TO BE HAPPY ….WHAT DOES IT TAKE?
ENJOY THESE THOUGHTS ON THE SUBJECT. I DID.
*You can have flaws, be anxious, and even be angry, but do not forget that your life is the greatest enterprise in the world. Only you can stop it from going bust. Many appreciate you, admire you and love you.Remember that to be happy is not to have a sky without a storm, a road without accidents, work without fatigue, relationships without disappointments.
To be happy is to find strength in forgiveness, hope in battles, security in the stage of fear, love in discord. It is not only to enjoy the smile, but also to reflect on the sadness. It is not only to celebrate the successes, but to learn lessons from the failures. It is not only to feel happy with the applause, but to be happy in anonymity.
Being happy is not a fatality of destiny, but an achievement for those who can travel within themselves. To be happy is to stop feeling like a victim and become your destiny’s author. It is to cross deserts, yet to be able to find an oasis in the depths of our soul. It is to thank God for every morning, for the miracle of life.
Being happy is not being afraid of your own feelings. It’s to be able to talk about you. It is having the courage to hear a “no”. It is confidence in the face of criticism, even when unjustified. It is to kiss your children, pamper your parents, to live poetic moments with friends, even when they hurt us.
To be happy is to let live the creature that lives in each of us, free, joyful and simple.
It is to have maturity to be able to say: “I made mistakes”.
It is to have the courage to say “I am sorry”.
It is to have the sensitivity to say, “I need you”.
It is to have the ability to say “I love you”.May your life become a garden of opportunities for happiness …
That in spring may it be a lover of joy. In winter a lover of wisdom.
And when you make a mistake, start all over again.For only then will you be in love with life. You will find that to be happy is not to have a perfect life. But use the tears to irrigate tolerance.
Use your losses to train patience.
Use your mistakes to sculptor serenity.Use pain to plaster pleasure.
Use obstacles to open windows of intelligence.Never give up …. Never give up on people who love you. Never give up on happiness, for life is an incredible show.*
(Pope Francis).
2 Sideways
WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN LIFE GOES SIDEWAYS? THIS HAS BEEN AN INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT FEW MONTHS FOR ALL OF US. AND WHEN I SAY ‘ALL’ I MEAN FOR THE WORLD OF COURSE.
BUT SOMETIMES OUR WORLDS ARE SMALL AND STILL VERY DIFFICULT. SOMETIMES IT’S JUST TRYING TO GET THROUGH THE DAY.
YESTERDAY I WAS REMINDED OF A CHILDREN’S BOOK THAT I USED TO READ TO OUR KIDS CALLED ‘ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY’. HA HA.
I WAS ABOUT TO SAY NOBODY DIED BUT,ALAS, I EVEN FOUND OUT ABOUT A FRIEND DYING. UGH. (CANCER AND SADNESS WERE THE CAUSES I BELIEVE).
ANYWAY, A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO WE HAD A HUGE BUT QUICK STORM HERE IN OUR CITY AND OUR NEWLY RENOVATED BASEMENT PARTIALLY FLOODED. WE HAD A MASSIVE INFLUX OF WATER WHILE COMPANY WAS HERE LAST YEAR TOO AND THANKS BE TO GOD WE RECEIVED ENOUGH INSURANCE MONEY TO REPLACE ALMOST EVERYTHING DOWN THERE…INCLUDING THE WALLS!
SO AFTER WORKING OUT A ‘FIX’ FOR WHERE WE THOUGHT THE WATER WAS COMING IN (OVERWHELMED WINDOW WELLS) WE WERE QUITE SHOCKED TO SEE WATER COMING IN FROM A DIFFERENT AREA THIS YEAR. WE WERE ABLE TO SEE THE BLESSINGS EVEN IN THIS SITUATION (NO CARPETS RUINED, US BEING HOME IN TIME TO QUICKLY CLEAN UP, ETC.)AND NEXT WEEK WE ARE HAVING AQUARIAN RENOVATIONS COME IN TO JACK HAMMER FOR US ANOTHER SUMP PUMP TO GET THE WATER OUT QUICKLY IF IT EVER HAPPENS AGAIN.
