Spring, I Need You and Other Updates

The above picture is of our property on Prince Edward Island, my brother-in-law Frank is sitting in a field of winter rye I believe..the house and barns can be seen in the background. The new red roof isn't on the house in this picture. When I view this serene view I think of spring, of buds bursting forth on trees and bushes I haven't all explored yet, delights awaiting me this coming May.

We will soon be driving to the island for the first of many working holidays where I will take my breaks exploring the tree lines or back woods. If I get out of hearing, maybe I can extend my exploring but that wouldn't be fair to hubby would it?

I saw my first snow drops this week in a lovely, small town called St. Marys, where I used to make my home. That was Tuesday of this week, but Wednesay morning they had once again become buried in freezing rain, then a fresh snowfall..well, my spirits were lifted even for that short glimpse of them. Winter hit us once again with all her fury, freezing ice pellets, freezing rain, driving winds and raging snow. It's enough to make a grown woman cry.

On that note I was in St. Marys to support my children during a ceremony of celebration for their father's life. His life ended peacefully and quickly after a 3 week illness. My children made me so proud in how they arranged the service, handled many of the sad details and bravely soldiered on..Perhaps I saw them in a new light, as the strong adults they've become. Wise, caring, giving, compassionate adults who though they will often encounter the hardships of life will come out on top. Even though their father and I have not been together for nearly fifteen years, they included me in many of the arrangements and my being there with them was cathartic, as we embraced the memories of the good years together as a family.

On a lighter note, my dear sister-in-law Pat is on the mend, in fact she may even get home this week around the 25th of March. What a celebration that will be after such a long stay in the hospital. That is another reason I want spring to burst forth with warmth and sunshine so Pat can enjoy the outdoors.

I renewed many former friendships will visiting St. Marys which gladdened my heart and bodes well for the future. As time passes we lose touch with people we care about, so to exchange email addresses and with promises of future visits a new chapter begins. I believe strongly that my two adult children will heal over time this loss of a parent with dignity and courage. Perhaps they will grow even closer as brother and sister during the course of duties that awaits them, as they live in different cities.

My heart is encouraged as I see the chickadees already starting to nest in our backyard birdhouses, the snow in our yard slowly but surely melt a little each week, that spring will be around "some" corner and a healing will come to the earth as well as family and friends who have need of new beginnings with a renewed strength of heart.

Our Angel is Sick

When my brother Gordon got married many years ago an angel entered our family. Her name is Pat. There are some people who are so kind, so generous, so good natured and loving we wonder where they hide their wings. Pat is one of those people.

My brother and his wife have two grown sons, their oldest just turned forty this month. They are blessed with four grandchildren and Pat is a loving, doting grandmother. I've known Pat now for a over forty years and we've never shared a cross word. She has never been anything but encouraging and helpful to everyone she meets.

On occasion I have held family reunions here at my home and who is always in the kitchen helping me wash or dry dishes, get the food ready..Pat of course. When she and my brother come up a couple of times a year, she brings lots of food and treats and a lovely hostess gift for me.

This week I heard from my brother by email that Pat had to be taken to the hospital because of a bad case of pneumonia and our whole family is very concerned. How we hate to see our dear angel suffering as she is, each cough causing her pain. All the while she is suffering she is concerned about her own mother who also had to be hospitalized for 12 hrs. with the flu.

I look for emails each morning and evening from my brother to read updates on dear Pat's health. I'd like to think she has now turned a corner after five days in hospital and she will soon be back to perfect health and be able to return home. We don't often hear of Pat being sick, not down and out like she is now so it took us by surprise and reminded us just how special she is to us all.

Do we tell people often enough how much we appreciate and love them? Probably not. With all the new technology we have now we don't even phone each other much anymore, we just blast off an email or text message. My daughter has been calling me more this week, she too is dealing with her father who was hospitalized with pneumonia and has come to the age where he now must give up his home to enter a nursing home. Big changes ahead.

My son and I spent nearly an hour on the computer this week typing messages back and forth on MSN which suited the purpose I guess but how much nicer to have heard each other's voices, to have that more personal touch. This week I've been on the phone to a great many people and except for the fact I couldn't see them, they could have been in the next room. We can hear gladness in a person's voice, sadness or discouragement over the phone. Even a personal letter that we recive in the mail box has something to highly recommend it.

