This morning Ladger and I headed to church for a church membership class. It was really awesome!
And then as it was 12:30, we figured we may as well eat in town as no doubt the boys would be half way through their meal with Grandma and Grandpa. Ladger was in a hurry because he wanted to basically go home and jump straight on the combine.

So all was going well until I walked in the door to pick up the boys and found things in an uproar. Rory had picked up the ear infection that Paxton had a few days ago and had a fever.
I suspected it might develop but as he was fine this morning, I wasn't too uncomfortable leaving them. But my m-i-l really worries when the boys pick up the least thing and she was wanting me to head straight to the hospital and meanwhile I'm trying to assess how bad things really are. Meanwhile, she had cooked dinner for Ladger and I (without mentioning it) and so they were still waiting for us to come home to eat (1:30 pm). So everything was in a bit of a flap. I got the boys home, gave Rory some Tylenol and had quite a time settling him down as he was crying that he had to go to the doctor. I can just imagine how scared he must have been with Grandma telling us how sick he was, how he likely had something like Typhoid and how we needed to rush him to the doctor,etc, etc. And she gets upset with me because in her opinion I don't dress the boys warm enough, I don't take them to the hospital often enough, I made Rory walk home when he was feeling so sick and so on. I couldn't carry Rory because I was already carrying Paxton and I'm a big believer in fresh air being a good healthy thing anyway. He felt better by the time we got home (except upset about needing to go to the doctor) and started playing with toys as soon as we got in and he settled down a bit. Anyhow, now my boys are fast asleep and it's time for me to get at some work until they get up and need me once again. Being a Mom has its trying moments!

Lookin' Up to Grandpa!

Our province has a lot of First Nations folks and it seems their population is increasing as fast as the rest of the population is decreasing. It seems these days that most college students are drawn to greener pastures (jobs for one thing). So we would like to see more of our First Nations join mainstream society. No problem...but, some strategist came up with the brilliant idea to give them the rights to build casinos throughout our province as a way for them to generate their own revenue and become self-sufficient. Who but government would support profiting from our vices? And so our city is now getting one. And we don't want it. However because I live outside the city, I didn't get a vote on it. We read in the local paper that we are so fortunate; that money will be coming into our community; that we will benefit from this endeavor. Who are we all kidding? Our town is not a tourist destination - who would travel from afar just for the privilege of coming to 'our' casino? And why do we think there will be any money going to the community? As I see it, people will come and stay at the hotel, play their games, lose their money and eat in the restaurant in the casino. This sounds like a direct competition with our existing hotels and restaurants; not exactly what they're promising! That doesn't even begin to mention the concern of the types of people we may start attracting to our sleepy, quiet town. And we all know that many who will frequent this place can't afford to spend the money there that they will... so we're talking more domestic problems, more poverty and more broken lives - a real boost to our community indeed! Come on....can't anyone come up with a better alternative to support our First Nations people in breaking their own cycles of poverty, addictions, etc without giving them another vice to 'capitalize' on?? Do we really need a casino in every little town in Saskatchewan?

10 days ago it started snowing and we've had cold and snow ever since. We still have many acres left to harvest and so it's been a bit tense not knowing if those acres were going to be a total loss. Well the last few days have seen a bit warmer weather and the snow has melted (most of it) and today Ladger is combining. It's awesome to hear the trucks going back and forth. God is so good!! We're just so thankful for every bit more that goes in the bin.

I love going to church....especially lately.
Our service is divided in half with a coffee time in between so we keep the boys with us for the first half and then Rory goes to Sunday School and Paxton goes to the nursery for the second half. And Paxton stays in the nursery without being upset, unlike Rory at that age. So I've been able to sit through entire messages and I'm lovin' it!

Here's some of what I've been pondering from our last message. Pastor John said,

"God's will for us is exactly what we would choose if we knew all the facts."

I think we do not trust God's goodness. We know in our heads that He is good but in our hearts....we wonder. What would it be like to really abandon ourselves to Him; giving up complete control of our lives? Most of us try to hang on to the control of our lives and it is a constant struggle because we're not really willing to give it up. But therein is the lie. Where do we get the idea we're in control of anything? So much of life is out of our hands regardless of what we like to think. So really faith is stepping out and trusting in the goodness of God. And here's the interesting part: once we step out on the limb of faith, we encounter a God who loves us so much and desires a relationship with us. And as that relationship grows and we begin to see the goodness of God, we learn to trust and to rest in His goodness. And our lives become a process of transformation. The goal is clear - we are to become like Him; completely impossible without His help. The key to that transformation is repentance. Repentance is not about feeling bad or guilty as much as it's about changing. As Pastor John said: When we repent, we change what we think about God, about our sin and about ourselves. It's a letting go of our own desires and holding on to what God has for us. And what He offers is so far beyond what anything else in this world has to offer; no comparison. I know what choice I've made. I have the freedom to repent. That's quite the freedom to be excited about. Not exactly one of the freedoms we generally consider being invaluable like freedom of speech, freedom to choose, etc. But freedom to repent means that no matter how far off track I go, God is constantly working in me to bring good from what is not.

