Brandon

As many of you faithful readers of this blog know, we are going on a European trip of a life time in a little more than one month. Part of that trip includes a 7 day biking excursion.

Every time I tell anyone about biking in Tuscany, they look at me and say, "Tuscany's pretty hilly." I've been doing a fair bit of biking here in Winnipeg but hills are virtually non existent in this city-although I can successfully bike up the Chief Peguis trail bridge now, without stopping.


So, knowing that we really needed some hill training, Wes and I put the bikes on the bike carrier and drove west.


Our first stop was Spruce Hills Provincial park. The map showed a biking/hiking trail which was 13 km long. It seemed like a great place to start. As we were getting ready to start, we saw a couple of young women who were just finishing up. I asked them how the trail was and they said it was pretty good, a little hilly and took them about 2 hours. I should have questioned the fact that it took 2 young, athletic looking women 2 hours to bike 13 kilometres but for some reason I didn't. That was my first mistake.


The next mistake was deciding that I could continue onto the third loop of the trail after doing the first and second. My third mistake was forgetting that I had to get back to the starting point. Getting there was tough enough. Going back was hell. I stopped counting my mistakes after the third one.


It was hot. It was bumpy. My butt started hurting. I ran out of water. We went up hill more than we went down hill. There was one spot where there was a sign stating that you had to walk your bike down into the gully. It was as steep as a flight of stairs only it was sandy. It took all of my might to keep from sliding all the way down on my already painful petunia. As I was slipping and sliding down, I tried to keep thoughts of the fact that somehow, I had to get back up, out of my head.


If I had been in a better frame of mind (or perhaps in better shape, like a 20 year old), I might have enjoyed the wild flowers, the babbling brook and the lovely prairie landscape. However, I was not in a good frame of mind and swore to myself that I would never, ever do such a crazy thing again. My legs were killing me, my heart was pounding out of my chest and I was thirsty. Wes, who was usually ahead of me could hear my grunting, groaning and cursing

But, finish it I did. Good thing I took these pictures because I was in no mood to appreciate the beauty of anything that day. It does look like a lovely trail, doesn't it?

Ha Ha Surprised you!

I haven't been posting much lately. It's not that I have been busy or anything. I just don't think I have all that much to say.

Kristen called from work on Saturday and told Tim to ask me to call her. She had a 24 hour flu thing last week so I thought that maybe she just wanted to tell me that she still wasn't feeling good. Her request actually was that I buy the new Harry Potter book so that she could read it.

Her loving father went out to buy it and she spent 2 days reading it. I could let Tim read it now-he'll have it done in a day or two as well. I haven't started reading it yet because I know that I will not be able to put it down and everything else that I am responsible for will slide. While the hype about this book is a little extreme, I'm glad to see that a book of all things is getting the kind of attention that it is.

We have a beautiful backyard pool. I am so grateful for it. It really helps to make this hot, humid weather not only bearable, but enjoyable. We see the pool as our alternative to owning a cottage; less upkeep and not nearly as expensive. I do love Winnipeg in the summer and I think I would miss all that happens here if we were "at the lake" all summer.

Last week I enjoyed an evening out with Frank, Alisha, George, Yvonne and Wes at the Fringe Festival. It was my first time and I really had a good time. I'd like to go to some more shows this week before it's all over. The Fringe is something that I love about living in the city. It's neat walking downtown at 10:00 PM with the streets full of people having a good time.

The 2 shows we watched were at the same venue. While we were watching the first show, tickets for the 2nd show were being sold. That left us with a bit of a dilema. So Frank, resourceful man that he is, gave someone $60.00 (cash) to buy tickets for us. I was so impressed! This person worked at the pub where the shows were being held but it was a little risky to hand over that cash. The guy came through for us and we ended up with great seats. Yay Frank!

This hot weather is making it tough for us to do a lot of training for our bike trip. Next weekend we'll head out to Brandon for a couple of days in search of hills. While I know that training will make our trip in the fall more fun, I definitely am a "fair weather biker."

I would now like to write a paragraph that will fit all these random thoughts together into a concise, cohesive little piece but I can't.

