It's Late

I know, I know, it's late -- after midnight. Had a gathering tonight and then we got eating afterwards. You know, carrots and hummus, toast and cheese, tortilla chips. The party after the party thing.

This afternoon, threw the Southshore Sister (who is up here visiting) in my cappucino-coloured car and ventured out into a by-the-River St. John drive to WHITE'S COVE (yes, White's Cove, 50 minutes from Superior City), to Laureen's Mop Top Hair Shop to get my hair chopped and cropped and perhaps 'enlightened' a bit to enhance my facial colours. And a bit of trimming of the wee hairs that grow like weeds on certain parts of my face. SS Sister looked on and winced, but then had a few of hers pulled off as well. My hair turned out great, and a good time was had by all at the Mop Top Hair Shop (Shear DELIGHT), and we left poorer but richer having been there. Thanks, Laureen.

Tonight, the Gathering, and now the gathering to go gather the bedclothes from the dryer and make the bed and gather into bed. Tomorrow morning comes early and we have Bible study here at The Soul Cafe. More coffee, food and conversation with the sleigh ride women.

North Korean children playing guitar

I actually saw this on Canada AM News this morning, and just showed it to Luca, one of my 8-year-old guitar students, to show her what a 5-year-old could do on the guitar!

"Aura Lee" carrot double ocarina

I am teaching Lauren this song, and decided to show her a YouTube Video of someone else playing it. Came up with this unique instrument. Enjoy!

Home Again

Home again. Got in after midnight after a LONG day of traveling. Up at 5:30 a.m., but didn't sleep very well, because at 2:30 A.M., I woke up to this tall man in our room. It was RCMP man, sporting a Petzl (headlamp), trying to find his RCMP accoutrements in the dark. It was interesting watching him gather them with that headlamp shining in the room. I asked him if he wanted me to turn the light on, but he said no, and Doug slept through it all. An emergency, RCMP said. A fitful sleep, that's for sure.

Left the house at 6:25 a.m., after holding and kissing Sarah, and holding and kissing Natalie as we said our tearful good-byes. So hard for both of us. We really could live together, we've done it enough since I was sick with cancer. I hated to leave, and had separation anxiety all day. Every time I closed my eyes, I could see Sarah's face smiling at me. I was really attached and now I have attachment disorder. It was like she was my baby, too. Bonding. I guess that's how it is with grandmothers. Like I said, once a mother, always a mother.

The roads to Winnipeg were good for about 300 kilometers, and then....ice roads. Doug likes that show "Ice Road Truckers," and we drove it. Very stressful time for awhile. We encountered every kind of condition on our almost 700 km drive to Winnipeg. We both laid out straight and slept in the airport, using my purse as our pillow. You know, airport culture is strange. People don't really talk to each other, but you'll see people doing all sorts of weird and wonderful things in an airport, and sleeping sitting, and eating everywhere, but in their own little worlds. And very quiet. Until the plane comes in, and then the noise starts. It's like a light comes on and excitement happens -- "We're going up up and away!" You board the plane, get yourself settled and quiet again. If I had my own jet (like I want), I would orchestrate quite a party on that plane -- food, entertainment and music. And extra blankets, just in case you did want to sleep.

Our first plane was late, which meant that we had to rush to our next flight through the Montreal airport. Escalators, pedways, numbers, gates, people, people...ten minutes to spare.

Home after midnight and then a long time before I was able to sleep. Time change is affecting me. Hard to get up this morning and get back in the swing of things.

Went out to get in my car and took off at noon today to run a myriad of errands and lo and behold, I have a flat tire and a broken spring, so there my trusty car sits, at the front of the driveway, one wheel completely off. Whatever am I going to do? I had to call Jed and he drove me around this afternoon.

I bought a vanity for the upstairs bathroom and you should have seen us trying to get that OUT of his CRV. Doug installed it tonight and after he got it installed found out that the marble backsplash is broken -- another trip back to Canadian Tire to see if they will replace it. So, today -- a broken car and a broken vanity.

Maybe I need to go back out west and live at Natalie's. She would take care of me.

Our Last Day Here

We're heading out very early on Sunday morning to make it for our 4:15 flight from Winnipeg. Winnipeg has been experiencing a 'clipper,' and they even shut some of the highway down yesterday, so we're hoping they open it and it is clear by tomorrow for driving. It normally takes about seven hours to drive, but we'll have to allow much more time for the bad roads. Would appreciate your prayers as we travel. A very long day is ahead for us. Plus we have the time change tonight and lose an hour of sleep to boot. We arrive in Fredericton midnight tomorrow night. And we're supposed to work on Monday!

