it's me

Five weeks and counting . . .

2011-04-27T18:34:00.000-07:00

Here we still are, three weeks later, and an adventurous day it was! Peter and Joseph were gone to Maple Creek, cutting meat, Mark and Elena went to Swift Current with all their family, David was working for the Richmound RM picking rocks, Justin is not well, so that left John Sr. Gabriella and I to look after the farm. I remembered after several hours of doing laundry and making Lasagne that I had forgotten to check the stock tank. It was dry as a bone and there were a number of cows waiting patiently for water. So I turned the water on, then noticed a cow or two wandering around in the yard. Fast forward - help my Father-in-law mend fence, run back inside, check Lasagne, switch laundry, run back outside, stock tank is running over, turn off hydrant while wading ankle deep through muck in my sandals, eat Lasagne, do dishes, switch laundry, run hydrant again, cow knocks the pipe off the hydrant, barnyard gets flooded, turn off hydrant, run to town for Divine Mercy novena prayers, hurry home, pile laundry on bed.

Peter and Joseph came home after that, so things settled down nicely. Now to spend a nice quiet evening catching up on the pro life books!

Glug, glug . . .

2011-04-07T10:36:00.000-07:00

Our slough has overtaken our lagoon. That means we have no plumbing in our home - we have to drain the sink very slowly after washing dishes. So, for the last two weeks, we have been living at Peter's parents' house. They have been very hospitable and accommodating. I've been enjoying getting up in the mornings and visiting with them over breakfast. Can you smell the "however" coming? However, I used to think that homeschooling and cooking dinner at the same time was a challenge. Homeschooling and cooking dinner in someone else's house is infinitely worse! I'm never sure whether I should just be cooking dinner, or collaborating with our hosts' dinner plans, or expecting that they will just cook for all of us. The last seems a bit . . . hmm . . . unreasonable. At the moment, the boys and I are reading "Euthyphro" and "Ion." Diverting! Peter has borrowed more pipe from someone so that we can pump our lagoon water SOMEWHERE ELSE. Finally, the run-off seems to have slowed down so that we can make some headway, so we may not have to live in two houses for long.

Help! I'm drowning!

2011-02-04T19:01:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week, I got a phone call from the boys' regular voice teacher. She had asked me to accompany her students in this year's music festival and I did agree. She was going to leave me some music "for my practicing pleasure" in a green box in the United Church and could I please pick it up when I was in town?
Well, I should have brought a truck with me that day. There was an enormous pile of music there. There were only 5 voice students who needed me, so I thought maybe I'd get away with not too much. However, I do enjoy a little musical challenge. You can imagine my delight when I went to the boys' voice lesson, with another teacher, and was asked if I would accompany her students also.
Well, we went right home and I got the music right out and started practicing diligently. 2 1/2 hours later I hadn't quite finished running through everything once!
Do you know, the very hardest of it all, including the classical, Broadway musicals, folk songs and sacred - is the music from "Shrek." The notes are not at all difficult - it's the one AND two rest rest AND four that gets me every time.
Excuse me, I have to go. I'm a little busy until the end of March.

A year later

2010-10-23T20:14:00.000-07:00

Today we were digging potatoes and I couldn't help thinking . . . "a year ago I wasn't well enough to do this." I also went through a bag of mail I got when I was sick, thinking that I should perhaps clean up our bedroom a bit. I had to keep this memorable note from my nephew Bob Hickey:

My mom tells me you've decided to stay in the luxurious Saskatoon City Hospital. Room service, house keeping, people fluffing your pillow. It sounds maaaarvelous.

It's really hot here in Taiwan. We've been up to 40. The humidity makes the air thick and so all one feels like doing is swimming and barbeque. Both of those activities are fine with me, so summer's been pretty swell so far.

I'll be arriving home very soon. 11 days! I'm sooo excited to see everyone. Is there anything I can bring back for you from Taiwan? Barbequed duck heads on a stick? 1000 year old eggs? Red bean flavoured ice cream? Let me know. I'll make a list.

I hope you're feeling well. I've been praying for you every day and am thinking about you often.

Lots of love,

Bobby

I was thinking I really should throw my last year's mail out already, but I guess I'll keep some.

Raising Boys!

2010-07-06T16:05:00.000-07:00

Someone sent me this quite a while ago and I really enjoyed it, so I thought I would re-post it. If anyone knows who wrote it initially, please let me know.

You learn interesting things when you have sons:

1. A king size waterbed holds enough water to fill a 2000 sq. ft. house 4 inches deep.

2. If you spray hair spray on dust bunnies and run over them with roller blades, they can ignite.

3. A 3-year-old boy's voice is louder than 200 adults in a crowded restaurant.

4. If you hook a dog leash over a ceiling fan, the motor is not strong enough to rotate a 42 pound boy wearing batman underwear and a superman cape. It is strong enough, however, if tied to a paint can, to spread paint on all four walls of a 20x20ft. room.

5. You should not throw baseballs up when the ceiling fan is on. When using a ceiling fan as a bat, you have to throw the ball up a few times before you get a hit. A ceiling fan can hit a baseball a long way.

6. The glass in windows (even double-pane) doesn't stop a baseball hit by a ceiling fan.

7. When you hear the toilet flush and the words "uh oh," it's already too late.

8. Brake fluid mixed with Clorox makes smoke, and lots of it.

9. A six-year-old boy can start a fire with a flint rock even though a 36-year-old man says they can only do it in the movies.

10. Certain legos will pass through the digestive tract of a 4-year-old boy.

11. Play dough and microwave should not be used in the same sentence.

12. Super glue is forever.

13. No matter how much Jell-O you put in a swimming pool you still can't walk on water.

14. Pool filters do not like Jell-O.

15. VCR's do not eject peanut butter and jelly sandwiches even though TV commercials show they do.

16. Garbage bags do not make good parachutes.

17. Marbles in gas tanks make lots of noise when driving.

18. You probably DO NOT want to know what that odor is.

19. Always look in the oven before you turn it on; plastic toys do not like ovens.

20. The fire department in Austin, TX has a 5-minute response time.

21. The spin cycle on the washing machine does not make earthworms dizzy.

22. It will, however, make cats dizzy.

23. Cats throw uptwice their body weight when dizzy.

24. 80 % of women will pass this on to almost all of their friends, with or without kids.

25. 80 % of men who read this will try mixing the Clorox and brake fluid.

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made!

2010-03-04T11:45:00.000-08:00

I'm starting to get a little fur on top.
I was talking to a friend of mine at Karate a few weeks ago, and her little daughter noticed my eyes looked quite different. I explained to her it was because my eyelashes were gone. I said I was rather looking forward to having them back. Then her mom said, "Oh I don't think eyelashes ever grow back!"
Well, this was alarming!
We're both homeschooling moms, so we decided to make me into a science project - a sort of a unit study on hair growth.
Fortunately, I have since been able to prove her wrong, as I am growing eyelashes and all kinds of facial hair again. In fact, I think my face is a little furrier than it was. I hope the hair on my chin knows when to quit!
This brings us to another interesting question. How do eyelashes know when to quit growing? And other types of facial hair? Isn't it amazing that we grow hair everywhere, and even after some trauma, our hair knows to grow just a little above our eyes, a lot on the top of our heads, and a little on the chin if we're female, but a lot on the chin if we're male. Is this really the result of some big cosmic bang?

Busy!

2010-02-11T11:21:00.000-08:00

When a person is healthy after a bout of illness, it's hard to sit still! The boys are back taking voice lessons and preparing for the music festival, we're all going twice a week to Karate, and trying to do some visiting when we get a chance. In the fall when I was not able to get out and about so much, I asked my 11-year-old niece Rachel to teach me violin lessons. I didn't actually do much practicing at the time because I was too tired to hold the violin up, but I've been practicing regularly now. Justin was inspired by a Ben Beveridge concert to start violin lessons also. So, whenever I have a few minutes, there's always violin practicing to do! It's getting maybe very slightly less painful to listen to me. I told Elena, Rachel's mom, I'm really happy Rachel doesn't laugh at me.
Today is our only day mostly home this week. Tomorrow we leave for St. Therese to visit Daniel for the weekend.

Woo-hoo!

