Imagine 50 years

On Saturday September 15th, we attended a 50th wedding anniversary for Shauna's godparents. Imagine being married to someone for 50 years! it was a wonderful party. The party was in the same church hall where the couple had celebrated their marriage! It was a small Polish church full of family memories. I was married in that church as well. One of my brothers was married there. Shauna was baptised there. Three of my neices were baptised there. I sat a table with my cousin, who has lived in Los Angeles California for the last 40 years. She was telling me that she had made her first communion and her confirmation at that church. My father and her father had also made their first communions and were confirmed in that church. My father's funeral was also at that church. It's quite amazing how a building made of brick and mortar can weave it's way into the basic foundation of one's memories. What really stands out in my mind is all the pictures taken on the front steps of that church that are in photo albums that so many members of my family have. Weddings parties, babies in baptismal gowns, young children in their Sunday best on the morning of their first communions. Picture after picture of my family, some fifty years apart, on the same steps. What a wonderful connection to our past.
The party was great. lots of friends and family, many from out of town that came "home" to help celebrate the occasion. There was delicious Polish food, dancing, music and reminiscing.
There were pictures take on the front steps of the church.

September Routine Starts Anew

September is here at last!

We're back into the school routine. Shauna has to catch the bus at 6:40 am....can you imagine! She is getting up around 5:30 in the morning. Just as John and I head out to the barn, she stumbles down the stairs. I keep teasing her about getting up so early. She needs to get "ready" The "Fashionista" in her requires perfect hair, the right outfit and contact lenses! I, on the other hand can come in from the barn, take a shower, put on make-up, do my hair and be ready to leave within 45 minutes! She tells me, it's having to make her lunch that takes up all her time in the morning.

She doesn't seem to mind the hour long bus ride to and from school everyday. One of her posse is on the bus, so I guess it gives them time to chat and gossip! It seems so long ago that I was doing those things. I hope she enjoys her high school years as much as I enjoyed mine. They are great years, I think.

Alanna is in Grade 6 this year and she really wants to be more mature now. It makes me laugh when she talks about deodorant and zits! She perfect and beautiful, like Shauna is and they seems so unaware of their looks. That's a good think...I hope they keep that modesty and confidence they have in their abilities and never act like their looks are all important. You get much farther in life with a brain, I keep telling them.

Summer

Wow! Before I know it, summer will be done! Other than hay, swimming and baseball, it seems as nothing much has happened. I can't decide it that's good or bad! The peacefulness of summertime is great, but there certainly has not been too much happening in the excitement department here on the farm.
I guess that's good. For the last few years, the things that caused a stir haven't been happy ones. Last year my husband's mother passed away. The year before it was his sister and the year before that his sister's husband. So this summer there has been no bad news, and not much in terms of any news. I guess that's where the saying "No news is good news" comes from.
The girls have gone away to my cousin's place for a few days and they were happy to get a change of scenery. I seem to forget that for them, they want some adventure and some excitement in their summer. I like the slower pace of no school, no homework and no lunches to pack!
But I know that by the time September rolls around, I will be glad to get back in to that routine again.
I am glad that the summer has been so "uneventful"! Soon enough it will be over!

Life on the Farm in Summer

Life on the farm in summer is probably the worst time. While everyone and their dog is on vacation, we have more work than time. The hay needs to be cut, then raked, then baled...Those bales need to be collected from the field and stored away. For John and I, it's really no big deal. For my daughters, that's a different story. All their friends are going away on a summer vacation, some for a couple of weeks, some for a week-end here and there. My girls are lucky if we get to go away for the day!
I don't mind too much. I've gotten used to it. I feel bad for the girls. They are on vacation and what to have some fun! Yesterday, we had to go to city to visit an eye specialist. So while we were out, we went to a big mall with over a 150 stores. The girls loved it! To me, that's no fun, but they certainly enjoyed themselves. Three floors of stores!!!!! They could spend the day there. I had enough after the first store! My biggest complaint about shopping is the music. Some of those stores you go into have the music sooo loud that you can't hear yourself think! The salespeople come over to help, and you have to yell to be heard above the music. It must be because I'm getting too old, I can't take all that noise! I can't imagine it boosts sales in any way, shape or form!
We went to one store where you "build" a bear. A teddy, you pick his unstuffed body and then you stuff him, sew him up and so on. Even they played music. It was original "bear building" tunes, but music just the same! I was amazed. After 2 hours in the mall, I need a stiff drink! Made it home alive though. A few bags heavier and a few dollars shorter!

