October 31, 2012. Harper, Texas. Distance.

My son David was surprised when he looked at Wendy's pictures of the old farm house.    He said that it never looked so derelict in real life, at least, not in his memory.  The truth was really seen in the picture but the distance from then to now is almost forty years, and memory does wonderful things.  What he is remembering was the thousands of good times we had at that old farm and he is not paying any thought to the primitive old house in which we stayed.

For us, it was much better than camping.  We left staples in the kitchen, and the beds were all ready for us when we arrived on Friday.  The boys had much freedom at the farm.  They played with weapons;  first with sling shots, then BB guns and finally a 22 rifle.  They sometimes shot five hundred rounds on a weekend.  No wonder they became good shots.

My sister in law Wilma, when she saw the picture of the old farm,  commented to me that we have come a long way, which would be true.  But the path to the homes we own now started with that derelict old farm house.  It is certainly true, that the most important step in any journey is the first step.  The distance from then to now, a distance of almost forty years, all began with that first country property.

October 30, 2012. Harper, Texas. Sandy, The Storm.

It was indeed a big storm with high wave surges,  many inches of rain and very high winds.  The pictures of the east coast shore look grim.    Many millions of people are without electricity, so it is back to the 19th Century for them.  No electricity means no TV and no Internet or cell phones,  and if you live in a high rise building, no elevator.  New York city is a mess as is New Jersey.  Ken and I have yet to hear from anyone at the farm but we know from the weather on the iPad that they might be getting snow and we know they had many inches of rain.  Horrors.

No one seems to know the answer but I wondered if power failure is more frequent now than sixty years ago.  I don't recall years ago the electricity going out with every storm.  Maybe I just didn't pay attention but I suspect that the trees have grown up and now bring down the power lines,  and I bet the tree trimming is done less often.  And why don't we put these power lines underground anyway?  It seems that there is no political will to improve the infra structure.   Big storms bring big problems and this storm Sandy was a big one.  Lake Michigan had 28 feet waves.  Whew.  I am so pleased to be in Texas.

October 29, 2012. Canyon Lake, Texas. Shopping.

I have been acting like Santa Clause.  I have my lists and checked them twice.   Today Ken and I went  shopping.  It seems a long time away, shopping for our 55th, but we will only be here one more time before the celebration begins in October, 2013, so I must get things done ahead.

First thing this morning I shopped at the Ace Hardware store in Satler.  It is a great store.  It is big and the working people are helpful so I enjoy shopping in their store.   As I walked in, a man offered to help so of course, I said yes.  He accompanied me to the lighting department and helped me chose the bulbs that Ken had on his list.  Then the man stayed with me, helping me find tubs for recycle cans at the ranch, then four coffee pots, a shelf needing assembly and finally a large sturdy cooler on legs.  Finally, after checking out, the Manager helped me load the truck.  The whole shopping experience was a pleasure.

Next Ken and I went to Cosco in San Antonio.  It was a polar opposite to my shopping at Ace.    The store is huge with no sign in sight and no one to ask so I spent the first fifteen minutes just finding out where things were located.  Ken had a list too so we quickly lost each other.  But the shopping was great.  I bought towels for the bunk house, paper plates and plastic cutlery, hot and cold cups and large plastic bags for the trash bins.  

Cell phones are great for finding your husband.  Both our baskets were full so we checked out.  The checker was fast and the young man fitted the baskets so we were out of the store quickly.   Then we filled up the truck, the whole truck.  We are well on our way to completing our list.

Farmhouse from Wendy

October 28, 2012. Canyon Lake. San Antonio.

This city of San Antonio is either the seventh or eighth largest city in the United States.  The interesting thing is that no one knows.  As a city,  it is overlooked.  Only one professional franchise lives here, the San Antonio Spurs, which is a basketball team.   There is no football team or baseball team even though much smaller cities brag about their teams.

In addition, the Spurs are a wonderful team, even though the NBA ignores them.  The team hires decent solid citizens as players and coaches and the players work hard every game, not just in the playoffs.   The stars do not preen.  They work hard.  No prima donnas here in San Antonio.  The league itself does not really like the team but I don't know why.  It is interesting to observe.