2009-12-31T14:59:00.000-08:00

We have high speed!
It will be so great being able to receive and make phone calls when our boy is doing his online courses in the mornings. Some of his math quizzes are timed, so I'm sure he'll appreciate being able to change pages quickly.
We have had a lovely Christmas so far and are expecting more family home today for New Year's. Last evening, everyone came over for a birthday celebration, so we had a houseful. I got to just sit and visit with everyone, though - Peter was the host. I tried to help his mother dry the dishes but she wouldn't let me. Fortunately, someone else came along.
I'm feeling a slight cold coming on, so will try to keep warm and rest.
God bless us everyone!

We're shot!

2009-12-05T17:08:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, after my fifth chemo treatment, we all went to get our H1N1 vaccination. We were concerned, because we will be spending time over Christmas with a newborn baby or two, that we should be careful not to get or spread anything. It was fairly painless and we didn't have to wait too long.
It was good to go the day after my chemo - within two days before or two days after is the recommended time to go because my immune system should be good for a bit. Also the vaccine should be most effective about the time my immune system would be low.
Daniel is coming home next weekend for Christmas! We're meeting him in Saskatoon on Saturday, so we're all looking forward to that. We also hope to finish up our Christmas shopping.
My last treatment will be on Christmas Eve, with the blood work done on the 23rd. That means I will feel quite well for Christmas Day, peter out a bit around the 27th and be recovered shortly after New Year's Day, if all goes according to plan. Lots to look forward to!

Poetry

2009-11-24T11:20:00.000-08:00

Speaking of depressing poetry, (We were!) I came across a song today that so fit the bill, I decided to refrain from writing such a thing myself. I'm not at all depressed; someone else brought up this subject and I thought I would try to take it up!
Here goes: Better Than What? subtitled The Chemotherapy Song

So on to the next step, it's called chemotherapy
taken by mouth and IV
It lowers the chance of recurrence which
makes it sound pretty inviting to me
The word "Chemotherapy" sounds so benign
like a gentle and comforting mix
But chemo can best be described as a trip
to Chernobyl in late '86.

This song actually has six verses, all about the side effects of chemotherapy, but I think I might just spare you. It was written by a lady who had cancer and survived and thought she might like to try to encourage others. The next song on the CD is entitled "Radiation Therapy." It did help me quite a bit - it struck me funny and I've been laughing quite a bit today when I think of it.

I'm still feeling quite well, I just find that I stay worn out a lot longer than I did for the first few treatments. Only 2 left! Yahoo!

Home and Safe!

2009-11-15T19:19:00.000-08:00

We just got home from Saskatoon, where I had my fourth chemo treatment, and Bruno, where we visited with Daniel at St. Therese, his school. Because of flu in the family, we spent our Saskatoon night at Riverside Bed and Breakfast, which is owned and operated by friends of ours. It was a lovely stay. Then, Thursday night, we drove to Bruno and spent three nights at St. Therese. It's always a slice of heaven staying there. Our boy is fitting right in and looking forward to getting to work on "A Man for all Seasons," this year's production. Casting will be announced next week, I think.
As usual, I had a lovely peaceful day receiving my chemo and visiting with Judy Catton, and also Janice Akerman on her lunch break. This evening I am getting tired and achey, but it's all worth it! Only two treatments left! Then I'll have to find something else to talk about!
God, as always, is good.

that pig thing!

2009-11-06T07:15:00.000-08:00

We just got home from Saskatoon last evening. I had been just for blood work because next Wednesday, of course, is a holiday. My next chemo treatment is Thursday.
My doctor told me that my CA125 is now down to 13, well within the normal range. That means that the chemo seems to have dealt with all my cancer. She said I will finish off all the treatments as scheduled and then after that they will just keep an eye on me with regular blood tests to make sure I stay clear of cancer. Then, if it does not come back in the next five years, I will be declared "cancer-free."
I'm all happy about that. I would be even happier if Davy weren't sick with something swine-flu-ish. He came down with a sore throat and fever while we were in Saskatoon. He's quite miserable except when he's on Tylenol and then he seems to feel not too bad. We'll probably all get a turn now. I think I might be okay, even if I do get it, because this is my third week after chemo and my resistence will be improving rapidly. My hemoglobin level is good, and my white blood cell count is low, but improving. I haven't, thus far, had any trouble with having to postpone treatments because of my blood count. Diet helps the hemoglobin, of course, but the white blood cells have to do their own thing without much help from me. I think resting and exercising might help.
We would like our boys to get through this flu season relatively unscathed. We are praying for many of you who have asked for prayers for various reasons, and we thank you for your prayers, too. God is good!

Good news!

2009-10-23T19:31:00.000-07:00

I just got home from my third chemotherapy treatment. On Wednesday, my doctor told me that before I had surgery my CA125 level (stands for "Cancer Antigen"and is an indicator of the extent of the cancer in one's system) was around 2000. (extremely high) Then after the surgery it was down to 200 and after my first chemo treatment it went down to 41. Normal levels are 0 - 35. My doctor is happy because this indicates that the chemo is effective in dealing with my remaining cancer. I've had two more treatments since then, so who knows? Maybe I'm down to -50 by now.
I had a lovely day again at the clinic. My sister Judy, and Judy Catton and Janice Akerman all came to visit me (Joanne) and my nurse was Joy, so it was a real "J" day. Judy bought me lunch because Peter was Christmas shopping, then he came back shortly after lunch after all my "J" visitors left.
Next time I may have to stay in Saskatoon a bit longer because of the Nov. 11 holiday. We might go up to St. Therese and spend some time there if it works out. My bloodwork is scheduled for Nov. 4th and my chemo for Nov. 12. That is rather awkward for Peter, so we may have to work something out.

no news!

2009-10-16T17:24:00.000-07:00

I haven't been blogging lately just because I can't think of anything to say.
I've been feeling quite well, so have been doing a little bit more than I was. Joseph and Peter and I have been working on our train set downstairs. Joseph is doing the landscaping, Peter is attaching the ballast under the track and I have been scrunching up newspaper. What would the world do without the newspaper scrunchers? Joseph uses this paper to shape the hills and mountains, then we will be covering it with plaster cloth, then painting.
Also, I have also been playing cards and doing science experiments with David and Justin.
Today we went to Maple Creek for dentist appointments for the boys. We also visited with Auntie Margaret.
This coming Wednesday, we'll be driving up to Saskatoon for my next appointment and chemo treatment.
The weather is beautiful today, so I'm thinking of going out for a short walk.

Today's Menu

2009-10-07T18:05:00.000-07:00

Today was a good day! Egglady brought Borscht, bread, pumpkin pie and another friend came this evening and brought meatballs and rice and dessert. My favorite part (besides all the food) was getting a chance to visit with these ladies.
I was planning to take the boys to Karate this evening, but I kind of wore out.

Today

2009-10-06T10:55:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling quite well today - just very, very sleepy. Go figure? I think I must have just been recovering from surgery and not so much from the chemo last time. I'm drinking more calcium, which may be helping with the leg pain.
I'm not much help for the boys in their school work. I can barely concentrate to sit up, let alone do math. However, this will pass in a day or two.
Thanks for all your prayers!

Back from Round 2

2009-10-03T07:44:00.000-07:00

We just got home from Saskatoon last night - I had my second dose of chemo on Thursday. I can't get over how much better I feel than last time. Last time, of course, I was only 2 1/2 weeks post-op, so I was much more worn out. I'm still on steroids for another day or so, and after that I expect to have to battle that achiness again, but this time my doctor prescibed a more effective pain medication. I don't know whether it will completely take care of the pain. It is a narcotic, so I might be rather dopey. So everybody, please don't get offended if I start to get that glazed-over look in my eyes when I'm supposed to be listening. After Wednesday or so, I should be recovering.
I was finding, because of feeling much more energetic, that it was that much harder to lie around in bed all day receiving my treatment. It was still a very pleasant day, but I just wanted to get up and go for a walk around the world.
It's good to be home again. I find it quite manageable to walk to my in-laws and back now, so I've been over for a couple of visits.
If you don't hear from me for a few days it will be because of either achiness or dopiness.

Hair today, gone tomorrow!