I've been "Tagged"

I've been tagged by my friend Betsy, so I'm supposed to write 5 things about myself.
Here goes!

#1. I love the sun, but I am afraid to suntan! I am a maniac for wearing sunscreen. My regular moisturizer has a SPF15 in it, so I wear that everyday....Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall! I put sunscreen on my hands everyday in the summer, too. Whenever I figure I will be out in the sun for more that 20 minutes....SUNSCREEN!!!!
My kids get annoyed with me. I am always asking, did you put on sunscreen? They call it sun scream...because when they don't have it on....I yell at them to apply it!

#2. My favorite television shows right now are "Brothers & Sisters" and "Ugly Betty". I cry almost every time I watch "Brothers & Sisters" and laugh out loud every time I watch "Ugly Betty". I can't stand reality tv. I never watch those kinds of programs. I don't watch "American Idol", "The Amazing Race", "Survivor", "The Bachelor", or any of those other reality shows! I can watch "Seinfeld" over and over again and still think it's funny after seeing the same show 40 times!

#3. My husband doesn't know about my blog. I've only told my daughter Shauna about it. I know she's read it once, but I don't know if she goes back to see if I've updated it! My friend Betsy, who inspired me to write my own blog, is the only other person I have shared my secret with. But if you're reading this, you know too!

#4. I never like any picture of myself. Even the ones where other people say they think it's a nice picture. Of all my Wedding pictures, I only like ONE!

#5. I am really a frugal shopper. I think in the last two years, I can count on one hand the things I've bought for myself that were not on sale! I never buy any clothing for myself unless it's on sale. I will redeem coupons, stock up on sale items, and travel to two or three grocery stores to get specials! I LOVE a bargain!

Spring's Work has Begun!

Well, the nice weather has arrived and along with that comes the work of Spring! Monday we spread the liquid manure on the corn fields. Oh, the smell of liquid manure! There is really no way to describe this smell other than STRONG! Imagine the mild smell of composted manure that you may buy at the garden centre for your plants, well...liquid manure is essentially "fresh". No fermentation has occurred and the manure is extremely high in nitrogen. Just what a growing corn plant needs. Unfortunately, the smell is strong too. I went to town on Tuesday evening for a meeting and when I got out of my car, I smelled the faint scent of the manure, probably from my car's tires.
My 13 year old daughter came home from school on Monday to see the tractors and tanks thundering through the yard as the manure was carried from our pit, down the road to the unplanted corn fields. Although we live in a rural area, there are not that many working farms anymore. Much fewer now, than when my husband was her age. So for the younger boys on the bus to see, close up, the huge machinery is a thrill. For my daughter, it's horrifying! When she came in the house she was mortified that I hadn't warned her that we were spreading manure that day! My husband and I were unsympathetic and just laughed! It's what we do, we told her. I can't imagine the other kids are horrified at what their fathers and mothers do for a living! But then again, their jobs probably don't require them to stink up the neighbourhood!
The guy we hired to spread the manure left his equipment at our farm that night and came in the morning to pick it up and move on to the next farm a few kilometres away to stink up that neighbourhood. Just as they were leaving the school bus was arriving to pick up my daughter, "They're STILL at it!!!!" she cried, absolutely horrified, once again. I told them they were just leaving and boy did she let out a sigh of relief!
Now the race has begun with the weather to get the manure worked into the soil and plant the corn before it rains! Oh let's pray for sun, then later we'll be praying for rain!
Happy Planting to All!