SO: YESTERDAY I WAS PARTICULARLY SORE IN MY BACK(ARTHRITIS AND FALL RELATED PAIN I THINK) AND I DECIDED TO TAKE A BATH IN MY HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBLE TUB (WITH JETS!) TO EASE THE PAIN. WHEN I WAS READY TO GET OUT I PRESSED THE DOOR RELEASE BUTTON….AND IT DIDN’T WORK. FOR THE NEXT HALF HOUR OR SO I WAS STUCK IN THE TUB …WHICH IRONICALLY ADDED TO THE STRESS THAT I PROBABLY HOLD IN MY BACK..HA HA. WE HAVE COMPANY THIS WEEK(MY SON AND HIS FAMILY)SO MY HUSBAND WAS UPSTAIRS READING TO OUR GRANDSONS AND OUR SON AND DAUGHTER IN LAW WERE IN THE HOME TOO. BUT OUR ROOM IS IN THE BASEMENT AWAY FROM ALL GUESTS AND NO ONE COULD HEAR IF I YELLED. I ALSO KNEW THAT IF I TRIED TO STAND UP AND CLIMB OVER THERE WAS A GOOD CHANCE I WOULD SLIP AND BREAK A HIP. UGH!
FINALLY THE BUTTON WORKED AND I WAS ABLE TO CLIMB OUT…..AND KILL (SORRY/NOT SORRY) THE GIANT SPIDER THAT WAS CREEPING TOWARDS ME!
I TOOK THE ELEVATOR(WHICH I ALSO GOT STUCK IN THE OTHER DAY..WHEN THE BATTERY DIED!!!) UPSTAIRS AND STARTED TO SEE THE HUMOUR IN THE SITUATION. SHEESH.
THAT AFTERNOON OUR NEIGHBOUR CAME OVER TO SAY THAT WE HAD WATER RUNNING FROM OUR HOUSE INTO HIS YARD. WHAAAAAAAAAAAAA ?
CAN YOU BELIEVE THE BAD LUCK(?) BUT WE HAD AN OUTSIDE IRRIGATION PIPE BURST …AND YOU GUESSED IT…FLOOD THE BASEMENT.
THIS TIME WE DID HAVE OUR GUEST ROOM CARPETING GET SOAKED AND ONCE AGAIN WE HAD TO SHOP VAC THE WATER OUT OF THAT PART OF THE BASEMENT.
SO WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN LIFE GOES SIDEWAYS?
DO YOU CRY? (I WANTED TO!) DO YOU GET ANGRY? (THERE WAS SOME OF THAT FOR SURE)
WHAT I TRY TO DO IS LOOK FOR THE POSITIVE THINGS IN EVERY SITUATION AND WHEN I FIND THEM I THANK GOD THAT IT WASN’T WORSE. SO WE FOUND THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM(JUST ROTTEN LUCK) WHILE WE WERE HOME.(A BLESSING BECAUSE IF WE WERE AWAY IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A NIGHTMARE)
WE HAD HELP TO CLEAR OUT THE BEDS DOWN THERE BECAUSE OF OUR SON AND MY HUSBAND DOING THE HEAVY LIFTING. THEY THOUGHT FAST AND GOT EVERYTHING UP AND OUT OF THE WAY. (I THINK WE MIGHT HAVE SAVED THE CARPETING BUT WE ARE WAITING TO FIND OUT IF THE WALLS HAVE MOISTURE IN THEM).
WE HAVE OUR SENSES OF HUMOUR SO WE CAN LAUGH AT THE CRAZINESS IMMEDIATELY. PHEW.
AND WE HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH THE MEANS TO BE ABLE TO CALL SOMEONE TO HELP US FIX THE SITUATION WITH INDUSTRIAL FANS ,ETC. RIGHT AWAY TOO.
MANY BLESSINGS IN THIS TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD , DAY.
GRATEFUL I HAVE FRIENDS WHO PRAYED FOR US WHEN I TOLD THEM ABOUT IT ALL(AND MADE ME LAUGH) . GRATEFUL I HAVE FAMILY WHO LOVE US AND MADE THE BEST OF A BAD SITUATION. GRATEFUL I HAVE FAITH THAT TODAY WILL BE A BETTER DAY.
LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVING A BIT LESS EXCITEMENT TODAY…HA HA.
WISH US LUCK! AND NEVER LOSE HOPE.
0 The Beauty of Bread
THIS STATEMENT IS PROBABLY MORE TRUE IN 2020 THAN EVER! BUT YESTERDAY I PUT SOME OF MY LOVE INTO A LOAF OF BREAD.
EVERYTHING WAS READY. MY OTHER SON AND HIS FAMILY WERE DRIVING FROM VANCOUVER TO BE WITH US FOR A WEEK. THEY WERE DUE TO ARRIVE AROUND MIDNIGHT.