Tonight Ken and I drove back to the lake after the day with the family.  If you had not driven the road every year but just seen it 17 years ago and then again today,  you certainly would not have recognized the way.  The lights and the businesses and the traffic are so much more today.  Stores and restaurants all along highway 46.  This city has really grown but the people of San Antonio are perfectly happy to have everyone else  ignore them and just leave them alone to enjoy their fair city.   And I like it too.

October 27, 2012. Canyon Lake, Texas. Cold.

Last night at the ranch the temperature went down to 42 degrees.  Last evening while sitting in the living room we enjoyed the warmth of the gas fireplace as well as the heat from the furnace.  This morning when we left the ranch it was only 50.   Texans love it when the cold northern air blows in perhaps they know that soon the heat will come back.  For example, the 80 degrees will return on Sunday, but in the meantime, Texans shiver in the cold air and congratulate each other that they had some rain too.

Ken and I are pleased to be using the furnace heat at the lake house but we prefer the open windows and the 75 degree days.  We thought we went south for warmth but today we needed wool socks to keep warm!!  I went for a walk late this afternoon, wearing a T shirt and light long pants.   By the time I returned I was so cold I took a shower to get warm.  How soon we forget about being a Canadian.

October 26, 2012. Harper, Texas. The Old Farm.

A normal person would have turned down their noses at this old place, but Ken and I and the boys were thrilled.  In 1972,  in Bethesda,  Maryland, we purchased our first home.   Soon after, we started looking to buy a place in the country.   Every other weekend, we four went exploring.  We looked at Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania.  The first decision we made had to do with distance of being no further than a two hour drive from home.  Next we checked the taxes and decided to focus our search on Pennsylvania as the taxes were low.  Finally, we wanted land and if possible a cabin.    We spent one day with a Realtor, Dan Kimble, and he showed us property.

He showed us a 55 acre piece of land with a house and an old cabin.  The house had not been lived in for twenty years so it had been taken over by the birds.  We wanted to buy it but couldn't.   It was too expensive, so I did what I have always done, which was to call my brother and sister in law to see if they would like to buy it together, which they did.  We settled on the old place and quickly made it livable...kind of.    No indoor plumbing,  only one cold water tap in the kitchen, no heat  for the first year.  But we loved it.  We hiked and made fires, and visited with the neighbors.  We swam in the  creek.   And we did no housekeeping.  When we got  back home after a weekend at the old farm we all headed to the showers.  We loved that old place.

Today we sold it.  It has settled and the money is in the bank.  Son  David commented that he hoped  the purchasers have children who will love it as much as he did when he was a kid.  He speaks for us all.  It started us on a path that enhanced our lives.  It is just a mile or so from our new farm which is definitely not primitive, but our decision to buy the old farm started us down that path.

October 25, 2012. Harper, Texas. A Local.

This evening we ate an early dinner with Joyce and Robbie at a new restaurant, The Bella Pita, in Kerrville.  As is usual, Joyce looked lovely while I wore a black skirt and a cowboy type shirt covered with ranch brands.  Joyce looked elegant while I looked just fine.  When we arrived, I noted a child and her Mother having dinner.  I smiled at them and said hello before sitting down, across the restaurant from them.

Five minutes later, the little girl came over to our table and said to me, "Are you from Harper?  I told my Mother that I had seen you in Harper".   Of course, I told her I was from Harper, but I asked her where she had seen me.   She is a charming polite child named Hannah, who is five years old and is in Kindergarten at Harper Elementary School.  She thought she had seen me at school, which was not the case.  We four introduced ourselves to her and we chatted for a few moments, then she skipped back to her Mother saying "I told you she was from Harper."

The four of us laughed.  What was there about me that showed I came from Harper?  It is a tiny dying town.  And it is a ranching community.   Not a bit fancy.  In fact, dull and dusty.  Certainly, the other three adults at my table did not appear to the child to be from Harper.  Just me.  I have become a local, finally, at least until I open my mouth.

October 24, 2012. Harper, Texas. Pat Lang.

It is so impressive to know something and then immediately fix the problem.   I am always surprised.  When we arrived at the ranch this afternoon we drove right to the Top House to unload our belongings.  Even though our home is small, it has two air conditioning units.  The one on the first floor was making a buzzing sound so we turned it off.  The one upstairs worked like a champ.