Another Day on the Farm

Time is passing fast. Easter has come and gone and Spring is supposed to be here! The fields are still wet and occasionally when we wake up, actually covered with snow! In March it seemed like spring was going to arrive, but it seems we're still waiting. So much has happened since March. My mother is home from the hospital, recovering. My daughter is having some health issues and we're waiting for a firm diagnosis. Soon the farmer will be out in the fields working the ground and planting his crops for the year.
Things are quiet in the barn. I only have one new calf at the moment. Millie, my dog, likes that. It means my chores don't take very long and I'll take her for a walk down the road. Dogs really like to walk and sniff at every little smell. She's no different. It seems to be very exciting for her to walk the same route two or three times a day, everyday! She always seems to find a new smell to discover! Oh to have the life of my dog! Not a worry in the world! Oh well, I guess not every dog gets to live the life of Millie!

Facing Reality

As we get older, so do our parents. My father passed away almost 16 years ago. He was a young man, really, just 60 years old.
Today, my mother, in her mid 70's, was admitted to the hospital. She's not well, she has had some gastro related problems for the last few years. She will probably recover and be fine, her health is otherwise very good.
But as we go through life we see ourselves as someone, often in relation to others. I am the farmer's wife, or Shauna's mother, or Nick's sister and I am my mother's daughter. I was my daddy's little girl, even when I was 25 years old and living on my own. But once my father passed away, that role didn't exist anymore. For the first couple of years after my father's death, my brothers tried hard to continue to make me feel like daddy's little girl. As they married and had wives and children of their own, the roles changed again.
I became sister-in-law, aunt, godmother.
I don't think I'm ready yet to stop being my mother's daughter.

The View from My Front Door

I think that no matter where you live, the view from your front door is important. Like when I go to visit my mom, the view from her front door is almost exactly the same as it was when I was a child growing up. I love to go "home" to her house and see that familiar view.

The view from my house is of our fields. The field across the road from the house had corn growing in it last year. It will probably have corn growing in it again this year. I love watching the corn in the spring and summer. A few weeks after the seed is planted, you start to see lines of green plants sprouting up. Then a few weeks later the plants ate fuller and the whole field looks green. When the plants get really tall, they wave when the wind blows. As summer turns to fall, the plants stop growing and start to turn brown as the corn begins to dry down. Then the corn is harvested and all that's left is corn "stubble". Just like 2 day old beard growth, the stubble stick up out of the ground, a reminder of the once tall beautiful green plants that were growing in its place.

Right now, the snow is melting and the stubble is starting to show through. This is a sure sign of spring. The deer are feasting on the leftovers from the fall. They collect in the field in groups. Sometimes a small group of seven or eight, many days large groups of 30-40! Millie can spot them from the kitchen window. They are way back in the field but she knows they are there! She barks at them, but they never come any closer!

Ah...The Winter Cold

There’s really nothing worse than being sick, especially with a winter cold. I have one now. My head is throbbing and my nose is running. I’ve been lucky up until now. The girls come home from that germ-ridden school and they’ve been under the weather, but I had been lucky enough to fend it off.
Tuesday I went out with my girlfriend for a day of shopping and when I picked her up, she was sick! She really should have stayed home, but she said she really wanted to get out because we hadn’t had a real “girl’s day out” in a while. Now I’m suffering because of it! She was so sick the next day, she stayed in bed all day. I don’t have that option. Chores must be done regardless of how I feel. The barn is quite noisy during chores with the pumps running and when I come in I often feel even worse. Well like all things this too will pass. I just wish it would pass fast!

Memories

My 13 year old daughter was going through some boxes of stuff that were packed up and stored in the back of her closet. One of the boxes contained vinyl records from my teenage years! She was laughing to see some of the music I listened to when I was 13 can still be heard on the radio today. I had albums from Sting and the Police, The Rolling Stones, The Eagles, Rod Stewart, U2 and others some still around that'she's never heard of.

"WOW!" she said. "The Rolling Stones ARE really old! You listened to them when you were young!"

My husband and I were laughing. I told her Mick Jagger is old enough to be my father!