This brings me back to Pat who always picks the most beautiful birthday cards, taylor made for the person who is receiving it. Long messages written on all the white space on the card in her lovley handwriting, making the card extra special, a treasure to keep. I am many miles and hours away from my sister-in-law but she is on my mind very much. I wish only the best for her, for improvements each day, less pain and a better appetite. Some families are so blessed by the people who marry into them. Such is the case with our dear Pat, she has graced our family with her special ways, her peaceful, sweet, generous nature. Yes, I think of her as she is on my mind and in my heart always.

Turning Sixty

There are just some things we can't stop and having birthday's is one of them. Time marches on, sometimes too slowly like when waiting for our first grandchild to be born, or too quickly when said grandchild starts to grow.

This year my dear husband turns sixty! It's hard to believe how fast the years have gone by. I'd like to put the brakes on for awhile and slow down time. We have a lot ahead of us, renovating our farmhouse in Prince Edward Island so we will need to be strong and healthy. It's so easy to start thinking: "If only".. If only we could have purchased our dream place on the island twenty years ago, or if only we could have met twenty-five years ago instead of fourteen. If only we could win the lottery!! Yes, there are a lot of "if only's" to think upon but we are where we are meant to be, as it was all the events prior to this time that set the stage for where we are now. Get's confusing doesn't it?

We have so much to be grateful for, we now have our retirement place to dream about and plan for, we have our first grandchild, baby Claire and we only live an hour's drive away from her. My husband has two healthy, grown adult children, as do I. We have hobbies that we enjoy, a warm house to live in, plenty of clothes to wear and food to eat. Friends to go dancing with on Friday nights and with computers and email, we are well connected with family living many miles away.

My husband doesn't want a birthday bash, but I have other ideas. It won't be a huge event as we have a small house but in August the weather is usually wonderful so we can eat and mingle outside. It just seems like such a special day that I can't let it pass without some hoopla...and making his favorite chocolate cake for the occasion.

I couldn't begin to write about all the adventures my hubby has packed into nearly sixty years already but being a prolific reader with a fondness for science fiction I can put into print he wouldn't be disappointed if he was ever "beamed up"..but I've told him over and over I'm not going with him..nor would I appreciate him looking me up if he comes back! He likes to tease me when we are out walking at night by saying "beam me up Scottie, beam me up!"..it's at that point I walk quickly over to the other side of the road..I'm not taking any chances!!

All kidding aside, how lovely to have spent nearly fourteen years together and to look forward to celebrating this milestone together this August. I look forward to many more special occasions and celebrations together as we travel down the laneway of life together, perhaps him on one side of the road and me on the other :)

Our Nine Month Wait Is Over

My husband and I are very excited. We are nearly floating off the ground with happiness. We have just become grandparents for the very first time. We have an addition to our family, a beautiful new baby girl. My husband's daughter and her husband who were married in Cuba last year, another exciting event and a trip we very much enjoyed presented us with our wee treasure this past Monday in late afternoon. That tremendous news put a sparkle into our dreary winter day.

It's been a long time since I've held such a precious bundle in my arms. I have two nephews who live quite a few miles from us that have had babies in recent years but I wasn't able to hold them after birth. My neighbours next door have had three new grandchildren and I've watched envious at times, the fun they have had with their new babies also now growing up and running around. So when my husband decided we would venture down to the hospital an hour's drive from our home that very same evening it didn't take me long to get organized.

I had to turn off the stove where I was cooking potatoes and turnips for supper. Have him carve up one of the two chickens I had just finished roasting and delve into making sandwiches. I even made a couple for the new father as we had talked to him on his cell phone and he was quite pleased to know food was on it's way. We drove as quickly as was safe and arrived at the hospital around seven-thirty p.m. Up we went in the elevator to the fourth floor and pushed the buzzer to be let into the maternity area. Down the winding hall we walked, getting more excited by the minute. Which room was hers?

