Thankful

It's an ordinary day in Canada. Just another Thursday. Danielle is at school, but Louis is home since it's a teacher work day in his district. Paul assumed we were having Thanksgiving dinner and at 7 am pulled a 23 pound bird out of the freezer, this morning. That bird is now back in the freezer and exchanged for a smaller, easy to defrost in a few hours, turkey breast that we will have tonight. Louis is more excited about the New Orleans/Cowboys match up this afternoon and Duke is happy to have most of us home.

A few things we are thankful for today....

• Everyone is healthy
• Google translate
• The ice maker Paul got for father's day
• We live in a great city, great country
• Teachers who are doing the best they can for a boy with an extenstive I.E.P.
• Acceptable healthcare
• The Bears are having a decent season
• Our needy, but loyal dog Duke
• Finding Special Olympics in Quebec
• Our new friends in Canada and our old friends too
• The firewood delivery that arrived as our last log was burning this afternoon
• The boy who helped unload the firewood while his sister went to school on American Thanksgiving

the Daily Duke 11.13

Duke wasn't about to miss out on all the fall clean up fun today. When else is his family outside for five hours finding balls and all sorts of things for him to play with? Now, if he could learn how to rake and bag leaves, he would really earn his kibble. 

The parade I saw on accident

Danielle wanted to go watch a rugby game today (now, that's a statement I wouldn't have said two years ago). I opted to drop her off and grab some coffee in the quaint town of St. Anne de Bellevue near John Abbott college where the game was being held. I was enjoying my coffee and paper when I heard a band and saw the parade, not knowing it was being held in honor of Veterans' week. Sometimes the best plan is to have no plans, and it was touching to watch the modest parade and all the veterans and families at the brief celebration. Plus, it was a beautiful fall day in Montreal. The photos need little explanation...

The high school band was from Royal West Academy in the city of Montreal. While the duct tape on this
 tuba -- a very well used tuba by the looks of it -- seemingly did the trick, it kind of pissed me off.
The school needs a tuba, please.

Fall is in the air

Kish returned yesterday from a trip down south. As the flight approached Montreal it was amazing to see the sea of colours on the ground. Fall is absolutely gorgeous. Yes, the iPhone was accidentally on when it was supposed to be off.

It's fall

It's fall in Montreal....

"I'm almost fluent" word of the day 9.15

Fall is in the air here in Montreal. Since we just got the air conditioning fixed this week, it's only appropriate that we don't need that any longer and we walk by the thermostat tempted to turn on the heater. Fall brings with it that feeling of knowing we will soon be eating lots of warm soup and enjoying the famous smells of fall.

Speaking of smells...the word we already know is...

potpourri 

But, did you know that translated it means "rotten pot?" Of course we know it's really a scented mixture of dried flowers and spices or a miscellaneous group or collection. So next time you walk into a home and smell potpourri, I dare you to complement the host(ess) by saying, "Gee, I like the smell of your rotten pot."