Saying good bye to our motor home

The decision has been made to sell our current motor home.  I will be sad to see it go as it has meant freedom to travel and take our two cats with us.  We will be purchasing a new unit, but probably not a Class A, although we both love these units we just can not afford to buy a new enough model to cut down on the costs of repairs.  We have decided to begin looking for a fifth wheel unit and truck, this will mean that we will always have a vehicle with us to go and see the sites where ever we are parked and not have to move a big motor home in the process.  It does make far more sense but I love having a mini home on wheels that I can get up and use the bathroom, go to the fridge for a cold drink or something to eat, without having to stop in our travels to do so.  We can still take our two cats with us not sure about the logistics, whether they will be in the truck with us or in the fifth wheel unit.

Of course it will mean we can't afford a new unit so it will have to be older but they are a fraction of the price of a large Class A motor home, the truck will be the costly part, but this will give us a second vehicle, no more having to decide who gets the car on which days.  It is a shame because it means an additional outlay of funds when we really wanted to use any extra money to start renovations on our lovely home.

So this is what we are selling:

If only everything was working correctly we would keep this vehicle.  Neither of us can justify paying out anymore funds to fix the problems that are now in need of repair.  The layout of this unit has been ideal for me when I don't have my prosthetic leg on I can get to the bathroom and then to the kitchen area by just holding onto items, which has meant no having to put my leg on in the middle of the night.  I love this rig and it has served us well for almost ten years.  It is a shame the previous (original) owners did so many cheap repairs to the point of making it difficult for Richard to be able to fix things.  We put a lot of money into the unit but there comes a time when we have to say no more.

We have been offered the opportunity to purchase another unit in this class but he is asking more than we are willing to pay and would mean yet another loan.  We haven't gone to see the unit because chances are we would fall in love with it and buy it anyway.  Not sure we will have anything to use for next year so we may just stay home and work on the yard and get the things done to finish at least tidying up the gardens and flower beds until I can decide what I want in the way of landscaping... but that is a whole new blog.

No Stress Vacation!!

At least that was the plan.  After deciding that with the rush to the coast to our daughter's graduation a the beginning of June we would not then rush around to make it to our friends son's wedding in Custer, SD at the end of June.  As much as this disappointed me, it really did make sense.  The motor home was not yet out of storage and Richard had another funeral.  One of our long time shut-ins past away so everything else was put on hold.

The week before we were due to leave for South Dakota Richard finally went to collect the motor home.  There would not have been time to clean and pack before Wednesday, so the disappointing decision was final.  Our Vacation would begin once Richard had prepared for his full four weeks of vacation.  Yes, Richard for the first time since becoming a Pastor, would take his full vacation at one time.  He does have more than this banked as he really has not taken any holidays since June 2009, which was the last trip we made to Milwaukee, WI and then to Grand Marais, for a weeks break.  The plan originally was to head to Custer, SD for the wedding and then meander our way back home.

We did not leave until Sunday July 1st, it had taken three days to load the motor home when usually we can do it in a matter of hours.  We were so disorganised, far more so than ever before.  The plan was to get across the boarder and find a place to stay before headlights were required, as ours do not work.  We found a great little camp ground in Plentywood, Montana.  We had 30 amp hook up and water but no sewer, and a great crowd of Canadians from Regina who have been coming to that spot for over 20 years.  They had celebrated Canada Day with one of the locals cooking them a wonderful pork meal and the ladies of the group supplying other foods... we arrived too late for that celebration.  We decided to stay another night there and Richard would head into town to buy supplies but especially cat food.  

No, we did not forget to bring our babies their food but at the boarder crossing when we declared the cats they wanted to know if we had pet food, where was it manufactured, we didn't know as we did not have the bag with us.  They were sorry but they had to remove what we had and dispose of it as only pet food made in USA could be brought across the boarder.  We had nothing to feed Wynakin and Katie until Richard could go into town for supplies.  The next day he got his bike out and headed to the stores to shop.  Now we needed food for us too, and of course Richard required beer besides the large bag of cat food.  There was no way he was going to be able to carry all that on his bike.  He popped into the local Lutheran Church met the Pastor and the Pastor dropped our shopping off at the motor home.

