Connor's Grad

Yesterday was Connor's grade 8 graduation.  Here he is outside before the ceremony.  He is growing up so fast!

The graduates walked up the aisle in pairs - very, very quickly - most of the photos are blurs.  They handed out the awards then the diplomas.  The ceremony took about 2 1/2 hours.  Because we have moved so often, Connor is the first of our children to attend the same school from kindergarten to grade 8.  I have known a lot of these kids for more than half of their lives!  After the ceremony there were refreshments and one parent-child dance.  Then the parents left and the kids stayed until 11.

It was very interesting to see the student's attire. The guys were still pretty traditional. The most outlandish was aqua tennis shoes with a suit and another guy in black jeans and tails. The girls - it is hard to remember they are barely teenagers. Almost all of the dresses were strapless and super short. The girls were either pulling up their tops or pulling down their skirts. Only 10 of 87 students went to school yesterday! The rest were getting ready - It looked like all of them had their hair done.  I remember the very simple cotton pinafore dress I wore to grade 8 grad.  It was floor length and I felt so special.  Things sure have changed!

A Lovely Pair

I realize this isn't exciting to most of you but try looking at it from my point of view.  Our washer broke the first week of January and I spent the next 5 months taking our clothes to the laundromat and bringing them home wet to dry in our own dryer.  After I went back to work, I couldn't do that any more.  Three of us work outside in the summer and the "boys" produce a lot of laundry with their canoeing, biking and playing.  So we invested in a washer.  For 5 glorious weeks I had both then the dryer died too.  So for a few days we hung underwear on doorknobs and everything else on awning supports or chairs .  Then it rained and rained and nothing dried so we bought a dryer.  I always wanted the matching dryer but didn't want to spend so much so soon.  Because it is a gas dryer it was a special order.  Then we had to wait for the gas fitter.  Nothing ever goes smoothly at our place.  But I now have a working washer and dryer.  Since we have only had both appliances working 5 of the 22 weeks this year it sure is exciting to me!

A word of caution to anyone who may be looking at new appliances soon.  Make sure you read the owner's manual!  I usually do and I did read the manual for the washer.  The first night the dryer was running I threw in a load and went to bed.  I could still hear it at midnight - over an hour and a half later!  It would stop and start and make noises and I couldn't sleep so I finally got up and shut it off.  The next morning I read the manual.  The dryer has a wrinkle prevent option that keeps it cycling with room temperature air for 95 minutes after it is done drying.  That function is now turned off. I can handle wrinkles but not sleepless nights.

Sweaty

I like personalized licence plates - at least good ones that you understand right away - not ones that make you puzzle for 10 minutes.  Today I saw a plate that said sweaty.   Who would want a plate that advertised that you smell?  Not me.  The more I pondered this I decided it needed a story. I guess I have been reading too much of Susan's blog

He had never been very good in school.  He liked gym and understood math but spelling - forget it.  He never could remember those rules like "i before e, except after c" and why were there so many ways to spell to?  Despite mediocre grades he had a good job now working as a mechanic.  He married his high school sweetheart.  He always called her his sweetie pie.  Their 5th anniversary was coming up soon and he wanted to do something special.  They had everything they really needed and he didn't want to buy flowers or chocolates.  She liked the little Cavalier he had fixed up for her.  It ran great and with new faux leather seat covers it looked great too.  He decided the perfect gift would be personalized plates and what better plate than sweaty-pie?  He was disappointed to find that was too long but the clerk suggested he shorten it.   He didn't understand his wife's puzzled look then her laughter when she saw the plates.  Then she explained his mistake.  He was mortified and wanted to see if he could exchange them.  She was very adamant that it was the thought that counted.  So 8 years later she was still driving around with "sweaty" plates and ignoring the strange looks from other drivers. 

Don't worry - I have no intention of competing with her - I just couldn't resist this one.

What I found today

I found this little cutie today in a garden I was working in.  I was beside him for 10 or 15 minutes before I actually saw him.  I think he is a gray tree frog.  He is only 2 inches long so I couldn't get a better picture.  

Ha ha you other frog collectors - I got the real thing!

Connor's New Toy

Connor has wanted a reel mower for a long time.  He has been pricing them out at all the stores for months.  Canadian Tire was kind enough to have a sale this week so I picked one up Friday.  We didn't have a chance to put it together until Saturday night.  Connor and his cousin Dalton assembled it quickly then went out to mow at 9:30.  Yes, it was dark but they had a great time.  This morning the lawn looked better than I expected considering they couldn't see what they were doing.  Our ditches are quite steep, though the in the picture below, it doesn't look like it.  The steepness is one of the big reasons he wanted the new mower - it is hard to handle the gas mower on the slope.

 

My parents came for the weekend.  My dad wanted to get in on  the action too.

My parents came up Friday (I had Friday off - yippee!).  Friday night we went to Connor's school for "Are you Smarter than a Birchview Blazer"  (You can figure out which game show it is based on)  Prominent community members (the mayor, scout leader, fireman etc) are asked random questions from grade 1 to 8 and pitted against children from that grade).  The audience gets clickers and can participate.  It was great fun.  Saturday Connor and Kevin went on a day canoe trip.  Today was church, lunch at Harvey's (we got free coupons Friday night) and they have gone home.

The Girls

In case anyone is wondering, Caitlin and Tori made it to Jasper.  The internet isn't hooked up yet so you will have to wait a few days for an update.  Or maybe longer as they are contemplating trips to B.C. and/or Drumheller before Tori returns Sunday.

Caitlin

Since she was 17 we seem to be always saying goodbye to Caitlin.  She has spent 2 summers at camp working, 2 years at college, 2 seasons in Jasper and 1 winter living at her grandmother's.  This time she is determined to stay in Jasper or at least that area when her current contract at Jasper Park Lodge is done in October.  I hope it works out.  I have been thinking about what it will be like without her here.

She is great at caring for the dogs.  They will really, really miss her taking them to the beach and the forest for runs.  Now I have to walk them - usually just around the neighbourhood.

She is a very good big sister to Tori.  Caitlin drives her a lot of places and loans her car to her a lot (even after she ran into a curb and destroyed a rim).  They go to the gym together and do lots of other stuff together.

Less complaints about cooking and food.

Less complaints about turning lights on when we are trying to navigate the house in the dark (this from a child who couldn't sleep without a night light - now she can't stand the hall light on for 10 seconds!)

Caitlin has worked with me on and off for the last 3 years.  Even though gardening is not something she is interested in, she has always worked hard and done the job well.  She needed less instruction than some of the adults I have trained and gets along well with the rest of the team.  I have been lucky to work beside both Caitlin and Alec.  Working with your child allows you a whole different perspective.

It will be a lot quieter.  For now I know I will relish the peace but there will always be an empty place in our home only she can fill.

Follow the rest of her adventures at Country Girl