I hope everyone had a great Christmas with family and friends. The years are rolling by, and I know I'm showing my age when I write that!

Our huge November snowfall melted somewhat, but we had more than enough snow to have a White Christmas. With the recent above zero temperatures during the day, there was a crusty snow surface on the sledding hill so the grandchildren enjoyed very fast toboggan rides down into the ravine yesterday afternoon. No moose at the bottom of the sledding hill this year though so my son didn't have to chase them away before the kids could ride. In fact, there's only been one moose sighting by the daughter of our neighbors to the south. ​

We put up a wildlife camera in the late fall, mainly to see if we could catch a photo of the black bear, but I think it had moved on or already found a den in the ravine. On the camera, there are many deer, the biggest coyote I've ever seen, one snowshoe hare, and many scampering squirrels. We haven't had photos of the lynx that we suspect is making the large snow prints in our front yard or of the neighborhood bobcat. We had what looked like moose ears one day, but there wasn't enough of the animal to identify. 

We had an interesting visitor who left a medium-sized bone on top of the snow in the front yard. The territory was marked. The bone was only there for one day so I suspect whatever dragged it there was interrupted and then returned the next night. We don't have a wildlife camera in our front yard so may be missing some action there--other than the Amazon delivery person dropping off parcels on the front step. 

We have at least three squirrels that hang out on our back deck, running along and then jumping up off the rail, gripping the 'squirrel-proof' bird feeders and hanging upside down to eat. They are quite acrobatic and fun to watch. I had a unique experience when a squirrel jumped just over my left shoulder from the stucco on the side of our house, landed on the back deck right behind me and then jumped from the second-story deck onto the ground and ran full-speed down the path. I startled it, and it startled me, when I rounded the corner of the deck shoveling snow. This brown squirrel which is actually an Eastern Grey Squirrel--we have black ones too--had the wildest eyes as he narrowly avoided my head. So, we had a short eye-to-eye experience. 

When I came inside, I googled and found out that squirrels can usually survive a fall/jump from any height without injury. Thank goodness because my intent is not to go around startling squirrels so badly that they jump to their deaths. Yes, I know they are rodents. 

Since I'm someone who always has projects and goals, here are mine for 2025.
(I don't call them resolutions because resolutions are just too firm and beg to be broken!)
1. Continue to spend time with family and friends. I have a wonderful family and I enjoy spending time with them. My circle of friends are always supportive, and we share many lunches and laughs. Who could ask for more than that? 
2. The second one is to continue to look after my health as my left leg has been greatly protesting. Walking, doing my exercises, applying heat and regular massages all help, but the 'bottom line' is that genes rule at this stage of life. And, my genes are a predisposition to arthritis and bursitis. Just keep moving is my mantra. 
3. My third goal is to write more this year. I'm not sure what that means quite yet: perhaps a travel book to put together some of the many years of adventures from our widespread travel. I have hundreds of pages of travelogues written on/about trips over the past 35 years so it's more a matter of wading through all that material to see what gems and humorous incidents people might enjoy. I would also like to do a cookbook--just a simple spiral-bound one for my family--as I'm often asked for a recipe. I've also been wandering around with a story in my head so we'll see if that's a possibility. I've always thought I'm a non-fiction and memoir/family history type of writer, but I can't get a possible realistic fiction story out of my head, so who knows? 
4. I would like to try to get rid of some 'accumulation' of almost twenty years of acreage life. The longer we stay in one place, the more stuff we acquire it seems. I'm assured that compared to others, we don't have that many 'treasures', but I have set a goal to clean out and sort for at least five hours a week. We'll see how that goes when more interesting activities come along. 
5. Spend more time just enjoying the beautiful surroundings in the Alberta Foothills. We have the most incredible views of the sky--every day is different, and lately the chinook arches have been dramatic. Nothing gives me more peace than driving to Millarville and viewing the phenomenal mountain views. I have to force myself to watch the road and ditches because the elk, deer and moose are everywhere! 

