Rain again!

We had about 4 tenths of rain this morning - still no rain gauge, just an educated guess! I was glad I got out in the garden last night after returning from Calgary. The potatoes popped through while I was gone, so I could see where to weed!

I took Mom on a mother/daughter retreat at the FCJ Center in Calgary. The center is downtown, behind the cathedral, and right on the river. It is in an old convent, built with sandstone, and the grounds are absolutely gorgeous.


These were the views from the window in our very warm room:



Mom really enjoyed trying out my new "Family Doctor II" massager. (It does feel great - I highly recommend!)



We had a very nice time reminiscing and sharing. Perhaps if Lisa is back in Canada next year, we could all go. It's amazing what two people can talk about when they have uninterrupted time.


Rob and Amber joined us for Mass at the Cathedral on Sunday morning, and then we met Jay and Terri for brunch. It was a great meal and we had lots of laughs, not so unusual when we're with Jay and Rob. The thing about a new camera is remembering to take it out of your pocket and use it. We all looked fabulous, but you'll never get to see that picture!

Hello to Dad's cousin, Roy, who called tonight to say that he's following the blog. It's good to know who is checking in! And hi to Dad, who is out at the farm getting ready to (gasp) spray chemical all over his crops. Wear a mask, Dad.

Bye for now.
Chandra

More rain....and some visitors

We got another nice rain yesterday. We prefer to operate without a rain gauge and just guess as to the amount we receive, so I can't tell you how much it rained. I can tell you that I've heard everything from half an inch to an inch, so it was probably somewhere in there. My garden is pretty mucky, I know that. I got the tomatoes, cabbage, broccoli, and celery plants in just as it was starting, so I'm happy about that. If we keep getting these weekly rains, there should be an abundance of good stuff from that garden!

Lori Seversen stopped in for a visit on Tuesday, along with her two adorable boys and her mom (who's quite adorable, too!). Alex, who is three, got his little hands on my new camera and went crazy. He figured out how to work it right away, and got some pretty good shots. He took some really bad ones, too - necks, arms, and feet - I deleted about 50 pictures! Thank goodness for digital cameras!

Here's Alex now:


This is his self-portrait (must be related to Kelvin!):



And here's happy Andrew, known as "pork chop" by his mom:





If the gravel business doesn't pan out, maybe Alex could be a photographer!



After a busy afternoon of taking pictures, it was time for a bathroom break, minus the bathroom.


Our great neighbor, Carol Wright, also stopped by on Tuesday to deliver a present, a dozen white roses. They are absolutely gorgeous, and I am really enjoying them. Thanks, Carol!
Not only do they look great, they smell wonderful!

Adam and Stephen have been attending the football spring camp. It starts at 7 a.m. They really can get up by themselves in the morning if they want to! Derek is recovering from his sunburn. I think I preferred it when he couldn't move much and didn't feel like talking! He missed another ball game due to the rain, but didn't seem too upset. As he said last week, baseball isn't really his sport.

Wow, two posts in one week. This new laptop and camera make things so easy, I may start to bore you with this trivial news!

Later.
Chandra

I just love computers!

I spent about an hour yesterday trying to publish this post, and got nowhere. And that was without downloading the pictures and resizing them. I'm still trying to figure out how this computer is making my life easier....

It's been very hot here the last few days. Everything is just exploding, all is lush and green (except for the multitude of yellow dandelions, the religious weed that bows down before the mower.) Clem and Adam have spent many hours on the tractor summerfallowing. Hopefully, the weeds will die, even with the humidity.

I had a few visitors last Thursday to help me celebrate my ??th birthday. First to arrive were Cindy Kissick and their latest addition (edition? - she looks just like the rest!), Celeste. Isn't she sweet?


Aunt Lorraine baked me an orange chiffon cake, just like mom used to do, and she and Aunt Linda came out for coffee. Carol Wright joined us, too. Then, after working at the library for the afternoon, I convinced Clem that he should take us to God's country - Luseland - for supper.

We were trying out my birthday present - a new camera for my trip to Scotland.

And here's beautiful main street, Luseland!
We went to the Royal George for supper, and on our way there we saw brother Mark. We invited him to join us, and bought him his birthday supper (a day early).

Then it was off to Dana's greenhouse for some more of my birthday present - bedding plants! Clem was trying out the camera again.
Actually, what I got was a lot more work! I decided to create a little flower garden in front of the house, centered by the pear tree we received in memory of Marj. I think it will turn out quite nicely, when everything grows a bit. There are already pears on the tree, but we've had to fence it to keep the deer from snacking.

You might have noticed the new awnings on the house. I can't believe the difference it makes by keeping the sun - and heat - out of the porch. It is bearable in there now, even when it's 29 degrees like yesterday!



Nothing new here - I just like these old boots!



