How many times have you said that you didn't want to be a bother” to a friend, when you know they are going through an unusually busy or stressful time. You would like to do something to help, but then wondered what you could do that would be helpful. Even a phone call would interrupt their busy day, and that could just be annoying.

Many years ago, when your children were quite young, we had an experience that I’ll never forget. My husband had a serious accident at our new home under construction. I had just returned home to put our children to bed, when the doorbell rang. I didn’t want to see or talk to anyone, especially someone who would be trying to sell me something that I didn’t need. However, after about the fourth chime from the door, I opened the door a wee bit and recognized the callers. The gentleman worked in our office, and he and his wife had travelled across the city to bring us a box of homemade cookies for the children’s lunch bags. They told me that they didn’t know if they could be much help to our family but at least they could make cookies. I have never forgotten that kind gesture, and often thought about it when I didn’t know how I could help a friend or neighbor.

During the past two months, we have been the recipients of many gestures of kindness, and from a variety of sources. Unexpected phone calls from our family doctor, who thought I would be in “information overload” regarding my husband’s health challenges, and needing answers or suggestions in my attempt to sort through the events. Kind and patient responses from nurses and hospital staff gave us assurance that we were at the right place at the right time. Telephone calls, text messages, and emails that we have received from family and friends in faraway places, and from treasured cyber friends whom I will never meet in person have touched us deeply. Words seem to be so inadequate to express my appreciation for the thoughtful gestures and encouragement that we have received. To my precious social media friends, I have not replied to many individuals, but I’m hoping that they will find this blog here or on my MRB’s Talking Fingers website.

My husband is home now, and gaining strength every day. Each day we view our favorite green valley in the height of the season of spring. Summer is just around the corner, and we are blessed.

Tags: Helper Friendship Gratitude

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I hope my readers are enjoying the spring days of the long weekend. It doesn’t really matter about the weather, which none of us can control, or the restrictions imposed on all of us.  I’m sure that you are wishing that you could enjoy some time with your family or some close friends.

I’m in my favorite chair by the window, and I won’t see the sun set this evening because it is so foggy in our valley. It has rained off and on, and some areas have even had a bit of snow. I think we are still having April showers but the leaves are coming out and our valley is green. My evening is quiet and I’ve had some time to reflect on the last couple of weeks. It has been amazing and something that I didn’t see coming. My husband and I can still say that we are content, even though most of the year has been on our little patch of land, except for necessary trips to town for ‘essentials’. His shop seems to have received a sort of ‘facelift’ and I has been surrounded by photos and scrapbooks, and stuff that I’ve collected that seem to be less of a treasure these days. We’ve communicated with friends and family in many locations and on a number of continents. Thank goodness for the Internet, for the equipment that we have in our home to help in the communications. I must admit that I still haven’t used pen and paper or licked a postage stamp in ages, but I have a feeling that I’m not the only one. It is a different time, with different tools and perks.

I’ve also been thinking of the progress in the medical field. We see lots of it on the news these days along with the information ‘overload’ that we are all experiencing. It’s not fun when we see all the suffering that many are experiencing. We are wondering if it is ever going to end, and thankful, we have remained healthy. Our neighbors have all been well too, and that is also very special. We have had occasions to chat when we meet them on the road or at the mailbox and it isn’t hard to keep that ‘distance’ as we lean on the back of the car to have a ‘catch up’ chat.

However, when life circumstances become more personal, we are challenged in different ways. That’s when our faith is put into ‘high gear’. It’s the unexpected circumstances that can trip us up. Without too many details, that has been my experience the last two weeks. I haven’t been on ‘The Hill’ much, and have been kept away from my favorite chair for long periods of time because of the many trips to the city to be with my husband in the hospital. It became necessary to have open heart surgery that was risky, but I’m thankful to say that he is doing remarkably well. I am so grateful to the ‘army’ of friends and family who have been praying for him, and keeping in touch with me. Words aren’t adequate to express my gratitude.

The simple reminder that I have on my desk is…

Keep It Simple!
Love God
Love People
Do Stuff!