The following day we headed towards Minot... we had been on the road most of the day and about 20 miles out of Minot I happened to look on the floor near the drivers chair.  Oh my goodness, that really looks as if the carpet is burning.  I pointed it out to Richard, he felt the area, it was pretty warm, so he pulled off the road onto the shoulder, sure enough the carpet was smouldering, we poured a ton of water on it and began looking for a camp ground:

 This is the area that was smouldering, Richard believes the engine was so hot that a piece of the carpet was touching it and started to smoulder.  Probably had been on the road for about 6 hours and the weather is really hot.

 The Roughriders Good Sam RV Park's billboard was just up ahead within 5 miles, closer than the KOA one which was about 15 miles.  With a possible major problem we chose the Roughriders and here we are parked until Thursday morning, when we start for home.

This was our second spot as we could only stay in the first one for the one night but we planned to go shopping in Minot's JC Pennys.  We decided to book into this camp ground though for 7 nights so Richard made those arrangements and this is where we have been sitting since we got back from our shopping spree.

Besides shopping I also decided I had had enough of my hair and booked an appointment to have it cut while Richard went off and did his own shopping.

I noticed it isn't quite as even as I would have liked but if I learn how to do that little flip under with the flat iron it should be fine, plus she has cut it to comb to the opposite side.  The hairdresser says my hair lays more evenly that way because my right ear sticks out more than the left so my hair looks even combing it to the left.  Depends if it drives me nuts keep falling into my face.

How Richard is getting through the really hot afternoons... taking a rest and sleeping through the hottest part of the day.  Today was even hotter so the a/c was on the majority of the day. 

Once Richard was up and about Wes came over and between him and Richard they at least got the headlights working.  Not the high beams but at least we don't have to worry about travelling at night.  The water heater and fridge gas problems are probably couplings (at least I think that is what they are called) that need replacing and not something Richard or Wes can do.

It is time to start looking for a new rig and this time I think it will be a fifth wheel and a truck.  Not sure out adventure has ended this year but I do hope so.

60th Birthday

My husband threw me a 'surprise' birthday party, except it wasn't a surprise, at least not the party.  The surprise was having my daughter, Evette, Smiley (Richard) and Zachary show up at the front door just before the party began.  I was so shocked, surprised and emotional that I cried.  Michelle had already arrived for the party so had answered the door.  I can't even now express the delight, happiness and many other emotions that went through me at that time as I cried tears of joy. 

I had teased Evette about insisting she come to celebrate my 60th birthday but not really meaning her too as I know funds are very tight for them and Victoria, BC is a long way from Prince Albert, SK.  They worked out their options for the costs of coming and realized that the cheapest way would be to drive.  Yes, they drove with a three year old to spend this special time with me.  The last time I saw them Zachary, my grandson, was only three months old and now here he was three and a half years old.  Of course we had chatted on Skype so I wasn't a complete stranger to him.  Evette said he was so excited all the way here until they arrived and then he became very shy.  It wasn't long before he was giving me a big hug.  This was a day I will not forget.

When Evette said she had an idea on how to surprise me for my birthday I fleetingly thought she's coming to visit but just as quickly dismissed the notion.  They drove all that way to spend from Friday evening until Tuesday morning with me.  Evette had to be back at work on Thursday.  Needless to say I took Monday off, phoning in to say my daughter and family were here and so I was staying home to spend quality time with them.