Immediately, I called Pat Lang.  We always call Pat.  He lives in Harper and his job is air conditioning and heating.  He is also an electrician so we have had many dealing with Pat.  Fortunately he is a nice fellow and we like him.  He walked in the house after speaking to Ken outside, turned the ac on, turned it off, walked out side to his truck, came back inside and fixed it, just like that.  I was impressed, and when I asked, he told me it had blown a capacitor or something like that, so he just replaced it.

He is also installing the plugs and electrical system for the trailers, to be used at our 55th.  We talked for an hour about that whole scenario.   Our nightmare is to have all electricity blow out at the same time, putting the whole trailer park in darkness.  We all hope that he is as good as installing the trailer outlets as he was with the air conditioner.  But no matter what, he is a nice fellow and will always be ready to help!!

October 23, 2012. Canyon Lake, Texas. The Lake.

It is always nice to return to the lake house.   We bought this place with David and Suzanne before Sarah was born and she has just turned 15  so we have owned this place jointly for over 17 years.  The whole venture has turned out well.   We enjoy it now just as well as we did all those years ago.  It is just difficult to spend much time here.   For David and Suzanne it is especially difficult with sports and church and friends all pulling at the children's time, making it difficult to get here as much as in the past.

The day was warm but the lake was quiet.  Not a boat in sight.  Ken and I sat on the deck enjoying the warmth of the evening, just talking or  reading or spotting the new homes across the bay.  Even the birds were quiet.  Most have moved further south I guess.  Just one lone Turkey Vulture circling over head.  Ken suggested that it might be after me!!

We are retired so have all the time in the world to do whatever we wish to do, but now tomorrow we must drive to the ranch.  Work was done in our absence so we are keen to check it out.  But we will return to this lovely place but not until Sunday night, when we will once again live here for a few days. We like living here by the lake in Texas.

October 22, 2012. Canyon Lake, Texas. The Family.

The other branch of the family is alive and well in Texas.   We just spent a lively dinner with them at their home.   It is such fun to see them after a few months.  Everyone is taller and thinner and are just as lively.  Allison and Samantha gave me a preview of their skit, to be given by their class at the Coffee Party on Wednesday at school.  They recited to me all the parts to be spoken by each child.  In other words, if any classmate is ill on Wednesday, they could take their part.  Clever children.

This year, Suzanne is teaching full time so their schedule is different.  It sometimes is hectic but all is well.   The twins and Suzanne leave together as Suzanne is teaching at their school, while David takes the older girls to school on his way to work.   Suzanne has two friends who help with car pooling too.   The afternoon practices and games are often difficult with conflicting times and places but everything gets worked out, one way or another.

The girls and David and Suzanne look wonderful.  We are pleased to be in Texas to check them out.

October 21, 2012. Marshall, Texas. The Golden Corral.

We did it all wrong.  This morning at 11:00 we ate brunch at The Yacht Club, just along the shore from our condo.  Molly loves to eat there.  The food is wonderful but  for Molly, who is four, the chance to eat immediately trumps everything.  We all enjoy brunch at The Yacht Club.  It becomes our main meal of the day.

Ken and I left immediately after brunch, heading for Texas.  All afternoon we listened to football so the four hour drive to Marshall passed quickly.  After checking into the motel and checking e mails and watching a bit of football on TV, we decided to share a subway sandwich, which fortunately was right next door.  We wanted to eat a light meal.

When we walked into the Subway restaurant,  it was cold, and the place smelled bad.  In addition, eight people were waiting in line.   We walked out and kept walking to The Golden Corral.  They have only one option, which is every food known to man available to the customers.  It is not expensive.  Ken and I looked at each other and said "Why not?"  So we did.  Ken ate a whole steak while I ate turkey.  Great food.  We have never been to a Golden Corral but tonight we loved it.  But we ruined our light dinner!!

October 20, 2012. Jackson, Mississippi. Hallowe'en

Tonight we are attending a Halloween party.  I have been surprised to learn that Halloween is the second most popular time to have parties, after New Years.  There are people, adults as well as children, who actually enjoy dressing up in costumes to attend these parties.  For me, tonight I will attend as a grandmother.

