Connections

I attended a funeral in God's country last week.  The gathering was in honour of a former neighbor.  He and his wife raised nine children on a small farm just north of ours.  Our lives were intertwined on many levels.  His older daughters babysat me.  I think his sons may have helped my dad on the farm.  I went to school with one of his younger daughters, and we still keep in touch.  Mom made the best macaroni salad she ever made for one daughter's wedding.  We rode the bus together, played together, fought the odd time.  We drove by their farm every time we went to town.  For seventeen years they were part of my life.  Then I moved away.  But still, we were connected.  Mom always let me know if something happened in the family - an birth, an anniversary, a wedding - and they would ask about us.  And then I moved back.  Special occasions in God's country meant I might run into one family member or another.   The son of one of the granddaughters plays hockey with Derek.   I found a couple of them on Facebook.  I reconnected with my schoolmate when she moved back home.   They didn't seem too strong, but the connections were still there.

Then I went to the funeral.  And I saw every family from our district represented there.  I rode the bus with most of them.  It was community in its strongest sense.  And I visited with the family, and it was so very good to see them all again.  And it was like stepping into the past in a way, because everyone knew who I was, and I knew them.  We just had to catch up a bit with each other's lives, that was all.  We really could have been sitting on the bus again (and veering into the ditch because the driver had been on a bender the night before.  But that's another story. And I don't think that family was on yet that morning.  But I digress.)

And this connection played in my mind for days.  How can I sit down and talk so naturally and easily to someone for so long when I haven't seen them in 30 years?  I guess the relationships you form in your youth are always there, waiting to be picked up again like dropped threads.  And I find that very comforting.  I think that is why I so enjoy going back to the land of my birth.  They know me there.  They know my story.  And they care, because there is a connection, and because they know I care.  It really doesn't get much better than that!

Thanks for checking in!
Chandra

My baby is 12!!!

My baby turned twelve today.  I find it very hard to believe.  It seems like just yesterday he barged his way into our lives three weeks early.  But it also seems like so very long ago that I snuggled him late at night when everyone else was in bed (because he had his days and nights mixed up - don't you remember???   I should have had a blog then!)

He's quite the kid.  He and I just returned from his hockey camp at Weyburn.  I think I can safely say that he talked pretty much non-stop for seven whole days, particularly on the long drive to and from Weyburn.  He even talks in his sleep.  He was even talking when we thought he might have a concussion.  I'm pretty sure they got him out of emergency so fast so that they didn't have to answer any more of his questions,  or, arguably worse, listen to his answers to theirs.  (Long story short - he had a lot of pain from an ankle injury caused by ill-fitting and, I might mention, extremely expensive skates, coupled with fatigue and dehydration, that caused some dizziness and confusion, but he is fine.  In fact, he was fine about 20 minutes before we left the emergency room.)  But he still gives me hugs, and I love it!

I enjoy my time in Weyburn.  This is the third year I've gone, once with Stephen and twice with Derek, and I find it quite relaxing.  I do a lot of reading, take along some projects that I seldom do, visit relatives, and sit in a cold rink when it's 33 degrees outside.  And I never have to cook or do dishes.  All in all, a good holiday.  The highlight of this year's trip was when my newly found cousin, Susan, drove about an hour to meet me for supper.  We visited steadily for two whole hours before she had to head home.  I keep thinking of the line "blood is thicker than water"... there is a definite connection between relatives, no matter how far apart you live or how often you see each other.  Sometimes that's not so great, but in this instance, it's wonderful.  I predict more visits in our future.  Then again, perhaps it's just our mutual love of white wine...

Which brings me back to Derek's birthday, because I enjoyed a glass of white wine with the supper he ordered - BBQ steak, no potatoes, garden veggies, salad, and garlic bread.  Oh, and ice cream cake.  It was a great supper, but it was rather strange to have only three of us seated at the table!  I couldn't reach Adam to invite him (his phone has been acting up, so we'll chalk it up to that!) and Stephen is on his second, and last, shift up north.  He arrives home on Wednesday.  Derek will be busy cleaning Stephen's room, which he sneakily inhabits, on Tuesday.   Derek didn't even have any presents to open (refer to previous mention of extremely expensive skates), but we celebrated all the same.

It can get very hot in Weyburn, and they have some wicked thunderstorms.  It was 33 degrees on Monday and on Tuesday, but it cooled down to about 28 on Wednesday.  There was a thunderstorm every night, with heavy rain.  The clouds looked absolutely amazing.

Actually, there have been some pretty impressive clouds around here, too, and lots more rain.  Normally that would be a good thing, but the peas and lentils are ready to be swathed, and are starting to get some mold.  Many of the crops are lodging and will be hard to pick up.  I predict a long and gruesome harvest.    Oh goodie!

Thanks for stopping by!
Chandra

Mmmm-mmm-mm! Pink soup!

Actually, it's borscht, but the boys always called it pink soup.  I was ever amazed that they even ate it - I mean, it's just vegetables.  But man, is it good.  I've been told that I make good borscht.  One of Derek's friends will only eat mine - he told his mom hers tasted "like crap"!  I think it's just the fresh veggies.  Today I went from this:

to this:

...in about two hours.  Wanna see how?

First you gather all the veggies and clean them up. 

Then you melt some butter (yes, butter.  Margarine will NOT suffice here!)  in a large soup pot and saute the chopped onions.  Lots of onions.

Then you chop the beets and cook them for a few more minutes.  

It's so pretty! And pink!