Those are my thoughts on an early Boxing Day morning. What are your projects and goals? Whatever they are and wherever you are reading this musing, best wishes for health and happiness in 2025. 

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​

Autumn/Fall is my favorite season. I loved school so Fall was exciting to me as a child. I got to go back to new books, exciting math exams (really!), fun recesses and noon hours playing ball or basketball, and, sometimes, new friends who had moved into the area. I still get the itch to learn something new so this fall, I'm going to try beginner line-dancing. 

Now, Fall means the unending summer acreage and garden work are coming to an end, and I can spend time on my other interests. 

We had a good summer with time spent with family and friends. We enjoyed a 'cousins' reunion ranch tour' in southwestern Saskatchewan and southern Alberta. We had originally been invited to visit in 2007 so it was a long time happening, but we finally made it. In between the two ranches with lots of visiting and great food, we enjoyed a stay at Historic Reesor Ranch in the Cypress Hills. They have wonderful meals, comfortable accommodation and very friendly hosts. So, if you are considering a visit to the Cypress Hills, check out https://www.reesorranch.com
 
Our black bear, first sighted in 2019, was back--or probably never left--with several sightings of scat near our back deck, on the laneway and in the garden. We didn't actually see a bear, but the ravine behind our acreage is ideal for all wildlife. I am more cautious and play music when I'm outside. My husband says he can out-run me so he's not worried! 

The domestic saskatoon patch in the garden is the primary attractant to bears, birds and other wildlife. We picked and froze 75 - 750 ml containers so we will have saskatoons for breakfast every morning until late spring 2025. (We also have wild saskatoons in our yard which we leave for the birds and animals.)

​We didn't fare as well with the raspberries as I picked about two-thirds of them before the wasps moved in and literally turned the rest of the raspberries to mush. Wasps have been a great nuisance in many local areas so that people can't even sit outside. I got stung watering one of the hanging baskets on the front porch. I set out homemade wasp catching liquid, and there were hundreds in each container. A good frost should take care of most of the rest although the queens and some wasps over-winter tucked away, probably under our stairs and rocks. 

I spent several hours volunteering this summer, first at the Half-Marathon Run to the Millarville Market in mid-June at the awards table--obviously not running! Many hours were spent organizing for the 117th Annual Priddis & Millarville Fair in mid-August. The Fair itself was a great success with around 7,000 people through the gates over the two days. There were about 250 volunteers in 40 different departments. I co-manage the Adult Horticulture (Flowers, Vegetables & Fruit) with another woman, and we alone had 12 volunteers to help set-up, interact with our visitors to the display and then take-down. We had 217 exhibits spread over 21 tables as well as free seeds from West Coast seeds, informational materials, jade plants to give away from a local supporter, and three amazing scarecrows at the front of the display which definitely caught attention. Thanks to our donors, volunteers and exhibitors for making it all happen! The approximately 40 member Fair Committee has already started planning for 2025. 

Well, that was my summer, and I'm looking forward to an extended Fall to enjoy a somewhat slower pace. I hope all is well with all of the people reading this musing. 
​

It's been a cooler and wetter spring than usual--so far. There are many advantages to that: no need to water gardens and no smoke in the air from wildfires. Some people are complaining about the slowness of their gardens, and we will need some heat if we're going to have our usual crop of saskatoons. 

We recently completed spreading 12 cubic yards of cedar mulch--much of it crawling around on our hands and knees. The mulch does cut down on the weeds though! Still quack grass, in particular, manages to come up through anything so there are always weeds to pull. 

We're enjoying the recitals of our Calgary grandchildren, and we are looking forward to spending more time with family this summer. Our older granddaughter from California already has their holiday activities with us scheduled!

Life is busy in the Foothills with various Millarville and area activities. The amount of volunteering done by the people in this area is phenomenal. First off were the two fundraisers held by the Millarville Horticultural Club: the Flower Fundraiser from mid-April to mid-May and the Plant Sale held on May 30th. Both events were a great success, and the funds are used for landscaping grants to non-profits in the area and scholarships for students in horticulture. Check us out at https://www.millarvillehortclub.com
or Facebook https:/www.facebook.com/millarvillehortclub

The Millarville Racing & Agricultural Society events are also happening. I helped at the Half-Marathon - Run to the Market last Saturday. Just to be clear, I wasn't one of the 628 runners who ran! I just helped at the awards table. 

