My son suggested that people would be interested in hearing about where and what the kids my age did for summer jobs until school started in the fall. . .ummm. That gives me an idea. I recall him working at the ticket counter at Greyhound one summer before University started. He was even invited back to the counter for Christmas holidays. Another summer he worked for a University researcher exploring astronomy.
That's right, I am supposed to cover those in my age group. Since the closest high school was 65 miles away and with no bus service, we were able to take grade nine by correspondence. The teacher of the lower grades gave us the provincial exams and mailed them to the Department of Education while we waited breathlessly until August to get our grades. What a reliefwhen I found out I received an A certificate. During the wait, home duties kept us busy, with gardening and and canning. One summer my older sister and I (with Mother's help) canned 400 quarts of peas as well as other vegetables. My three older brothers helped with farm duties which included shovelling grain in August to load up the large truck box for delivery ten miles into the Orion elevators. Local neighbors hired them to shovel grain as well.
For grade ten my sister and I rented a room that had a hot plate for cooking and we batched in Medicine Hat to attend high school. The next winter my sister left for Toronto to take some nurse training while I worked for my board and room in the city and did baby sitting for the couple's small daughter. They were nice people, he a pharmacist and she a homemaker. Both were Jewish so I was able to learn new things about their cooking and city living. I walked home from the high school for the noon hour and scrubbed the kitchen floor each day after lunch. Their little girl was pleasant to care for.
During the harvest season Mother sometimes sent one of her girls, usually me, to help a neighbor cook for the harvest crew. One place was about fifteen miles south and I rode there by horseback. Our truck was needed for hauling our own grain during the busy harvest season.. After helping with cooking and clean up for an extra dozen men the days were very busy. No one expected money for doing this but sometimes sent a gift. One lady gave me a large bucket of cream for us to churn into butter. When Mother poured it into the churn she found a drowned mouse in it. The mouse was properly disposed of. The cream was never made into butter but Mother had a recipe for a cake that called for cream instead of butter, and no one but her and I ever knew about it. Her cakes were always delicious. Later, working for Carnation Research I learned that pasteurization occurs at 131-158 degrees F.
Farm families were glad to have someone teach Daily Vacation Bible School during the summer months. There was no pay offered for this volunteer work. The children loved it, especially the crafts and the singing, and happily walked back to school for these two week stretches. Parents were glad to have them away from home to keep them out of mischief around the farm equipment during this busy season. It was open for all ages. One time in a nearby community 30 children showed up with only me in charge. I was about fifteen years old at the time. Among them was a tall boy of fourteen and I wondered how I could handle them all. It was a pleasant surprise how much he helped, in small ways to keep things running smoothly. With his wonderful attitude I have a feeling he did well throughout his life.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Sunday, July 6, 2008
CELLS E-MAIL TRAVEL
Salute the heart, the body's pump
That pipelines blood through veins,
And lungs, its happy slave, of sorts,
That breathes and health sustains.
Digestive tract which calls for food,
And sends through many pawls,
The nourishment to build the needs
When body systems call.
Digestion's busy working line
Looks through the menu there,
Dispenses enzymes needed to
Metabolize the fare.
Fatty foods will need some help,
For passage through this maze,
Lipase is needed for that fat,
And required every day.
Mind sends an e-mail to the brain,
"Raw foods for enzymes, please,"
To help with trans-fat's fatty chunks
Lest arteries be squeezed.
We'll try to move a passage through
Before they form a dam
So blood with oxygen moves on
To heart through diaphragm.
Amylase helps digest the starch
That's found in burger buns,
But starch and fats are not best friends,
Together, try to shun.
Protein calls for protease,
An enzyme in raw foods,
And helps digest the vegetables,
To comfort tummy's moods.
Moving through digestion's trail,
The spleen needs mention too,
Graveyard for corpuscles spent,
Important work to do.
The liver - warehouse for them all,
Fats, sugars, proteins too,
When worn out cells are broken down,
Albumen sent on through.
The kidneys do important work,
They're very willing slaves,
Where water cleanses tissues worn,
Then spills to bladder's cave.
