It's Cold Out There

5:09pm
A little pot of tea is brewing on the countertop. When it’s ready I’ll pour a cup and sit beside Everett on the couch and watch him play Halo or whatever godawful game he’s got on his x-box. He loves it when I observe; I know this because he starts narrating. However, I still don’t understand the attraction of games that seem to do nothing but shoot at and destroy targets. I guess I’m missing the strategic aspects of the games that hold players’ interest.
Watching him play will bore me to tears within two minutes but I’ll hold out till the first cup is empty, anyway. It’s what mothers do. Isn’t it? Show interest in their children’s activities?

I’ve been at the old house twice today, managing loads of laundry in the washer and dryer. Went to Marilou’s greenhouse (I wore my ski pants and my winter jacket; there were snowflakes falling through the air) to pick out the rosebush Scott offered to buy me this year in Mom’s memory. Tanya had such a good idea when she gave me that first one, the first summer after Mom’s passing. I’ve continued the tradition and even though Mom didn’t have a favourite flower that I’m aware of, whenever I look at my roses in bloom I think of Mom and that means a lot to me.

A batch of whole wheat bread is ready to go into the oven in a few minutes. This will keep Everett happy, as he prefers homemade bread to all others, even for lunch sandwiches. Emil likes the store-bought stuff for sandwiches; thank goodness, or I’d be baking twice a week instead of once. There’s a pork roast in the oven, too, for the benefit of the serious carnivores. For me there will be cream of broccoli soup and warm buttered bread. Emil just eats anything and everything. All of it, if he can get away with that.

Well, off to sip that tea and try to understand the allure of videogames.

5:46pm
It’s not Halo, it’s Oblivion (so-called) and it’s more of a finding-magical-things game, with lots of onscreen reading and conversation. Still dull as hell to watch but Everett likes science fiction and fantasy so it’s up his alley apparently. I sat next to him and observed as his character made his way through castle corridors, stone streets and a fairy forest. And as expected, Everett narrated and I didn’t last long.

We still don't have our big TV over here, among other things; this TV (thanks Dad) is sitting on Mom's accordion case on the floor. We use it for videos (and Everett's xbox) and that's all. Pictures have yet to be hung. In a way it feels like we're still camping here. It's not cosy yet.