Watching the weather news at 6pm last night, they said the storms were to the south and east of us. We would miss out on the rain as it was headed elsewhere. Boy, were they wrong (again)!

I decided to water the plants by the house (since we weren't getting any rain) and had just finished when a few drops started to fall. "Hmmm", I said, thinking "we weren't supposed to get rain" and then as I was winding up the hose, it just poured!!!!!! The streets were full of water and it kept coming. That was the most we had at one time, for a long time! The wind picked up later and dried the streets and our back deck which was soaked and this morning it is still windy and the rain is 'long gone'.

The evening sky after the rain was something else though! Beautiful! Enjoy!!



Western sky after the rainfall - 9:30 pm




11 pm at night - clearing sky



Late...not Latte

We've been planning our summer vacation for awhile now. It has been cemented in my mind that we were headed to Radium to enjoy 'the heat' there. We've been there a few years in a row and I really like it. Well, that idea has been in my mind since last year. Then our daughter called to ask us to join them in BC to camp for a week which didn't correspond exactly with what our plans were but we love our grandkids and of course our daughter and son-in-law, so we tweeked our dates a bit. I guess it was only in my head that I did that as last night it 'came to me' that I had not actually confirmed our reservations at Radium.

So...on to the computer we went. Of course you know that we did not get the location we wanted, or even the type of camping we are starting to get accustomed to with our new trailer!  For a few days, we will be without a fire pit, but we will have electricity. So much for water, sewer, fire pit and electricity in one package! Early bird gets the worm!!

We did book it so it's not like we didn't get in at all but it just bugs me to no end that I didn't do it when I was going to do it. That seems to happen more often now. If I don't do it when I think of it, consider it 'undone' or...too late!

I know we will have a good time anyway. Once you get set up (no matter where you are) that becomes 'home sweet home' so I am not really worried. Just a little disappointed. Oh well...there's always next year!

Great Camping

We had a great week of camping. It had been raining before we arrived so the wood was wet and old. They had the new stuff fenced in and wanted us to use up the old first. By the end of this month, it will be good wood - but right now - it's pretty wet and rotten.

Nevertheless, it was a good time. A bit smoky to start ...

 but eventually it was going and we were enjoying the ambience of a fire!

The sites were large and well treed offering lots of privacy. We really enjoyed it and will go back again. We also enjoyed electricity and I can't say enough about having lights and hot water when you want them - but the best is ....yes you have guessed it ....our own washroom WHENEVER I wanted it!! Have I said how much I love our new trailer?

There were amazing trails around the lake and also through the camp ground circles. The trail went diagonally through each loop allowing you to move freely through the different loops instead of having to go around each circle.

There was also a separate trail that went closer to the lake.

We did some touring around the area and enjoyed visiting a few towns. We were searching for Farmers' Markets but didn't find any this time. 

We did make it to Heinsburg and Dewberry, as well as Marwayne (customer appreciation day so we got hamburgers & coffee for free).



Although when we first arrived at the camp there were no mosquitos around, we did find them when we took to the trails. I now count 20 bites on one leg  (and good sized ones too) and 14 on the other. I wore shorts-  as it was hot. Big mistake. Oh well.

Our neighbors arrived on Friday and we had a lot of good laughs, enjoyable meals and great hikes. The weather was so good you couldn't complain - except it was hot! Oh...I guess that sounds like a complaint. It wasn't!! We had our air conditioner on to cool down the trailer but we tried to be reasonable and only cooled down the unit and then turned it off. Natural air is always better if you can stand it. At night, it cooled down without any help and we were glad for our regular down camping bag on our bed.

Lastly, or should I say, firstly, there's nothing like the first cup of coffee in the morning around the fire! Bacon & eggs has a special taste too. It doesn't get any better than this!

One More Sleep

We're getting excited about going camping. Even though the weather has been unsettled, it has still offered sunshine (then rain) but more sunshine (with a little more rain) but then out came the sun (with a few sunshowers) but then it dried up and was sunny again! You get the picture!

We are packing up the trailer which used to be a lot easier as we could only take so much. Now it seems I am 'in and out' of the trailer 'up and down' the steps and 'back and forth' into the house to get things organized. I think we still need a few days of camping IN the trailer before I know for sure what I need and where it will go.

I was thinking of putting up a mirror on the bathroom door so I can do my hair but since the trailer is NEW, we don't want to make any holes, scratches, or marks on it (yet)!  I would hate to put up the mirrow and then decide it would have been better on a different wall. So...I will first 'try it out' this week and see how it goes.

One of our favourite lines since we got the trailer is that 'if it rains, we can go always inside'.  Even when it rained when we had the tent-trailer, we were always 'outside' - usually under the awning (which we now have a HUGE awning on the trailer) or we went for a walk, went for a drive...there's always something to do. On rainy days, that's the best time to check out the little towns in the area and do some 'shopping'!! You find your best buys in the little towns.

One more sleep and then we are 'out in the woods'!!!