It is 4:34 pm. Only a few more hours here with Natalie, Josh, Aiden and Sarah. I am sad and had a cry as I put Sarah to bed just a few minutes ago. Will I remember what she looks like? I feel like I've been a second mother to her (and to Aiden) these past 3 1/2 weeks. I've bonded with this baby, for sure, and when I go and get her up from having her naps, she smiles at me. It takes me back to when I used to pick up Natalie from her nap. Sarah even reminds me of Nat, so it's even harder. As I rocked Sarah, I realized that a mother is always a mother. That God puts that amazing deep love in a woman's heart for a reason -- to be able to care tenderly for her child for many years, never giving up, even though sometimes she would like to give up. And a grandmother's love is even deeper, I think, having raised your own child and now seeing your children have children. I think the love is unexplainable -- you have to experience it as a grandparent. You see yourself and your children live on at another level. That this little baby is part of me, too. I'm crying right now as I write. Aiden is lying beside me watching "Super Why," one of his favorite PBS shows. I know all the songs from the show by heart and we have great fun singing them together. I'm going to miss him terribly, too. What a joy he is to us.

And last but not least, I'll miss my little girl, Natalie. She'll always be my little girl.

See you in two months, Nat, but talk with you soon. Thank God for Alexander Graham Bell.

Scrabble Marathon

Nat and I JUST finished our Scrabble marathon, which started yesterday at 11:30 AM. Laid the last tile this morning at 9:26 AM.

Natalie won -- Score 259; I came in at 251. Amazing. Her first time to beat me in history. It was nip and tuck the last few rounds, but she pulled it off. She is celebrating in the kitchen, I think, by washing dishes. Doug is pounding downstairs. Sarah is trying to sleep, and Aiden is in my room playing with the IPod which is being charged (he's a technology guru).

Time for a nap for Natalie perhaps, and perhaps I'll get dressed. Perhaps not. We're expecting a big storm today, so perhaps I'll stay in my PJs all day. Lots of 'perhaps' happening here.

My prayers go out to the people of Japan -- 8.9 earthquake. Wow. The world is certainly experiencing much turmoil.

After yesterday's activities, we decided today would be a quiet day. I got up with the baby at 6:30 and let Nat sleep in a bit. Aiden went to preschool for the morning. Natalie and I started a game of Scrabble at 11:30 and have been playing words off and on all day long, in between meals, feedings and naps. Tonight I played Mr. Potato Head and build a big lego building with Aiden. Doug is building stairs downstairs. Nat and I are about to watch some type of movie. Awaiting a big storm starting in the night. Josh is coming home tomorrow night from an RCMP course in Winnipeg. Be careful, Mr. RCMP man! We will pray for your safety. Your wee family misses you.

Nat's friend, Elissa, moved to Steinbach (Manitoba) yesterday. So last night's meeting with Debbie, Darlene and Nicole was a type of 'support group' to grieve the moving on of their good friend. Her RCMP husband got transferred. It's good for Elissa, as she be closer to her mother. 'Bad' for her friends in The Pas, though. Good thing Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone and thank goodness for facebook and email.

I know what it's like to miss a friend. And soon I'll know what it's like, once again, to miss our daughter and northern grandkids. Pray for us as we part once more.

To All You Strong People Out There

A strong person knows how to keep their life in order.

Even with tears in their eyes, they still manage to say "I'm ok" with a smile.


Send this to a strong person.

I just did. God is good.

Change is coming. God saw your sadness and said hard times are over.

Live, Laugh, Love

What a Day

A day of gatherings. At noon, Natalie's RCMP wives club and a myriad of babies. Five women, five babies, two toddlers, me and Papa. Minestrone soup and cheese biscuits, chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting. It was good to meet these beautiful RCMP wife friends and see all their beautiful babies. And a Maritimer to boot. I disappeared after lunch, to the gym. Too much baby talk for me. LOL. A respite at the gym, biking on "Expresso.net." I have almost biked a marathon since I've been here -- 26 miles. I will achieve it before I leave. A work-out on the weight machines and free weights and a few abs. Yuck. I hate doing abs, does anybody out there like them? Met Rhonda, another RCMP wife who was doing a work-out. She told me she had run the Run for the Cure Northern Division in October 2009 in my behalf. I hugged her, told her how much I appreciate it. It amazes me that all the people that Natalie knows here were so supportive of me, and still are.

To Extra Foods for more food. Home to eat some Greek-style yogurt, my new favorite thing (packed with protein). Then to make supper. I spend most of my time in the kitchen. I asked Nat if she'd give me a good reference should I wish to apply to work at a camp. She said yes. We invited Darlene to supper. I whipped up meatloaf, baked potatoes, spinach salad with sauteed goat cheese patties(yes, again), steamed broccoli, and warmed up stuffed sweet potatoes.

After 7, some more friends came over. They are my friends, too. Debbie, Nicole and Darlene. And Debbie's kids, Timmy, Caleb and Nathan, who Aiden absolutely adores. The played in the living room while Papa watched (and no doubt watched his beloved Discovery Channel). He worked on hardwood stairs all day long, and I'm sure he's exhausted.