A sturdy well-lined reservoir,
That guards its exit well,
When full, dispatches messages,
E-mails through body cells.
Together, cells by billions work,
At just the proper rate,
To fuel the body's pulleys,
And muscles generate.
In harmony these cells must work,
With oxygen and foods,
And exercise for muscle strength,
All systems this includes.
Of course the brain is CEO
Chief officer in charge,
That must coordinate them all,
Diseases to discharge.
Sweets and fats cause fouled up lines
Wreak havoc with each cell,
Disease and death can take control
Of body's citadel.
Further stories can be told,
How body cells expel
The poisons through the breath and skin,
There's so much more to tell.
Meanwhile, enjoy the simple foods
That nourish body/mind,
And listen as the brain suggests,
Which ones, and where to find.
That pipelines blood through veins,
And lungs, its happy slave, of sorts,
That breathes and health sustains.
Digestive tract which calls for food,
And sends through many pawls,
The nourishment to build the needs
When body systems call.
Digestion's busy working line
Looks through the menu there,
Dispenses enzymes needed to
Metabolize the fare.
Fatty foods will need some help,
For passage through this maze,
Lipase is needed for that fat,
And required every day.
Mind sends an e-mail to the brain,
"Raw foods for enzymes, please,"
To help with trans-fat's fatty chunks
Lest arteries be squeezed.
We'll try to move a passage through
Before they form a dam
So blood with oxygen moves on
To heart through diaphragm.
Amylase helps digest the starch
That's found in burger buns,
But starch and fats are not best friends,
Together, try to shun.
Protein calls for protease,
An enzyme in raw foods,
And helps digest the vegetables,
To comfort tummy's moods.
Moving through digestion's trail,
The spleen needs mention too,
Graveyard for corpuscles spent,
Important work to do.
The liver - warehouse for them all,
Fats, sugars, proteins too,
When worn out cells are broken down,
Albumen sent on through.
The kidneys do important work,
They're very willing slaves,
Where water cleanses tissues worn,
Then spills to bladder's cave.
A sturdy well-lined reservoir,
That guards its exit well,
When full, dispatches messages,
E-mails through body cells.
Together, cells by billions work,
At just the proper rate,
To fuel the body's pulleys,
And muscles generate.
In harmony these cells must work,
With oxygen and foods,
And exercise for muscle strength,
All systems this includes.
Of course the brain is CEO
Chief officer in charge,
That must coordinate them all,
Diseases to discharge.
Sweets and fats cause fouled up lines
Wreak havoc with each cell,
Disease and death can take control
Of body's citadel.
Further stories can be told,
How body cells expel
The poisons through the breath and skin,
There's so much more to tell.
Meanwhile, enjoy the simple foods
That nourish body/mind,
And listen as the brain suggests,
Which ones, and where to find.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
THE WALK
Come with me for a country walk.
We're near Orion, Alberta,
The place where I was born.
Etched against a shimmering sky,
They offered peace and calm,
Inviting moments of retreat,
For rest and healing balm,
My dog rushed on to feel its cool,
Relief for shade and drink,
A wagging welcome waited me,
Together, life's sweet link.
Who planted here, this stately grove,
Some generation gone,
No residence or entrance road,
Led to this paragon.
A spring, its aquedct for life,
Must be its secret source,
A silent underground supply,
With gravity its force.
Although the silence had no words,
No hint from rustling leaves,
What caused a signal in my ear,
Thoughts I could perceive?
Then words in silence came to mind,
"Your paper we supply,
We cannot verbalize the words,
Without help, we may die.
We speak for other trees on Earth,
Rainforests in dire need,
Few people tune to tree e-mails,
So for your help we plead.
Earth's sustenance we gladly give,
Your oxygen and fuel,
Home with comforts, we provide,
Buildings, logs and tools.
With pen and voice our words proclaim,
Together - living art,
You are our hands, you are our feet,
Your food and breath, a part.
Thank you for these living words,
Your thoughts, your acts, your deeds,
Preserving for our Mother Earth,
Both man and plants in need."