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him.."
Rom 8:28

Last night I was kept quite busy bathing the boys and then cutting their hair. I have to be quick to cut those boys' hair because they won't sit still. I did good with Paxton (missed a few stray hairs) but by the time I got to Rory, I was in too much of a hurry and took a small gouge out of the top of his ear with my scissors - Ouch!! He says he told his Sunday School class about it and everyone laughed. Yikes - I'm going to get the prize for the worst Mom ever!

On Tuesday, I went to MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) and we spent the morning talking about our different personalities after taking this test . I've taken it before and so it was no surprise that I'm a sanguine with a good dose of choleric in me too. The parts of the description that I like the best: enthusiastic and expressive; sincere at heart; turns disaster into humor. The not so great parts that go with it: messy, disorganized, naive, scares people away. In fact, the first time I met dh, I scared him away. It wasn't until we were able to have a good talk one evening that he realized there was more to me than the outgoing, crazy part that he had seen previously. He couldn't be more opposite in personality and we've become a great team! What's your personality?

Where did summer go??? Here's the front of my home. Paxton's helping me garden :-) 

Today Ladger and I and the boys headed to town so I could get my groceries. We're getting freezing rain and the roads were a little slick - but not too bad. Winter looks like it plans to stay - Ugh!

We were waiting outside the post office for Ladger when an older man walks by. "There's Mr. Huncle" says Rory. "That's not Mr. Huncle!" , I reply. So who is Mr Huncle? Mr Huncle is Uncle Bill who drove truck for us during harvest for a couple of weeks - we rented some acres from him this year and he was eager to get the chance to help out.

Rory was quite excited when he saw Ladger come from the post office with a big parcel. He seemed to know instinctively it was for him. He has the never-ending birthday celebration this year with celebrations Saturday, Monday and now Tuesday! This time it was a gift from Grammie G and he couldn't wait to get home to open it. And then he couldn't have his nap until he played with everything. So I helped him put together a Lego oil tanker and he went to his nap with it. My boys never curled up to stuffed, soft bears....no, no....it has to be hard, sharp trucks or anything else with motors or wheels. Anyway the oil tanker is a big hit as he now has the means to fuel up all his tractors and combines :-)

We went to church this morning with winter coats and boots on - Yikes! But we enjoyed it anyway. Here's a brief highlight from the message that caught my attention. The pastor spoke of God's template for our lives and views 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 as a good summary of one.

Be joyful always; Pray continually; Give thanks in all circumstances for this is
God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

Joy speaks to our relationship with each other; how highly we value others.
Prayer speaks of our relationship with God and our need for dependence on Him.
Thankfulness speaks to our circumstances; how highly we value the moment.

God delights to create order and meaning from chaos and emptiness. How empty we are when we don't like people, have no room for God and can't wait for a different circumstance because then we'll surely be happier. This is the heart of legalism as well as other things. How wonderful when instead we love people around us and find great joy in relationships; when we depend on God and find ourselves in constant communion with Him; when we enjoy the moment and find true contentment and meaning, no matter what life throws our way.

After church we went to our pastor's home for lunch and really enjoyed fellowship with them. All in all, a really great day!
Today was Rory's birthday party and we had a really good time. Only one couldn't make it because his mom was sick. But now I'm tired and wouldn't mind having a nap but since I can't do that - here I am. Maybe we can all get to bed early tonight!!

I'm four!

Today is Rory's fourth birthday and it came in with a bang!
We're getting our first snowfall today.
It's cold and miserable. The good news is that Ladger got to stay home today and we'll have his parents over for a birthday get-together later. The bad news is that we're not finished harvest yet. My brother called a few minutes ago to wish Rory well and Rory wasn't shy a bit! Really cute! But now I've got to go and pull the house together for our company later on. I stress out about having my house perfect for my in-laws more than anyone else in the world. So catch y'all later.