2009-09-26T19:59:00.000-07:00

My hair is starting to fall out in buckets. I'm letting you know this way because some of you won't see me for a while, and it might be a surprise otherwise. I'm 25 pounds thinner (not thin - thinner) and soon to be bald, but don't be alarmed. It's still me. I've been telling Justin they will have to fatten me up with the pigs in the spring. That will be a nice problem!

Today

2009-09-23T17:36:00.000-07:00

Last night I was experiencing quite a lot of abdominal pain and back pain in the night - could be because of having done too much yesterday. I went to the doctor and he sent me to the hospital lab in Maple Creek to have some testing done. Don't know the results, but he prescribed a different painkiller, for which I am eternally grateful.
One blessing in all this for me, is that now people are more likely to believe me when I tell them that I know God is good, that He cares for us personally and that He brings good out of everything. I always want people to believe me when I tell them that, and yet, if everything goes well for you all the time, it doesn't seem as though people are so likely to believe you. It makes sense that our faith has to be tested by suffering.
I don't believe that God always heals us when we have enough faith. I believe that these times are opportunities for us to choose Him and thank Him, even if we are not getting our "druthers."
Sometimes God heals people best by taking them home to Heaven.
Having said that, though, I believe that Love is requiring me to pray earnestly for my healing for the sake of Peter and the boys. I actually think I will come through this - I have good reason for hope, mostly because of all the prayers. I'm sure my wonderful doctors have been answer to somebody's prayers for me, and the success of my surgery and all the other signs of God's love.
I hope I don't sound too much like Pollyanna - I certainly wasn't sounding like Pollyanna in the night. (ask my husband) However, these blessings are good solid blessings.

Early Thanksgiving!

2009-09-19T15:18:00.000-07:00

Today, at about 11:45, my friend Jane, who knows we eat our big meal at noon, showed up with a complete turkey dinner. I mean complete - with potatoes, carrots, gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce, cake, cookies, jello, plus some already cleaned and shucked vegetables from her garden. It was absolutely amazing. I just stood and said, "Wow. WOW. . . WOW!"
It seemed so funny on a Saturday at noon to be sitting down to a turkey dinner. Funny, but very good. Mark came in for dinner, and I ran a plate out to Peter in the combine.
A number of years ago, I remember hearing a talk about serving with the Midas touch. That means not just serving, but really making an effort to make your service shine.
It is bringing home to me again how God blesses us abundantly. I keep getting convicted about how thoughtless I've been in the past, how I don't deserve any of this, but God does it not because we deserve it. He blesses us because He loves us. There is absolutely no other explanation. At first, a few weeks ago, I kept thinking, "Now what can I do to pay this person back, or that person," but I've gotten to the point where I've completely given up. There isn't anything I can possibly do to pay anyone back - it's WAY beyond me. All I can do is be grateful, like a little child, and maybe pray for everyone.

Better Today!

2009-09-16T12:37:00.000-07:00

I'm still vaguely achey, but I feel much better today. The boys and I got up and went to Mass this morning and it was great to see all the daily Mass crew.
We even stopped in at Elena's for coffee afterwards. Ordinary things are very precious. I'm enjoying seeing all my nieces and nephews again and to be home with my boys is an incredible blessing.
House - messy
Yard - messy
Me :)

Ooooh, my aching everything!

2009-09-15T14:07:00.000-07:00

The first five days or so after chemo is when a person experiences the side effects. I'm having aching bones and am spending most of my time lying on the sofa.
Fortunately, my friend Marilyn called this morning. She went through this last year and told me about a particular kind of pain medication I need to ask for next time I'm in the city, that will greatly alleviate this problem. In a day or two it should have completely passed anyway until next treatment.
There was a march on Sunday of Ovarian Cancer survivors Marilyn told me about.
It's still amazing to me how God has provided so many people to provide support just when I need it. Our house is a disaster, but boy do we have food to eat! I just have to get up to warm something up at regular meal times. The boys are doing all the dishes. Our local home care nurse is a good neighbour, who brought over some lasagne.
I'm hoping one day soon I can get up and help the boys with some school or something, but other than that, we're doing all right.

Every day in every way we are getting better!

2009-09-10T22:18:00.000-07:00

I want to go on record as saying that I'm extremely grateful for all the support I've received while here in Saskatoon because of my Ovarian cancer.
My parents have fed me and looked after me, my friends and family have all been an incredible support for me, and I have felt the grace of the prayers that are being said nearly all over the world.
I had a very dramatic surgery, and I have to say I felt quite a lot of immediate relief from the discomfort I had been experiencing over the past several months. Lost 20-25 pounds in one afternoon! Today I started chemotherapy and I actually had quite a lovely day. Even though I was somewhat psyched up for it - knowing I'm doing everything I can do and using all available resources to fight the cancer - I was rather dreading today. Because of big black irrational fear, really. I have to tell you all that there really is nothing to dread. I lay in a comfy bed watching Flipper, Lassie and doing crossword puzzles and snoozing all day while they fed me my medication intravenously. I felt well and, besides somewhat sleepy, completely comfortable. The nurses were great - I enjoyed my own assigned nurse, who reminded Peter of Carol Burnette. The worst they want me to suffer is feeling somewhat run down - anything worse than that and they want it dealt with quickly so that I can eat healthily and be ready for my next treatments. Nearly every time I talk to anyone they say "Oh Ovarian Cancer - my mom had that 35 years ago, or my sister had that 10 years ago, and she's fine now." When my mother died of Ovarian cancer 45 years ago, they did not yet have chemotherapy, and in recent years they have really fine-tuned the chemotherapy treatments for every kind of cancer.

So you see, everyone, there's lots of reason for hope and gratitude. Nothing to fear except fear itself. God is in control.

Thank -you all and God bless you!

Gopher it you gulls!

2009-06-25T17:10:00.000-07:00

My father-in-law says there are more gophers this year than he has ever seen. I almost didn't plant my garden because I'm quite sure it will get eaten the moment it appears above the surface. It hasn't appeared yet - is that suspicious?
Our parish priest has come out several times with his gun to shoot the little pests (oops - are there any environmentalists reading this?) He says he has shot well over 500, and my brother-in-law has shot some, too. My husband uses strychnine, in low enough doses so that it kills the gophers but not the birds that eat the little dead bodies. We think, actually, the gophers have developed a taste for it. When everyone is done shooting and poisoning, then the gulls come around and clean up all the remains. I wish they would do their own dirty work!
I'm getting a little alarmed at the damage all this is doing to my character. When driving on the highway, I used to get a little traumatized at the demise of each little rodent who got in our way. The other day, when Daniel was driving, he swerved and hit a gopher on purpose and I laughed maniacally.

Our International Moose Incident

2008-09-18T17:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, while Peter was out in the field combining, he noticed two moose running like crazy across the field, over a fence and off into the west. He radioed us all to get our attention. Unfortunately, the boys and I were on our way out the door to voice lessons and karate, so we had to miss the whole thing. Apparently, what happened later was quite spectacular.
Not long after Peter alerted us, my brother-in-law, John T., was walking in the field and he happened to notice two moose heads bobbing up and down inside a large water tank that surrounds one of the gas wells on our land. He alerted somebody - not sure who - and soon the whole countryside was out here, cheering for these moose and trying to help them out. They were as mad as heck as you can well imagine, so it was not too easy to get close. Some brave soul eventually managed to cut a chunk out of the tank and free the moose.
Today, we went and had a look at the site of the event. It looks quite peaceful now, with a nice square-shape cut out of the tank and not too much evidence of a struggle. Nobody has seen the moose since. They probably decided there is better swimming somewhere else in the world.

"Oh, there's nothing halfway..."

2008-09-06T17:21:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, I went to "Music Man" camp with my two elder sons while they auditioned for roles for the November production in Maple Creek. It was quite fun, really. I sewed 6 vests and an apron on a serger, and moved a number of buttons. They have stacks of old costumes at Camp Shagabec, where they always hold their music camps, and every year a number of seamstresses get together and try to adjust them for the current performance.
Daniel will be a salesman in the beginning train scene, then he will be the bass singer in the quartet for the rest. Joseph has several roles - he will be the train conductor at the beginning, the constable for most of the rest, with brief stints as the farmer in the Iowa song and a townsperson in the Wells-Fargo song. He also gets to dance and sing in "Shipoopi" which will be fun.
After I finished all my sewing, I moved to the kitchen, where I mostly sat and watched the professional cooking staff do their thing. Thank Heaven they liked just having company in there, because I wasn't much use for anything else. I did get to clean windows at the end, though.
Now we're off to Maple Creek every Sunday afternoon from now till the performances in November.