Tags: Weekend Friends Family

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How many times, in this last year, have you read the phrase ‘Food For Thought’? Some are meant to give us thoughts to ponder, perhaps on topics that had never even crossed your mind. If you ask Google the meaning of ‘food for thought’, it tells us that it is “something that warrants serious consideration”;  something that needs to be thought over carefully before deciding or acting. The topics can be varied; medical, political, religious, or daily living. Some can even be silly, just to entertain the reader.

I’ve been thinking a lot about food this last while. What do I need to have on my grocery list? Do I want to prepare a meal from scratch or do I want to try some prepared meals from a deli or the frozen food section at the market? What about the ‘craving’ for my favorite dessert, what would be easiest to chew with my new dentures? During one of my personal photo scanning sessions, I came across a number of photos that reminded me of some of my favorite meals prepared by my mother, or one of her four sisters who were also great cooks. As one of my relatives recently stated, those sisters could do “magic with flour and cream”.

My mother came from a large farming family. There wasn’t much money, but they always had a large garden, raised chickens, milked cows, and made their own sausages. How five girls learned to be great cooks in the same kitchen could have been out of necessity, but not always pleasant. The aroma of freshly baked bread is still a very pleasant reminder of home.

One favorite item on the list was associated with a fascinating family story. When my grandparents were still living in Europe, their circumstances required a lengthy move. They believed that in order to stay healthy on the journey, it was important to have plenty of water to drink, and have lots of bread that wouldn’t spoil. They made buns that contained a lot of butter in the dough, baked them, then toasted them so that they wouldn’t get moldy. The buns were kept in grain sacks while travelling.

Several years ago, on one of the delightful visits from my aunt, she insisted on doing some baking and cooking in my kitchen. She made chicken noodle soup, quick fried rolled dough (that we called strudels) and potatoes in cream, toasted buns, and fruit kuchen (coffee cake) for desserts. My mother cooked the same when I was growing up, and I even learned to prepare some of them. No more… it was too much work, and I found other things to do with my time. But it was these photos that brought the memories flooding back. It may sound weird to some of my readers, but a couple of buns and a cup of coffee were a favorite lunch for me, but don’t know anyone who still makes them.

Tags: Memories Baking Favorites

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 It is hard for me to realize that March is almost finished... at least in our part of this world. We did get a taste of Spring somewhat early but that’s gone now. The temperatures have been in the mid 50*F and we are now told to prepare for a coming snow ‘blizzard’ after the expected balmy weekend. I give up! I have enough to tend to without worrying about what kind of weather is coming or going.

If you have read my last blog (dated March 10^th), you will know that I planned to let you know how many photos will make a ‘truckload’. I still don’t know, but I now have some idea because I’ve been busy with the first ‘haul’. But first, I want to give a ‘big’ thank you to our own NOTH owner and computer repairman, TC. With just one email to answer my question about the difficulties I had in installing the new photo scanner that I purchased. He carefully wrote the instructions, step-by-step, in what I should do to solve the problem. I carefully read and followed his instruction, and in 10 minutes, my scanner is up and running. I did make a great choice of scanners, and the ‘adventure’ began.

My father would say that I have been having a number of ‘armchair travel’ experiences as I have been digitalizing photos. I’ve been to a number of European countries, Australia, and South America, as well as the beautiful mountain areas of my own province. I’ve watched their family grow from toddlers to mature adults, and observed the absolute delight to see the joy of the owners of the photos in the ‘adventures’ with their grandchildren. I still have not had one day of ‘boredom’ during this “stay-at-home” time, and I’m thankful for it.

Speaking of being ‘thankful’… there are many, many things that we all should be reminded to be thankful. We have food available to keep us well-fed, the telephone still work so that we can chat with family and friends who are near and far, our Internet works most of the time, our living quarters are keeping us comfortable, and we have a bed to get the needed sleep. There are crowds of people who don’t have that many things for which to be thankful.

I have digressed from the topic… about the ‘truckload’! In the last two weeks, I have scanned over 3000 photos, slides, and negatives. I’ve also been warned that the next delivery could be even more.

WOW!