There's no way we could keep the yard up without the help of our big boys. Stephen cut a whole bunch of grass in just a couple of hours. Of course, he wanted to go to football practice at 7 a.m. this morning!
Adam took a break from summerfallowing to work on his bike. He did eventually get it going, and he seems very happy to have it running again. Happier than he was when I was snapping pictures of him, anyway!
No pictures of Derek from yesterday, although they would be interesting. He looks somewhat like a lobster after three days in the pool and "I don't need sunscreen, Mom". He is in a foul humor, so I didn't even attempt to get a photo. A bit of ibuprofen and some aloe gel and he should be good to go in no time. I can't remember ever seeing a sunburn quite that bad, though!

Well, that's about it for life on the Schraefel farm. Thanks for stopping by, and we'll catch you later!
Chandra

Another wedding!

My cousin (and strangely, Clem's cousin's son), Don, tied the knot with Tracy on Saturday! There were about 600 people invited, so I was glad to be related twice, as I was assured of a seat at the packed hall.

The wedding ceremony itself was held at the courthouse grounds in Kerrobert. It was a perfect day - not too hot, and a bit of a breeze to keep the mosquitos away. Don's sister, Bobbi, officiated the ceremony. I didn't get a picture of the cute flower girls, one of whom is Bobbi's daughter, Breena, and the handsome ring bearer, Alex Parnitsky.



The five sisters, with the mother of the groom, Margie, in pink on the right. Believe it or not, this was before the strip-and-go-nakeds.




Mark, Dad, Terri, and Amber were there as well. That's cousin Danny standing behind them. Yes, I said standing.



Check out this gang of wanna-be's. They're not looking as happy as one would expect at a wedding, but perhaps it's because they lost their poker money to a 12-year-old kid the night before.


Here's our neighbor, Carol, with grandchildren Brayden and Maddie. Brayden is Derek's buddy.



One of the handsome ushers, Corson, nephew of the groom, with cousin Tammy.



The groom's family, apparently annoyed with the photographer!



The three Mrs. Hucks, at the hall for the reception. There is a better picture of Terri, but Mom had her eyes closed in that one. Terri is more forgiving.


Now to the gift-opening, or as we like to call it, second-day wedding, held at Don and Tracy's acreage. Here's four of the sisters, and yes, this is after, or maybe during, the strip-and-go-naked's.


Danny gave Don some lessons in puppeteering. It was really a sock with a face drawn on it, but don't tell Danny.

Don gave it a go, but we could tell it wasn't really the puppet talking. Even after the strip-and-go-naked's. Really. Honest.




Here's little Andrew with Grandma Linda. I use the word little to refer to his age, 7 months, not his size, 25 pounds. We really know how to grow 'em in Saskatchewan. Check out those thighs.




Alex and Aunt Linda gave it a good try, but they couldn't beat Stephen and cousin Andrew Schwab, even though their legs were tied together with a grocery bag and Stephen had consumed more beers than his mother would have liked.

All in all it was a great weekend. After the big rain last weekend, and some cool days, we were blessed with wonderful weather and wonderful friends and family to share it with. And as soon as it was over, the weather turned again. Clem missed all but the ceremony in order to finish seeding, which he did at 11 last night. It started raining early this morning, and our salmon-tin rain gauge says over an inch already, and more is expected overnight.

So that's two Schan weddings down and three to go this year. Chris Parnitsky is getting married June 30 at Chitek Lake, Carol Schwab is getting married in August in Prince George (have to miss that one - jet lag, hockey school, and harvest), and Allan Parnitsky is getting married in November here in Kerrobert. Might try to make that one, and Clem shouldn't have seeding as an excuse then!

That's a wrap! See you again soon, I hope!

Chandra

Farming

Derek spent yesterday on his new tractor- He mowed the whole yard

We got another new (used) tractor- We have about 70 hours on it this spring and it runs like a charm so far. The old tractor is 33 years old this year and has done well. We have seeded about 300 acres of green peas before being stopped by 1/2' of rain. We have been working around the yard and should be back at it by Monday. Forecast is for sunny and plus 20 for the next five days.

All is quiet this Monday morning, and instead of tackling my very long to-do list right away, I will let you in on a few recent happenings in and around the Schraefel farm!

On April 13 (which was Bud's birthday), Adam and Derek and I traveled to not-so-sunny Alberta to visit the Lacombe Schraefels and take in Amaris' confirmation at St. Mary's in Red Deer. We of course came across some typical Alberta drivers:
Unfortunately, this one was the head of the family we were visiting!

We had a great couple of days catching up with Mark and Lisa and their great kids. Nicolas came to the confirmation, and we got the see Nathan the next day at Mark's.

Amaris with Father Paul. Mark introduced us to Father Paul, and this intelligent man agreed that we came from God's country.

Derek's not looking too thrilled, possibly because there were 160 confirmands, which took some time, and Derek is not all that pumped about being in church at the best of times, especially on a Friday evening!



Mark was too tight to spring for a photographer, so took all the pictures of himself, himself.


Avalon finally warmed up to me, and then stuck like glue for the rest of the evening. It was great!

