FED UP

I see from the blogs I follow, that not much posting is happening. I am going to assume that with this cold weather just truckin' on, everyone is kinda down in the dumps. Today for the first time I can see that some snow has melted. I am very thankful that they took all of last week and hauled snow off the empty lots and from around the individual houses in our complex. At least it gives us a glimpse of what is to come. We are to get "flurries" the next few days. Having said that though, North Dakota and Minnesota are to get walloped with a large rain storm that will start out as a Colorado Low. We are hoping to only get a passing glimpse of it, but all the same both those states and us here in Manitoba as well as Saskatchewan are really, really hoping it somehow fizzles out. The new flood forecast has us at a pretty full fledged flood and now they are hoping to keep it a bit below 1997 levels. All we can do is pray for no more moisture for the next six weeks.

These are both pictures from January last year. Now, imagine the grass standing up straight and it covering it totally. The grass stands about 4 feet tall. The picture of my rock and spruce tree - well the rock cannot be found this year and the snow is up to where the very top branch is and that is after what melting has taken place. They have now taken some of the snow away so today I can just see the very top of the rock (height of 3 feet) and the tree has only about 1/4 of height under snow now.  I haven't ventured to the provincial park for a walk as I understand there is no where to walk but on the road. All that snow water when it melts flows downhill to my son's old place. I don't know how many hours Glenn spent out there pumping water and driving around the area to see where the drainage pipes had not been opened and then opening them. During the flood of 1997 his basement was full to the rafters of water. I feel for the guy who bought it. Geoff was told later that, the RM had not wanted that land to be built on as if floods every year - but boy did they ever have green grass afterwards and then Glenn spent hours and hours every week mowing it. They had five acres and half was grass. Thank goodness the neighbours used half of it for their horses, otherwise Glenn would have had to retire just to look after their yard, never mind our own.

I have a showing on my house tomorrow. My place has been for sale since last July. It is in the country and so will take some time to sell. Now is the busy time of year so am hoping that soon there will be some action. As I mentioned before there are a couple of people wanting to put offers in, but they have to wait to sell their place. After a couple of years of living first in a larger town and then in the city, my son and daughter-in-law are on the move back to the country. They are planning to come back out this way just more east and on higher ground. They have found a place where a widow is selling her land and it can be subdivided. The smallest they would go is 2 acres. So they are thinking maybe 10 acres and then having my daughter build on part of it - good thinking as she is their main babysitter. She works 12 hour shifts, has much time that accounts for overtime as well as other time that accrues, so she has lots of time off - hence the amount of babysitting she does. She works 7 shifts out of a 2 week period. I was kind of hoping to get in on the action, but today I realized that I don't want to become the main babysitter. I lived with someone my whole life till Glenn died, and even though I am terribly lonely at times, I do enjoy being able to come and go as I please. I don't think I am quite ready to give up that freedom as yet. After all, I still haven't figured out what I want or what God wants me to do with this season of life. I always was a stay at home type person and so now I need to figure out "what my crowd is" as my daughter says. Yes, when I was younger, and up until Glenn died, I did help out a church which I enjoyed, but now I feel pulled somehow elsewhere. Time will tell.

All this talk of flooding reminds me of some TV show that was on a few years back where the grandparents came for a visit. All the grandfather did was watch the weather channel and teach the kids what all those squiggly lines and arrows meant. He was always telling them what great entertainment the weather channel was. Guess we will have a lot of folk watching the weather channel over the next few weeks. So I ask your prayers for them. Some people are still displaced from the flood of 2011 and this may certainly mean they may never get to go "home" again. I know what that feels like as where I grew up, we are not allowed in there at all. People who have homes or have childhood homes where they can go back to visit are so blessed. There are a whole lot of people in the world and not just third world countries who get displaced and it leaves a huge gap in your life. It like a big chunk has been torn from your heart.

So, please pray for all the displaced people this week. They really do need our prayers.

Hugs and blessings to you all.

Jean

WILL ... IT ... EVER....END?

Our blasted winter will not give up. We are to get snow yet again and the temps. are back down in the -25C area again. I see though that Alberta has it much worse, so guess I should not grumble. A friend put on his Facebook page that he had started his tomatoes, peppers etc. I told him he had a lot of faith. Wes came back with "Jean, it is only eight weeks till planting season". Guess I better bite my tongue. Here in Manitoba, we can have snow banks so high you can't see across the road and the next week it will be flooding and you really cannot tell there is land under that sea. Like when I first came to Manitoba and all I could see was water, water every where water. But I still moved here. Must have been nuts - nuts in love with my hubby. Though I am sure that if I had of really wanted to stay in Alberta my Glenn would have said okay.

My family will be having a reunion this year - nothing big only about 65 people. It will be a practice run for the Big One that is next year. I hear tell it is our branch of the family that is to host that one - may be interesting, if we choose to take it on. However, here I was sitting in my snowdrift, writing a newsletter regarding our reunion for July. Quite the feat to do when you cannot fathom warm weather or that there will be a day when there isn't an eight foot snowdrift blocking your view. Did get it done and in the mail. Yes, I used snail mail. Everyone changes providers so fast, it it hard to keep up with all the email addresses, but I did put out a call for them as it would be so much easier sending it with a push of the computer button instead of the push of the copier button, then push of the debit card button as I mail them off. I don't mind really, I myself am rather addicted to paper print rather than e-print. Though I do appreciate both. Will be fun. The date is set, but not the location. I do have some ideas even if it rains. My parents lived all over the place in Alberta, will be interesting to see what other people think. I have so many ideas going through my head, I am sure I could fill two or three notebooks. Since I don't need that many ideas, I will write them down and at some future date they may be used. One thing for sure - after the day is done - the cousins will be having the "After Party". I have an idea of a place for it, but I am almost certain it will end up being at Dave and Michelle's as they host wonderful get togethers. They have a New Years Eve party each year and this last one went till 6:00 a.m. They sure can sit and tell stories, play cards and other games and generally have a great time. My kids missed the party this year and consensus was - Not Ever Again. They put all the kids down to sleep in one or two rooms . The kids love sleeping together and don't mind sleeping on the floor. An adventure to be had - for sure.

My house still has not sold and even though now is the time for "hot markets", in the country, not so much. I figure it will be a couple more months before I get an offer. In the country, it all gets backed up. I put my house up, someone puts an offer in, but then it is conditional to theirs being sold, then they get an offer and yup you guessed it another conditional offer. We might as well put our houses all in a draw and change place every two years, but continue to own our own. Would be cheaper and we would get a change of scenery and not have to wait.

I do have a stitching finish for this week. See below. I almost had two, but then found I had used the wrong colour in a very large area. Now I am deciding to just scrap it or take it out and re-stitch. It is one of those beads and buttons ones that is done on paper. If it was done on fabric, certainly I would have taken it out, but paper is so much cheaper.

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Small piece only about 12 inches long and seven wide

Up close of the satin stitches

The hardanger section.

 

 

 This week was boring - just work, household chores, sleep and my family having first the cold then the stomach bug. Went to their house today and my daughter was right all you smell is sickness everywhere. They hope to feel well enough to do a major house clean this weekend. Yes, I offered, but as it is till an ongoing issue - no sense for a day or two. My son's administrative assistant said her class had 11 kids missing on Thursday with it. Good thing it is report card week and hardly anyone had school today. I really hope it doesn't hit the hospitals or the nursing homes.

Hope you all have a great weekend.

Blessings to all

Jean