The end.

Folk Festival Highlights

There are so many memories floating around in my head. I'm just going to write some of them down.

Crooked Still

Cat Empire

Agnostic Mountain Gospel Choir
Chirgilchin

Randy Newman

Michael Franti and Spearhead

Ndidi Onukwulu

Ollabelle

That 1 Guy

There are a lot of unique clothes walking around at the Folk Festival. I noticed an amazing skirt, made out of ties and pointed it out to my sisters. As we were looking at the skirt, we realized that we knew the body, inside the skirt. It was non other than Joyce. She is a famous person and it seems that people recognize her wherever she goes.

The pasties. Ugh. I know someone who called them t** stickers. Crude yes. But they were ugly. I hope they don't come back next year.

Finding a great spot to watch a show.

The workshop with Crooked Still, Cat Empire, That 1 Guy and the Dhuks was the most incredible event ever. Words cannot describe what happened there. That alone was worth the price of admission. And seeing my daughter, son and nephews flushed with the pleasure of watching that show was unforgettable.

The food was great! No crappy fast food at this festival. I had a samosa, roti, roasted vegetable pannini, vegetarian wrap and a whale tale (not all at the same time).

Just laying around on a blanket, and when we got tired of that, moving onto a chair, and back to the blanket. You get the picture.

The music. Every band and individual had something interesting and unique to offer.

Every single one.

Tonight...

Tonight, I'm going to a concert at the West End Cultural Centre. The performer is Fred Eaglesmith, an old friend and classmate of mine.

Wes has a dinner engagement so he will be coming later and we were trying to decide how he could find me as it is rush seating.

I told him I'd be in the front, in the mosh pit. Wes found that comment to be uproariously funny.

One day I'll surprise him.

The Bike Trip

On Sunday, we biked for one and a half hours (25 km), up hills and down (Manitoba style hills).



Boy do I have a lot of training to do.

The two high school students who live here have finished their exams and are livin' the easy life. In just over a week they will be heading back home-Mexico for Medardo and Brazil for Leo.

They are doing what teens do, sleeping in till 12:00 PM and then staying up till about 2:00 or 3:00 AM. Last night, they kept me up. The floors in this old house squeak and the doors make noise when they open and close so even if someone's being quiet, it can sound really noisy at 2:00 in the morning.

I guess I better talk to them today. They'd be horrified to know that they kept me up last night but I need more than 4 hours of sleep a night. I really don't want to be a stick in the mud but I'm gonna be a little cranky if tonight's the same.

By my calculations, there were about 4 years in my life as a parent when the kids didn't get me up or keep me up at night. The two youngest kids didn't sleep through the night until they were 8 or so and then a few years later, the oldest started going out at night and I would lie away until he got home.

And now, Medardo and Leo, enjoying their last week in Canada before heading off to their homes are keeping me up. They won't have the freedom with their families that they have here. One night, just for fun they went to Tim Hortons for coffee at midnight. I would have loved to do that as a teen and I don't think they'll be able to do something like that when they get home. So I want them to have fun, enjoy this last week together. They have become good friends and except for a planned visit by Medardo to Brazil next January, they won't see each other for a long time. I think they are creating memories and I don't want to stand in the way of that.

But I need my sleep so I think the memories will have to be created before midnight. They'll be fine with that and I will get a few more hours of sleep.

Yawn. I'm going to try to have a nap this afternoon.

The Canoe

As mentioned in my last post, the canoe is one of the 7 wonders of Canada. That reminded me of a funny story.

We were camping one summer in Northern Ontario. We had a tent trailer, 4 children, enough bikes for all and on top of that, we also brought along a canoe. We are notorious for taking EVERYTHING along when we camp.

I'm not sure just where the canoe came from. I seem to remember that someone gave it to us. And no wonder. That thing weighed a ton! But it was a gift and we were camping in the great Canadian north so we had to take it along.


Tim and Kristen must have been 4 and 6 at the time and very excited about going in the canoe. In fact it was all they talked about as soon as they learned that they could "have a ride." They were none too patient as we set up camp and were disappointed that they would have to wait until the next day before their inaugural paddle.


