Saturday 29 June 2013

People at the Market

I had my first Farmers' Market day for this year yesterday.

The Farmers' Market is fun.  It's a place to visit and meet lots of new people.  I find that it's mostly seniors that shop there. 

Sometimes they give me words of wisdom. 

Sometimes they need someone to listen. 

Sometimes they just need buttertarts.

Senior couples are fun.  The woman will tell her husband NO...he does NOT need anything on my table.  And then he will reach into his pocket...hand me the money....and take what he wants.  His wife will shake her head in disgust and call him a kid.  But he doesn't care....he smiles at me....and I smile back.

As a senior gentleman approached my table he asked me how I was doing and then I politely asked him the same.  He told me how he had buried four friends this past winter.  He follows a strict regimen...he works hard...he will not grow old without a fight....he feels amazing.  Then he asked me what was in my buttertarts....and then he bought some.  That made me smile.

Another gentleman decided to tell me some 'old' school stories.  He said that there was a bush out behind his public school.  In the springtime, he and his buddies would spend their lunch hour drinking all the sap out of the buckets on the maple trees.  Then they would rub their bellies all afternoon....they would all feel so sick.  Then he told me another one...but before he did he said, "Why am I telling you this?"....and I said that I had no idea...but just tell me another one.  He said that the science teacher told them that the next day they would be going on their annual field trip to the bush....out behind the school.  So, that evening, him and his buddies got ahold of one of their father's pin up magazines.  They took all the pictures and put them up on the trees....right on the trail that the science teacher would be taking the class the next day.  He said that it was 'just good clean fun'....no one ever got hurt....but they were just bad lads.  I couldn't help but smile.  Seriously....that's funny.

Market people are unpredictable....and that's what makes it fun.

And sales were good too.

Brenda

Monday 24 June 2013

Cupcakes on a Rainy Saturday

It rained on Saturday.

There were 3 extra little girls here.....for a total of 5 little girls....DELIGHTFUL!

I baked 5 dozen chocolate cupcakes Saturday morning.

Then I asked them to decorate them for me.

SO. MUCH. FUN.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
They were licking buttercream icing off of their arms and legs.

They were dipping marshmallows in coloured sugar.

They were sprinkling sprinkles.

And more sprinkles.

It was good.

Brenda

Sunday 23 June 2013

Hay....and a Cake.

Grady cut some hay last week.

 

 
 
 

And I made a cake for a bridal shower.

 

Grady raked the hay and then decided to make some square bales.  We all helped bring them in on Friday...it was a beautiful, warm day.  Sophie had wanted to go to the beach....but then once she got up on the wagon all was well again!  For little girls bringing in the hay is FUN....for the rest of us...it's WORK.

 
 
 
 
 
 
Luckily, we had some friends to help us and we got it all into the barn before the rain came.

Brenda

Thursday 20 June 2013

The Telemarketer

Have you ever hung up on a telemarketer?

If you did, did they ever call you back...immediately...and yell at you?....and call you illiterate and say that you are from a bad family?

This happened to me last night.  The phone rang and I was busy...but I answered it.  He started talking and I couldn't get a word in...and then he told me to turn on my computer and get it booted up and get it on the desktop.  Then he said that he would wait for me to do this.  Then I hung up.

Then he called me back and told me that I was illiterate and that I was from a bad family.

I tried to settle him down.

I explained to him the meaning of the word illiterate.

I told him that I could call him all sorts of nasty things because he was the one that was going to hack my computer and steal my personal information.

I asked him if most people just hang up...or do they actually say that they aren't interested.  He said that they ALL say that they aren't interested before they hang up.  I figured that he must have been calling everyone in the Ottawa Valley....and I was the first rude one.

Then I asked him how he got my phone number....and where exactly was he calling from.

He didn't like my questions.....and he nearly hung up on me.  But I warned him not too....because that would mean that HE was illiterate and HE was from a bad family.

The conversation went on for over 10 minutes.....and then HE hung up on ME.

Brenda

Tuesday 18 June 2013

An Old Window Gets a New Life

This past winter I found an old window leaning up against one of the buildings.  I took it and brought it into the house and sort of hid it.....I was afraid that it would be broken into pieces and thrown into the furnace.  It was old...and I liked it.

I thought about what to do with it.....I wanted to make it into something special.

I love quilts.....and I decided to attempt to make one.  I had a bag of scrap materials...so I went through it and cut everything into four inch squares.  Then I sewed them together....and it actually looked like a quilt!

I asked Terry to put a piece of barn board on the bottom of the window....to create a shelf.

I had collected some old glass bottles while on a walk in the bush last fall.  I love old glass bottles....they are all different shapes and sizes.  I scrubbed them up and put them on the shelf.

While on a walk in the spring, I clipped some branches off of some sort of weed/bush that grows on the side of our road.  Then I glued sparkles onto it.

We had been using this old paint can to collect the eggs.  I don't know where the boys found it...but I like it.  I put the branches into the can and then set it onto the shelf.  I'll have to find another container for collecting eggs or we'll be back to putting them in our pockets!

