Of Algorithms and Work and Boyish Obsessions

As I said earlier, this has been the very best summer ever. For one thing, the boys worked almost every day. There has not been one bored day, not one. This is huge. Suddenly my oldest two are grown up. Wyatt spent hours and hours along the fence, watching the men building shop on our back yard.


The shop is up and starting to be used for some work, although the three-phase power still is not hooked up which means no welding yet.


One thing Zach got into this summer was the Rubiks cube. Tristan, Wendel & Sharon's son, got him going on it when they were out this summer. It took him about a week and now he can solve it in a minute (shortest time). He used his money from Grandma Isaac for his birthday to buy a fancy fast Rubiks cube. We feel like it's a good thing for him to focus his mind and energy into things that are not harmful and take thinking and perseverance. The other day his face was lit up and he was telling me which algorithms he uses to solve the Rubiks cube. I listened and when he ran out again, I looked up the word algorithm. This motherhood thing is truly over my head sometimes.


And talking about work, Colby has worked part time for a few weeks now for Carlin Toews, in his chicken barns. The shocking thing is that he can arise before 6am to leave for work. It used to be such a struggle to get out of bed for school... And this morning he was up by 7am, ready to go hunting.


Which leads me to Colby's obsession. It's hunting season. Every spare minute is spent perusing Cabela's online and adjusting his compound bow and target practicing. Not to mention the hours and hours he spends in his camo clothes, walking the home quarters with binoculars in hand. He's a naturally quiet person and he manages to find the little hidden animals and hiding places the rest of us miss completely. For example, this spring he found a tiny little Bambi hidden carefully in the trees behind our garden. It was so very adorable with big blinking eyes (the only part of the baby that moved) and huge baby spots on its back. I've never seen a baby deer that close and the next morning it had vanished, hopefully safely with its mother. Also, he found a duck nest in the tall grass under the trees which he watched carefully and came in with a new egg count every day. One day at the beginning of bow season, Colby had his friend Gilwyn over to go hunting with him. They spent almost all day together in the great outdoors. So far, there are no new venison roasts in my freezer but I'm waiting for them.


Of course, Zach is in school again, which is new for him to go alone. He's in a grade by himself this year and feels a little lonely at times. He devours books. Whole sets of books. He's working through Eric Walters books right now. Do you all have good ideas for books for him?

{WW} relief

{WW} relief

The elevators at Royal University Hospital were crowded that warm July day. I squeezed on, holding my purse and lunch-kit and pressed the button for fourth floor. My little 3-day-old baby was waiting for me in the neonatal unit, his little skinny legs pulled up against his body. One good thing about being postpartum six weeks early was the part of fitting into pre-pregnancy clothes, beings as I tend to gain my allotted thirty pounds in the last three months.

“Hey, I’d give you a hundred bucks for that good Mennonite cooking in there.”

My mind suddenly registered fifteen faces around me, looking at me, smiling. The elevator was crowded. A man in a hospital gown, attached to an IV, stood at the back of the elevator grinning at me.

“Uh… probably not,” I stammered. I was the only Mennonite on board.

“Come on!” he persisted. “I’d give you a hundred bucks for that good Mennonite cooking in there!”

I looked at the elevator lights, willing it to go faster. How would I explain this Mennonite cooking?

My face flamed. “No… it’s probably not something you’d like,” I answered.

“On, come on. You know what kind of cooking we get here,” the man said.

All eyes were on me, when with relief I saw the elevator doors open at fourth floor. “It’s actually breast milk for my baby,” I said, stepping off with my head held high.

The elevator erupted in laughter behind me and I heard the man, in a little quieter voice, say, “I’d still give you twenty…”

{WW} too many

There are never too many

 

Jeans drying on the line

Hearts talks with the boys

Quiet hours by myself

Stories read aloud

Special meals with family

Evenings in the heated pool

Pumpkin spice lattes

Little voices singing

Sunrises to watch

Picnics at the lake

Corn roasts

Cool evenings around the fire

Cozy throws and quilts

Stacks of books

Laughing children

Prayers as a family

 

(Sept 12/17)

Jo Esau

{WW} news

{WW} News

 

There is something so very splendid and exciting about the word news. I love to hear about a new baby, that company is coming or that some prayer has been answered. I love to hear about weddings and trips and gardens and books. I love to hear about your work and dreams, your thoughts and fears.

