Dear October

Dear October -

So much was accomplished as your 31 days flew by!

Most of our activity this month centered on the farm and garden:
- harvest was completed with some long days, surprisingly few repairs and lots of grain in the bins.
- - so much grain, in fact, that we had to use bins at 3 additional locations - a first for us.
- Meadow, Blake and Maëlle had a ride in the combine with Grampa Bob and a pizza picnic in the van.
- bags and bags and bags of potatoes were dug, as we harvested some experiments.
- the last group of chickens were butchered and put in freezers.  I miss them!
- the last of the greenhouse tomatoes were picked.
- 2 rows of carrots and 1 of parsnips remain buried in the garden.
- 110 lbs. of cabbage from the garden was sliced and made into sauerkraut.

As well, you brought these highlights:
- my church confirmation class spent a morning working at the local food bank and attended 2 district youth events.
- I did 7 days of subbing.
- I spent 6 days and had 1 sleepover with grandkids.
- Helayna, Silas, Heather and Jonathan helped with garden harvesting one Saturday and Bob's parents came to help twice.  (So thankful for all of that help!)
- my book club read Barbara Kingsolver's novel "Flight Behavior" but I missed the discussion night.
- Helayna celebrated her 7th birthday.
- I sewed a Little House In The Prairie dress for a Halloween costume.
- we enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner with our son-in-law's family.
- we took one Sunday drive, circling through the Brazeau Dam area, to enjoy the coloured leaves and the season.

Thanks for a month of blessings, busy-ness and safety!

Love,
Crystal

Dear January

Dear January,

How in the world did you slip away so fast?

You brought fair skies, warm temperatures and dry roads one day and within 24 hours you swept in freezing wind, blowing snow and icy driving conditions.  And you repeated that more than once this month!

You brought evening card parties with friends that entailed much laughter, some misplays and delicious food.

You brought 7 days of subbing, one even on a 'no busses running' day.

You brought a weekend shared with three of the grandchildren and weekdays shared with another three.  And there were phone calls to hear the two far away ones playing, talking and having fun.  You reminded me again, many times in fact, of how very thankful I am to be a grandparent.

You brought a week of net ice fishing for Bob and smoked fish for us to enjoy.  We remarked how blessed we are to live near the lake and to eat the fresh catch provided.  The cold wasn't nearly so bad while working with friends at good, hard labour.

You brought some time to think and relax, some time to create and sew, some time to read and visit.  This time of rest for the land has been a time of rest and renewal for us too.

Thank you for giving us so very much this first month of 2013.

Love,
Crystal

On The End Of Summer

Dear September,

It seems you just arrived and now you are already slipping away!  Your 30 days have been full to the brim and so much has been accomplished around here.   But I'd love it if you could linger on and push the coolness of October back a whole lot longer.  Alas, I know there's not even the slightest chance of that happening.

sun shining through the trees at Nose Hill Park

I'm already missing these things about you:

- wearing my flip flops day in and day out.  More often than not I've had to put socks and shoes on lately.

- fresh peaches.  Just the other day I ate the last one that I'd saved from our BC trip.   And there are no more  to be found in any store around here.

- more hours of daylight than night time.  Much to my chagrin that all came to a quick end last week.   I'm much happier when there's more daylight and the time is falling back too.

- leaves, whether green or coloured.  Sadly there are more leaves on the ground than on the trees these days.

- flowers - the pansies and the sunflowers linger on but every day they look droopier.

- the warmth - the only way to be truly warm these days is to wear jackets and sweaters and socks and soon I'll have to include hats and mitts.

There's not much combining left to do in our little corner of the world and your warm, dry days have helped with that.  Thanks for holding off with the rainclouds and cold.  A few more weeks of that weather would be most appreciated.  Thanks for doing your best!

See you in 335 days!

Crystal

Dear Little Jar

Dear Little Jar,

You are the last bit of apricot salsa left on my pantry shelf!  You have lasted 10 whole months, squeezed in between your cousins, the tomato salsa and the apricot syrup.   I was thrilled to find you today and bring you up to add to the taco meat I was prepping for supper.

You started out as just an idea when Heather and I were in BC last September and saw shelves and shelves full of fruit salsas.  We sampled the nectarine type and thought it might be worth creating some for ourselves.  When we came home, the apricots were ready to be canned right away and after doing 14 quarts of fruit, I decided to use some of the rest and try my hand at salsa.

I couldn't find a recipe so I just modified my favourite tomato salsa recipe and went from there.  Personally I find you a bit tart and think a little sugar might make you taste better.  I love your orange colour though and definitely think you have a place on my list of preserving.

