Dealing with the Demons in my Head

Blogging has taken a back seat for a while. I needed to get my annual Christmas letter written and distributed. Also my ADHD doesnt help me concentrate (I got fired at the orange juice factory). So if I havent been to visit your blog lately, it isnt that I don't care. Some days coping is difficult.

My running joke is that my cognative dissonance is caused by sitting under my SAD lamp reading the news from USA and Ukraine. Second, not so funny, is that I have this feeling there is a hole in the bag and the marbles are falling out. That is scary. 

My oldest daughter took me to a Geriatrician to see how many marbles I have left. She looks after me. The girls had noticed for some time that my short term memory was giving me some trouble, espcially since moving from Regina where everything was familiar to Saskatoon where very little was familiar. Dealing with paperwork such as Tanya's EI and PR/Visa documents were getting more difficult and I tended to shut down until I took a break and came back in the morning.

After a thorough four hour grilling including the Montreal Cognative Assessment on which I did slightly better than Trump. I at least knew what the animals were but could only remember 4 of 5 words. Daisy would not stick. 

Montreal Cognative Assessment

My Geriatrician concluded I have Mild Cognative Impairment and gave me a list of things to do to improve or at least reduce decline. Key was get out of the house and find a useful purpose. Hours doom scrolling on the computer was not so helpful. So I am volunteering at the Western Devlopment Museum. I've attended the introductory volunteer course and want to take the caring for artifacts course which is needed even to dust displays. 

There is a community woodworking shop where I can go and see what is there. I used to love woodworking but have neither tools nor place to work so this could be fun. The Museum has a working blacksmith shop with a volunteer blacksmith who looks the part. They have a harnes sshop but no one doing leeather work or even keeping the leather clean and oiled. I want to find a course that will teach me enough to at least be able to emboss belts. 

I need a new Western belt anyhow. Since walking Lucky nd reducing intake in my old age, I shed 25 kg and wear a 2X shirt now and 42" jeans. Be proud of me for that. My belt is way too long. 

Christmas is coming but it doesnt feel very holiday seasony. We do have lights up as my oldest daughter dug them out of the shed and strung them up. Our 3-block street is very nicely lit up at night. Tanya wants to roast a duck for Christmas so we need to track one down at our grocery store.

All lit up

To all my loyal readers, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Solstice , Season's Greetings and Happy Holidays. My wish for all of you is a happy, peaceful 2026

Ekaterina Shelehova Christmas Caroles

 This holiday season, more than ever, we need peace and stability in our lives, in our countries and in all the earth. This is my wish for 2026. Many will not have a happy holiday this year. "Let us pause in life's pleasures and count its many tears," Please remember them even as we celebrate 

The Mascot for 2025 - a drunken Raccoon.

 The hottest trend on Threads right now is of a raccoon that broke into a liquor store, creating havoc and grabbing a bottle of expensive single-malt, passing out in the bethroom between the toiet and garbage can. After the 2025 we have had, everyone can identify with him (male assumed as a given). 

Many suggestions followed. Person of the year, replacement for Pete Kegsbreath and running him for president in 2028. For a running mate, the raccoon thast broke into a bakery and ate so many doughnuts, he couldnt move. 

He is even appearing in liquor ads.

The raccoon spent the night in the Animal Rescue drunk tank and was released next day into the wild with the mother of all hangovers

So remember, even if your diet is mostly trash, drink responsibly.

And now for something completely different again

 This is a dump of a build up of stuff I am too lazy to file in appropriate folders. They are not in any particular order because I cant figure an easy way to sort them. Click to enlarge