This is really me - combining the first harvest after getting married to my farmer. It was fun to look back through some pictures and remember those 'good old days'.  

The things I remember most from that harvest: I remember standing at a window, watching the rain and praying so hard that God would stop the rain that was destroying our crops. And the rain continued to fall.... I remember feeling desperate because most of our lentil crop was cut down and lying in the field to dry down but it kept raining and they weren't drying at all. In fact the lentil seed started sprouting there in the field. I was ready to go out and start turning swaths over by hand. Ladger laughed at me. But I was desperate. He figured out a way to do it with some other implement and that was great. And then he bought a second combine so that when we could finally combine we could go twice as fast. And just like that I was on the field driving machinery when I had no clue what I was doing. I remember moving from field to field on the dark country roads having no idea where I was going - just following the tailights from the grain truck ahead of me. I remember starting to combine a field in pitch darkness and coming to the end of my swath and had no idea where to go (Ladger had swooped in on my swath ahead of me because he knew there was a powerpole ahead that he was trying to help me avoid). So I was standing outside crying because I felt so lost. I remember a few days later going around the outside corner and hearing/feeling a tremendous crash. I felt sick wondering what I had done. I got out and one huge tire from the combine was lying off to the side - the axle had broken; nothing I had done as it turned out, but I didn't know that at the time. All the grain trucks were at the opposite end of the field along with Ladger's combine so I remember running, jumping, waving and yelling to try and get someone's attention for about half a mile before anyone saw me. Now I look back and enjoy those memories. After all we made it through that harvest. We'll make it through this one too :-D

In the wee hours of the morning, I heard Bang, Bang, Bang and sleepily thought, "Oh good, we've caught a mouse". And then as I became slightly more coherent, I thought that's a little noisy for a mouse. And then I heard the crying. And as I rushed to the boys room I realized both of them were crying. I got to the room and the door was shut, the light was on and Rory was standing on the other side wailing because he was leaking pee and couldn't get out of the room. I couldn't believe it. The reason Rory can't get out of his own bedroom with the door closed is because the door knob is missing (has been since I moved here) and it's one of those things that we've just never taken the time to fix. We can use the lock mechanism to open the door but Rory hasn't figured that one out yet so I guess later today we'll have to do show him and then it's time to buy a new door knob. I'm not sure how the door ended up shut because neither Ladger or I ever shut the door in the first place. Maybe I can blame that one on the mouse.

We have neighbors with cows on three sides of us and I don't have a single complaint - but oh, the flies. Every day I find myself swatting a bunch of them and they just keep on coming. I have to continually wash walls and windows, and vacuum up the dead and dying because I don't want any evidence of them in my sight. The scary thing is that it's almost becoming a sport at our house - yesterday I was excited when I got four in one swat. And Paxton is getting into the spirit of things (Oh yeah, I'm always washing the fly swatter too). He smacks at flies with his hand if he doesn't have the swatter. I've tried vacuuming them up but while it doesn't leave the mess, I would need a bagless one that I just dump out; they just escape out of the vacuum cleaner and visit me again. Anyway, if that's my biggest problem.........
Actually it wasn't my biggest problem. Last night Paxton threw up a few times before bedtime so he and I camped out in the living room for the night. So far no one else has shown any symptoms and Paxton seems fine today. I'm a little more tired today but there is a bright spot in kids being sick - they just want to cuddle and so I held Paxton most of the evening and into the night. He finally went to sleep and was fine after 2 am. The living room looked unbelievable though. I had medicine, extra clothes for me, extra clothes for Paxton, every extra blanket I could find, medicine, extra pillows, face cloths, etc, etc so I wouldn't be disturbing Ladger or Rory in the night. Turned out I didn't need most of it! Rory thought he was missing out on the fun and at 3 am came with his pillow and blanket to join the ranks. I sent him on to our room where he spent the rest of the night with Ladger.

Our boys are just the best! Obviously I'm biased but that's OK because I'm sure you feel the same way about your kids too. Rory is starting to sound out some simple words and is getting so independent about reading 'by himself'. It really amazes me how quickly he catches on. He's out with the 'guys' as they continue on with harvest. Paxton is just plain funny - his expressions and ., bv6 0vvhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
1000000000000000000m,4
The above is his contribution to my blog.

Yesterday, we all went to church - first time Ladger's made it in a month or so because of harvest. He decided he really needed a day of rest and fellowship at church because it's been awhile and so we really enjoyed Thanksgiving even if we didn't eat turkey and went to a buffet instead. (Needed a little more notice to defrost the old bird).