We heard some babies weak little cries but our baby was sleeping soundly. What a beauty she is. Such a lovely pink complexion, the tiniest eye lashes laying on rosy cheeks, even a lovely head of hair. Maybe not enough for a bow yet, but it will grow..I thought as I saw her for the first time of the miracle of life, how as I did over forty years ago carry a baby for nine months, then this wonder, this miracle appears with ten fingers and ten toes all so perfect.

I thought of the word "swaddling" as I saw how our little princess was all wrapped up like a package in white cotton blankets. Underneath all that wrapping was a pink outfit, the color suiting her perfectly. She yawned, she blew a few bubbles, once we thought we were in for a sympathy cry as the babies around her were stretching their lungs, but our dear one just twisted up her face a bit and blithely slept on.

What a treat to hold her close to my chest, kiss her tiny head and wonder at all the great times that lay ahead. How we will grin and giggle over her every expression, taking picture after picture, filling an album before she reaches her first birthday. I've already pictured her in my mind feeding the fish in our pond. We are waiting on a name, several have been mentioned as we are also anxious to see her open her eyes and let us see another side of her personality.

Wonderous times lay ahead, being a grandparent is a joy I didn't know I'd get to experience and now that it's here I know what my friends were talking about when they said: "you'll just love it, there's nothing like it!" My husband is so looking forward to the day we can have her here for a whole day, just to ourselves. Today the snow is swirling down, the wind is howling, making the snow fly around in blizzard conditions. But I'm inside, warm and comfortable, dreaming of this new blessing which has grown our family. Anticipating the moment I can kiss those little hands and hold her once again, perhaps telling her stories of my garden and letting her know I won't get upset if she picks all the heads off my tulips so she can give "mommy" a pretty bouquet next spring. Lots of fun and adventures ahead, we can hardly wait!

Our Very Own Woods and Magical Stream

I'm a towny, always have been except for a few years living in a very small village as a young child. I'm used to being able to walk downtown whenever I need to for a shopping fix. I'm also now able to walk to a coffee shop, Wal-Mart and Home Depot due to the land being available at our end of town. It usually takes me twenty-five minutes to walk to the bridge over the river downtown and from there I can access my doctor's office, dentist's office and my optometrist all within another ten minutes or so. I have even ventured on occasion to walk all the way to our Zellars Store at the opposite end of town but it's a feat I don't tackle anymore. There are many hills in this town, some very steep and if I can avoid them I do.

This past weekend the temperature here has been minus 26 degrees with the wind chill making it feel like -37. Since I find that way too cold to go walking outside I have set up a jigsaw puzzle to challenge me. Actually I'm on my third one, they all involved flowers of some description. These flower puzzles made me think of spring and spring made me think of May, the month we hope to return to Prince Edward Island to start our renovating process on our over seventy year farmhouse.

Thinking of our farmhouse put me in mind of our wonderful property. To some it might look like just a bunch of fields bordered by trees. In the spring the fields will be planted in potatoes but to an old towny like me it looks like paradise. To think my husband and I own all those fields and the long, deep woods behind them is so exciting to me. Last year along with my sister-in-law and her husband we grabbed a pair of long handled loppers, a small axe and headed into the woods. Several of the first dozen trees had a yellow plastic ribbon tied around them so we figured that's the trail to follow. It was tough going after awhile. It was very dense with small trees trying to reach towards the light of the sun, dead trees, old logs plus branches reaching out to halt our progress.

But the charm of the woods was the lovely, deep moss covering the forest floor, hearing the birds sing and finding all sorts of different mushrooms, none of which we knew. One particular mushroom has the reddest top I've ever seen. It was so beautiful. Jim's brother placed it on a tree branch so we could get a good photo of it. We knew from the deeds of the property that there were several streams on the property. Plus the owner had told us as a small child she fell into one. We tramped through the dense woods for nearly two miles it seemed, ducking here, dodging there to escape a branch in the head. One small clearing made me exclaim with joy as there were stately maples growing there. Some small enough I hope to dig up and transplant later.