Looking at all those albums brought back lots of memories. I don't know if I would call them the good old days, today's days are pretty good...to me at least. She wanted to play them so she could hear some of the songs I said I really liked, but the turntable doesn't have a needle. "Should I get the sewing box?" she asked.

OH, we laughed. New technologies certainly have made listening to music much easier that's for sure!

It was fun to pour over those albums remembering the things I did, the concerts I went to, all the things we do in our youth that seem so important to us at the time.

How life's priorities change through time. I wouldn't want to live without music, but there is certainly no constant sound track to my life anymore. Now I would much rather listen to the birds singing, the wind blowing or the rain on the roof than Mick sing about Rock and Roll!

AH, but the memories are good!

The Weather Outside is Frightful!

We just had the first really bad storm of the winter. The snow came down and so did the mercury! It has been much too cold outside these past couple of days. Even the barn has been only hovering about the freezing mark. Luckily nothing froze and no new calves were born. The cats haven't been outside for a few days and we haven't seen the deer out in the fields.
Last night I had to go out, I had no choice. The snow blew all day long and drifted up in front of the garage door. I got stuck when I was trying to back out. The farmer had to go out and get me unstuck! He was not a happy man! I had to drive the pick-up truck to town. I usually hate driving the pick up, but I was kind of glad to be driving it last night.
We'll survive this weather. We always do, if we didn't have the weather to talk about, we'd have to talk about the neighbours! And that's not very neighbourly!

Fifty Things about Me!

I am the mother of two daughters.

I am the sister of two older brothers.

I was the first one of my siblings to move out of my parents' house. and the first one to get married, and the first one to have children of my own!

I love dogs, I would have a houseful if they didn't shed!

I like cats but I think they belong in the barn!

I love to be in the barn when there's a storm outside- snow storms, thunder and lightning any kind of storm!

I love to watch lightning. When I was a kid, we used to spend part of our summers in Maine every year. Always in August. Almost every night there would be a storm. We would all sit outside on the porch and watch the lightning out over the ocean. It was spectacular.

I love all the seasons. I love the change from summer to fall to winter to spring to summer. I could never imagine living somewhere where the weather is always the same.

I love to read. I read everything! The newspaper everyday, magazines, junk mail, the cereal box!

I hate when mechanical things don't work the way they are supposed to! Like when your car doesn't start when you turn the key.

I hate people who take amateur sports too seriously! Nothing ruins the fun of the game when some keener starts yelling at some kid because he/she missed a shot, wasn't fast enough, whatever! Remember! It's a GAME ! It's supposed to be fun!

Green is my favorite colour, then blue- but I've never owned a blue car or a green car!

I don't understand people who live in the city who drive pick up trucks! I live on a farm and hate driving the pick up truck! It's too big, hard to park when you go to the mall and sucks gas like a vacuum!

I think you should only drive a car that big enough for your stuff. If you don't have a lot of stuff and a small family...you should drive a small car!

I don't think that green house gas is the only thing causing global warming. I think the pollution that we create with our cars, tractors, boats, ski doos etc creates smog and smog is bad, that's why should only drive a car that's as big as you need. I also think that pollution causes green house gas that contributes to ozone depletion and acid rain. But i think global warming is inevitable. The earth in its millions of years of history has gone from ice age to burning and back to ice age again. I think it's just getting warmer because that's what the earth does.

I think we should all think about our footprint on the earth more! Reduce consumption, turn off the lights when you're not in a room, don't run air conditioning all the time, compost, recycle, wash your laundry in cold water and hang it up to dry!

My favorite movies are "The Princess Bride" , "Shrek", "The Adventures of Yellow Dog"

People who don't like animals scare me!

I love to eat berries, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries it doesn't matter what kind as long as they are juicy and sweet! I will only eat peaches from Ontario, and when they are in season, I will eat them every day 2 or 3 at a time!

I only like bagels from Montreal.

I can't sleep with the light on.

I hate traveling because I can't sleep in my own bed!

I love my house even though it's old and drafty.

I love to cook, but I hate to clean, even though I do.

