Elkhorn revisited

Well, I finally returned to Elkhorn and stopped just before sunset in the little cemetary where Mom and Dad were laid to rest. I wasn't sure how I would feel as I hadn't been there since before Dad passed away. I have a sense of calm. The cemetary itself is so well kept and respected. Dad had taken his scooter downtown in Virden one day and picked out the headstone himself. He had spent much time thinking of what to write for Mom and came up with a etched picture of a rose and the statement "Always Kindly Remembered" That could be read two ways and is appropriate either way. For himself, he had chosen an etched picture of the Bible and before he passed away we told him we had chosen "Blessed are the peacemakers" which ended up shortened to "Peacemaker" and he had been pleased. Their little house in town still boasts a big garden, Mom would have liked that. The chaos of the rest of the yard just restated to me that Manley and Grace don't live here anymore. As we wandered around the cemetary I was reminded of old friends and familiar names and of life being brief with many paths that cross perhaps only once. In comparing headstones I could see that Dad had chosen well. They are memorialized in simplicity and dignity with the polished headstone but remembered so large in our hearts and memories that it takes all of us to do it. Thankyou God for the chance to go back and for your gift to me of such loving parents.

Summer Days!

We just returned from camping with family and friends at Palliser Provincial Park, Riverhurst. We had connecting campsites and a family size table in the middle. It came complete with bunnies and squirrels to amuse the kids and cute kids to amuse the adults! We were missing Stephen, but he comes north to visit for a week in August. We enjoyed the sandy shore of Lake Deifenbaker and spent hot days cooling off wading in the water. Here are a few fun pictures of the family. We were joined by Lynn and Emma Orr and Rob and Diane Waddell and their kids. We used the deisel truck to pack up all the gear we believed necessary. We had retired Warren's 1.4million kilometer truck to the farm and decided it was time to take it on vacation :-)

Sunny days

Here we are, July 2nd! Time has been flying by and it will be harvest before we know. It has been an eventful summer already. We have had beautiful rain to make the crop and countryside a lovely shade of green! The heat has come now so we're hoping it doesn't dry up this crop before it's ready. We're not spraying chickpeas every 7-10 days this summer so it had feels like we actually have a "little breather" between seeding and harvest.

We have been to Saskatoon a couple of times to check on our family. We are waiting on two new babies. Monica and Roy in Oct and Melissa and Robert in February. We are enjoying Linaya and Josiah SO much. They just make us smile!!! Josiah is among the small percentage of kids who gets seizures with a sudden fever so we just hate it for him when that happens. The good news is that he has had the tests to assure everyone that it's nothing serious that he won't grow out of, but it's still not pleasant.

Our family is going camping this week so that should be a good "photo opp". We're meeting on the shores of Lake Deifenbaker and will have a family group of about 6 tents for a few days. Stephen doesn't get in on it this time as he's arriving home for a visit in August.

We have seen two fireworks displays. Good ol' Shamrock park still is our favorite! We are so grateful to live in Canada. It is worth celebrating!!!