There was no way all 6 of us could fit into the canoe so we asked some friends who were camping with us to watch our two older children while we prepared to take the 2 little ones out. First, we had to drag the thing (remember it weighed a ton) to the water's edge, all the while trying to keep Tim and Kristen in our sites at all times. If there were walls to bouce off of, they would have. They were beside themselves with anticipation. As a matter of fact, there were quite a few campers watching us; Wes and I grunting and groaning, Kristen running around us like the Tazmanian Devil and Tim bouncing along like Tigger. We made quite a spectacle.


We got to the water's edge, put the life jackets on and proceeded to enter the canoe. We had to remind the kids that they couldn't jump because if you've been in a canoe, you know they're pretty tippy. Wes held it steady while I helped Tim in and then Kristen. Then I hopped in.

That was when all hell broke lose. Kristen grabbed the sides of the canoe with a screech. When Wes let go of the canoe and hopped in, the screaming began in earnest. Both kids were terrified. "We're gonna tip! LET ME OUT OF THIS CANOE! I DON'T LIKE THIS DADDY. LET ME OUT! People left their campsites and rushed down to the riverbank to see what was going on, concerned that we were drowning our kids. We tried to shush them but there was no way they could stop. They were pretty hysterical and tried to climb over each other to get to me. Of course, that made the canoe even tippier and caused them to scream louder.

Wes managed to paddle about 4 metres or so before we headed back to shore, dragged the canoe onto the river bank and hiked back to the campsite. I seem to recall that the whole excursion lasted about 4 hours.

We left the canoe behind. Never even took it home.

Seven Wonders of Canada

If you are Canadian, you may have heard about the Seven Wonders of Canada contest that's been going on for several weeks here in our wonderful country. It has been a fascinating trip for me, through this great country of ours.

I think it all started as a fun little game, an opportunity for us to highlight some of the amazing sites and places in Canada. I'm sure the organizers never expected this little exercise would generate so much interest.

People, wrote, called and emailed with their own idea of what makes Canada wonderful. One million people sent in 25,000 submissions of what they thought should make the final list. I am glad that I was not a judge because every single suggestion is worthy to be a "Canadian Wonder." While I think the judges thought this would be a fun thing to be part of, it became clear that it was hard for them. How do you decide between The Cabot Trail, Bay of Fundy and Niagara Falls? How can you not include Drumheller or Head-Smashed-In-Buffalo Jump? Or the Winnipeg Folk Fest, or Churchill or the Red River Floodway?

In the end, the Seven Wonders of Canada are:

1. The Canoe
2. Niagara Falls
3. Prairie Sky
4. Pier 21
5. The Rockies
6. The Igloo
7. Old Quebec City

I am so happy that the Priarie Sky was chosen. There is nothing like it and I am thrilled that I can experience it every day. Before I moved to the prairies, I had no idea the sky could be so big, so blue, so changing. It truly is a wonder of Canada.

I have had the honour to paddle a canoe, to visit Niagara Falls and ski the Rockies. I have not yet been to Quebec City but I expect that Wes and I will make it there before too long. And believe it or not, I have never seen a "real" igloo. Around here, people tend to build quinzhees, just for fun. The snow is a little more suited to building quinzhees.

This morning Shelagh Rogers was interviewing one of the people who nominated Pier 21 in Halifax and I thought of my dad who was one of the millions of immigrants who landed there. Pier 21 has been completely refurbished and now is a museum.

I decided that I must visit Pier 21 with my dad sometime soon. He hasn't talked too much about his trip across the ocean and the landing but I think that a visit to this historic place would give us a great opportunity to talk about his first impressions of Canada and his feelings when he first stepped on Canadian soil.

Dad's a rich man now and I'm sure he's looking for ways to spend his money. ;) I think he should buy a plane ticket to Halifax and I think his children (all of whom read this blog) need to buy tickets for themselves and accompany him.

This is our heritage, this is our history.

