Back to School

Every year on Labour Day I experience a touch of nostalgia. I remember looking forward to the beginning of each school year.  I started teaching in Vancouver, BC with a Grade 4/5 split class.  Today I had a great time sorting through my two remaining boxes of Kindergarten and Primary resources.  I have sorted and deleted several times over the years, but I've always been looking for a teacher who could make use of my really good teaching things.  When I switched to Kindergarten for the last couple of years of my career, I had a friend who was very artistic and offered to make me an alphabet.  It's an original in that she designed and illustrated it herself.  
So imagine my delight when I spoke to a friend a couple of days ago and her future daughter in law is going to teach Kindergarten this year.  I know her well and have no doubt that the children in her class will be most fortunate to have this young woman as their teacher.  My two boxes will be going to a beginning Kindergarten teacher and my one of a kind alphabet will be going back to school.  Best of luck to all the teachers and students who are going back to school tomorrow! Have a great year!

Summer's End

With the cooler nights I've heard a few friends mention that they are "over the moon" with the approach of fall.  Years ago I loved the cool crisp days and the crunch of oak and maple leaves underfoot but the reality of autumn in our corner of the world is that it's over and done with in a matter of weeks and then there are potentially 7 months (or more) of winter to face.

Every year at this time we hope to get the crop in before it freezes and to harvest the garden before we have to start dragging old blankets out to cover things when there's a risk of frost.  It hasn't happened yet - but could any day now.  This year we had no grasshoppers munching up the garden but there are bigger creatures around.  Just this morning I saw a big cow moose steps away from the garden but by the time I got my camera she had moved away a little farther.  I'll keep the camera closer to our east window with it's garden view from now on and not venture outside without a good look around first. Our corn will be terrific this year if we get a week or so of hot summer days and although the squash have been just sitting there, they have exploded in size in the past few days.  It would be wonderful to have another month of hot weather and I, for one, hope it stays warm until at least Thanksgiving.

Canola in bloom

Summer views

I love perennials!

Swathing the canola is about to begin. The farmer will need help moving equipment from field to field and he appreciates substantial meals as harvest progresses.  It's generally quiet here on the farm but thanks to visits this year from good friends and family we had a very busy and enjoyable summer.   Hope that you did too!

Island Note Cards

 

Today I'm thinking back three years to a wedding I attended on one of the Gulf Islands off the coast of Vancouver Island. It was a lovely day for a late afternoon wedding and the weather co-operated for the ceremony.  The bride and groom smiled in the sunshine and exchanged their vows on a lawn which had a magnificent view of the ocean.  Later that evening during the reception, the light began to change and there was a small exodus from the party.  Cameras in hand, several of us walked across the lawn to capture this beauty.  It was an evening to remember. I made a few choices of that spectacular sunset that I think would make beautiful notecards and I'll  direct you now to Vee's Note Card Party.  It's a good way to meet new blogging friends.  See you there!

Coming Home From Far and Wide...

Our small farming community gathered again at the elementary school last weekend.  It opened in 1956 and due to a centralization policy it closed and bussed the students to a nearby town in 1966.  

The community club took an active role in keeping the empty building alive and this many years later there is an active club, a senior's centre, a bowling alley and a large gymnasium available for rent.  Although I'm a fairly recent addition to the community, I enjoyed helping on the organizing committee of the 2012 Homecoming and seeing all the smiles of people as they greeted old friends and neighbours and reminisced about the good old days.  

I helped a retired teacher who is just above the left shoulder of the teacher in this 1942 class picture.  She was able to recite each student's name and was a terrific help in organizing all the clippings and photos that fell into our hands by very accurate dates. The displays told the story of a little Hamlet that is now 100 years old. The railway station was a busy place in 1913 and in the 20's it brought carloads of settler's belongings as there were many American families that made the trek north to establish homesteads. It was thriving by 1930,  had over a hundred residents and boasted a bank, a car dealership, two general stores, a post office, pool hall, lumberyard, hardware store, a hotel, restaurants, and eventually five churches and three grain elevators.  Today the population of the hamlet is about 3oo and all but the hotel, post office, the general store and one recently built church are gone.   

Now, every five years old friends travel hundreds of miles to share that neighbourly feeling once again and the "over eighty" seniors are given special recognition.  A talented band of men in their mid sixties played dance music with such enthusiasm that many seniors happily two-stepped around the hall.  Although the dinner and dance were open only to adults a breakfast held on Sunday morning drew families and children of all ages.  Proud grandparents showed off grandchildren to their old friends.  

I have a feeling that most who attended are already looking forward to the August long weekend in 2017.  I know we fall into that category. Here are just a few of the smiling faces I saw last weekend.

I want to appologize for not visiting your blogs lately; two sets of company, a barbecue invitation, looking after two darling kittens while our son is on holidays and packing for a wedding in the city tomorrow has kept me very busy.  I do hope to find out what you have been blogging about before too long.  Have a great weekend wherever you are!