Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Life Events

October has been a difficult month here with different events that are part of the house building process to life changing that affects many people.
Earlier this month, we got several inches of much needed rain after a very dry summer. Thankful as I am for that rain, it brought a whole new set of challenges to a yard that isn't landscaped & the top layer here is sticky mud that I call "goose poop"! We haven't done any landscaping or sidewalks or a driveway yet. Oh, I do have a sidewalk, actually a boardwalk made of pallets! It works. With the mud sticking to our shoes, it gets into the vehicles & into the house so I bought some more mats to absorb the mud which turns to dust & then seems to spread all over the house.  I know this is all part of the building process, however one that I don't cope with very well. Today we got another load of gravel delivered & then spread around by a bobcat. It's all part of the process.
Also in October, my 3 sisters & myself moved our 96 year old mother into a Personal Care Home & then we got together several times to clean out her apartment. This whole process has been difficult for all of us especially  my mom. Cleaning up mom's apartment & deciding what to do with her things was a long & tedious process. How & what you you do with various items that represent someone's whole life? Old pictures that none of us girls recognized anyone, boxes & boxes of fabric that mom had good intentions of sewing into blankets for MCC, congratulation cards from mom's 80th, 85th, 90th & 95th birthdays, wedding invitations, funeral  cards, momentoes from church & family events, pages & pages of hand written daily events in mom's life and more & more. We wanted to keep as much as we could for family members to share & also keeping in mind that mom may enjoy some things in her  room in the PHC which is quite small & not too much room to store things. Some things were divided between us 4 girls, some items given to a needy family, & some boxes went to MCC.
The above picture is of us 4 sisters emotionally exhausted after a day of cleaning out Mom's place.  It has all been a learning experience. Most of these lessons aren't new, I've been down this road before but needed  a review! Learning that through my moving & downsizing experience that I'm more attached to some material things than I thought I was, learning that family relationships are more important  than things, learning that I need to be sensitive & mourn with my mom the loss of her home & most of her possessions. Learning that it is important to daily fix my eyes on things Above, not on material possessions. And knowing  that each day I'm given is a new day, a gift.
Also during this month I heard of two families whose lives are being turned upside down due to cancer and hearing how this is life changing for all involved, makes me realize that my "problems" are only a small bump in my road of life. I pray for these families as they come into my thoughts. 



Friday, October 19, 2012

Time to Sew

This blog started off being about quilts & gardening & there hasn't been much of either going on here. Today I organized my sewing room  - well, some of it. How do I downsize from from three large closets to one smaller one without parting with of my beautiful fabric stash? So I've filled a few plastic bins & boxes & shuffled them around the house in different closets & shelves & now I hope to very soon start some projects for Christmas.
 So today a grandgirlie came to spend the day & her request was to sew a pillow. She chose the fabric & designed what she wanted on it & then with a little help & diection, she sewed!
 We also finished a project we had worked on during the summer & both were done in time to take home at the end of the day.
 Next week, hopefully the piecing for a quilt will begin in my sewing room that is constantly calling my name!

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

The Teacups

This has been a difficult summer with not only with downsizing & building a new home but also with my 96 year old mother becoming ill & not able to living on her own anymore. So my sisters & myself together with my mom applied for personal care home placement & we moved her into her new home this past Friday & that will be a whole new blog post. When us four sisters began the process of cleaning out mom's apartment, one of our tasks was to clean out & divide the contents of the china cabinet. There were 12 real china tea cups so we each received 3 which we will enjoy for a while & then pass on to our children & in my case, to my 3 granddaughters. When my sister showed mom her teacups, mom was able to tell her a story about each one.So I asked mom from whom she had received these.
Many years ago, giving a china teacup & saucer to a special friend was considered a very special gift.
The above teacup was given to my mom from her good neighbour & friend - Audrey H.
This one with the violets was given by my Aunt Annie, mom's sister.
This one was given to mom from a little boy in her Sunday School class - Stan W.   To this day, Mom & Stan have always had a special friendship. Stan is a photographer & loves to catch mom in his camera lens!
I have always loved the uniqueness of this cup with the three legs & curly handle. And yes, mom did use the china cups. She loved to serve tea on her vine covered veranda on Talbot Street using these special dishes. Many a summer's afternoon was spent having tea & homebaked goodies, good conversation while enjoying the warmth of the summer season.
My dream now is to enjoy tea with my mom & granddaughters under the gazebo just outside mom's room, sometime next summer, creating new memories with these special teacups.