The Menu of our Authentic Mexican Dinner

We had 3 Mexicans, one Brazilian, one German and one Turkish teen here around the supper table today as well as us, the Canadians of Dutch descent. I don't think that happens very often. What is interesting is that they all said that the women do most of the cooking in their countries but most of the best chefs are men.

Mole: They didn't make it from scratch but brought some ready-made from Mexico. I often wonder about the first person who made something like mole. She probably had all kinds of stuff in her kitchen that she didn't know what to do with so she just mushed it all together and came up with mole, a classic Mexican food.

Refried Beans: I've never had such good refried beans. They said that all they did was add some onion and a little salt and pepper. Well, somehow, they taste different made by Mexican hands.

Guacamole Salsa: Here's a great hint all the way from Medardo's mother's kitchen for all you foodies out there. When you make guacamole, keep one of the avocado pits in the sauce. It keeps it from turning that yucky brownish colour. It's true. You've gotta try it.

Fajitas: I know. You think you've had fajitas. Not these. And you've gotta hear the Mexicans say "fajita." It tastes different when they say "fajita."

Ahhhh. Now I've got to walk off some of this delicious food.

Tonight's Dinner

Tonight, Medardo, Heida, and Rudy are cooking an authentic Mexican meal for us today. Medardo has been living with us since September and is attending high school here. His brother Rudy has been here all year too. Heida, their sister is visiting for a while. They asked if I would like it if they cooked a meal for us.

Of course!

It's neat listening to them. Heida is obviously in charge. She's the oldest after all and every now and then I hear some spirited discussion happening where the boys think they have a better idea than Heida. She usually wins.




They are a neat family and I think their mom would be so proud of them!

The Itinerary

Leave Winnipeg Sunday September 9

Arrival in Rome Monday September 10. Spend a few days in Rome

Saturday September 15-18 we'll spend a few days touring around Siena

Bike tour begins on Tuesday September 18 at 9:30

• DAYS 1+2: Castellina in Chianti. Meet in Siena and cycle north through fields and vineyards. After lunch in a tiny village, we’ll visit Radda on our way to Castellina. Exclusive wine tastings at a wine enoteca and dinner at a local trattoria. On our 2nd day enjoy a scenic ride with a visit to the Castle of Meleto, which has marked the history of one of the most important families of the Chianti area. For those who would like a more challenging ride, San Gimignano's medieval towers beckon from distant hills. The village, surrounded by stone walls boasts some of the best-preserved monuments in the region. Our hotel in Castellina is a charming 3-star hotel, close to cafes and restaurants.
  
• DAY 3: Sovicille Our route takes us to Monterrigioni; with its perfectly preserved walls and cobbled streets you will find the charm immediate. Our hotel is located in the country-side with a pool and surrounded by an extensive park. For those interested in cooking lessons prior to dinner, the chef here will gladly demonstrate.
  
• DAY 4: Asciano For some, this will be a favorite day of riding as we pedal through gently rolling countryside lined with cypress trees. Asciano is full of museums and monuments, and is also a perfect base to reach the Abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore, where monks still produce wine, honey, olive oil and a cure-all herb liquor. Art lovers will not want to miss the frescoes painted by Sodoma and Signorelli that have been preserved here since the 15th century. Our 3-star hotel in Asciano is brand new with all amenities.
  
• DAYS 5+6: Pienza We save the most spectacular riding for last as we visit the tiny villages of Petroio and Castelmuzio on our way to Pienza, full of Renaissance monuments; our hotel here is quietly situated 150 meters from the central plaza and has large comfortable rooms and a casualness that you will enjoy. On our final day of riding, we’ll ride to Montepulciano and Monticchiello riding through a ‘photographers’s paradise’. We’ll complement our final evening meal with bottles of the local wines and toast our time together in Tuscany. Viva dolce!
  

Monday September 24 to Wednesday September 26-Firenze

Wednesday September 26-Milan (see if I can pick up a few designer fashions-cheap)

Milan to Edinburgh

September 27-October 1- Carlisle GB. We'll be spending a few days with my mom's youngest sister and her husband.