Clem was one of 25 people hand-picked by the president of the Saskatchewan Hockey Association to attend the first-ever hockey summit, held in Regina. It was also on the 13th, so we went in separate directions that weekend. Clem said it was a great meeting, and he learned lots. For those of you with Luseland connections, Clayton Muench was also there, representing Martensville.

Stephen decided to stay in Kerrobert that weekend for cousin Dylan's birthday party. As a present, Stephen taught Dylan how to sneak out of one's bedroom and roam small-town Saskatchewan until the wee hours. Stephen is now forgetting what his dirtbike looks like.

Adam and Stephen took the Hunter Safety course offered by Sask Wildlife (the federation, not the actual wildlife). They would not have taken it if their mother had realized it was every evening for two weeks. However, we managed and they both passed with flying colors. Yeah, my kids know how to shoot - every mother's dream.

Clem has started seeding. We have finally had some warm, spring-like weather, and it's wonderful. It does mean a lot more work around here, but the boys are getting to be a big help. Derek especially likes to be outside. Besides the fresh air, it means he may be called upon to drive something, which he loves doing! He will often give Clem a lift to and from the field. Clem has been enjoying his new toy - the tractor. We even have a hard time getting him to come in and eat!

I am happily planning a trip to Scotland in July. Lisa will meet me there, and we will explore the land of our ancestors for two weeks. I can hardly wait! I'm just not sure two weeks will be enough time to do everything I'd like to do, but I am sure Clem couldn't handle more than 14 days with "the boys". So it will have to do, and I may just have to go back again some time!

For any of you who heard that we lost our new video camera, relax. We found it! Someone cleaned up the studio (Clem? Adam?) and put it in a very safe place. Now Adam has another gig videotaping a wedding. Cousin Don Snell is getting married May 26. Tracey's shower was on Saturday. It was quite nice, as showers go, with entertainment provided by Margie, Bobbi, and Jaycee. The stagette that night was a bit rowdier. Suffice it to say it involved huge geese, "Strip and Go Nakeds", and Aunt Lorraine's freezer.

Well, that's a wrap for now. Thanks for stopping by!

Chandra

P.S. Carl, our toilet paper is white. At least to start with.

What news?

Yes, we're still here, but with hockey over, it seems there's not much new to report! We're all playing catch-up with all the things we didn't get done when we were sitting in a rink.

Clem is busy outside these days, getting machinery ready and cleaning grain. It has been staying quite cold, so the ground is still hard enough to move things around, and the trucks can come and get our grain from last year. The BIG news is that Clem bought a new tractor, a big blue Ford, which he says has virtually the same engine as the 30-year-old Versatile that we have been using, and will continue to use. If it is as good a tractor as the latter, it will prove to be a good purchase. He was out buying that when I had my little heart episode, so I tease him that he gave me a heart attack. And speaking of that, I have been thoroughly checked out, and all is fine. I will be around for many more years to ride herd on these wild boys of ours.

Adam and Stephen are happy to have their dirt bikes out again. They have found lots of mud and muck this spring. They are getting all the kinks worked out of the bikes again, and we have been spending quite a bit of time and cash at Strutt Yamaha in Kindersley! Clem has made a deal with Derek that if Derek can control his temper and not whine for one month, he will get a dirt bike. Well, I have never known Derek to act so nicely and be so helpful. He has volunteered to do the dishes twice and his room is staying clean. We are only into day three, though, so time will tell.

We had a great time at Rob's wedding on March 17. They had the wedding at the church in Luseland and the reception at the hall in Kerrobert (reminiscent of 17 years ago!) Adam and Stephen were ushers, and Adam was the videographer at the church. They did a fine job. Derek was the altar server at the church, and did his best to disguise his boredom during the homily! Clem and I "sang a little" at the church and at the reception, Jay and Mark were best men, and Lisa was home from Moscow, so it was a real family affair. Jay gave the best toast to the groom I have ever heard, Rob wrote and performed a song for Amber, and then Rob and Amber entertained with a couple of songs. All in all, a great day. Rob and Lisa both have pictures on their blogs, but I'll put up a few of ours, too.

Mom looked stunning, and seemed very positive about the whole thing.

Stephen looked exceptionally handsome, but suffered from some rare eye problem (or maybe it was the camera's problem!)

What a cute little altar server!


Who needs a professional photographer?


Who knew Jackie O. was going to show up?


And here she is with soon-to-be-mama Terri and cousin Ashley.


Rob loves it when people are looking at him!


After all the excitement of the wedding, it was nice to have a quiet Easter this year. Our neighbor, Carol, was in an accident on the Tuesday before Easter, and went from the Saskatoon hospital to the Kerrobert hospital on the following Saturday. Her family came for supper with us that day, and we made her a plate of home-cooked food for Easter. She is still in hospital, but is doing much better. She banged up her arm, and broke three ribs, so she will be recuperating for a while yet. Looks like Lyle is without his "hired man" for seeding!

OK, mom and Carl, that's what's new. As Clem says, we're busy outside, so don't look for much news till after harvest!

Take care, and thanks for stopping by!
Chandra