You'll always have a special place in my heart since you were my first non-tomato baby in this salsa making adventure that happens every summer.  Thanks for turning out and for keeping in your sealed jar all winter.  It's been a slice? a scoop? a blast?  Whatever - I'm so glad you came into our lives - and that you will soon be ready for filling again!

Love,
Crystal

Dearest Favourite Food of Mine

Dearest Pizza, the fairest of the foods -

I am writing this letter to tell you just how much I adore you!  And to show the grade 5 and 6 students that teachers write when students write.

The sight of you emerging hot and steaming from the oven is one of the best parts of any day that I get to enjoy you.  Your rustic thin crust pokes out around the edges of the pan, baked to just the right shade  of toasty gold.   A thin coating of bright red tomato sauce peeks out from under layers and layers of meat and veggies and then bubbling mozzarella cheese melts smoothly over your toppings, trapping them forever.

Your smell is so enticing, wafting through the house and calling me to come to the kitchen.  The basil and oregano mixed in with summer's tomatoes makes my mouth water.  There is no fooling me about what's in the oven when my nose catches those drifting notes.

But the moment of deepest enjoyment comes when my teeth sink into you and pull away a chunk of all your goodness.  Of course the cheese strings out and a few wayward toppings drop off on the way to my mouth but it doesn't matter.  I capture enough to confirm that you haven't changed a bit since the last time I had a friend of yours and that I still love you best of all.   I indulge in several pieces and then tuck away any leftovers for tomorrow.  For it doesn't matter to me if you are leftover and chilled, you will still taste wonderfully delicious for breakfast or lunch or a snack.

So thank you, my friend, for all the enjoyable meals you have provided for me over the years.  I have cherished every mouthful!

Until our next rendezvous,
Devotedly yours,
Crystal

P.S.  Just to let you know, I've been experimenting with a few of your cousins and I think I have a new favourite crust recipe.  It just makes you even better, my dear!

Dear April!

Dear April -

You have totally snuck up on me!
It seems like we were just celebrating Christmas
and now here you are with all your promises of spring.

You showered us with snow this morning
but by afternoon your warm rays of sunshine
had melted away all traces of the white stuff.
Puddles are gathered everywhere
and I am sure the kids will find everyone of them
on the school playground tomorrow.
Your sun rises by 7:30 in the morning now
and it lingers until well after 8 p.m. already.
And the warmth, oh the glorious warmth
of all that sunlight feels so very good!
Yesterday in the greenhouse
all your rays grew our potatoes
ever so nicely, in just one day.

I heard geese honking across the sky today
and I'm sure the robins will soon be here too.
The smell of earth fills my nostrils
when I go near the garden
and the first dandelions
will soon be poking up around the house.
There is so much promise as you unfold
spring for us.

Halfway through you we will celebrate
 Maëlle's first birthday - how exciting that will be!
It doesn't seem possible that she's been here
for twelve months already
but she is getting to be even more adorable
as she explores and expands her world.
I am most delighted to share my birthday month
with her - we will have grand parties together, I think,
especially with big sister and brother planning cakes for us!

So it's quite a pleasure to welcome you,
dear April -
even though winter wasn't too long or hard this year.
We look forward to all the glory of Easter
and our Saviour's resurrection this week.
Thank you for bringing new life
and the reminder of God's gift of salvation
into my life again.

Love,

Crystal

Dear Swings

Dear Sturdy Old Swing Set,

It's been a joy to have you used again these past five years, after you sat still for such a long time!  The days of kids plopping onto the wooden seats, pumping high, and then jumping off were just a distant memory but there's still life in you - and our grandchildren have found it :)

It's very good these days to have the grandchildren come and sit in the new black baby seats that have been hung onto your sturdy steel frame.  At first I thought three seats might be too many but now I'm starting to think that we'll need more.  We added new clips and chains since the original ropes had frayed completely off but it really didn't take much to get you working again.    You still sit in the backyard, between the house and the garden, and you have lots of years left in you yet, I think.

Sinking your long legs deep into the earth and pouring cement into holes to anchor you in place was a very good idea those 30+ years ago.  Even now you don't budge as we do running under-ducks or get three kids flying high.  The only thing that causes you to tremble  is when the lawn mower gets too close and bumps you.  I can remember my Dad helping Bob to get you set up just right - he was so good at helping for his grandchildren.  Swings are still a fixture at his home.

Meadow, Blake and Maelle climbed into the seats after I came home from school a day or two ago and they kept me busy with pushing.  Blake called for "More, more!".  Maelle laughed out loud as she swung back and forth in the middle.  And Meadow was up to her usual tricks of kicking her boots off, laughing like crazy and trying to twist the chains up.  It was a great way to de-stress after a day of subbing!  Their joy and laughter at the simplest of things restores my soul.  Not to mention that the time gave Naomi a chance to finish supper preparations inside the house.

