What's $5? A Little History!

Ron had a special duty to do today.  It was treaty day and it was part of his responsibility to shake everyone's hand and give them $5.00.

So the question...why would everyone come out on a cloudy day and line up to shake hands with an Indian Affairs Representative, the chief and an RCMP officer just to receive $5.00?

I  tried to do a little research on the reason behind this day.  It is a yearly ritual that has been taking place for generations.  Treaty Day is a symbolic recognition of the more than 130-year relationship between the Crown and Canada’s First Nations.  Treaty Day expresses a commitment between the government and First Nations to reconnect.

When the original treaties were made, a yearly payment of $5 was part of a package that included things such as fishing tackle, hunting supplies and other material useful for traditional life. Five bucks went a lot further 130 years ago, and nowadays not everyone goes every year to collect their treaty money. The government gives back-payments for years that were missed.

The children may not understand the significance of the day but it is made special by bouncy toys, gifts and a barbeque.  The adults shake hands and receive the $5.00 and reflect the meaning behind the handshake. 

I was thankful to be able to be there for this special day and it was another one of those moments that makes these two years interesting and memorable.

A Friendlier Kind of Fire!

In my last post I talked about a fire in the community that was just a tad bit scary and as I type there is smoke in the air again but this time it is in a different community and the wind is sharing the smoke and ashes. 

But last night we had a friendly fire.  Our neighbours, Sean & Denise invited us over for a campfire and I must say that sitting around a fire is one of my most favourite things.  It goes back to the days when I went camping with my parents and every night a campfire would take place.  It was better than watching tv and it was so relaxing.  Later it was something that we enjoyed as a family and even had a fire pit in Frankford to enjoy the warm summer evenings.

And last night was the perfect night.  The temperature was amazing.  There were hardly any mosquitos and very little wind.

 

And Denise had the ingredients for S'mores!

The evening shift dropped by for a break and my own personal policeman roasted a marshmallow for me to make the most perfect s'more.

 There were three furry creature around that thought the snacks were a little tempting.  They weren't interest in watching the fire at all.

 

 

Summer has begun....campfires, canoe trips and one month from tomorrow our little visitors will arrive!

 



Fire!

When we moved to Deschambault Lake one of my fears was the thought of fire.  There is only one road into the reserve and we are surrounded by trees and trees.  A forest fire could be a scary thing. 

This afternoon we heard a helicopter circling and we knew that it wasn't court day and the doctor wouldn't be coming on Victoria Monday.  When we went outside we found out that there was a fire.  The helicopter was there to put out the fire and they were efficient.

We may be surrounded by trees but past the trees is the LAKE.  The helicopter would swoop down and gather a huge bucket of water and dump it on the fire.

 

It would be interesting to know how much water that bucket carried but as soon as they emptied one accurately on the fire they would circle around and get close enough to the lake to pick up another load and drop it on the fire again. 

It was interesting for me to watch how these fire fighters knew how to get the job done and it was quite calming watching all the people who seemed so relaxed about the situation.  They have seen this situation before and know how quickly the team responds and how they get the job done.

Just another day in Deschambault....a fire, a helicopter and an opportunity to grab my camera.

31 Years and Counting

31 years ago today I remember waking up and thinking “Am I ready for this?”  With excitement and fear going through my body I made my bed just like every other morning and began to prepare for one of the biggest days of my life.  Everyone was running around like crazy and I remember feeling very relaxed.  All I needed to do was get dressed.  And I did…in my wedding dress.

I remember standing at the back of the church on my dad’s arm telling myself not to cry.  I looked up at the front of the church to see the young man that I was in love with and ready to spend the rest of my life with.  He was so handsome in his burgundy suit….I made him wear that.

That day was a bit of a blur with vows and pictures, hugs and congratulations and then we were off.  Off to start our new life.  We were both so young…only 19 years old.  We thought we knew everything.

 

Years have gone by and there have been lots of changes:

·         Two children born
·         Nine moves
·         Career changes
·         Hair colours
·         4 Grandchildren
·         10 vehicles (?)
  ·         And many more….

