“Where, oh where, did that year go?” is a common question being shared among friends and strangers as we all reflect on the end of 2024 and ponder on what 2025 might have in store for us individually, collectively and community-wise.
Without a crystal ball or a friend with psychic powers, it is impossible to accurately predict what will happen in the new year, except for the obvious: snow in winter, gardens in summer, geese returning in spring and leaves to rake in fall. Anything else will be potluck, taken as it comes, sometimes with pleasure and often in shock and awe.
Meanwhile, the beginning is the perfect time to look over our shoulders in remembrance of what happened in the past 12 months. The calendar pages help with those memories.
January: After a lovely evening with friends, we stayed awake to watch the so-called cross-Canada trip on CBC and wished each other a Happy New Year. Some hockey games, meetings and doctor’s appointments got us to the end of the month when we celebrated the birthdays of two special friends, both on the same day.
February: This month began as many of them have in the past with the quiet celebration of my birthday, with lunch at A&W. We also said goodbye to a special friend in the middle of the month, reminding us of the fragility of life.
March: from the markings scribbled on dates in this month, it appears we had doctors’ appointments in Regina, dental appointments in Moose Jaw, lots of meetings, appointments for vehicle maintenance, meat draws on Friday evenings and Saturday afternoons, attendance at the Musical Revue and Irish stew supper, hair cuts, and best of all, finding a Ford table crafted by a local artisan at the Sukanen swap meet.
April: No one played nasty April Fool’s jokes on us as this month began. Housemate’s birthday was celebrated without any surprise parties to keep secret, unlike the previous year. I think I might have splurged on another A&W meal. One day the notation simply said “seniors” and I have no idea what that was all about. Another day is marked “dance” but I know we didn’t dance that is. The month ended with the Elks’ chili challenge. Yum and fun. And on the same weekend, I think we attended a dinner at Rowletta, noting “Rowletta” marked on the final Sunday.
May: It wasn’t on the calendar but I know Housemate was intimately involved with topsoil, seeds and mulch, spending his time in the yard, in his garden and flower beds and making trips to the local garden centres. One date was marked “hayride” which was a puzzle until I remembered the Louisiana Hayride musical concert was back in Moose Jaw and we attended for an enjoyable evening of classic country music.
June: The car show season began at Sukanen, there was another dance marked but again, I know we didn’t ever venture to the dance floor. But wait, that dance was on the street and I did ask Housemate to dance. He declined. But his feet tapped in appreciation that month at the Clint Black concert. It was a busy month with parades, the fair, flea markets and berry festival activities with honest-to-goodness saskatoon berry syrup for the pancakes. The garden was growing nicely if I recall.
July: I know we had a busy month but most of the events didn’t make it to the calendar, except for sidewalk days with Kelly Bourdages and the Eyebrow fair. The Highway to Heroes Car Show was a main attraction for the month, keeping organizers and volunteers happily engaged with this annual event. Unhappily, two long-time friends passed away that month.
August: The initials S.C. appeared on two early days in this month. Hmmm. Then it dawned on me that we spent the long weekend in Swift Current, attending the amazing Saturday market in the downtown, checking out the homemade pie at the museum on the stampede grounds and wandering from machine to machine in the casino. In the middle of the month there was pie day in Mossbank, some medical appointments, a few meetings and then it was off to Medicine Hat for a visit to the famous farmers’ market and visits with family.
September: The Sister’s birthday started the month and the Sukanen threshing bee kept us busy for two days on its usual weekend. We supposedly attended a concert later that month, but the performer’s name escapes me. Garden harvesting was in full swing, with bean plants continuing to provide us with home-grown goodness. And oh, those tomatoes!!
October: Amid three fowl suppers in Eyebrow, Tugaske and Rowletta, came another celebration: our 55th wedding anniversary. Yes, we visited A&W but also ended the day at Hopkins Dining Parlour with a personal serenade by a long-time friend. To end the month, we joined hundreds of others to enjoy the Sawyer Brown concert. Of course, the month also included meetings and medical appointments. And a good dose of the flu for me, after getting the flu shot and Covid booster.
November: A second dose of flu did not stop me from getting the winter tires on my vehicle or attending the Briercrest fowl supper. But it did mean I missed the Remembrance Day service for the first time in 30 years. I sneezed and coughed through televised services from Ottawa and Saskatoon and remembered in my solitude. Housemate had his first cataract removed at the end of the month and I became the reluctant nurse in charge of his eye drops.
December: Housemate had the second cataract removed early in the month and I continued my eye drop routine. Most of the time I hit his eye. I expect to hear him singing “I Can See Clearly Now.” It was a fun month, attending several Christmas parties and dinners and coming home with secret Santa gifts: a decorated Christmas tree and a three-tiered cake dish for Housemate and a warm pair of leg warmers and a make-in-a-mug chocolate cake and hot chocolate packages for me. The social aspect of the parties was the most important part of the evening. The annual tradition of Christmas card exchanges was hampered somewhat this year but we made do with old-fashioned phone calls and by more modern e-mail and text messages.
And so the year ends. That leaves only one more important job to complete, that of wishing everyone a Happy New Year and good health and wishes that come true in 2025.
Joyce Walter can be reached at [email protected]
