Another of the hard things I lost in the fire was ALL my Christmas decorations. I hadn't found a trace of any of them, and with everything else I was dealing with, had forgotten about it until the "Holiday" season hit.
That first year, Paul and I had made plans for another visit in Vancouver right after Christmas...so it was fairly easy to "ignore" Christmas in the apartment.....and look forward to celebrating holidays and the new millenium in Vancouver. As it was, even before the fire, I hadn't "celebrated" Christmas after my partner died...just gave and received presents.....barely made it through what was "expected".

Christmas, 2001 in my new home felt VERY different.

I don't remember when I started talking with kat on the phone ...or even why....but she had already sent me some old music books she had....with apologies for their "condition".
As I told her at the time..to me they were PURFECT.......dog-earred corners.....obviously well-used, and were similar to some of the books in my collection that I had lost.

Paul, at the same time, had already given me a music book...and was sending me individual pages of songs from a now out-of-print Bill Staines music book I lost. I was starting to "nest" in my new home...(instead of "perching" in the apt.)....and I even had new "treasures" to put on the shelves.

(One of the "advantages" of a fire is that it also burns up all that "stuff" that collects over the years, so I AM being careful NOT to just replace that "stuff".)

The Holiday season had begun, and I was telling kat about how it had been YEARS since I felt like recognizing Christmas......but that the living room (in the oldest part of the house) REALLY wanted a Christmas tree in it.........AND so did I.

I talked about some of the decorations I lost......and that I really had to....and WANTED to ....start over, and begin NEW traditions for my Christmas tree....in my "new, old" home. I had gone to K-Mart, but it did NOTHING for me and I found it more depressing.

We talked a bit more, trying to think of what to put on the tree.......when I giggled and said:

"I know ONE thing for sure that'll be on the tree......a potato peeler."

And I told her about how, after the adventure Radio Show boost, when I was "perched" in the apt. upstairs, I had decided I needed to pay stricter attention to my diet and remember to eat once in a while. I had gone to the grocery store and bought potatos, stuff to make a salad, sweet potatos, and a bunch of other vegetables.

I told her about how, when I got back UP the stairs into the apt. with ALL the groceries, and put the water on the hot plate to boil, and opened the kitchen drawer to take out the potato peeler, I burst into tears. Here I was.....struggling to hold myself together....fighting to keep up my courage...keeping a "brave" front.....proud of beginning to pay attention to my physical health.....and NO potato peeler. I had not only forgotten to replace a potato peeler, but had no sharp knife to use either.

I cried and sobbed and cried and sobbed the rest of that night and into the morning.

I had a dentist appointment that afternoon, and by the time I arrived at the office, I was giggling at myself. I lost my home, thought I was done crying over the loss.....and got "blind-sided" by a potato-peeler!!

The dentist noticed that I had been crying.....and I told him why. And when one of my girlfriends called that night, I told her about the tears. We both giggled, and decided that... regardless of the REAL importance of a potato peeler....on the road from birth to death, the tears were healthy......and born out of utter frustration with EVERYTHING.

The following week I had another dentist appointment......walked into his office and he presented me with a GORGEOUS new potato peeler. I got home from my appointment with him and found, sitting outside the apt. door.....a package from my girlfriend.......which contained......another potato peeler.......SAME kind.

And sooooooo, I said to kat, I didn't CARE what else went on my tree in my new home, .....the two potato peelers were going on it as decorations...and would be going on my tree in future years!!!

The following week, I picked up a package from the post office....from Sorcha....

and in the package were, among other treasures, "potato peelers"(click on "Documents")....each one tied with a red ribbon and a tree decoration hanger.

There was a pink one, and a green one,
And a blue one, and a yellow one
And they ALL were simply gorgeous,
And NO two looked the same

There was a turquoise, and a red one,
And two shiny silver ones,
Oh Sorcha, Ummmm THANK-YOU
What more can I say?

and THAT's the potato peeler giggle here.......more coming......but I gotta quit for tonight.

AND I MADE IT!!! Got this part done before Easter!!!
I'm going to go watch the sun come up over the ocean tomorrow morning and think about new beginnings, and Mudcat friends. Happy Easter!!