I whipped up a whipped cream/cream cheese mixture, strawberries, almonds, chocolate and cookies for the girls to make their own strawberry somethings. Washed it all down with tea. We had tea and chat. Soul Cafe Northern Division. I love these women. They are wonderful and such an inspiration to me. They have a gentleness and godliness to them that is touching. They take care of Natalie, and she loves them dearly. I will miss you guys. Take care and I'll be blogging at ya. See you when we come again.

We are tired. Natalie is making up her bed in the living room. I think I'll have another cup of tea. American Idol singers are singing. Three more days til we leave on a jet plane.

Quiet Day

It's been a quiet day so far, and I hope it remains that way. Yesterday was a bit of a struggle with Aiden. Probably regressing a bit as the new sibling is here. He went to preschool today and his teacher said he wasn't himself. As I write, Natalie, Aiden and Sarah are all in bed. Doug is downstairs crackfilling (or 'mudding' in the west). I just came back from a long winter's walk. The weather wasn't quite so frightful outside, only a minus 4, so I strapped on my clodhoppers and very large full length western jacket and travelled quite a ways, through a bit of the town and then out on the snowmobile trails on Halcrow Lake. So peaceful. No sounds other than an occasional dog barking. It seems like no one lives here in The Pas. You see cars traveling the main streets, but on the side streets you hardly ever see anyone outside or coming out of their houses. I wonder if many people only come here in the summertime? Or perhaps they are just working when I'm out walking.

The sun is high and bright on the frozen tundra. I always find the sun brighter in the west. Felt that way in Saskatchewan when I lived there as well. As I walked along the community path, carved into the snow by a four-wheeler of some sort, I noticed some carving in the snow. I stopped and paused to look at it. I was facing the frozen lake. The carving in the snow read, "In your mouth = PEACE." I had to figure that one out, but I assume it meant that I was looking at the mouth of the lake perhaps, and that it was very peaceful. So I stood there for a few minutes with my arms crossed and decided that carver was right. It IS very peaceful here. The people are quiet and soft spoken as well -- both the 'white' people and the 'native' people. A calm people. A bit hard for a boisterous Maritimer to understand, although I really do have a quiet side, you know.

Nat calls me the CCBW -- "chief cook and bottle washer," and that I truly am. We're counting down the days now til our departure, and once again, dreading it. She's wondering how she'll do without us here. I told her she'll do just fine. That all mothers make it, and that I'm only a phone call away. Although my arms and legs are not! I wish I had my own private jet and could jet all over the world, helping people out. God? You there listening?

Well, I must go wake up the baby or something. It's way too quiet in here!

Or maybe I'll sit in the sun in the kitchen and read about writing. Got a good book from the library on the subject, and since I like to write, which shall I do? Only time will tell.

PS: I actually finished a book while I've been here which I would highly recommend -- historical fiction novel by Angela Ewell Hunt, "The Silver Sword." I'm on the second one in the series. Strange for me to actually finish a book in its entirety.

I've fallen in love with a girl named Sarah.

I'm at home keeping Sarah this morning, as my back is still 'under the weather.' Doug, Natalie and Aiden went to church. Sarah is sleeping and I am amusing myself, as you can see -- finding music, reading, and about to make myself a cup of tea and sit and read again in the sunny kitchen. It started out this morning at minus 33, but I think it's warmed up to about -20. This afternoon we will go to the church for a baby shower for Sarah. What a good baby! We got through her growth spurt episodes and we think we've figured her out. She is growing like a good weed and is already starting to burst out of 6 month clothing. She is now going on her 7th week of life here on earth. I am so blessed to tend to her, and to Aiden. One more week here in The Pas and we will have to say good-bye again. Sad but true. Oh, it's hard to have your children and grandchildren live so far away. Many of you understand. God has granted us the opportunity to come out here for this long, and for that I am very thankful.

Starship - Sara [Blue Transparent 45]

This is the song that kept going through my head over and over the week before Sarah was born. We did not know if the baby was a boy or girl, so I think it's pretty neat that it was a girl, and that Natalie named her 'Sarah.'

I've been singing to Sarah...

Toto - Africa with Lyrics (high quality audio)

One of my favorite songs from the past

Hazy Lazy Saturday

We got up this morning with intentions to clean the house, but that did not happen. I put my back out and Natalie didn't feel up to snuff, so we sat in the kitchen and finished a game of Scrabble that we started yesterday. Nat likes to play Scrabble with me because I take such a long time to develop a word so she can do what she calls "Scrabble chores" in between plays. She actually gets a lot done. I sat with a pillow behind my back and have been on muscle relaxants all day long. Needless to say, I didn't go to the gym today, but was on the floor and in a rocking chair all day, trying to right my back.