Will write a little more later but I just have to brag a little - Anonymous Cog posted my journal entry named "Oh Canada" on his own blog and gave me a very kind intro. Thanks AC! He has some excellent writing of his own - go check him out at "The Poor You Will Always Have With You"

Lucky in the Unlucky

One of Ladger's favorite phrases is how we're so often 'lucky in the unlucky'. I should ask him if that comes from a Low German phrase. As I posted yesterday, we were unlucky to wrap our unloading auger around a power pole. But we were lucky at the same time because we were able to find the part we needed and we just happened to have a bin crane on the yard. For those of you who need a little explanation: we just ordered the largest bin that's available that has a hopper bottom. A hopper bottom is a funnel shape at the bottom so there is no clean-up once it's emptied. A flat bottom bin can be a lot bigger because it doesn't need the same support but it's also more work to clean out (shoveling, sweeping, etc). Anyway, this bin we ordered is huge and the hopper came on a semi (wide load!). We had a crane to move that hopper off the truck onto our yard but it wasn't big enough to move the thing - not so lucky. That's how we happened to have a bin crane on our yard when Ladger needed it to fix the combine - very lucky. By the way, Ladger phoned an oil company to come out with their rig to move the hopper and so we're all ready to get that bin set up but.....it's the long weekend and the work guys went home. We won't be able to use that bin until Wednesday, at the earliest, and we're out of bin space so Ladger had to switch gears and we're now combining the durum. And that will go into the quonset (usually used for machinery storage). But the forecast is looking good and maybe we can get it finished up within a week!! We'll have missed Thanksgiving but we won't miss thanks-giving.

Yesterday was quite the day. It was my first day teaching at the school and it was really great to be back at it. Meanwhile, harvest is going full tilt and they had to make do without Ladger's mom driving truck (she was looking after the boys). So once I got home, I picked up the boys so she could start trucking again and made a bag lunch for Ladger and drove it out to the field without intending to stay. But Ladger encouraged me to visit for awhile so I got the boys into the combine along with myself while Ladger was unloading grain into a truck. And off we went. In all the ruckus of getting settled in a tight space and in all the talking (of which I was probably the most guilty), Ladger forgot to swing the auger back into place so it was sticking straight out at a 90 degree angle and as we went around a power pole........

schmuck!

It was a very sickening feeling as we drove the combine home to assess the damage. So Ladger started phoning about replacement parts and the main piece we needed was not available at our local dealer and with a long weekend coming up, we were concerned. A bit later, the dealer called back to say he'd located the part at a dealership in a town south and east of us by about an hour's drive. So off Ladger went and picked up the part that evening and didn't get back 'til fairly late. This morning he put it back together and he just drove off to the field. I can see him unloading into a truck from where I sit. Obviously it's working and all systems are go. We really didn't lose a lot of time considering the extent of the damage and we're feeling so blessed that it all worked out in the end.

Oh Canada

When I hear of horrors (terrorism in Beslan, Sudan attrocities, 911, widespread poverty and desperation), I cannot help but be so thankful to live in Canada. But that doesn't keep me from envisioning a different and better Canada.

We love our identity as 'peacekeepers' but we don't hate injustice and cruelty enough to fight for the oppressed in so many global situations - we think diplomacy is the answer to terror. As if we have any answers to peace in a country so divided that Quebec and Western Canada feel completely alienated and view separation as an attractive alternative.

We believe we need to 'live and let live' and so we'll fight for changing the definition of marriage to support homosexuality (why not, if it's not hurting us) but we willingly overlook the rights of the unborn and think we're making society a better place. We are afraid of standing for any morals so we stand for nothing and become amoral and think it's wonderful to be so 'politically correct'.

We love the Robin Hood mentality of taking from the rich to give to the poor without a thought for economic realities that keep businesses from being viable in a tough global marketplace. We don't seem to understand that socialism creates a sense of entitlement to those who are not willing to work hard for that great standard of living we believe we should all enjoy. We believe that seniority is more important than hard work when granting promotions and don't seem to realize that initiative is thus destroyed. And yet when the business giants are in danger of collapsing due to huge inefficiencies and problems, we willingly throw money at the situation because we realize that many jobs are on the line and we can't let that happen. I think it is erroneous to think that socialist thinking is more Christian because of its noble sounding cry for the poor and minority peoples just as I think it is erroneous to believe that Capitalists don't have great compassion and concern for those same people.