BEDS WERE MADE, THE HOUSE WAS CLEAN , THE GROCERIES PURCHASED ,AND I HAD PLANNED LOTS OF IDEAS FOR CRAFTS AND PLAY TIME FOR THE WEE ONES.
FOR SOME REASON THE DAY WAS GOING VERY SLOWLY SO I DECIDED TO TRY A BREAD RECIPE AGAIN THAT FAILED THE FIRST TIME. I WAS IMPATIENT LAST TIME AND BECAUSE I DIDN’T WAIT FOR THE BREAD TO FULLY RISE MY BAKED LOAF WAS HARD AND TASTELESS.
THIS TIME I DECIDED TO PUT THE CARE INTO IT THAT IS NEEDED WHEN ONE MAKES BREAD. I MEASURED CORRECTLY AND ACTUALLY HAD TO WAIT FOR 2 1/2 HOURS FOR THE YEAST TO WORK ITS MAGIC.
JUST LIKE THE LOVE WE HAVE FOR OUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS- WE NEED TO PUT CARE AND TIME INTO OUR RELATIONSHIPS. WHO IS WISHING YOU WOULD CALL? WHO IS LONELY OR HURTING RIGHT NOW? WHO DO YOU NEED IN THIS TIME OF SOCIAL DISTANCING?
I NEED MY FAMILY AND I AM THRILLED THAT I HAVE THE BLESSING OF MORE OF MY FAMILY (MY SON, HIS BRIDE AND OUR GRANDCHILDREN) MAKING THE EFFORT TO DRIVE THE 15 OR SO HOURS TO VISIT. TERRY AND I WENT TO ONLINE MASS LAST NIGHT AND PRAYED FOR SAFE TRAVELS FOR THE GANG. SOMETIMES GOOD THINGS HAVE COME OUT OF THIS PANDEMIC AND ONE OF THEM IS THAT WE WILL HAVE HAD SUMMERTIME FUN WITH MOST OF OUR CHILDREN AND ALL OF OUR GRANDSONS. (WE USUALLY ONLY SEE THEM IN THE SPRING AND AT CHRISTMAS).
I AM TRULY THANKFUL FOR THE BLESSINGS I HAVE RECEIVED FROM ‘THE BREAD OF LIFE’. YESTERDAY , I SPENT HOURS STIRRING AND KNEADING, AND PATIENTLY WAITING, AND BAKING MY LOAF OF HOMEMADE BREAD. AND THIS TIME MY CARE WAS REWARDED WITH A TASTY GARLIC/MOZZA LOAF . I HOPE TO PUT AS MUCH CARE INTO MY RELATIONSHIPS AS I DID WITH MY BAKING. I WILL ‘RISE TO THE CHALLENGE’ AND I KNOW I WILL BE REWARDED WITH LOVE THAT LASTS.
0 Duck Duck Goose
FUNNILY ENOUGH, ON THE SAME DAY THAT I CAME UPON THE ‘DINO WEDDING’ ON ONE OF MY WALKS I ALSO HAPPENED UPON ANOTHER FRONT YARD THAT HAD DUCKS PLACED IN VIGNETTES.
I KNOW I ALREADY DID A BLOG ABOUT YARD GNOMES BUT THERE ARE OBVIOUSLY MANY PEOPLE WHO LIKE TO PUT OTHER CUTE STATUES/SET UPS ON THEIR LAWNS. WHO KNEW?
I REMEMBER THAT EVERY MAY I USED TO REMARK TO MY PARENTS THAT I THOUGHT IT WAS SO FUNNY THAT PEOPLE IN MY HOMETOWN USED TO DRESS UP THESE GOOSE STATUES IN QUAINT OUTFITS AND SOMETIMES EVEN CHANGE THE OUTFITS FOR THE SEASON OR OCCASION. MY DAUGHTER, EMILY, HAD NEVER HEARD OF THIS BEFORE SO I TOOK PHOTOS OF THEM ONE YEAR AND I THINK I SHARED ABOUT 10 OF THESE THINGS WITH HER UPON MY RETURN. SHE CRACKED UP.
EVEN THOUGH I THINK THEY ARE SO CORNY I ALSO REALLY LIKE THAT NEIGHBOURS FIND JOY IN THEIR DECORATING AND LIKE TO PROVIDE A SMILE FOR THOSE WHO WALK BY.