​The Millarville Farmers' Market is now on every Saturday from June 15 - October 12 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Next up is the 119th running of the Canada Day Races held on July 1st which also features a mini-market beforehand. 

The 117th Priddis & Millarville Fair is happening on  August 17 & 18, at the Millarville Race Track. I'm one of 40 or so managers of a department. There is everything from bench exhibits to antique tractor pulls to farm strong games to animal shows (horses, cattle, sheep etc.), llama agility, a rooster crowing contest and on and on. You can try the watermelon and pie-eating contests. New this year are the Hay Rack Backer Upper Contest and the 'Animal Poop' contest where people buy tickets on squares and a duck, chicken and cow will hopefully do their business on the square purchased. 

There is something for everyone at the "Country Fun For Everyone" Fair, and it's all run by volunteers--somewhere between 300-400 of us! For details, check out the website millarvilleracetrack.com/priddis-millarville-fair or on Facebook PRIDDISMILLARVILLEFAIR

Enjoy the summer! 

Thanks to everyone who visits my website. I hope that all is well with you and your families.

We are continuing to enjoy life on the acreage in the foothills. On February 7th, I was on my way to Millarville when I came upon the most amazing sight:  Between 250-260 elk crossing the highway in front of me. I sat in awe watching and started to count while totally forgetting that my cellphone was beside me and I could have videoed some of this scene! At the very end of the two constant flows of elk, there was a big bull who stopped right in front of my car and met my eyes as if to say, “You can go now.” There have been many reports of this very large elk herd in that area, but to actually see this number of elk streaming across the highway was truly a gift. (Yes, I know the ranchers in the area don't like this large herd as they do eat their hay and in general interfere with their cattle production.)

This seemed to be the year for me to see somewhat unique wildlife happenings as in one day near the end of summer, I saw three sets of does and fawns in the back yard: One doe had three fawns which is quite rare, one doe had two fawns and one doe had one fawn. It appeared that the does had sent around a memo saying today is the day to take the fawns into the buffet in the yard! I didn’t get photos of them either!

We enjoyed visits from several family members and friends this year. It was great to be able to have visitors and to travel once again. We went to Southern California to help celebrate our youngest grandchild's second birthday. We enjoyed time with the family at their home, the beach near the condo, and Legoland. The Coaster train runs from Oceanside to Santa Fe station in San Diego so we took that and spent a day on the ‘hop on/hop off’ bus touring and then went to a San Diego Padres ball game in the evening before returning on the Coaster. Three guys in their late 20s followed us out of the ball park. One was quite inebriated and said to his buddies who were trying to hush him up: “Look at that cute old couple in front of us holding hands.” It took awhile for us to realize he was talking about us! 

We went on the ‘Path of the Vikings’ cruise September 11-26. We sailed from Bergen, Norway, across a very rough North Atlantic and made stops in the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Greenland and Newfoundland. There were many seasick passengers and crew, including me, as very high waves hit the ship and 'churned' everyone. (The cruise director with 15 years of sailing said it was like being in the spin cycle of a washer, and he was seasick for the first time ever!) Decks were closed because of the danger of waves up to the fourth deck, and we missed two stops because we couldn't anchor. We did see the most phenomenal icebergs though!

We had calm waters in the St. Lawrence Seaway, and stopped at Saguenay, Quebec City and into Montreal. We enjoyed the entertainment on the ship including the historical and scientific lectures and the shore excursions were great.

We enjoyed calm waters, perfect weather, excellent food and many great times together on the family Christmas-themed Disney cruise from November 11-18 out of Cape Canaveral to Tortola (British Virgin Islands), St. Thomas & St. John (US Virgin Islands) and Castaway Cay (Bahamas.) There is something for kids of all ages on the Disney cruises and port activities. But, best of all was being with our family.

