February

 How did February play out over here?

It was mostly mild and often sunny...

perfect for walks along the Rosedale dyke.

When I walked from home...

these two eagles sat perched in a tree and kept an eye on me.

Early in the month we went to Harrison Hot springs resort...

with John and Marg and Ron and Ruth.

Marg and I have fond memories of celebrating our birthdays together here over the years.

A beautiful spot anytime of the year!

John and Ron both had birthdays while we were there.

We found a fire pit and laid out charcuterie and had a wee party.

Jamison was nominated for a Juno award...

and he was congratulated by the city of Chilliwack on the billboard at Heritage Park.

His nomination is for 'electronic dance single of the year'...

under the alias Pacific Coliseum.

Then came the winter Olympics in Milano.

Countless hours were spent watching Canadians compete...

...and doing a very hard jigsaw puzzle.

Jeremy and Broni were there in person...

with tickets to four amazing hockey games.

Sorry that Canada had to settle for silver in both the men's and women's hockey final...

but they were great games.

What a surprise to to see them on our TV screen before the men's semi-final game.

CBC found them at the 'unofficial Canada House' restaurant prior to the game. 

I took aunt Maggie to her doctor's appointment...

and then we had dinner out and dessert at their place.

She always makes it special!

We spent many evenings at a gym...

cheering on Micah with his Sardis Falcons junior team or Lucy with the grade 9 GW Graham team.

So much fun and such great basketball!

Lucy's team went on to win the provincial tournament...

the first girls basketball team to bring home a gold for GW Graham. 

While we are enjoying the simple pleasures of life...

horrible things are happening not too far away.

Leo sent us pictures from his neighbourhood near Guadalajara...

where they are in the middle of a cartel war.

He and his family are not feeling safe these days.

As the month nears the end...

we are getting ready to go south for 10 days.

January '26

We woke up in St. Thomas on the first day of the new year...

...one of the U.S Virgin Islands.

And after our week enjoying the sun and the sea and the ship in the Caribbean ...

we moved to a beach hotel in Fort Lauderdale for another day before heading home.

So thankful for this time together with our family!

We thought we would come home to winter...

but it seems winter is passing us by this year.

Leo brought his wife and daughter to Canada for a month over Christmas...

while he worked on the farm.

He was hoping they would have their first snow-experience in Chilliwack...

but not this year.

Once we were home...

Jeremy drove them to Sasquatch Mountain Resort (one hour from here) to play in the snow!

We may not have had snow...

but we had plenty of rain early in the month.

The odd rose was still blooming...

as were the winter pansies

And then came my birthday...

...and flowers from family and friends.

I went for a morning walk on my birthday.

The sun was shining. 

The sky was bright blue.

An eagle swooped down and flew overhead.

I was reminded...

they that wait upon the Lord will rise up on wings like eagles.

I don't know what the year ahead will bring...

but I know I am in God's hands.

Elmer and I went out for brunch that day...

and then hiked to the Hillkeep Park lookout on Chilliwack Mountain.

And then were celebrations with friends and family...

and by now I feel ready to journey around the sun once again! 

 We watched  Abbotsford Canucks vs Laval Rockets play on January 20th.

Josiah Didier plays for Laval in the American Hockey League...

and since he happens to be related we thought we it would be a good game to watch.

And it was!

Laval won 4-3 with seconds to go before the game ended.

Lucy's Grade 9 GW Graham team won the Junior Tournament.

We took in a lot of basketball games this month...

cheering for Micah's Sardis team as well as Lucy's.

We are really thankful for the deluxe bleacher seats Elmer got for his birthday.

The sun set on a very mild January...

with a walk around Cheam Lake Wetlands.

2026 is off to a good start.