WITH SO MANY HORRIFIC NEWS STORIES DAILY (BEIRUT, TERRORISM, POLITICAL, ETC., ETC.) I THOUGHT YOU MIGHT LIKE TO READ ABOUT SOMETHING….’NICE’.
SO GET OUT YOUR GNOMES AND DUCKS AND GOOSE STATUES AND HAVE ‘AT ‘ER’. YOU MIGHT JUST MAKE SOMEONE’S DAY ! AND IT MIGHT BRING A SMILE TO YOUR FACE TOO.
0 See the Signs
THIS PIECE POSTED BY ‘NOELLE AND DOUG’ REALLY SPEAKS TO ME….
AGREED. LET’S NOT EVEN NEED TO SEE THE SIGNS. LET’S JUST TREAT OTHERS WITH RESPECT AND KINDNESS.
0 Crashing a Wedding
ONCE AGAIN, I NEVER KNOW WHAT I AM GOING TO HAPPEN UPON DURING MY DAILY WALKS.
I HAVE WALKED EVERY STREET AND ALLEY IN MY NEIGHBOURHOOD SO MANY TIMES THAT I AM STARTING TO DRIVE TO OTHER NEIGHBOURHOODS SO THAT I CAN PARK THE CAR AND WALK IN NEW SURROUNDINGS.
SO, THE OTHER DAY I WAS STROLLING THROUGH A NEARBY AREA AND WHEN I TURNED THE CORNER I WAS JUST IN TIME TO SEE A WEDDING BEING PREPARED. I ASKED THE ‘WEDDING PLANNER’ IF THIS MINIATURE GATHERING WAS PART OF A HUMAN WEDDING LATER IN THE DAY BUT THE ANSWER WAS ,”NOPE, THIS IS JUST TO MAKE PEOPLE SMILE….LIKE YOU!”
‘LAURA’ ALWAYS USES HER WEE DINOS IN DIFFERENT SCENARIOS ON HER FRONT LAWN AND IN ANSWER TO MY QUESTION SHE SAID THAT NO ONE HAD EVER STOLEN ANY OF HER TINY JURASSIC FRIENDS.
NEIGHBOURS HAVE BEEN ENTERTAINED BY HER ‘PREHISTORIC ROCK CONCERT’, ‘BOXING MATCH’,’SOCCER GAME’,’CAMPING’, AND A ‘STREET CROSSING’ WITH ALL THE WARNING SIGNS.
LAURA WORKS AS A MANAGER IN THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT AND PARKS BY DAY (HER BACKGROUND IS SCIENCE/ECOLOGY) AND SHE TOLD ME IT RELAXED HER TO SEW THE MINIATURE COSTUMES AND SET UP THE DISPLAYS ON HER DAYS OFF. IT GIVES HER GREAT JOY TO WATCH ADULTS AND CHILDREN ALIKE GET MANY GIGGLES FROM HER VIGNETTES.
I INTERRUPTED THE WEDDING (AND MY WALK) FOR QUITE SOME TIME AS I GOT TO KNOW THIS NEW FRIEND. LAURA IS ALSO INTO MUSIC AND HAS QUITE A COLLECTION OF INSTRUMENTS THAT SHE EITHER PLAYS OR HAS COLLECTED FROM HER TRAVELS. SHE IS OF IRISH DECENT AND ACTUALLY HAD TO CUT HER TRIP SHORT WITH FAMILY IN IRELAND WHERE SHE WAS SHEERING SHEEP(!)BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC. SHE BROUGHT HOME AN IRISH DRUM(A BODHRÁN …PRONOUNCED ‘baRUN’) AND I ALSO CARTED ONE HOME LAST IRELAND VISIT.
WE HAD SUCH A WONDERFUL CONVERSATION THAT THE WEDDING MUSICIANS WERE GETTING NERVOUS AND THE GUESTS STARTED TO DRINK (CHECK OUT THAT 4TH PHOTO…HA HA). I LOOK FORWARD TO THE NEXT TIME I MEET UP WITH MY NEW FRIEND.
IT WAS A ‘DINO-MITE’ EXPERIENCE TO ‘CRASH THIS WEDDING’.
0 Quest for the World’s Biggest Mushrooms
AFTER WE SAID GOOD-BYE TO OUR FAMILY ON MONDAY (THEY HEADED HOME TO VANCOUVER) WE DECIDED TO TAKE A DRIVE TOGETHER TO CHECK OUT ANOTHER ‘WORLD’S BIGGEST’ STATUE. THIS TIME WE ENJOYED A TWO HOUR DRIVE NORTH EAST TO VILNA, ALBERTA , TO SEEK OUT THE BIGGEST MUSHROOMS IN THE WORLD. HA HA.