It is now evening and we are on our third Scrabble game. The games last several hours, as we have to do kid duties every so often, plus the Scrabble chores. Here are the scores of the day (I like to record these for posterity):

Game #1 (which started on Friday): Natalie - 203.....Deb 317. Notable words in the game included "doodlers" which netted Natalie 72 points on her first play; "bane" (x2); "mural," "suave," "latke," "foxy,", "ani,", "hefted," for you Scrabble players out there who would like to use our words. A couple of other interesting words were played as well. LOL

Game #2 Natalie -- 199......Deb 288.

I would say the clear winner would be Mama Bear. Natalie says she plays to get rid of her letters and I play to win. We enjoy this activity as we spend some quality time together, amidst the children duties.

Doug and I spent some time on the floor in the living room after lunch with our feet up on chairs to take the strain of our backs. It's hard to function with bad backs. Perhaps we should start traveling with a physiotherapist. Any takers? We would provide you an interesting life, but not much pay, perhaps just room and board and an occasional DQ sundae, on Sunday nights only.

Must go get ready to retire.

Thursday

Last evening's gourmet meal wore me out I guess, but it was a success. I was a wee bit tired today. Yet I did manage to make two sets of muffins this morning. By noon, I was in the chair watching shows on the Food network. Stayed there til after 3 o'clock, and included a feeding with Sarah, followed by her falling asleep on my chest, which was wonderful, while Mama slept somewhere else in the house.

Tonight I made two different recipes for waffles and Aiden downed three which was amazing, considering he really doesn't like to eat supper. Josh and Nat went out to Good Thymes restaurant for supper, a going away party for one of Josh's colleagues. We were in charge of the kids again. Just putting them in bed now. My goodness, this is tiring work. Have to go home to get a rest. But I love it.

Aiden's post

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My Day So Far

It's almost noon here in The Pas. Temperature this morning was minus 28, with windchill -- minus 39! Very cold this week.

This morning when I got up I made oatmeal muffins, Nat and I played an anemic game of Scrabble, which is still sitting on the table, unfinished. I just finished making banana muffins and am trying to plan supper, thus the sweet potato recipe I just posted. Also going to have spinach salad with goat cheese, a favorite of ours. That is, if I can speak to the Southshore Sister's and get her recipe. Can't seem to find it here in the recipe centre. This time difference makes it hard to contact people out east, I must say. When I get up in the morning, they're at work. When I'm ready to call in the evening, they're in bed.

Feeding Sarah her bottle right now, while Aiden watches Toopy and Binoo on TV. He loves Toopy and Binoo. Aiden loves technology and can play "Lickety Letter Bingo" with Alpha Pig on my computer all by himself. He is amazing on technology. Also uses my IPod and types. I think he may be a computer programmer when he grows up.

Sarah is lying contentedly on the floor awaiting the rest of her feed. Doug is downstairs sheetrocking or something, or "mudding," as they call it up north. Josh went to work for the day. Natalie went to lunch with her RCMP wife friends. I am now going to prepare lunch. I am a house mother. Or should I say, house grandmother? A young grandmother, I keep reminding myself.

Twice-Baked Parmesan Rosemary Sweet Potatoes recipe - Food - Canadian Living

Twice-Baked Parmesan Rosemary Sweet Potatoes recipe - Food - Canadian Living

Napping and Sleeping

Today's problem is that Sarah won't wake up! I spent all last evening trying to get that little girl to sleep while Josh & Natalie were out on date night, and FINALLY, at almost 9 pm, she fell asleep. Today she has slept most of the day and we see a pattern developing -- awake one day, asleep the next. Interesting.

We went out to lunch today at Debbie's, out in Carrot Valley (I love saying Carrot Valley). It's the prairie part of Manitoba, very cold and windy. Today's windchill is 39 below. No walking in the park for us. Debbie had lasagna and veggie tray, and Darlene made cheesecake. I had a tuna sandwich I brought with me and munched on veggies. It was a going away party for Elissa, whose RCMP husband is being transferred to the south (southern Manitoba, that is).

The men were working in the basement, and the washer flooded a bit, so they called in the city guys who found a blockage out on the road. It will be nice for them to finally have all the water problems fixed here.

I went to the gym this afternoon and worked out. I have biked about 20 miles since I got here, using these "Expresso bikes" which have a screen attached that you do 'virtual bike' tours and try and beat people. It's a real workout and very exciting. The website keeps track of your progress and you can actually compete against other people. I'm hoping that by the time I leave, I'll have biked a marathon or two. Today also included a workout on my lower body, as well as medicine ball for the 'obliques.' Right about now, my body feels like it NEEDS medicine.

Doug and I have a date night tonight -- dinner and a movie. I guess we'll have to let Josh and Natalie take care of the kids this evening, but we'll be home just after 9.