Leave Edinburgh to London Gatwick Monday October 1 at 11:35

Monday October 1 at 18:15-Home again

Thursday Thirteen

This is my first Thursday Thirteen. I've never been able to get all the way to 13 but today, I will.

1. I was at Costco today. And Superstore. And Sobeys. Yuck. I was looking for the best deal on bone-in chicken breasts for a catering job that we are doing on the weekend.


2. Prices on bone-in chicken breasts do not vary much between grocery stores here in Winnpeg.


3. I think I didn't save any money by driving to all three places and then ending up at the first place I went.


4. Reusable grocery bags are great. I use them all the time. But when "chicken juice" gets spilled in one and is not cleaned out, it can make your whole car smell like a dead mouse. Yuk.


5. Jed came over to play with Dixie today while Michele and I practised together.


6. Dogs are like toddlers. They always want to play right where you are. They knocked Michele's music down a few times.


7. Dixie finds my foot going up and down on the damper pedal on the piano fascinating. To her it is another thing to play with.


8. I will have to cover my plants tonight. I knew I was taking a chance when I planted in early May that there could be frost so I'm not surprised.


9. Our itinerary for our amazing trip to Tuscany in the fall is finished. I'll post that one of these days soon.


10. We haven't been biking as much as we'd like because it's been so wet and nasty. I'm expecting perfect weather in Tuscany so I think I should practise biking only in perfect weather.


11. We do need to find some hills in Manitoba to bike on before our trip. I understand that Tuscany is quite hilly and this prairie girl is only used to flat land.


12. CBC Radio 1 has moved over to the FM dial. I am so happy because now, the really bad songs they play sound just a little better.


13. I am posting this on Friday because I just finished it today. The story of my life. Start something one day and finish it just a little later than the deadline.

The Novice Gardener

I love the look of pretty flowers in containers but when I look at them at the nurseries, they seem a little too expensive for me.

I thought that I could create my own container gardens, seeing as I have been doing this gardening thing for a whole year and a half.

Here is one of my first creations:

If you think that the large plants look like romaine lettuce-you're right. I thought it was calendula when I planted it but now I'm pretty sure that it's lettuce.

Sigh.

I think I have a lot to learn.

Election 2007

Yesterday was election day in Manitoba. The incumbent in my area won, as was predicted even though I did my best to keep that from happening.

Kristen voted in her first provincial election. She didn't know who to vote for so I told her. Even with our 2 votes, our man did not win.

Sigh.

We live in a very strong NDP riding. Provincially and federally, the NDP always wins here. It's a little discouraging because, my vote really doesn't make much of a difference. But vote I do. It is the one time that true democracy reigns and I never want to take that for granted.

Besides, if my dad found out I didn't vote, he'd disown me.

creation calls

-brian doerksen

i have felt the wind blow
whispering your name
i have seen your tears fall
when I watch the rain

how could I say there is no god
when all around creation calls
a singing bird a mighty tree
the vast expanse of open sea

gazing at a bird in flight
soaring through the air
lying down beneath the stars
i feel your presence there

i love to stand at ocean's shore
and feel the thund'ring breakers roar
to walk through golden fields of grain
'neath endless blue horizon's frame

listening to a river run
watering the earth
the fragrance of a rose in bloom
a newborn's cry at birth

how could i say there is no god
when all around creation calls
a singing bird a mighty tree

the vast expanse of open sea

It is hard for me, after watching my beautiful perennial garden grow, to imagine that there is not some higher power at work in this world. I happen to call this higher power God and in the spring, I find that the creation and new life all around me is a witness to God's creative genius.

This blog's gone international.

I'd like to welcome the "Dutch" connection. My parents are on a 3 week trip to the Netherlands to visit their respective families and I just received an email telling me that they arrived safely, had a glass of wine and some herring and are raring to start their vacation.

I'm jealous. I've been there 3 times in total and I loved every minute. Our family in the Netherlands is fun, interesting and extremely hospitable. They know how to have a good time and to show someone a good time.