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Fall Scene

 Saw this beautiful fall display on the #16 Yellowhead Highway just west of Minnedosa.
They used lots of gourds, pumpkins straw bales & corn stalks.Together with the threshing machine & old wagon, it made an impressive fall showpiece.

Monday, October 8, 2012

The Butterchurn

This butterchurn belonged to my mom & I remember, as a young girl, that I would often make butter as one of my chores. My sisters & I would take turns turning the handle around & around & at the start it seemed like it would take forever to make butter. I would churn & churn & then finally the cream would turn from smooth & creamy to small lumps that would get larger & then suddenly there would appear creamy yellow butter & it was done. Butter churning would happen at least once a week when I was growing up & sometimes, if there was an abundance of cream, my mother would get out a large wooden butter churn. Can't say I miss the taste of homemade butter, I prefer today's version of "storebought."
I gifted this butterchurn to my cousin, Diana, who is going to add it to her antique kitchen collection. Maybe we'll make butter when I'll go to Ontario to visit her.

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Family Thanksgiving

Cousins smiling for the camera.
 Two out of three families were home for Thanksgiving on Saturday. 
Turkey with all the trimmings was on the menu.
 Father & son enjoying a drive in the Mustang.
 Don't know what game is being played here!
 Pilot & son
Lena enjoyed her first ride in a small plane.
Before we dug into the turkey, everyone shared one thing they were thankful for. We are a blessed family.

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Ten Things I am Thankful For.

In no particular order:

1. A room for my mother at Lion's Prairie Manor in Portage.
2. Seasons - I love fall.
3. Family coming home for Thanksgiving.
4. Warm & comfortable place to live.
5. A home without stairs.
6. Time to sit & relax & work on my blog.
7. Ambition to clean my house today.
8. Two turkeys thawing in the sink, ready to be cooked tomorrow.
9. Coffee
10. Sisters to share burdens & to have fun with.

Friday, October 5, 2012

Fall Colours

 On my way to MacGregor this week, I stopped at this scenic road to snap a few pictures.
 Fall - my favorite season but too short.
This is the Assiniboine River along the Hoop & Holler Bend east of Portage la Prairie.
 A country road beside an asparagus field. As you can tell by the pictures, it was a cloudy & overcast day. The next day it was windy with mist & then rain & heavy snowfall in the south eastern part of the province. 


Thursday, October 4, 2012

Greta the Green Pepper

Greta the Green Pepper. A green wicker pepper for holding small items. A gift from my beloved Aunt Dora who loved to gift my sisters & myself with a small token each Christmas. Usually it would be a dishcloth but this one year, we each received this green wicker pepper. We each used our pepper in various ways, storing Qtips, cotton balls, paper clips. Eventually 3 of the peppers found new homes with MCC patrons.
 Then there was one pepper left which appeared in one of our homes with a small gift inside, left by one sister who couldn't bear to gift it to MCC. Then Greta travelled to another sister with a another surprise inside.Records have only been kept since 2003 & she was on the go several years before that. One winter, Greta snowbirded all the way to Southern Manitoba & was stuck forgotten in a closet. Another time she was lost in a home in the Bagot area, neglected, hidden in a drawer, covered with spider webs! But she was found & sent merrily on her way each time surprising  a sister with a little gift - candy, flower seeds, a candle. Greta also has a travel diary included in her powder blue draw-string travelling bag.
Check the picture above. Greta came with napkins & 2 dishcloths - in honour of Aunt Dora. She is going back to Northern Manitoba with Lifesavers & a votive. I'm going to leave Greta under a pillow in a bed somewhere in my sister's home.
Little things can provide fun & laughter.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Olfert Cousin Visit

 Fun times with cousins from Ontario, Winnipeg & Altona. Hutterite dresses brought much laughter.
We thought Marlene played the part best of all.
Toured a Heritage "Housebarn' in Reinland.
 The house is furnished with authentic period furniture & housewares.
 Many of the items have belonged to the Ens family & have been donated to the Heritage  Homestead.

 Cousin Milly playing the organ.
We had a great time looking into a page of our past Mennonite history thanks to our tour guide, Abe Ens.