thebirderspost

I left this site for a long time but I would like to write a bit about the happy times with my beautiful husband.

We met while he was teaching a birding class at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary in Calgary (June 15th, 1975), after I had returned from living in Australia/New Zealand & became interested in birds. It was a passion. For 25 years we cycled many beautiful places in the world, always incorporating birding. We also took special birdwatching trips to exotic locations, mostly in central & south America, as well as cruises: up the west coast to Alaska and from the Aleutian Islands over to Kamchatka in Russia, & to Japan. My favourite trip of all time was the cruise around Antarctica, including the Falkland Islands, South Georgia & stops all along the coast of Antarctica. We got off the ship most days, in a zodiac to walk among the penguins and seabirds.

We had the most wonderful relationship & never stayed mad, if we ever had a disagreement – we always worked it out. Bill was such an intuitive man from the very beginning – I’d say he was born a psychologist! We had the most communicative relationship, which I think was the key to our long & loving relationship.

We had a very adventurous life – much more than I ever would have had on my own. Bill was the instigator & I was his enthusiastic companion.

When we first met.

We didn’t have children, which allowed us to drive sports cars most of our lives until the latter years when we had trucks w/ trailers & RV’s. Our family teased us about how many cars we had in our lives . I recently tried to total them up & have come up with at least 23 over the 46 years we were together. The first was a red Honda Civic. I well remember that rugby shirt!

My favourite car was our yellow Audi TT – sadly I don’t seem to have a photo. I think Bill’s favourite was the red Toyota MR2 (of course it may have been our white Toyota Supra). Here he is in the driveway to our condo w/ the MR2.

Bill went back to school (from teaching junior high) at UofC about a year after I met him & got his Master’s & PhD in Educational Psychology. Here he is in his PhD robes under the crabapple tree in Mom & Dad’s back yard. We were married in the same back yard, under that exact tree a year earlier (1978).

We started cycling just a few years after meeting & travelled many wonderful places. One time we even ran into Mom & Dad with Aunty Betty while we were travelling from Vancouver to Calgary. I can’t remember exactly where we were, but they saw us & we wouldn’t have twigged because “who watches the vehicles passing by?” – but Betty recognized us & they pulled over & stopped. We were actually mad that some thoughtless driver had pulled in front of us onto our shoulder!!

Bill worked 2 days a week in Banff at the School of Fine Arts (now the Banff Centre) as a counsellor & while doing this job, he was working the rest of the time with Dick Ramsay, Bryan Tanney & Roger Tierney to create LivingWorks. All 4 of them had other jobs, but worked diligently to devise programs to lessen the risk of suicide. Even with all the work, we got our 3 week cycling trip in September – somewhere.

Here’s a great photo of Ramsay, Tanney, Tierney & Lang (the original name of LivingWorks). It was taken at Bryan Tanney’s wedding to Tanya Brown (hence the suits!). L-R: Richard Ramsay, Bryan Tanney, Roger Tierney & Bill Lang. These four started the best suicide prevention training programs in the world! (This is no exaggeration – it is the most highly rated & used all over the world.)

As well as cycling trips, we also camped, did whitewater canoeing (in a C2), regular canoeing & rafting. There was cross-country skiing each winter & we often got to Lake Louise with Tanya & Bryan to stay for a few nights around Xmas.

We took some exotic birding trips & I feel so lucky to have seen all the amazing birds/sights we’ve seen. Costa Rica, Belize, Guatemala, Argentina, Chile, Peru (including Machu Picchu) & Antarctica. All of our trips south in a trailer can be reviewed on this blog’s archives. I actually went back and re-read them myself before attempting to write this which was a joy.

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After Bill died, my wonderful friend & a LivingWorks trainer, Devon, organized an amazing video conference (over 2 hours) with a dozen+ trainers from all around North America. They shared stories about Bill & made me cry with their beautiful tributes to him. I hadn’t done a lot of crying, but that really brought on the tears (not a bad thing). He was obviously held in high esteem by his compatriots.

Another wonderful gift was a painting of Bill’s little cat, Natasha, who died in November 2020. This painting was done from a photo which was Bill’s screensaver. This gift was given by our financial advisor & friend, David, who comissioned it soon after Natasha died, not knowing Bill woud never see it. When it arrived & I opened the package (having no idea what it was) & burst into tears because it evoked both Bill & Natasha. There she was looking straight into his ”soul” which she did all the time. I presently have the containers with both their ashes sitting in Bill’s office until I can scatter them together

My little cat, Katrina, has rallied from her kidney disease & has been hanging in with me. I’m very grateful to have her in my life. I know she probably has a limited time to live, but I will cherish every day.

I want to say that the things I miss most are: hugging & having him beside me at night. I also miss sharing comments on sporting events on TV (curling, tennis, golf – unfortunately I wasn’t a football fan, so couldn’t share that one, but always cheered when his teams scored or won games – Oklahoma Sooners & Dallas Cowboys), The hardest to deal with, which I didn’t expect, is birding. I don’t feel very enthused to head out on my own. I have always had him to share this with & don’t find it very fulfilling to go out on my own. Thankfully I have my SK birding buddies who put up with my notes about the few sightings I DO have by myself, with words of encouragement. Love you guys!

I shall write about my year in the next blog. Suffice to say, I am doing really well on my own.

Certainly a quiet Christmas was the order of the world this year & we were happy to oblige. We did have a visit from a Christmas deer. They like to drink the water in our birdbath. THis photo was taken through our window which has the dots – they prevent birds from crashing into them.

I made some shortbreads to send to Mom, since she finds it hard to stand & cook for long periods of time (like to make dough!). I am happy to do it & created my own decorations by cutting out a tree & a star shape on a hard piece of plastic. Then I colored superfine sugar w/ green & blue coloring. I had to carefully press the stencil on the raw cookie, sprinkle some of the correct coloured sugar then lift without too much sugar falling back on the cookie. I used silver dragees on tree top & star centre.

I also made little holly sprigs on another batch from cut up red & green marachino cherries (which I think are Mom’s favourites).

Bill bought me some earrings for Xmas – that don’t have an open gap at the back, which gets caught every time I remove my mask (or my sunglasses which are on a string). They work great & I think they’re beautiful.

Here’s how they open.

They have diamonds down the front & on the inside back.

We didn’t decorate the house (fear of kitten havoc!) but I set the table & had a few flowers on the counter & on the table. I also displayed all my Xmas cards on the piano.

We cooked a cornish game hen (no turkey this year I’m afreaid) with brussel sprouts, potatoes & gravy plus cornbread stuffing. Here we are at the table with Mom’s beautiful green goose placemats she made us years ago!

We had pumpkin pie for dessert (no photos of that!) and we had to work on it for quite a few days. We watched “Love Actually” on Christmas Eve (another feel good film).

After Christmas I had some great phone calls from the Usher kids. Funny thing is that all 3 are planning to (or already have) chickens! Jill & Cole in Victoria (Saanich, actually) have 5 chickens & a nice coop in their back yard. Apparently they are very near a farming area, so it’s not such a surprise. Here is a photo they sent of their pretty chickens. They are called Red Rock chickens and are a cross between Rhode Island Red and Barred Rock. Wow!

Of course Leslie & Michael were the first to have chickens & have added dairy cows to their farm (I believe they’ve actually registered to be an official working farm now!). They are looking after a neighbour’s horse this winter & that really makes it a farm (Leslie says it smells like a farm too!). I had a wonderful photo from last year of their chicken w/ chicks.

Al & Erin in Kingston, ON are planning on getting chickens but don’t yet have a coop. They do, however, have a new rabbit named Neil, along with their 2 cats.

New Year’s Eve wasn’t much different from any other – in bed by 9 PM! However, I had wine with my meal & Bill had a small finger of scotch later. We toasted & hope for a much better year than last. My dearest friend Sandy made us a Happy New Year card (she’s such a tallent).

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THE UNTHINKABLE HAS HAPPENED

My darling husband has died. He collapsed after we came up from the basement on Jan. 12th & stopped breathing. The EMS team tried to give him O2 but he was too far gone. It has been very difficult to accept that he’s gone. He was my rock, my best friend & my love. Here is his obituary which I wrote with input from my family & friends.

(This photo was a selfie taken w/ our friend Don who was out birding with us a couple of years ago. I had Bill separated in the photo from Don & me because I think it’s a beautiful photo of his smile.)

Dr. William Arthur Lang. April 22, 1944 – January 12, 2021 (Age 76)

Dr. Bill Lang died of respiratory failure after a long battle with lung disease. He leaves behind his wife of 43 years Lois Lang who will miss him terribly. He was predeceased by his mother, BerDeen George, brother Clark Lang, and father William Arthur Lang, all of Oklahoma. Also his dear father-in-law Steve Bleakley of Calgary. He is survived by his precious relatives from the US, Lou Ann Buck, Dana Buck, Paul Buck, Edith Cranor-Buck, and Hollin (Greg) Buck Anderson, all from Missoula MT. Also Maren (Mike) Buck Kinsinger of Westhampton, MA. He leaves behind his dearly beloved Calgary relatives: mother-in-law Isabelle Bleakley, brothers-in-law David (Inga) Bleakley and Brian Bleakley, nephew Ben Bleakley, neice Katherine Bleakley. He will also be mourned by all of his cousins to whom he was very close, from both sides of the Bleakley family across the US and Canada as well as Great Britain and New Zealand. 

Bill was a remarkable man with many interests as well as being a gentle, humble and modest soul with a great sense of humour. Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, he finished a Bachelor’s degree at Oklahoma University. He was drafted into the Vietnam war where he served as a medic and when he returned to the US, moved to Canada with his first wife Virginia Young. They began birdwatching together but were divorced in 1976. He went to University in Calgary where he received his Education degree so he could teach school, which he did for several years especially helping troubled children and young teens. During the summers he worked as a field naturalist at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary where he met Lois. He went back to UofC to obtain his Master’s and PhD degrees. He was the counselor at the Banff School of Fine Arts (Banff Centre) for 25 years part time. He and Lois took cycling vacations all over the world for 25 years, including birding in their adventures. They also did birding trips to many special places in the world – their favourite being Antarctica. 

He was an excellent and prolific photographer who could find the right frame for any scene from nature, especially if a bird was present. His photographic legacy would make an excellent exhibition. His photos grace the walls of his home. He was a man who could do anything he put his mind to, including integrating modern technology into his life. When he and Lois moved from Calgary to Maple Creek, SK 7 years ago, they built a new solar-powered home which he designed. It incorporated the latest technology and is an energy-efficient, high-tech marvel. It also has a yard full of bird feeders and plants to nourish bees and butterflies. Maple Creek is a wonderful area for birds, and he and Lois had many outings with their special birding buddies from SK (Don, Ron, Julie, Moe, Marg and Carman). 

