In this particular blog which I am beginning to write at 10:39 PM on 6 November 2021 I may wander around.

I wrote this blog about the difference between contentment and happiness. In the blog I am the old man and the girl is my granddaughter.

When I had work, and Rosemary and I had schedules, we were worried about money and other menialities of everyday life. Now all I have is grief , my Rosemary gone now for almost a year, two lovely adoring cats and the twice a week company of my daughter Hilary and the everyday phone call from my Lillooet daughter Ale. And of course the menialities.

Is that enough? Am I happy?  Am I content?

I don’t want to celebrate Christmas. Every year bought the tree and Rosemary brought down the decorations from our storage in the attic. We poured over Christmas brochures for gifts for the family and it was her job to do the wrapping. Christmas Eve meant that our family would come over for my roast beef and Rosemary’s Yorkshire Pudding. I don’t have the heart for any of that.

One of my ideas is to spend Christmas with my nephew Georgito O’Reilly in Buenos Aires. The rest of his/my family leave town by December 15^th. He is my favourite relative in Argentina. So only seeing him will be enough to keep me content.

But there are factors that make my plans questionable. In about a week and a few more days they are having mid-term elections. Oficialismo (as they call and party in power) will be losing seats in the two houses. Will there be chaos? Inflation is reaching 45% and almost 50% of the country is in poverty.

When Rosemary and I were in Buenos Aires in September 2010 the US Dollar (in Argentina they call the black-market dollar “ el dollar blue” was at 64 pesos. In the last few days it has reached 199. The finance minister says there will be no devaluation.

The Frente de Todos (the party in power) is buying votes by giving away kitchen stoves and refrigerators.

With Rebecca

Thanks to my Rosemary who made us move to Vancouver in 1975 we and now me are reaping Canadian stability both in politics and in financial matters.  Can I look forward to going for 10 days to a country in which anything can happen?

The only stability I have ever noticed in my Argentina are the guards (Granaderos de San Martín) who are at their post inside the Metropolitan Cathedral by the entrance to the tomb of the great general.