Saturday Night

The Torquay tree in autumn
October 26, 2011

On the way to Estevan last Wednesday I stopped in town to get the mail and couldn't resist taking a picture of this huge poplar tree on Main Street.  It dwarfs every building in town and is one of the last trees to lose its leaves in the fall.  The building to the left is Trinity auditorium.  I want to get a picture of this tree in all four seasons.

It's quiet at the farm after Clare, Abbey and her two friends, Emma and Hannah, went back to Weyburn after staying overnight here.  The girls were invited to a Hallowe'en party at another friend's house this evening.  Jodi has been with her girls volleyball team at a tournament in Swift Current this weekend.  She's likely on her way home too.  She said that it was sleeting there this morning.  Rain was in the forecast for here but we haven't seen any yet.  Clare hauled two loads of flax to Weyburn today so that was a good job done.

The girls watched movies last night.  This morning they bagged up my Hallowe'en treats so I am ready for visitors in the city.  They usually get around thirty and I have extra so I should be okay.  Laurel had ordered some cute Hallowe'en bookmarks so there's one of those in each treat bag along with the candy.
Then the girls sorted through my Christmas Child supplies and made up six boxes.  I'm short a few items so I'll have to go shopping and finish them up next week.

I ground some wheat and Hannah mixed up a batch of ginger cookies using the whole wheat flour along with some ground flax. We baked them after the dough had chilled a couple hours.  They each took a tin of cookies home to share.

We had bacon and pancakes for lunch.  Hannah enjoyed the chokecherry syrup as her grandma in Alberta makes it too.  Emma and Abbey stuck to Aunt Jemima's.

Howard called a couple times today.  His foot is a lot better, not swollen anymore so he can wear shoes on both feet again.  Maybe next week I can bring him over to the house for a visit.  I'll be back and forth to the farm, at least until the snow flies.  Clare plans to spend a couple days a week here too getting some odd jobs done.

It's hockey season for the our three grandsons again.  Carter played in Bienfait today so if I'd been in Estevan I'd have driven out for the game.  Dawson played in Regina yesterday and scored one of the six goals for their winning team.  I don't think that Eric has had a game yet but I see that he has one next Sat.

It's been quite windy today so the leaves have really been falling.  I can see out to the road again!

Clare put a new handle on our main door.  It's one that doesn't need a key, just punch in a numbered code to open it.  We used to leave a key in the garage but that isn't the safest hiding place so I'm glad he took care of that.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Horn family of Williston as they say good-bye to a beloved son, grandson and nephew.  Laurel went to college with Nicole, now Bertman of Wildrose.  On Thursday morning Nicole's nephew, Alex, was on the way to work, along with two other workers, at an oil site south of Williston.  The truck rolled on a gravel road, Alex was thrown out and suffered massive head injuries.  It was determined through an EEG and an apnea test that there was no brain activity.  The family are now waiting for organ donor arrangements.  Prayers for a miracle of healing have now become prayers for comfort for a grieving family along with prayers for the organ recipients.  There are recipients for his heart, kidneys, liver, possibly lungs, eyes and several other bone and tissue matches.   The picture on Nicole's Facebook page show Alex beside a banner with the words "For God so loved..".  We can't see the rest of the banner but we know the rest of John 3:16 and we can place Alex's name, or any of ours, in place of "the world".  God's way is the best way and Alex has received perfect healing, not the healing his family was praying for, but the way that God knew was best for him.  And through his death, new life is being given to those who are receiving these much awaited organs.  This brings some comfort to his family that good can come from the tragic death of their loved one.  May God's peace be with you Tawnia and Leif, Faye and David, Nicole and Paul, other family members, friends and co-workers.