~ a musical hour at the seniors’ lodge ~


~Grandma cutting a rug ~

Before the boys left, I gave Everett strict orders (I can still make Royal Proclamations with my kids, thank goodness) that he is to write to me every day, whether in an email or in the comments box below my entries on this webpage. It turns out that the comments box doesn't work for him, so I have been receiving daily missives:

Monday

Dear Mom,

I never did bring my Industrial Arts project home. I told you it would cost $3 to bring it home and you said you'd pay for it but I never saw the money. I asked you for it many times.
Today we aren't really doing anything. Emil and I still need to adapt to our surroundings, haha. I'll right you again tomorrow, OK.

Love Everett

Tuesday

Dear Mom,

My IA project is a wooden car. Maybe you could talk to my IA teacher and see if he still has it. Or maybe it will still be at the school next year and I could still get it. Poppa works a little and then comes home to scratch and fart with us. I wish you could fart like us because it is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo fun but of course, girls don't fart! My hair is just fine... for me.

Love Everett

Hello my little boot-scootin' booger,

Guess what I found out yesterday. We went for supper in Kelvington last night with Faye and Rick, who live near NUT MOUNTAIN. They told me there used to be a hill with lots of hazelnuts on it, and that's how Nut Mountain got its name. In Saskatchewan, it's not unusual to call a hill a mountain as kind of a joke.

Who is your IA teacher?
I bet they throw everything out at the end of the school year.

Poppa works a little and then comes home to scratch and
fart with us. I wish you could fart like us because it is
sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo fun but of course, girls don't fart!

Alas, it is just a dream for me. And of course, with Scott out of the house all day, not only is it quiet in here, but not stinky with you guys gone.

My hair is just fine... for me.

Yes, well ... you don't have to look at yourself!
Start thinking about hairstyles you'd like so that you can choose one rather than have someone else choose for you. Look in magazines or something. There must be some cool cuts around.

What are you doing today? This afternoon I'll go to Margo to help Auntie Reta go through some papers and things. Yesterday I picked strawberries, got half a pail. I think from now on I might just keep the big ones and give the tiny ones to the chickens.

~ came home with “loot” for my china cabinet! ~

Well I'd better get working here, gotta make some money so I can afford the next trip at the end of the month.

Give Emil a kiss and a hug for me (and keep one of each for yourself).

Love,
Mom

Hi Mom!

I don't see how people think a hill is a mountain. I'd call it a hill. I suppose some people in Saskatchwan have never seen a mountain before. I don't know how to spell my IA teacher's name but it's Mr. Jenough. His name will probably be on my report card.I understand that it's not fun around the house without me and Emil but if you want sound and stink then spray mosquito spray all over the house and watch Terminater. We're doing the same thing as yesterday.

Love Everett

Wednesday

Hello again, Babycakes,

I was watching the news last night and saw that there was a hotdog-eating contest. The winner ate 54! How disgusting. Do not try that yourself, mister. I don't know why a person's stomach doesn't explode.

Scott and I cannot see Jack, the Siamese fighting fish, in the tank. He seems to have disappeared. Scott even poked at the castle to roust him out if he was in there.

Is the bird happy to see you? How is Uncle Bum's cat after its operation? How is Uncle Bum? I tried phoning you guys last night but got a wrong number and was too lazy to get off the couch and look in the address book after.

Love,
Mom

Wow! 54 hotdogs! When I grow up I'm going to be just like thet guy! Just kidding, although that is pretty amazing. Jack might be at the heater. He usually goes there and people don't seem to ever see him. Poppa’s bird likes me enough I suppose. She doesn't like my hands though but she likes my shoulder. She's Emil's best friend now. Brownie [the cat] is fine. Uncle Bum is working right now and I have to feed Brownie. He's fury.

Everett

Thursday

Hi Schnevy,

Guess it's my turn to write. I lost track already.

I don't see Jack at the heater. He has either escaped, or been eaten, or is a pretty good hider.

She's Emil's best friend now.

Good, Emil needs a best friend!

and I have to feed Brownie. He's fury.

You mean, he's mad?