Good News

I got my car back and it is in good working order. Yipee. There was only a wiring problem (why didn't the last guys find this?) and they topped up my freon as well. So, what does a couple of hundred buy these days?!


Obviously, not this number but it feels like that to me. It is so nice to have my car back and working!

The weather has cleared up a bit too. It has been raining on and off all day. I did get a lot of work done at home but I'm now ready for a nice bbq tonite with friends. Life is good.

Air Conditioning

I'm taking my car in to have the air conditioning checked out. Hopefully, it will be something 'small' they can take care of without much work. Of course, that is hopeful thinking, right?! I have to drop it off and they will call me. I never like those scenarios. I like to be 'standing by' when they see a problem so I can 'see for myself'.

However, I guess today I will have to make the decision over the phone. I have no clue as to how much a new system would cost me or how much 'repairs' would be instead. 2 years ago I simply had freon added and they told me I must have a leak and that I would likely have to add more at some point in the future. Perhaps it will be cheaper to just do that every year as opposed to fixing or replacing? Well, that is what I want to know...the cost for each.

In the old days, we used to drive without air conditioning. I remember travelling across Canada with the windows wide open to get some fresh air. It would be hot and the sound of the wind would muffle our conversation. We used to stick our hands out the window and pretend our hand could fly and move it up and down and up and down! In those days, I wasn't worrying about my hair being blown all over the place with the window open. It was a necessity to get fresh air! Oh yeah, those were the days I used to crawl over the front seat to visit mom and dad and then crawl back over again to play in the back seat! I don't envy the kids today sitting quietly and restrained in car seats. I think life was better back then! My dad made a bench that would fit over the bump on the floor and was the same height as the seat so that we could put a blanket over it and we had the whole back seat, door to door, to play on. We could do sommersaults if we wanted! That's another story.

Anyway, back to waiting to hear about my car.

And the Rain Came Down

It's pouring outside and cool inside too. The weather turned nasty on us so it is a good day to lounge around and read or watch tv. I really should be ironing as I did a wash yesterday but instead I will spend a few minutes on the computer. I love sitting at my computer at the kitchen counter and looking out my full glass garden door onto the back deck and yard. The rain is coming down hard and the grass is loving it!

My favourite spot



Raining hard

 It is supposed to rain all this week and I am sure by the end of it, we will be so happy to see sunshine again. However, we do need the rain so I will just enjoy the lushness that it is bringing to our lawns and trees for now.

We had an interesting sermon this morning. It was titled "When Life Gives You Lemons". I am sure many people know the expression that when lives gives you lemons, make lemonade but that is NOT the message of this sermon. The theme of this one is that the teaching that is least attractive to you is often the one you need most. Reading from the old testament book of Nehemiah 1:1-2:5 we discern that lemons can be inherited (meaning it wasn't his fault but rather, the actions of his ancestors which resulted in him being born into slavery). Our reality is often unfair. The big mistake we often make is to get bitter over it. In many circumstances, life could be easier if you didn't care - but if you do...eg. if you care enough to get involved, you may find yourself cultivating lemons for yourself.  Sometimes our consumerism attitude in North America causes us to believe in some sort of entitlement - "not in my backyard".

Romans 12:18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.  Granted, some things and people are beyond our control. Some people won't like you for who you are or what you stand for or for no good reason at all. However, don't be like them.

You can catch the whole sermon at http://www.mwpa.com/ (click Change Point 1, Listen, Sunday Sermons, Audio Messages, Life as We Know It, When Life Gives You Lemons, June 10). It may not be uploaded till Monday but check it out later.

The other thing we are planning is our next trip in our new trailer. I said to John last night that our neighbors must wonder about us. We go out and buy this unit and then it sits in our drive-way. They must wonder when we are going to actually use it!!  Well, that would be in the next few weeks when we are slated to go for a short trip. We are so looking forward to it. Hopefully the weather will be nice (no rain). Just a few days ago, the Parks people emailed us to tell us there was a fire ban in the park we were booked at. We just got a new email telling us the ban was lifted! Great news. No fires in the area but Rain, rain, go away...or at least be gone by the time we head out on our trip!




A few days ago in the sunshine...



A BIG Thanks

I just want to thank the person 'out there' who found my purse and delivered it (intact) to the Costco store which I had been shopping at yesterday.

Yes, it was one of those days where I was rushing around and the last thing I wanted to do was shop at Costco. The line-ups were long and I only had a few items. Finally, upon completing the shopping list, I went to my car and put my groceries in the trunk and then proceeded to stack the grocery carts together instead of leaving them all askew in the parking lot. (I do that in shopping centres when I see clothes on the floor, hangars out of sequence and often I fold sweaters as well). Without really thinking too much about it, I guess I had placed my purse in the seat of the cart and then pulled the three carts together and promptly walked away and got into my car.

Upon arriving at the next shop about 2 miles away, I parked the car and absentmindedly reached for my purse which of course was NOT there. Oh my gosh! I looked on the floor, in the backseat, got out and looked into the trunk (twice) and in the backseat again and on the floor in the front passenger side...full well knowing (in the back of my mind) that I had left it in the shopping cart at Costco!