Suzie-Q
We're near Orion, Alberta,
The place where I was born.
Etched against a shimmering sky,
They offered peace and calm,
Inviting moments of retreat,
For rest and healing balm,
My dog rushed on to feel its cool,
Relief for shade and drink,
A wagging welcome waited me,
Together, life's sweet link.
Who planted here, this stately grove,
Some generation gone,
No residence or entrance road,
Led to this paragon.
A spring, its aquedct for life,
Must be its secret source,
A silent underground supply,
With gravity its force.
Although the silence had no words,
No hint from rustling leaves,
What caused a signal in my ear,
Thoughts I could perceive?
Then words in silence came to mind,
"Your paper we supply,
We cannot verbalize the words,
Without help, we may die.
We speak for other trees on Earth,
Rainforests in dire need,
Few people tune to tree e-mails,
So for your help we plead.
Earth's sustenance we gladly give,
Your oxygen and fuel,
Home with comforts, we provide,
Buildings, logs and tools.
With pen and voice our words proclaim,
Together - living art,
You are our hands, you are our feet,
Your food and breath, a part.
Thank you for these living words,
Your thoughts, your acts, your deeds,
Preserving for our Mother Earth,
Both man and plants in need."
Suzie-Q
Friday, July 4, 2008
SAYINGS OF THE SAGES
From Marcus Aurelius, 121 - 180 AD "Such as are thy habitual thoughts, such also will be the character of thy mind, for the soul is dyed by the thoughts."
Among others recorded is his comment, "From my Mother I learned piety and abstinence, not only from evil deeds, but from evil thoughts."
His mother's advice rings of Biblical advice, as written in the Psalms "As a man thinketh, so is he." Marcus Aurelius is said to be the most humane of all the Roman emperors. Cruelty, deceit and inhumanity so characteristic of many Roman emperors seems not to have stained his record. Thanks Marcus.
Looking at our world today, there is still much of this learning to put into practice. Putting this advice into practice is more difficult.
Here are some words I have penned to help me to remember to change unwelcome thoughts that seek to enter.
Good thoughts grow shoots at our behest,
And bloom a wondrous flower,
The mother of the fruits of love,
With thoughts of peaceful power.
A seed that waited wisdom's touch,
That lays in soil of time,
Asleep until the choice of ours
Releases its design.
And growth that comes not from without,
But from within when willed,
Springs forth to bring that Peace on Earth,
And life's desire fulfilled.
Suzie-Q
Among others recorded is his comment, "From my Mother I learned piety and abstinence, not only from evil deeds, but from evil thoughts."
His mother's advice rings of Biblical advice, as written in the Psalms "As a man thinketh, so is he." Marcus Aurelius is said to be the most humane of all the Roman emperors. Cruelty, deceit and inhumanity so characteristic of many Roman emperors seems not to have stained his record. Thanks Marcus.
Looking at our world today, there is still much of this learning to put into practice. Putting this advice into practice is more difficult.
Here are some words I have penned to help me to remember to change unwelcome thoughts that seek to enter.
Good thoughts grow shoots at our behest,
And bloom a wondrous flower,
The mother of the fruits of love,
With thoughts of peaceful power.
A seed that waited wisdom's touch,
That lays in soil of time,
Asleep until the choice of ours
Releases its design.
And growth that comes not from without,
But from within when willed,
Springs forth to bring that Peace on Earth,
And life's desire fulfilled.
Suzie-Q
Thursday, July 3, 2008
FLOWERS AND TREES
In case it hasn't been noticed before, it is interesting to observe how helpful grandchildren can be, not only to people but to trees and the landscape in general. For example, we're going on a Saturday morning to see the seasons. They bring little gifts of their own choosing when they arrive to meet for a walk. One of them presents a rubber band that she says she found on the walk and the other one brings a tiny dry twig that held its small seed intact. It might just grow to a tree someday. Both lovely and thoughtful gifts.
