The funniest thing happened at the wedding...

Almost every bride I have ever met has wanted her wedding day to go smoothly. They desire perfection.

But life is not perfect. The spontaneous things that happen on a wedding day are what people are most inclined to remember. If you want some happy memories, be ready to react to everything with a smile.

It was a special privilege to play for my niece's wedding, and also for a nephew's.

I attended a wedding where, in the middle of the sermon, the groomsman fainted. He suddenly dropped backwards to the floor. While someone made sure he was okay, someone else fetched a chair. He sat on the chair beside the best man for the remainder of the ceremony.

At an outdoor wedding. the bride was standing in the archway at the top of the hill, ready to make her way to the “altar”. A whirlwind came just at that moment and lifted her headpiece and veil completely off her head! Without missing a beat, she grabbed it and carried on down the “isle”. I couldn’t help but wonder what she was silently thinking about the half hour she had just spent putting that headpiece in place.

I was entertaining on the keyboard at another outdoor wedding celebration when, again, a small whirlwind blew through. My music book blew down onto the keyboard, hitting the “demo” button. What an abrupt change of music style that was!

As I was playing the organ for a church wedding, I could see glimpses of the bridesmaids in the foyer, but no one was moving into place to start proceeding up the isle. I improvised (and perspired a lot) for another twenty minutes before things began to happen. I later discovered that the bridal vehicle had had a flat tire on the way to the church. Even more interesting, it happened near my home and my brothers were the ones who helped the bride out of her dilemma, wondering all the time how little sister was managing the delay!

One wedding in which I was involved was held on the Labour Day weekend. That is a weekend one can usually count on some decent weather, when many people enjoy a last camping trip for the summer. However, we woke up on the appointed morning to six inches of snow! The bridesmaids nearly froze in their spaghetti-strap dresses.

Memories are made

from well-executed plans

with hiccups.

 

Perhaps the best/worst experience of playing for weddings was one held in the chapel of a university. The event had been planned as a small, quiet evening, but during the final week those plans grew. Three days before the wedding, I was asked to play the organ. Since I had some music somewhat prepared from previous occasions and could not think of a sufficient excuse, I agreed. I arrived early, only to discover that the organ would not switch on. Shortly before start time, some guys pushed in a piano from the hallway. Talk about “winging it”! With little visibility and only a hymn book for piano music, the wedding went on. It really is true that, generally, people don’t think of what the song is as long as there is music!

After observing these and other minor bloopers, I have learned that there is no reason to fear a special occasion. Memories are made from well-executed plans with hiccups.

Little evergreens grow up

There was recently a flurry of pictures of the little green sapling planted in the burned blackness of Fort McMurray. It was a school gift donated by six-year-old Sophia and planted by her fire fighter father.

The story reminded me once again of the evergreen tree in the yard of my childhood home in Saskatchewan.

If you were a child attending school in Western Canada in the ‘60s, you probably came home one day with a little evergreen sapling to be planted in your yard.

I remember the one I received. It was about six inches high with one or two little side branches and appeared to be closer to death than life. It was relinquished to the basement on the cool, damp floor until someone had time to help me plant it.

About a week later my mother took pity on me. We chose a suitable spot in the yard and followed the directions, digging a hole, forming a cone-shaped pile of dirt in the bottom, setting the sapling on the dirt and filling in the hole with more dirt. My assignment was to water the little thing every day, which I did faithfully.

 By the following summer there was faint hope that the seedling might survive. Then came autumn, when a propane fill was ordered to provide our winter heat. As the big truck backed up from filling the tank it went a little too far, and as I watched from the window I was sure my little tree would be crushed to the ground.

As soon as the truck left, I ran out to check. There stood my tree, totally unharmed. On each side of the trunk was a tire track. It had gone between the dual wheels!

 One summer as I watered my tree I noticed an abundance of bugs, probably aphids, crawling over its branches. I told my mother, who promptly introduced me to the insecticide Malathion and how to apply it. It killed the insects and my tree again survived.

When it had reached about three feet in height, something happened to the top branch. One of the side branches began to grow upwards, and after a few more seasons the damage was undetectable.

My tree in 2011

 I still look at my tree each time I visit the home farm. But now I look up to it’s towering stature. It reminds me of pleasant memories and bygone days. Most of all, it is still regarded as MY tree.

Community spirit strong in Ridgewood

Saturday afternoon was Spring Tea time at Ridgewood Community Hall. Many ladies of the local community enjoyed tea and strawberry shortcake, served by the local Women’s Institute members. I visited with four long-time residents of the area and learned the latest farm news and community happenings. There were door prizes (no, I did not win), a silent auction of two Martha Washington geraniums, and a beautiful display of local quilting, photography, and other crafts.

Strawberry Shortcake similar to that served (internet photo)

This was only the latest community event to be held at the Hall. In March, we enjoyed a spaghetti supper and a visit with the neighbours. In June we hope to return for Pancake Breakfast. Each October a large crowd of locals and nearby guests sit down to a full turkey supper, complete with homemade pie for dessert. In December the Hall hosts a potluck supper and Christmas program, reminiscent of the country school Christmas programs, with a visit from Santa.

All these functions contribute to the upkeep of the Community Hall with a modest admission fee, and enable residents to get to know each other better. This results in a cohesive community with a great sense of togetherness.

We are currently tending a farmyard in Ridgewood. It was purchased by a friend from an estate. As a result of these community events, we are becoming recognized and have learned an immense amount of history of the place where we live. Older neighbours are so pleased to hear that the yard is being looked after. The ladies at the Tea were delighted to hear that the flowers are still robust and enjoyed.

