More of the Grandbabies

I know many people have to live far from their grandchildren. And now I find myself incredibly grateful that I don't have that distance anymore.
The children change daily. Josiah is still the calm one. Content, but seldom excited. And so terribly cute.


The thing that excites Haley is... well, almost everything! Including Josiah. It took a while for her to notice him. But now she does. She wants to kiss him, and of course, poke his eyes and grab his hands. Her version of loving still needs supervision. But it's so sweet to see her reaction to him each time they're together. She smiles and laughs easily. She was sick last week, but rather than lose the smile, she just got cuddly as well.


Josiah's smiles... oh my! They're hard to photograph, because he'd much rather smile at his Mom than at the camera that MorMor always sticks in his face. But once in a while we catch the good ones.

Haley seems to think she's already grown up and can do everything. Her 'standing' without anyone holding her was so cute. She is quite pleased with herself. So are we!

Fall Bounty

I have a confession to make. I can't say no. Not when I am being offered someone's excess bounty from their gardens. "I would love the apples you don't want," I recently told our neighbor. She gave me three grocery bags full. Another neighbor brought two bags full. My daughter picked up several containers full from freecycle. And now my sister brought me several buckets of apples from Calgary. So I made juice, apple sauce, apple butter, and froze some for pie and other apple desserts.

Another neighbor with a large garden brought us a bag of tomatoes and a bag of cukes. Our daughter shared her garden generously with us.


Every Sunday in church there seems to be a box of freebees: spagghetti squash, pumpkins, peppers, etc. All of the items pictured here were given to me, either at church or from neighbors. Nothing beats local produce. And it seems you end up trying things you wouldn't otherwise try. I didn't know that there were yellow-fleshed watermelon until I cut up one from my friend, Emily. It was a slightly different texture, but the taste was wonderful. We all loved it.



I guess you could say my pantry isn't full yet. But there are only two of us, so it really is full enough for this winter.

Thanksgiving has already arrived at this household!

September - Josiah

The studious one...

Josiah is (so far) the serious grandchild. He's 4 1/2 months behind Haley, which is a huge age difference at this stage. But we know he'll catch up quickly, and in the not-too-distant future, we will think of them as the same age. For now, though, we enjoy the differences.


All bundled up for the fall weather.



Josiah's smiles involve his entire face and are a process. IF you can get him to make eye contact, and then IF he starts to talk to you, then you just MIGHT be rewared with one of these. They're worth working for!! Some of my family claim to see a Koop resemblence when he smiles.




I really need to do another photo shoot with Josiah and Haley. We did one before Haley was even aware of Josiah. Now she gets uber excited when she sees him, and it is so cute. And perhaps a little bit dangerous. She doesn't know yet that she shouldn't poke his eyes or grab his ear (nose, mouth, hands, or whatever is most convenient.) I, for one, am really looking forward to these two growing up together.

Photography

This friend wouldn't let me get any closer... New lens needed???


I often wonder if I should be doing more photography. I love taking photos, especially of nature and even events. I haven't yet learned to be comfortable with setting people up for photos. I have friends and relatives who are way better photographers than I am, yet I am seldom without my camera or without thoughts of how I would shoot this particular scene. So there is a conundrum.


Recently I have been reading more and more blogs, and so many of them are such an inspiration to me. And many of them incorporate many photos, which I love!! So I've decided I can at least share my love of photography here on my blog with anyone who is interested. Here is a sampling of September in my life.



Haley will love reading when she can sit still long enough!!

She keeps stealing MorMor's glasses... so we had to try them on! Not really impressed...


I love this picture because Haley is so cute, and she loves to be with her MorFar (and so do I) and the view behind them is what I see whenever I sit on my couch, and I love it!



Hmmm... wonder what bath water tastes like?

Ewwww!! Why didn't someone warn me?

Next post will have more of Josiah!

Fall in the city

It is September 14th, and fall is creeping up on us. The heat of summer has disappeared, and the days are sunny and cool. The leaves are beginning to change color. I have always loved the changing seasons, and fall brings with it feelings of anticipation... as if something great is just around the corner. Perhaps a feeling that comes from those years when I looked forward to another school year.

But it is also an ending. And there is an urgency to take full advantage of the days we have left before winter arrives. There is a need to spend the last days exploring whatever there is to explore. The instinct is to head to the mountains.

We left the Rockies behind, and Kananaskis is no longer a weekend option. So we must compensate. We must find the beauty that is here. Each place has a beauty of its own.