The greatest legacy of his life is surely his work in suicide prevention. Over the last 40 years he and his partners at LivingWorks Education developed the world’s leading suicide intervention training programs. They provide communities and organizations with suicide prevention solutions encompassing thousands of trainers, and have trained over a million people to prevent suicide. He wrote most of the programs with input from his wonderful partners. Few can claim they had so profound an impact and saved so many lives. 

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I need to leave this for awhile now.

Our dear birding bud, Don from Broadview, sent us this photo of a buffalo mom & calf.

Near the end of Aug Karen & Harold dropped in for a short visit. Even though they’re divorced, they remain friends & spend time together regularly.

It was near Karen’s BD, so she sent me this photo of her with her creme brulee “birthday cake”. Her grandson, Branson, made them in his sous vide cooker – aren’t they amazing! One for each birthday party attendee!

We did a little fall birding to see what we could find in the way of migrants heading south. Luckily we were alerted to the large numbers of Sandhill Cranes near Harold’s farm near Hazlet. We chalked up near a thousand on that outing where we headed east then north from Gull Lake. Lots in flight.

Several Greater White-fronted Geese in the mix of cranes in this area, along with the usual ducks.

Found a White-faced Ibis still around among the ducks.

Such a nice scene where most seem to be facing the same direction against a tan field.

Meanwhile, back in town, we had a very unusual visitor in our yard! This Sora is usually found in wetlands. We figure that with the drought there is little water so perhaps our yard offered something worthwhile!

We were so happy that Mom came for a visit during the Covid epidemic at the end of September, although she had to pay by quarantining for 14 days when she got home. Karen also came for dinner 1 nite & stayed over with us. Thank goodness we haven’t had any cases here in Maple Creek!

Karen brought a little treat, having just been visiting the farm – some vine-ripened, home-grown tomatoes! Oh – just yummmm! (Peeled & served w/ fleur de sel!).

We did a little birding out toward Morse & Chaplin where, at Reed Lake, there are usually lots of migrating Snow Geese. If you look closely, you may see a few Tundra Swans along the back edge.

It was a beautiful sight watching flights of hundreds of white geese against the gray sky.

This small herd of white-tailed deer watched us when we stopped to take their photo.

On Oct. 12th Ron & Julie dropped in for a visit – to return some of the stuff we lended them for their trip to NZ (which they took in our place due to Bill being on oxygen). I served them a couple of my sugar-free carrot cupcakes with a London fog. We got to hear a bit more about the trip first-hand. They had just been to visit Julie’s sister in Swift Current for Thanksgiving & wanted to stop in before they went home to S’toon.

I knew everyone would really enjoy a look at me getting my annual perm on Halloween day in Calgary! Nothing lovelier while wearing face mask along with head coverings. I may have won a prize had I entered a costume competition. LOL. It was a very quick trip with an overnight on Brian’s beautiful spare, queen-sized air mattress – as well as dinner at Villa Firenze w/ he & Mom.

On Nov. 8th we received nearly 3 feet of snow. It’s the most I can ever remember at one time. It blew & drifted, nearly covering my birdbath.

Two days later we received another foot of blowing snow. My birdbath (pictured above) is now completely covered! (Photos taken through the window which is covered with small square dots which prevent birds from crashing into them).

I couldn’t get out of my garage side-door which is how I feed the birds. Luckily a couple of strong young boys came to my front door & asked if I wanted my walk shovelled. I said “NO!” Please come to the back & shovel me a path out of my garage past my bird feeders & birdbath. So they did (& I paid them nicely).

Path past the feeders & a poor little White-throated Sparrow who didn’t get south! For anyone who doesn’t know, this is one of our native sparrows. House sparrows are an introduced species from Europe (& not really a sparrow – a finch) & we’re not so happy that they’ve infiltrated the world!

Our ranching friends, Kevin & Rhonda, sent us this photo of a Northern Saw-whet Owl which was noticed by a friend on their daughter’s ranch. They are only 8” from head to tail – little guys!

Sad times. We lost one of our little kitties – Natasha (she was Bill’s little girl) on Nov. 10th. This was his computer screen-saver.

Here she is with her hand on her sister’s shoulder.

Lovely Nola (our local florist) sent us these lovely flowers to say how sorry she was.

On Nov. 22nd we lost our dear Uncle Bud, Mom’s last living sibling. His 99th birthday was to have been a week later with zoom phone calls from all his family, so we were very sad we didn’t get to have that time with him. He went very peacefully, so we are all thankful for that. His family carried on with a zoom meeeting on his BD, making Granny Larson’s marshmallows with his kids & grandkids. What a wonderful thing to do!

I love this old photo of Uncle Bud with David & I.

My dear cousin Steven sent me this photo – remembering Uncle Bud. Bud was a true war hero – flying Lancaster bombers in WWII. A fitting tribute!

On Nov. 26th we also lost our dear Auntie Willie (although she preferred Wilma in later life – we grew up calling her Willie). She also slipped away peacefully – so we are very thankful for that. She was so pretty & I found an old photo of she & Uncle Ted (Dad’s brother). Her 95th burthday would have been Dec. 14th.

So here we are, getting close to Christmas & no one will be going anywhere. Oh well, I’m pretty sure (but not positive) Brian will be able to go over to Mom’s & cook her dinner. He’s been doing this for awhile now. He is really becoming an accomplished cook & enjoys the challenge. This from the kid who was one of the pickiest eaters we knew! He’s doing a bit of sous vide (like he did for my BD) & has been practicing his roast chicken, which I believe is what he is going ot make.

David & Inga are post-poning Christmas – until things are safe. This is such a good decision.

Bill & I will be on our own, although dear Penny & Wilf invited us to their place with the kids, like last year. We’re not feeling secure enough about Bill’s health to take a chance going out there. We are happy to both be here to celebrate! We hope everyone stays safe & counts their blessings this Christmas, no matter what they are doing.

Love to all of you for a much happier 2021!

PS – Latest News from Bill directly. I have a new girl in my life. Rebecca Parsley or Becca, for short. (The last name is courtesy of the SPCA and is associated with her chip identifier so need to remember it, just in case.) After several months of what seemed like serious decline, I am on the mend. The problem was not that I was getting “terminally worse.” It was just that I had pneumonia—AGAIN. That is now “removed,” but that is not all. It seems likely that steroids will greatly improve my condition. A test result indicates that and a seven-day trial confirms it. Now more tests to get the COPD treatment team on the job. Found ways to do this that don’t involve going to Saskatoon, which is locked down. 
Things are looking up. Not cured, of course. Never will be but a more optimistic future. Becca has her own personality. She will not replace Natasha directly but she does a great “job” in her own way. Never had a cat—and I have had many—quite as affectionate and outgoing. She already cuddles with me and sleeps with me for hours. While just a “plain old” Tabby, she is also beautiful. Already knows, “no,” sort of.

We have so enjoyed getting out birding, especially under the circumstances we face with COVID-19.  Also because Bill is well enough to do it, after his brush with death.  Birding is something we’re passionate about & have enjoyed together since we met.  (After all, it’s how we met!). Spring is so slow this year, but the birds are still pushing north.  A friend in BC sent me a photo of her daffodils (or are they narcissus?) which she rescued from snow.

My dear cousin Janet sent along a shot of her first crocus of spring – seen on Nose Hill in Calgary.

Our dear Primo, Murray Larson, passed away on Feb. 9th, just as Cofid19 impacts were impacting the world.  It disrupted family & friends from attending his funeral.  His younger brother Lorne, flew over from England but was not allowed to see anyone – he turned around & flew home.  Others were too uncomfortable to attend.  What a sad time for his dear Patsy, though in the end the service was held for at least a few friends & relatives.  Our Murray was the instigator of Primo Nights, which were celebrated for around 20 years at his home with a potluck dinner & lots of laughter. We will miss you dear Mur.

Covid19: no one is immune from its influence.  As a matter of fact, 2 of our best friends contracted the virus somewhere on their way back from Sri Lanka in early February.  Lorne & Joey started feeling symptoms a day or so after returning from a projected 3-month stay, cutting it short at the encouragement of their family & friends.  Only Joey was hospitalized, but just for a few hours, while they treated her asthma symptoms with an inhaler, then sent her home.  They suffered for around 6 weeks – feeling very punk, with symptoms of nausea & weakness.  They survived the ordeal in a very unique way, which helped them get through it.  Many friends & relatives wanted to hear how they were doing & emailed them every day.  So they started a daily report to all of us, giving us the chance to reply & encourage them with our replies.  They were monitored by AB Health by phone (doctors & nurses) every other day or so, to be sure they were making progress.  I thank them for reaching out because it helped us also.  Joey lost about 15 pounds (& she’s such a little thing anyway) so we were worried about how she could gain weight.  It became a fun game of  friends giving advice on which things to eat to help her – ha ha.  Not living in Calgary I was unable to participate, or I would have taken them a batch of my cinnamon buns – however, I plan to make a batch when I next go to Calgary & leave it for them!  The first time Joey got up & got dressed, Lorne took a photo for us.  I think she looks beautiful!

Here is her main man, our dear friend Lorne (llooking very angelic with his halo).

When Joey eventually recovered & was able to go outside, she walked her daughter’s dog!

We are so very thankful they both have recovered from this terrible virus.  They are the only people we know who had it.

My dear cousin Jane Usher is clearing out a lifetime of belongings before she & Robyn put up the Cochrane house for sale.  Her mother’s wedding dress was among the boxes which garnered quite a bit of interest in our family.  My Mom & Betty Jackson made the dress for her but no wedding pictures exist,  BUT, Aunty Lois wore it to other events & this beautiful photo was unearthed of her wearing it out  with Uncle Jack for a special occasion.  I think they look like a couple of movie stars!

The dress has yellowed over the years, but Robyn is so tiny that she was able to put it on!

Jane also found this beautiful photo of Aunty Lois at about age 18.

 One of the nicest signs of spring here on the prairies is the song of the Western Meadowlark.  This guy was the 2nd we heard (the 1st blowing in high winds where we stopped for lunch – couldn’t get a shot of him).  This one continued to sit on the barbed wire while we drove up.  My cousin Marty told me he is saying, “I’ll be back next year”!  I love that!

Spring was very slow coming this year.  There was lots of ice on the sloughs for a long time – obviously more than these 2 little muskrats were expecting, having to sit out in the open munching their snack.

Great Horned Owls  are one of the earliest birds to sit on a nest, even when there is lots of ice around & cold weather.

Obviously a successful owlet was raised.

Bill was practicing taking photos through his office window & captured this Robin.  They are one of the most common birds in town – & at Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park,

He also captured this Northern Flicker eating peanut butter/cornmeal shoved into holes in a small log at our feeders.