The party is really a carving the pumpkin party.  The seven children and six adults will carve either a happy or a scary jack o lantern, which when placed on the porch will make for a wonderful array.   It is such a good idea.  Christina makes a large amount of dips and snacks, set out in the backyard, while the daddies and the children first draw their faces,  then cut them out,   the  young ones needing help with the knives if necessary.  I am hoping the Mothers only cheer.

To finish off the evening, we will be served pumpkin cupcakes, baked and decorated by Christina.  They look scrumptious.   It is a perfect party for kids and adults.   Something to do every moment of the evening.

October 19, 2012. Jackson, Mississippi. Ridgeland.

To be truly accurate, Ken and I live in Ridgeland, just on the north side of Jackson.   You would be hard pressed to know one place from the other, but in times past, the towns were totally separated by farms and fields.   If you read The Help,  the new large home where the young couple lived and whose wife was not accepted by The Junior League, you would recall that their house was all by itself,  in a brand new area called Ridgeland.  That was 1962.  Now it has grown and grown and grown so nothing separates Ridgeland from Jackson, except the sign, that says Welcome to Ridgeland.  

And we live in a different county than Andrew and Christina too.  We live in Madison County while they live in Hines County.  Just north of us is the town of Madison, which has the prettiest court house in the land.  Madison is an old town with a lot of history while Ridgeland was built in the latter part of the 20th Century.   Of course, Madison was burned during the War Between the States, but not all the old houses were burned, which has a story all it's own.

I am reading a book written by writers from the WPA and published in 1939, which gives driving tours in Mississippi.  It is a fascinating look at the Mississippi of that time.  They always use the term The War Between The States and never The Civil War.   The other term you hear is The War of Northern Aggression.   It seems that there was nothing civil about that war.   But here in Ridgeland, on the shore of The Reservoir,  everyone is civil and pleasant and we feel right at home.

October 18, 2012. Jackson, Mississippi. The Condo.

We walk around the grounds of our condominium and we always walk looking at the lake.   And we see birds.  Tonight we walked past a giant Egret.  Of course, he few off when we approached.  And just around the corner we saw two great blue herons, fishing for their dinner.   Seven Canada Geese flew by , honking every flap of their wings.  

In the Spring when we were here, we saw many goslings and ducklings but we see no ducks and few geese, so where have they gone?   I said that they have flown south, but Ken reminds me that this is the south.  How far south do the need to go to be safe for the winter?

Today we stayed at home.  Ken worked on the computer while I read and started work on Christmas cards.  It is a pleasant place to stay.  Tonight before dinner we sat outside on the patio and drank a glass of wine while looking at the water.  It was nice and we are happy to be here, enjoying our condominium in Mississippi.

October 17, 2012. Jackson, Mississippi. Anniversaries.

Fifty nine years ago today my brother Dave married his bride Irene Chalk in Vancouver, British Columbia.  They were 19 and 21 years old.  My sister Carol was a bridesmaid.  It was a lovely wedding, held in the Salvation Army Citadel.  I was there too, but I was fifteen so don't recall much about the ceremony or the reception, but interestingly, I can remember what I wore.

In August of 1953, my parents had been transferred to Toronto.   When you are a Salvation Army officer, you are told where you will be working.  My sister had stayed in Vancouver for the wedding.  My mother and father and I took the train back to Vancouver for the wedding in October, after having taken the train east in late July.   After the wedding, my sister joined us in Toronto, once again, traveling by train.

My brother played the trombone and shortly before the wedding, Dave played a trombone solo with the title "Count Your Blessings".   The Vancouver Citadel bandsmen thought it a hoot,  but truth be told, it was a harbinger of things to come for the married life of Irene and Dave.   They have three wonderful and productive children, all with lovely families, and the seven grandchildren live interesting lives.   Dave and Irene count their blessings every day of their lives and it all started on October 17, in Vancouver in 1953. .  

October 16, 2012. Jackson, Mississippi. A True Story.

Once upon a time, many years ago,  Dave and Irene, along with two of their teen aged children Wendy and Kenny, came to spend Christmas with us in our home in Kensington, Maryland.    Our boys were young but old enough to play tennis and behave properly in good restaurants.   I suggested that we all spend a few days after Christmas at the Greenbrier in West Virginia, an elegant resort with tennis courts and excellent food.