Uncle Bum is not supposed to open his present till his birthday.

Well, you've been there since Saturday and I have yet to hear of you guys going anywhere. What y'all doin' with yerselfs?

It's another hot day here. I went for a walk this morning without Sara so no waterfowl babies were abused. I plan to go to town later today, will visit Grandma, buy some drinking water, and maybe even wash the van since Scott is still nagging about it (perhaps rightly so, but ... it's not high on my priority list). The flowers are getting pretty; I should take a picture of the delphiniums for you I guess. They are impressive spikes.

~ the tall ones are 8 feet high ~

Mom

Hi Mom!

You must have a bad memory if you've already forgetten who's turn it is to write. I think Jack is probably a good hider. I don't think the bird is Emil's friend anymore because it pooped on him once. Sorry for the typing error in the last letter. I meant to say Brownie's furry. By the way, you said that people would know what I mean when I make a silly mistake. I guess you made a mistake. And I did not make this up! When is Uncle Bum's birthday? We're doing the same old thing. It's hot here too. Sara needs to be trained to know that those birds are good guys, not like crows and magpies. Scott's weird.

Everett

Friday

Good Morning my sweetheart,

Sorry for the typing error in the last letter. I meant to say Brownie's furry. By the way, you said that people would know what I mean when I make a silly mistake. I guess you made a mistake. And I did not make this up!

Sometimes you are a little bit like Emil ... you don't know when someone is teasing you.

When is Uncle Bum's birthday?

Sept. 10. He will be 41. I hope he plans to come up to the Engdahl reunion on the 28th, 29th and 30th. Joan said he is to be in Kelowna this weekend. That will make Grandpa happy.

We're doing the same old thing. It's hot here too.

Emil must be bored then. What does he do while you're playing games? Is it hot in the condo too or have you got some fans or something going?

It hasn't been too bad here for the past couple days, but today it's only 8 a.m. and already too hot for me to sit on the deck with my morning coffee.

Sara needs to be trained to know that those birds are good guys, not like crows and magpies.

I don't think she means to hurt them, but to play. How would you train her?

Scott's weird.

It seems that way, doesn't it. However, he tells me that if you don't wash your vehicle for a long time and there is a layer of mud and dirt on it, it the paint underneath breaks down after a while. Anyway, I met him in town yesterday and he washed it.

We went to Kelvington last night because Grandma Lowndes had a "spell" yesterday, went to the hospital for an hour with very high blood pressure and then was at home and feeling fine. But Pat went to stay with her overnight and Scott wanted to visit her too. When you're 97 years old, a little "spell" can be a dangerous thing and all the family was worried. She was her usual lovely self though, and so thankful we'd gone to see her. What a sweetie she is.

I went to Weneeda Park Lodge yesterday to see Grandma but she was busy playing bingo (and winning too; she is pretty lucky at that, they tell me, and quite often wins). Reta and Carl are putting her house up for sale and gave me the key so I can show it to prospective buyers after they've gone back to Phoenix.

~ asking price $25,000 ~

If it doesn't sell, Gord can rent it when he comes out and that will help them pay some of the costs of upkeep. I told them he might come out every long weekend and they thought that would be okay.

We also went to see Cara and Chris and baby Kade, who has grown so much in the past two weeks since I last saw him. But he fussed every time I held him and was only happy with his mama. We didn't stay long, not even half an hour, then stopped at the service station on the corner for Rolo ice cream cones to eat on the way home. Yummy! Too yummy. I asked for one scoop and Scott thought he'd be generous and get two -- which meant the top scoop had to be licked off real quick otherwise it was meltily messy, and I hate messy food!

Have you guys called Auntie Helen yet? She probably needs a visit soon; I bet she gets lonely now, living alone. She had a big operation just a while ago, too, and perhaps can't move around as easily while she recuperates from it.

I didn't get out to pick strawberries yesterday; should go now. I left the big ones to ripen and maybe I'll be lucky and get them before the birds or rabbits or deer or whatever it is that leaves big toothmarks on the berries out there. I better go now, before it gets too hot out to stand.

xoxo
Momski