My mother is the second oldest of 8 children and for the first time in "forever" they will all be together for a siblings event. I'm looking forward to the pictures. For now, here's one from 2 years ago at mom and dad's 50th Anniversary celebration.

Happy Birthday Dad

My dad is 78 today. That sounds old but when you see him and talk to him, you realize that it isn't very old. His hearing might be going, just a wee bit (although he claims everyone mumbles) and his eyes are still pretty good. One of his hips has been replaced and is standing up to his active lifestyle just fine.

The brain is also as sharp as it was years ago as is his sense of humour.

Michele has written some great memories of dad already. I'd like to add a few more.

The renovations were such a blast for me. There were always people around helping dad and mom, Yvonne and I would make sure there was coffee made and fresh homemade chocolate chip cookies. Nobody could make them like we could. One of my most vivid remembrances is of dad, upstairs, feeding John, downstairs, some wire or something and the two of them hollering back and forth.

Dad: "DO YOU SEE IT?"
John: "NO. WAIT. I THINK I SEE IT!
Dad: "START PULLING!"
John: "I CAN'T REACH IT! OH. NOW I'VE GOT IT!"
Dad: STOOOOOP! YOU JUST PULLED IT OUT OF MY HANDS!"
John: "HEY DAD! IT'S REALLY EASY TO PULL NOW!

Or something like that anyway. Whenever Wes needs to do something like that with someone here, I am immediately brought back to Saturdays, when I was young.

As he renovated our home room by room, dad insulated everything he could, long before other people recognized the importance of a well insulated house. Usually it was pink fibreglass insulation but one day I remember him coming home with bags of something called vermiculite. Dad thought it would be a great way to insulate one of the outside walls that would have been hard to do with the batts. He poured bags of the stuff into an opening in the wall on the second floor and at one point commented that he was using more than he he had estimated. It wasn't much later that we discovered a huge pile of vermiculite on the basement floor. He had poured it right through the wall.

When I was in Grade 2, we had to tell our teacher what our dad did for a living. I didn't know so my teacher asked me what he could do. My response, "He fixes things."
The teacher asked me what kinds of things he fixed and I answered, as proud as a little girl could, "He fixes EVERYTHING!"

Dad could fix everything- from car engines, washers and dryers to slinky toys. He made us beds when we were small with a little half railing to keep us from falling out of bed in the night. I was so proud of those beds!

Dad never did a lot of cooking but on ocassion, maybe once a year, he would treat us to deep fried onion rings. We loved them! He has his specialties now-bean salad, succulent chicken on the spit and some other grilled foods. Had he been born in a different time, he would have spent alot more time in the kitchen. It is neat to see a man of his age experimenting with foods and cooking when most men his age are happy to remain out of the kitchen.

Dad owned his own business with a partner for many years. One day, he was talking about some guy who took 10% off the invoice that dad submitted. I was shocked that someone would do that and I asked dad what he was going to do about it. He simply said, "I'll just charge him 15% extra next time. I was impressed with the incredible wisdom of my dad.

He owned a business, worked very hard, but never got rich. One year he commented how one of his employees actually made more than he did that year. But I never sensed any bitterness from dad about that. When you spend 2 hours in an afternoon fixing an lonely old woman's toaster, you won't make much money. I think dad always recognized that there was more to life than money.

There's lots more I could say but for now, I'll leave you with a few "dadisms."

Ha Ha! It's the cat's meow!
I'm stiff as a doornail. (Actually, he only said this once but we have never let him forget it.)
It'll put hair on your chest.
Mama mia!
Well you're quite the Speedy Gonsales.

Finally, here is a picture of dad and Michele. Isn't it lovely?

Happy birthday dad!

Memories of a Weekend

Frequently I find myself on a Friday afternoon wondering about the upcoming weekend. This weekend, as happens often, we had little planned but by the time I crawled into bed yesterday, I was happy, tired and satisfied.