I raced back to the store and to the exact location where I had parked. The grocery carts were still there - all three of them, packed nicely together as I had left them. One difference....no purse! My heart raced. As I headed toward the store doors, I offered up this prayer: "Please God, may some honest individual be the one to find my purse and turn it in."  As I stood second in line at the admin office, I spotted an employee talking on the phone. "Oh, that she could be calling my home about my purse" I thought to myself. As the woman in front of me proceeded to the desk, I noticed a brown purse sitting on the counter. I uttered softly under my breath "That's my purse". She turned and looked at me with a question on her face saying "Is that your purse?" to which I replied "YES!"  You cannot imagine how relieved I was! The woman on the phone WAS speaking to my husband and had left a message for me to call the store. She told me that she did not tell him the reason for her call. I guess that meant I could keep this as 'my little secret'!  But you know what? I was so happy to get that purse back (with all my credit cards and money inside) that I felt like screaming it out to the world that there ARE honest people still around! Thank you ' whoever YOU are! God bless you for being honest and turning in my purse. I look forward to 'paying it forward' in whatever way that turns out to be.

Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you.

Food for Thought

I was speaking to some friends recently who have aging parents. The emotional rollercoaster that they are on is not unusual, as it seems we all have been or will be on it ourselves one day. One friend said to their parent "What do you mean this 'aging' came as a surprise to you? Did you never think about what you would do when you were older?" and the reply came as "No. It has all come too fast."

Too fast. When you are 12 and waiting to become a 'teenager' it seems like it will never arrive. Or when you are waiting to turn 16 so you can go for your drivers' licence or turn 18 to be of legal drinking age. 21 used to be the legal voting age (and drinking age in my day). We always seems to be waiting to get older and when it finally arrives, well, as my friend's parent said "It has all come too fast".

As we each discuss the situation that many middle-agers or baby-boomers are now in with their aging parents, we should realize that we are nearing the top of the hill ourselves. But...do we think of making changes right now? Do we consider downsizing or putting away finances to cover our hospital or nursing home expenses of the future? Do we think government will cover all that for us? I doubt it. I doubt there will be a nursing home or age-in-place facility that will suit us or meet our expectations. I think we are ALL going to be in for a big surprise and it ain't gonna be pleasant!!

Having raised these questions, I do not have the answers. Both my parents are now gone. In our story, we did 'add the railings in the bathroom, the support railings along the hallways and steps', and then, when my dad died, we cleaned out the basement and cleared away things for my mom, until we finally had to move her out of her home and into a new city to be near someone who could look after her, take her to appointments and be near her for that time when her life would be in jeopardy as well.

Having gone through it, and realizing that as I get older, I too should be making changes in my life to help our daughter be less impacted by our health and personal situation in the future. But what does that mean? What does that look like? Isn't that a long way off yet? Aren't I too young to be looking at lodges or retirement villas? Even my 103 year old mother-in-law said that the lodge she moved into had only old people in it. She was 95 at the time and thought that 80 and 85 year olds were old but she didn't think that 'she' was one of them!  I guess we all feel that way.

Since we are now living longer than the 'old statistics' of our parents, perhaps this will soon become a standard "to-do" thing for the future. It will be part of our checklist as we are not going to want to settle for a little 8x10 room with a tiny bathroom attached or even shared. We will want our own 'area' to be just like home (whatever that means to us individually) and we won't be so willing to be 'moved' as we have moved our parents and grandparents.  It is a moment of recognition that we do not live forever and our time is coming.

Eccles 7:2 Death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to heart.

JUNE

Well, today is the first of June and I was remembering that as a kid, I was excited for the month of June. It meant 'wind'up' for the school year. Usually we were finished with our subjects and were doing 'review'. I loved review. It meant, I could pick up anything that I had missed on the first 'go-around'. You could ask questions in a general sense and get a specific answer for that question you were always wondering about but everyone said they understood so you never brought it up again! June is when you found out all the answers!! At least in my world.




I loved June as you got to go through your scribblers and text books again to review your work. I loved re-reading what I had written. Maybe that sounds a bit - what's the word? - ecocentric - but actually, it was more that I better understood the info the second time-around! I do remember thinking that I really enjoyed reading the text books and why didn't I pay more attention the first time. I liked re-organizing my papers and putting them in neat order. I probably spent more time 'organizing' than I did actually studying! I know that anyone who knows me now would likely say 'Oh, that's why you are the way you are today'!



So, June now is not only a beautiful month but I can actually enjoy it and not worry about 'writing exams' anymore. I get to appreciate it and as I look at the kids heading off to school (to write exams), I can sympathize but enjoy my walk down 'memory lane' as well. The birds are singing, the flowers are growing, the grass is turning green and one more school year is drawing to a close. It's too bad the kids can't appreciate it in the moment but have to wait forty years and 'look back'. Ah life....ain't it grand!