When they heard we were all going to the patch of purple wildflowers on the hilltop just outside the gate they were off and running past a tall tree in the yard. But wait, what is this patch of wriggling "something" clinging to the south side of a large six inch diameter tree bole. Daddy starts to pick one wriggler off but they all seem to be stuck together with their own brand of glue. "I want to hold one," says the five year old and seems to handle it well. Small three year old hands beg to hold one also but the experience is too new. You wouldn't want to hear the multi-toned screech that came forth. Mommie was busy with the baby so Daddy saved the day by rolling up the whole mat of caterpillars and carried them up the hill to a sage bush. They haven't been seen since. At one overcrowded patch of flowers they were allowed to pick a tiny bouquet. They offered to share them with the rest of us, but they were real comfortable in those small hands and will survive several days when placed inside with a fresh change of water each day.
We stopped for a rest in the Music Room Lounge and listened to the two older girls play a piano duet called "The Alphabet Song." They tried out the Go-Meters in the gym area but those short legs couldn't quite reach the pedals. Everyone was happy that the grandchildren had noticed the patch of caterpillars because they dispurse, crawl up the tree and spin tents that will eventually kill the tree. Daddy annouced it was time to go to the Recreation Center to register for summer events. It was hugs, smiles and farewell waves at the door. And many thanks to those helpful grandchildren who may have saved the life of a beautiful tree.
When they heard we were all going to the patch of purple wildflowers on the hilltop just outside the gate they were off and running past a tall tree in the yard. But wait, what is this patch of wriggling "something" clinging to the south side of a large six inch diameter tree bole. Daddy starts to pick one wriggler off but they all seem to be stuck together with their own brand of glue. "I want to hold one," says the five year old and seems to handle it well. Small three year old hands beg to hold one also but the experience is too new. You wouldn't want to hear the multi-toned screech that came forth. Mommie was busy with the baby so Daddy saved the day by rolling up the whole mat of caterpillars and carried them up the hill to a sage bush. They haven't been seen since. At one overcrowded patch of flowers they were allowed to pick a tiny bouquet. They offered to share them with the rest of us, but they were real comfortable in those small hands and will survive several days when placed inside with a fresh change of water each day.
We stopped for a rest in the Music Room Lounge and listened to the two older girls play a piano duet called "The Alphabet Song." They tried out the Go-Meters in the gym area but those short legs couldn't quite reach the pedals. Everyone was happy that the grandchildren had noticed the patch of caterpillars because they dispurse, crawl up the tree and spin tents that will eventually kill the tree. Daddy annouced it was time to go to the Recreation Center to register for summer events. It was hugs, smiles and farewell waves at the door. And many thanks to those helpful grandchildren who may have saved the life of a beautiful tree.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
THE CASTLE
I viewed a wondrous castle home,
Its beauty clothed my dream,
And high within its lookout tower,
A master message beamed.
To every part within this home
Its signals rang out clear,
A silent symphony of sound,
Not heard by mortal ear.
As energy tapped to a source,
Within the castle walls,
That kept each working part attuned,
When each department called.
Canals and aqueducts and pumps
Were formed within a plan,
An outer source of oxygen
Empowered its inner fan.
Amazing too about this home
Was how it could perform,
Moving here and there at will
In most impressive form.
Foundations were invisible
And left no trace to see,
Unseen dimensions held this power,
How could this magic be?
Ah, could I as a mortal dwell,
In such a lovely place,
With every movement synchronized
With beauty and such grace.
Then suddenly the castle moved
And faded from my view,
I reached to touch and then it spoke,
This castle home is you."
Each body part is synchronized
And guided from its source,
Surviving with both food and breath,
Its energy resource.
No limits need be placed upon
This vast computer mind,
Its wisdom is unlimited
With every search, we'll find.
As workers in a diamond mine,
Must search past darkened doors,
To bring to surface precious jewels
From deep within its core.
And so within each human mind
Within mysterious doors,
This precious jewel of wisdom lays,
To shine whene'er explored.
Suzie-Q
Its beauty clothed my dream,
And high within its lookout tower,
A master message beamed.
To every part within this home
Its signals rang out clear,
A silent symphony of sound,
Not heard by mortal ear.