Thank you for providing hours of fun over the years.  You have been a faithful and patient friend!

Love,
Gramma Crystal - and the Grandkids

Dear Sol

Dear Little Solomon -


It's nearly one week since you were baptized - the day that you were formally received into God's family.  I was so very happy to be invited to the service and celebration.  Your Mommy and Daddy chose to bring you to God's house for this service and to ask all of us to support you as you grow up.  You are so tiny (although alot bigger since we saw you at Christmas!) but you were wide awake through the whole thing.  Your Daddy held you so very proudly as we all watched.   When Pastor Tim poured water over your head you didn't make a sound - you actually smiled as he wiped your head and you faced us again.  It seemed like you understood the beauty of it all.

Your Mommy and Daddy chose Albert and Kim to be your godparents,  the ones that will pay special attention to you and encourage you.  Kim and Mommy have been friends for a long time and they were chosen because they have a special relationship with God our Father too.  They were proud to stand with you and they marvel at you and your growth.  I hope you will grow to know and love them too.


We were at the church where your Mommy was baptized as a toddler and it made me think alot about the day that we held her.  It was her first birthday and she was much bigger than you.  She wore a beautiful white dress and bonnet and we were so happy to see her received into God's family.  We have watched her grow up and have prayed many prayers for her through the years.  God has lead her through many adventures and this year He has given her a special job as your Mommy.  You will be added to our family prayer list now and we will ask God to help you grow strong and wise and close to Him.


Your great-grandparents are so very happy to be able to cuddle you and they marvel as you respond to them.  Grampa Gus will introduce you to the farm and you will quickly know that he keeps an endless supply of candies stashed in the closet.  Gramma 'Frieda sewed you a special monkey quilt and she will continue to sew for you as long as she can.  You are surrounded by a big family and all of their legacies of love and service in this area.  But your Daddy's family is far away on the other side of Canada, in northern Newfoundland.  We know that they thought of you today and that they are praying for you too.  Before you even arrived, your Granny Gertrude prayed that you would grow up to be just like your Daddy - that's a great prayer for a little boy to hear and know about.  I hope that you will be able to visit them often and get to know them and their community too.  I know that they are missing you alot!  Auntie Esther took pictures on Daddy's iPhone so he could send them off right away so they could share in the day.

Pastor Tim preached right to you in his sermon.  His opening comments mentioned that you have a big name to live up to in King Solomon.  These are the things I wrote down in my sermon notes:  Pastor  reminded us that even with all the knowledge we have today, we can't save ourselves.  God asks us to be faithful and then we will know who we are, where we are going and who we are following.  We have been created by God and we are invited to eternal life.  But first God will lead us to places where we can make a difference, if we just follow Him.   God twists our lives and leads us to places we would never go on our own but where we will make a difference.  He welcomes us to eternal life, but first we must face life head-on, exactly where He sends us.  On the cross we will get what we long for - a home with Him.  That is your legacy and your promise as God's child, Sol.


And so little one, we are so happy that you have been baptized as a child of God's!  We pray for your family as you live in God's love and hope that you will follow wherever God leads you.  


Much love,
Great-Auntie Crystal

Special cake pops made by your Auntie Mel

Dear English 10 Students

Dear English 10 Students,


Today was the second class I've had with you in the last 2 weeks - and I wasn't quite as intimidated this time.  You have grown so tall and so beautiful/handsome since I knew you in third grade.  Your energy level has escalated along with your size!  Your hair is crazier - longer, shorter, spikier, more colorful, more casual - and you are definitely wired with technology. Your iPhones, your laptop computers, your iPods are all an integral part of you.  


You still love to entertain your friends and the audience now is definitely your peers, not any of the adults who might be in the room.  Some of you want to be funnier or louder or grosser than anyone else, no matter what the consequences.   Others of you want to be less noticeable and prefer to blend in around the edges of the room.  You all warily watch for authority, some of you edging close to that invisible line of 'okay or not'.  


You go from a dull roar as you saunter into the classroom to a few minutes of chaos when you realize it's just a sub there.  Then as most of you recognize me and some can recall my name, you settle in and listen as I outline the day's expectations.   Amidst groans, you dig for the novel and some of you even manage to find it!  Things settle down but of course three of you have to go to your lockers and search for your books.  I'm reluctant to let you all leave the room at once - I know how the empty hallways will lure you into diversions.  Then there are two of you with books at home - a convenient excuse to do nothing, you think.  Luckily your very smart regular teacher has spare copies on her desk, just for you.  