Doug continues to golf in the summer, curl in the winter and work on cars. I spent many hours volunteering with the Millarville Agricultural Society on the board and at their various events. I'm now looking forward to getting back into family history and doing some writing. I go to aquafit twice a week which I enjoy. I'm still active in the local horticultural club, and our latest project was making swags--a photo of mine is on the Home page. I learn so much from these experienced gardeners who know how to grow things 'under the chinook arch'--very tricky growing conditions. 

We had eight inches of snow last week with a bit more earlier this week so we will have a white Christmas. My best wishes to all of you for a great Christmas and for health and happiness in 2024. 

​

Now I sound like an oldster, which I guess I am, because I'm using the title of another year almost over! I hope everyone reading this had a good year and is looking forward to 2023. 

It's been a busy one for us. Doug and I are still managing the acreage although with all the yard work, a bumper crop of saskatoons and raspberries and weeds that never seem to end, it does keep us busy! But, the mountain views and the mule deer literally strolling across our front walk remind us how fortunate we are to live in the Alberta foothills. 

On my drive west of Millarville yesterday to visit a friend, the light on the mountains was so striking that I almost forgot to watch where I was going. 

We're home for Christmas this year and looking forward to visits from our families. I think I went overboard on gifts for the grandchildren, but at least I managed a few 'educational' gifts with child-size binoculars that really work, paint sets and, of course, books. The nature organizations had some wonderful gifts offered this year so each child also has now officially adopted an Alberta mammal. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a skunk to adopt as that is our grandson's current favorite animal. We do have the 'real' thing in the back yard though, but we try to avoid them! 

I'm hoping to get back to the family history work after things settle in the new year. I've been able to trace my Great Grandmother Ida Greenfield Racher/Rachar's family back to the early 1400s. Our branch of the family had done a great deal of work on the paternal Racher/Rachar side, but not much on the Greenfield side. Fortunately, much work had been done on Ancestry although not all of it seems accurate. (Really, I don't think people can have children before they themselves are born.) So, I've been wading through all that information trying to figure it out. I was able to able to add a few photos that I found in my Grandmother Eva's albums. 

I've had a few queries from people on Ancestry and online as to other branches of the family. I have much more information than I've had time to post so I hope to get to that soon. The good part about doing family history as a hobby is the work never ends; the bad part about family history is the work never ends. 

Along with volunteering for three organizations in the Millarville, Diamond Valley and Okotoks areas and trying to make it to aqua fit a couple times a week, my life is busy. Doug continues to golf once or twice a week in the summer and curls twice a week in the winter. He also continues with his car hobby. Along with all the time required for health maintenance and our regular Sunday dinners with family, there is always something to keep us busy. 

We attended our grandchildren's school concert on Tuesday evening, and it was so nice to be able to enjoy such an event again. Although it was bitterly cold even for someone like me who doesn't mind cold weather, the auditorium was sold out. The concert had to be held on two evenings to accommodate all the parents and grandparents. I was absolutely amazed that the music and classroom teachers could get grade ones to do complicated actions and beats together, the grade fours strummed their ukuleles in time and even changed chords accurately, the grade fives did a stunning rendition of Pachelbel's Canon in D Major on xylophones and the grade sixes topped it all off with Carol of the Bells. Of course, the other classes did extremely well too, and the kindergarten children 'stole the show' as they always do. Our granddaughter is so very proud to finally be able to sing in the choir. I was impressed with the obvious hours that went into getting a large number of children to enunciate so the audience could understand every word. 

That concert meant Christmas to me and although I can be a bit of a scrooge about all the work involved in putting together Christmas year after year, the music is what means the most to me. 

I hope you find what is meaningful to you during the Christmas season. Best wishes for health and happiness in 2023. 

​

​Thank goodness September, my favorite month of the year, is here! I dislike hot weather immensely so the cool weather this morning on our walk to pick up the newspaper from the box by the highway was most welcome. It’s been a very hot summer with too many days in the 30 Celsius plus high temperatures.