When we finally reached what we thought should be a stream it seemed to be dried up, no water was flowing but the moss was very spongy and wet. We trekked on, up hill and down dale and finally found the most magical little stream I've seen in a long time. I was beside myself with joy. Bouncing around with delight at this narrow little stream with clear, sparkling water flowing ever so bravely on. I suppose to some it wouldn't look like much, but I have a vision of fairies dancing there in the sunlight when no one is around. I envisioned cleaning up the stream, pulling out soggy logs and branches, clearing vegetation away near the edge and even putting little benches here and there to sit on someday.

There will be so little time to go exploring in the woods over the next few years as we renovate the house and barns but hopefully we can set aside one day each summer to go exploring. Even the fact I caught my right foot under a log and fell headfirst on the soft, cushiony moss, really hurting my foot and ankle won't deter me from searching out treasures in the woods again. I was limping for several weeks and lucky I didn't break my ankle so instead of looking UP next time I will try and look for twisting roots or old logs that want to trip me up.

I shall feel like Anne of Green Gables or the Girl of the Limberlost when entering my dear woods. Loving, admiring every tree and bush. Listening for the birds and marveling at Mother Nature's bounty and goodness to a towny part of the year and a bonafide "country girl" the few weeks we get to spend on the island until we retire there permanently.

One of Mother's Greatest Gifts To Me

My Mother was a very talented woman. She was a writer or author as she had many stories published during her "writing" years. I inherited a small bit of her writing talent as I'm now writing my Memoirs and leading a group at our town library who are writing theirs.

Edith, my mother was also in my opinion a very talented artist. Her medium of choice was watercolours. When she passed on, all of her five children inherited at least three or more of her framed or unframed paintings. Mine hold pride of place in my guest room, living-room and bedroom. I had also hoped to inherit some of her talent for doing watercolors, having purchased many books on the subject. I have taken lessons on occasion to learn better the technique but finding the time seems to allude me. I am not the best organizer of my time.

Something I did inherit from my mother was her love of puttering. A whole day can pass by with me wondering at the end of it what on earth I accomplished. I was in every room of the house and opened drawers and put things here and there but what the heck, I had fun.

If I had to mention the one gift that my mother passed on to me that I perhaps treasure above all others, besides the love of flowers, birds, quilts, photos, magazines, love of old movies etc., it would be the love of reading. It started because she read to me as a child when we lived in a huge, rambling yellow brick house in the village of Burgessville. A salesman came to the door one day who was selling children's books. Those books were called "Uncle Arthur's Bedtime Stories". Mother ended up buying the whole series I expect, the salesmen back then were very persistant. They were numerous too and often came to the door, something I'm not sorry to see has changed over the years. She was so overcome one day by a pushy salesman, I had to run down to the C0-0p building where which my father managed to tell him to come home quickly so he could tell this man to leave our premises. Which he promptly did.

Mother started reading to me story after story from these bedtime books. Having a vivid imagination even at a tender age I could place myself in these stories most of which had a moral. Did mother have a motive for reading certain stories to me? Perhaps. There were black and white pictures in those books which I would look upon for hours also. Our village was very small, there were two garages across from each other and two general stores. The one store though had a magic place upstairs at the back. We would walk along a narrow sidewalk and open a door and climb up many, many stairs. At the top was a long, narrow room but it was filled with treasure. It was a very small but exciting library. Imagine a person a small as me could borrow books, read them and then take them back for more! Life couldn't get any better.

Then as I grew older and got an allowance I discovered comic books. Not just any comic books but big, thick Historical comic books and then romantic ones or just plain funny ones. I had a friend who lived five miles away in Norwich and her and her brother had boxes of them out in their front porch under the couch. I had struck gold! I was allowed to take some home, then after reading them bring them back. The library in Norwich was also a treasure-trove where I met Lucy Maud Montgomery and fell in love with Anne of Green Gables. You wouldn't want to know how many of her books I have on my book shelves. Then I fell in love later on with an author I'm now rereading Gene Stratton-Porter who wrote Freckles, Laddie and my favorite book of all time "Girl of the Limberlost". (well actually I have hundreds of favorite books).

Often at the library there were books which became torn, faded and too old to keep on the shelves. It was our family's good fortune that mother just happened to be the librarian. One day she brought me my most treasured book, a faded old ragged copy of "Girl of the Limberlost". I was transported into another world, a world so filled with nature as I didn't want to leave it. I think my gardening gene must have been formed into a little bud that day, later to burst forth into an all out explosion of activity each spring and summer. If I were to admit to addictions, they would be reading and gardening.