We think tolerance is a virtue but isn't it about what we're tolerant? Tolerance of criminals and pornographers is considered compassionate. Tolerance of Christian ideals is not tolerated, however.

We pat ourselves on the back for funding extensive social programs without asking if those programs are really effective or if more money is propping up the bureaucracy than is getting into the hands that need it.

We are so proud of our health care system that gives equitable, free treatment for every citizen. But who gave us the idea that it is free? And what about the quality of that service? We pay for it and do not get the benefits unless we live in the right neighborhood. I live 20 min from the hospital that services the entire Southwest corner of our province and we can't even get a broken bone set there without being sent another 2-3 hours to a 'centralized' hospital. We can't even keep enough doctors and for a time I was not sure if I'd even be able to have my baby here because there were so few doctors available. And everyone knows that cutting edge medical technology is very often found in the States. Why is that iniative so often found there and not here?

We pride ourselves on not being Americans and yet we are so comfortable to ride on their shirtails in matters of global economics and national defense.

Socialism breeds mediocrity (Jean Chretien was a good example - not a leader I ever respected ). There is such a careless attitude about politics. No one demands integrity, and upright moral character from our leaders. We expect and accept that our politicians don't mean what they promise - that everything is just an election game and has little to do with reality. And we're willing to believe whatever told by media - how conservatives that favor capitalist ideas are a danger to our society. And a leader who does not hide that he attends church and has faith in God is a real threat.

We're proud of democracy and yet many have no voice. Because our voice is only represented by population without the balance of representation by area, my voice is effectively silenced at the polls. But I will continue to vote and I will continue to care deeply for this great nation of ours.

Lesson in futility?


This is my third attempt to post something today. I wrote a lengthy blurb and before I was finished, the power went out and so I had to start over. I just almost finished again and ... the power went out..again. *sigh* So I gave up feeling like that was a good waste of time! I was writing some thoughts about Canada, politics and philosophies. I guess it wasn't meant to be. Maybe if I write about my kids this time, my post won't be destroyed.

Rory surprises me sometimes! Like the other day when I was digging out my potatoes. He got in there like a dirty shirt and was really a big help. And then he cleaned up toys in the living room without being asked and when I asked him about it he said he was cleaning up for his friends to come over on his birthday. So today I started inviting a few friends over for a small birthday party on the 15th. And when I told him I was going to do a load of wash and then the dishes,he volunteered to help. I opened the washing machine and to my horror and surprise, a mouse was sitting in there looking at me. I'd already started the water and so I figured I may as well let the agitator drown the poor little critter. But I really felt bad. If I'd had more courage I would have reached in, grabbed him and set him free. As it was, he drowned and I put on one of Ladger's work gloves and threw him outside. Ughh! Rory didn't notice as he was busy at the kitchen sink. The boys and I went to MOPS today and part of the devotional was on encouraging our kids by not giving them a task and then re-doing it because it's not up to our standards. That's all well and good but really...four year olds just do not get all the dirt off the dishes. But I just wiped off the spots with my dish towel and he was none the wiser. And for the most part - he really did an awesome job and I thought it was terrific to have some company for the job!

Here's Rory sitting in front of the fireplace at the condo in Banff. He lost one of those sandals in the grain truck today and Grandpa rescued it before it got augered into the bin. 

Yesterday, Ladger was able to combine 80 acres - about twice as much as he was able to do when he was combining peas. The reason is that we are now using a stripper header instead of our flexheader. For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, let me explain a little. The header is the part that cuts and brings the crop into the combine to be threshed out (separation of seed from seed coat and other junk). Some farmers prefer to cut down the crop into swaths before they start combining to help the crop dry down quicker and then their header just brings those swaths into the combine. We don't like to do that because if it rains once those swaths are down, it takes forever to dry and the seeds very often start sprouting right there in the field (what a mess!!!). So, the flexheader is great because it follows the contours of the field quite well and one can cut very close to the ground although it is a slower process. We absolutely needed that for our peas because they were no higher than a couple of inches - I kid you not! But the stripper header does not cut at all - it simply strips the seed from the plant. If the crop is thick enough and tall enough, it is the way to go. So Ladger has been able to use the stripper header on his lentil crop and it's making a difference. As it is we will need most if not all of October to finish harvest. We got our first major frost in the last couple of days but will probably not see much damage as once the seed is dried enough, it does not matter any more (it causes the most damage when the seed is still green). Rain is the bigger problem now because it softens the mature seed and bleaches it which reduces quality. So here's hoping for clear skies and fast 'stripping'.