I could never give up chocolate! I love cheese and chicken. I hate mashed potatoes and peas.

I think George Clooney is the sexiest man alive!

I would never cheat on my husband with anyone, except George Clooney, the sexiest man alive!

The older my children get, the better I behave!

I won't take a vacation without my children because they grow up too fast and I will not burden someone else with them...they are my children.

I love being alone, I can do my thing, whatever it is uninterrupted.

I like the way I look, not too sexy or glamorous but not too plain.

I think my husband is good looking, but he's not George Clooney!

One minute I love him and the next I can't stand him!

I hate people that will choose to watch television over socializing or doing something more interesting than watching television.

I love music, cannot play an instrument nor sing and know it! That's why I would never go on Canadian Idol.

I love peace and quiet, that's why I love to live in the country. I can't stand a television or radio playing in the background. Although I do like to listen to the MP3 player while I vacuum.

I love my mom and don't know what I will do when she dies.

I hate funerals. I don't like to be around others when I mourn, I like to weep and sob all by myself. I don't want hear about things that happened when they were alive!

I miss my dad every day since he died and when I hear certain songs on the radio I start to cry because the song makes me think of him. The first thought that comes to my mind is my mom telling me the thing she misses about my dad the most was that he never went to sleep at night without telling her he loved her! My dad was no saint, but when we were kids he would move heaven and earth to make us happy. I am sad that he never got to see my children or any of his other grandchildren. Family was everything to him.

I worry, almost compulsively, that something bad will happen to my children one day. Not an accident or illness, but some horrible assault..It is hard to have children in the world today. I think so many people are mean, cruel, jealous and godless. I am afraid one of those people will hurt my daughters.

I made a choice to have my children. I love them. I love taking care of them, being with them, teaching them, guiding them. I don't understand people who have children and don't do those things. Those are the things they need. if you don't have the patience or desire to do those things I think you're better off not having children. Too many children today are parentless even though some live in a home with their parents! it's very sad, as my kids get older, they are starting to realize what they have. Thank God.

I think it is important to speak out. I am teaching my daughters to speak up if they think that something is not fair or right. I think it's working. When my eldest daughter was in Grade 4, her teacher made a rule that the snack you ate in class must be a "handheld" snack...whatever that is. She therefore under this rule was not allowed a juice box. She went to the principal and argued that a juice box was a "handheld" snack. The principal upheld the teacher's rule, but the teacher told me how impressed she was that my daughter stood up for herself and didn't wait for me to speak for her.

I don't like people making commitments for me..always ask me first if I will be willing to do something. I like to be in charge of my time.

I am rarely bored. I can find something interesting to do all the time. If I can't I'll just eat!

I want to have a book published! Don't we all, a cook book.

I don't like mean people. I don't like rude people. I think one of the biggest things wrong with our world today is people are not considerate enough. They think too much about themselves. It's sad to see young kids with no manners. My girls have had friends over that are rude, and I won't let my children invite them over anymore. Unfortunately for my girls, they have no idea that I think it's because these children are rude. These poor children will grow up clueless and self centred like their parents and never hold a door for anyone!

I hate people who are late! I think being late is the epitome of rude! If you can't be there at 7 0'clock just say 7 isn't good for me, can we make it 7:30? and then be ON TIME! I understand that occasionally sh** happens, but being constantly late is to me the worst!

As I get older, the thing I hate the most is grey hair! I colour my hair because I don't want to see the grey! I hate colouring my hair, but I hate the grey even more!

I wish I had an indoor swimming pool. I love to swim, it's my favourite type of exercise!

Writing 50 things about yourself is really hard! I originally was going to write 100 things about me!, but I couldn't make to a hundred!

First Post (January 26, 2007)

This is my first post and I'm a little unsure what to write about. The weather is sooo c-c-cold-d-d here that I really don't want to be outside or in the barn, as I went to visit my friend's blog and laughed at her posts, I thought why not? If she can do it, so can I...

My plan is to post at least once a week. If exciting things happen, I'll write a little more often.