My lumbar discectomy surgery in March was a success, and I was able to garden and clean bathrooms again (much to my husband’s pleasure) after a six week recovery. During that recovery, I started work on the family history for David Racher/Rachar and Rhoda Toland/Tolland’s three daughters and their families. The three daughters were my Grandma Eva - Mary Evelyn Racher Collins’ -- half-sisters.

We’ve had a busy summer, but we did enjoy all the company because we were able to reconnect with many relatives and friends. We had a family gathering with 24 people from the Cathro clan attending in June. In July, we had a family gathering of 35 people including members from the White side (Doug’s mom’s family) and several members of my family. Thanks to everyone who attended. We also had some friends visit during July and August, and it was great to see those people in-person.

Doug continued working on cars and added another car project: a 1955 Chev which he and a friend drove to Spokane to pick up and bring home. The car had been in storage for almost 40 years so you can imagine the clean-up needed. Doug used an extended pole—the type you trim tall trees with—to stand back far enough to rip out the headliner in order to clean the interior. I told him not to bring any rats or mice home in the interior of the car! After many days cleaning with a mask on, the car was deemed clean enough on the inside to go in the garage.

The two of us continue to spend a great deal of time in the yard. Work never ends as those of you who live on an acreage know, but we are still enjoying living here. So, the work gets done albeit with some complaining on my part! Advil as needed for both of us does help. 

As well as pulling weeds and mowing grass, we had a bumper crop of saskatoons. I put forty-750 ml containers of saskatoons in the freezer for our winter breakfasts. I’m still picking raspberries although we never have as many raspberries as saskatoons. We let the raspberries expand into part of the garden area so we’ll have a few more in the future. We just planted potatoes and carrots in the garden as everything else gets eaten in these parts unless you construct a 7-8 foot fence around the entire area which we aren’t going to do.

The bats are still here so my job cleaning up bat poop every morning continues as they love to hang-out by the front door and by one garage door. I talked with a bat expert at the Millarville Fair, and she was delighted that I could report so many bats. We are delighted too in that they eat huge quantities of mosquitoes. But, cleaning up by the front door every day gets a bit tedious as you can imagine!

They are the little brown bats and usually leave by mid-September. I asked the ‘bat lady’ whether the bats we have here hibernate or migrate, and she said they do both. As far as they can determine, the bats in this area probably migrate to the mountains and hibernate in small caves. They’ll be back here though as regular as clock-work on the May long weekend in 2023!

I’m looking forward to reducing my volunteer hours—which sometimes exceeded 60 hours a month—with the Okotoks Library. The treasurer’s role has been taken over by someone else, and I have greatly reduced my fundraising hours. The Okotoks Library Board has raised just over $175,000 as we were, and continue to be, responsible for outfitting the interior of the library with furniture and equipment. It’s been a long haul, but the basics have been supplied. I’m greatly appreciative to all the donors and sponsors. I enjoyed getting to know many generous people in Foothills County and Okotoks.

My library board term ends October 31st so I’m looking forward to being able to re-direct my energy and time to doing family history. My other volunteer work with a couple of Millarville area organizations takes just a few hours a month so I’ll continue with that as I really enjoy getting to know and working with more people in the area. 

If anyone reading this is doing family history, or interested in doing so, I’m researching and entering information on the following families:

Lorraine’s side of the family:
Racher/Rachar and Greenfield
Collins/Collings and Legg/Legge
North and Beatty
Lohr and Hein

Doug’s side of the family:
White and Killaby
Germyn and Clements
Taylor and Reid
Cathro and McGibbon

For more information, please see my public tree: Lohr Cathro Family Tree on Ancestry. Thanks also to several relatives on different branches of the family tree who have contributed information. My tree is far from complete although I do have more information than I’ve had time to enter so far. Last winter I did some work on the Collins/Collings and Legg/Legge sides, and I’ve restarted working on the Racher/Rachar and Greenfield sides. Eventually, I’ll move on to the other family branches noted above.
​
Happy Fall to all! 

