Quick takes - September edition, part 2!

I swore I would do more than one post in September, so here it is!

1.  Harvest is still dragging on.  After hail and wind took their toll, Clem was still fairly satisfied with the yield.  And we are relatively lucky - some places around here got hit with hail three times this year.  Yikes.  He has about 250 acres of standing wheat left to do.  It is still tough, but he's taking it slowly and putting it in air bins.  Many farmers are waiting for the wheat to cure.  The weather man said something about that four-letter-word that starts with "s" coming next week, but hopefully we can finish up before then.

2.  Stephen, who celebrated his 19th birthday a couple of weeks ago, has moved into his place in Edmonton.  He seems to like it there, but I did get one text this week saying that I should make some lasagna and casseroles and freeze them for him and his roommate.  Ya, cause I have absolutely nothing else to do.  I'll get right on that, Stephen, just as soon as I put away the cookbooks that I bought you and you left laying here on the counter.  Hmmm.

3.  Adam is still alive.  I know because sometimes I see that he has left a comment on a friend's Facebook page.  That is the only reason I know.

4. Derek is a football-playing fool.  He just loves it.  Almost as much as the game itself, I think he loves hanging out with the older guys.  They all definitely have a team mentality, which is good.   I will get some pictures soon, especially of his darling new haircut, courtesy of one of the clipper-wielding veterans. His initiation is tomorrow.  Pray for him.  And for me.

5.  We have our new billet, a very nice young goalie from Edmonton.  He moved in the night I got home from my college reunion, into the room Stephen had been using while he was here.  Let's just say there was some wild cleaning going on for the hour between the time I got home and when he arrived.  

6.  We did NOT buy a rental property in Kerrobert.  Now I have so much more free time!  So I have been canning tomatoes in my spare time.   14 quarts down, and probably that many more to go.  I know I am going to appreciate this in a couple of months!

7.   I have another new nephew!  Edison Jay Huck was born on the day before Stephen's birthday.  Grandma says he is perfect, and she's not biased at all.  We get to check him out at Thanksgiving, when he takes his first road trip so they can join us for the holiday.  Mom and Dad will be around, as well, since we are attending the baptism of little Samuel in Saskatoon on the 6th.  By the way, Sam's pretty perfect, as well.  My brothers seem to excel at making cute kids, although I think their wives have quite a bit to do with that.

That's about all there is.  I grabbed the camera and went outside after supper tonight, because the light was just beautiful.  Here's a bit of what I saw.

Thanks for checking in!

Chandra

Quick takes - September edition

1.  We are still here.  Try as it might, the wind was not able to blow us to Manitoba yesterday.  Some of our land, and swaths, may be there, though.  It completely cleaned off 40 acres of lentil swaths.   And someone's pea swaths blew through our yard at one point.  We fared much better than areas close to the land of my birth, however, as many farmers were completely hailed out and my beautiful little town is littered with trees, branches, and leaves.  Fortunately, no one was hurt.

2.  Derek is loving football.  He was even up at 6 am this morning for practice - ON. HIS. OWN!  Only football can accomplish that, folks.  Take it from a seasoned mom.

3.  My garden continues to amaze me.  There is another crop of strawberries ripening right now.  They are big and tasty and plentiful.  Didn't see that coming. The corn is done, and I lifted the onions yesterday and pulled out the bean plants.  The tomatoes are covered tonight in fear of the predicted frost.  We are loving the wonderful taste of them, and I am trying as many tomato recipes as I can.

4.  We put an offer on a rental place in Kerrobert.  We will probably use it to house junior hockey players this winter, and go from there.  That's if our offer is accepted!  Not sure if I really want that to happen...

5.  Parish Council, hockey registration, choir practice and football parents' meeting are all this week.  Can you say "busy"?  Better question might be, "Can you say 'NO'?"

6.  I am preparing to attend my College of Commerce 25-year reunion.  Think I can lose 50 pounds in a week?  No, me either.

7.  I had the best visit with two of the most wonderful people I know - Bernie and Jackie Etcheverry.  Bernie was the principal at AGCHS (before it became Luseland Composite School!) and Jackie was the Kindergarten teacher.  They left Luseland in 1988 (wow!  that long ago?) but we've stayed in touch, and just recently became "friends" on Facebook.  We ended up at the same wedding in Tramping Lake last weekend (don't hear that very often, do you?) and had a great time catching up.  In case you are interested, the bride was a Senger (whose grandmother was a second cousin to my mom) and the groom was a Wack.  Clem was one of the groomsmen at his parent's wedding, and his dad's brother is married to my cousin.  His mom's dad was the principal of the elementary school in Luseland - Red McGregor.  Ahhh, connections again!

That's about it. Thanks for stopping in!
Chandra

It's raining in my heart.

It's overcast, cold, windy, and raining.  Which suits my mood perfectly.  Yesterday we learned of the sudden and tragic death of a young man from Kindersley.  He is Stephen's age, and they played AA Bantam hockey together.  In fact, he was apparently on his way to North Battleford to try out for the junior team. 

We were stunned.  I mean, it literally stopped us in our tracks.  I immediately and instinctively began gathering my own boys in my mind - where are they, what are they doing, are they safe?  Irrational, I know, but that's what I did.  I think it's because deep down I knew that it could have just as easily been one of them.  It could have just as easily been us receiving that awful news.  And what then?

We get so caught up in the small things in our lives, complaining about our little inconveniences and petty irritations.  Yesterday morning, we woke to find that our dog had yet again found another porcupine, and that I would be spending the morning at the vet clinic.  I was annoyed.  Derek and his friend had been up late, and loud, the night before, and left a mess in the kitchen.  I was annoyed.  We can't always rely on Adam and Stephen for help on the farm.  It's frustrating. Suddenly, none of that really matters.  Suddenly, my heart just aches for those parents who will no longer have those annoyances and frustrations.  Their lives are forever changed, and the pain must be almost unbearable.  I had trouble sleeping, and woke early with all these thoughts swirling in my mind, but what about them?  I can't even imagine what they are going through. 

I guess what we take from this is to try to hold sacred each moment, each breath, each touch.  Smile more, laugh more, hug more.  Because what else can you do?  These things are so out of our control. 

So rest in peace, Jeff.  You were quite a kid - friendly, with a quick smile and a twinkle in your eye, always ready for a laugh.  And you loved your hockey, always working hard and giving it your all.  You will be missed.  You touched many lives in your short time here, and my thoughts and prayers go out to all who are grieving right now.

And to all of you who stop here, thanks for letting me vent.  I find this blog quite cathartic, and I'm so grateful that you tolerate my rambling!  Or maybe you don't - how do I really know how much you read???

Hugs.
Chandra