  By then we four adults owned jointly our first farm in Pennsylvania.  Ken and I wanted country property and we could not afford it so Dave and Irene graciously agreed to pay half, with the understanding that,  when Ken and I could afford it, we would buy them out, which is what happened.  Now the first farm house was not rustic, it was primitive.

Wendy and Kenny were invited to the resort but decided not to accompany us to this most elegant resort.  They decided to go to the farm by themselves, which is what they did.  The place had one running tap in the kitchen, no heat anywhere in the house, with an outhouse thirty yards away.   They were happy campers when they headed out while we went south into the lap of luxury.  They slept wearing wool hats, it was so cold.

When we all got together at our house and Wendy and Kenny saw the pictures and heard the stories,   they were struck dumb.   To this day, they remind us that we did not tell them an accurate account of the resort prior to the visit, which was true because it was the first time we had visited the resort ourselves.  Now we know better, and so do they.   Today we all laugh about the decision they made, all those years ago.

October 15, 2012. Jackson, Ms. Fifteen Years Old.

Today, Sarah, who lives in San Antonio, turns fifteen.  She is our second grandchild, just eight months younger than her cousin Kate, who lives in Mississippi.  Sarah was a beautiful, energetic baby and now  is a beautiful, energetic young lady, who does well at everything she chooses to do.   It is wonderful for a grandmother to watch these children grow into accomplished, pleasant, and proficiency young people,  people who you enjoy being around.

Tonight I talked with her on the phone.  She sounded poised and grown up.  Her sports are Volleyball and softball.  This year she will not play basketball this winter.   When we arrive in Texas next week we will eat another birthday cake with her, but this time an ice cream cake.  It is always nice to celebrate a birthday twice.

Congratulations to Sarah, who now is fifteen years old.

October 14, 2012. Jackson, Mississippi. Arrival.

Arriving is always so exciting.  Molly bounces up and down like a rubber ball, telling everyone "Grandma and Grandpa are here", over and over and over again.  There is nothing quite like being greeted by an excited and charming four year old.    We arrived at 12:15, after a four hour drive from Birmingham.  We were glad to be in Jackson with the family, and we were rested to be able to enjoy the family..

With the girls plus Andrew and Christina, the truck was unloaded  quickly, with all the Christmas decorations stacked at the end of the dining room.  After a bite of lunch and some conversation,  Molly and Christina and I opened a box of decorations.  It was all very exciting for her.  Our task is to divide the decorations between Texas and Mississippi.   Soon she caught on to the idea of separating.  At first she wanted all the pretty things in the Mississippi corner.  Soon she caught on and was sending the nicest pieces to Aunt Susie.

When she went to have a nap, Kate and Mary Frances, Christina and I opened four boxes and divided them up.  We left five boxes to open with Molly.  Our task will be accomplished and is also kind of fun.   Definitely, there is nothing better than arriving.

October 13, 2012. Birmingham,, Alabama. New System.

This morning we started our drive at 7:30.  We checked into a motel at 4:30 this afternoon.  This is definitely not our new plan, which was to drive no more than five hours a day.  Times change.  This trip,  we want to get to see our Mississippi family tomorrow and we don't want to arrive tired, so we decided to see if we could drive for eight hours before stopping for the night.  The day was lovely so we just kept coming.  Our system is to drive two hours a time, then switch drivers.  

 We nibble a bit during the drive, then we go for dinner immediately after checking into the motel.  During the drive, we listen to the radio.  On the weekends, listening to football or baseball games makes the time pass.  Today, we listened Texas getting demolished by U. of Oklahoma.  Ken fiddles with the radio, checking other stations and never listening to the commercials.  And we talk.

Tomorrow we have only 4 hours driving until we arrive.  It was worth the long drive today.

October 12, 2012. Lexington, Va. Temperature.

This morning at the farm the temperature was 32 degrees.  It was a beautiful sunny day, although chilly.  We met Phyllis and Fred for lunch in Hagerstown, dining at The House of Kobe, our favorite Japanese restaurant.  They drove up from Bethesda on their motor cycle, both looking like Darth Vader.  When they left home, the day was sunny with no wind but by the time we left the restaurant the day looked ominous.  The day was colder with lots of wind, and they were facing a drive home on the bike.  Ken and I were happy to get into the truck and head south.