I can't believe that it's been so long since I've posted a musing. I also can't believe that I still have people who check my website--what persistence on your part! Thank you. 

It's been an interesting and busy time. COVID certainly impacted all our lives, but that's not an excuse for neglecting my website. I've 'over-volunteered' in the past 18 months so I'm hoping now for more time to look after my own website and pursue my own interests. In other words, back to family history soon. 

I'm scheduled for micro lumbar discectomy surgery next week, and the goal is to get rid of at least most of the pain in my left leg. My Lumbar 4 and 5 have become too close for comfort and my sciatic nerve is being pinched as a result. 

So, I'm busy with last minute 'to-dos' before that surgery. I do promise I will be back. In the meantime, it's starting to look a lot like spring as I sit at the desk in our den and look out toward the Rocky Mountains. There's just one patch of snow on the north side of the spruce trees left. 

Is it too soon to say Happy Spring? We definitely need the moisture, but I'm hoping for spring rains rather than late winter snow. 

Best wishes to everyone reading this musing. 

​No one will soon forget 2020 and a pandemic that we hope is the only one in our lifetimes! I remember my Granny Lohr talking about the Spanish Flu (1918-1920) and how so many families were affected and some even decimated. At least now one hundred years later we know more about viruses in general and, as time passes, more about this one in particular. Everyone’s wish is that 2021 will bring new and effective vaccines.

This past year started with the Wakaw Lake cabin selling in early January. The cabin was sold furnished except for the antique furniture and personal effects that we wanted to keep. Possession date was May 1st, and it was difficult to say goodbye after 39 years to a place of much enjoyment and lots of hard work. Well, maybe not so hard to say goodbye to the work, and we’ll keep the memories of all the good times.

We’re very glad that we went to California for Christmas 2019 and spent time with our daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter as we haven’t seen them since. Phone visits are fine but not a substitute for face-to-face visits. COVID-19 certainly ‘clipped everyone’s wings’ in terms of travelling. Our granddaughter’s school is closed with no projected opening date so she attends a childcare facility for children of essential workers and does some online school work.

We are fortunate to have our Calgary family close. We had resumed Sunday dinners but starting last week we went back to an outdoor gathering because regulations for no indoor family gatherings went into effect. The outdoor socially-distanced visit gave the grandchildren a chance to go tobogganing on the hill into the ravine although they had to start half way down because the chinook winds and sun had melted most of the snow at the top. There was lots of snow at the bottom of the hill still so they had soft landings.

Our Calgary granddaughter is back at school in grade 3. Fortunately the elementary level students were allowed to stay in school although grades 7-12 students must now do online schooling. She loves school but will have an extended Christmas holiday as Alberta schools will be closed from December 19th – January 11th.  

Our Calgary grandson was spending most Thursdays with us and loves to make ginger cookies cut into various shapes. When I try to expand the cookie repertoire, he says Grandpa likes ginger cookies the best. I reply: “Your Grandpa has never met a cookie he doesn’t like,” but still every week: ginger cookies. Of course, for the next few weeks while the restrictions last, there won’t be any ginger cookies made.

Doug put together an old car in the playground area for the kids to play on. It even has a steering wheel and a key. Sometimes the car turns into a rocket ship or submarine so we have lots of adventures without leaving the yard.

​Like many people, we spent numerous hours in 2020 working on the yard. With help from the owner of a nearby tree farm on his bobcat, the caraganas on the south berm were removed and replaced with spruce trees. We also did a lot of extra trimming—who would have thought there were 40 potentillas as well as numerous spireas in this yard? With all the rain in the spring, grass cutting was a regular job for Doug. The Saskatoon shrubs were prolific again this year and along with a good crop of raspberries, there wasn’t much room for anything else in the freezer. Those berries will last until spring and sure taste good every morning!

Doug enjoyed some golfing this past summer and was curling twice a week before the curling rink was closed due to COVID. Also this past summer and fall, he and two friends enjoyed several hikes in the Kananaskis area. 
               
