Tuesdays With Jo

Dear Mother Jaskey, 

Tuesday has morphed into Wednesday. Its a warm-ish fall morning (+1C) and our yard is green and grey and brown with no sign of snow anywhere.

It was truly delightful to be with you on the weekend, short and sweet though it was. The long roads to and from crooked creek were made short by listening to stories and singing. The huge empty road from Edmonton to Crooked Creek, edged by gorgeous forests of spruce and pine and larch and layered with white was a balm for the soul. 

Little Vienna Beth is as beautiful as I imagined. And time spent together with Lar's and Ryan's was relaxing and good. And then attending church in Crooked Creek with the whole congregation and no masks - well, what more can we ask for. Thank you for the lovely weekend. 

Today is a sewing day for me. Pat and Zach just left on the truck. Wyatt just left on the bus. Colby goes to work for Jason soon. These are the best days, the normal, basic ones.

Love

Jo

P.S. Last time we went to the Villa to visit Grandpa he seemed to really enjoy the boys catwalking his wheelchair down the hall. Zach catwalked the whole length with Wyatt riding on his shoulders and Colby catwalked and balanced the wheelchair all the way backwards, stealthily and slowly, landing on the floor. 

P.P.S. Zach also is into catwalking his dirtbike down the road. Or the yard. I think he's done about a quarter mile at one shot. I prefer to not watch.

P.P.P.S. Talking about catwalking, Colby has taken to catwalking the skidsteer. He sort of dances with it, with the forks way up in the air as high as they'll go. Its a catwalk-y world.

Tuesdays With Jo

Mother Dearest,

We woke up to the most delicious blanket of snow this morning! Its the first of the season and we delight in the clean white coverlet, although it is melting swiftly. 

This has been such a good week. I almost feel like whispering, but we have been home. So many days. The teachers came for supper on Friday. I had food made, thankfully, when they called (which is nothing to sneeze at). We helped with church cleaning on Wednesday and the youth helped with church cleaning on Friday. And Val invited us over for supper on Saturday because I bought an old recliner from her on the Swanson Sisters Buy and Sell Chat! I feel like that should be highlighted. As in, the buy and sell chat. 

Oh and Sunday was our stay-home-from-church day. We went to Saskatoon for coffee in the afternoon and picked up pizza for supper at folks with Jeff's because folks just got home from Ontario. 

When there's not as much on the schedule I tend to bomb out a bit. Its so good to relax and read a good book. Or play endless games of Rook with Wyatt. Or sew a mini-quilt or two. Or watch our little Polly kitty play. We all adore her antics.

Love 

Jo

P.S. I just found a cup of "home-made paint" in my sewing room, courtesy of Wyatt. 

P.P.S. This week I found a cardboard box with another cardboard box taped on top with red tucktape. And a little boy hovering over arranging dogfood in a blue plastic shop container. For the cats.

P.P.P.S. I also found a small wooden box with fishing magazines (from Colby) and crow feathers and a brain quest game and colored modeling clay and a scissors and a notebook and a C-.clamp in it. In Wyatt's room. Just saying.

Tuesdays With Jo

Dear Mother Jaskey, 

Happy Thanksgiving! Its a wintry morning; ice on vehicle windshields and a biting wind, but the grass is green and the blue-blue sky promises fall once again.

It has been a week of socializing for me. Last Wednesday I went with Am to Bow Island and back (yes, all in one day). We held baby Isla and talked and rocked. It was lovely altogether. 

Our teacher, Lacey, had her family out for the weekend so we hosted a fun group Saturday for supper; Rennies, Jeff's, Chris n Mik and Lacey and her family. We had an absolutely gorgeous day, topping out at +26c. So we ate outside and sat around the fires in the evening. It was so so good to see Shani again. And it was so not good that Pat smashed his thumb badly just before all the company arrived. He thumbnail bed stayed intact but all around popped like a grape. It was and still is rather painful. Other than that and a moment when we thought our dogs were attacking Bennett it was a relaxed evening as well. 

Then Sunday we went to church. And on our way home Pat said let's swing past the Villa and pick up grandpa who was enthusiastic indeed. And then on our way past Sergio (the Ukrainian who works for Darc Loewen and has lived in Canada for 4 months) Pat wondered if we should swing in there too. And I was very grateful for the ham in my crockpot and sweet potatoes in the oven and leftover dessert. They stayed all day. And the boys invited Gil and Ed for the evening. 

Yesterday at 5:30 this vehicle drove up and here it was Aunt Ellen and Gil Chaisson and Grandpa and yes they would stay for supper and I was so grateful for two casseroles of leftovers that everyone deemed edible. And then Nathan came for the evening.

Today I worked in the shop with Pat. Just him and I. The boys were both working and Wyatt at school. We had a lot of fun stamping rods and packaging and counting. And singing. The shop echoes delightfully. 

Love 

Jo

PS Have you read the book Northern Nurse by Elliott Merrick? Its worth it. 

PPS I bought Arabella by Georgette Heyer on Audible. Now its on my list to acquire in paperback. You must read it sometime. 

PPPS Wyatt unearthed a Shel Silverstein book that I knew not about. He reads it and laughs and laughs and makes us all listen to the funny poems he's found.

Tuesdays With Jo

Dear Mother Jaskey, 

We had a colorful sunrise silhouetted behind the spruce trees this morning, golds and pinks against the black. Its hard to believe that it's October. The geese are starting to fly south. The other morning a flock of grouse landed on our lawn while passing through and the juncos are back. 

Sunday was our turn to stay home and it was so perfectly lovely outside. We took our speaker out and set up lawn chairs and listened on the deck. The boys brought Polly (short for Neopolitan) (the baby kitty) to the deck and we encouraged a time of bonding with the dogs. It was busy. We told the boys this was just a small idea of how much of the message you hear when you have a baby on your lap in church.

Life has been full; a Quacky Quilters day at Melanie's, a board ladies meeting to plan hot lunch, a meeting to mactac and stamp school books, a special-ed meeting, a birthday party for Alison, Sunday dinner at the Villa and a very lovely coffee with my dear sista. Then youth deals and singing and youth meeting for the boys. And the last supper with Jason's to celebrate harvest being done. Yippee!

Zach and I went to town one day. He can drive now, you know. Sometimes being a momma of teenage drivers feels very brave indeed. But he did well. And he found jeans that suit his fancy, which is something else to be thankful for. 

Love 

Jo

P.S. Wyatt now knows how to spell dagger and chimpanzee and Wednesday, thanks to Wordly Wise.

P.P.S. Wyatt received an Encyclopedia set (used, from Aunt Margaret) from his grandpa and grandma, at long last. 

P.P.P.S. Wyatt built a miniature house with a box he found. He  taped everything together with duct tape and made multitudes of windows. He sharpied a kitchen inside with me by the counter and even taped up a flashlight to read by. He barely fits in it but its a favorite spot.