SIGNIFICANT EVENTS

Last time I wrote was on August 8.  Dear Daughter #2 and granddaughter arrived that day.  On August 9 she and I went to the Rosebud Chamber Music concert in Rosebud, Alberta.  It was beyond marvellous.  It took place in the Akokinskway Gallery which used to be a small church, so it was an intimate venue.  She and I sat in the front row and we were just  awed by the first number on the program.  Aaron Schwebel played Bach's Chaconne from Partita No. 2.  His performance was transporting!  It was magnificent.  If that were the whole program it would have been more than worth the ticket cost.

That was followed by "Five Pieces for String Quartet" by Erwin Schulhoff which is wonderful, humorous music.  After Intermission a group played "String Sextet No. 2 in G Major, op. 36" by Brahms.  All in all a fantastic, deeply satisfying evening!

The Dear One was scheduled to preach on Sunday at a Southern Alberta church we knew well and liked.  He preached a sermon on Jesus' words: I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, which was very well received.  He also baptized the baby of a young woman whom he had baptized 26 years ago.  It was a very satisfying experience for us.

He had had some dental work done the week before and complained of worsening jaw pain.  They X-rayed his jaw and found nothing, no inflammation or infection, but it did keep on getting worse.  Coming home on Sunday he was very tired.  In the following days this worsened, and I could see him failing day by day.

Early Friday morning he passed out in our bedroom and died shortly after.  I'm so thankful that he was gone before the EMTs arrived and start resuscitation efforts.  He wanted to die at home, he did not have a long, painful illness, and he managed to avoid being brought back to end his life in an ICU.

There were so many blessings in his last week and in his passing.  Especially that our daughter was here to help.  The same afternoon Son #2 arrived, the next morning Daughter #1 and on Sunday afternoon Son #1.  They were all with me for a week, and we had a wonderful time of healing, being together, shedding tears and sometimes enjoying much laughter.  It was a wonderful sendoff for their father.

There will be a Memorial Service on Saturday,  October 5 at 2 p.m. at the Mount Olive Evangelical Free Church in Three Hills.

Here is the last picture taken of the Dear One:

EVENING

Beautiful clouds!  Beautiful sky!  I love clouds--as long a there is also some clear sky for contrast.

We have very good views from our home.  We can see the sunrise and the sunset on the horizon, no buildings in the way.  Clouds fascinate me.  Each one unique. 

Dear Daughter #2 arrived this afternoon with Dear Granddaughter #4, the youngest granddaughter, almost 15.  Some years ago when we all gathered together to celebrate an anniversary, #4 said, "I'm tired of being the youngest all the time!"

Sorry, sweetheart that doesn't get to change.  Granddaughter #1 is the only one not taller than myself.  #2, 3, and 4 are all very tall young women.  #2 is about 5'10", #3 is 6', and #4 is at least an inch or two taller than I am, about 5'7" or 5'8".  They each LIKE being tall.  How very neat!

MOST PEOPLE ARE HONEST

Yesterday an acquaintance came to visit, someone whom I think will become a good friend. I had met Rebekah very early in our coming to this small town.  We were looking at real estate and she had an advertisement in the local paper for her kitchen products business.  I had been looking for several months for a used grain mill and realized I'd probably have to buy a new one.  She had grain mills for sale, so we went to her home to buy one.

When I gave her a check, from a bank quite far away in Alberta, she asked, "You wouldn't bounce a check on me, would you?"  I replied that we had agreed to buy property here and start a garden centre, so there was no way I'd tarnish our reputation with a bad check.

When I reminded her of that yesterday, she was apologetic about asking that.  I thought it entirely proper of her.  She thought a bit and then said, I found that most people who bake their own bread are honest!  Nice thought! 

Then The Dear One and I went out for supper--a rare treat!, offered because I had spent the morning finishing the project of the downstairs door and windows.

Sure glad to check that project off the list!

When we came back from our outing Jim found a little pile of cash and a nice note in the Garden Centre: "I bought 6 little geraniums.  Thanks, (signed, indecipherable)."  The "Sorry we're closed" sign was at the end of the driveway, but it's rather small perhaps she didn't see it.  Nevertheless, doesn't it just seem wonderful that people are honest!

This morning I got out the red, white and blue quilt that has been an ongoing project for the last three years.  The problem here is that the seams between the blocks don't nest, even though they are supposed to.  I finally sat down and figured out what's wrong.  The trouble came because of my liking for "spinning" the intersections.  That threw the calculations off.  Now I know what to do and was making good progress.  The bottom three rows are new, and now I have to make some more blue and white blocks to finish up.        

                                

I have the squares to finish up these blocks and this morning confidently sewed together three of them for this row.  Sewed them together all wrong!  I had to take them completely apart, quite discouraging.

This weekend I'll make the rest of the blue and white blocks, this time the RIGHT WAY!

 The block on the left is the wrong way, the block on the right is what it should be.

Sometimes I'm surprised at how stupid I can be!