Gail Siemko

Day in the life of Gail stories from years gone by

I can remember a few years ago, on January 11, 1976, all four of us, Dennis Siemko, Gail Siemko, John Morrow and Vicki Morris were celebrating the guy’s birthdays and went to Davis Lake, just outside of Minden, Ontario. The weather had made snow drifts all around the highways and backroads to the cottage, making it impossible to park our car close to the abode. We ended up bringing our turntable, three-foot speakers, LPs and 8-track tapes. Traipsing into the 100-foot driveway with all of our suitcases and provisions made us very tired and miserable. However, after finding the key and starting a fire, we were able to take a look around and decide what to do. The snow was still coming down very hard and it was time for dinner, so we opened some soup and made peanut butter sandwiches. I wanted to inform you that both Dennis and I were recently married, 21 and 19 respectively. Whereas, John and Vickie were engaged to be married at 21, and 20. So I was Vickie’s chaperone and have the pictures to prove it. When failing to warm the extremely cold cottage, we took a vote packed up, checked in at a local Inn, called The Norlander. It took us twice as long to retreat from our humble beginnings, but we did it, and when knocking on the door of the owners at the Norlanders Inn, able to secure two rooms along with some food and games. The weather had made snow drifts all around the highways and backroads to the cottage, making it impossible to park our car close to the abode. We ended up bringing our turntable, three-foot speakers, LPs and 8-track tapes. Traipsing into the 100-foot driveway with all of our suitcases and provisions made us very tired and miserable. However, after finding the key and starting a fire, we were able to take a look around and decide what to do at this juncture. The snow was still coming down very hard and it was time for dinner, so we opened some soup and made peanut butter sandwiches. I wanted to inform you that both Dennis and I were recently married, 21 and 19 respectively. Whereas, John and Vickie were engaged to be married at 21, and 20. So I was Vickie’s chaperone and have the pictures to prove it. When failing to warm the extremely cold cottage, we took a vote packed up, checked in at a local Inn, called The Norlander. It took us twice as long to retreat from our humble beginnings, but we did it, and when knocking on the door of the owners at the Norlanders Inn, able to secure two rooms along with some food and games.

The fireplace was massive, keeping us all warm and toasty, the guys kept us laughing with their antics and beers which flowed leaving us all in a super good mood.

After the amazing weekend, we were returning home along the Hwy. 400 and all of the roads were icy and covered in sleet and snow. We were trying to barrel through there with our ‘Big Silver Bird’, John in the front with Dennis, Vicki and me holding on for dear life in the backseat. The other drivers were in the ditches and stuck all-over the roads leaving their cars unattended, with huge baggage being dragged along the highway. I didn’t know enough about the worst snowstorm to hit the GTA in over a Decade. It took us six hours to arrive home to our respective dwellings, and we swore on a stack of Bibles that Vickie stayed a virgin until their wedding, September 11, 1976.

A Day In The Life Of Gail

I would like to share my experience with SierraSil in that, I have been using both the Joint Formula 14 and Curcumin 3 for the past six months, and found them both to be beneficial for my chronic pain management. These fabulous supplements were recommended to me by a friend, and it was then that I purchased my first bottle of Sierrasil 14 via Amazon. I enjoyed these supplements so much, that I went directly to the company, as I didn’t realize that you benefited from points that could be applied to your further purchases. When I finished my first bottle of the Sierrasil 14, I found that the joint pain relief was immensely beneficial and I didn’t have to attend my physician’s office or the pain care clinic as much. It was at that time that the annual sale of the 3 for 2 was announced and I took advantage of it, making purchases of the Curcumin 3 too. I am entirely pleased with the amazing results and cannot say enough good things about them or the company. When I finished my second bottle of these awesome supplements, I took it upon myself to stock up on more and felt impelled to say great things about them or the company. I found that the relief I receive is so immense and that I am taking less pain medication which is a relief to me, my liver and family that I must take care of with the extra time that is afforded me now that I am being relieved of the pain and daily torture. I highly recommend both of these products and cannot see a life without them. So in this vein, I wanted to reach out and document how great I am feeling and can now live my life with goodness and overall happiness. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, and all of my non-aching joints. Gail Siemko Certified Sierrasil User and Overall Happy Camper in Ontario.