Playing in the dirt

2008-08-16T08:38:00.000-07:00

Give me a pile of manure and another pile of gravel and I'm entertained for weeks.
Peter brought me over a pile of manure not long ago and I've been busy spreading it wherever I take the fancy. I made a new flowerbed out front and I've been preparing a row of soil for a lilac hedge we will be planting in the fall. The day before yesterday I dug all the grass out from around our present hedges, put manure around each tree, and yesterday I set up irrigation hoses for them. Now I can sit in the kitchen and drink coffee while watering.
I also plan to set up another flower bed so that I can plant some perennials in it this fall.
As yet, Peter has not brought me a pile of gravel. oooh! I can hardly wait!

those musical types!

2008-08-13T07:24:00.000-07:00

Two of our boys had the great opportunity this summer of performing in a Gilbert and Sullivan musical, directed by a young man and a young lady from Maple Creek area. A local family hosted the out-of-town performers for the eight days of preparation for the performances.
On the way home from Eastend, after the first performance, some of the participants were listening to music on an i-pod, and when some music came on that they found inspiring, they pulled over to the side of the road and started dancing in the road allowance. This was about 11:00 p.m. on a Thursday night.
The parents who were hosting the performers, saw the vehicle pull over and were alarmed. "It looks like something dreadful has happened! What are they doing?" So they pulled up behind them, and their son jumped out of the van and ran over. When the parents caught up, their son informed them: "They're . . . dancing."
My boys, of course, were right in there, enjoying the whole thing.
We have many happy memories of our week and a half of preparation for this musical, and especially of the people we met.

FVPD

2008-06-23T12:46:00.000-07:00

We had a kind of comedy of errors in Fox Valley recently that led to the successful arrest of a wanted man.
Police had discovered a stolen vehicle by our sodium sulfate plant and searched the building to find the man who had driven it there. They discovered a number of stolen articles in the vehicle.
Meanwhile, Ron B. was driving from his farm to town with his wife and daughter in the vehicle, when they came upon a lone and rather desolate man in the rain. They thought maybe his vehicle had broken down, and they offered him a ride to town, which he gladly accepted. While they were driving along, Larry H. from town phoned Ron to mention that there was a wanted man named _____ on the loose somewhere in the neighbourhood of their farm and would they please keep a look out for him. Ron said "We just picked up a guy. What's the name of the man they want?" Larry said, "It's Larry _____". So Ron turned around and asked the man in the back seat what his name was. (does this seem like a good idea to you?) He said, "Larry." Then Ron said to Larry H., "Can you please call the police?" Larry said, "Okay, just take him to the Valley O." ( local restaurant) Ron dropped the wanted man off at the Valley O and warned Audrey, the manager, who was there all alone, "Keep him here until the police arrive - he's wanted." So Audrey took a long time cooking his dinner, then sat down and made small talk with him until the police arrived. The police came after a while, handcuffed him and searched him and discovered a gun.
The only thing we can figure is that "Larry" must have been so desperate to go home (jail) that he acquiesced in all this. Now that it's all over and no one was hurt, we laugh.

O Folio!

2008-06-18T11:11:00.000-07:00

A few blogs ago, I was doing some advertising for the excellent trivia quiz 4marks.com puts out every Monday. I'm here to mention they also have a wonderful "facebook" called "folio." It seems to be very much like facebook in every way except for the sometimes bothersome images that pop up (on facebook, I mean.) My boys were running into problems of that sort with facebook occasionally, so we decided to cancel. Folio is great! Except that none of you are on there yet, so we can't visit so well. So, come on over and check it out. 4marks.com/folio

Gophigure!

2008-05-30T12:32:00.000-07:00

Holy Mackerel, have we a lot of gophers this year! We notice in the country that when there is a plethora of some creature, soon there is a corresponding plethora of a larger preying creature. Hence, the years we have been overrun with grasshoppers, we expect to see frogs, etc. later. I'm surprised there don't seem to be as many large birds of prey around as usual - maybe that's why the gopher binge - but maybe we'll have some later. Hmmm - what else eats gophers?

I was reading an article in the Maple Creek Advance Times the other day about rattlesnakes. A man from Burstall area has several rattlesnake dens on his property and he likes it. He says he never has the trouble with gophers that other farmers have. I personally think I would rather have the gophers.

Renovations Part III

2008-04-12T09:04:00.000-07:00

Well, what a disaster we had here the week before last! I am now sufficiently recovered to talk about it. Only just!
We were installing ceramic tile in our kitchen. Peter and I (yes, we're still married!) did it ourselves, with a little help from our boys. We were SO careful about how we spread the adhesive, only applying enough to lay a tile or two at a time. We stayed off the tile for the requisite 24 hours, then I applied the grout. Oooh, that's messy! Like making mud pies.
We applied the last of the grout on Thursday, the day before we were expecting four guests - the Face to face team - for a parish retreat. By the end of Thursday and all through Friday, it was becoming very apparent that many of our tiles were not sticking, some of them were cracking, and the grout was crumbling. Since we were having company and I was helping to run this retreat, we had to leave everything for Monday, and I had to put my oven back so that I could actually cook something for somebody.
While this was going on, we were also looking for a new vehicle. For the past couple of months we have been borrowing vehicles every time we've gone out - shopping, to Karate, voice lessons, Mass, piano lessons, etc. Peter made a deal on a suburban from Saskatoon through a dealer in Swift Current. "Yes, we have an eight-seater for you. Yes, you can come and pick it up on Thursday." So in the midst of everything at home (oh, did I mention calving?) Peter's brother John made a special trip to Swift Current to drop us off at the Dealers so we could drive our new suburban home.
John took off, then we discovered our suburban was a 7-seater. We have to have an 8-seater so we can take Peter's parents with us sometimes. Peter had to go and tell the salesman that 7 and 8 are not the same thing and 7 won't do. Unfortunately, our dealer was not there. We managed to get ahold of John, who was on his way home already, and ask him to come back to get us. As a result, a quick trip to drop us off turned into a day-long shopping trip for him, since we had a "few things to pick up."
We got home safely, our company arrived and we had a lovely visit - until the plumbing backed up. Oh yes, it did. What a mess!
We had to tell our guests "Sorry, no showers, and please don't flush the toilets anyone."
Happily, we were out of the house all day Saturday, and didn't need the plumbing. Peter got to stay home from the retreat and scour the countryside for an available lagoon-pumping person. (What do you call those?) Eventually, our lagoon got pumped out, the plumbing was back to normal, and we all had a good weekend, except maybe Peter.
Then, on Monday, the car salesman, who was feeling somewhat remiss, replaced the back bucket seats with a bench, thus turning a 7-seater into an 8, and sent two of his employees to Fox Valley to deliver said vehicle in person.
All's well that ends well, eh?
Now, if only we can fix the floor. . .

We're off and running!

2008-01-21T10:43:00.000-08:00

Well, the bedrooms are done, except for the trim - baseboards, etc. Yahoo!
Now all we have to do is move the washer and drier downstairs, make our old laundry room into a storage room, rebuild the roof supports in the space above the garage and build new bedrooms in there, then build our "shop" in the present garage. We want our new shop to be a place where the boys can build things, we can set up our ping pong table and Peter can work on projects. Having all the boys home during the day is wonderful, but it requires a little more space. Our house would probably be adequate if they were going to school.
Unfortunately, everyone's run out of gas after this last stint, so I'm not sure how to get us up and running again. Maybe a whip? Hmmm...
Oh I forgot, we also got ceramic tile for the kitchen floor. Our old vinyl tile is worn right through in places.
Hopefully, with the proper inspiration (see whip above) we can get all this done before we hand down the house to our sons. (except for the trim.)