Those of you who follow my blog know that I have a big bathroom on the main floor which has a sunken jacuzzi jet tub.  We asked Zachary if he would like to use Nanny's big bath, of course he did.  Evette gave the bath a good clean filling it with water past the jets, adding vinegar, we ran the jets to clean them out.  We got Smiley to pop out to the garage and get my net that I skim the ponds off with and we used that to remove the yucky scum and bugs from the surface of the water.  After running the jets several times we let the water sit in the tub.  After a couple of hours we drained that and put a fresh batch of water and vinegar skimming off the top again anything that was unpleasant,  there wasn't much this second time and after letting it sit we drained the water, rinsed the tub and then Evette used a regular cleaner to give the bath a good scrub using a brush to scrub around the edges of the jets.  Once this was all rinsed off we felt the tub was clean enough for Zachary to use.

The excitement from our little man because he was having a bath in Nanny's big bath was wonderful.  Of course we had to have bubbles, using baby body wash and shampoo in the water we turned on the jets and here are some of the pictures I managed to capture during this bath time.

Before the jets were turned on.

While the jets were on, a very excited grandson. I love this picture as you can see the actual water drops in the air as he splashed excitedly.

Lots and lots of bubbles.

His favourite part was putting his face in the bubbles and then spitting them out.

Blowing into the bubbles

 

One happy little boy.

He had one other time in Nanny's big bath with bubbles but this time we told him to keep the water in the tub.  The first time the floor was swimming in water but Nanny didn't mind because I laughed so hard, it was wonderful to see him having so much fun in a tub that I will never be able to use.  We had quite a bit of water in the basement too.  It wasn't until he had his second bath in this tub that we realized that the bath leaks probably at several of the jet connections.  You know, I did not care.  This little man had so much fun that the water in the basement did not matter.

I was one very happy Nanny with an opportunity to watch my grandson have so much fun in his Nanny's big bath tub.

Allergies or Intolerant to foods

Those that know me will know that have to be careful what I eat.  Nitrates in processed meats now are a major problem, there are times when I would love to go and have a sub, but because they use processed meats I can no longer eat them.   We know that I can not eat oranges or grapefruit as I can have an asthma attack from just one orange.  Richard buys me those boxes of mini mandarin oranges I can have one or two but no more in one evening.

The large pails of ice-cream that are a staple in the summer, I can no longer have.  Because we never buy the big pails, there are times when I forget and have some ice-cream at church with-in the hour I am having an asthma attack.  I can eat the higher priced brands of ice-cream, that you pay twice as much for and only get a fraction of the amount you would get from a pail of ice-cream.  There is a substance in those pails of ice-cream that isn't in the more expensive brands that gives me an asthma attack, so ice-cream is a treat.  I also can no longer have the soft ice-cream or milk-shakes from fast food places.

The only wheat flour has to be highly processed and bleached and have no goodness left in it, for me to not feel so sick that I cannot function.  Every label has to be read.  You would not believe how many products have added gluten, wheat starch or may contain gluten on the label.  The littlest bit will have me feeling so ill within the hour that it is not worth even trying to have treat.  Enriched white flour we have to really read all the ingredients because in most cases it means, added gluten or wheat starch.

Take for instance tonight;  Richard had purchased some packets of shaved beef already cooked and seasoned in a BBQ sauce.  An hour later I am feeling sick, sweaty, shaky and not being able to walk anywhere, I keep gel gravol handy at all times.  The question was what was in the meat other than beef and seasoning, could the beef have been processed first so contain nitrates?  Could there be some other ingredient that we never considered looking for.   So Richard just went to pulled the box out of the garbage.  It was not nitrates, in one of the sugars, of which there were many, there was molasses powder which contained wheat starch (gluten).  The reason for my feeling awful was a small item used to actually make molasses a powder, wheat starch.  Richard is very careful he reads every ingredient label as my tolerance for such items is getting worse as I get older.  Who would have thought to check the sauce that beef was cooked in.  Sometimes I can have enriched wheat flour but we still check the other ingredients to ensure that other parts of the wheat are not added.  I have the same problem with medication as gluten, wheat starch, are common binding agents.  The gravol gel capsule is slowly kicking in.  The reaction I get is so bad that can't even go upstairs to lie down.

