August found our family on the road once again. Our annual vacation for the last three years has been mid to late August. I am not sure this is good timing. Our garden was just starting to produce some of our favorites like tomatoes. Those who looked after our house got to enjoy them. Thanks Mom and Amee! At least they were enjoyed, tomatoes for Dad, peas for Mom and raspberries for Amee. It worked quite well.

This year we ventured east to Winnipeg, Manitoba. We stayed with one of Bruce's Uncles and Aunt's. It was great to be able to visit with and get to know Uncle Ron and Aunt Trudy better. We also spent an evening at Uncle David and Aunt Barb's. They were all so happy to meet our girls again. (The girls are intrigued that Bruce has an uncle David and so do they.) Lots of good visiting made us very happy that we chose Winnipeg as this years destination.

The first day, Tuesday, it was a dreary, rainy day. We chose an indoor attraction to visit, the Mint. The Canadian mint is celebrating 100 years this year. The Winnipeg branch, which opened in 1976, makes all our circulation coins. They also produce coins for many other countries. The tour gives a behind the scenes glimpse into the making of money and medallions from creating the mold to packaging the finished product. On this day they were producing Canadian dimes on one line and foreign currency on another line. I did not write down which country and now there is much debate among the four of us which country it was. I know they talked about Bahamas and Papua New Guinea. Bruce thinks it was a middle east country. Oh well. The newest presses, which form one production line, can press 800 coins a minute. That's Impressive!

There is also an interactive display at the mint where the girls tested their metal and found out how much they would be worth (by weight) if they were different metals. They were very pleased to be worth more than a million dollars in gold and platinum. We lifted a 28 pound gold bar valued at at least $250, 000. We also compared the weight of a gold bar to that of a similar sized piece of wood and iron.


After we finished at the mint, we decided to drive around St. Boniface. There is an old cathedral there that we thought would be interesting to see. St. Boniface was originally a French settlement and still has many French influences. The cathedral was destroyed by fire many years ago but the original stone exterior was saved and incorporated into the rebuilt cathedral. It is interesting to see the blending of old and new.



In the cemetery, just outside the cathedral, Louis Riel is buried. Louis Riel features prominently in the history of Saskatchewan and Manitoba. There is some discussion and debate about whether he is a hero because he advocated for the disadvantaged or is a traitor because of his role in the rebellion and conflict between the native and Metis people on one side and the European settlers on the other side. He was eventually tried in Regina and hung as a traitor for leasing the uprising known as the Riel Rebellion. Before that though, he helped to formulate the Manitoba Act, which created the province of Manitoba and provided some protection for the French and Metis culture. Traitor or hero? That is still debated today.

The hardest essays to write in school were the ones where we had to write about our goals and dreams. These came in various forms. Some teachers would have us write our goal for the year. I wondered how do you write and essay about that without being verbose. "My goal for the year is to pass with the highest mark you will give me. I think a 95 sounds good." Two sentences is all that is needed. Other teachers were more subtle in the goal setting approach. They would start the essay for us: "In five years, I..." This was a little easier. My answer in grade nine was something to the effect of "In five years I will be in university. I have not decided what to study. I am considering commerce. In the past I thought I might become a doctor. Lately I don't think I want to study that long or hang around a hospital anymore than I have to." Since I don't feel like digging out any notes that remain buried in our store room from those years, I can only offer the above paraphrase. To look for such notes would probably take an archaeological dig, although I did recently find some of Bruce's university notes.

I ended up studying finance at university and not medicine. There goals setting took a different direction. We no longer wrote essays about goals but set clear concise financial goals for companies in business simulation games. "We strive to build on our strengths of abc to become a market leader in the xyz market." In my favorite class we had a stock market simulation where we were portfolio managers. "Our target portfolio will have 50% stocks, 35% bonds, 10% derivatives and 5% cash. Based on the current market we expect a 10% return on investment." Then we actually got to trade in the simulated market which mirrored the actual market. It was lots of fun.

When I handed in the last paper, I was happy to never have to write my goals because someone else asked me to and was going to grade me on it. I knew all the theory and practical steps to creating achievable goals. They need to be measurable and realistic. I just don't like to write them. I often struggle on the realistic. is it realistic to plan to create 200 scrap book pages this year? Is it realistic to save 10% of our paycheck? Are those numbers to high or to low? Can I learn one new thing a month? Does it matter?
That last question surfaces a lot in my decision making and goal setting. Does it really matter?

Then there are things that are hard to measure. How do you measure the impact you are having and want to have on your children? How do you measure the health of your relationships with family and friends? Math and analysis are much more my area of expertise, though I find that slowly changing as I try more creative endeavors.