Tags: Hobbies Photos Computers

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I’ve been at it again… trying my best to remember to do the things that I must do, and enjoy the things that I like to do. My goal is… never have a boring day! There are so many possibilities, no matter what our abilities are. If we are still breathing, we should be able to talk, eat, and sleep! That’s a good start!

The past year has been filled with challenges, no matter where we live. As some signs along our highway state… ‘WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER; WE WILL GET THROUGH IT!” I hope it is working for my readers too.

In our home, there have been the usual duties… shop for groceries, attend medical appointments, do the laundry, tidy our living area, and make the necessary phone calls. There are extra activities that are more fun… bake a cake, work on a jigsaw puzzle, paint a fence, do some handwork like knitting or crocheting, pursue a hobby outdoors or in the shop, enjoy some armchair travelling (either on TV or your own collection of photographs), learn something new, even on a computer. It’s the computer that keeps my attention!

Photography has always been a passion of mine, and I’ve written a blog about it some time ago. It was ten years ago that I digitalize many of our family pictures and slides. We have enjoyed them many times, and friends have been challenged to consider that same option, and have asked me for some advice on how to get started. Those requests presented new challenges for me because the equipment that I used ten years ago are now obsolete, especially for users of Windows 10. I found software online that I could “try before I buy” and sources for updated equipment. I had to read information that at times was too technical for a clear understanding, or seek out ‘experts’ online for added clarification. I even had enough ‘spending money’ to treat myself to updated equipment.

Last month, I decided that I was ready to take on a challenge presented to me by dear friends that included slides in different formats, and a ‘truckload’ of snapshots. I was able to scan over 1800 slides in a week of evenings, working from my favorite chair with my feet up. I enjoyed every minute of it, and the reaction of the owners, many expressions of appreciation, I would do it all again.

This week I received the long awaited photo scanner that I had ordered online, and with it came a new set of challenges. Windows 10 doesn’t like the software for the new scanner, and refuses to accept the download. Now what do I do? Part of the ‘truckload’ of photos has been delivered to my place and I’m ‘chomping at the bit’ to get started. I have about worn out Google Search, have had an online ‘chat’ with the company of the scanner, and even written a question to TC on NOTH. I have a feeling that it will be TC who will come up with an answer that will solve the challenge.

When all is solved, I will have one more associated challenge… keeping good records! My husband enjoyed asking me each evening how many slides I had scanned, and I’m sure he will have the same question when I’m working with the photos.

I’m wondering how many photos there are in a ‘truck load’ of photos! Stay tuned!

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Following graduation, the class of nurses went their separate ways, to find their first job as a Registered Nurse (known as an RN), continue their education, or to finally marry the love of their life (which was not allowed during training days). They were now members of the Hospital Alumnae, and made concerted efforts to travel back to attend the annual Alumnae Banquet. Traditionally, each class planned their own class reunion every five years, which included attending the Alumnae Banquet. The first class reunion, five years after graduation, was filled with stories and photos of career jobs and weddings. At the tenth year reunion, there were photos of babies and young children, along with new jobs and travel experiences. The ‘sisterhood’ was deep and the weekends were filled with planned events, dining wherever possible, late night chatting in hotel rooms, but there was very little sleep.

There was great sadness in the class when it was learned that the hospital was closed and imploded, along with the Residence. The hospital was beyond repair, and nursing education became a university degree. The end of a beloved era! The Alumnae Association was committed to continue the annual banquet until the last graduating class (1974) could celebrate their 50^th Anniversary, and be referred to as the ‘Golden Nuggets’. It was such a very special honor!

How is it that I can write so much about that class? Because it was my class who were the “Golden Nuggets” ten years ago. This year is the 60^th anniversary of our graduation, but because of the restrictions due to the pandemic, the springtime Alumnae Banquet has been cancelled, and a possible rescheduling for September 2021 for the ‘major’ class reunions. Members of my class are close to 80 years young and more, and the plans are very fluid. There were 91 classmates who graduated, and we have said ‘Goodbye’ to 24 dear friends. We have been having many phone conversations this past month, deciding that if some can still travel, and are still able to ‘mingle’, we’ll be together in September. No entertainment plans… just a hotel stay where we can talk, eat, and sleep! We can always hope for a better year!