I am so glad that I walked that aisle 31 years ago today.  It was the best walk ever.  Ron and I have grown up together.  We still enjoy the same things and we understand each other.  We have gone through a lot through the years but one thing is always constant we have gone through it together.

Anniversaries in the past have included lunch in the park, motorcycle rides, cruises, family dinners, church celebrations and as each anniversary comes it surprises me that another year has gone by so fast. 

Today Ron will be working later so he is sleeping.  We have steak marinating to barbeque at lunch.  It will be a quiet day and that is okay.

Happy Anniversary to my best friend…love you more every day!

 

Would I recommend young people get married at age 19....probably not....would I do it again?  In a heartbeat!    

My thoughts in a song!

Mondays (Leaving Ontario and Back to Work)

Two weeks ago Mom and Dad drove us back to Kingston. The day before when we checked in Ron and I weren't sitting beside each other so when we got to the airport in Kingston we were hoping to change that.  There was a reason for that.  This plane was even smaller than the one that we had arrived in.  Men were located at the front and women in the back.  There was only 9 seats on each side.

When we got to Toronto we sat together on the normal size plane and arrived in Regina in the afternoon.  We were both tired and Ron treated me to a night at the Moose Jaw Spa.  The warm mineral water was super relaxing and made for a great night's sleep.  Just what the doctor ordered for my cold.

And today...life is a little quiet.  Ron and I went for a walk this morning and the plan for the rest of the day is pretty routine and then Ron starts nights tonight.

ApRiL 27 and MaY 11 and A LoNg TiMe AgO...

Two weeks ago today we were enjoying our last day in Ontario.  We started the day out by travelling to Frankford to the last church that we pastored to enjoy the service and see so many dear friends.  It really is like coming home when we walk in the doors of the church.  After church we met Ron's sister in Trenton for lunch and then headed back to Napanee (40 minutes).  We decided that we would go down to see Jenn and her little clan for one more afternoon (about 60 minutes).  Those little sweethearts are definitely worth the drive.

After a little snuggle time with the little ones Jenn and Joe took us out for supper.  They are regulars at this restaurant and everyone made a huge fuss over all the kids.

After saying goodbye and managing to do so without breaking down we drove to Gananoque (about 20 minutes) to see Howard and Hilda.  We have known them since our kids were babies and it is always so great to see them.  We visited for about an hour and headed back to Napanee (40 minutes) to bed.

TODAY is Mother's Day!
Ron and I got up early and left for Flin Flon at 7:30 a.m.  On the way we were treated to lots of wild life...bunnies, eagles, oodles of robins, partridges, and these two...

We went to church and all the mother's received a carnation.  We bought subs and headed to a beautiful little spot to enjoy our lunch.

Mother's Day Lunch

After lunch we went for a walk through a park.  It was beautiful.  We climbed the stairs to a lookout and enjoyed the view.

As for a long time ago....

Me and my babies!  I love being a Mom!

Saturdays (April 26 & Today)

Our Saturday in Ontario was relaxed and full of more family time.  Ron, Mom and I went shopping in the outlet stores in Kingston and out for lunch.  Ron and I found some bargains and Mom just looked.

Later we returned back to Napanee and picked up Ron's mom, Donna and his sister, Debbie and we met their cousin Kathy and her girls in Kingston for a nice dinner.

And today....well so far it looks like it will be kind of a relaxed day.  We were woke up at 5:30 a.m. by a Skype call from Emma and Sarah.  Jenn was a little surprised to hear about that later.  We went for a walk and now the day is before us with no real plans.

I hope you have a lazy kind of Saturday too. 

