Last week I was talking about DNA, family, and our history. This week my Great Uncle Ron died.
This is been a week of reflection. My Mom’s side used to be huge! My grandparent’s anniversary was July 5 and every 10 years it brought the entire family together in celebration. There were a lot of us! From Toronto to the island from Portland to Penticton.
Uncle Ronnie was my Poppy’s youngest brother. My Poppy had 9 brothers and sisters and out of that 9 there is 1 left. 1 left in a entire generation of family. That thought really puts things into perspective.
Following my DNA story is less frightening now. Losing an integral part of our family history makes me fear the loss of our story so much more. If I wait too long there will be nobody left to confirm or deny.
My Uncle and Aunt drove in from Calgary to be here for the funeral today. It sucks that it takes a funeral to bring us together but it was fabulous to see them!
When I was a kid my Uncle lived with us. He was my Mom’s youngest brother… He IS my Mom’s youngest brother. Actually his youngest daughter is 14 years younger than me and he is 18 years older than me. It’s funny how you see things in a different light when you are an adult.
They came over for dinner last night and we sat up ‘till late at night talking about family. It was a short but super great visit!
It was wonderful to see everybody at the funeral. The last time I had seen most of them was at my Mom’s…
It was a really nice service. My Mom’s family was a military family. My great Uncle Doug, my Poppy’s eldest brother, died on the beach of Normandy. My Poppy served in the Korean War and my Uncle Ronnie was a reserve and a dedicated cadet. We all received Remembrance Day poppies and after all the stories were told and the songs were sung, Taps began. After 3 branches of service man laid there poppies at my Great Uncle’s urn, his wife of 60 some years laid her poppy down. Then his children, grandchildren, and great grand children. We were next. My Uncle said his goodbye and so did my Aunt, then my Dad, then my Girls, and then me. As I put my poppy down I asked him to say hello to my Nana, Poppy, and my Mom.
He has left a family to mourn him but wherever he is at least we know… He’s in great company. 💛
Ninja and I do not sleep eye to eye 😆. He is a tummy sleeper and I am a back sleeper. He needs firm and I need soft. I love to be warm and he likes to be cool. I like memory foam and he would rather sleep in a chair than be “swallowed up” as he says by memory foam.
🙄
So, when he went away one weekend to visit his ailing nephew, I took it upon myself to buy us a new bed! I thought if I got a king size that would solve all of our problems! I didn’t want a mattress I wanted a pillow top! So I picked out the most luxurious and
expensive mattress there was… The Lux Trump mattress 😬.
There has been one recipe that has been in our go to file for the past 6 months. It is so easy I never think to post it! I usually make it when I don’t like a meal that I already have planned for the week 😂 this is because I always have all of the ingredients in the kitchen, because it takes 20 minutes to make, and because everybody loves it. It is a simple pasta dish that will have the whole family licking their plates!
Italian Sausage Rigatoni
1 bag uncooked rigatoni
2 tablespoons oil
1/4 pound Italian sausage with casing removed
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 yellow onion, chopped
1/4 cup red wine
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1 8-ounce can tomato paste
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
10 basil leaves, chiffoned
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated
Cook pasta according to package directions, reserving 1/4 cup of pasta water.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Add garlic, mushrooms and onions, and sauté for about 2 minutes.
Add wine and scrap browned sausage bits off the bottom of the skillet.
Add tomatoes and tomato paste, stir all ingredients well, turn heat down to low-medium and simmer for 10-20 minutes.
Add cooked pasta and 1/4 cup reserved pasta water to the skillet and stir all ingredients until mixed.
Remove from heat. Sprinkle with parsley, basil and cheese just before serving.
We started the week having a Girls day! We cleaned out the van, vacuumed up all the sand and washed the vehicle with a bucket and a sponge! Dancing the whole time of course!
After tennis one day HBear had a playdate with her Best who was also in tennis lessons this year! So, SBean and I had date day ourselves. We spent the day inside because the smoke from nearby and faraway fires is very bad right now. We went to SBean’s favourite… Penny’s! Of course now that she knows how to read she is VERY concerned as to why Penny’s is spelled with a ‘D’ 😆. After brunch, we went to a matinee of The Incredibles 2! It was a GREAT movie! I’m pretty sure I laughed more than the Bean.
This past weekend we went bed shopping and took a drive out to Peachland to see what damage the fires have caused. It is sad to see our mountain side blackened and covered with ash. Every time we drive home from Kelowna we will now remember the fires of 2018.