WE ALSO HAD THE GOOD FORTUNE TO FIND A HUGE PUMPKIN PATCH IN SMOKY LAKE.
THE DAY WAS SUNNY AND WARM AND WE LISTENED TO THE REST OF OUR AUDIO BOOK, “AMERICAN DIRT” WHICH IS A VERY CURRENT AND DIFFICULT TO READ(LISTEN TO) STORY ABOUT THE MEXICAN IMMIGRANTS TRYING TO MAKE IT TO AMERICAN SOIL TO ESCAPE THE HORRIBLE, BLOOD THIRSTY CARTELS . WE REALLY ENJOYED IT DESPITE THE DISTRESSING SUBJECT MATTER.
WHEN WE NEARED OUR HOME CITY AGAIN, THE SKIES HAD CLEARLY BEEN THROWING SHEETS OF RAIN DOWN FOR SOME TIME AND WE ENDURED SOME FANTASTIC THUNDER SHOWERS. IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL IF UNNERVING SHOW AT TIMES.
WE BOTH COULDN’T WAIT TO HAVE A WONDERFUL DINNER , GET IN OUR P.J.S AND HAVE AN EARLY NIGHT AS THE DAY HAD STARTED (FOR ME) AT 4 A.M..
IMAGINE OUR SHOCK WHEN WE DISCOVERED OUR BASEMENT WAS FLOODED….(MORESO OF A SHOCK AS WE COMPLETELY HAD TO RENOVATE AGAIN LAST SUMMER BECAUSE OF A FLOOD DOWN THERE!
LUCKILY, WE ARRIVED HOME IN TIME TO ‘SHOP VAC’ MOST OF THE WATER UP IN SHORT ORDER AND ONLY ONE , LARGE CARPET TOOK THE BRUNT OF THE WATER…LIKE A GIANT SPONGE. BUT IT WAS SO DISTRESSING BECAUSE WE JUST HAD MOST OF OUR RUGS AND FURNITURE AND WALLS REPLACED OR REPAIRED DUE TO FLOOD DAMAGE.
WE ARE HOPEFUL THAT THE CHANGES WE HAVE COME UP WITH (ANOTHER SUMP PUMP, LARGER EAVESTROUGHS WITH ARMS AWAY FROM OUR WALLS, ETC.) WILL FINALLY AND FOREVER AFTER PREVENT THIS YEARLY FLOODING. THE WEATHER IS CHANGING SO MUCH. WE NEVER USED TO GET THESE INSTANT, MASSIVE RAINSTORMS THAT HOMES AND CITIES CAN’T HANDLE BECAUSE OF THE SHEER VOLUME OF WATER IN SUCH A SHORT TIME.
2020 : WHAT A YEAR!
THE WORLD’S BIGGEST MUSHROOMS TO THE CITY’S BIGGEST STORM. WHAT A DAY!
0 God’s Speed
ONE OF MY FAVOURITE SINGER/SONGWRITERS , CAROLYN ARENDS, IS WORKING ON A NEW ALBUM AND ONE OF HER SOON TO BE RELEASED SONGS WAS INSPIRED BY THE FOLLOWING POEM….
“Above all, trust in the slow work of God.
We are quite naturally impatient in everything to reach the end without delay.
We should like to skip the intermediate stages.
We are impatient of being on the way to something unknown, something new.
And yet it is the law of all progress
that it is made by passing through some stages of instability—
and that it may take a very long time.
And so I think it is with you;
your ideas mature gradually—let them grow,
let them shape themselves, without undue haste.
Don’t try to force them on,
as though you could be today what time
(that is to say, grace and circumstances acting on your own good will)
will make of you tomorrow.
Only God could say what this new spirit
gradually forming within you will be.
Give Our Lord the benefit of believing
that his hand is leading you,
and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself
in suspense and incomplete.”
– Pierre de Chardin
THIS POEM ALSO SPEAKS TO ME IN THIS UNCERTAIN TIME OF ‘COVID’ . I WANT TO TRY AND ‘ACCEPT THE ANXIETY’ OF BEING WHO I’M LEARNING TO BE ‘IN SUSPENSE AND (THE) ‘INCOMPLETE’ . I CAN ALREADY SEE GOOD THINGS COMING OUT OF THIS TIME AS PEOPLE DO SLOW DOWN (EVEN IF THIS HAS BEEN FORCED UPON THEM).