Doug also purchased a 1935 Ford Cabriolet with a rumble seat from a couple in Cranbrook. So, our ‘summer holiday’ was three trips to Cranbrook to look at, buy, and bring back the car in pieces. Locating parts and putting the car together is his winter project.

Lorraine continued volunteer work with the Okotoks Library working on their history committee and now locating and assessing applicable grants. The Library will be moving into the new building in June 2021. She also joined the Millarville Horticultural Club and is enjoying the guest speakers at the meetings—sometimes in person, now on Zoom. She did get some work done on family history focusing on the Collins side of the family. Of course, family history is never finished so that’s an ongoing project.

​Our plans are to be home, of course, for Christmas. Our Calgary family will be joining us for dinner if the restrictions are lifted on social gatherings. If not, we’ll still put up a Christmas tree and have our turkey and trimmings.
Our best wishes to all of you. Take care and please keep in touch.

​As you can see by the photo on my home page, the Saskatoon berries are as numerous as last summer and about to ripen. We still have two cartons of saskatoons in the freezer left from last year, and we eat berries most mornings for breakfast. That’s a lot of berries to last for a year!
 
We had pea-sized and some marble-sized hail last week; however, the berries were fortunately too green to be destroyed. I’m afraid that some farmers’ crops weren’t as fortunate.
 
It’s been a wild summer weather-wise here with high humidity, ominous clouds, abrupt thunderstorms and even tornado warnings. Maybe the weather is trying to stay more newsworthy than the ongoing COVID pandemic.
 
We’ve been doing yard work for a few hours each day. We went on a mission to try to get rid of the Caragana—that was a challenge. I’m sure there will be more shoots erupting next year, but at least the bushes are gone. (Where was my head when the nursery man recommended some Caragana as a ‘quick growth’ solution when we moved to the acreage 15 years ago?) We even cleared out some of the Calgary Carpet by the front walk which didn’t have room to expand and replaced it with feather grasses and sages. I look at every area of the acreage now and ask how we can cut maintenance. So far, it’s not working.
 
The burrs and thistles in the garden patch are especially challenging, and I’ve engaged in regular tugging contests with the thistles. My goal is to be able to get to all the berries, and anything that gets in my way or pokes me as I’m trying to get there is going to be yanked out—hopefully by the roots. Once the berries are ready to pick, it’s a few hours a day in the berry patches which will be a welcome respite from pulling weeds.  
 
I’m not the only one anticipating the berries. Small flocks of cedar waxwings, the red-winged blackbird family from by the pond and other fruit-eating birds are also lurking in the trees by the garden waiting to peck. The blackbirds are already screeching at me when I go to the patches.
 
There is fresh bear scat on the avenue which tells us that the black bear is back—if it ever left—and it, too, will be waiting for the berries to ripen. So, once again it will be a race to the berry patch and singing loudly while I’m down there. I read somewhere that bears don’t like singing. Probably the neighbours don’t enjoy it much either.
 
Speaking of projects in the yard, we decided to try to get our hot tub working again. It’s been sitting unused for about 12 years.  Since the arthritis in my hands has gotten more painful this summer so that all my fingers except two now have bony knobs on the finger joints, we decided to try and see if the hot tub would help the arthritis and relieve other joint and muscle pain after gardening.
 
This rejuvenation of the hot tub has been quite the adventure, but I’ll tell you first that it’s operational and being enjoyed. The warm water also relieves arthritic symptoms, at least for a couple hours.
 
We had a contact who maintains pools for a living so he gave us advice by text and phone as we went through the steps. He was amazed that the pump still worked and that there were no leaks given the time. We figured that if it worked, it worked; if not, well, at least we found out that much.
 
The main job was cleaning, and you wouldn’t believe the ‘stuff’ that came out of the jets. We vacuumed, scrubbed, filled the tub and ran it, netted out all the ‘stuff’ and cleaned it some more and on and on. Nothing like another project for the summer!
 
I haven’t read as many books this summer as I thought I would. It just seems like the more I’m at home, the more jobs I see that need to be done. I think everyone is feeling that way so many people are involved in projects. We do manage to sit on either the front porch or back deck for an hour or so in the late afternoon.
 
