MRB's Talking Fingers

Father’s Day is this weekend … we are happy that our son and his wife are bringing both families together to honor Dads, present and absent, as an expression by the families. We will miss those who are not able to be with us, but know that their hearts will be here. My father was the first-born in his family, arriving in the winter of 1906.  The family tragedies in the first few years of his life, resulting in a major move to another country, contributed to his early maturity and diligence in his commitment to given responsibilities. He had little formal education, and in his late teens, became a cattle-driver in the Cypress Hills.     I was his favorite child… and his only child, arriving in his 34th year. He was my personal entertainer and playmate when we lived on the farm. He made sure that I learned about the important things in life, and supported my mom in my pursuit of music. Dad was a “people” person, and preferred to be known as ‘Gus’, and not by Mr. H...

It has been quite a week at our little spot in the valley. I was feeling “a bit below the radar”, not so much about my health but about my appearance. I should have had my hair cut the week before this whole pandemic-altering lifestyle, but thought it would be good for a couple more weeks. Now it was a couple of months, and I was hoping that my dear hubby wouldn’t go and buy a dog tag for me. One morning, I had a “news flash”! We used to have our hair appointments in a city shop, and our favorite stylist was a certified barber and hair stylist. When she resigned and started a mobile salon, we mutually agreed that we would find someone in our town because she wasn’t interested in driving to any rural location. Why not call her and ask if she would cut our hair if I drove to the city to pick her up. “I can come by myself if you will give me clear directions,” she replied. “I would love to get a bit of ‘country air’ in my lungs, and a cup of coffee on your patio.” It was a lovely day ...

We’re having a quiet evening, and I’m telling myself to stop planning and start writing. It’s ‘throwback Thursday’ and if I don’t hurry, I’m going to miss it. Considering the news reports that we have been watching from our quiet spot, I recalled one of the first ‘major’ happening in our young son’s life… meeting new friends at kindergarten. Coming home from his first day at kindergarten, he excitedly told us that he has a new friend, adding, “Mom, he has the smoothest hair, and he likes my glasses!” His friend lived in a different community, so the boys didn’t travel on the same school bus. But it didn’t take long for me to have the opportunity to meet his new friend, when I visited his kindergarten. His friend did have very smooth and curly hair, and his skin was very black, a detail that our son didn’t seem to notice. Over the next several years, we had delightful times when the two boys had play times together. Different schools, different interests, and different location...

Call it what you like… we are being we ll entertained at our home, in spite of the continued self-imposed isolation. Our last social outing was March 15th, altered briefly by three visits to our grocery store and one delivery of files to our accountant in the city. We miss the personal contact with friends and neighbors, and the friendly hugs that are our normal greeting. Thank goodness for telephones, especially for those who still are not connected to a computer… my beloved hubby being one of them. So, are we still civil with each other; still married? Absolutely! Why give up after what we’ve put up with for 57 years? When my husband has had his breakfast, he gets ready to go to ‘work’ in his shop, just as he did when he had a real job before he retired. He loves his shop that was, and still is, the site of his two hobbies… the rebuilding of several vintage tractors, and collecting and repairing vintage and antique telephones. Now he finds things that need to be repaired, repainted...

Well, I’ve been ‘self-isolated’, along with my favorite and treasured husband, and reminding each other that we have no reason to complain about being at home; home isn’t a bad place to be. I can think of a lot worse places. However, we have notes on our calendar that will remind us of ‘notable’ events the past several weeks. How have we been spending our time here on our patch of the river valley? If you have read my previous blog “My ‘catch-up’ Story, our routine hasn’t changed much! When we are enjoying our breakfast, my husband will ask, “What are your plans for today?”, and I answer, “Oh, about the same as yesterday!” However, we had several events that added some ‘color’ to those days. Seven years ago we celebrated our 50th Wedding Anniversary in fine style; we went on a cruise! We’re not much for big parties, and hubby wasn’t interested in one for our anniversary… too many speeches, too many old photos, and no need for gifts. He thought we may have a bit of a problem finding...

When do the wonderful men in our area have the most fun? When they are working on a project together. Some are ranchers, working together to drive cattle from one feeding area to another, or loading the animals to transport them to market. They also work together at branding time, and the women join in by supplying meals for them. What about the guys in the neighborhood who are not ranchers? When we first moved from the city to our rural location, we were all 'displaced' city slickers and had to learn to do rural stuff… building fences, plowing snow, mowing weeds on the sides of our roads. They rode dirt bikes together along the river and up and down the hills, stopping occasionally to catch a trout in the 'Blue-ribbon Bow River. In the winter, the snowmobiles were well-used. Dads and kids had a lot of fun together, but the kids are all grown up now, and busy with their own families. Few of those kids live in the neighborhood, a few are in the city, and many live in a d...

A message to my friends is long overdue and I decided to write an “update” blog. Where has the time gone? I do drop by almost every day to pick up my “mail” and reply where necessary, but then off I go to other areas of interest on the Internet. Like what, you ask? If you have been 'messaging' with me, you may already know some of my story. I love to read, and even though I had cataract surgery this past year, it didn’t turn out the way it was expected, so I still read on my tablet or computer. I like to learn new things, most especially computer related. However, I’m beginning to realize that I am often relearning something that I used to know how to do, but either my software is too old since upgrading my computer to Windows 10, or “Use It or Lose It!” is a quote that is certainly my case. I have a passion for photography, and have been enjoying our “old” photo albums, and have been re-learning how to restore damaged and faded vintage family photo treasures. I am so thankf...