Thanks for reading my story… it is filled with strong emotions and happy memories.

Tags: Reunions Sisterhood Plans

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Is it my turn to write a blog this week? It has been a busy time in my “office”, phone conversations, text messages, and email ‘letters’, updating my contact list, and remembering to save all the info that I’ve been receiving. My title this week may be a bit confusing, so let me fill in some blanks.

This story started many years ago, on a sunny day in the late summer. A large group of young ladies, most who had just graduated from high school, had received notice of the anticipated event, including the date, time and location. Some lived in the designated city, and others had to make travel arrangements. It would be the first day of a life-changing three-year commitment, commonly called ‘Nursing School’. Introductions were made by the “house Mother” over a cup of tea in the Lounge, then a tour of the building to familiarize the facilities, and then an orientation packet, including room assignments, were handed out to just over one hundred first-year students. The residence was a ten-storey building connected to the hospital, that became ‘home’ to more than three hundred ladies. In those days, male hospital workers were called ‘orderlies’, but never nurses.

Living in the residence was mandatory until the last six month of the third year, the work week was six days, and the seventh day was ‘study’ day. Each student had her own private room, equipped with a day bed, locking closet, book shelf, desk, and sink with hot and cold running water. Lavatory and shower stalls were down the hall. Telephones were by the elevators, operated by a switchboard operator on the main floor, who would signal a student in her room when she had a caller… one buzz for a phone call, two buzzes for a caller in person.

Each new student was also introduced to her ‘big sister’, a second-year student, who would be available to give both physical and emotional support, as well as friendship, to these new gals. ‘Big Sisters’ explained the routines and the house rules. Every morning started at 7 a.m. (or earlier), dressed in full uniform (blue dress, white big and apron, white stockings with the seam straight up the back of the leg, and white laced oxford shoes, ready to attend chapel service on the main floor. Breakfast was served in the hospital and work or classes started at 8 a.m.

After attending classes for only four weeks, those first year students were assigned their work schedules in the hospital, to start putting into practice what had been taught in class. What had they learned in four weeks? They could bring warm water in basins to each patient for a morning “sponge bath”. They could change the bedding for their assigned patients, distribute fresh drinking water and meal trays, and give back rubs. AND… when necessary, they could help a patient on to a ‘bedpan’, and then dispose the contents in the ‘flusher’ in the utility room.

It didn’t take long for the students realize that a very strong bond was forming with their fellow classmates. They lived together, worked together, socialized together for an intense three years. They laughed together, cried together, initiated memorable events, and even broke the rules together. The ‘sisterhood’ became stronger in time, and distance and location after graduation didn’t diminish that bond.

I’ll be back next week with Part 2, adding more clues to the scene behind the title.

Tags: Story Nurses Duties Remember

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I decided, because of past events that have recently popped up in my memory, to share this blog that I wrote in the A-Z Alphabet Challenge a couple of years ago. I guess this is my "Throwback Thursday" story...

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I would like to introduce you to a guy I met many years ago. He was a lot older than me, but the first time I laid eyes on him, I knew I wanted to get to know him better. He was gorgeous, and to me, he looked like a giant with a great smile and sparkling gray eyes. He said his given name was Gustav but everyone called him Gus.

He and Brownie, his horse, had come to our neighborhood four years earlier, looking for work. He met his wife on a neighboring farm, but that didn't bother me. She was a nice lady, and she would stand and smile when he told me many stories, some about his first home in North Dakota, and his father’s decision to move to Canada. He said he wasn't really a cowboy; he was called a cattle driver, working in ranch country in the Cypress Hills. His best friend was his horse, and he told me that he could never part with him.

One of my favorite stories was about his family. When he was much younger, his family moved from Etzicom in Southern Alberta to Glentworth, Saskatchewan. Life was not easy for them, and they wanted to be near relatives for support. Because he was the oldest son, he was responsible to bring the family's livestock to their new home. I don't remember how many miles it was, but it took him quite a few days to get there. His proudest moment was when he could tell his father that he didn't lose one cow or one horse along the way. That was quite a feat for one guy and his horse.

