Canadian Relatives - Gertrude

Rather than start an entirely new blog, I'll just make entries periodically in this one about my dad and his family. He's already been dead for more than a year . . . and I don't want to lose stories and details too much.

His sister Gertrude passed away on 28 January 2017. She had been in poor health and I'm super glad he got to go see her the summer of 2015 or 2014. Tom took him to Canada and that was my dad's last time seeing his two remaining siblings - Therese and Gertrude. His little sister Therese died, then my dad, and now Gertrude. They were the last of that generation in our immediate Somers family.

My cousin Monique called to tell me about it. (I have more than one cousin named Monique! It was Therese's daughter.) The funeral was on February 25 in Quebec City. Gertrude was cremated. Ann sent flowers on behalf of the four of us kids.

Monique (in addition to losing her own mom recently) said that her husband Denis had hip surgery in July. He had some cardiac issues during the surgery and ended up spending fifty days in the hospital! Then in early February, he went in for a right shoulder replacement.

My goodness, this aging stuff isn't fun. As Louie and I adjust to some of the challenges and aches of getting older, I realize that I really need to take better care of myself! Life is far too short.

YouTube and Middle Schoolers

Here's another get-rid-of-a-scrap-of-paper entry:

Students often recommend YouTube videos to me. Sometimes I'm pleasantly surprised! Other times, I think, "Kids actually spend time watching other kids play MineCraft??!?!" Then there are times I just think, "Boy, am I oooooooold!"

Charlie the Unicorn is strange. I might have enjoyed it as a sassy pre-teen. Charlie's stoic attitude and the urban legend tweak are mildly amusing . . . but I really don't get the appeal. And yet I have students who can quote from it. Hmmm.

Unbelievable Dub Step Dance Crew . . . it's interesting to watch the way a person can move his body so dramatically, but the music is enough to make me leave!

Yep. I'm old. I'll take Tom and Jerry and Fred Astaire.

Tiaras!

Okay, this is about more than just tiaras . . . I'm getting rid of another scrap of paper, but it has a story attached. This may be my legacy - random stories about random scraps of paper in my life.

Approximately a decade ago, I went to this Theatrical Costume Company www.theatricalcostumeco.com/ to buy a deerstalker (Sherlock Holmes style hat) for my nephew Luke. His birthday is in early December and this is something he really wanted. As the clerk went into the back storage area to find the hat, I waited in the front and looked at the display case of tiaras.



War began.
"Ooh! That's beautiful!"
"No. I'm just here to get Luke's birthday present."
"I've wanted a tiara for a long time."
"No. Christmas is coming up and I'll be spending plenty of money. Now is not the time to buy something for myself."
"I rarely ever buy something for myself. I really want that tiara."
And so the war waged on . . . and by the time the clerk returned with the deerstalker, I "had" to have the tiara.

Sometimes these stories end up with a "that was dumb. It's just a thing. It wasn't worth the money." HOWEVER, in this case, I can say that I really enjoy my tiara. I wear it a few times a year and always love how beautiful I feel when I wear it. In fact, I should probably wear it more often! It's lovely and I'm really glad that I treated myself to it.

This website is *not* well-designed or maintained, however I included the link since it has the pertinent info. The company is still in business and is still the source of the nicest tiaras I've seen for under $100. (I was appalled when I shopped with Louise at Crafts Direct . . . the high prices and less beautiful tiaras made me a firm fan of Theatrical Costume Company.) Besides, theater and costumes are a huge part of my life.

Ice cream machine rental

As I was clearing out more old scraps of paper, I had to blog about this one before chucking it. In May 2014, I rented a soft serve ice cream machine and bought the soft serve mix. It cost $250, but was so worth it! I got it for Alex's college graduation party (along with a keg of root beer) and we all had fun making root beer floats! It was a wonderful party with lots of friends. It was sad, too, as my mom died soon after. In any case, seeing the receipt made me smile. We had a lot of fun, even though it was an unnecessary expense. Louie thought I was going overboard, but I'd do it again!

CaterRent Food Service Equipment Rental and Sales
260 24th Avenue North
Mpls MN 55411
612.588.1188