We also have mosquitos this year which is unusual in this area. I’d almost forgotten that loud whine around my ears and head. We are fortunate to have many bats around—and I try to remind myself of that fact when I clean up bat poop every morning off the front porch as they do love to hang there. We also have swallows nesting in most of the bluebird boxes—only one bluebird family this year out of the dozen boxes—and also the large dragon flies have mercifully come in recently to help eat mosquitos too. Still, mosquitos in the Foothills are not as common as in other areas, and I know Central Alberta for example has been plagued with swarms of them.
 
Like everyone else, we’ve been sticking close to home. We have been taking more drives out into the foothills. Those of us who live so close to the mountains sometimes forget that people come from all over the world to this area—well, not this year, but usually—and we have the stupendous views and activities right from, or near, our doorstep.
 
Now if I can just get to the berries before the birds and the bear, we’ll have berries in the freezer for another year!
 
I hope everyone is well. “See you in September” – if I’m out of the berry patch by then.
 
 
 
 
 
 

I hope everyone has kept well since my last posted musing. As the isolation rules start to relax and businesses reopen, most of us can start to enjoy some of the activities that we had to stop. I do so miss the hugs with the grandchildren. I know this is a petty thing compared to what many people endured, but I also missed my regular massages. I will be celebrating later this week by having a massage and a pedicure!

Our family said goodbye to cabin life after 39 years of owning a cabin at Wakaw Lake, Saskatchewan. We simply couldn’t look after it and the acreage too, particularly given the 8-hour trip each way from home to the cabin. It was the right decision to make, and I certainly don’t miss the long truck trip or the maintenance required when we got there. We fondly remember all the good times we had.

So, instead of working at home and then working at the cabin, we have expanded working at home. The more I’m at home, the more projects I see that need to be done! I decided that it was time to trim the potentilla shrubs. Most mornings I was out trimming. I discovered all kinds of things under the long-neglected shrubs! Finally I counted the shrubs as it seemed never-ending: 40. The good news is that those shrubs should be okay now for a couple years.

Next I decided that all the thyme except that up in the crevices of the rock garden had to go. I recall planting exactly three thyme plants about 15 years ago which morphed into a solid mass of thyme. Although I like the looks and the smell of thyme, hours are needed each week just to dig/pick the grass out of the plants. So, I dug the thyme out by the roots and planted larger perennials such as daylilies and Autumn Joy sedums which I hope will cut down future maintenance.

Just when I thought I had the rock garden the way I wanted it, I looked out last evening from the basement walk-out to see a young mule deer contentedly chewing its cud and dozing in the evening sun laying right on parts of those new plants!

The joys of gardening never end, and I do know better than to plant anything that isn’t deer-proof. But, I still do plant some delectables! A doe loves nibbling on the petunias at the gate. My neighbour saw her delicately biting off each petunia! Later, I caught her--the doe, not my neighbour--with a white petunia hanging out the side of her mouth from the large pot on the laneway. When I shouted at her to leave my plants alone, she just turned and looked at me with her big doe-eyes.

Gardening has certainly become the rage, and many of us struggled to find seeds in the spring as many stores and garden centers were totally sold out. I hope that people continue to garden even after all this COVID stuff is over—if it’s ever over and not just replaced with a mutation or another virus. Although I grump and complain about all those hours weeding, trimming and digging, I do love to play in the dirt and I know gardening is good for me in so many ways.

Although I miss hugs with the grandchildren, massages and having lunch with friends, I have found the time at home the past three months rewarding in many ways. I even managed to get three photo albums completed and some family history work done. Needless to say, I still have bins and bins of treasures to sort and put in albums and online from family history, but at least I got some sorting done. The rest may have to wait for this coming winter as the weeds grow faster than I move these days.

Best wishes everyone—please give me a call or send an email if I haven’t had a chance to talk with you recently. Until we get a chance to meet again either in-person or online, keep trimming and weeding.