As we drove south on Highway 81, the temperature started going up.  From 45 in Hagerstown it got to 60 in Staunton, until,  arriving in Lexington it was a lovely 72 degrees, which is perfect weather, in my opinion.  We are leaving Pennsylvania in the nick of time and we are happy.

Many years ago, Ken and I were forced to stay overnight in Lexington.  On the way home from the Greenbrier where we had spent a few days after Christmas with my brother and sister in law, Dave and Irene, my brother, who was driving behind us,  noted our smoking tire.  We stopped in Lexington at a garage for repairs.   Dave and Irene went back to our home while we checked into a motel.  The garage man lent us a car so we were able to go into town and look around.  Now we are here again, thirty years later.  We hope we have no truck trouble this time.

October 11, 2012. Artemas, PA. Moving On.

The human brain is genetically programmed to be looking for new adventures.  Just watch a child learn to walk.   The child tries very hard to perform the next trick, such as standing up, or climbing on the couch, and when accomplished, a look of delight comes across their face.  With loved ones looking on and applauding their success, the child will do it again and again, always with joy.   So all our life we look for new ladders to climb and new skills to learn and new places to go.

Ken and I love to be moving on.  Friends wonder how and why we can put up with only staying in one place for a few months but for us it is normal.  Nothing pleases me than organizing for the next trip.  We must be genetically programmed to be always on the go.  Fortunately, our jobs allowed us to move on to the next challenge.  Regina, who I worked with for over twenty years is the same.   She loved to know what we were doing next and was clearly bored if at work we were staying put with nothing innovative going on.

Yesterday and today I was organizing for the trip south.  My tasks are done.  Ken, as is normal,  has yet to begin.   That I think has never changed our whole life together, so it must be genetic.  I say nothing.  We have always been able to get in the truck at the same time with both our tasks completed and on time.   But I am always slightly surprised by Ken's last minute spurt, pleased but surprised!!

October 10, 2012. Artemas, PA. The Temperature.

We are spoiled.  We like to live when the home needs neither heat or air conditioning.   All summer in Nova Scotia, the heat is never turned on and of course, there is no need for air conditioning.  Once at the cottage, Ken turned on the gas stove early one morning, but the rest of the time, the windows were open most of the time.

The same at the farm this time.   Often, we ate on the screen porch when Ian and Rita were here.  It has only been the past few days when we have dined inside.  At night, we closed the windows and the temperature was comfortable.  When Ken was chilled, he turned on the heat but as the heat is in the floor and silent, you never know it was on.

It will be interesting to see if Mississippi and Texas will still be in air conditioning mode.  In Mexico, the doors of the condo are always open so again, no air-conditioning.  We have no heat there, the opposite of Nova Scotia.  That is our favorite, living with no heat or air conditioning at all.  Indeed, we are spoiled and we like it that way.

October 9, 2012. Artemas, PA. Rita and Ian.

We had a wonderful visit these past two weeks.  Rita and Ian are active people.  They washed our first floor windows.  They vacuumed their bedroom and bath before they left.   They cleaned the whole first floor.  And we spent time together being tourists in Bedford County.   Every evening we held a Happy Hour.  And of course, Rita was a huge help in the kitchen, taking over the cooking of the vegetables and setting the tables.   Ian did all the heavy lifting for Ken, all around the farm.  They were both major assets to our lives. here at the farm.

But despite all the assistance from them, perhaps the most important part of their visit was the conversations.   Both Ian and Rita have different backgrounds to us.  Rita is of French-Canadian heritage and is Catholic while Ian was a mining engineer whose area of expertise was setting up the mine.  They have lived in many different places;  Algeria, Pittsburgh, Phoenix, Sudbury and the far north, so their experiences were different from ours.  We talked a lot and we read a lot and we all four enjoyed the visit.

Once again, the house seems eerily quiet.  Today they left for Ottawa and it will take a bit to get used to  having no one to talk to.  Somehow, I never am prepared for the silence.

October 8, 2012. Artemas, PA. Thanksgiving Day.

Today is Thanksgiving Day in Canada.   All good Canadians will eat turkey with all the trimmings.  The only problem is they can not watch football until the evening.   The Pilgrims did not arrive in Canada, and the Indians did not share corn and sweet potatoes with the settlers in Canada so the Canadian Thanksgiving does not celebrate the first thanksgiving in North America.