Let There Be Pieces (and Peace, too)

2007-12-21T16:00:00.000-08:00

This year for our last-minute pre-Christmas project, we thought we'd finish the basement bedrooms and paint the boys' bedroom upstairs, then shuffle all the boys around so they all come out with one bed each. Sounds simple, doesn't it?
Our older two boys have been helping and have actually done the painting in their own rooms, and our third son has helped with all the painting in his room also. Peter's in charge of finishing closets and ceilings, and my official position, though I have helped a little with painting, has been that of "Stuff Manager."
We removed all the "stuff" from all three bedrooms, and I have it carefully organized in the family room downstairs. However, it did not all fit in there (some of it was falling out) so I began to surreptitiously add pieces of "accent furniture", such as night tables, chairs and double beds to the livingroom and kitchen. This is a kitchen that already has one church organ too many!
It's all very organized. I know just what I'm going to say at midnight on Christmas Eve when we are setting up the bedrooms. "Dearest, where did you put the screws for the light switch covers for Davy's bedroom?" I'll say, "They're on the bookshelves." "And where are the bookshelves?" "They're in the back corner of the family room under the double bed mattress and drum set."
One would only hope it could be the drum set which will get lost and not the bolts for somebody's bed!
God bless you all with a very happy Christmas and New Year - think of us and count your blessings! I had better get back to work.

Gone all yin and yangsy!

2007-12-07T11:15:00.000-08:00

That's right - we're into Karate now. I bought uniforms for Daniel and David, who are our karate enthusiasts, and got them home only to discover the yin and yang sign on the fronts. I was panicking for a while because I wasn't sure that would be an excellent Christian witness, but have been assured by several people whom I trust that the yin and yang are from a Chinese philosophy, not a religion, and that there doesn't need to be any religious significance attached unless we make it so.
We love the Karate lessons, though. I was even thinking about taking part myself, except I'm afraid I might have a coronary after five minutes. They have to do about 50 situps and crunches all together, except if you lean on the wall of the "dojo" - then you have to do 30 more. The instructors are very kind and helpful, except for their penchant for situps, and our boys are really enjoying the workout.
So, the next time you see us watch out for your knees. Hi-ya!

Trivial Pursuit

2007-11-20T11:23:00.000-08:00

I just about live for Mondays. Well, maybe that is a little bit of an exaggeration, but I do quite look forward to Mondays. The reason is that every Monday, 4marks.com comes out with a new Catholic trivia contest and I always try out. There are always 40 questions and they're often related to the season of the church year. The quicker you answer the questions, the more points you get, too, so my nerves are a little on edge until I hear my weekly verdict. If a person completes the contest early on Monday, he or she could find him or herself in the top 40, or even the top 10. After that, of course, more people than 40 or 10 have participated in the contest and one tends to slide down in the chart through the course of the week. I actually came in first once, all week long, but usually I have to content myself with finishing in the top 100.
Besides the trivia contest, 4marks.com has ongoing catechism classes. It's a great website for all who teach catechism.

The Running of the Bulls (Fox Valley)

2007-11-07T08:32:00.000-08:00

I headed out for my daily walk yesterday. As I was walking through the farmyard my little niece, Olivia called out to ask if she could come with me. This four-year-old has my sixteen-year-old son, Daniel, in tow just about constantly when she visits the farm. Yesterday they were out in the "fort" building a house for Olivia when I happened along.
I was a little reluctant to take her along because, well, I need the exercise and I didn't think having a little one along would permit me to go my usual speed. However I found it difficult to explain that to her, and, in the end, I invited both Olivia and Daniel to come with me.
Whoa! Olivia ran just about all the way. Did I mention, it's about a mile to the end of the road?
The only break she took was when Daniel whisked her up and spun her in the air a couple of times.
It's very sweet to me to see those two spending time together. A most unlikely pair, in a way.
We got almost to the end of the road when we looked up and noticed four bulls running in our direction. So, just like that we turned and started running in the opposite direction back to the farmyard. Just like Pamplona! We didn't actually stand a chance of beating the bulls there. Well, maybe Daniel and Olivia could, but not this old lady! Shortly however, my husband Peter drove up in the truck and drove us back to the yard where we opened the gate for the bulls and waited to usher them into the pasture.
This was one of those ordinary things that happen, that turn into a big adventure without any planning on my part. I almost missed out on it by saying "No" to Olivia.

Charity

2007-10-23T15:41:00.000-07:00

I thought since my last blog was a little negative, I would like to recount some examples of real charity, as opposed to niceness. I have to say I am all for charity, if anyone wonders.
Charity is a Catholic priest who flies from Denver just about once a month to do retreats and camps even when only 20 boys or fewer show up.
Charity is Mother Teresa, who, unbeknownst to many, was dizzy-sick because of heart trouble for many of those years she picked up people dying of leprosy on the streets of Calcutta. She also spent from 10 p.m. until 2 a.m. or so walking by herself through the streets of Rome when she had been at meetings all day, just to see if she could find anyone who needed help.
Charity is another priest who spent the last two years of his life wearing disguises and hiding from the police in order to bring Holy Communion and other sacraments to people in Communist Mexico, until he was executed on a trumped charge.
Charity is the mother of 12 children, who doesn't get much sleep, or any time to herself, and yet remains cheerful and manages to speak and listen to each child as though he or she were the most precious person on earth.
Charity is the Grandma, who, when she does finally have time to rest, chooses instead to look after her grandchildren occasionally to give mom a break.
Charity is John Paul II, who forgave the man who tried to assassinate him - no, not just forgave, but sat close to him and heard his confession, shielding the man from the camera as he spoke; also who, when urged by many to retire, chose to "stay on the cross" with Jesus. I don't think he ever had one day in all his adult life when he could just say "Think I'll go golfing!" He did exercise sometimes, in order to remain healthy so that he could do everything he had to do. By the way, the personal income of a pope is 0
Charity is the artist and writer and musician who creates something beautiful for God, even if no one else will ever see it.
This is what I would like to do - to learn to be charitable. There is a difference between that and niceness.

This is nice!

2007-09-01T19:39:00.000-07:00

One of the facets of being 50-ish is that some persons lose all concern about what others think. I've noticed myself becoming a little teeny weeny bit abrasive on occasion and, yes, we should probably do something about that.
At the same time, one of the things I've been running into recently, is a tenet which many people seem to treat as Holy Writ. It's the eleventh commandment - Thou shalt be nice.
I'm going to be politically incorrect and say "ptuii!"
Are "niceness" and charity synonymous?
I have some dear friends here who are not Christian. They belong to a different world religion altogether, but they are often saying that for them, it's enough if a person is nice and easy to get along with. That's all that matters. But Jesus said "You must be perfect to get to Heaven." Was He kidding, or exaggerating or something? I believe that many people all over the world get to Heaven by doing their best, even if they have never heard of Jesus. That is not the same thing. There are many people who have heard the Truth, but do not stand up for it, do not proclaim it, pretend that it's more important to get along with everyone than to help people to see the Truth. Someone said there's a problem with having a mind so open that all one's brains are falling out.
First, is there a God? Then, is there a Heaven? Then, if we know there is, does charity require us to tell people about it? If people disagree, should we then say "Well, it doesn't matter if it's not your truth?" How can something be my truth and not be your truth?
I know what Uncle Digory would say.*

*This is a reference to The Magician's Nephew, by C.S. Lewis "Logic - what do they teach in these schools!"

I'm in Roller-blader heaven!

2007-07-14T20:31:00.000-07:00

Well, the road crew has pulled out of Fox Valley and all the other kinds of wheels are moving in: cars ripping around driven by those who would like to decorate the streets with skid marks, bicyclists, and roller-bladers. David and his cousin Rebecca have been roller-blading all over town having a whale of a time. Now there are several parking lots, countless driveways, as well as streets and sidewalks for a person with wheels - even Mrs. Dirk is no doubt having fun with her electric go-kart.
Hmmm . . . maybe I'll even take up roller-blading. . .

getting a facelift!

2007-06-19T10:37:00.001-07:00

Not me - Fox Valley.
A year or so ago, our village council decided to re-do Fox Valley. New pavement on all streets, new parking lots, new sidewalks and boulevards everywhere.
The road crew and the curb crew have been busy for the past few days. They actually weren't both supposed to be working at once, but somebody got held up, so now they have to negotiate with one another about where to work next. It's impossible to get there from here in Fox Valley right now. I was at Mass with the boys the other day and Elena invited us over for coffee. So, I got into the van and drove around and around for twenty minutes and ended up parking by the swimming pool, even further away than I had been when I was in the church parking lot. However, I found some shade at the swimming pool. Later in the day when we were in town again, the boys asked if we could drop something off at the cousins' house. We drove back and forth for a while and decided it wasn't worth the attempt to get there.
This will all be worth it, though, when the streets and sidewalks are all done. You'll have to come by for a tour!

