Less than a month

One short month ago we still thought we were going to spend the winter in Nipawin fixing the place up, mother was still chugging along looking after father, Anne was in the hospital or just back home and looking like she might die any minute. Now we're a few days away from leaving this yard forever, mother is gone and Anne has staged a remarkable recovery (at 101 and one-half). At that age the 1/2 year is just as important as it is to a 3 year old. After we held her 100th birthday party she said "I don't suppose you will do this again next year, will you?" I think she's on track for the 105th celebrations now.

The property sale is proceeding apace. We signed a bunch of stuff today and Sandy says she has the money already but can't turn it over to us until Dec. 1 because we set Nov. 30 as the closing date. We thought that was a pretty aggressive date when we set it but apparently she has it through Land Titles already. We've had next to no interest in the furniture we're trying to move so there will be some really happy travellers over the weekend when they see it sitting out at the end of the lane. RJ is on his way up here to pick up some food, the canoe, some books and my big recliner. We'll try to palm some other stuff off on him too but there isn't a whole lot left.

I've been plotting our route and checking it against people we know along the way. Other than the time we will spend in Washington, D.C. I don't think we will pay for a parking spot after we leave Quebec and we've got one spot lined up on the way out to Quebec. I'm not looking forward to the night around Thunder Bay because I doubt there will be any alternative to a gas station parking lot and it will be COLD. It seems like the furnace is working but I still remember how it let us down last winter so I'm not 100% sure it will get us out of the country without trouble this time. Once we start heading south on the east side of the lakes there may be a lot of snow but it should be noticeably warmer but getting there will be the challenge. Mind you, anything has to be an improvement over the deep freeze we are enduring here now.