Common House Finch is indeed very common around here & has one of the prettiest songs you can imagine.

What could brighten up your day more than a few Ameican. Goldfinches sitting on your feeders!  We had 8 at one time!

One of the impacts of Covid19 is wearing masks.  Since they seem to be hard to buy, lots of people are making their own.  I made these from some pillowcases.

One of the activities we’re enjoying while we’re stuck here at home, is jigsaw puzzles!

A Spotted Towhee showed up on a trip to Medicine Hat where we had some time to kill before an appointment, so we headed to Police Point Park.

The wildflowers are beautiful this year, due to all the moisture (including all the bloody snow).  This park bench (in Cypress Hills Park) is cordoned off due to Covid, but it doesn’t stop the beautiful low larkspur from blooming all around it among the chickweed.

Seeing our first western swallowtail butterfly.6

At Jones Peak, near Eastend, where we go to find a Rock Wren each year, these small alpine plants thrive even in the very high winds at the top.

I made Bill take this photo of a baby donkey at a ranch in Eastend as we drove along the canal to the dam.  So cure!

Everyone’s hair is getting long & I can now make a braid!

I sent this around & brother David said to ask Ben (his son) how his hair was doing:

OMG he looks exactly like David!  His sister Katherine has taken more drastic measures & shaved part of her head – and she looks beautiful!

On May 27th I finally made a trip in to get my hair cut by Jackie.  I have been with her for over 35 years & trust her implicitly as the expert on my hair.  I also stopped in to see Mom (wearing a mask & sitting 6’ apart) – & David came along!  As you can see, Mom has a hard time keeping her mask over her face!  She actually finds it a bit difficult to hear when she can’t also read lips!

On an early morning expedition to the Hills we saw this cowboy out with his 3 dogs in the mist.

And a Ruffed Grouse on the road .

I felt I should include lots of bird photos this time, since this is thek “birder’s post”!  Here are a selectiono of Bill’s photos taken this year.   This Loggerhead Shrike is a hunter & meat-eater.  He will impale insects on barbed wire (as well as other prey which I don’t like to mention).  A very pretty black, white & gray bird.

One of Bill’s favourites resides in the reeds alongside sloughs – the Common Yellowthroat.

Wilson’s Snipe often poses on fence posts – totally relaxed  with 1 leg tucked up.

Red-winged Blackbird has one of the most recognized songs by even the general public & it’s a joy to hear the first one of spring.

Bill is still managing to wield his large lens camera, though he can’t really get out of the car to walk any more.

Bll’s patience was rewarded with this:

They eventually will perch & here is a spectacle which we love to see, after the young have fledged.  We counted 35 along the posts & fence line – so this is a sample.

Mom’s 101st birthday came & went with little fanfare this year.  However, she was allowed a few extra celebrants to come over & be outside with BD cake.  Robyn, Arnie, Jane, David & Brian.

Back home, Penny & Wilf have pretty well finished their house & nearly completed their gazebo. I had to ask for photos to send to Mom, who always wants to know how they’re doing.  She & Dad spend many happy times with them while travelling with Dad’s sisters, Betty, Bunny & Jo.  Mom has a very soft place in her heart for them.  Here’s their house & the gazebo off to the right.  What a pretty place!

By the end of June, with no restaurant from which to toorder pizza, I made my own.  Bill still prefers one from the Rockin’ Horse, but here was my attempt:

 

We continued birding, so here are a few more birds for you.  Ruddy Duck with that amazing blue bill.

The elegant Avocet is immortalized on the shelf of our stairwell to the basement.  We bought this carving in PEI on a bike trip one year (long time ago).

These Bank Swallows have mostly fledged their young, but must have been a few still hungry little mouths to feed in those holes.  Fast flyers!

On July 17th I made a trip to Calgary – to pick up my very favourite garden vegetable – peas!  The best I’ve ever found is from Edgar Farms & are sold from Innisfail Growers at the Calgary Farmer’s Market.  This meant I could have a visit with Mom, & Jane.

As usual, we met outside & wore masks.  Doesn’t Jane look great with her gray hair?  And she’s so skinny.  I was actually allowed to go upstairs to Mom’s suite to put her winter clothes up on the high shelf in her closet, so they were no longer on the floor.  First time that’s happened.

On July 27th I picked up 2 gallons of sour cherries (already pitted!) from the Hutterites.  Froze 8 bags, 4C each of them for pies!  Billy is happy!

Last, but not least, this little Upland Sandpiper is checking the sky for predators.

We are suffering from the doldrums of summer & stifling heat in the mid-30’s for at least 2 weeks.  I’m just waiting for cooler weather now!  Not like many who relish the heat.  Hope everyone is okay out there & taking care of themselves & their friends & famliy.  I send love to all.

To start this blog I had to share a beautiful photo taken by our rancher friend east of town, Rhonda Weiss.  This is a prairie long-tailed weasel in his beautiful white winter coat!

We did some birdfeeder shuffling but a Northern Flicker was able to find the suet on our new feeder.

There was Christmas baking to be done before we ventured to Calgary Dec. 4, 5 & 6, since it was my only chance to get Xmas gifts to the rest of the family.  Mom’s shortbread & Aunt Ruth’s pecan date krispies.

Bill had some meetings & the LivingWorks’ Xmas party was Friday night.  We had dinner with Brian, David & Mom on Thursday night at The Keg.

Unfortunately I felt like I was getting a cold & Bill had attended a 6-hour board meeting at LW (he was pooped!) so we did not attend the LivingWorks Xmas party 😢😢

While we were in Calgary, dear Desiree was having a new baby!  Mia Talia Salenga was born  Dec. 6!  Here are a few shots of the family.  Des & Carm are now proud parents of Quentin & Mia.  Dear cousin Jane has gone out to spend about a month with them helping Desiree with the new baby & Christmas!  Love the last shot of the 2 babes cuddling with Mom.

I was asking Jane who she thought Mia looked like & she sent me this photo of the 2 babies taken at the same age (actually wearing the same sleepers!).  Quentin (L) & Mia (R).

I can see that Q looks exactly like his Dad & Mia so much like her Mom!  Congratulations to all of them!

I have been enjoying Xmas messages from various friends & relatives.  Received this beautiful photo of Cheryl & Dave Elliott, who came & spent a couple of days with us last year.  Such a gorgeous couple!

Steve & Fran sent this beautiful photo of their place lit up for Xmas.  The person standing to the left of Steve on the porch is Dorothy.  She is actually NOT A REAL PERSON!  Yep – a sculpture which used to reside at their neighbour’s place, but they found it too eerie & gave it to Steve & Fran. HA!  (I personally love her!)

Just before Xmas, Kevin & Rhonda (she of the weasel photo) dropped in to give us their best wishes & some beautiful Xmas baking!

Neither of us can eat these sweets, but I gave them to my Mom, who just loved them (she has such a sweet tooth).

Of all the Xmas cards I received, my 2 favourites were from Fran & Steve – & their daughter Leslie.  This is my piano w/ all the cards, then my 2 fav’s.

I loved Frannie’s rendition of our 2 cats building a snow mouse!  Leslie obviously inherited her artistic talent & drew their dogs w/ antlers – so bloomin’ cute!

Our darling cousins Penny & Wilf kindly invited us to have Xmas dinner with them & their family at their JUST completed new home on the edge of the Cypress Hills.  They cut their own tree & could barely get it into the house because it was about 7 feet wide & had to go through a regular sized door!  Truly beautiful!

They are just the sweetest family – they cuddle each other, laugh together & get along so, so nicely.  It’s a pleasure to spend time amongst them!  That includes their 2 sons w/ wives & 3 gorgeous granddaughters.

It was a pefect turkey dinner & included home-made lefse!  Penny got all the girls together & they made about 70 pieces!  I just can’t bring myself to do it alone – I get exhausted & the whole kitchen gets covered with flour!  So I really enjoyed a piece.  We can buy frozen lefse made by a group just outside Swift Current & I gave some to my family for Xmas, along with chokecherry syrup.  It is actually very tasty lefse, though a little thicker than we make ourselves.

It is very hard to get a nice photo of Wilf, who is, to say the least, camera shy! However, I captured this wonderful one of Penny & Wilf while we were visiting with them in their living room.

When we left, Bill wasn’t feeling very well.  He actually almost passed out as we were driving down the lane to the main road.  Luckily Wilf said he’d check on us if we didn’t call from town in 15 minutes.  Sure enough he came out & found us & followed us all the way home.  I was relieved because it scared me for Bill to be driving (though he insisted on it & wouldn’t let me drive).  He was better the next day!

We also received a photo of our wonderful Montana family from Missoula:

Mom & Brian came Boxing Day to spend a couple of days & partake of another turkey dinner.  This is Mom’s 5th turkey dinner this season!  I love a selfie with my Mom (& fam)!

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Karen came out for a visit the next day so we took her, Brian & Mom out to Penny & Wilf’s for a visit.

When Kevin & Rhonda were over to visit, Kevin asked us a question: “is there anything you would have done differently since you designed & built your house?”  Bill immediately said “no” – while I immediately put up my hand!!!  In the back hall/laundry room, there is no place to fold clothes.  Well, that’s all it takes for my darling Bill to put on his thinking cap!  He immediately re-designed the back hall to put a table in there.  He wasn’t able to do the work, so our great helper, Dale, came over & helped move stuff around when he got it done.  We put a new fridge in there also & gave the one in the garage away.  Here’s what it looks like now – from the garage entrance & from the hall.

Since Christmas, Bill hasn’t been doing very well.  I’ve been really worried.  On Jan. 20th he got up in the night, feeling like he needed more O2, took off his cannula & walked from the bedroom into the office where he has a larger machine. This was about 2 AM & I didn’t hear him.  At 4 AM I got up to pee & saw the light on in the office.  When I got to the living room, Bill was sleeping in his chair on the couch.  I asked him how he was & he said he felt pretty banged up – I asked if he meant tired from not sleeping well.  Then he turned toward me & showed me his left eye.  Hugely swollen & black!  He’d passed out & fallen as he got into the office – he’s not sure for what length of time he laid there.  Luckily he awoke, got over to his O2 machine, turned it on & put his cannula on.  This  was the beginning of  several hospital visits – from Maple Creek, to Swift Current, to Regina, and back home.  His black eye lasted over a month.

Not to go into all the gory details, but he was poked, prodded & tested.  While in Regina I was unable to go to see him (4 hour drive w/ dicey winter driving conditions).  Our good friends from the ranch east of town (Kevin & Rhonda Weiss) had an appt there & they stopped in to see him.  They brought him a MacDonald’s breakfast – they are such wonderful folks!

Our dear birding buddy, Don from Broadview, also made a trip into Regina to see Bill.  I was so grateful since we don’t know anyone in Regina.