They're doing What in Where???

2007-06-19T10:37:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, we went to visit the Cypress Vineyards. Marty and Marie Bohnet are the proprietors, who got the dream, several years ago to start a vineyard and winery in Saskatchewan. They live quite close to the entrance of Fort Walsh and so are hoping to take advantage of the tourists who pass by their gates.
What a beautiful set-up they have! When we visited them a couple of years ago, they had planted two large vineyards of grapes, and had experimented for many years with wine-making, but there was nothing else there except bush, hills and space. Now they have a beautiful bistro, a creek with waterfall, bridges, deck, and plants and an awesome view to boot. In the bistro itself, there are several varied seating arrangements. There are tables, but there are also sofas beside a fireplace, and lots of big windows. There's a large counter or bar where you stand and sample a small amount of all the wines they have available. We sampled rhubarb, sour cherry, saskatoon and grape wine. There are a number of shelves of articles for sale, and many bottles of wine they made. They're hoping to make mead, and have available grape plants to sell. They actually have the grape plants, but they haven't quite got them moved to a spot near their sales area yet.
They've only been open for two weeks, and they've been busy every day. I wish them all the best.

Oh, the rural life!

2007-04-19T16:01:00.000-07:00

I've mentioned before our penchant for being unwelcoming, when our son built a cannon from some old scrap metal and parked it on the front lawn. That was when we were missing a front step.
Today the problem would be that we have a dead rat on the front lawn. I thought since I have four sons and I am perfectly willing to clean up Everything Else, I would leave the dead rodents for them.
Okay,I said, I have two little girl piano students coming this afternoon, and the dead rat needs to be gone by then.
Fortunately I have a gallant and brave husband, who doesn't relish taking care of these things, but does it anyway. I hope our dog survives this latest threat to her security. She is the one responsible for delivering these "trophies" to our front lawn. More than once, Peter has said "It's that dog!" She brings legs of deer, cattle, and various indistinguishable body parts to us regularly. Most of these things, the boys will clean up, but rats are where they draw the line.

Is there anyone out there in cyberspace who doesn't mind things like this? There could be money in it for you!

Is chivalry just mostly dead?

2007-02-22T14:13:00.000-08:00

Being somewhat out of commission has had its benefits. While I rest my back, I marvel at the willingness with which our boys have taken up the housework gauntlet and run with it. The older two have been washing and drying all the clothes, the younger two are sorting clean laundry, and they've all helped with dishes and tidying and vacuuming. When I go to fetch my boots, there's nearly always someone ready to pull them on for me, and the boys all rush to my side to help me across icy patches.
Nowadays in the world, it seems so very difficult for men to be chivalrous. I mean, if they should attempt it, they are apt to get a fist in the eye from the lady recipient of their deed. It takes a much braver man than usual to be a knight in shining armor. Not only the dragon to contend with...
The other day I was venturing across the icy church parking lot when two of the boys came up, one on either side, to lend me an arm, and a third boy, finding he was too late to help, decided to hold up my "train." (er, coat-tail) I felt royal, even though it probably didn't really look like I imagined it to look.
I'm very glad chivalry is not dead.

Curious Justin Goes to the Hospital

2006-12-25T08:28:00.002-08:00

I spent the night before last in the hospital with Justin. We never dreamt when we took him to Maple Creek on Friday to get his eyes and ears checked that the doctor would want to keep him there overnight. He had been complaining for a few days of a bad headache, off and on, and I noticed a slight temperature in the evenings. He felt quite nauseous sometimes, too, so we suspected an ear infection or something.
As it turned out, his throat was infected. The doctor said he might just have had a headache because of the cold he had had, but he was wanting to be careful in case it was a more serious infection, so he wanted to put him on antibiotics intravenously right away.
One of the first things they did on his arrival at the hospital was to give him a gravol shot in the you-know-where to settle his stomach. That was rather painful. Then they put the needle in his left hand for the intravenous, and that didn't work, so they had to do it again in his right hand. After he got all hooked up and named his IV stand "Johnny" ,(please don't take any offence, anybody) he felt quite well. Then we had our usual bedtime routine of prayers and reading, and as he drifted off to sleep, he said "This is so much fun..."
In the children's ward in Maple Creek, they have a whole suite of rooms - the bedroom, where there was just room for him and me; the library, with a table, chairs, and a bunch of books; and the tv room, with Nintendo. We did the rounds quite a few times the next morning while we waited for the doctor to come and tell him he's fine.
Really, the only severe hardship in the whole thing was that McLanes were visiting at the farm and we were missing them. Fortunately, we did get to see them Saturday night and Sunday.
Justin's been enjoying telling everyone about his hospital stay ever since.

Authoship of the aforementioned

2006-12-25T08:28:00.001-08:00

Raymond was asking about the authorship of "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence" and I was going to just comment that the authorship seems uncertain. In my hymnbook, it says the text is from the Liturgy of St. James, translated by Gerard Moultrie. However, since you asked about my poetry, I thought I'd let you hear some of it:

Saskatoon, Saskatoon, my beautiful hometown
Your streets are so vast
Your Co-op store is the best
Plus all the other things you have to invest.

(notice the poetic licence!)
I wrote this a few years ago.

Let all mortal flesh keep silence

2006-12-25T08:28:00.000-08:00

Let all mortal flesh keep silence
And with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly minded,
For with blessing in his hand
Christ our God to earth descendeth,
Our full homage to demand.

King of kings, yet born of Mary,
As of old on earth he stood,
Lord of lords in human vesture,
In the body and the blood:
He will give to all the faithful
His own self for heavenly food.

Rank on rank the host of heaven
Spreads its vanguard on the way,
As the Light of light descendeth
From the realms of endless day,
That the powers of hell may vanish
As the darkness clears away.

At his feet the six-winged seraph;
Cherubim with sleepless eye,
Veil their faces to the Presence,
As with ceaseless voice they cry,
Alleluia, alleluia,
Alleluia, Lord most high!

Oh, hi!

2006-11-30T17:31:00.000-08:00

In case any of you saw an alien in town a couple of weekends ago, it was me. I was there with my friend, Bev, attending a silent retreat at Queen's House. Once I got there I realized I would not be able to phone anybody, because I couldn't talk, until the last meal, and then it seemed too late to call around. Bev and I went together in her car.
On Sunday she phoned her daughter to say hello and her grandson asked to speak to her. Her daughter said to him "Grandma's at a silent retreat at Queen's House, she can't talk." Then her grandson said "Well...couldn't she go out to the Queen's car and talk?"
It was an excellent weekend, led by the same priest and brother who will be looking after the boys' camp next summer, so it was a good opportunity for me to meet them.

Oh, hi!

2006-11-26T15:57:00.000-08:00

In case anybody spotted an alien in town last weekend, it was me.
I was accompanying a friend of mine from Fox Valley on a silent retreat weekend at Queen's House. I didn't phone anyone ahead of time and didn't even think till I got there that while at a silent retreat I would not be able to phone anybody. I called home just to let Peter know I made it there safely, and my voice reverberated throughout the whole building.
It was a good weekend. The legionary priest and brother who led the retreat are the same ones who will be looking after the boys' camp next summer, so it was a good opportunity for me to meet them.
Ate too much, no exercise. I could have gone for a walk on Saturday afternoon, but I was exhausted.
Fr. Shane has a very profound way of putting things. One thing he said was "When Peter ran away after Jesus' arrest, he had to run away on the feet that Jesus washed."
At the end of the weekend, I told my friend that she should just drive home without me, I needed a bit of a jog.

