Was Summer Vacation Long Enough?

If you are a student – this post is for you. Why was summer vacation invented? Have you ever wondered at the origin of summer holidays? Perhaps you think it dates back to a more agrarian society when children were needed to work the farm. Or perhaps you think the teachers need a vacation. Or maybe you do. Or you are needed to pick berries. Or you need to work to make the next year's tuition fees. Ha - if you guessed any of these - you are not even close. I will reveal the secret reason for summer holidays - two months off school - three if you're lucky enough to be in the US school system. Summer vacation is to give your brain enough time to get smarter so you can do the work of the next grade which is always more difficult. There you have it. I was often worried that the summer break had not been long enough for my brain and perhaps I would not do very well in the next grade. It always worked out pretty well so perhaps 'they' had it calculated correctly. Here's hoping, for all students, that your break was long enough for your brain to reach the required smartness for the grade you are entering.

Blessings on all the students.

Back in the Groove

Sort of. After coming home, I've mainly been gardening and reclaiming the house. I will have to say I've been doing MUCH better on the outside -which is fine. The weather is fabulous, warm, and sunny and these are the days to soak it up. Rain will come and there will be time enough to plow though inside organization then.

I had lunch with my parents today and brought my laptop for a picture show. It's a great way to look at photos with them and talk about all the adventures we've been having. I'm hoping they will soon get a laptop as well to keep up with family members. Dad's asking more questions - that could mean movement in that direction.

I'm feeling more rested - all the long driving seems to take more out of me than it used to - that and skipping around from place to place. LK and I added it up he has slept in 11 beds and I have slept in 9 in the last month. Wowsers - that's a lot of moving around.

Today I saw a really sad site. I was buying gas in our tidy little city when I saw a man using the phone near the station, a very thin lady sitting on the sidewalk at his feet rocking forward and back - obviously in misery and in the need of a fix, also another man with them pacing back and forth between the gas station and phone swearing softly in frustration. First, I was uncomfortable - this used to be more a big city picture, then my heart filled with compassion having a very tender place in it for anyone struggling with substance abuse. Someone offered the lady a drink - juice or something - and a little conversation. They moved on - but just around the station to sit alongside someone's fence. The man with the lady was very gentle with her - stroking her back - while the other man used the phone trying to make a connection I imagine. I thought - there is nothing I have to offer...nothing right now...nothing instant to help. She needed a fix to feel better quickly. I could offer Jesus - but she didn't feel good enough to listen. I could pray - I did. I wish for better resources in town. I wish a call to 911 would result in this very ill lady being picked up and cared for with compassion, and respect until she could even wish to care for herself. But that is not happening - you can't force someone into care - and when addicts do end up at the hospital - they rarely get treated with respect. It's all sad, and complex, and yes Jesus would love to rescue and heal...

Tonight Steve and Courtney, LK and I went out for root beer floats at A&W. Courtney had a chocolate milk shake - the really thick kind. Good to know - maybe the best in town. It was a fun, quick outing. Steve test drove the new van. It's not a good fit for him - but he got it zooming around in test mode pretty well.

Continuing on a bright note - I've posted wedding pictures from Russ and Joy's wedding which took place the day before we left for Jasper. Lovely. Enjoy.

Night all.

August 12th - Joy and Russ got married! Russ is my nephew and we've known Joy since she was born. It was an outside wedding and reception - everything was perfect, and lovely, and, well, joy filled.

Some things to say.

The beautiful setting is the yard of one LK's sister and husband who also have a wedding buisness. Lovely gardens, double fountains, trees and beautiful gazebo type structures. So refreshing.

Aimee and Eva - look alike?

When Eva was born, the question was - does she look like Aimee? I brought some of Aimee's baby pictures with me - but I said we'd have to wait for Eva to pack on a few pounds to see. Well Eva's packed on a few beautiful pounds - what do you think? Look how the little ladies hold their hands.

Golfing -- And a Word

Here are some golfing shots. I never thought I'd try golfing. It always seemed so boring to me but under ideal circumstances - hey - it was a good time. The golf course is a couple blocks from my brother, Mike's, house - so we walked - wheeling his clubs along. There were only 5 of us on the whole course - and only the three of us for the most part. Check out my funny stance - legs too wide - leaning on one and then the improved feet together. I told you - most improved player. These are the hip brown shorts Marsha commented on. They are polished cotton with a little spandex - low rise - but with a belt no plumber effect. Very comfortable and flattering I think. Sears end of summer sale.

Thanks for all the input on the apple question. They do look like little gala's don't they?

I also appreciated the response to my question a while back about support groups. I'll let you know what changes we make after they gel a bit more in my mind.

I'm going to end this post telling you my current favorite word. Do you have one? Please post. My favorite word is redemption - or redeem. I love movies with a redemptive theme. Redeemed lives. Redeemed by a redeemer. Ah - lovely word.

"To set free; rescue or ransom.
To obtain the release or restoration of, as from captivity, by paying a ransom."