They sent Bill home at 3 AM via patient transport services (a private ambulance service).  Apparently they were short of vehicles, hence the late arrival.  It took a couple of days to get rested up after that stressful trip (for me too!).  I helped Bill take a shower late the next day – we have a chair in the shower, so he felt better after that, but was still pooped.  He had been waiting to see his wonderful internist in Swift Current (who saved his life last Oct) – & we received a phone call that she’d had a cancellation & he could come in that day!  However, that would have been a bit much.  Happily they called a couple of days later & she had another cancellation – so we accepted immediately!  I think she was a bit surprised that he’d been let out of the hospital.  She recommended he be admitted immediately.  We weren’t surprised by this & had brought his robe & toiletries.  So over to the hospital he went & he was admitted.  His internist wasn’t on duty the 1st week he was in there, but when she came on, really took control of things & adjusted Bill’s meds to help reduce water retention which helped his legs, as well as lungs & heart.  This was the final step which made him feel waaay better than he had for months.  Here he is when he was feeling well enough to get dressed & have his favourite take-out brought in!  (Mcdonalds breakfast w/ vanilla milkshake),.

Somehow I had to deal with 2 cats – on 1 lap!  Luckily they figured it out themselves:

Darling cousin Karen (who lives in Swift) visited a few times, brought him special treats (hamburgers & Mcdonalds breakfast).  That relieved me quite a bit, especially when the weather was bad for driving.  I don’t drive in a snow storm!  So after 2 different types of pneumonia & a near-death experience, my honey is doing well!  He feeling so much better than he’s felt for months!  However, he lost more than 20 pounds over the last few months & is trying hard to gain it back.  He had lost his appetite for quite awhile before  going into the hospital – then hospital food (no comment).  I am doing my best to feed him his favourite things.  He is able to do one of his other favourite things:

I went to Calgary a couple of days before Bill came home, just so I could see some of my family & especially Mom.  We went out for dinner with David, Brian & Jane.

Some time ago, my handsome nephew Ben, celebrated his CPA with his family & peers at a gala dinner.  They sent this gorgeous photo of the family (Omanthi, Ben’s gf, Ben, Inga, David & Katherine).  Wow eh!?

With the onset of COVID19, we are staying pretty close to home.  I am the only one who goes out for groceries & mail.  But we can both get out to go birding (driving only).  Not many photos taken, but here are some Canada Geese out at our friends’ (Kevin & Rhonda) ranch east of town.  For any birders, see if you can spot the Greater White-fronted Geese (hint: bright orange feet) and at least 1 Cackling Goose (much smaller than Canada Geese).

Kevin & Rhonda also sent us this one taken at their place a few days earlier – not very close, but you can see the Tundra Swans.

As you can imagine, Bill hasn’t had his hair cut for a long time!  So I went on-line to watch some videos of how to cut men’s hair.  I can sure see how it takes a long time to acquire the skill to be proficient at this!  Nonetheless, here is his before & after!

It is at least shorter.  Don’t know what the heck I’ll do about mine however!

Now that Bill is feeling well & so am I, the only one not doing very well is my dear little Katrina.  She has kidney failure, but it is the slow type.  She is slowly losing weight, but is happy & affectionate.  The girls still play together.  Here’s my Katrina in the sunshine.

One further note regarding Bill’s state of health:  he says he is feeling as well as he did 8 months ago, just when he went on O2.  Two days ago he went downstairs for the first time (using his portable O2 machine) & when he came back up, was hardly winded!  We are planning on getting a stairlift machine at some point (when we can have workmen into the house again).  But Bill was pretty chuffed about it!

On a sad note, out dear “Supreme Primo” Murray, died on Feb. 9th.  He was the instigator of the wonderful gatherings of cousins at his place for many years & the oldest of all the Larson cousins.  His death came at a terrible time due to COVID 19, which prevented many from coming to his funeral.  His brother Lorne from England, turned around & flew home (didn’t even see any of his family) – & others were also forced not to attend.  Luckily Patsy, his wife, was blessed with many good wishes from her friends & family.  We will surely miss him!

Now we’re all dealing with a world-wide COVID19 pandemic. Most of us are too young to remember living through WWII – though Mom did & of course Uncle Bud, the famous fighter pilot.  But it seems a war-like fight we’re facing.  2 of our best friends have the virus & are fighting through it at home.  Lorne is feeling near normal, but Joey is still fighting hard.  We need to support each other if only via electronics.  I sure miss giving my Mom a hug!

Thought I’d send a photo from a birding outing – a Great Horned Owl on its nest.

Hang in everyone – keep safe & hope to see you all on the other side!  All I can do now is stay home & cook (saskatoon pie).

 

 

 

 

Things calmed down after the party & the gallstone!  We came home to do more birding & stuff around the house.  My clematis is the nicest it’s been so far (red flowers are bee balm).

The park was in its own glory when we were birding there.  No bird photos, but lots of nice flowers.

 

 

I found out it was time for peas!  I ordered 8 bags of peas from the farmer’s market in Calgary, since they have the very best I can get.  The Hutterites here have some nice ones for a couple of weeks, but they are the long pods – not as sweet as the short pods!  So I headed to Calgary on my own & spent extra time with Mom (stayed with her for 2 nites).  I cleaned her curio cabinet & fridge.  Here she is reading in her new lazyboy chair.

The 1st nite I was there we went out for sushi (which I miss ALOT!) – & Mom had tempura shrimp & yam fries (she cleaned them up nicely!)

The next day we went out for the same food again for lunch – & at nite we went out for raw oysters with Jane (sorry no photos available).  I miss the oysters – & Jane!

I brought Mom back with me to Maple Creek & she even helped shell peas for hours!

In the end I froze 14 cups of peas!  Hopefully they’ll last all winter!

Mom wanted to visit her old home town (Abbey) as well as Cabri.  I had bought a rose for her room downstairs & she asked if I would mind if she placed it on her Mom’s grave.  (Of course not!) We visited Cabri 1st, though Mom didn’t recognize much.  She kept saying, “The trees & bushes are so big I can’t even see behind them!”  Her Mom & Dad’s house was demolished years ago & there is only a vacant lot now.  The locker plant (Grandpa Larson’s butcher shop) also burnt down long ago.  We did however, go for lunch at the Chinese restaurant (I think it may be the only place in town to eat except for the hotel).

We went on to Abbey & toured the town where Mom DID recognize a few places.  The old school house:

There is only 1 elevator left which actually looks like it may still be used.  Can’t be sure.

Mom at the gravesite of Granny & Grandpa Larson (the rose is what was in her room).

We also stopped at Uncle Lloyd’s grave right beside them.

Also found a number of Buck graves – Betty Jackson’s relatives.  Buck is her maiden name & she & her husband Ken were 2 of Mom & Dad’s best friends growing up.  She is one of the few still living, but is in Vancouver & not too mobile.  They talk on the phone regularly.

 

It was an absolutely perfect day with low winds, lots of sun & the fields were green from plenty of rain.  Look how pretty the graveyard was with canola glowing behind the evergreens.

That evening, after a long day of driving, I wasn’t very inspired to make dinner.  So guess what?  Mom says “I’ll make pancakes for you!”  Since I don’t make pancakes (waffles, yes – but never made pancakes), she got me to stir the batter & she cooked:

Holy Mackerel – what an awesome woman!  And if you think that’s awesome, get a load of this – THE NEWEST CAT  WHISPERER!  Yep, that’s Katrina on Mom’s legs!  She just got right up there.  First time this has ever happened!

The next day we went out for a drive to the hills & visited Penny & Wilf’s new house under construction.  Mom even walked up the ramp into the actual house under construction.  That’s Wilf she’s talking to.

It’s really coming along – all closed in, electrical done for now & they hope to have it mostly completed by the end of October.

We had Karen out for dinner (& stay-over) while Mom was here & Penny came too.  Poor Wilf was staying up at the construction site.

On April 3rd our new cousin Aldis came through town with her son John.  I was supposed to host them for dinner but Penny had told me the wrong date & I wasn’t ready!  Penny however, had made her salad & had frozen burgers, so we went to her place.  I made uncooked blueberry pie for dessert, since I had planned to make one anyway!

They were on their way to visit her Dad, but turned back the next morning because John wasn’t feeling well.  They did make the trip eventually though.

While out birding I took a photo of wild bee balm.  We have a domestic variety which is bright red in our yard.  This wild lilac colored one is beautiful!

Speaking of flowers, our birding bud Don, sent us a photo of his beautiful gladioli (of which he has about 30 varieties).  But this one is very unusual – WOW eh?!

He also had an awesome experience finding breeding Red-headed Woodpeckers near his place.  One was seen from his deck a few years ago, but nothing since, so this was really wonderful.  Adult left & a young & adult right.

Speaking of Don, he once again (on his spring visit) brought me a beautiful array of homemade preserves.  I used his canned home-grown tomatoes to make spaghetti sauce.  Yummm.

We had some unusual visitors  in late August.  They are horse people, live on a ranch south of Calgary & were headed for a riding vacation for a month.  They also did not stay in our house, preferring to be with their horses.  But they had dinner with us the 1st evening – then breakfast the next morning before they left!  They have a combination trailer – 2 horses & accommodation for themselves (+ 2 dogs).  Here is their elegant rig (sorry I’m not very good at pano yet!).

 

We had a fun time with them over dinner & I think they liked Uncle Jack’s uncooked blueberry pie for dessert!

After breakfast the next morning we went out to see them off.  It’s the 1st time I’ve had a chance to pet some horses for many, many years.  I love horses!  (Bill – not so much.)  This is Angie & Doc.

Brian is the Chairman of the Board at LivingWorks!  He had a long career before retiring & joining LW.  They are such cool people.

On Aug. 14th our “niece” Leslie Usher married her wonderful partner, Michael, in Cape Breton, NS.  It was a small ceremony on the beach with just their parents, Michael’s son Cam & two other friends.  They had a lovely day for it.  Aren’t they beautiful?!!

They live in one of the most beautiful areas in the world (we think) – the Margaree Valley near the west coast of Cape Breton.  We cycled many times past their place (before it was their place) & stayed at a beautiful lodge called Normaway Inn.   They are “homesteading” on this land they bought & raising dogs.  They also have chickens, geese & pigs. Here is some of their menagerie & a couple of extra shots (like Michael’s award-winning fish!).

Cool, eh?

On Sept 8 I finally got through to the Haven Hutterite colony & asked if I could get some chokecherries.  Well – did I get ‘em!  They didn’t have separate gallons, so I got another delivery of 5 gallons of chch’s!  I let the bucket thaw overnight to I could separate it into large ziplock bags & re-freeze them.  I’ll make juice & syrup later.  Filled up my spare freezer in the garage!

