The Menus’ Christmas Letter/Crossword for 2004

Clues that tell about our life this year are in bold. So if you don’t care to do the crossword puzzle, just read those clues (they contain our news). Enjoy!

Across

1. What we had to do at the end of May this year because our landlord sold the house we were renting. Yes, we had to do this two years earlier for the same reason! Now we are living in a townhouse (unit 35, 10070 Fifth Street) and still within walking distance of downtown Sidney. It's smaller than our previous place (we had to put some furniture in storage) but cozier. We like it. But if good finances and good fortune combine in the next few years we may look to buy a double-wide mobile home in one of the trailer parks on First Nations land in the area.

5. Oyster ___ Resort, the name of the resort on Saratoga Beach halfway between Courtney and Campbell River where we took our annual vacation this year. Very restful! Then on 1 December we celebrated Art's fifty-fifth birthday by spending two days at Yellow Point Lodge, an oceanfront lodge not far from Ladysmith. The daily charge includes all meals. It's a set menu but very tasty and as much as you can eat. It's rustic with rooms or cabins surrounded by acres of rain forest, and not a TV or radio in the place. Guests amuse themselves by walking, talking, reading, or playing games. What a treat!

10. The word that goes here is a number. This number is significant for five reasons, which are as follows.

(i) This number is the number of steps Alanna has yet to complete before she can be ordained a minister in the United Church, these steps being (a) approval by the committee with which she is discerning whether she is called to ministry, (b) completion of a course offered by Vancouver School of Theology on the United Church, (c) passing an interview with the board that approves people for ordination, and (d) an internship working in a congregation (this might be waived). It is not clear whether these steps can be completed in time for Alanna to be ordained in 2005.

(ii) This is also the number of extended care hospitals in Victoria where Art serves as part-time (.7 full-time) nondenominational chaplain, now in his seventh year in this position.

(iii) This is also the number of churches that we have been involved with this year. Alanna took two months leave from her regular job with the St. Vincent de Paul Society to fill in for the minister at Centennial United Church in Victoria in the months of January and February. The minister was ill and did not return, so Alanna, while working at her regular job, filled in for him part-time from March to the end of August. The next church we are involved with is St. Elizabeth's Catholic Church in Sidney where we attend mass on Saturday evenings. The next church is St. Paul's United Church in Sidney, which Alanna attends Sunday mornings. The last church is St. John's United Church in Deep Cove (a ten-minute drive into the countryside from Sidney), which I (and sometimes Alanna) attend Sunday mornings.

(iv) This is also the number of volunteer jobs we have taken on. The first is Xristos Community Society, a registered charity that helps groups of people form small faith communities (also known as basic church communities or home churches). Art has been president and Alanna secretary-treasurer since the society was incorporated in 1997. One of the small faith commuities affiliated with Xristos is Corpus Sidney, a small group to which we belong, that meets every two weeks for prayer, sharing and reflection on scripture, and celebration of the eucharist. This has enriched our spiritual lives immensely. Xristos Community Society also publishes The Journal, a quarterly devoted to religious topics. Art is on the editorial board and writes a column for it called 'Theological Soapbox'. The Journal can be read online by going to <www.xristos.ca> on the internet. The next two volunteer jobs are Alanna's. She is the secretary of the parish council of St. Paul's United Church. She is also the secretary of Victoria Presbytery of the United Church (made up of representatives from all the churches in greater Victoria). She is paid a stipend for this but she works far more hours than she is paid for, so this counts as a partly volunteer job. The last volunteer job is Art's participation in the local Knights of Columbus, where he fills the position of 'lecturer', whose duty it is to give entertaining talks. Art regards this as a ministry so his talks and the articles he writes for the Knights' bulletin are basically short sermons.

(v) This is also the number of years Alanna has been working as a Community Support Worker for the St. Vincent de Paul Society in the day program at its Ozanam Centre, where she supervises adults with developmental disabilities (i.e., mentally handicapped).