The bringing in of the crops is complete in early October so the Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving as a harvest festival.  The good thing is that in Canada, Thanksgiving is a long time away from Christmas, so the Christmas shopping season is longer and thus less hectic.

In the US, all families get together at Thanksgiving.  It is the biggest travel day in the nation.   In Canada, Thanksgiving is important, but is not quite as big an event.   This year, with Rita and Ian here, we are celebrating Canadian Thanksgiving in style.  For dinner we ate ham and scalloped potatoes and green beans.  To top it off, we ate pumpkin pie for dessert.

One year, perhaps in 2014, Ken and I will spend Canadian Thanksgiving in Canada.  Rita and I have both agreed!!

October 7, 2012. Artemas, PA. Football.

I wonder if other folks feel the same as me about this years batch of football games?    The games are too long, lasting four hours.    Even a real fan can only keep interested for three hours of football.   And the flags are flying all game long.  Did these players not learn the rules?   All those penalties slow down the game, to say nothing  of the flow of the play.  The checking the touchdowns after every score is a nuisance too, along with the checking by the officials up in the booth.   The challenges by the coach too.   They all might be good ideas, but they all slow down the game.   I want the officials to keep the game moving along.  Who cares if every call by the referee is accurate.  The games are just too tedious  to watch for long, so I find another channel.

The College games are more interesting than the NFL  First off, there are more games being played at any time so you can switch from one game to the next.  The college  players make more mistake too so you never know what will happen during the game.  All kinds of crazy things occur.   There is more scoring in College games too which I like.  High scoring games make for many exciting plays, which pleases this fan.

Now I wonder if anyone in the powers that be in the NFL will listen to the fans?  And I wonder if other fans feel the same as me?   We will see.

October 6, 2012. Artemas, PA. Bedford Fall Foliage.

Lots of things went wrong.  Ken got chilled walking around in town and got the shakes.  The weather was very cool and overcast and windy.  Lots of people were at the Fair so it was crowded.   Two days in a row attending Fairs was probably too many.  None of us wore enough clothes.

On the good side, we attended a wonderful quilting show at The Bedford Historical Association.  At least fifty quilts were on display, of every size and shape.  The quilts were superb.  Neither of us bought a thing.

I knew Ken needed lunch so we found a Greek restaurant in Bedford which turned out to have excellent food.   After walking down to the river through the Fair to say hello to Tammy, I drove us home, driving south on 220 to Cumberland, then west on 68.  The drive south on 220 is lovely, especially in the fall.  The distance home to the farm is greater via that route but is pretty and easier.  Our reward for getting home was a bowl of ice cream.

Ten minutes before going to Gary and Diane's for dinner, Ken announced that he was staying home and going to bed.  Now Ken is not prone to missing a good meal, so he must really be feeling badly.  By tomorrow morning we hope all is well with him.

October 5, 2012. Artemas, PA. Springs Fair.

Last week, we four stopped by to see Gideon, at  Evergreen Woodworking, just up the road from Flintstone.   We had not seen him for a couple of years and I knew he kept small objects that are perfect gifts for grandchildren, so would be appealing for Rita.  He is a Mennonite and makes his living building beautiful objects.  In his show room you find lovely chests and tables and chairs.  In addition, he has many small objects, all made of wood. He told us about the Springs Fair, just west of Frostburg, to be held on Friday and Saturday this month.  He was to be taking a booth.

Today, the drive to Springs was lovely.  The hills were high and the trees bright, so it was worth the trip just to enjoy the scenery.  The biggest surprise was the Fair.  From a mile from the Fair we were in bumper to bumper traffic.  When we arrived,  the fields were full of cars.  Where did these people come from?   There were at least one hundred vendors showing and selling their wares.  And people were buying too.   Lots of people were buying.   We four were amazed.  Gideon himself had taken a whole stack of orders, made just this morning.  He will be busy all year and next.

I am constantly amazed what you find in out of the way places.  You just get off the beaten track, and follow up on any leads and you come upon spinning and weaving and apple butter making and broom making and quilling.  It never ends.  The whole day was a very pleasant surprise.

October 4, 2012. Artemas, PA. Sophie.

She was charming.   Friendly and interested.  An almost four year old visiting the farm brought a level of warmth that has been absent for a long time.  It was a pleasure entertaining Sophie at the farm.  