I realized today I don't have all of Gene Stratton-Porter's books so the hunt will now be on to try and find those treasures written back in the 1900's if at all possible. I have written down all the titles I can find and who printed them. Now I will hunt in dusty little book stores whenever I find myself in towns where such a thing exists. Perhaps I'll email some of literary book hunters in the family to be on the look-out as they live in a bigger city where a treasure-trove of book stores must exist. I hope as I sit each morning enjoying my coffee inside in winter or outside on my back deck in the summer reading away for an hour before starting my puttering, that mother is looking down on me, smiling and reminiscing about all the glorious books she read, knowing my time is well spent.

I Have A Dream, A Five Year Dream

A one year dream does not seem like a long time to keep alive. Everyone knows how fast a year goes by, the older we get, the faster it goes by, like a blink of an eye. A five year dream on the other hand might sound like a very long time and I don't want to wish my life away. So the plans that I have for that dream to come true will be broken up into a year a time. Perhaps even a summer at a time. Our three weeks holidays each year.





My dream as does my husband's dream involves the property and buildings we purchased in Prince Edward Island this past November. In the photo above blissfully running through one of our fields are the two children of my husband's niece from Nova Scotia. Their mother is probably inside the farmhouse at the time, wandering from room to room making plans in her head as to what should go where..her children without a care in the world are having a delightful time running, jumping, falling down and getting back up again to do it all over again.





As I was fortunate enough to be in P.E.I. for three weeks in November I spent many hours at our new place, planning, dreaming, renovation by knocking down walls and later drawing diagram after diagram of room plans, trying to decided what would be best where. Not all of my time was concentrated however on the inside of the house but I also walked the perimeter of the front and back yard thinking where a good spot might be for the vegetable garden, where we will dig in our fish pond from here, planning my iris bed, where masses of daylilies would look good etc. My eye went to the very large field to the left of the house and in my mind's eye I saw a very large, grassed and treed park.





The field is presently planted in winter rye and will be planted with potatoes in the spring, by a farmer down the road we are allowing to use all our fields for potoates. After all we need to keep the fields plowed so the spruce trees wouldn't take over. We have lots of woods and trees on our 35 acres so we really don't need more spruce. Our land is bordered on three sides by trees, blueberry bushes, wild roses, the odd apple tree and it will be my delight to walk around our land in the spring and discover even more species of trees. Being thrilled by the fact different varities of birds will make their homes in them especially after I put up many bird houses that my brother will make for me.





As I looked at the field I could see new trees growing there, red maple, sugar maples, plus many of the types of trees I'd love to plant here in Muskoka but have no room for in our smaller yard. Considering our yard is small I do have forsythia, varigated dogwood, a dwarf lilac, three boxwood, nesting spruce, a red maple and sugar maple plus a mountain ash, several bayberry bushes and an old crabapple tree that was here when we moved here. So you can imagine how many varities I will want to plant where I have lots and lots of room to play with.





My brother-in-law who has lived on the island for at least ten years now and has more acreage than we have likes to keep telling me how long it will take to cut the lawn on such a large portion of land. But I tend not to get discouraged, as I dream big and bold. An important part of that dream is finding a big old tractor with lots of miles left on it to cut the grass around all those many wonderous trees, dappling the grass in the sunshine.





Those delightful children running through that field that sunny but cool day cemented in my mind that I was on the right track. They ran from one side of the field to the other, where they were stopped by our border of trees. They laughed, giggled and played so carefree and happy. Would that I could give that joy to many more children, let them roam and run, resting on little benches my husband will make nestled under the shade of a growing, handsome tree. Under the watchful eyes of parents who might be resting on our porch or deck, whatever we decide to build on that side of the house, or perhaps walking with ease across the dappled lawns themselves. Even better perhaps running along with their children or chasing them here and there among the trees. This is the vision I see with clarity on these cold winter days here in Muskoka. Hoping against hope five years with be just enough time to watch this dream turn into a reality.