I don’t remember if I’ve ever shared about the Hawk that was perched on a light post by my work for weeks after Dave died. I took seeing it to be mills telling me he wee here; he was okay. Occasionally I see that hawk near work still and I always say “hi mills”. ….

Turns out when your mental wellness is in the shitter - having an extra week off after Xmas break is actually bad for you.

2025 was the hardest year of my life. I barely survived it. Most days I feel like I am still barely holding on. It’s been a rough go, beyond the loss of my mom. 2026 will look so very different for me. In some of my hardest times you, my sweet pocket friends, have sustained me.

Went out to warm up the car to go get dad for church … Granddaughter left a can of pop in the car. It popped. There was a layer of FINE pink, sticky pop on EVERYTHING 😭 Took me 20 min to clean it up. I’m sure I’ll be finding sticky bits for days.

Friends I ate a whole box of toffifee in the last 4 hours. And now my tummy is sad.

I love my wood stove. I hate having to lug SO MUCH WOOD UP FROM THE GARAGE 😭

It’s “pack up Christmas and clean” day. Should have happened on the first, but I scadoodled to NB to spend time with my best friend. Worth it!

I don’t know why this made me laugh so hard - but fuck I cackled. Does Brendan know Fillmore has his posted in his skivvies???

Andy Fillmore is so fucking cringy

Any brief thought about maybe driving 3.5 hours home today is gone. The snow is falling. 3ish cm in an hour.

Happy New Year 🥳 We made a very last minute decision to drive to NB to spend NYE with my bestie. Turns out there’s a snow storm coming tomorrow so now we’re here for 2 nights. How wonderful ❤️

And my bestie is staying an extra night in Hfx. The best Xmas gift I could ask for!

All my sisters (soul and real) in one room again. The last time we were all together was at my mom’s funeral. My heart was so full last night. ❤️

Great news! After talking with my sis and I, my dad has decided to spend new years with friends of his and moms. ❤️ Turns out mom was also their friend’s social anchor - and they’ve been missing her and my dad a lot. So dad will join them for a while NYE. :)

Remember how the dog ate the bottom of my good Xmas tree? My dad has spent the last 9 days fixing it. Including fixing the chewed off wire of lights, reconnecting each tiny wire. 😭

It just dawned on me that my dad won’t have my mom to do something on New Year’s Eve with. 😞 They have had plans every year since they met in 1968. In their slightly younger years they went to a gala every nye. In more recent years, they’d stop by two sets of friend’s houses…

If your regular garbage collection was Thursday; Don’t forget to put your garbage out today!!

I did not win. :/

I caved and bought $20 of firefighter tix. I won’t win. But what a dream it would be to win.

Christmas dinner has been had. 5 hours in the kitchen for 30 min of delicious chaos.

No one remembered to get dessert for Xmas dinner - because my mom always got it. 😞 Whipped up a batch of GF crinkle cookies. It’ll do.

Oh my gosh. A car was honking wildly out in my driveway - I ran outside - and there is my Eloise, running up my stairs - she broke her tether and was running from the broken tether behind her out on to the road. The woman stopped and THANK GOODNESS got our attention. 😭

Oh. I’ve just seen that our friend, @justmandywood.bsky.social has passed. She bravely, and with such humour and realness, shared her journey with cancer with us. She will be so missed. My love to her kids and partner and all who knew her. What terrible loss for so many ❤️

My mom, Christmas 1951. Same house. Tree in the same spot. ❤️

We survived Christmas Eve. It was so very hard to not have my mom standing in front of the fireplace. Her absence was felt heavy in the room - but we did our best to honour her and keep her with us. Happy Christmas, pocket friends. Hug your loved ones. 🎄❤️🎄❤️

Barely took my seat at church with dad and I’m already sobbing. I am not coping well at all.

Prepping: sweet and sour meatballs, turkey and stuffing meatballs, stuffed mushrooms, garlic shrimp and jalapeño poppers for tomorrow eve.

I think it’s kinda bananas that stimulant ADHD medication makes me so sleepy. Within an hour of taking my dose, I’m ready for a nap. It was slightly better for a week when we upped my dose. But now I am back to sleepy within an hour.

The 2025 Headline of the Year Nominees 🧵

A few small errands to run today including a stop at Scotia bank to pay one of my mom’s debts. :/ I’ve yet to spend less than 45 min in that bank waiting for teller service. Wish me luck today. Ima get in line at 930 lol

Deep cleaned the kitchen and bathroom today - did 6 loads of laundry and EVEN FOLDED THEM AND PUT THEM AWAY. When I tell you my back hurts, I mean I’d knock a granny with a fresh hip replacement over to get one of her pain pills. (lol?) 🥴😭

My sister and I divvied up all my mom’s gift cards to give to the kids for Xmas. I dug out a few things from mom’s “gift closet” to give my sister and dad. I can’t believe she’s gone. Which is so silly because it’s been almost 10months.

Adsum continues to be one of the best orgs out there. Big ups to them for helping me get some Christmas cheer into the hands of kids and parents this year. 🎄❤️

Y’all… I just tried to plug my emotional support smoothie into my car charger. Send help. I’m so exhausted 😭

Am I exhausted, or sick? - a memoir by me

Not my 15 year old screaming the lyrics to Breakfast At Tiffany’s on the drive home lol One thing I know for sure is that all my kids (and grandkids) will have an well rounded music repertoire

Guys. I am so sleepy and still have so much to do today. All I wanna do is nap.

DAY 20! 🍕🥗🥙🍝🍔🥪 $350 FESTIVE FEAST PACK from The Wooden Monkey, Randy’s Pizza, The Fourth Lock & Dominic’s Cucina! $5 = 1 entry at chance to win entire Calendar ($8000) Feed NS. 4 DAYS LEFT! Prize details at AndyVent.ca Buy tix: www.rafflebox.ca/raffle/feedn...

We’re gonna try to watch a bunch of Fringe this eve!

I have a feeling we may lose power. Rarely do we - but we’ve had 3 large power bumps. The last two were enough to reset everything in the house. I also rescued some neighbour’s bbq cover as it flew past my driveway lol

I forgot how loud studded tires are. 🥴

Our 2019 staff holiday gathering had 2 staff at it, including me. Our 2025 holiday gathering had 22 staff with 6 unable to make it. Bananas. Absolutely bananas!

DAY 19! 🟣🐮🛜 $400 IN A-MOO-ZING INTERNET (6 MONTHS) FROM Purple Cow 5 DAYS LEFT! $5 = 1 entry for a chance to win entire AndyVent.ca supporting Feed NS. Buy tix at: www.rafflebox.ca/raffle/feedn...

Spent my yearly $25 on 50/50 tix for the firefighters draw!

Off work for the next 24 days. Byeeee

I just got mail from citi financial claiming I owe them $32,000 😂😂 Bros. I can see all things on my credit and can assure you, I do not owe $32,000 to anyone except my mortgage holder. The only time I ever used citi was 26 years ago for a $5,000 short term loan that was paid in full. 😂

How embarrassing for the premier to have the rcmp be like “no. You are a liar”

I have to be in an online meeting from 9-930, then an in person one from 930-11 lol guess I’m just listening to the first meeting from my car. 😬

🤦🏻‍♀️

CRA told me to send LEGAL documents by registered mail in Sept. I sent them: my mom’s death certificate, the POA docs for my dad, a photo copy of my ID, the grant of probate… Now, mid December, I find out they didn’t receive them or, if they did, they lost them. And I only found out…