Gravol, an anti nausea medication, the regular orange flavoured ones, I throw up almost instantly, not because of the medication but to do with the binding agents.  They now make a Gel Gravol but it is expensive for just eight, it is also not easy to find, we actually get our drug store to order it in for me and I keep at least six packets on hand.  Not only do I need it when I eat something that my system does not like but I also take one with my migraine medication.

When we moved here to Prince Albert every Sunday within about an hour or so I would feel sick to my stomach and have to take a gel gravol and lie down for a couple of hours.  Richard and I spent weeks trying to figure out what was different, what was I getting at church that would have this reaction on me.  After much trial and error we finally discovered that powdered creamer has the same reaction as nitrates and wheat starch/gluten has on me.  Now we make sure there is creamer in the fridge at the church at all times so I can have a cup of coffee with everyone else. 

I, like everyone else, have my dislikes, I don't enjoy carrots and try not to eat them, the same with celery, I hate the taste cooked or raw I just do not like it.  Do you know how many individuals always put both in stews, chili's, soups, etc.  Of course I pick them out.  Because of that I am told that I am fussy that I don't like very much.  It is no fun not to be able to enjoy a dessert because it has a Graham crumb crust on the bottom or Graham crumbs on the top.  Not to enjoy a ham sandwich because the ham is processed and contains nitrates, to no longer be able to eat bacon, or eat a nice healthy loaf of whole grain bread.

A Pastor's Day

Today was a tough day for my husband.  Just before service he received a phone call from one of our members to let him know that her husband past away this morning.  She understood that he had the Divine service, but he promised he would visit in the afternoon.

It was very hard for him as he carried on as usual, trying to keep his composure as he led us in Word and Sacrament.  After the service and the announcements were made.  Our Pastor let his church family know that we had lost a brother in Christ, that our Lord had called him home.  Such a shock as we all sat remembering that just last week we had spent time visiting over coffee.  In that moment we realized that we do not know the day or hour when our Lord will take us home to be with him and shock that our fellow brother in Christ was no longer here with us.

After the service, when everyone had left the church, Richard took me home to ensure I had something to eat and then we drove out to our sister in Christ's home to spend some time with her.  We have a great church family and know that our sister will be receiving many phone calls and visits over the next while and when her family return to their homes her church family will still be there for her.

Obviously she is still in shock but there will be things that only she can decide in the next few days.  As I sat by my husband (and Pastor) and listening to him gently consoling and allowing our sister in Christ to share what she wanted for her husbands funeral.  The hardest part was listening to her having to decide on what she could afford, cremation is cheaper because there is no coffin to purchase.  What a choice to have to make when deep in our hearts we know that burial would be the preferred choice.  Without  making a promise our Pastor told her he would talk with the congregation and see how and if they can help with the purchase of a coffin.

Recently the congregation had a Bible Study on burial or cremation.  I did not participate in the Bible Study as I teach Sunday school during that time.  But I understand that the general consensus, of those who were part of that study, felt that no one should have to resort to cremation because of the lack of funds.  This also was confirmed by Richard as we chatted on the way home.

The rest of the week will be a difficult one for our Pastor as he keeps in contact with our bereaving sister, writes a sermon for her husbands funeral and talks with the ladies of the congregation regarding the arrangements for a luncheon after the funeral service.  And as he talks to the chairman and treasurer to see if we can assist with ensuring our brother is buried and not cremated.

Those who are Pastor's wives know how tired our husbands are after the Sunday morning Bible study and Divine Service, yet they do not think twice of giving up their afternoon nap to visit a distressed parishioner, to share comfort from our Saviour.  May our Saviour not only be with our sister in Christ but also with her Pastor as he ministers to her over the coming weeks.

Friends

I'm not sure if this will end up being more about loneliness or friends.  I don't have any friends from my teen years, which I believe is uncommon.  When I left school to start work it appears that I no longer existed to those I had called friends for six years.  I did not spend much time with them away from school, other than Dione.  Dione and I lived fairly close and on Saturdays I was often at her house.  I don't believe she ever came to my house.  Come to think of it I really can't remember any of my friends coming to my house to hang out.  Dione's father took a job in London to be the Queen's head groom, so that was that.

