I do know the beginning of September found me a little occupied helping my good friend, Chantal, pack up her house. It was great to be able to have the kids away in the morning so I could devote my time to help someone else - an option those of us with kids don't always get to have. The bonus is Chantal's moving wasn't a sad occasion. Instead of living nine blocks away from us, I now can look out my window and see her's - on our very same street! If we wanted to be like Diana Berry and Anne Shirley (of Green Gables) and learn morse code to communicate with our blinds, well, we could. The phone, however, works much better. :)
Chantal and Dave bought a gospel hall and intend to turn it into a modern living space over time. For now, it's a super fun place for our kids to visit as the upstairs sanctuary is now like a personal gym to run or ride around in. Hooray for nearby friends!
After the initial move, Chantal decided to visit her in-law's farm for three days with Salem so Dave could unpack uninterrupted. Dave's parents kindly invited the kids and I to join them - even moving into their motorhome to let us take over the bedrooms and house. So nice, they are. Since my kids were coming down with colds, I didn't feel badly taking them out of school on Thursday and driving south to Gretna. With S away in Vancouver, it was a nice distraction for us. We were spoiled by meals, toys inside and lots to do outside. Salem's Grandma often drove the kids around the farm in her quad - especially the boys. Pretty cute.
The boys were also into the trucks, trampoline and play house.
The girls were much more into the garden - especially picking the tomatoes - and also playing with the barn kitties, dog and horse.
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| Salem riding "Chaos" |
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| Iz with "Mary-Lou." After great cuddles with this sweet kitty, it took us a while to appreciate our not-as-cute-cat, Lily! |
Salem's older cousins live on the farm and we really enjoyed the company of Maxine, wishing for a teen like her nearby to babysit our kids! The girls had a fun time with her up in the scary treehouse (which was harder for me to climb into than my four year old!).
A funny moment was coming down the lane to discover Iz with eggs fresh from the chicken coop. According to big sister, Iz had run ahead and charged into it. The hens were sitting on their nests and Iz just waved her arms and yelled, "Shoo!" a few times to make them fly off into the corner. She then scooped the eggs! According to Maxine, they don't usually go in the coop with the hens present as they are a little scary. Not so for Iz! I'm glad she didn't learn her lesson this time about going into animals' spaces!
We packed up Saturday afternoon thinking our farm adventure was done. We were surprised, however, with a blown out back tire on the van - ripped to shreds by two nails. Fortunately, we were at an exit on the highway and it didn't take too long to flag down someone with a cell phone. Dave's Dad drove up to change the tire which wasn't easy. Sadly, one of the rusted tire bolts broke making it rather unsafe to drive with the spare. Chantal's Dad decided to drive down from Winnipeg and pick up the kids to drive them all home while I drove slowly in the van alone. In all, we spent two hours at the side of the road, but fortunately it was a beautiful day. We had good snacks in the van, cattails and lovely grass outside and even an off-road quad race to watch. It ended up a favourite memory from the weekend, at least for Salem, who asks when we can go to the side of the highway again to play in the grass!
I was so thankful for how it turned out and for two kind fathers to help us. This would not have been a fun thing in January or at night!
Mid-September we celebrated the birthday of a friend who moved two hours away last September. Knowing she was in town, a number of women from church surprised her at the Forks with a mini picnic/kids' playtime. With A at school, it was a cute group of kids 6 and under - a little bike gang who took over the skate park for a while.
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| Iz's $5 bike always cracks me up. She loves this thing! :) |
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September passed by all too quickly - for S as well. I tried not to envy him as he was away for ten days to Vancouver for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission event. (Though he isn't too be envied in that traveling for work is so tiring! I just wish I could have been home for a wee bit to visit, as well as to attend the TRC.)
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| S and his brother at the All Nations Canoe Gathering in False Creek to kick-off the week of reconciliation |
If S had time, I'd get him to do a "guest post" to share some of his experiences from the TRC. He's had the privilege of attending numerous TRC events over the past year - in Montreal, Halifax, Toronto and Regina (more chances to feel envy . . . ). His participation in the TRC gatherings - mostly through active listening to Residential School survivors' stories - has been profoundly impactful. Consequently, we've decided that I'll attend the last regional TRC with him next March in Edmonton (the last one before the National TRC closing ceremony in Ottawa). Back in the spring, S had helped put together a video explaining why it's important for churches and individuals to attend the TRC. If you have a chance to watch, here's a long version and a shorter version. Maybe you'll feel inclined to want to attend one? I'd love to see you in Edmonton? :)
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