed back to the big city.

What struck me the most about the visit was that Francesca came all the way from Toronto, to see me and then return. It wasn’t like she was travelling through on route somewhere. This WAS the destination and making me feel special and well fed was its very successful mission.

That was just too sweet of you Francesca and made the top three of the year. 
 




2. COUSIN JEANNE & THE GREAT RENFREW CAPER. The timing could not have been better, when my cousin Jeanne Prince invited me to the Ottawa Valley. She would be visiting Niagara with her daughter Megan Fox in August and asked me to go back with them.

Jeanne’s generosity made it possible for me to spend a day and night at the family’s cottage on a remote island, visit my relatives and favourite Renfrew sights [go Swinging Bridge!!] and enjoy a long and winding bus trip back.

This was so very kind of Jeanne to extend the offer for me to escape the madness that was happening all around me at the time. I can't begin to thank her and the hospitable residents of the Ottawa Valley for making it so magical and memorable. 

 OK. now we come to my top memory of the year.  The list is not in random order. After determining what my top ten events were, I took a great deal of time determining which order to put them in. What GOOD event or memory of 2013 truly sticks out above the rest??



1.  SWEET SUZI SQUIRREL. We first met in early Spring. I was at my mom’s, out in the garage, the door was open and up popped a squirrel. I ran into mom’s, found some fancy nuts, then returned as she would take each nut from my hand.

I called her Suzi Squirrel, named after a book I liked as a kid.

Another day... as soon as my car pulled in... Suzi came by. When I spent 10 days at my mom’s house, Suzi was fed every day. Rain or shine, she would show up at the kitchen door and peak in looking for me. We bonded in a big way that week and it was ADORABLE!

I wasn’t Suzi’s only friend. Mom of course fed her, my nephew, relatives, even a cable worker had a chance, she was very social.

A few months later, things had changed considerably. Mom would soon be moving, I was not at the house as often, things around me were falling apart. I went to my mom’s and stepped out for a smoke. I just sat on the end of the driveway, feeling down, when all of a sudden something caught my eye. It was my pal Suzi! She had come to see me for one of our final visits. 

She ate several peanuts and we spent some quiet time together as she worked her magic, making me feel good to be alive and stop to take in the moment. It was just as we had done so many times before, whenever we were together.

My eyes would fill with tears (both happy, because we were together and sad, because I knew this was undoubtedly our last visit.)  I love that darn squirrel.