I made one friend at my first job. I was the junior in the accounting office of David Cover's & Sons a  hardware and lumber merchants.  Actually that's not technically true; if friends mean hanging out with someone, then, no, I didn't have any friends from work.  But I did invite one of the girls I worked with, Pamela Cartwright, to my wedding when I married David Patchett.  It was great because she did come all the way from Chichester, W. Sussex to Oldham, Lancashire.  We kept in contact for a short while but then she stopped writing, so that was that.

When I was 20 I entered the William Booth Memorial Training College in Denmark Hill, London to train to be a Salvation Army Officer.  I had met a boy prior to going to the college, Colin Smith, and we became engaged but couldn't announce it to anyone as it was against the rules of the college.  My Mum didn't like Colin until I broke up with him.  Then she liked him.  I broke up with him when I dropped out of training because of a nervous breakdown.  That was the year the 1st year Cadets of the college had to stay out on their training positions until January (instead of returning the September before) to the college, as the cadet's houses were being renovated.  I had made friends at college and a few kept in touch.  But then eventually they stopped writing, so that was that.

Just to clarify, the above was before everyone and their dog had a phone.

My friends from then on were actually my new husband's friends.  We were out most Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays (yes, I had stopped attending Church.  The reason: I blamed God for the hardships that I had encountered during my time in Middleton, Lancashire, as part of my training).  So friends in Oldham were really David's friends.  One of those friends came to Canada and wrote and told him he should come here as he would do a lot better here then staying in England waiting for 'dead men's shoes' (promotions in accounting fields usually by moving up when someone retired or died).  So we sold up, packed up, and headed for Canada.  Our friends in England kept up with us with letters for a few years, but they eventually stopped replying, so that was that.

We came to Canada and stayed with Peter and Pauline Johnson, David's friends, but not for long.  You see, we had minds of our own and didn't follow their advice.  We thought buying furniture was more important than getting a car on a loan.  We could use the bus as the bus was only a couple of blocks away, so that was that.

David made a few more friends.  I made one, who really became his friend more than mine, Rod and Izy Kier.  But they moved out of Edmonton and so did we, so that was that.  We made other friends, such as Aziz and Zeeny Karson.  I believe they moved to Calgary, so that was that.  As I look through my address book that I have had since I left England, I find many names in there.  Some I remember.  Some I don't.  So were they friends?  Were they there when I needed them?  Probably not, so that was that.

We moved out of Edmonton to live in a new housing estate in Gibbons, Alberta.  As more neighbours moved in we made new friends.  This was a great neighbourhood.  We had parties at each others homes.  We had our children at the same time (give or take a month or year or two).  I had Evette when we lived in Gibbons.  We chose friends of David's that he had met.  David and Margaret Hughes to be Evette's God parents.  We lost contact with them.  The friends in Gibbons?  Well, we had to move back to Edmonton to be close to a hospital, as I was having complications during a pregnancy.  Contact with them was broken, so that was that.

I've made temporary neighbour-friends over the years but as our lives move on, so do they; and contact is lost.  When David chose to walk out on the children and I, many of our friends moved on to.  Except one.  I chose to go back to school.  The plan was: I would go to school, raise the children and receive child support and alimony, for four years until I finished my degree.  Things never work out how you think they will.  Of course I made friends at Concordia College, my own friends this time.  I had them over to my home.  I visited them at their homes.  We participated in college activities together.  I was part of the Worship Committee and Mature Students group for the four years I was there.  Surely I should have friends from those days.   But no, just one.  And I married him.  Actually I had a few friends (or Richard and I) had a few friends and we sort of keep in contact.   We call them friends but a friend is someone who sticks by you regardless of the choices you make, or the lessons life sends your way.  A true friend is always there.  Most fall off by the way, so that is that.

