Dying Man’s Daily Journal – Howdle Sisters

Yes the “Queens” have arrived!! The two special ladies from Swan have also landed with Lori and Garry in tow. We seem to have taken over the place including the blog. This is a daunting task as we do not feel we have the wisdom and insightfulness that Bill possesses so our words will deal with our time here with our wonderful hosts.

We have felt most welcome here since the moment we arrived on Friday night. Bill and Vi are truly warm and caring people and both have an awesome sense of humour. We have covered a lot of ground with memories and stories (some are true, some are questionable), pictures and lots of laughs. Almost all relatives have been discussed. So, for those of you not lucky enough to be here, you can only imagine some of the “secrets” that have been shared.

Yesterday was very enjoyable catching up with Bill’s daughter Shauna and her hubby Jake. Also cousin Eric, his wife Lynda and daughter, Sara blessed us with their company. Today, we are expecting many of the same group plus one more cousin, Marg and her husband, Dale.

While we are all totally enjoying each minute with Bill and Vi and relatives, our youngest sister, Sherry, (the baby girl) is very glad she came. Being that Sherry is a few years younger than us, she was very young the last time she saw Bill and Eric and their children. Her memories were mainly from pictures and stories. It’s hard not to feel like you haven’t known everyone here forever. She has wonderful memories and can now put a face to everyone that she hasn’t seen for years. However, as we walked this morning, she commented that she feels old seeing the “little second cousins” that are all grown up. As we age, we often keep a picture in our mind of how someone looks the last time we saw them, especially children.

Even with all the company and commotion here, Bill comes down and checks up on his “blogging friends” several times a day. He checks the comments and is already looking ahead to see when the 43,000 hit will come! Bill does not give himself enough credit for his insightful postings but we can tell you that he is humbled by the number of people who read his blog, the thoughts and prayers that are shared, and that so many people are moved and affected by his postings.

We are now off to go up and do some more visiting. We will turn this back to Bill when he has a chance to come and record his thoughts. We are sure you miss him as his postings have become an integral part of our days.

As we sign off, we are sorry to tell you that you will not here any wild stories about the Queens or their goings on here because……..what happens in Winnipeg, stays in Winnipeg!

Shirley, Gloria and Sherry