I found the bird's nest in a little bush back in February.  The girls were fascinated with it...it even had pieces of baler twine in it.  I had put it in the cupboard...saving it for something special.

I finally got around to putting the window up today.  I decided to hang it over the tub in the bathroom.

 
 
 
 

When I look at the quilt I see one of Terry's old work shirts.

I see a cotton baby's blanket.

I see a pair of Jack's old jeans....that I had to patch twice in the knees before he outgrew them.

I see a baby's sleeper...that was covered in spit stains.

I see a wool sock...that had a big hole in the bottom.

I see a cotton maternity dress....that was so worn and faded that I actually flipped the material over and used the other side.

I see love.

I see my life.

I am so blessed.

Brenda

Monday 17 June 2013

A Day to Celebrate

We had a party yesterday.

We had a lot to celebrate.....actually 3 things to celebrate.

1.  It was Father's Day.

2.  We needed to have a party to celebrate Grady's graduation from grade 8.  He will be off to high school in the fall.

3.  It was also Grady's Birthday!

So we celebrated.

Johanna did some face painting.




They played hockey....


There were games of soccer and hide-and-seek.  The kittens were 'snuggled'....and there was lots of visiting....


And FOOD.  SO. MUCH. FOOD.

Here is the cake.  I decided to just make something simple....blue swirls.  When I was decorating it the girls said it looked like waves and I should make a boat and cover it in fish and......I didn't.


Grady is turning 14.


He let the girls blow out the candles....


So much fun.  Good, good memories.

Brenda

Friday 14 June 2013

A Distraction

It was a perfect day to get some things done.  The boys were busy cutting the lawn and whipper snipping.  I took a notion to paint.  I've been meaning to finish some of the trim and a few doors needed to be painted.  I have done a lot of painting in this old farmhouse...it's a chore that just never seems to be finished.  Usually I paint at night after the kids are all in bed...but today I figured that the girls are old enough and I should be able to paint without them 'getting in the way'.

First, I had to scrub everything down...and no one seemed to bother me when I was doing this.

But as soon as I started to paint, I heard....

"Mom, I'm hungry."

"Mom, I need a snack."

"Mom, I need a drink."

"Mom, you painted this.  Will it come off my fingers?"

"Mom, I want to read to you.  Will you help me?".....good grief.  How do you say NO to that.  It was Lydia...this past month she wants to read all the time.  She knows quite a few words by sight....so, she got the reader and sat at my feet and read to me....and I helped her with the words that she was stuck on.

The painting was being interrupted....and I was ready to quit.  I asked the girls if they would just go outside for awhile....and they actually did.  But it was only for a minute and then they came in screaming with excitement.  They said that I HAD to come out and see this.  So I did.

 
 

They said that he was SO CUTE.  I thought it looked like a pickle.

I said that he was great....because he was a distraction.....from me painting.

They watched him for a while....and protected him from Ruby.

But the best part was that that frog distracted them....from me painting.  They came in the house and they played with each other like they normally do. 

And I got all the first coat on.

But I will need to get the second coat of paint on.  I think I'll do it when they are asleep.

Brenda

Wednesday 12 June 2013

A Bird's Nest

Jack was checking the fences all around the sheep field last week.  He told me that he saw a bird's nest hidden in one of the bushes.  It had a few eggs in it.

He showed Johanna on the weekend.

Then it rained....which was a blessing.  Rain is good.

This morning, I finally had a chance to trek across the field with Jack.  I got wet up to my knees...but that didn't matter. 

It was so worth it.

As we approached, the mother bird flew out of the bush.  Another bird, we think it must have been the father, chirped loudly at us.  He was sitting on the hydro line just above us.


Then as I moved the grass away to snap a quick photo, the father swooped down on us.  He was MAD!



One of the eggs has hatched.  I saw the little chick move.


 

We only stayed for a moment....we didn't want to cause a disturbance.

New life is so amazing.  So beautiful.

Brenda

Monday 10 June 2013

A 4-H Celebration

Renfrew County 4-H had a reason to celebrate on Saturday.  We honoured a special lady who has work tirelessly for her community for many, many years.  Lynn Clelland joined 4-H at the age of 12 and when she 'graduated' from being a 4-H member at the age of 21...she became a 4-H leader.  Over the years, she has been involved in all aspects of 4-H...from writing programs to serving on the board.

Lynn has taught my children how to square dance through the 4-H Square Dancing Club.  She was also their leader for the 4-H Farm Safety Club.  She has probably saved many lives over the years because she has taught many, many children how to be safe on the farm.

Not only is she involved in 4-H, but she is a true community lady.  She has volunteered with her church, the local school and she helped turn a local one room school house into a living museum.

On Saturday, she was presented with the Syngenta 4-H Ontario Arbor Award.  The 4-H Leadership Club was given the task of organizing the entire event.  These young adults did an amazing job. 

They included some square dancing in the program....



And then they made a square with 16 of us!  I don't have any photos because I was in the square! 

There was a hemlock tree planted in her honour.

 
 

And then there were treats!  Lots of treats....cakes and cookies!

They asked me to make the decorated cake for the event....

 
 

Congratulations Lynn!

Brenda