I should have known the weekend was off to a good start when Carolyn offered us free tickets to a wine tasting event at the Convention Centre. There were at least 120 booths there with no fewer than 4 different selections at each booth. There were spit buckets (there's probably a much more sophisticated word for those but I don't know what it is) for those tasters who preferred to spit. They did not fill up very fast. I find it a little hard to spit in a lady-like manner without dribbling so I tend to taste and swallow. Sometimes I wonder if I might lean towards a tendency to be an alcoholic but I was pleased to discover that after having what I estimated to be a half litre of wine (well, maybe three quarters of a litre), I was quite happy to quit. Everything started tasting the same to me anyway.


Saturday, Wes and I worked around the house and got the winter cover for the pool cleaned off. That's not one of our favourite jobs so it felt good to put it away. Then, after dinner, a lovely little walk to our favourite ice cream shop, Sub-Zero.


Sunday was great as usual. I never tire attending church. That's a good thing. This Sunday, I was the person in charge of music. That means I got to pick the songs and then lead the band in practise and on Sunday morning. This time around, I spent a lot of time choosing the songs and learning a few new ones and I must say, the band did a bang-up job. We had a blast.


Got a great watering can for mother's day from Wes and "the kids." It's a beauty. Do you see how nicely the water sprays out from from the end of the can?

Sunday night we went to one of Manitoba's most interesing places, the "Half Moon." It's a nifty 50's style restaurant in Lockport. We went with some of my favourite people for ice cream.

I must confess that I've lived in Winnipeg for almost 28 years and this is the first time I've been there. We'll be going again soon. The hard ice cream's delicious and the home cooked fries are the best. It's on the banks of the Red River and is a great place for both humans and dogs to hang out on a lovely evening.

And a final great shot (I think Joey took this one) of George and Chelsea.

Our Home

I live in one of the most beautiful houses in this city. It is about 100 years old and as solid as the day it was built. It withstood the flood of 1950, while nearly all of the city was under water. It has also withstood fire, renovations, and the comings and goings of numerous people and various pets including a rabbit, 2 cats, a few fish, and 2 dogs.

This old house has a turret, a 3rd floor with windows and dormers, 10 foot ceilings, hardwood floors, a front porch and a screened-in back porch. It has lots of good sized closets and a huge eat-in kitchen. It has a dining room and a big living room that houses a gorgeous piano.

Today, there are 7 people living here. Until last fall, we had a guest bedroom that was used exclusively for guests (and insomniacs). I love the fact that we've always had enough room for family and friends to stay with us.

Even though this is the best place to live, we know that our days in this home are numbered. Tim is hoping to move out before too long and while Kristen will be living here while she goes to university, it won't be long before we won't need the space we have. That time will be coming sooner rather than later and we are considering putting up the sign in the spring of 2008.

I will be sad to leave this home. It has been big enough to have lots of people here. We've had pool parties and other gatherings that many other people couldn't have because their houses aren't as big as ours.

The next house will be smaller and my common sense tells me that it will be easier for us to move now, or at least within the next few years, before Wes retires. It will require less time and effort to clean and maintain. We'd like to do some serious travelling and it will be easier to leave for a couple of months with a house that is smaller. It will be good to downsize. I know that.

But in my heart I know that it will be hard to leave this place. There are so many memories here and when I consider my list of things I want in a house, this one has almost all of them. My kids "grew up" in this house. This is our "family home." No home we buy or build will have the touches that make this house so beautiful and comfortable.

I didn't think that I would feel quite so attached to this place mostly because I have never held a great attachment to possessions. But I suppose there is something different about a house. I have never felt that I owned it; I have just had the luxury of living here, of making sure that it remains comfortable and ensuring that it remains solid and strong. I feel that we are preserving a part of history by using this place for the purpose it was built, as a family home.

So for now, I will continue to care for it until a new family comes here and calls it their own. And I will leave blessings for them and pray that they will enjoy life here as much as I did.

It's the right thing to do. I know it.

Yup.

Gotta do it sometime.

Living Simply

“You simply will not be the same person two months from now after consciously giving thanks each day for the abundance that exists in your life. And you will have set in motion an ancient spiritual law: the more you have and are grateful for, the more will be given you.”~ Sarah Ban Breathnach - author of Simple Abundance