As energy tapped to a source,
Within the castle walls,
That kept each working part attuned,
When each department called.
Canals and aqueducts and pumps
Were formed within a plan,
An outer source of oxygen
Empowered its inner fan.
Amazing too about this home
Was how it could perform,
Moving here and there at will
In most impressive form.
Foundations were invisible
And left no trace to see,
Unseen dimensions held this power,
How could this magic be?
Ah, could I as a mortal dwell,
In such a lovely place,
With every movement synchronized
With beauty and such grace.
Then suddenly the castle moved
And faded from my view,
I reached to touch and then it spoke,
This castle home is you."
Each body part is synchronized
And guided from its source,
Surviving with both food and breath,
Its energy resource.
No limits need be placed upon
This vast computer mind,
Its wisdom is unlimited
With every search, we'll find.
As workers in a diamond mine,
Must search past darkened doors,
To bring to surface precious jewels
From deep within its core.
And so within each human mind
Within mysterious doors,
This precious jewel of wisdom lays,
To shine whene'er explored.
Suzie-Q
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
CANADA DAY
Time to give thanks for the wonderful country in which we live and the freedom we all enjoy. Sometimes we have to pinch ourselves to believe it is all real. Another thing to be grateful for is our families and friends, and foremost, the little ones - the grandchildren, some are recent arrivals on Earth, all so pure and innocent, without prejudice that sometimes could creep into their lives as they are taught by others.
And if no one stops me I can't help but mention the grandchildren in our family. A few challenges along the way can be solved with patience and love. For example, three little ones, aged four(nearly five), three, and one half years for the youngest. Their parents did have a few problems learning their language (sometimes known as "Baby Talk)". But after a short time those clever grandchildren as well as their parents found a delightful compromise. All five of them are now bilingual in both these languages. Through love and understanding the young ones are realizing that it is better and more fun to speak English (grown-up talk) so they can converse with their friends at pre-school and Sunday School.
No doubt their parents are pretty nifty also. They never raise their voices to discipline them but speak in gentle tones of understanding and reasoning. Okay, they likely have to emit a quick "No" for emergencies, like keeping them safe in traffic. And the grandparents, one set of them requires three days of driving to visit them and then stay at Silver Star or other rental nearby to enjoy the pleasures they bring to us all. And they make great tourists for B.C. while they are here for their visit. The eldest one just graduated from Pre-School, complete with mortar board picture and smiles. Meanwhile, two of the children have diplomas for completing swimming lessons.
If I sound like I'm bragging, there may be a grain of truth to it. But perhaps I can be forgiven since raising the new generation has been known to be the best (and some may say challenging) job on Earth. But it is indeed beautiful to see them choose and live this lovely path.
Suzie-Q
And if no one stops me I can't help but mention the grandchildren in our family. A few challenges along the way can be solved with patience and love. For example, three little ones, aged four(nearly five), three, and one half years for the youngest. Their parents did have a few problems learning their language (sometimes known as "Baby Talk)". But after a short time those clever grandchildren as well as their parents found a delightful compromise. All five of them are now bilingual in both these languages. Through love and understanding the young ones are realizing that it is better and more fun to speak English (grown-up talk) so they can converse with their friends at pre-school and Sunday School.
No doubt their parents are pretty nifty also. They never raise their voices to discipline them but speak in gentle tones of understanding and reasoning. Okay, they likely have to emit a quick "No" for emergencies, like keeping them safe in traffic. And the grandparents, one set of them requires three days of driving to visit them and then stay at Silver Star or other rental nearby to enjoy the pleasures they bring to us all. And they make great tourists for B.C. while they are here for their visit. The eldest one just graduated from Pre-School, complete with mortar board picture and smiles. Meanwhile, two of the children have diplomas for completing swimming lessons.
If I sound like I'm bragging, there may be a grain of truth to it. But perhaps I can be forgiven since raising the new generation has been known to be the best (and some may say challenging) job on Earth. But it is indeed beautiful to see them choose and live this lovely path.
Suzie-Q
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