AND AS CAROLYN SINGS ABOUT IN ONE HER NEW SONGS, “GOD’S SPEED” , I TOO WANT TO ‘GROW YOUNG TO GROW UP’ . THIS TIME IS TEACHING ME AND ALL OF US THINGS ABOUT OURSELVES THAT WE CAN USE FOR GOOD.
SO LET’S EMBRACE GOD’S SPEED AND BE LIKE CHILDREN AGAIN….SEEING THE WONDER AROUND US ! 
2 Last Project
‘PAPA’ WORKED ON ONE LAST PROJECT WITH OUR WEE ONES BEFORE THEY HAD TO HIT THE ROAD AND DRIVE HOME TODAY.
I FOUND OUT THAT HOME DEPOT GIVES AWAY FREE CARPENTRY KITS FOR KIDS IN THIS TIME OF COVID. THEY USED TO HAVE FREE WORKSHOPS AT THE STORE FOR THE LITTLE ONES BUT NOW YOU CAN PICK UP THESE WONDERFUL LITTLE PROJECTS TO DO WITH YOUR CHILDREN AT YOUR OWN HOME.
SO WE DID PICK UP TWO PACKAGES WHICH ALSO CAME WITH CUTE HOME DEPOT PINS. TERRY TOOK THE BOYS OUT INTO OUR GARAGE TO WORK ON HIS LARGE WORK BENCH AND THE BOYS USED A HAMMER FOR THE FIRST TIME. THEY DID VERY WELL AND WERE VERY PROUD OF THEIR WORK.
ONE KIT WAS A BLOCK SPINNER WITH DIFFERENT IMAGES ( STICKERS) ON IT. AND ONE WAS A TEENY REPLICA OF A TOOL BENCH.
I AM GOING TO MISS THIS FAMILY SOOOO MUCH AND PRAY FOR THEIR SAFETY AS THEY MAKE THE LONG RETURN DRIVING TRIP TO VANCOUVER TODAY.
THE ADDED BLESSING FOR US IS THAT IN LESS THAN A WEEK OUR OTHER SON AND HIS FAMILY ARE ARRIVING FOR ANOTHER WEEK WITH US. WE NORMALLY DO NOT GET TO SEE OUR BOYS AND THEIR FAMILIES IN THE SUMMERTIME SO THAT IS ONE GOOD THING THAT HAS COME OUT OF ‘COVID’ ….WE GET TO SPEND SOME HOT WEATHER TIME WITH THE CHILDREN INSTEAD OF SNOWSUIT WEATHER! MORE PROJECTS AND POOL TIME COMING UP I’M SURE!
0 A Day with my Lambs
THINGS ARE WINDING DOWN WITH THE WEE ONES AFTER A DELIGHTFUL THREE WEEK VISIT .
WE DECIDED TO GIVE ‘MUM’ A MUCH NEEDED REST SO WE TOOK THE BOYS FOR A ROAD TRIP TO FORT SASKATCHEWAN. I LOVE THIS LITTLE CITY AND WE HAVE BEEN TO THE HERITAGE AREA BEFORE FOR A PICNIC.
SO, WE KNEW WHERE TO FIND A NICE, SHADY TABLE FOR ANOTHER PICNIC, ‘KEYS TO THE CASTLE’ GAME AND SOME BUBBLE PLAY.
THE BONUS CAME WHEN WE FOUND OUT THERE WERE SHEEP ON THE NEARBY PROPERTY . THE SHEPHERD TAKES THEM AROUND TO VARIOUS PARKS AND THE SHEEP DO THE WORK OF ‘MOWING’ THE LAWN AND GIVE PLEASURE TO MANY FAMILIES WHO ARRIVE TO PET THEM .
OUR BOYS WERE GIVEN APPLES TO FEED THE GENTLE BEASTS AND OUR GRANDSONS DERIVED TONS OF HAPPINESS FROM ALLOWING A LAMB TO COME CLOSE. AS LONG AS THE CHILDREN DID NOT RUN (THEREBY SCARING THE SHEEP) THE LAMBS WOULD COME NEAR AND ALLOW FOR PETTING AND NIBBLING OUT OF THE HAND.
THIS WAS A WONDERFUL WAY TO SPEND AN AFTERNOON AND OF COURSE WE HAD TO END OUR DAY WITH AN ICE-CREAM CONE FROM THE OLD TRAIN STATION. I CAN HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS WONDERFUL AREA FOR YOUR FAMILY.