The Fiftieth Anniversary of The Sound of Music Revisted

Just rewatched The Sound of Music 50th Anniversary edition and I’m an absolute mess.😭
That “Do-Re-Me” sequence with Julie Andrews spinning through Salzburg with those seven kids is pure sunshine bottled on film. The way she turns scales into pure joy… no one else could have done it.
And then the ending—watching the von Trapp family sing their hearts out at the festival, knowing they’re literally minutes away from hiking over the mountains to escape the Nazis—hits so much harder as an adult. The real-life Captain von Trapp, Maria, and the children, actually did have to flee Austria, after the Anschluss in 1938. The movie takes some liberties (they actually left by train, not over the Alps on foot 😂), but the courage it took is 100% real.
Julie Andrews + those kids + “Edelweiss” + climbing every mountain = one of the most perfect films ever made.

Who else is sobbing over here? 🏔️🎶❤️
#TheSoundOfMusic #JulieAndrews #DoReMi”

“The Float that Floated Away”

“The Float That Floated Away”.

It was December 1988 in a snowy little Oakville, in Ontario, Canada. The annual Christmas parade was in full swing: marching bands blaring “Jingle Bells,” elves tossing candy canes, and the Boy Scouts’ float—a massive plywood sleigh pulled by a pickup truck disguised as reindeer—gliding down Lakeshore like Santa’s own ride.

Little Jonathan Siemko, age 7, was one of the Scouts perched proudly on the float, dressed as a pint-sized elf with a pointy hat that kept slipping over his eyes. His dad, Bob, had promised to scoop him up right after the parade ended at the town hall. “I’ll be there with hot cocoa, buddy—no sweat!” Dennis had said, waving from the curb.

But as the float chugged along, disaster struck most innocently. Jonathan, distracted by a flock of kids waving from the sidewalk, leaned over to toss a handful of fake snow (aka shredded paper). Whoops—his elf boot caught on a loose rope, and in a puff of glitter, he tumbled right off the back of the float… straight into a snowbank!

The parade didn’t stop. The Scouts didn’t notice (they were too busy singing off-key). The float kept rolling, leaving Jonathan who was buried up to his neck in fluffy white stuff, blinking in confusion. “Uh… Dad?”

Meanwhile, Dennis was circling the town hall parking lot in his red Honda, muttering under his breath. “Where the heck is that float? Traffic’s a nightmare!” He honked at a guy in a Santa suit blocking the road, circled again, and finally gave up. “Kid’s probably already home with his mom. I’ll swing by later.”

Back at the Siemko house, Gail (Jonathan’s mom) was elbow-deep in cookie dough, humming along to Whitney Houston on the radio. The phone rang. She wiped her hands on her apron and picked up.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Mrs. Siemko? This is Troop Leader Dave from the Boy Scouts. Quick question—has Jonathan made it home yet?”

Gail froze, dough dripping from her fingers. “Home? He should be with the parade! Dennis was picking him up!”

A long pause. “Uh… ma’am, the float just pulled in. All the kids are here… except Jonathan. We thought maybe he hopped off early with his dad?”

Gail’s eyes widened like saucers. “HE’S MISSING? FROM A FLOAT? IN THE PARADE?” Gail’s voice hit Mariah Carey’s high notes. She dropped the phone (literally—it clattered to the floor) and started hyperventilating. Visions of Jonathan lost in the snowy wilderness, befriending reindeer, or worse—hitchhiking with carolers—flooded her mind.

Dave on the other end: “Ma’am? Ma’am! Stay calm! We’ll send a search party!”

Cut to hilarity ensuing: Gail bolts out the door in her flour-dusted apron, yelling for neighbours. “MY BABY’S LOST ON A CHRISTMAS FLOAT!” The whole block mobilizes—Katie Kenzel from next door grabs her binoculars, and Mr. Patel revs his snowblower like a tank. Dennis finally shows up, clueless: “What’s all the commotion? Timmy’s probably—”

“PROBABLY WHAT, BOB? ABDUCTED BY ELVES?”

Meanwhile, back at the snowbank… Dennis had dusted himself off, giggling at his own clumsiness. He trudged the two blocks home, boots crunching, arriving just as the search posse assembled on the lawn.

“Mom? Dad? Why’s everyone yelling? I fell off the float, but I walked home. It was fun—like an adventure!”

Gail scoops him up in a bear hug, tears mixing with laughter. “You… you little elf! I thought you were parade roadkill!”

Dennis scratches his head: “I drove around for 20 minutes looking for a float that was already done.”

The Scouts call back: “False alarm, folks! Kid’s a trooper.”