Fridays (April 25th and today)

Two weeks ago our time in Ontario was still going strong.  We decided it was the day to visit so off we went to Stirling where I had worked before moving out west.  We stopped at the new school and were given a tour by a good friend Barry who is the school custodian.  The school had changed so much.  When I was there it was a grade 6-8 school which had been torn down and the new school housed JK-Grade 8.  From there we travelled to Frankford where we had lived for almost 10 years.  We stopped to visit a dear friend, Winnie.  We enjoyed chatting, catching up and looking at pictures.  We didn't know that a week and half later Winnie would lose her husband, Keith.

From there we drove south and decided we needed to find some curd, which is an Ontario cheese treat.  On the way a crazy driver was trying to almost run us off the road.  He finally pulled ahead and then off to the side of the road.  Ron cautiously drove past only to have a familiar smiling face greet us.  It was Spencer!

Spencer and Stephen were friends from the time that we moved to Swift Current.  He was a regular at our house and we were so excited to see him.  It was almost like seeing one of our own kids.  After hugs and a little chat on the road we went on our way smiling and glad that he had spotted us.

 

From there I began texting Ruth, a friend from when we lived in Sharbot Lake (which was before we lived in Frankford).  Her and her husband, Jim were in Kingston and so off we went to Kingston.  Jim was playing for his dinner.....well, kind of.  He was playing at the Seniors Residence where Ruth's mom now lives.

We enjoyed the evening with them over dinner.

Jim and Ruth have been great friends over the years.  Jim and Ron use to play in a bluegrass band called "Country Church" when we were pastoring in Sharbot Lake.  It was really nice to have some time together again.

And today....
Ron was off today and we went for two walks.  Ron even got his shorts out today since it was so warm.  I cleaned out some drawers for when the girls come to visit and did some baking since we decided to have a barbeque for the members.

It is the first time that I had made ginger cookies and I am pretty sure it won't be the last....pretty tasty, even if I say so myself.

Thursdays (2 weeks ago and today)

Well life was about to change in Ontario for us.  The grandchildren were going to be picked up but first we spent the morning enjoying their company.  It was time for Jacob to go and see Great Grandma and of course Sarah always seems to be the first in the vehicle.

Once Jenn and Joe came and picked up the kids it was way too quiet.  Ron and I went for a long walk and then we decided to go to Kingston.  We had a great visit with my cousin Roxane and her husband, Denis. 

Kingston is really a beautiful city and we seem to be in it a lot through this week.

When we got back to Mom and Dad's there was no little body to snuggle in between us and I certainly missed having them there but I had acquired a good cold and a good night's sleep was overdue.

AND TODAY....Ron is finishing his last day shift.  I was supposed to be working hard on my courses but I got a little/lot distracted.  We are going to have company coming for part of the summer! 
Sarah and Emma are coming to spend some quality time with Nanny and Grandpa!!!  We are excited!  While I was on the phone with WestJet setting up all of this I was emailing with our travel agent to finalize our cruise for next February.  I've been busy.

For my Get Fit Challenge I had to take a picture of a healthy meal that I ate today so here it is:

I'm not going to tell them that I am barbequing a hamburger for supper tonight.

April 23 vs Today (2 weeks later)

Two weeks ago life began early in the morning with one little man in our bed and we were quickly joined by two girls.  Oh what fun!  Once again I have to say I love being a Nanny.  Once the kids were all dressed and ready for the day the fun began.  We decided it was time to play and so grandpa took the kids to play ball in my parents backyard.

I'm not sure who had more fun.  When Jacob laid down for a nap we took the girls for a walk down to Springside Park in Napanee.  This is a spot where Ron and I had our wedding pictures taken 31 years ago and it is always a favourite place to walk.  The falls were roaring at this time of year.

 

It is quiet day here...no kids, Ron is in training all day and won't even be home for lunch.  I did my exercise on the treadmill, threw in some laundry and sat down to update my blog before starting my school work AND then I heard the noise.  Just like a kid I get so excited.  I grabbed my camera and changed the lens.  I pulled up blinds and opened the door.  I grabbed the ipad to get a video.  It's court day in DL and the court party is arriving!

It doesn't take much apparently to make my day because I always find it exciting to watch the helicopters or planes arrive in our little world.