Bill has recently been diagnosed with oxygen deficiency & needs to be on oxygen full-time now.  He has made the best of his situation & has researched all the types of equipment available.  Fortunately his dose (#2) is low enough he doesn’t have to use the canisters.  He has a larger unit for around the house as well as a shoulder pack & a fanny pack.  The 2 smaller units can be plugged into our vehicles, so we can travel to Calgary, etc.  Here’s a shot of Bill (he’s talking to Mom on the phone) with his new moustache!

The beautiful Larson twins celebrated their birthdays together in Saskatoon.  Look at that, 71 & still so gorgeous!

We got to celebrate with Karen after she returned – along with Penny & Joan (2 other sisters – Uncle Bud’s kids).  I made saskatoon pie instead of BD cake:

We had been talking about taking a train trip across Canada, since we have found someone (& not just anyone – OUR COUSIN KAREN!) to look after the house, kitties & birds when we go away.  So we decided to try a short train trip from Havre, MT to Portland, OR – a good trial run.  We have a lot more stuff to take of course, including a small suitcase for Bill’s O2.  Here are a few shots from our sleeper car (which included a shower, toilet & sink + bunk beds (I took the upper).  Here’s 1 shot out the window.

Long story short, train travel is not for us!  with Bill’s extra “suitcase” of O2 & 2 suitcases of clothes/toiletries, there is barely room to move past each other.  The windows are tinted (or coated with  UV  protection) which makes it difficult to take photographs.  Food was not anything to write about either!  The cars were pretty tired looking, which may not be the case with VIA Rail, but we decided it isn’t for us.  Thanks goodness a lesson learned before booking a tour across Canada!

We had a nice stop in Portland – found an excellent Italian restaurant right across the street from our hotel.  This is the view out our window.

Dear Karen had  a major breakthrough with our kitties (that’s Katrina on her lap!).

So I guess they’re best buds now!

The trip back was uneventful, though we really enjoyed having lunch in Havre where we’d found a great little Mexican restaurant near the train station.  We got in our car & drove home!  Luckily our cats gave us a happy greeting when we got there, so I guess we aren’t on-the-outs with them after Karen!

Bill has researched (as only he can) every type of O2 device there is & has a fanny pack, shoulder pack & a smaller unit to take on trips which will fit in a small suitcase.  All are rechargeable & plug into the car while we’re driving.  Here he is doing the dusting with his fanny pack on!

On Sept. 29th, cousin Barry & wife Janet came to Maple Creek to enjoy the marriage of their beautiful daughter (well, 1 of them) Lauren.  Here they are walking her down the aisle & here are Lauren & her new hubby (sorry, I can’t remember his name) cutting the cake! (Photos courtesy of cousin Karen!)

The day of the wedding it snowed here.  Lorne Larson, who flew over from England to attend the wedding, drove back to Calgary after the reception – which took him 6 hours of pretty hairy driving!  Here’s what it looked like on our deck:

He made it to Calgary & even spent some time with Mom!  I had a practice session of making a pie with a lattice crust (saskatoon/rhubarb).  I heard a tip that if you make the lattice on a flat surface & freeze it, it is much easier to slide onto your pie than weaving it in place.  Worked like a charm!  Here are the results:

Also baked a batch of sugarless carrot cake cupcakes (grated, frozen carrots courtesy of my lovely friend Florence).  The missing one I ate plain because I ran out of frosting!  They freeze beautifully.

Our nephew Ben (David’s son) & girlfriend Omanthi came to visit for a weekend & we took them out birding!  Also to Cabri because Ben has a friend from there & he wanted to report back that he’d been there!  Here are a couple of shots he used to prove it to his friend.  L-top: sign on the way in.  L-bottom:  larger-than-life Canada Goose, wheat & prong-horned antelope on the edge of town.  R: B&O in front of the Chinese restaurant on main street!

We took them down to Morse to see if the Snow Geese were collecting on migration.  Sure enough!  Some smaller Ross’ Geese as well as a few Tundra Swans in with the thousands of Snow Geese.  Something scared them up & boy, what a noise!  Awesome!

Here are B&O in our living room & in a selfie with us just before they left!

On Oct. 20th, we ventured out to the Elks Hall to enjoy the Fish Fry.  I’m not sure how often it is held, but it was great!  Blaine (our builder, whose son Jay, was doing the French fries) recommended we go, although he had to leave for AZ before the date.  So we went on our own & really enjoyed it!

On Oct. 24th I drove to Calgary to bring Mom back with me for a few days.  We returned on the 25th, but that evening Bill wasn’t feeling well (& his lips were blue!).  So I toted him off to Emergency at the hospital.  He had pneumonia!  While we were in the evaluation room, the power went out.  His O2 machine went off, all the lights, etc.  But thankfully they came back on in about 30 seconds (the hospital has a generator, of course!).  After an initial evaluation, they sent him off to Swift Current in an ambulance!  Meantime, Mom was at our place not knowing anything.  The wind was howling at about gale force – it was really nasty out there!  I drove home with only my daytime running lights on (wasn’t thinking very straight) to tell her what was happening with Bill.  She had panicked when the lights went out, not knowing that we have a generator for our house which kicks in in just a couple of seconds when the power goes out.  So she hunted around to try to find candles or a flashlight (which she found in the back hall).  She was sitting, reading in the living room with the flashlight beside her when I got back.

Long story short, after a couple of days in Swift, they sent him to Regina. I was able to visit him in Swift & wonderful Karen went to see him the next day. Brian (what a champ) drove here on Saturday & took Mom home Sunday – so we did not have much of a visit.  She is no trouble, but I wan’t sure when I would have to take off.  She doesn’t know our house & doesn’t cook any more – so it wasn’t possible to just let her stay on her own.  I did not have my winter tires on the car & the weather forecast was terrible.  Snow off & on, lots of wind – awful (& suited my mood!).  I was able to get to Medicine Hat to have my winter tires put on, though I did not end up going to Regina.  This is Bill feeling so much better in the Swift hospital (looks pretty cheerful, eh?!)

Here is Bill’s explanation of what happened.

“STUFF has happened since we last organized “our” trip to a NZ-based cruise. I went into the hospital last Friday with pneumonia and was transferred first to Swift Current, then to Regina. Had a TON of tests, including an angiogram which showed my heart is in great shape, given my lungs.  COPD, probably “helped” by a genetic predisposition and mis-spent younger years, is the main problem. The upshot of this is that Air NZ denied my travel, so we had to cancel our trip. It actually means that we will do no more flying in our lives (and won’t leave Canada either) because they do not want anyone on constant O2 on their planes (go the states and be charged the maximum for the minimum). Airlines are not transparent about this limitation at all. They hide it behind a screening process that, in effect, keeps looking until they “find” a reason (not according to your doctors) to deny travel. The need for continuous oxygen is “treated” as a disability that they will not accommodate unless one almost doesn’t need it. They took so long to find “reasons” to deny flying that we had to pay for the trip. We did not have cancellation insurance since I had just been cleared by my internist and it was so close to the time of trip. Be careful when your accountant says, “spend money; take a trip.”

There are blessings in all of this. in Swift Current, I fell under the guardianship of a diagnostic genius of impeccable professional ethics. Basically, for ten years, I have been mis/undiagnosed and mismanaged. This internist concluded that I was being treated for symptoms but with no real understanding of what the underlying problems actually were. Got me into Regina for “the works” in one day. Not by reputation or anything (never knew); just concern for her patient. And got me into the hands of heart and lung specialists of either the same ethics or outright fear of her. Unheard of, probably. Would not want to cross her. And, I now know what I am dealing with!!!

(By the way, I note that in SK you can get an app and have access to all your medical records. Respect and collaboration are rearing their “ugly” heads—yipee. This and my treatment has given the medical community, here anyway,a big boost in my eyes.)

Lois and I also learned some very valuable new things about our relationship and about my self as well. Last of this line is that we were able to give the trip away to SK birding companions of long standing who will make the most of it—and could never have afforded it otherwise. There are easier ways to learn lessons but take them where you get them is my advice.

I got home on Halloween day! I am is still on a final dose of antibiotics but getting better every day. Hoping for a miracle and to get off oxygen and back on drugs. They have some great drugs for COPD these days but it would be a miracle. My lungs are probably in very bad shape. Testing in six weeks. Stay tuned and take care.”

The upshot of it all at this point (Nov. 20), is that Bill is feeling pretty good with his drugs & O2.  He is determined to enjoy life as much as he can.  We are planning spring birding trips (driving) & hoping for visits from friends to share our passion with us!  We love visitors!

With my darling Bill arriving home on Halloween & requesting a cheeseburger & non-alcoholic beer for his 1st meal:

 

I finally felt more enthused about carving my pumpkin.,

Other relatives were participating in the spirit.  Ben & Omanthi went as 2 dogs:  hot dog (Omanthi’s favourite food) & Ben was “just a dog” (not sure what type).  Pretty cute!

Karen & Steven were…(well, not sure about Karen – Steven was obviously a Jack-o-lantern).

Frannie (such an amazing artist) did such a great job making Steve into part cousin, part pumpkin!

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas & a happy, healthy 2020! 🎄🎁☃️🥂🍾🎉

On June 22nd we celebrated Mom’s 100th birthday – what an amazing landmark – what an amazing woman:  Her actual birthday was the day before (June 21st, the spring equinox & the longest day of the year) & her immediate family took her out for dinner.  This was a panoramic shot which David (far right) took – boy he looks weird eh?!

There was lots of preparation on Saturday, which my darling cousin Jane, had organized perfectly!  It was a wonderful day & went without a hitch!  Here are a few shots:

The room:

 

 

The family groups, all taken with her last living sibling, Uncle Bud who is 97 & made the trip from Creston, BC.   He flew a Lancaster Bomber in WWII & is a true war hero.  He received a standing ovation from everyone when he was introduced.

Mom with all her immediate family.  L-R:  David, Brian, Omanthi, Ben, Katherine, Inga, Bill & me.

With Uncle Bud’s family – Joan, Norm, Erling, Randah, Brad, Penny, Wilf, Anne & Jason.

With her sister Joy’s children.  This is the most amazing story of the day (besides Mom’s BD) because these 4 sisters have never met before.  This is because Aunty Joy gave up 2 daughters for adoption.  L-R, Judy, Aldis, Lynn & Joy-Ann.  Judy & Joy-Ann were brought up by Joy.  Aldis & Lynn were adopted (in 2 different families) & Aldis just found us a couple of years ago.  She now lives in Calgary.  Lynn lives in NZ, but found her sisters several years ago.  Lynn came all the way so the 4 sisters could be together for the first time!

With her sister Lois’ family – Steven, Fran, Colden, Jill, Arnie, Robyn, Desiree, baby Quentin, Carm, Al, Jane & Leslie.

with Uncle Lloyd’s family: Kristin, Patsy, Rob, Barry, Karen, Adam (our photographer) & Murray.