It is less than one month until the girls return to school. While they are at school, I will have time to work on things that interest me. The problem is there are too many things that interest me. I have to narrow it down and focus on just a few things this year. This brings up the whole goal setting topic. In my mind, focus and goals go together. The goals are the written indication of where I plan to focus. The problem is every time I try to write goals I run into the mental block I created for myself in high school when I had to write goals for class. In school I tended to incorporate into my essays reasons not to limit yourself by small goals as an excuse for not setting any. This was not what the teacher wanted and is probably part of why I never got that 95% on the essay. In January, I will probably still be struggling with the same issues of setting goals and focusing my attention. Hopefully by then I will have scrapped a bunch of pages, learned some new things and saved some money. I will have spent some time with family and friends. I will have helped the girls with math homework, though they seldom need my help, and will have taught them some cooking skills. Bruce will have helped with spelling and science if they have questions. (Spelling is probably another reason I never got a 95% in English.) My inability to write goals without analyzing the process to death will not have stopped life from happening.

I think I have figured out some of what I am going to focus on this fall but that is another story for another day.

I have said it before, I love to read. Mystery books are among my favorites. When I first heard about the scrap booking mysteries by Laura Childs, I just had to check it out. I was not disappointed.

The fifth book in the series is Frill Kill. In this book the characters are recovering from Hurricane Katrina which devastated their city of New Orleans a year earlier. Carmella, the owner of Memory Mine doles out scrapbook tips to her customers as she investigates a murder that happened in her back alley. Perhaps it is her eye for details as a graphic designer, or her interest in preserving stories that helps her spot clues. In any case, she helps to uncover the story of who did it but not without some suspense. And what mystery would be complete without danger. I won't give it all away by telling more.

While Bruce, who doesn't usually read mysteries, has lumped these into a fluff category, I enjoy them. This one did not disappoint. There are enough possible suspects to keep the reader guessing while not so many as to overwhelm. The clue that are given do point to the murderer but not so obviously that the reader can solve the mystery by the middle of the book. Those are the most disappointing mysteries to read in my opinion. Frill Kill has some fun paper craft ideas and scrap booking tips mixed in as an added bonus. I look forward to the next book in the series, Death Swatch. In am also awaiting the newest in the Tea Shop mystery series also by Laura Childs. In the meantime, I think I''ll try using some of the tips.

I recommend this whole series to all mystery lovers.

There are times I wish I had a larger garden with room for fruit trees. I would like to be able to grow cucumbers and squash. My family is happy they don't have to help weed a large garden. I am happy not to weed a large garden. But I enjoy the vine ripened goodness that can only be experienced when you have a garden or local market garden. Tomatoes at the superstore are bland and tasteless compared to those picked fully ripe and served fresh that evening for supper.

I also enjoy making fruit juice and jam and have experimented with different flavors. Some we like, some we don't. One recent favorite is pineapple rhubarb. I don't think I have seen any rhubarb blended jams in the store. The girls like to help when they can. They help me wash and prepare the fruit. at this point I won't let them help with the cooking steps of either jam making or juicing. I don't want them to get burned.

The girls like fruit leather and dried fruit slices in their lunches. Dried peach slices and apple rings are some of their favorites. I find dehydrating food less time consuming and messy than canning the fruit to preserve it. Though I still can peaches and pickles if I get the opportunity.

Because I don't have the space or the climate to grow all our favorites, we watch for opportunities to get produce at a good price. When we are able to get some the girls and I set to work preserving some of the goodness for the winter. Now we don't want to go to all the work and effort if the fruit is flavorless, so we must sample as we work. who can resist popping grapes in the mouth as we pluck them from their stems. And what could be better than a bowl full of peaches and milk? Maybe raspberries picked fresh for breakfast, or mint tea brewed from fresh leaves.



We are so blessed to live in a land of abundance.

There are not many sports that I watch. I prefer to participate. I am not very good at most sports but I have fun anyway. In high school, I was on the soccer team and the basketball team. Basketball was by far my favorite, though I enjoyed both.

When I was younger, I played hockey for a year, then ringette after. Each spring winter sports were replaced by spring and summer activities which included bicycling and softball. I participated in any and every sport I had the opportunity, although I really don't like volleyball. At school track meets, I was usually fifth or sixth in a heat and never made it to a final race. I ran, I tried and that is what counted. After I was eliminated, I cheered on my classmates and friends.

At home there were always opportunities to watch sports. We would watch as many of the Olympic events as we could, although time zone differences meant some events were on too early or too late. We knew the names of the top athletes, especially those from Canada and the United States. We watched the medal counts and cheered on our country.

As I got older, I became discouraged by the scandals that seem to plague the Olympics. From judging controversy to doping, the Olympics lost some of their shine. And yet, I know that most of the athletes train hard for years to get to this point. They get caught in the politics and the pressure of such a high profile event.

As the athletes gather to compete on the world stage, one thing is known. There will be highly competitive sport happening. It is interesting to watch this caliber of athlete. Those who give it their best and compete fairly will succeed regardless of where they place in the stats. It is likely there will be some upsets and even some new records set. For the sport enthusiast, this will be an action packed time. Hopefully the action is all sport and no politics. Maybe I'm wearing rose-colored glasses. Maybe I'm an optimist, but for these next days I would like to return to the bygone days when I didn't know any different.

Go Canada!

In 2005, our province celebrated it's 100th birthday. Many places had reunions that year. For one branch of my family, it was an ideal time to celebrate. My great great grandparents homesteaded by Alida, Saskatchewan in 1905. We celebrated 100 years of our family in Saskatchewan and 100 years as a province.



