Seasons Greetings
from
Wesley and Irene Leonard
R.R. 3, Port Rowan, ON   NOE IMO
e-mail: bushlot @ kwic.com

Dear

Best wishes to you all at this joyful season of the year, as you celebrate the birth of the Christ-Child and prepare for a new century. We have been invited to my sister Muriel's home in Ingersoll for Christmas. It will be a delight to see her grandchildren Morgan (5 years) and Hayden (7 months). There are the usual Christmas activities at Church and in the community as well.

There were mixed blessings in 1999, but more good than bad. The year began with heavy snowfall and a brief spell of freezing rain during the first two weeks. As a result the roof of the shop collapsed on January 10th, and the walls were skewed, so that the doors wouldn't open. When Wesley was able to go inside he was surprised to find that the 2 by 6 timbers supporting the roof had broken edgewise, such was the weight on them. It was spring before he could slowly take down the roof and begin the process of straightening the walls as the base for a new roof. A lot of time went into designing a geodesic type roof which will be self-supporting and can be built by himself. So progress is slow but he hopes to get the corner over his stockroom completed before winter weather calls a halt.

Fortunately he has had no back problems this year, though his eyesight is a different matter. In February he had cataract surgery on his left eye which has improved his vision in it. Surgery on his right eye was not until November and results are not so good. Macular degeneration there means he has only peripheral vision - central vision is very foggy. Just before Christmas he sees an optometrist for new glasses and he is hoping for clip-on magnifiers as well, so that he will not need to use a magnifying glass to read or see the computer screen. My health has been good this year. I am enjoying being able to drive the car, although I avoid night driving, long distances and high-speed highways.

In May, I attended the Canadian WCTU Convention in Guelph. A highlight was our guest, Mrs. Alberta Christ, the editor of the World WCTU White Ribbon Bulletin. She gave the keynote address and also gave an impersonation of Frances Willard at our banquet. We also enjoyed a bus trip to Toronto to see the new WCTU Headquarters and the display at the Museum of Textiles of the political and religious banners of the Canadian WCTU 1877-1932. These had been restored after years of neglect and their display in the museum has created a renewed interest in our organization.

The big event of the year for us was the celebration of our 35th wedding anniversary. We invited as many family members who could attend to lunch at the Cove Room in the Erie Beach Hotel in Port Dover. It was a hot July day much as it had been 35 years earlier and 48 of us enjoyed the opportunity to have lunch together. Wesley's sister Evelyn even made crowns for Wesley and I to wear, and we received many beautiful gifts. The pictures and cards received will be a continuing memento of the event.

Jonathon Craig is now in his sixth year in Japan. He resigned his teaching position at the end of August and is now doing freelance translation work. To improve his language skills he studied for the 1st level Japanese proficiency test which he took on December 5th. He went to Thailand in November for a ten-day holiday and to meet up with his cousins Shawn and Yasuko who have been traveling in Southeast Asia since June. They plan to end their travels by coming to Canada for Christmas, and return to Japan in January. Shawn has set up a homepage on the internet and we've been reading his account of their travels including many beautiful pictures.

Other family news: Evelyn and Eric visited us twice this summer, once following their Stratford Festival plays in June, then three weeks later they returned for our anniversary. They keep fairly active, but are thinking of retiring their trailer to their country place. Alice is not so well, not able to take the trip here in July. Her doctor doesn't think she should have knee replacement surgery, so she suffers a lot of pain. Brother Fred had a hip replacement and other medical treatment this summer and his mobility has improved. However his other hip is still causing him to take it easy. Their daughter Nancy with Pat and Ann came east from British Columbia in October to visit her family in Connecticut and Boston. They plan to visit her sister Ann in Arizona in January. Janet and Rob, Faith and Jaryd will be at Fred's for Christmas.

Ruth and all her family are busy. Most of them came to our anniversary in July. Ken is involved in trying to get a new sports facility built in Dunnville. Gwen is anticipating retirement from teaching in about three years. Her family includes 4 grandchildren now. Peter and Bev have had some medical problems - Peter's prostate surgery this fall went well, but Bev's knee surgery doesn't occur until next April. Their family keep busy as well. Kathi graduated from Trent University in June and is presently attending Emmanuel College in Toronto toward a divinity degree. Bonnie's husband was laid off from General Motors but has been very busy as general handyman in Niagara Falls. Peter John's layoff from General Motors was very brief. Lori's husband is now the rabbi at the synagogue in Niagara Falls.

Muriel has not been very well. She had surgery to improve circulation in one leg last summer, but still has heart problems. At her 70th birthday in May I invited her and Ruth to Port Rowan for lunch and we had a good time just visiting. Kevin is now self employed as a cabinet maker, and is so busy he can hardly keep up with the demand. He and Zara have a son Hayden, born last May. Morgan, now in senior kindergarten, feels she should care for him too. Muriel's daughters all are busy. Sharon is having the family get together this year on the Sunday before Christmas.

We keep in touch with John and Rosalie via e-mail and exchange news of our sons in Japan. Rosalie's Mother died this fall at age 87. She had not been well for some time and needed a lot of care. All their family are looking forward to Shawn and Yasuko's visit this winter. A Japanese friend of theirs is coming to Canada too, so they will spend some time showing her around.

We have already had messages from some of you and look forward to the cards and letters and news from all. We hope your Christmas season is full of joy and good fellowship, and the New Year brings good health and much happiness.

With love and best wishes, Irene and Wesley