Chop the potatoes and carrots and stir them in, too.  Cook for about five minutes.

Then fill the pot with water and bring to a boil.  In the meantime, cut the beans, and chop the beet tops 

and dill. 

 

Lots of dill!

Stir it all up.  I put in a bit of chicken soup base and some pepper.  Bring it to a boil and simmer until the veggies are tender.   Did I mention how pretty and pink it is?

Oops!  I forgot to mention that I also chopped up a bit of cabbage and threw that in, too.  While it is simmering, I add some vinegar, to taste.  We like lots.  

When everything is cooked, turn off the heat.  Stir in some cream - you will notice that I used the deluxe 36% stuff today!

Don't let it boil.  Stir well.  Aaahhh, perfection!

Derek came home while the soup was simmering and said, "Oooh, what smells so good?"  And that was before I even added the vinegar!  He and his dad were eager to try the season's first pot of borscht.

And now we all feel extra healthy and well!  

I took a walk today to see the beautiful blue flax blooms.  I just love it when Clem plants flax around the yard!

Roxy was sure we were going for a walk!

The macro setting on the new camera seems to work quite well.

Here's the view from up by the quonset, looking northwest.

An ocean of flax!

Couldn't resist a couple of artsy-fartsy shots.

Who knew thistle and clover could look so good??

Potatoes, anyone?  Dill, perhaps??

Well, I'm off to pick peas and beans.  I feel a bit like Henny Penny!

Thanks for checking in!

Chandra

Weather update, part 2 (and a bit more)

OK, my last post was May 29.  Really.  Where, oh, where does the time go?  And why can't I get some sort of regular posting going?  Oh well.  They say it's the thought that counts, and I sure think a lot about posting!!   Today I thought that perhaps I could post in point form, to make it a bit easier.  We'll see how it works!

1.  It's still raining.  Well, we haven't had any rain today (yet - knock on wood!), and it was hot, hot, hot.  Just what we need.  The crops are growing like crazy.  The peas have been blooming forever, so there should be lots of pods on.  The flax has just started blooming - such a pretty wave of blue in the mornings.  If someone - ahem - could get her butt out of bed early enough, there could be pictures!  Everything is about two weeks behind, but if we can get a long, frost-free fall, we're good to go!

2.  We bought a camper, and we are now "lake people".  Why oh why did we wait so long to do this??  It is just so relaxing to have nothing to do, nowhere to go, and NO PHONE!  Well, Clem has his Blackberry, and even got a cell phone booster to try, but he has always been just a little different.  To each his own.  As he says, I read books, he reads his phone.  Point taken.  Derek LOVES being at the lake.  We spent a few days at Meota campground on Jackfish Lake, where he did a little fishing off the pier.  He caught a couple, too, but he doesn't like to touch them, so he goes through quite a bit of tackle!  Then we moved the camper over to Atton's Lake, which is smaller and quieter, but quite lovely.  The Prescotts have a cabin there, so we got to visit Mildred, who lives there year-round, and is doing very well in her 88th year. (She mentioned that quite a few times, so I thought I would throw it in here.)  Her grandson is just older than Derek, and they renewed their friendship.  Derek even spent a couple of nights at the cabin.  Rus took them tubing, the highlight of Derek's holiday, I think.  Well, that and Toby's 14-year-old female friend in the bikini.

Did I mention that Clem does a lot of cooking when we camp?  Love it!

The water was a little cold, I think....

...but he went in anyway!

3.  Adam ran into a little bad luck just before he graduated (yes, I know it's hard to believe, but I have a son old enough to graduate!!), and is now walking for a year rather than driving.  He has moved into a house in town with a buddy of his, and comes out to help with the farming.  He's put quite a few hours on the tractor trying to keep the weeds down on the summerfallow, which isn't easy, having to work between rains.  He is still trying to decide what he'll do in the fall.  I have quit asking, since I just get dizzy trying to keep up with all the ideas.  I figure I'll find out when he asks for the money he'll inevitably need.

Cousin Tracy took some casual grad photos at the farm - I love them.

Bobbi had a little family gathering for Adam and Jaycee the night before grad.  

Candids:

4.  Stephen has a summer job at a camp three hours out of Fort Nelson, BC.  He works two weeks straight, and then is home for two weeks.  He just got back from the first shift.  I'll let you know how it went as soon as he decides to talk to us again (that's what happens when you tick off a 16-year-old) or when he is actually home long enough to say anything.

5.  We helped celebrate Luseland's 100th birthday on the July long weekend.  It was a great time.  I saw so many people I hadn't seen in so long, and it was fun to catch up.  My brothers were home for that and Adam's graduation, and it was good to see everyone again.  Dad's cousin, Roy, came from Victoria, and we reconnected with a long-lost Veness cousin, Michelle.  Copper just keeps getting cuter, and I think she knows it!

The Rider float in the wonderful parade.  That's good ol' Doug Walz with the watermelon on his head!

Dad's cousin Jerry and friend Norm Behm (who is also my godfather!) were also in the parade.

Mark rode in the fire truck.

Some of the Class of '83!

Hometown boy Jared Fischer did a mural on the side of the rink - amazing!

6.  We got another new camera because "nobody" dropped the "old" one and the lense cover doesn't work anymore.  So I've been trying it out, and snapped a few photos tonight because the sky was just amazing - huge clouds and great light.  Enjoy!

My flower bed - no watering necessary this year!

So that's it for now, I think.  I'm sure there was more, but that should keep you going for a bit!  

Thanks for stopping by!

Chandra