The original homestead, Kitty's Corner, is still owned by the family. It is maintained as a place to gather, to visit, and to remember. The house still stands. There is no electricity or running water. The prairie surrounds it. It is like stepping back in time.



At Kitty's Corner, there are no wiis or DvDs. The latest news and stock reports can only be found somewhere else. It is a place to step back, to slow down. Kids without a healthy imagination are soon bored but that only lasts a short time before they discover the wonders that are all around them. The kids chased frog, watched birds, played tag and used their imagination.

This is one of the many photos from our weekend at Kitty's Corner three years ago. It was so much fun to watch the kids explore.

kit: Ladybug Garden by Glenda Ketcham
fonts: BrushScript; Another

Each summer, Victoria gets her hair cut. She usually asks for it to be cut after the last baton event of the year. Her hair is very thick which makes it very hot in the summer. This year she did not start asking as early, possibly because June was fairly cool here. She was also quite busy in June.

Kathryn has protested getting her hair cut for the last few years. Each year I have been able to convince her to trim the split ends but that is all. This year she started talking about getting her hair cut. All July she went back and forth between "just a trim" and "cut to the shoulders". She finally decided.

before: after:

I wondered if Kathryn would really be okay with the change. I need not have worried. Upon looking at herself in the mirror, she declared "I look like Scarlett and Lucy now." Scarlett and Lucy are fairies from the Rainbow Magic books by Daisy Meadows. As long as she can be a fairy, everything is good!

I tend to go to extremes. When I clean up the house, I'll clean all day until I'm exhausted. Then I don't want to do it again. the house slowly falls into disarray while I focus on something else and an obstacle course builds on the living room floor. When I get ideas for creative endeavors, I get lots of ideas. Then I sit at my table to create and make a huge mess, well less mess now that I work digitally for some projects. At least that is how I used to operate.

I have been trying to break this all or nothing habit for a number of years now. I think I am making progress. There are still days where I wonder if I will ever figure it out. I wonder if I am doomed to failure. The negativity usually comes when I am tired, when I have been ill or neglected balance. Gardening tends to throw me off balance somewhat. How do you balance and do just a bit every day when there has been days of rain and the weeds are threatening to choke out the vegetables? How do you balance at harvest when there are pails of apples or tomatoes ripe and in need of picking?

I know there are going to be overwhelming times. I know I don't cope well during those times. Therefore, I need to prepare for them. I have a sketchbook that I started to catch my ideas. If I can't find it because of a growing obstacle course, I have a stack of scrap paper and a folder to catch it beside the computer. I have a basic weekly routine that I try to follow with the house to ensure the main areas tended to on a regular basis. I have tried to use this idea in the garden as well. It is slowly working. The strawberries and raspberries still have to fight with weeds and grass but slowly the garden is looking like a garden. Inside the obstacle course doesn't get as big as it used to and I am getting even more ideas. I am also finding I have more time and energy for the things I enjoy. My backlog of photos may even get scrapped!

The photos on this page are from a walk with Bruce at the beginning of July. I used Glenda Ketcham's "Ladybug Garden" to create the page.

Twenty six years ago, I was at my grandparent's farm. I enjoyed spending time at the farm and had traveled there with my Aunt. We received a phone call that I had a new baby sister. This was good news. The rest of the news was not so good. She had a stroke at birth and they did not know if she would survive. Thankfully she was a fighter. She spent the next several years learning to do things that the doctors never expected she would ever be able to do. Today she is celebrating her birthday doing one of the things she enjoys most. She is competing at the Saskatchewan Summer Games.


journaling:
Sometimes, life throws unexpected curves.
After having a stroke at birth, Amee was not
expected to live. When she survived the
critical time, the doctors told us she would
never walk. Not only did she walk, she
runs and jumps. She competes with the
Special Olympic track program. She has
competed locally, provincially, and nationally
in distances ranging from 50 meters to 800
meters. She also competes in running long
jump and shot put. She would like to go to
internationals one of these years. If shear
determination is all it would take, she would
already be there. Twenty six years after
that first difficult day, she is competing
on her birthday.


Happy Birthday, Sis and good luck in your events!

I usually don't pay much attention to football until closer to the playoffs. I have not watched a game this year. But I have been following the local teams progress. Usually at this point in the season, our team is struggling. This year the Saskatchewan Roughriders are 6-0. They are the only perfect team in the league. Those who I have talked to who watched the games have said they are good games. Tonight's win was a 22-21 nail biter against Calgary.

Last year our team won the Grey Cup for the first time since 1989. I found out that Victoria likes football. We had to go to my parents to watch the big game so she could sit with grandpa and cheer. He teased her that he was cheering for the other team and they seemed to have a great time.

I created this page just after that game as part of a Grandma's Brag book for my mother in law for Christmas. She is proudly showing off my Rider sweater from the 1989 championship while watching the 2007 championship. We might be watching a whole lot more football once she hears how well they are doing this year.

Go Riders, Go!