Interestingly enough - dictionary.com records this - "Antonyms 1. abandon." Hmmm...a mightly lonely word.

I love so much what the word redeem stands for that the word has itself become beautiful to me. I think of being salvaged, saved, having something made of a mess, worth being assigned to one who may feel worth less - or those being treated as worth less than others. It's God saying - YOU are my treasure - You are my masterpiece - I delight over you. In fact - I delight over you with singing. I work in the medium of You and I enjoy it - I love it - I love you....

Can You ID This Tree?

This is my brother Mike and me. We are wondering what kind of apple tree this is. Does anyone know? It looks like a crab apple tree to us - that's why we have our crabby faces on - but the apples are sweet and delicious.

Here they are on a tree. Mike shares them with the birds.

AWOL Blogger

Long time no blog. I've been away from the computer. We've gone on a trip to Jasper first (where this picture is taken on the Athabasca River) and then to see the Odegards. Cara and Sarah were also here. LK had to teach in Edmonton - so we drove our new van which works well. We brought a buffett we had for Aimee and I have been painting it. It's been fantastic to love my grandchildren close up along with visiting with my kids. It's super late so that's it for tonight.

OH Shannon - the diapers came while I was here - they are so beautiful! I'll have to find out how to sew some diaper covers too.

Peace to all. More thoughts and news in a few days.

My girls - I love to see them together.

Sarah - delighted urban explorer.

Elijah - the laughing prince.

Eva - the bubble princess.

I've Been Trying Out the Back Seat...

Funny Cat. Neighbor cat tries out Eva and Elijah's twin stoller before they do. She was so bold I even had time to go for the camera. I had washed the used stroller. All the actual seats the babies sit on are in the house fresh from the wash. Time to put the stoller away after brushing off the cat hair. I'm sure she'll miss her comfy digs.

Seeking Input

So I'm thinking about my single mom's group which is, for the most part, a support group - or a supportive group. I'm asking my readers, in your supportive friendships, or care groups, or support groups, what elements do you appreciate? What ingredients would you consider essential? What would you include in an evening? Would you like a similar format every week? Thanks for any input. I am thinking about making some changes and I value some thoughts on the topic.

Goodnight.

Oh yeah - anyone want to be a guest speaker? Marsha?? Cara?? Melanie?? Aimee?? Anyone??

One time Cara came and we did Christmas crafts that the ladies could give as presents - it was pretty fun. Sand art brownies, soup in layers too. And books that we did a big booboo on and they weren't turning out. Cara and I laughed and laughed. I often laugh when things go wrong. I think this turned out to be good modeling - that it's ok to make mistakes - even public ones - you're still ok and, in fact, it may be funny.

Goodnight for real.

Back to the Blues

A tiny report from the Back to the Blues Festival from last weekend in Chilliwack. It was three days. There was also a bike show and shine and bike games connected - so there were lots of bikes and bikers.

Graham Ord and his dad. I think music is ageless.

Graham Ord and his DAD played together. His dad was visiting from England. It was super cool to see these guys play and sing together. They sounded great too.

Feeling Courtney's pretty long hair.

Snuggling with Uncle Steve.

Breakfast on Sunday in the tent trailer - oatmeal with yummy toppings and the fabulous zuchinni bread.

Dancing - how ever Sarah did it I would follow. Here she'd developed a legs wide out dance.

Darrell Mansfield playing with Dr. Blu and band. Dr. Blu is Randy Ritz and I went to Bible school with his wife - fun stuff. Randy is from Edmonton. Darrell is playing as a guest and he is quite famous - if you are old enough to remember him. There really isn't very much Christian blues and the musicians themselves were very excited to be together and meet each other.

Cara and Andy during church. I thought Cara looked especially joyful. She had been apart from Andy during the week and I think being together contributes to her joy. Notice the quilt - my Great Grandma Peterson made it - my mom's grandma.

Art time during church.

I bought Sarah two puppets in Camrose when I was there. This is Mr. Silky Whiskers the other is a grey squirell named Sneaky Pete. There is a place to put your fingers in to make them walk. They were quite a hit with Sarah. I named them myself. She can say Pete but she hadn't yet mastered Mr. Silky Whiskers :)

This is Murray. He's the head of the fesitival. I'd say it's his dream. Murray is a really good man with a really big heart. Here he speaks to the people about Jesus from his heart. His faith is in no way words only - his heart is full of love and the doors of his home are open. This way of living and loving that he and his wife, Judy, have is vividly flowing over in the next generation. More big hearts, more giving, more loving. I think you couldn't help but like him - and I know he'd like you - cuz that's what he seems to do.

Sunday morning in a little bit of drizzle. Not enough to dampen spirits.

Happy LK. He just loves live music. He enjoyes being on the Blues Committee and he loves being at the festivals.

We've made a decision....

Another one. We've picked out our third Dodge van. This one is a silver/green (magniusuim) with all stow and go seats - otherwise it's quite similar to our last one. What can we say - we keep thinking we might buy a foreign one - but a really good trade in credit, no interest loan, and excellent 5 year warranty have us satisfied. It's very comfortable, everything works and our monthly costs should be lower with reduced repairs. Sigh - we pick it up tomorrow. We think it's the right thing for us for now and we're thankful.