Life has thrown many a curve ball my way and over the years I have been very lonely.  There came a time when my body and mind could take no more and I had another nervous breakdown.  Where were my friends then?  Richard stood by me during this very difficult time.  I had two other friends I could count on, or so I thought, but during a phone call to one that week of my breakdown, I was told that I was to no longer phone, as she found it difficult to continue our friendship since her husband was now friends with my ex.  My other friend, I guess I should say Richard's and my friend, she was a lot younger than us, but very mature for her age.  Or so I thought, until the week of my breakdown a letter came telling me to not contact her anymore, so that was that.

What do you do when you loose friends?  People have come and gone from my life on a regular basis and now as a Pastor's wife it is even harder.  How do I make friends with members of the congregation?  These are not real friendships as a rule.  I had a dear friend in one parish.  But a few months after we moved to a new parish she passed away.  I was absolutely devastated.  Eunice was like a sister to me.  She was there when I had my leg amputated below the knee.  She spent a week in Regina just so she could visit me everyday, when I was so sick.  She washed me, washed my hair, made me laugh, gave me a little cat ornament that looked like Katie, so I wouldn't miss her so much.  Once I was released from hospital, Eunice went with me to just about every appointment.  When I went to get my leg fitted and be taught how to walk with a prosthesis, she visited me.  Then every fitting and adjustment and new leg, Eunice went with me.  Why didn't Richard?   Because he couldn't keep taking a day off almost every week to drive to Regina for me to have an appointment.  Eunice was more than a friend.  She became my sister.   A sister in Christ who stuck by me during a trying time. I'm not sure I will ever find another Eunice.  I thank her from the bottom of my heart for being more than a friend.  I have others who have been parishioners and now keep a bit in contact for a few years, so that is that.

By now you're probably thinking, but what about family?   Family is only as close as you live near them.  For years I  sent cards and gifts and made phone calls, especially at Christmas.  As the years went by the letters stopped coming, so did the cards and the phone calls, so I stopped sending cards as often.  Other than phoning my mother most weeks, I rarely phone anyone else.  So are my family members also my friends?  I would have to say no.  Maybe if I still lived in England, it would be different.  But I live in Canada, it's a case of out of sight, out of mind, so that is that.

As  a pastor's wife in a city that only has one Lutheran Church~Canada (LC~C) congregation I don't have the advantage of those pastor's wives who live in Cities where there is more than one LC~C congregation.  Just like in the many small towns where pastors wives are some distance from other LC~C pastor's wives. We were in one circuit and we were lucky because we met as a complete family unit.  Each pastor brought his wife and children to the Winkles once a month, some had to stay over to head home the following day.  It was a great circuit, we were there for each other, yes we were friends.   But Pastor's receive Calls and move away, just as we did, and that wonderful friendship and support is gone, so that is that.  There are very few circuits to be found like the Assiniboin circuit and even that one is no longer like it was. So that is that.

Don't get me wrong I do have friends.  I have, over the years of struggle being a Pastor's wife, had the privilege of knowing that no matter what the problem I can phone Murial.  No I haven't chatted with her for some time but we are friends who can pick up where we left off last time we chatted.  I have Jill, now I've never met Jill, she lives in South Africa, but we are collaborators on my hobby, the BOXALL (and variant) One Name Study (ONS) World Wide.  When things are tough and my work on the ONS appears to take a back seat she understands and continues the work.  We will meet one day, when?  I don't know but I believe that she is a friend.

I have another friend (actually Richard and I have friends) they live in Greenfield, Milwaukee.  The first time we went to the Catechetical Symposium in Sussex, Wisconsin they opened there home for us to stay one night.  Of and on since that time we turn up in front of their home in our motor-home and become neighbours for a week.  Actually we become part of their family for a week.  We weren't able to go last year and this year looks the same.  We follow each others lives by reading the others blog and Facebook page and yes they are friends.

A Work in Progress

I promised a blog today but I'm sorry it's still a work in progress.  I don't think it's finished yet, so I'm going to let it sit for a day or two.  But, there will be a new posting this week.  The title 'Friends' at least at the moment that's its title.