Organ-izing

2006-11-01T18:08:00.000-08:00

I feel a little torn tonight. We spent the early part of the evening moving the organ from our parish church into our house. Peter's dad bought the organ to prevent it being sold on e-bay to who-knows-where, and now we get to keep it in our house. This will come in handy because I can practice it, and because our sons and nieces have expressed an interest in learning to play it.
However, I feel a little disappointed that our parish has chosen the trendier electric keyboard over a classic instrument. Sure, you can buy an organ for a song at the moment, because they are not trendy. But they are classic - a few years from now the price will likely go up again, and they will not get a song for their electric keyboard. Also, there has been more beautiful church music written for the organ than almost any other instrument. It has a long tradition in a church filled with gorgeous old hymns that ought not to be forgotten. For example:

Godhead here in hiding, Whom I do adore
Masked by these bare shadows, shape and nothing more,
See, Lord, at Thy service low lies here a heart
Lost, all lost in wonder at the God Thou Art.

by Thomas Aquinas

Now try playing that on an electric keyboard!

a true fact

2006-10-06T13:58:00.000-07:00

We've met a few people, all from the Battlefords, and none of them related to us, who use the expression "That's a true fact!"
Seriously, though, is there such a thing as solid, universal truth. I believe there is, of course, but can it be proven or indicated by experience?
I read a book years ago called Peace Child - I don't remember the name of the author - about a missionary couple who went to Papua New Guinea to evangelize a tribe of cannibals and head-hunters. When they first told the story of the Gospel, all the men of the tribe cheered when they heard the part about Judas' betrayal. As it turned out they loved treachery - thought it was the greatest thing when they could stab someone in the back after a peace treaty. That stymied the missionaries temporarily, until one day they witnessed a ceremony they did not at first understand. The chief of the one tribe gave his firstborn son to the chief of the neighbouring tribe. When the pastor asked what it meant, he was told that this was the one act that could put an end to all treachery between the two tribes. Then he was able to teach them that Jesus is the Peace Child given by the Father to the world to make it possible for us to be at peace with the Father.
A friend asked me recently if there is universal truth, if those cannibalistic head-hunting people had any idea that the way they had been living was wrong. I wouldn't know for sure, of course, but I wonder if their former treachery would have been half so "fun" if they hadn't had some realization that it wasn't right.
Are there moral absolutes? I think, like C.S. Lewis, that even people who believe there are no moral absolutes get mighty offended if you try to steal their watch. They also have some sense that if they share their outrage with the world, most people will side with them. Moreover they sleep fairly well at night, knowing that the sweet elderly ladies next door probably won't murder them in their sleep.
Don't we all assume a basic moral code exists?

Anything Worth Doing

2006-10-05T10:39:00.000-07:00

One of my most recent pet peeves is the fact that so many conversations are so little worth having. I'm the most pathetic person in the earth to be talking about this, but I wish to rediscover the fine art of initiating and fostering good discussion and conversation. I mean thoughtful, thought-provoking, interesting and worthwhile.
So, to that end, I'm going to quote SOMEONE ELSE since I don't have a clue what to say.
"Anything worth doing is worth doing badly." What do you think?
I think I exemplify this pithy saying to perfection. For example, one of my responsibilities at Daily Mass is to choose and lead the entrance and recessional hymns. I just do it without accompaniment, from where I'm standing, so I don't even have a piano to hide behind. This is not good because I don't have a fine voice. In fact, it is rather pathetic. However, I really want my boys to learn lots of good hymns, and it doesn't really seem to happen elsewhere in our daily lives, so it seems a good opportunity. So, even though I don't do it well, I do it because it seems to me to be worth doing. My nieces, nephew, and sister-in-law like to learn hymns, too.
Fortunately, my husband and my sons have fine voices, so as long as I get everybody started on the right note, they can carry it.
We were always taught that "anything worth doing is worth doing well," and I can see that, too, but the reverse, a quotation from G.K. Chesterton, just cuts the mustard for me.

Poned by Baked Alaska

2006-09-15T15:43:00.000-07:00

My son tells me that "poned" means destroyed.
Last Friday, to celebrate the Birth of Mary, I decided to make Baked Alaska. It has the advantage of having an American name, and as a homeschooling project, we are travelling around the world, beginning in America. Then, I decided to make an extra Baked Alaska for my friend, Debbie, who has a birthday on the same day. You see, then I could put "Happy Birthdays" on the top. I have a bad habit of not reading through to the end of recipes. When I finished said dessert, I noticed on the bottom of the recipe the line that says "Serve immediately." Well, I couldn't serve it immediately, Debbie wasn't here, and after a few minutes of sitting on the counter, these B.A.s were already starting to leak ice cream. Then I put them in the deep freeze until we could go to town and deliver the one, and eat the other at my Brother-in-law's house. Then I found out that Debbie has gone away for the week.
Well, we did eat one, and it was more or less edible. Saw Debbie this morning (a week later) and told her about my adventure, and she said she wouldn't have minded eating my mistake. Then I said, "Well, as a matter of fact, I still have it in my deep freeze!" Some of it melted all over my chicken, but the rest is more or less intact.
I think I'll make her something else instead.

Will somebody with an artistic bone in her body please help me?

2006-08-21T17:42:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to construct an indoor water garden. So I have the pot and the water and the pump and so far it all just looks like a pump in a pot. Of course I have some plants around it. How do you disguise that big black cord?
What kind of plants can you plant around it to make it look like it just grew there?
I've been noticing lately how nice it is to have running water nearby. Okay I live in the Palliser Triangle. By running water, I mean a water fall or a fountain or a creek or maybe even a leaky tap. It tends to "cool off" a room and help one to relax. We are all running around here in a stressful state, trying to pretend to get something done before school starts, so some running water is definitely in order. Our yard is completely scorched brown, our trees are all turning brown and losing their leaves, and my garden looks like October. However it is still hot as blazes. I can't do much about the out-of-doors, but I thought if I could keep some water going indoors, it might be nice.

2006-08-07T20:35:00.000-07:00

Excuse me, that should have been heartily.

Sagebrush studios

2006-08-07T20:24:00.000-07:00

Five boys and I (I borrowed a nephew) went to Sagebrush Studios today. It was about an hour and a half trip to their place - a scenic farmsite in the Saskatchewan River valley. Over the course of a few years, Dean Francis and Fran Hartsook have been collecting churches, renovating them and turning them into studios for Dean's paintings and Fran's ceramics. Dean paints prairie scenery - he grew up in the prairies and loves to highlight them in his works.
The most interesting part of the day for the boys was probably the ferry trip at the Estruary crossing. My nephew was afraid he was going to be seasick, but fortunately the trip is only about 30 seconds long, so he was all right.
It was a good day, notwithstanding the terrific heat, and I would hardly recommend you all take a day trip there.

our mad bull

2006-08-03T17:22:00.000-07:00

It occurs to me that some of you will not know about our mad bull.
One of our bulls broke one of its hind legs somehow in the community pasture, and so Peter and Mark had to go out with some other men and try to load it into the stock trailer and bring it home. It was acting rather irrationally and being difficult. It charged at Peter and hit him from behind with its head, knocking him to the ground where he scraped his face. Then it turned around and started running toward him as if it was going to trample him, but at the last moment turned aside and ran past.
Eventually they managed to load it and bring it home, but it was a little scary having it around. Peter took it to Medicine Hat, finally, and had it butchered. I think he rather enjoyed staying around and watching it get shot. I do hope there are not any animal rights activists around.

2006-07-30T14:39:00.000-07:00

We decided to keep John here. We'll be sending for Heather.

Okay?

auspicious company

2006-07-29T09:13:00.000-07:00

This will have to be short, because JOHN is here. We're having a great visit- I've never had one solitary Hickey here at a time, they always come in groups. We like groups, too, but this is a good opportunity to spend time with John. Last night we had a bonfire and I invited four or families to come besides our own. As it turned out, nobody could come except family. It was nice anyway. Even though it was quite windy, we managed to get a fire started. (That was the royal "we" incidentally) We had watermelon and smores, pop and beer. Father Zoller had come over for supper earlier and met John then. John is going to speak in our parish tonight, then he's going to Mass in Richmound tomorrow morning. Fr. Zoller said he could make an announcement in both places during Mass. Richmound, by the way, is the hometown of the Bosch family.
I had better go get started on the pizza.

