My in-law's arrived yesterday morning with a real Christmas tree. They even put it up and got it decorated! How amazing is that? With Ross in his leg brace, we didn't think we'd get to have our real tree this year. Mom, Dad, Gavin and I were on tree removal and cleanup duty. Sadly, we are treeless in the front yard. Everyone tells me that was how they knew our house - it was the one with the big dead birch on the front lawn! Ross and Grandma watched from an upstairs window. The neighbours came by to share in the excitement. We were the big news of the day on our street! Although my in-law's did take a van load of wood, and our truck bed is full of wood, our backyard is a veritable wood lot. If only we had a fireplace ;) I'm sure my mom and Buzz will drag some back with them after Christmas! We'll post a picture when we get our hands on the card reader. It's at Ross's office, and it'll be 3+ weeks before he gets back to it!

We miss you, Nana. (Elizabeth (Betty) Clark) Nana died December 4, 1993. Left behind were her loving children - Deborah, Alden, Clinton, Martin, and Amy Lou. She left behind grandchildren as well - Amanda, Amber, Trevor, Craig, and Cassandra. If I remember correctly, she was only 62 at the time. She died of cancer.

Our family has dubbed this date "Have-An-Ex-Day". In her honour, we all have a Molson Export. I'm doing so now. Normally, I am joined by Ross and Doug every year,  but this year Ross is in South Africa and Doug is in Pennsylvania with his lovely wife.

So here's a toast to Nana, a drinker of Molson Export. She also loved this "toast" and recited it often:

Here's to the girl in the little red shoes,
She drinks my whiskey, she drinks my booze.
She's got no cherry,
But that's no sin,
She still has the box the cherry came in.

Well, it's actually called "Love Poem"

You're in our thoughts, Nana. We love you. We miss you.

Friday I was riding the subway home. I sat next to a man who was knitting a hat on a circular needle! Of course I had to ask him when he learned to knit - he told me he was just learning and that a friend had taught him after the person who inspired him to knit had already given it up! He was on the subway with his son (who was probably 9ish). He told me he loves knitting and that it's a great way to pass the time while riding the subway. Next to us was a woman who flashed her wool and needles at me! We gave each other a conspiratory wink. We had ourselves our very own spontaneous knitting club right there on the subway. By the way, he was using a variegated purpley-bluish yarn that was wonderfully fuzzy like an angora.

He told me that as a kid he had always wanted to learn how to knit, but that the other kids were tough critics of a guy knitting. Why are kids so cruel? He says that he's taken it up now that it doesn't matter if he's a guy knitting or not. What I find most exciting is that he LOVES it! And he K'sIP! Go man! I wish I had had my camera with me.