The family returned to Alberta after a short stay in Saskatchewan, and again, Gus was given the responsibility to tend to the livestock. That time, the return trip was on the train, which, of course, was much easier than the many miles he had spent on Brownie’s back.

When the family was settled, he started to look for a job. Work was hard to find, and being that he was now a long distance from the ranch country that he loved, he took any work he could get on a farm. It was there that he met his wife. Mixed farming... some grain crops, a few milk cows, some chickens and ducks, apparently were his only option, but he worked hard so that he could get his own farm.

It wasn’t long before he was able to make arrangement to buy a farm near the hamlet of Grainger. It was hard work, but having a wife to stand with him made it easier. Brownie was still with him, and very much a one-person horse, so Gus would ride him as often as he could. He would tell me that the time he spent on the back of his horse was a real treat for both him and Brownie.  However, there were other horses on his farm that also needed attention… horses that helped with the work. Four big horses could pull the binder to cut the grain and tie the bundles. At harvest time, those horses were used to pull the hay wagons that were filled with straw from the threshing machine. In the winter, they would pull a stone boat through deep snow, loaded with feed for the cattle. Gus would also use that sled to drag snow off the road so we could go to town to buy groceries, pump gasoline in his car, tend to personal business, and on Sunday, go to church. If there was no other way, he would spend hours clearing the snow from the road with a shovel.

Gus loved his family, and gained the respect of his neighbors. He was never far from me, often taking me with him for a ride on Brownie, or on his tractor, and in the winter, he and I would spend a lot of time going up and down a snowy hill on a toboggan. Why would he do that, you ask?

BECAUSE HE WAS MY DAD!

Tags: Throwback Story Cowboy Cattle Driver

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Last week, I posted a list of books that I “rediscovered” on the shelves of our personal library, books that I know I’ve read but I can’t remember the contents or what I liked about a book. I must have liked it or I wouldn’t have kept it. This week, I want to tell you about the lasting impact that several books have had on my life.

The first book that I daily enjoy reading and re-reading, starting in print and now on my Kindle, is ‘The Voice’ (‘ a modern language, dynamic equivalent English translation of the Bible developed by Thomas Nelson (a subsidiary of News Corp) and the Ecclesia Bible Society. The original New Testament was released in January 2011, the revised and updated New Testament was released in November 2011, and the full Bible was released in April 2012 (copied from Wikipedia). My departure from reading my leather-bound King James Version started in the early 1960s when I was introduced to the paraphrased version called ‘The Living Bible’. I appreciated the absence of the ‘thee’s’ and ‘thou’s’, and other ancient and now unused vocabulary, and often heard myself say, “I didn’t know that was in the Bible!”

Many of you may have heard of the next book.  A family member knew that I liked to read, and because she had enjoyed the book, decided to give me a copy. In addition, she had learned that it was originally written by a person who lived in the town where I had my first nursing job, and met my husband. The title is ‘The Shack’, written by William Paul Young. He wrote this book as an allegory for his early teen children, to help them understand who God is, who His Son Jesus is, and who the Holy Spirit is. (An allegory is a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one. "Pilgrim's Progress” is an allegory of the spiritual journey”.)  He forwarded the manuscript to a current author in California for editing, but never expected that it would eventually not only be published, but to have sold over 23 million copies worldwide, spent 147 weeks on the bestseller list, and went on to become a major motion picture. Not far into my reading of this book, I almost stopped because of what I thought could be controversial, but the more I read, the more I appreciated it. I read conflicting comments about this book, but pursued some of the positive reviews written by several other authors that I was familiar with. I also wanted to find out something about the editor. I found Wayne Jacobsen’s web page, and when I saw a link to books that he had written, I was shocked at the first title that I read… “So You Don’t Want To Go To Church Anymore”. Did he write that book especially for me? That was exactly my struggle! On further reading, I learned that the book was online as a .pdf file, and no charge, so I decided to look for it and try to read it. It was very thought provoking, but also helpful in my personal spiritual journey. I have read other books that he has authored, including his latest release titled “Live Loved Free Full”.

This may explain the statement that I have included in my ‘About Me’ on my profile page.

Tags: Reading Personal Books

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