It's now 20 minutes in and finally everyone is relatively settled.  Pages turn quietly, jacket clad (I didn't go down that road) shoulders hunch over and you ponder chapters 13 and 14.  Some of you groan that To Kill A Mockingbird is too hard and too boring and too long.  I think to myself that you have no connections to this book and why would you want to read it all on your own?  I wonder if we are killing your love of reading with our curriculum and our questions and our expectations that you can read it by yourselves.  I wonder how you would react if I read to you and we stopped and chatted and discussed and brought our own connections to the story.  But on this day I'm not brave enough to break into your teacher's realm and take this risk.  But I still wonder if perhaps that's what I should have done.  


With ten minutes left, you look up to the clock and silently declare that this class is toast.  It's block 7 on Friday afternoon - and the long weekend is beckoning.  You have plans to make and dates to confirm and outfits to plan and places to go - and there's no holding you in the land of plot and character development.  You slap the book shut, turn to your friends and the crescendo builds as the clock inches forward.  You hardly can hear the bell but its vibrations shoot you right out of your desks and through the door, launched into the weekend.  


I scan the room for your leftovers - wadded up looseleaf, the pieces of a broken pen, a binder left behind - and then I pull the door shut.  You've survived another day in high school - and I feel the same way!  But I also feel like I know you a little better, have a bit stronger connection to your world, am ready to pull the doors into your developing minds open a little further next time.  There is so much I'd like to toss out for your consideration and so many challenges I'd like you to consider.  I hope I will have more chances to be brave with you.  


Have a safe weekend - and don't forget to finish reading to the end of chapter 14!


Mrs. Krueger
(and yes, C - my name is still Mrs. Krueger!)

Dear Sunshine

Dear February Sun, 


Thank you for picking today to come out 
and shine again. 
January was really grey and
I'm happy to see that you found your way back.
I hope February is going to be brighter
with you filling the sky.
Thank you for coaxing the thermometer 
up above zero again -
+10 suits me just fine!
I love it when you are so bright 
that I have to put the sun visor down in the car.
I love it when you bounce off the little bits of snow
and make my eyes hurt with the blinding white.
I love how you warm everything you shine on.
And best of all, I love how
you gild the afternoon sky
and bathe everything in your glow.
It's been a great day -
please come and shine again tomorrow.

Thank you for reminding me that
God's love shines into all the greyness.
His grace bounces all over my days,
His love warms all of my actions.
May I give love as He gave of His son
and may I spread Him into every action of my week.


Shine on me, Son of God!


Love,
Crystal

Dear Daffodils

Dear Daffodils,


Thank you for being the very first flower harbingers of spring!
I love walking into the grocery store 
to see you standing tall in your buckets of water, 
just waiting to be plucked out and taken home with me.

It seems a little strange to see you here before Valentine's Day
but I will happily buy you whenever you appear -
and then on and on as winter fades and spring officially arrives.
I love how your sheaths are tightly wrapped up
when I pick you out
and then within hours, tiny yellow petals
begin to peek out as you unfold in the warmth of our house.

I love your yellow bells standing tall on their petal stands,
reaching up to drink in life.
You remind me to stand tall 
and unfold my beauty to share with the world.
You remind me that even when days are cold and grey
there is beauty to fill my home and my heart.
May I unfold my life and let it shine 
into the hearts of others
just like you do.


Love,
Crystal

Dear Rice Cooker

Dear  Rice Cooker,


I don't think I've ever told you quite how much I appreciate what you do for me every week. 
I love that I can take you out,
pour in some water,
shake in salt,
add rice,
put the lid on -
and then forget all about you for the next 45 minutes!
Thank you for making my life easier -
and my rice flakier.

Thank you for not boiling over (most times) -
I think maybe the dash of lemon juice is keeping your boil nice and low.
Thank you for not burning the bottom layer
and for keeping cleanup easy.
Thank you for doing a great job with brown rice
and for letting me experiment with juices and add-ins.
I was a little surprised when you arrived,
wrapped up as a Christmas gift one year
but I must say that I have grown to love you.
I really don't know I'd manage without you now.
Here's to many more happy meals together!


Love,
A Happy Cook

Dear Midnight Moon

Dear Midnight Moon,

Thank you for shining in all your half crescent glory last night while we were driving home.  

In between the clouds, you managed to reflect off the snow and brightly guide us along our way.

You were right there so we saw the tall white legs of the black moose as he loped onto the shoulder of the highway.

You gave Bob all he needed to see so he could slam on the brakes and screech our little car to a halt

just as the lumbering giant reached the center line -

and then realized that something else was there already.

You showed that antlered giant the way back to the ditch, which he thankfully chose,

and then the fence, that he so easily stepped over, on his way back into the forested darkness.

And you kept on shining as we caught our breaths,

let the adrenaline settle

and carefully continued on our way.

Thank you, Mr. Moon - thank you very much!

Love,

The Midnight Travellers

(Inspired by Lindsay's beautiful letters at Bales and Tales)