Things New

One day delay on the Blues photos. Point form entry “things new”.

- New air conditioner. Yes - at the beginning of this year's short heat wave LK bought his hot wife a small air conditioner and installed it in the dining room. For being so small it does an admirable job of cooling that end of the house. At night the bedroom usually cools off pretty well. So thank you Lando - no more melted me. I know he loves me now.

- New problems with the car. And tonight we began our hunt for something different. Anything. Lease. New. Nearly new. It will have to be a van. Ours is self destructing prematurely. Rats – all I wanted was a new bumper to replace the one I dented.

- New headlamp tricks. I love my little headlamp. I use it to read in bed at home. I use it camping. Well, I thought that the batteries failed rather early. It turns out the switch no longer turns the light off (an essential feature of a switch). It does still turn it on bright, medium, low, and flash – but not off. Hmmm. Not very convenient to find a screwdriver to uninstall the batteries every time I’m done with it. Might be shopping for a new one of those too.

- New information. I read in the paper that I live in the property crime capital of Canada. Well, I pretty much felt that already - like never entirely safe, always guarding my stuff, locking my doors, setting the alarm, thinking everyone in the western world lives like this. OK, so that little report explains what seems like so many thefts from the bookstore, houses, driveway, hiking trailheads.

- Too much information. After reading the above in the paper, another article appeared which reported that the high amount and high profile of crime information released by police was making people feel less safe and leading them to believe that crime was in fact more prevalent than it is – so police are going to start including more about what they are doing about the crimes to help us feel better – safer. I like feeling safe. I don’t think they can do enough to keep up though so I’ll still be leaning hardest on God for the only ultimate safety (a different, deeper, lasting sort of safety altogether).

- New recipe. Cara sent me a fabulous recipe for pancakes that have now been tested by the Odegards and, tonight, by my parents, also LK and me. LK says they are the best pancakes he has ever had and now wants to open a pancake restaurant. House of Pancakes – never mind the “International” part as in IHOP. Anyway – today you can have this fantastic pancake recipe. It’s from a book entitled “How it all Vegan”.

Apple Cinnamon Cornmeal Pancakes

½ cup rolled oats
¾ cup cornmeal
¾ cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon (I always use extra – what can extra cinnamon hurt – same with vanilla)
¼ cup applesauce
2 eggs or egg replacer (Cara uses 2 Tbsp. ground flaxseed with added water to make up for egg liquid)
2 cups some sort of milk (soy, rice, regular)

Stir dry, add wet, don’t over mix, fry ‘em up.

Tonight I added blueberries. Great with walnuts on top, bananas, peanut butter, yoghurt, apple sause, maple syrup, coconut flakes – you know – the usual.

So - you have fun with that - it can be your new thing.

Back in the Swing

Oh man, I don't really feel ready to get back in the swing of things this fall. I got an email today saying that I need to send in a few words about my single mom's group - what we will be doing, schedule etc. Oh my - that came up soon. We usually have an overarching theme for the year - but last year I kept thinking we can never leave the topic of parenting for long we must keep returning to it, and we need to keep an ear tuned to God because he is the giver of hope, wisdom, strength, and patience - not to mention my favorite thing - the one who redeems. Hmmm....got to give the details some more thought.

Today I spent cleaning, and relaxing on my deck in the sunshine. I cooked a healthy chicken dinner and went for a walk by the river with LK. On the way home we stopped at his parents for a visit and a snack.

I've been reading the latest Time magazine. What a mess in the Middle East. Again the topic of Bible prophecy comes up. Peace, peace and there is no peace -- except for that which is worked in the hearts of individuals.

Here are a few more pictures from Cara and Sarah's visit. Tomorrow I'll post a few from the Blues Fest.

Wishing you peace in your heart.

One of the first things Sarah and I did together was to drive LK to work and enjoy some play time in the bookstore. Here Sarah reacts to some Veggie Tales. She's hardly seen any TV yet - fun expressions eh? After a bit of the veggies we read books and played with the ark, also said hello to all the staff. Eva and Elijah - Sarah is wearing the frog pants that you sent her to wear 'til you grow into them!! Sometimes she would jump and jump like a frog :)

Stopping to smell a neighbor's flowers.

At the lake.

One of my favorite things this visit was a simple walk to the lake - I think especially because we'd done it so many times before and I miss it.

Playing on the blue playground by the lake. Sometimes the simple and familiar make for the most fun.

At the end of the night - bath time smiles.

Thursday am, Cara, Sarah and I went blueberry picking at Gwen and Reg's place. We nearly finished our row before we had to leave in order to visit my parents at the appointed time. I brought a beach umbrella that I kept moving along the row - worked great. Sarah was a good little picker - short attention span as one would expect. So many interesting things to see and do.

The evening round of picking - this time with LK the PRO.

Wow. Look how many!