Unfortunately Janet was missing from the 1st photo, but they reconvened later to include her, but Murray was unable to be included.  There she is, right above Mom!

Now Dad’s side:  with Aunty Jo’s family –  Roger & Miki – bonus shots below with Miki’s grandson talking to Mom first, then her handsome son Sean in the right hand picture at the back with the beard.

with Aunty Bunny’s family – Norm, Steph & Suzanne

With Uncle Ted’s family – Doug, Dave & Jean

With Aunty Betty’s family.  This includes the famous ALDO!  Aldo,  Nancy, Beth (above Nancy), Jon & Marty.  If you don’t know why Aldo is famous – your loss!

Last group – & certainly not least, are the “friends”!  Joey, Garth, Barbara, Sandy (my best friend), Jo-Anne, Nick, Wendy & Sabine

I have to include this photo of Bill with David – such a nice one.

Also this beautiful shot of Robyn & Jane (the sisters)

We then lit the candles on her cake & she made her wish & blew them out.

Some of her family paid a personal tribute to her:  me, David, Brian, Jane, Bill & Jon Linton sang a song.   Sadly, no-one took a photo of Bill.  Bill is not happy about it!

Mom, of course, had the last word. You can see the photo of the queen just behind her.

She told us about her life, which not everyone knew about.  I thought I’d include her speech:

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The first word that comes into my mind is “WOW”!  I am speechless at the number of relatives and friends who have come here to help me celebrate my 100th birthday.  From what I can gather, you have come from as far away as New Zealand, Vancouver, Gabriola Island, New Brunswick, Toronto, Michigan, Iowa and all points in between.  I would love to acknowledge all of you individually now but I’m afraid it would take too long but please believe me – I’m thrilled to see all of you.  I have only 2 of my oldest and dearest friends living, and they are in nursing homes – Marion Kell, 100, in Esterhazy, and Betty Jackson, 94, in Vancouver.  Wish they could have been here today.

 

And now I would like to thank my own family: David, Brian and Lois Ann, and alsomy niece, Jane, who helped in so many, many ways.  If I’ve missed anyone who has been of help, I apologize and thank you now.  They have all gone overboard to organize this party.

 

Now that I have welcomed all of you here, I would like to say a few words about my life so far.  I shall try to be brief – even though I know I have a captive audience.

 

I was born in the little town of Abbey, Saskatchewan.  My father Lars Larson, was born in Norway and immigrated with his family to Fargo, North Dakota when he was 8. Then they homesteaded up to Saskatchewan about 1906.  My mother’s family – Harrison was their name – arrived around the same time from Wisconsin, but their farms were about 2 miles apart.  My Dad was 20 when he met my Mother who was 16, at a little country school dance.  Their courtship was short and they married on Dec 4, 1916.  Their honeymoon was a train trip to Wisconsin to visit relatives on Mother’s side.  That would have been a cold trip in the middle of winter.  BRRR!  

 

The next year they built a house and had good crop yields until 1925 when the drought hit.  They sold the farm and moved into Abbey in 1925.  In the meantime, 5 children were born: brother Lloyd who is gone, brother Bud who is here at 97 and is a war hero, myself, Lois, who left us tragically at 39, and Joy who is gone.  Most of their children are here today and I am so pleased.

 

We lived through the Dirty Thirties and my father worked very hard to make a living for us.  Being children, we weren’t too aware that we were poor as we always had food on the table and good clothes to wear.  Mother sewed everything.  

 

I enjoyed my high school years so much as we had a principal who exposed us to all sorts of activities – sports, gymnastics, drama, music.  These were some of the best days of my life.  

 

After high school, I had a beauty parlour for about 1½ years in Abbey.  Then I went to Regina for 6 months.  By then my parents had moved to Cabri and Dad took over his father’s meat market.  I left Cabri in 1942 and went to Saskatoon and took a business course.  I stayed with my sister, Lois who was already working.  Then I got a great job at Davies Electric, where I worked until 1948.  

 

In 1945 I met my husband Steve (how I miss him) who had been in the Air Force.  When the war was over, he had enrolled as a veteran at the University of Saskatchewan to study geology.  His parents Gladys & Wilmot Bleakley (he was a doctor and she a nurse in the little town of Dinsmore) had moved into Saskatoon so their 5 children could all further their education.  So Steve was able to live at home.  

 

We courted (as they used to say in those days) for 3 years and decided to get married before Steve finished his final year.  We married Sept 15, 1948 and Steve graduated in April, 1949.  

 

To our surprise, I became pregnant but was able to work until May of 1949.  Meantime Steve had gotten a job with Imperial Oil, and had been sent to Redwater,Alberta (just outside Edmonton).  I quit my job to join him there and we lived in a basement suite in Edmonton until September.  

 

In August our dear daughter Lois Ann was born and we had to move into 2 rooms in a wartime house.  Imperial Oil built homes for their geologists in Redwater and we were able to move there in December.  It was -40° for the first two months we lived there.  In the fall of 1950 we were transferred to Edmonton and bought a bigger house (900 sq ft) which seemed like a mansion to me at the time.  Our son David was born in March of 1952, and then tragedy struck our family.  

 

In October, Steve was diagnosed with Bulbar Polio, which was 99% fatal.  Through sheer determination and optimism he lived, but remained paralyzed in his throat and chewing muscles for about 5 months, when he was finally discharged from hospital and allowed to come home.  

 

There was no rehabilitation for him, so he engineered his own remarkable recovery.  Learning to speak again and eventually learning to swallow.  His biggest difficulty was eating, as he couldn’t chew normally.  Somehow he developed his own unique way of chewing and most of you here have been exposed to that and understand the reasons for it.  He was left with some paralysis in his face and speech, and his emotions were easily visible on his face.

 

But he was back at work in February of 1953. The company had kept him on full pay and he was able to do the work that was required of him.  

 

We were transferred to Calgary in November of 1956.  I was highly pregnant with my last child – Brian (who is one of my mainstays in my present life).  He was born in April 1957 and we moved into our house at 11 Woodlark Drive that month.  It was 1500 sq ft so I thought I was living in an even bigger mansion!  Our location was such that all my children were able to walk to all 3 schools which they attended in Wildwood.  

 

Our life was very full and we made many good friends in the neighbourhood and other friends in different areas.  I was a ‘home’ mother and had a full happy life looking after my children and entertaining friends with many dinners and muchbridge.  I volunteered for Meals on Wheels for 35 years, at the Kerby Centre for 30, and also did some for the Red Cross.  We had a full life entertaining relatives and friends, did a lot of travelling before and after Steve retired.  We went to Europe 4 times and drove all across Canada several times and around the USA.  It was indeed a grand life.

 

We celebrated our 50th Wedding Anniversary in 1998 with a big family reunion at Waskesiu, Saskatchewan, where we had honeymooned.  Seventy people in all, much like the gang we have here tonight.  Now we’re just a wee bit older!

 

We sold our Woodlark Drive home in 1999 and moved to a side by side bungalow in Coach Hill.  We enjoyed a grand life there for 14 years.  

 

In June of 2011, In our later years there, Steve began to suffer post-polio syndrome and eventually he could no longer swallow.  So it was back to feeding him through an incision in his stomach for the next year.  He lived quite normally, still driving, playing a lot of bridge and socializing with friends. He never complained. SuddenlyIn July of 2012 he had a sudden heart attack in the night and passed away.  He didn’t suffer, for which I was so thankful.  

 

I wasn’t meant to live alone as I am a people person, so in 2013 I moved into my present abode: Signature Park Manor for Seniors.  Everything is done for me, so I often feel very useless. The Manor is a nice friendly place, though, and has a lot of activities to partake of if you’re able – bridge, exercises, other games and plenty of entertainment.  They even honoured me this week for my 100th birthday.

 

So there you have it – the story of my life.  My only claim to fame is longevity which I inherit from my father’s side of the family.  But how lucky am I to have 3 wonderful children and be blessed with 2 grandchildren, Ben and Katherine! Not to mention all of you!

 

Thank you so much for coming. Having you all together today just means the world to me.

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After the party (Saturday evening) the Bleakley clan got together (with various Larsons dropping in who were staying in the same hotel!). I got this pano shot:

The next day the 4 sisters got together at Mom’e place for lunch.  Such a nice photo of all of them (with Aldis’ handsome son, John)

On Sunday evening, Mom went out dinner with her brother Bud & some other family.  Sorry I wasn’t there & don’t have any photos!

On Wednesday (late night), she was taken to the hospital. Long story short, tests showed she had a gall stone.  This is very interesting since she had her gallbladder removed when she was 27!  This means she’s had the damned stone for 73 years!  They removed if using a scoping device down her throat & pulled it into her stomach so it would pass through her system.  She’s had quite a few tummy problems over the years, which we’ve always attributed to “nerves” – but ha ha – this is not the case!  She was pretty tired after her stay since she was in some type of a psych ward where patrons shouted, pounded on the locked doors, groaned, etc. all night.  Nonetheless, she is now well-rested & eating normally, returned to her exercise classes & playing bridge!  The moral of the story is:  You can’t keep a good woman down, even after 100 years!

 

It was a good & bad Christmas.  Firstly, Bill was diagnosed with the onset of congestive heart failure & pneumonia (after a too-long period of denial!).  But he was given some effective diruetics to resolve the congestion & antibiotics to help clear his lungs..  It took an extra trip to the hospital to resolve the issue, but he is feeling quite a bit better & will see his doctor after the doc returns from vacation.

There was a lovely sunset Dec. 13th- this is the view from our back deck (not the most beautiful foreground, but…

Our cat-sitter Kaitlyn dropped off a little Xmas gift to us & a card, but the most special part was the photo of her with her horse “Pistol” – we just loved it!

We made 2 quick trips to Calgary in December, the 1st to the LivingWorks Christmas party.  Bill looked so handsome in his suit & Xmas tie I had to take a photo!

We had our tree up early December & found the 1st presents hidden below soon afterwards:

We had a quiet Christmas and celebrated when Mom & Brian came on Dec 27/28, so that’s when we had our turkey dinner.

 

Pumpkin pie for dessert:

Such a nice photo of Mom & Brian.

Penny & Wilf dropped in for a quick visit the day they left.  P&W are heading south to their place in AZ Jan. 1st, so we were very happy to get a chance to see them before they’re gone for the winter.

We took a drive out to Eastend (& made Brian come & not sit in the house playing games on his phone!).  It was slightly foggy in the morning, but after we had lunch, the sun came out for the drive home.  We found a lone Snow Bunting sitting on a fence (there are usually large flocks together).

We told our rancher friends, Kevin & Rhonda, about it & he said he always sees little white birds when he’s feeding cattle in the winter – now knows what they are!

A later trip yielded a female Snowy Owl.