Sophie came to the farm with her parents and for the first fifteen minutes stood behind her mother, but soon she was eating lunch quietly.  Soon, after a drive on the Gator,  she played on the third floor playroom of the farm house.  While the adults talked, Sophie played with the barn and the animals.  Every so often she checked over with her Mother but soon she was back playing.

Her visit to the Jay's farm was the highlight of her visit.  The kittens were numerous and friendly.  One calf had just been born yesterday.  Sophie fed the sheep with Lizzie.   She saw many calves.  It was all exciting for her.

After returning to our farm,  her mother and I sat in the rocking chairs and talked books while Sophie and her father clambered on the hay.  Then while we sat and sipped wine in the Hill House she rolled down the hills, again with her father.  Rita took over with Sophie and took many pictures of her.  Finally, before leaving for home, she made a path on the porch made with stones, telling Rita that she wanted to be able to walk back to the farm.  

We four adults were delighted to get to know Sophie and were grateful the parents came to visit us at the farm.

October 3, 2012. Artemas, PA. Planning.

Today, Ian and Rita and Ken and I loaded our Christmas tree and all our decorations into the back of our truck.  They are heading for Mississippi and Texas.    In Mississippi, Kate and Mary Frances and I will sort the boxes of decorations and divide them between the two families.   Ken and I don't leave for over a week, but I are planning ahead, and Rita and Ian were willing to help..

Last year we had a discussion with Suzanne about her Christmas tree.  Their living room has a high ceiling and she commented that finding a big tree was difficult in San Antonio.  Ken admitted that we have a 9 foot artificial tree that comes complete with lights, used only once and now stored at the farm.  Suzanne suggested jokingly that we bring it to San Antonio and we all laughed.

I thought about the decorations and decided to pass them on now.  For the past five years, the Christmas boxes have stayed closed, but this year they will all have a new home.   For years to come, I will enjoy looking at the lovingly acquired decorations in the homes of the next generation of the family.  I even have several treasures from my Mother.  What started as a joke will soon occur.  I wonder if Suzanne remembers the conversation?

October 2, 2012. Artemas, PA. Cumberland.

Cumberland, Maryland,  at one time, was an important city.  Up until mid fifties when transportation got easy,  Cumberland was a prosperous city with glass factories and tire companies.  But bit by bit, the factories closed or moved away and the population drove to bigger cities to do their shopping, so Cumberland shrunk and Cumberland became poor, bit by bit.   Then the powers that be put the interstate right through the center of town, effectively cutting the city in two.  Not good.

Today, we four drove to Cumberland to buy groceries and liquor.  Rita and I started in the grocery store  while Ian and Ken went for the wine.  We shopped at Martin's.  We were both delighted with this large modern venue.  The shopping was excellent with good prices and many options.  It was as good a grocery store as any store we frequent, and amazed to find this excellent store in Cumberland.  Rita was pleased and surprised and so was I.

Ian was astonished with the variety in the liquor store, which was right down the street from the grocery store.   The store on the shelves had over fifty options in Scotch alone.  Ken bought wine for four dollars a bottle.  Ian has been in a lot of liquor stores, some run by the government and some private, but he thinks that the options available to him was greater than at any other store.  He was surprised and pleased, and in Cumberland of all things.  You just never know what you find in these places.

October 1, 2012. Artemas, PA. Cleaning.

Rita has a lot of energy, and she doesn't mind cleaning.  When she visits, she always helps,  doing anything she thinks that needs to be done.   Last year in Nova Scotia, she weeded the area all around the pond.  She said she enjoyed the exercise.  This morning, after breakfast,  she announced that she needed exercise and she asked if she could clean the living room for me.  I of course, said YES.

Tammy cleans our house.  She is a farmer's wife and the mother of five and a wonderful baker, but she is not an expert house cleaner.  In addition, when she came to clean, we were sitting in the living room, so she omitted cleaning that room.  I like my house clean but am not upset if the house is not pristine.  So for two hours this morning, Rita cleaned, dusting, sweeping, and wiping the spots on the floor.  She even cajoled Ian into vacuuming all the carpets and rugs in the house.  It was a bonanza of cleaning, with me cheering all the way.  I loved it.  And I especially loved the clean living room.