 

Very definitely, news can be terrifying and heart-stopping, as well. I’ll never forget my pounding heart, when as a teenager my mom woke me up at midnight and said my best friend, Char, wanted to talk to me. Her dad had died. The long drive to her house, by myself with all my stuff hastily thrown into a bag on the passenger seat is forever etched into my mind. Also, the memory of the six-in-the-morning call on Easter Monday, 2000, will always bring a small stab of pain. Gord and Adrian were missing.

 

Some news is so life changing and good and scary all at the same time. Like the phone call I got from my mom the day before my school year of teaching was done. Mom said her and dad wanted to meet me for supper in Grande Prairie and it didn’t matter if I missed singing with the youth in Hythe once again. I was literally sick that time. I will always hold dear the picture of my dad leaning against his pickup, grinning at me, as I drove into the restaurant parking lot. I jumped out of my little two-door cavalier and ran to my dad and hugged him. “Is it what I want?” I asked with tears in my eyes. My dad hugged me and said, “Yes, it’s what you want.”

 

Each baby has brought the same scary, good, life-changing feeling of news but I especially will always remember finding out about our last baby. Our boys were 8 and 10 and we had long given up on having any more children and it was tough. When I missed my period my first thought was cancer. I really wondered what was going on. By the time I was six weeks along I felt a little nauseous and I truly thought this must be the end. I did not let myself once think that I could be pregnant. We’d had too many disappointments. We were school board at the time and the day of yearend I was so exhausted. I went home to get something and ended up taking a two hour nap with no plans of any such thing. It was time to look into this. I booked an appointment at my doctor, going by myself and telling Pat I’d let him know if it was serious. When the doctor came into my room and told me the pregnancy test was positive, I was stunned into silence.

 

I suppose, no matter where we go and what we do, changes will come to us; news of weddings and babies and baptisms and ordinations. There will be deaths and hard times and sadness and grief. But there will be peace and God, through it all, if we are His.

Company and August

There are big juicy freestone peaches sit on my counter, one box is left on the floor to fully ripen and there are rows of pretty jars in my pantry filled with peaches. It's the best time of year. Very much so.


It's also the time of year for company. And girls, we are so blessed with friends! I'm truly so very grateful for each one. Jeff & Deli were one of the many who have come through in August and that was really neat. We've written together for so long that it feels like we know each other but I'll admit I was a little terrified to actually meet in person.


Deli is tall and slim and fun-loving. She is so easy to be with. We talked and talked and talked. Straight time. And it just wasn't long enough. Of course, I loved meeting her beautiful girls and her busy little boy and her relaxed Kansas man. It was just so good. I am very blessed to have so many friends.


More friends that came through were Russ & Tracy Klassen, Wes & Kim Schartner, Duane & Geri Isaac, Wendel & Sharon Toews and Arlene Hildebrand & boys. One day Bren and I met our old friends, Deana, Tami and Grace and their mom, Val, for lunch in Saskatoon. In between we've danced the end-of-summer dance of an evening out in Wendel's pasture, supper around the fire at Rudi's, a big 40th birthday bash for Miranda, supper at Pike Lake with Bob & Jo and many many more.


It's like taking a long ride on the merry-go-round and when it's over we say, "Whew! That was fun!"


Today is a first day for a long time that we're home by ourselves. I napped. Wyatt napped. We've all relaxed. It's been great. And this week school starts. It's exciting and sort of sad to actually be facing fall and September. For sure in our dear north country where the nights are so chilly and the leaves are turning color. It's time to think pretty fall boots and leggings and scarves. It's time to sit on the deck with our hands around steaming cups of coffee, dreaming and planning for winter.