…and 3 Sharp-tailed Grouse were sitting in a tree, but 2 had flown off before Bill got his camera out the window.

We received this beautiful photo of Bill’s family who were together for Xmas:

We

Also this one of Leslie Usher w/ partner Michael, who bought a piece of land in the Margaree Valley of Cape Breton Island, NS!  They are pioneering there & really enjoying winter!

Winter hadn’t been too horrible…until February, but it came on with a vengeance & stayed all montth with temps around -30C (-22F)!  Plus snow, over & over again!  It was so cold (& dry) at least I could blow the snow off the sidewalks with my leaf blower!  Much easier than dragging the actual snow blower around the house.

Poor little birdies – it must have been hard for some of them.  We kept our heated birdbath filled at all times (& this year the deer didn’t drink it nor sleep in our back yard!).  Also kept lots of seed in the feeders.  Luckily our little miss sunshines (Natasha & Katrina) know how to keep warm:

In early March we had our friends Kevin & Rhonda over for dinner.  It was a landmark occasion – but not for the food (as you may have though HA HA) – but it was about cats!  For the very first time someone else touched one of our cats – Katrina (always the bravest of the 2).  Luckily I got a photo of Katrina walking under Kevin’s hand then Rhonda’s hand – HOLY MACKEREL  – couldn’t believe it!

Anyone who’s been here knows they never get to pet our cats.  So this was truly AMAZING!  The new Cat Whisperers!  They brought us a little present – a stuffed snowy owl.  I guess Katrina thought she should show some interest in it, since she showed so much in them!

Spring was a most welcomed respite from this last blast of winter & we did more birding than we’ve ever done, even since we first met!  SO MUCH FUN!  The very most exciting find has been a Sharp-tailed Grouse lek (dancing ground).  These solitary birds only get together in the spring for mating, & the males do quite a dance.

Our first visitors were John & Monika Cowell from Calgary.  John is a physician who was in charge of quality control in the field of medicine for all of Alberta, who has retired & joined the board of LivingWorks.  They are delightful people & have a keen interest in wildlife,  Monika has actually taken a birding class at Inglewood Bird Sanctuary – the place I met bill in 1975!  Our weather was excellent & they really appreciated seeing the lek, since they rarely get up at 5 AM any other time! HA HA!  Here we are:

The Western Meadowlarks were singing:

The Long-billed Curlews were in the fields:

Ferruginous Hawk soared overhead:

Vesper Sparrows perched nearby:

Prairie crocuses were in full bloom:

The deer & the antelope still play!

Now THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKIN’ ABOUT!  How much fun is spring on the prairies!  Our favourite place on earth & favourite time!

John & Monika’s daughter, Corinne, is a fabric & mixed media artist & they brought us a beautiful gift she made.  A Mountain Bluebird, which we proudly display on the piano:

We stopped in one day while birding near Hazlet to have lunch with Karen & Harold.  I have always wanted a photo of their sign:

We had tried to eat at the little restaurant in town but found it was closed on the weekend, so called them & they were just about to have hot dogs for lunch, so we got invited over!  They’re so nice to us – & we love them!

In the middle of April we made a trip to Calgary.  This coincided with close dates to Brian & Bill’s birthdays (which has always been celebrated together, since they’re only 2 days apart, though 13 years: 62 & 75!).  Poor guys haven’t really had an individual celebration for years, but we’re always happy to get together with family.  So we had dinner out with Mom & Jane:

On April 28th we had another HUGE dump of snow (nearly a foot).  This time it was so wet & heavy there was no possibility of blowing it away.  I don’t think anyone in town shovelled, but I went out in the driving wind & knocked the snow off my lilac bushes which were weighed down due to their little leaves trying to bud out!  (Poor little things 😢).

Luckily, spring really was around the corner this time & we’ve been out birding lots of times and here are 2 more photos to share.  The famous (at least to those who don’t live in their distribution area) Cinnamon Teal:

…and the cuter-than-cute Black-necked Stilt.

The other day we received this beautiful photo of 2 eagles which had landed in the tree in their yard.

So in return, Bill sent them a Western Kingbird!

That’s is all for now.  I’m expecting Mom shortly.  My best friend Sandy is driving her out here & will stay for a couple of days.  So looking forward to their visit!

Mom celebrated her 99th birthday here in Maple Creek with us!  Penny & Wilf joined us for dinner.

I made fresh spinach pasta (Mom wanted to see me make pasta!) & lemon veal for the main.  Mom loves lemon – so lemon pie was dessert!  As you can also see, she’s drinking whisky (wooh!).

(She is getting ready to make her wish.)  David & Inga had her celebration back in Calgary with family there, a week later!  Not only that, but her old neighbours Sheree & Dave arranged a surprise party for her a week earlier at the Glencoe Club complete with birthday cake, presents & huge metallic balloons with “99”!  She was amazed & thrilled.  What good people eh?

Our friends Lorne & Joey stopped in briefly on their way back to Calgary from another 99th birthday party – Lorne’s aunt in Rosetown!  I was in the middle of making cinnamon rolls, so they lucked out & got 2 while here (& I sent a couple more with them for the road!).  (They aren’t drinking scotch or rye – it’s iced tea! – just in case you were wondering, since it wasn’t 5 o’clock yet!)

We’ve been out birding quite a bit & I always enjoy the flowers.  I was thrilled to find prickly pear cactus in bloom.

I didn’t know what these were when I first saw them, but discovered they’re milkweed!  Pretty impressive flowers & a big draw for butterflies.

Out at Kevin & Rhonda’s ranch I finally took a pic of the DU (Ducks Unlimited) plaque commemorating their contribution to the saving of wetlands on their property.  It reads:  “KEVIN & RHONDA WEISS DU 2011”.

On June 27th we made a major change in our lives for good!  Sold our Airstream trailer to a couple from Comox, BC – Jeff & Joy.  Here is the photo they sent us after they arrived home to the “wet coast” (as they call it).  They have re-named our trailer “Maple”.

We might have lost something – but we also found something!  A cousin we never knew existed!  She was the daughter of Aunty Joy & Bob, but we think their relationship was in difficulty so she was given up for adoption.  The couple who raised her were Icelandic (so staying in the general realm of Scandanavian countries?).  She brought her son with her for dinner to Penny & Wilf’s.  Luckily Joan was also visiting SK & attended – plus Karen.

Her name is Aldis (pronounced all-dees’) Gislason (geese-la-sun).

Here she is with her son John.  She blended in just like she was family (!!??!!) & we had such a nice time together.

Here are all the 1st cousins, Joan, Aldis, me, Penny & Karen.

There was another special event which has been described by Steven Usher so well, that I will just repeat it:

Erin and son Alastair are in Scotland.  They called us to tell us of their visit to the Standing Stones.  Al suggested they touch the stones and Erin said they should touch together with their eyes closed, just in case something happened, it would happen to both of them.  They did this and when they opened their eyes there was a magical ring on Erin’s finger.

How cool is that!

On July 8th our good birding friends, Ron & Julie from S’toon came for a visit.  We were out at Kevin & Rhonda’s, as well as many other places.

 

We had a great time & were very impressed with our drive through the rolling hills near Eastend – with all the rain we’ve had, the hills were so green!  There are a lot of deep valleys which support spruce trees as well as decidious  trees.  So, so beautiful!

Our birding bud Don, keeps letting us know of unusual bird sightings around SK & one came along which we just couldn’t pass up!  3 adult Whooping Cranes were seen north of Diefenbaker Lake, so we travelled up to check it out.  Happily, we did see them!

 

Sadly, we tried to get closer, but got stuck in the mud!  They don’t call it the Lackawana flood plain for no good reason!  I walked around 2 miles to what looked like the closest farm & found a lovely couple who brought their tractor & pulled us out!  We were extrememly embarrassed.  When I told her that she wouldn’t believe why we were stuck, she said “Whooping Cranes”!  Apparently we aren’t the only ones looking & they had to haul someone else out a few days earlier!

They refused payment of any kind – just said to send them a photo (which we did of course!)

We were out birding in the middle of July & saw a rather rare sight – a pair of Eastern Bluebirds!  They aren’t often seen in this area, the Mountain Bluebird being the common inhabitant.  theThese easterners were  sitting on a fence post near an old bluebird box.  We didn’t see them  again however.  They are blue with rust breasts (I know – small in this photo!).

Near the end of July our dear cousins finally dropped in for coffee.  Barry & Janet have a cabin out at Cypress Hills & spend quite a bit of the summer there.

The highlight of our summer was the GNOBB!  That’s the: Great Northern Ontario Bleakley Bash.  It was held in Kenora, ON courtesy of our dear cousins Anne & Dave who own a cabin on Lake of the Woods & invited us all!  It is the first time all the cousins from Dad’s side of the family have had a reunion.  We took Mom out with us, flying from Calgary to Winnipeg, then driving to Kenora.  What a beautiful drive!  And what a beautiful event!  It was so great to visit all those beautiful Bleakleys – they are truly wonderful people.  Thanks to our Grandma & Grandpa Bleakley (Gladys & Wilmot ).  We found these old passport photos among the groups of photos brought by everyone.  Did you know that Grandpa was a doctor & a dentist – also did plastic surgery on maimed soldiers during the war!  Granny was a teacher & a nurse!

There are sone strong genes in this family – what a great example of Aunty Bunny & Granny (probably at similar ages).

Later we got together fore a group photo.  First just the cousins (with Mom seated at the front).

Then including spouses (20 of us).  In case you may be wondering, a friendly neighbot stopped by to say hello & was wrangled into taking this shot!

We feasted like kings & queens.  Greg brought home-made sausages from Michigan (his Italian friend makes them) & Anne & Dave supplied the beautiful pork tenderloins.  Most of the salads were left over from the pot-luck a day earlier.  Dear Nancy made Uncle Jack’s uncooked blueberry pies!  Sorry I didn’t get a photo of the pies!

Here are a few photos from A&D’s dock.  It was very hot & humid, so most people took a dip in the lake to cool off when they needed to!

There is lots of musical talent amongst the Bleakley cousins & Jon regaled us with a song or 2 accompanied by his guitar.

Later we convened on the deck up at the cabin.  Mom insisted on climbing the whole way up (must be about 75 stairs or so!).  She was accompanied by 2 strong, much younger men, but she made it!  Pretty amazing for 99 years old!  Here are a few photos from the upper deck.

We had such a great time visiting all these wonderful people who share our genes!  Thank you so very much Anne & Dave for extending the invitation & taking care of so much.  And thanks to everyone who helped out with food & cleaning up from all the mess.

On the way home we had lunch at the Winnipeg Airport & Mom wanted a sweet to go with her coffee, & I found a chocolate-covered brownie at the chocolate shop across the hallway!