Close Encounters of the Bird Kind

2006-07-08T10:05:00.000-07:00

This should really be two separate blogs. The bird one comes first, and then there should be a clothesline one after, but I don't want to submit two blogs in one day. I do have a life.
So far this summer we have had two head-on collisions with hawks on the highway. Nobody was killed, except of course the hawks, but it was scary for a moment there. We thought we were going to have the first bird on our lap. There must just be a lot more hawks around than usual.
Incidentally, I was listening to a talk recently by a Science teacher, who said he knows of a group of educators that did a study on the seven most commonly used science texts in the States, to see how many errors there might be. By the time they were done their study, they had accumulated enough errors to fill a 500-page report. (The Science teacher was Dr. J. Wile, author of the Apologia curriculum) One of the errors he heard about was that in one text it stated that every year, 10,000 species of animals were annihilated by humans in one way or another. He said "How many species can there be left in the world?" He said in actual fact that only one species dies out a year, and mostly for natural reasons. Nobody is created to live forever on this earth.
Blog #2
I was hanging my clothes out on the line yesterday and thinking to myself"I wonder if, years from now, people will long for the days when they used to hang all their clothes out on the line." It seems like a nice leisurely activity, as opposed to the rush, rush, rush, of modern life. However, it was so windy yesterday that I couldn't get my t-shirt to stay on the line - not with any number of clothespins - so eventually I gave up and went inside.
My father-in-law claims that a neighbour theirs used to get up really early in the morning to hang all her laundry out on the line, so that she could be the first to have hers out. I guess she thought other people would assume she had been washing since 4:00. I should mention that this laundry was not washed yet. I don't know if it's true or not, but it makes a good blog.

Taming the Math Beast

2006-07-07T09:30:00.000-07:00

One thing I seem to have a perpetual difficulty with, as a homeschooling mom, is determining how much our life should revolve around mathematics. Every person needs to learn some math - there is no doubt about that - but I keep having this feeling that not every high school student should have to learn rocket science -type math. I'm doing okay with my fourteen-year-old, Daniel. We're almost rather enjoying factoring quadratic occasions. But when the heck is he ever going to use this stuff. Really.
Now I do not have a utilitarian view of education, not at all. But I do have a utilitarian view of mathematics. Of course one does learn some logic doing math, which is A GOOD THING.
Last year, I heard a talk about different models of education, specifically the Greek model and the Hebraic model. The Greeks, who gave us the word "curriculum", trained their athletes by running them through a routine. Our school system operates in a similar fashion. However the typical Hebrew families had a more family approach. At a certain age, the father took on the education of his sons - I think the mothers looked after the daughters- and the father was the one responsible for passing on the faith. Of course their whole society was set up differently, and most sons can't inherit their father's business anymore. More's the pity.
I often wonder though, if there are some things we can take from the Hebraic model. It seems fairly obvious, that unless the father of a family passes on the faith, it's unlikely that the children will remain faithful to it.
Another thing I wonder is if we shouldn't be putting way more effort into language arts than we are. I want to try to do that personally. I want every single one of my boys to be able to read and write and speak effectively. Nowadays, it seems most parents think that's way too much to expect. I think I have to learn to "tame the math beast" in order to make a priority of the basic communication skills.

Prairie stroll

2006-06-24T18:20:00.000-07:00

I was out for a walk today for the first time in a while. We've had a lot of rain and so it has been too muddy to take my usual route.
It was just a beautiful morning, and because I was walking into a slight breeze, I managed to get quite close to five antelope before they noticed me. They are quite timid of course, and when they saw me they ran off a little distance. I met them again on my way home. Magnificent creatures! They ran off in unison and made not a sound.
I love the prairies. They kind of chase you to Jesus in a way, because there's just no place to hide. My favorite time of day to walk is at the golden time of evening. Then the colors are greener and more golden than any other time of day. Right now we have many coyotes and foxes, and I get a little nervous going too far from home in the evening, so I walk during the day. We can hear coyotes howling all night long, and some of them are getting a little over-bold, but they're probably too afraid of people to come close to me.

Ahoy lubbers!

2006-06-04T21:15:00.000-07:00

Pardon me for not blogging - we've been off on a cruise. We set off early Friday afternoon heading north/northeast going about - hmm, I'd say 90 knots. It was pretty rough sailing for the first couple of hours, then the seas calmed and the rest was a pleasant voyage. On our arrival, we had a nice meal, then took a walking tour. The accommodations were elegant, the meals sumptuous and the hospitality unsurpassed. Our return home was uneventful and no one was seasick.
Thanks Ma and Pa! See you in July.

Fox Valley isms

2006-05-31T17:56:00.001-07:00

Hearing about others in rural areas who pronounce things in an unusual way reminded me of some of the local figures of speech. Probably every community has its own - I'm not trying to say we're special in any sort of way, but have you heard of "married up together with each other", or instead of saying "Are you going with somebody" we just say "Are you going with?" One neighbour remarked once how the conception in his house really improved when he got his new t.v. antenna.

a new era in laundry

2006-05-29T16:24:00.000-07:00

Well, our old washing machine finally bit the dust. Actually it didn't bite the dust - I just told my husband it did bite the dust, then he hauled it downstairs and out to the garage, and then we discovered that it was the drier that was responsible for the black greasy (orc-lips, we call them affectionately) stains we were getting all over our laundry. After which, he refused to haul anything but a new washing machine back up again, just in case it happens to bite the dust next week.
Saying good-bye to our old washing machine has put me into a thoughtful mood. This is the same washing machine I accidentally washed our iron in several years ago. Peter took me into the laundry room and showed me the little picture of an iron with an "x" over it that means you are not supposed to wash irons. Or does it? Anyway, both the iron and the washing machine still worked afterwards.
This is the same washing machine that belonged to our household of five single women before I married Peter. When we were dating, he used to run downstairs regularly to redistribute the load for us because it was dancing around the laundry room.
It has since washed countless diapers for us and more recently, countless pairs of jeans.
I have a temporary apartment-sized washing machine now in the basement, where I merely have to wrestle with the mice for the laundry.
I look forward to getting a new washing machine. Really. But it's the end of an era and I can't help but reminisce.

just mostly dead

2006-05-26T20:46:00.000-07:00

there's a mini series on EWTN this week about St. Teresa of Avila. It's always a low point of my year when they show this miniseries. I love St. Teresa. The problem is that for about a half an hour or more of the movie, she seems to be dead. You just sit and watch her lying there, with the doctor doing all sorts of experiments on her to see if she is really dead or just mostly dead. The doctor then decides that she is well and truly dead, but her dad won't allow anybody to bury her. Then in an exciting and gripping finale, she comes around and surprises everybody.
The reason I find this so difficult to watch is that it reminds me that no one has ever wanted to make a movie of anything in my life (a day in the life of a farmer's wife teaching piano lessons, etc.). They would rather watch St. Teresa lie there dead for half an hour.
It's possible that I just need a really good agent...

it's me

2006-05-16T16:33:00.000-07:00

it's me
This is fun. I was watching my son play t-ball the other day. His team won something like 30 - 8, and the coach told them it was a tie. You see, the coaches have a policy of always telling the kids that the game was a tie, so that they don't get too competitive. I heard one little boy lean over and tell the person beside him "When coach says that, it means we lost." It seemed so funny that he didn't notice the Fox Valley boys going around and around and around the bases. I'm wondering if it really is such a good thing to never tell the kids when they win or lose. It seems to me that one really good lesson for a child to learn is how to win or to lose graciously. What do you think?

Hymn Thing

2006-05-11T06:23:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd start out my blogspot with a true confession. I am a closet hymn lover. It began when I was a teenager, and has persisted through my whole adult life, through my various stages as a United Church person, then as a Charismatic Christian, and on into my Catholic life.
You see, I credit hymns with a lot of my personal formation. All kinds of ideas have been infused into me via hymns - granted the ideas came from Scripture and tradition, and people may have learned these things from books or elsewhere. Let me give you an example: when I am weak I am strong. I learned this first from "Jesus loves me", then from "Lord of all Power".
How many of you know that the "Divine Pelican" is a title of Jesus? If you don't that would be because we don't sing "Adoro te Devote" anymore. The original, I mean. St. Thomas Aquinas included a verse about the Divine Pelican. There is a legend that if a pelican is unable to find food for her young, she will peck her own breast and pour out her own blood to feed them, causing her own death. I don't know if pelicans really do this, but this is where the title for Jesus came from.
I promise not to go on too often about this, but I just had to tell everyone right off the bat. Anyone have any comments?