Gone, but not forgotten. Rest in Peace BC

W. John Connolly, 'BC'
Nov. 17, 1938 - March 11, 2010
Father, Brother, Friend and Grandpa Extraordinaire

"Remember me with smiles and laughter,
for that is how I will remember you all.
If you can only remember me with tears,
then don't remember me at all."
~author unknown

Always a smile, and a tale to tell.

Why 'BC'? When you and your son have the same name, 'John', it can be confusing. While playing on a team together it can mean the game! So he told everyone to call him B.C. since he's as old as... well he's been around a long time!

There was a special place in his heart for a certain young lady. From the day she was born, he brought joy to her everytime he popped over for a tea party, a colouring moment, or just to have a chat... he played dress ups and horses, and brought her crafts and activities that they worked on together. They went on bike rides and walks. He played his guitar and sang her songs. He attended the dance recitals, the school concerts and the impromptu puppet shows at home. He was always on the sidelines of her soccer games, cheering her on. There may have been 60 years between them. They may have been Grandpa and granddaughter, but they were also best friends.

As Derek reminded us this morning.. "he didn't take his cell phone with him to heaven when he went..". We'll have to communicate with him using an even more wireless approach.

There may be an ache in our souls today, but as time passes I know that many will carry a piece of BC in their hearts forever.

November News

November is upon us so quickly it seems. Wasn't it summer just yesterday? Time to be more serious about bundling up for even quick trips outside. Time to get ready for the holidays and spend time together. Board games and hot cocoa! (in all that spare time we've got!!!)

This is one of the busier months for family celebrating! Birthdays, Anniversaries and Holidays!
BIRTHDAYS!
2nd - Joe (Pat's nephew -- 19 yrs.)
3rd - Channa (My sister -- I believe she said she was turning 29..)
4th - Audrey (Sparky's daughter, 6 yrs)
12th - Cooper (Channa's son, 6 yrs)
15th - Neal (Pat's nephew -- 19 yrs.)
17th - Grandpa BC (Channa's Father in-law.. jolly old elf)
24th - Hiroko (John's wife, ageless)
26th - Nova and Katie (Myself and Pat's biological younger sister, and we're both turning 26!!)
27th - Shawn (Eden's man! Sorry I missed him first time around!)

ANNIVERSARIES
1st - Paige and Carlos -- 15 years, 3 children, 3 homes, tornadoes, floods, fire, car accidents, 100's of kids (the goat kind), tortoises, flying squirrels, pigs, ducks, chickens, rabbits, peacocks, ponies, horses, cows, sheep, cats, dogs, parrots, and llamas later... let's just say... they've dealt with a lot of crap over the years! But remember... it makes great fertilizer... must be why they've had so much fun also!
9th - Mum and Dad, 40 years
19th - Mardy and Trent -- 5 years!

HOLIDAYS
3rd - US Elections day... make wise and enlightened choices... every voice matters!
11th - Remembrance Day.. think red poppies and Flanders fields!
26th - USA Thanksgiving... mmmm... bring on the Macaroni and Cheese!!... yup you read it correctly... Happy Birthday to me! We will have pie though!!

OF INTEREST
2nd - Cookie Monster's Birthday.... of interest, just this past weekend we were in a lively discussion regarding Cookie Monster and his supposed forced retirement from Sesame Street for his unhealthy eating habits. However, upon further investigation, it appears that he is still on the show and now he has a new segment entitled "Healthy Habits for Life", in which he teaches that cookies are a 'sometimes' food and tells children that he also likes fruits and eggplant! All because of childhood obesity in the US. Seriously, the fuzzy blue character who loved cookies was too blame!?! Come on! Kids are a lot brighter than they're giving them credit for! He also ate, "danishes, donuts, lettuce, apples, bananas, as well as normally inedible objects such as salt and pepper shakers, signs, napkins, pencils, typewriters, telephones, motorcycles, Peabody Awards, trucks, a safe, a VW Beetle, and the Letter of the Day." I think if he has as much influence over childrens' eating habits as they think... we should start locking up things like telephones and street signs!!

The song "'C' is for Cookie", is one of Sesame Streets most widely known songs. In 2004, Cookie Monster revealed that, before he ate his first cookie, he believes his name was Sid.

5th - Men Make Dinner Day - Of interest, the man of our house will be absent this year... we're taking applications for a substitute... samples of your cooking skills appreciated.. in advance!

6th - Nachos Day - Of interest... I wonder how many people will use the opportunity to say... "It's 'not yo' day!"... (umm... I know I will... my kids are already groaning)

14th - National Clean out your fridge day! Of interest, I never knew until now!! I think it's a grand idea! Starting the holidays out with a cleaned out fridge makes total sense! Here's the list of things recommended to do on this day!

• Take everything out
• Dispose of USO's (unidentified shriveled objects)ick
• Remove all the drawers and shelves
• Wash down and disinfect the walls, shelves and door
• Wash everything that goes back in.. the drawers, shelves etc.. and the outside of jars and bottles
• Vacuum the coils if your model has them (important for energy efficiency as well as cleaning!)
• Clean out underneath. If you can't move the fridge to do so use a broom handle with an old sock on the end!
• Admire a job well done!
  

27th - Black Friday.... of interest, is it a holiday or a phenomenon... stay tuned... I have a personal black Friday blog to come!!

Grandpa BC

We have been very fortunate to have three very different Grandpa's in our children's lives. Grandpa BC may just be a loaner grandpa but we'll take what we can get. He is really the Connolly grandpa but since the Connolly's are shared with me their grandpa gets to be shared with us! Grandpa BC is handy for building things, drawing things, singing songs with the kids, and full of tidbits of information. He recently moved into a complex with a pool just down the road from us and that made his place the best hangout for the summer!

Happy Birthday BC! May you always feel young at heart!