I think Mom had to rest every day for a week after this outing!  She hasn’t made a trip on an airplane for quite awhile!  She did say she wouldn’t have missed this for anything!

Our dears Penny & Wilf invited us over for my birthday on Aug. 18th!  I brought the dessert (made w/ Stevia for a diabetics) – sour cherry pie.

A few days later it was cousin Karen’s BD & my dear Janie stopped into our place & stayed overnight, then went on to Swift Current to celebrate with Karen!

When we went to Calgary a few days later we celebrated with lots of family at Katherine’s restaurant “Char Bar”.  We had a most excellent dinner & were served by an amazing server (Katherine)!  That’s her with me on the right.

In early September by best friend Sandy came out from Chestermere Lk for a visit.  We took her out birding & while we cleaned out the bluebird houses (& put a few new houses).  We had a laugh at the height of land due to the warning sign posted there!

Sandy caught us cleaning out the bird houses.

Sandy saw her first Belted Kingfisher on this trip – & was rewarded by being able to see it whack its catch against a tree branch before swallowing it.  We didn’t get a shot of that (too far away) but saw another kingfisher sitting on a wire over the dam.

She also took a few other photos on the trip – I loved this one.

We had a report of 137 Whooping Cranes seen north of Saskatoon heading to their southern wintering groups.  We don’t think these numbers have been seen since the late 1800’s perhaps.  With total number near 12 in the 1950’s, this is a wonderful comeback story, helped along by man of course (who wiped them out in the first place).  There are over 400 now in North America.  Here’s a photo of the large group – pretty far away.

Someone got a little closer to a couple of them.  We plan to keep this time-frame available for a trip up to S’toon next year.  We just couldn’t do it this year!

In mid-October we brought Mom out for a few days for a visit.  Cousin Karen came for dinner the 1st night & stayed over!

One of the main reasons Mom came at this time was to go to the fowl supper.  It’s a fund-raiser for the United Church & Penny always contributes & helps out.  It’s turkey with all the trimmings!

Unfortunately Mom’s hearing aids weren’t working properly so she wasn’t able to visit too well.  Happily the weather was beautiful so we took her for a car ride to the Hills & had the usual stop at the height of land.

I had coffee with our house builder’s Mom – Florence (that’s Blaine’s Mom).  She’s such a sweetheart & I took a selfie to send to Blaine, since he’s down in AZ right now.

This year on Halloween I created a new jack-o-lantern.  Cousin Steven always dresses up for Halloween – cool!

Our only visitor in November was our investment advisor – Dave, who made us dinner last year when he came out for a hunting trip.  This year I made him dinner!

I will catch up on Xmas on my next blog post!

As you can see, it’s been a very long time since I’ve published my blog.  I was really thinking I’d quite it, since it was originally mostly for my Mom when we were away in the US each winter.  Bill has talked me into doing another publication & this time there are even some bird photos – not just about our house & family (though there’s some of that also!).  Hope you like it.

After our busy summer & lots of visitors, the fall slowed down quite a bit & winter even more.  We had a quiet Xmas all on our own – but on Boxing day, Brian drove Mom out for a visit.  We had our first real tree EVER:

I made some of Mom’s pressed shortbreads:

I also made some small-sized lefse (for anyone who doesn’t know, this is Norwegian flatbread made w/ potatoes).  Some of you who were there may remember that a few slices of lefse were sold at our silent auction during the family reunion last August for over $70!!  The reason is, not all of the Larson cousins make it, but it is highly prized by those who rarely get it!

 

Our dear investment advisor, Dave, who dropped in & cooked us dinner in Nov, sent us some thank you flowers.  Our dear Nola (the florist in town & supplier of most of our plants outside) made us an arrangement in honour of our purple front door:

Love it!  Here are the decorations  in the front room – including some stockings made by Mom maaaaany long years ago (except for the cat stocking in the middle).

The piano w/ cards.

We used the projection lights for our house, being as we’re a little too old to get up on a ladder & attach lights to the eaves!  Not a very good picture, but…

Around the door we taped up red lights & found a battery-operated wreath.

Here are our girls w/ their little elf!

The weekend before Xmas, Penny & Wilf came over for dinner then took us out to church to listen to a carol program (which was great!).  DO NOT mistake the pained look on Bill’s face for being in church!  He’s just asking me what the heck I’m doing!  Wilf is next to Bill – & Penny is in red in the 2nd row of the choir, left side of the RH photo.

I cooked a small turkey & a pumpkin pie.

Here we all are around the table

Relaxing after dinner before we watched the movie “Victoria & Abdul“.  They may not look to happy – & maybe they weren’t!

On Wednesday, we took Mom out for a drive in the Cypress Hills.  It was a sunny day & lots of snow around.  She really enjoyed it.  It was a winter wonderland with snow-laden firs, a beautiful curious buck (totally unafraid of humans, being protected in the park) & the soft hills as we returned.

One of the Xmas presents I bought myself (or Bill did, whatever…) was a purple stand mixer!

We received this beautiful photo of Bill’s family in Montana at Xmas:

Top, L-R: Paul, Mark, Oren, Maren, Edith, Lou-Ann, Greg.  Bottom:  Dog (forget his name) & Hollin holding Adelyn.

We have certainly been enjoying our bird feeders in the back yard this winter.  The most common species is Common Redpoll.

Pretty little things, smaller than a house sparrow.  Only the males have pink on their breast – females just have the red spot on the head.  The other most common species we have is Eurasian Collared Doves (pretty invasive species, though very pretty).  Here they are lined up in the sun on our clematis fence.

One of the doves is partial albino – can you spot it here amongst the others?

I am not a bread baker, so I’ve been working on perfecting cinnamon rolls for Bill – since Mom no longer bakes!  At 98, it’s time for her to have a rest & for me to learn!  This is my 1st batch which had pecans on the bottom & Bill didn’t like them!

My 2nd batch was w/o pecans & Bill liked them pretty well, though he still wanted more goo!

Hopefully they’ll continue to improve!

Our birding bud Don sent us a photo of a really cute little mink which I just can’t resist sharing:

He also sent us a photo of a Black-capped chickadee with a white tail!  This is an unusual anomaly indeed!  (Normally a black tail)

On Easter weekend, we awoke Good Friday to a bare & dry landscape.  By about 2 PM it looked like this:

In early March I attempted to make my 1st souffle.  it turned out pretty well & I served it with tomato sauce – just like Mom used to make.

Bill was not impressed – he felt like he ate nothing!  He immediatley had microwave popcorn !!!

I have also perfected sugarless chocolate icebox pie & lemon pie.  Voila the lemon pie

Obviously I’m trying to improve some of my cooking.  Still have a long way to go!

We are still working on the interior of the house & have recently put up some wallpaper -1 wall in the bedroom:

…and 1 wall in the dining room:

Jay & Kelly put it up for us (our construction guys) & did a great job!  Now we’re waiting for another carpet to put under the bed – which won’t come until mid-April.

It has been such a long & snowy winter – but at last we’ve been out birding.  Bill has been having some trouble with his camera, so here are a couple of photos taken by others.  First our birding bud, Don from Broadview, took this of Eastern & Mountain Bluebirds:

Aren’t they gorgeous.  Then our friend Lorne, who is visiting family on the west coast, sent us this beauty – Rufous Humingbird:

Wow – eh?  That throat is iridescent!

On Apr. 10-13 I headed to Calgary on my own to see Mom.  Little did we know the horrible weather which awaited!  Here is the view out her window on Thursday before we went out to the hearing aid place:

I also picked up my ring while in Calgary this time.  I have never had a good diamond ring & Bill bought this lovely one for me (designed by me & the goldsmith):

After I returned home, we heard Calgary received another huge dump of snow!  It wreaked havoc on city streets (& everywhere else too).  What the heck is going on?!  Meanwhile, it’s finally been getting nicer here in Maple Creek & we’ve been out birding a couple of times.  It is however, too snowy up in Cypress Hills to get out to our bluebird houses & clean them out.  We need to raise 3 of them up higher, so cattle can’t scratch up against them & destroy them.  We have our kit in the SUV to do so, but will need to wait another week or so.  Hopefully this warm weather will continue!

Apr. 22nd is Bill’s BD.  Our investment analyst (who came to stay & cooked us dinner last fall) sent cookies!

And didn’t Billy look nice!

In mid-May my lilacs were in full bloom.  It makes the house smell SO GOOD!

We attended a joint BD dinner with family in Calgary the next week (Brian’s being only 2 days away from Bill’s).  Here we are at Caesar’s (Lois, Zach, Brian, Bill, Omanthi, Ben, Mom, Katherine, David).

Since it was Mother’s Day while in Calgary, a Mother & her 3 children got together!

On 1 of our outings in the early spring we saw this long-tailed weasel standing on a fence.  He (she) didn’t move & Bill got this lovely photo.

There were  lots of widflowers blooming up at Wilf’s place (prairie crocus, shooting star & I don’t know what the white one is!)

On May 3rd, my long-time friend, Rosemary Gauthier passed away.  She had a challenging life to say the least & I know she is now at peace.  I was lucky to have a visit with her 2 weeks before she died & took the selfie on the left.  Her sister, Barbara took the other with purple hair!

We did get out to raise our bluebird boxes eventually. L-R, Bill getting ready to attach pole after removing box; bluebird egg (unhatched from last year we assume); the inside of a tree swallow nest; the raised box.

 

On May 2nd our birding bud, Don from Broadview, came for a visit.  We had a great time with him & found a few wonderful things (including a N. Mockingbird at Tompkins – but we didn’t get a photo of it).  Here are a few highlights.  Don with us out at Kevin & Rhonda’s ranch.

 

Our dear cousins, Steven & Fran Usher are moving from Ontario to Galiano Island, BC.  they stopped overnight to stay with us & have a cousin get-together.  I had to take a separate photo of Wilf, since he took the 1st one: Karen, Steven, Fran, Penny, me & Bill

Frannie also brought us the sculpture she created & that we purchased.  It is now in a place of honour in our living room!

Atl the beginning of June, Ben’s girlfriend Omanthi graduated from U of C.  Here is her photo w/ both families: Ben, Omanthi’s Mom & Dad, Omanthi, David & Inga!

Our friend Don came back to visit the 2nd week of June & swe had another interesting time birding with him.  Unusual to find Common Nighthawks flying around during the day, but we think it may have been because it rained most of the morning & there may have been an insect hatch.  This is the Eastend area.

Also an Osprey.

Common Yellowthroat (a bird of the marshes)

Baltimore Oriole

How we’ve enjoyed birding on the prairies this spring – it’s been a very long time since we’ve done a lot of prairie birding & little did we know the wonderful deep coulies & different types of habitat are in this area – along with Cypress HIlls!

Time to publish this blog – more again (but not such a long wait next time I hope!).