14. The country formerly known as Persia. 15. A magistrate of ancient Rome 16. What newshounds seek 17. Shade 18. Jeune ___ (French for 'girl') 19. Nationality of John Rebus, hero of a series of detective novels that we greatly enjoy, written by Ian Rankin 20. Once again takes out a loan to pay off debts 23. Fragrant resin obtain from trees of the family Burseraceae and used as incense 24. Big block of earth's crust shifted upward forming part of a mountain range 25. Unit for measuring OPEC production (abbr.) 27. Edible seaweed 31. 'You're the ___', a Cole Porter song, sung by the late Cole Porter himself on the soundtrack of De-Lovely, a movie musical biography of Porter that we saw recently and recommend highly. We bought the CD of the soundtrack with several Porter songs sung by a variety of singers. Contemporary song writers can't hold a candle to Porter. 34.Able to stop a leak in itself by itself (4-7) 39. Certain four-stringed instruments 41. An incursion or an excursion may be this 42. Something to make an angler curse 43. They are visible once the turkeys have been fully carved 46. Family physicians (abbr.) 47. He of whom God said to Moses, 'He shall serve as a mouth for you, and you shall serve as God for him' 48. Do needlework 50. One who steals software 55. Toward the future 59. But she may be a gold digger! (8,6) 62. Pronounced 'loo' by itself, but 'left' with a 'tenant' 63. This artist's name literally means 'Leonardo from the town of ___' 64. Egg65. Translucent gemstone 66. Arab chieftain (variable spelling) 67. Go alone 68. Unit of money in Guinea-Bissau 69. Kind of surgery that Art had on 19 May to correct his near-sightedness. His distance vision is now 20-20 but he still needs reading glasses (age, you know!) 70. A dyed-in-the-wool Blue Jays fan, Art would like to see his team get more of these.

Down

1. This vestment, worn by bishops, was originally a simple cap made of soft material, terminating in a peak with a string on each side to fasten it to the wearer’s head when traveling about. 2. A projecting bay window corbeled or cantilevered out from a wall 3. Science fiction writer Jack ___ , author ofRhialto the Marvellous and many other books 4. Put in a grave position 5. Their decisions can affect the outcome of a hockey game 6. It is rare that one can be translated word for word 7. Country home, often for a rich person 8. ___ Island: until 1954 a gateway for immigrants to the U.S. 9. The King James version of the Bible translates this body of water, traversed by Moses and the People of Israel in the exodus, as 'Red Sea'. In fact the correct translation of the Hebrew text is 'Sea of ___' 10. Handfuls11. The ___ and Future King by T. H. White is a great novel that had a great impact on Art when he read it as a teenager 12. The subject of many a conspiracy theory 13. Bunk 21. They are found in pens22. Some productions of this Verdi opera have featured elephants and hundreds of extras 26. Not used up 28. Variety of cod sold at our local fishmarket 29. What people under pressure sometimes do 30.The plural of the following blanked word: '"It's very provoking," Humpty Dumpty said after a long silence, looking away from Alice as he spoke, "to be called an ___ – very!"' (Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll) 31. Over time the bass fiddle supplanted this brass instrument in jazz orchestras 32. Gumbo ingredient 33. British nobleman 35. Big shot in tennis 36. With respect to motion, the opposite of 'to' in a common expression 37. The first part of many a California place name38. Peepers 40. The largest city in South America (3, 5) 44. Vexed state 45. 'Set me as a ___ upon your heart' (Song of Solomon, 8:6) 49. What a pedestrian hears when a car goes by really fast 51. Someone competing against you for a prize 52. According to Jung, the feminine side of a male's unconscious mind 53. What a member of a symphony orchestra does to his instrument just before the conductor walks on stage 54. He is usually the one who introduces the head table 56. A brief stanza concluding certain forms of poetry 57. Big person 58. Trade show staples 59. It may carry water 60. Pastures 61.The basic unit of money in Ethiopia 62. Cut off.