That night, over hot cocoa (extra marshmallows for the survivor), the family, including the baby brother, Addison, retells the story with belly laughs. Jonathan gets a badge for “Independent Navigation.” And from then on, every Christmas, they reenact the “Float Fiasco”—complete with Gail’s dramatic phone-drop impression.

Mixed emotions? Unbelief that a simple pickup turned into a town-wide panic. Hilarity? The image of a tiny elf self-rescuing while adults lose their minds. Classic 1989. This is a true story that wasn’t funny at the time, however; all these years have passed and now I can comfortably chuckle.🎄😂

Merry Christmas to everyone of my friends and family.

It’s a Snow Day Memory

It’s been a while since I last wrote, and one new thing is that Winter has started early in full force, with over seven inches of snow and gale winds. I am looking out my back window seeing a blanket of snow with no more disconcerting leaves strewn across the lawn, and darn I was going to get out there too. Not enough snow to make snow angels but enough to make snowmen with the neighbourhood youngsters. My children are too old now to do so, but the memories I have of them are very long and happy ones. We would bundle them both up, with long johns, then their bulky snow suits, boots, mittens attached with strings and hats under the snowsuit hood. It took a lot of hard work bundling them up, first Jonathan with his leg brace, which took the longest. Addison was last and didn’t take so long as he didn’t squirm and followed orders quite well. As soon as this was all accomplished, the proverbial words came out of Jonathan’s mouth, “Mommy, I have to go to the bathroom”, and then before we even got one step outside, I was undressing them both to use the lavatory or bathroom to go pee. These little memories happened more than once, it seemed to be a ritual with these little guys, and every time we started to get our snow gear on this would happen. You would think I would learn my lesson after all these years, however, I would go through the same process every snowfall, with two eager boys ready to make a snowball and begin the annual trek into the beautiful white background. After two failed attempts, you would think I would learn my valuable lesson, but no it was not to be. It was something in their cherubic faces that always kept us going, and despite the cold, we enjoyed the weather making snow angels, snowmen and snowballs galore.

After an hour of cold and icicles hanging from their gloves, it was time to come inside to warm up and drink hot Ovaltine with marshmallows, sitting by the fireplace. A hot bath was always in order then warmed up clean clothes afterwards, with a few favourite videos for easy viewing by the fire. After an early lunch, they would all be so darn tired that a nap was needed for all three of us. As per usual, the boys would nap for a minimum of an hour, then scoot downstairs with each other in tow. Always trying to escape the watchful eye of their Mother. At this time, my rest time was over and it was time for their favourite television shows after playing in the kitchen with all of the different toys and games we had available. Some of them were imaginary games which we made up, such as The Wizard of Oz, and both Jonathan and Addison took turns being their beloved characters. Jonathan was the Tin Man, and Addison was the Scarecrow. I was Glinda, the Good Witch and played the music from The Wizard of Oz by FRANK l. BAUM. This imaginary game took over an hour with many different characters coming into play. The boys would both take much glee in being The Cowardly Lion, The Little People, “Lions, Tigers, and Bears, Oh, My”. They each would delight when I was the Wicked Witch and a stuffed animal playing Toto. We all walked around the house and adjoining rooms to “Follow The Yellow Brick Road”. This is when the winged monkeys would approach and we would all fight them off. Then we pretended to fall asleep when approaching the poppy-filled field on the way to the Wizard of Oz’s castle. That’s when the Wicked Witch flew over and wrote in the sky “surrender Dorothy”. We all walked around and marched in unison to the castle, where Dorothy proceeded to knock on the door, along with the rest of us and let us in to see the Wizard of Oz. After much bravado and two hours of singing, it was time for dinner, so The Wizard of Oz was coming to a close. We sped it up a bit and Dorothy, along with all of her new friends, could attend the meeting of the Great and powerful Oz. This is where certificates were issued to every member of the crew, after finding out that The Wizard wasn’t really the powerful and great individual he professed to be. Toto had pulled the curtain back and Dorothy saw him for what he really was. After an emotional and exciting day of play, my two boys were finally tired and it was time for cleanup. I scooted them up to the bathroom and gave them a fun time in the bath with their toys, then nightclothes, brushed their teeth, and read four library books. Jonathan and Addison call this the 4B’s, and to this day they both still remember this. I hope they will always remember the days we played long and hard, outside and inside. Imagination is a valuable tool.