Our destination today was Kildonan Park, not far from where our kids live. Rachel & I picked up Haley and took her and Josiah out for fresh air. No mountains here, but the trees... ah, the trees! We meandered through the flower gardens. Everything grows in Manitoba is what my friends tell me. I'm not sure about 'everything', but I have had a much easier time with my flower gardens here than I ever did in Alberta.

And when we had seen the flowers, we stopped to watch the ducks, and to watch Haley watching the ducks. Everything is so much better when seen through the eyes of a child. Josiah slept peacefully in his snuggly, and Haley tried out the baby swings, and even without a vocabulary, I knew she was asking for more when I took her out of the swing. So, of course, she got more.

We found the river walk, and passed by the picnic tables and fire pits which we will have to try out very soon. A fall picnic is just been added to our schedule. And next year, it will be both Haley & Josiah wanting more of the swings, more of the ducks, and hopefully, many more picnics by the river. We've found a little bit of heaven right here in Winnipeg.

Country Places part 2

Where can you shop at a garden centre even when it's closed? And get advice from them at your home so they can let you know where to plant or not to plant? (Even though they really know the yard quite well since they know everyone in town by name...) Ile des Chenes, of course!

And the library... I admit I walked in with very low expectations. First, this is a French town, and I don't speak or read French. Secondly, it is a town where you can know everyone's name... how many books could they actually have in the library?! (Which, by the way, is only open 1 evening and 1 half-day each week.)

I was looking for an author which is new to me, but fairly familiar. Nope. Nothing by him. The aisle of English fiction isn't terribly big. But so far I've liked almost everything about Ile des Chenes, so I decided to join anyway. Maybe I'd find something I liked. The librarian came over to the section I was wandering through, apologized for leaving some kids books on top of the CD's (from the morning Kid's time), and gave me a tour. I wasn't sure I needed a 'tour' of this little place, but it turned out to be very helpful after all. Especially when she told me that if there were any books or authors I wanted to read, she could order them from any library in Manitoba. And that any DVD's or videos that were strictly French were marked with a green sticker. That will be helpful to know. I joined, took home 2 borrowed books, and bought a cookbook for 25 cents.

Yup, I love our chosen community.

Country Places

I find I am frequently amazed by country living. When we thought about it, it seemed we'd have to give up a lot of conveniences. Grocery stores aren't open as late. And grocery stores in the country have a tendency to just carry groceries. What's that about?? Could I really live without the one-stop Superstore shopping? What if I need groceries, household items, baby gifts, and hardware?
Ile des Chenes doesn't even have a grocery store. Not really. We do have a good-sized convenience store, and it is handy if I just need 1 or 2 items, but I am used to the Superstore prices, and that's not what this one is about.
Lorette's grocery store is a good size for a country store, and only about 10 minutes away. But consider my shopping trip last week.
I drove about 10 minutes... maybe a wee bit more, and picked up cheese at the cheese factory in New Bothwell, and then fresh sausage next door at the Country Smoked Meats. Across the highway... less than 10 minutes away, is the town of Niverville. The bakery (which is also a cafe and coffee shop) had wonderful fresh bread. (Although I was reminded of the 'small town' issue when I wanted buns, and was told those were available Thursdays, not Mondays. Quaint). Not far from the bakery, there was a small vegetable vendor with her garden produce. I went home with real food. Beats Superstore any day!!
By the way, they tell you that if you want to eat healthy, you should shop the outside aisles of a store and stay away from the middle aisles. I guess that's very much like what I did here! Only my 'outside aisles' were a bit further apart than they normally are.
Niverville also has a wonderful coffee shop/gift shop where I have had a wonderful London Fog or Vanilla Latte. Maybe I don't need Starbucks at all anymore! The MCC Thrift Shop there also ranks on my list of favorite places.
Other favorites.. The Back Porch is a coffee/lunch spot that a relative of mine opened in my grandmothers house. What a treat!! I think I'd love this place even if it wasn't my grandma's house, but of course this makes it a destination any time family comes. And it is also about 10 minutes away in Linden.
Then there is Apple Seed Attic. My daughter & I had seen the sign on Hwy 59 many times and wanted to stop in there. We finally did it when my sister was here from BC. The owner, who lives on the property, has set up a cute shop on the yard with gift items for the home. I couldn't leave emptyhanded, and made a small purchase. I love the entreprenureal spirit shown here and want to support that as much as I am able.
I'm sure my list of favorite places will grow as we live here longer. Yes, there will be city favorites as well, but I am glad I can find almost everything I need right here in rural Manitoba.