 

Ridgewood Community Hall (from Facebook page)

Over the past couple years, the acreages in the area have been hit with numerous burglaries. Even the Community Hall was not unscathed and is now under security. These acts have resulted in neighbours looking out for each other, being more attentive to strange vehicles and forming a Neighbourhood Watch team in an effort to keep the community safe.

If I were looking to live in rural Alberta, would I consider Ridgewood community? Yes, in a heartbeat! We need a very good reason to ever decline a yardsitting assignment in this area. It is a place to be proud of.

Jamal the Camel

I have a friend who is currently sitting on the side of my chair, watching us – that is, he watches what he can see of us through his sunglasses.

Before returning from Afghanistan in 2004, my husband spent a week in hospital in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. As he was recuperating between tests, he had lots of time to think. He regretted not purchasing an afghan for me at the weekly market held at the entrance to Camp Julien. He had planned to bring me an afghan from Afghanistan! In retrospect, it was probably good that he could not do so.

On a walk around the hospital, he visited the Gift Shop. There he found something to bring home for me.

 

Jamal the Camel is my stuffed “camel” friend from Dubai. He wears his name on an information card on his arm. That card teaches some interesting facts about camels:

 

But Jamal is more than just another “stuffie”. He is a reminder of the events that totally changed our lifestyle, of the plans left behind and the dreams to come. He goes with us in all our travels, keeping watch from his perch above a window in the fifth wheel.

Ouch!!

Our weather over New Year’s was especially warm and sunny by Canadian standards. So when the relatives in Sherwood Park (near Edmonton) invited us to bring our snow gear and have some fun, we gladly did!

Some of us visited while the guys assembled goal nets for a friendly, family street hockey game. With goals in place and sides picked, there was need of one more player. Not being one to stand on the sidelines, I volunteered enthusiastically. I had played a little hockey in high school and was up for a challenge.
 

The game was no more than five minutes long when my nephew slipped me a nice pass for a break away. My husband was in goal, so I ran for the puck to shoot a first goal past him. Nobody saw me go down.

Suddenly, my running went into slow motion. I could see my feet still going but my body was no longer coordinated with them. As the sidewalk came closer I thought, “This is going to hurt!” It did!

My shoulder took the brunt of the fall and I lay along the curved edge of the sidewalk, unable to move an arm that was screaming with pain. Daughter jumped in to access me, and later took me to the hospital emergency department. There an x-ray revealed the joint of my shoulder broken in two places, chipped, and pushed out of the socket. I was given a prescription and sent home in a sling & swathe.

After reporting to the emergency department in our local Red Deer hospital, I was referred to an orthopedic surgeon. By the time I attended that appointment, the medication initially prescribed was reacting and making me very nauseous, dizzy, lightheaded, and all-round sick. The surgeon explained the pros and cons of surgery and left me a couple days to make a decision.

Surgery seemed to be the best, and really the only logical, choice. On January 6, 2016, my 2:15 pm appointment resulted in my admittance to hospital by 4:00 pm and surgery at 9:00 pm! Having the shoulder back in place and reinforced by a plate with 11 screws eased the sharpness of the pain. I was thankful to get it over without having to lay and think about it very long. Then I could take a different, more effective painkiller and begin healing!

I have since discovered many people who have had a broken shoulder or arm, so I won’t detail the many challenges of those first weeks in a sling. Suffice it to say I really hope never to repeat them. Being unable to work/play on a computer or play the piano did not make me a happy camper. Eating spaghetti and meat sauce makes a mess. Reading is easy with the Kindle app on my smart phone. I persevered with my pulleys and stick exercises and, little by very little, improvement came.

Monday, April 25, I had another follow-up appointment with the surgeon. He found no concerns with the x-ray, said the bone has just about healed, and was satisfied with the range of motion I have attained. Finally the words I had been waiting for – “just use it!”

Thank you to my understanding family for their help, and to my many friends for their encouragement, and to Eugene at Protea Physiotherapy for his generous advise!

Aiding the Political Process: Part 2 – Canadian Federal Election

As everyone in Canada is aware, the federal election was called early. Though most people complained, this was a huge benefit to an otherwise unemployed but experienced election worker. My phone rang the morning after the election call, August 3, and I started work two days later.

First we helped to unpack supplies – lots of supplies – until furniture arrived and the phones and computers were hooked up. This time the office computers had their own server from Elections Canada, so the assembly was done by computer specialists.

 

Then I filled in on the Reception Desk while other office staff and election workers were being hired. Few people knew that the office was open yet at  this point, and the phone system was not fully operational, so the calls were few!

After a couple weeks, I transferred to a Revisions Clerk position. There we worked two and three clerks per shift, answering phone calls to help people know where to vote and to make corrections to the voter’s list. The closer the big date came the busier we were. If one cannot read a county map when one begins that job, one will learn and be an expert at it by the time one is finished! The change of boundary lines in our constituency was a challenge, with many wrong land locations for rural addresses. But in some quirky way it was fun!

On election day, October 19, I worked as Deputy Returning Officer at a polling station. There I handed out ballots to voters and gave instructions to help them mark the ballot correctly so it would count. At the end of the evening, the Poll Clerk and I counted the ballots for our poll and sorted all our supplies for return to the Returning Office. It was a long, busy day but interesting to meet people and see the Canadian electoral process work.

After the big day, a group of five or six Revisions Clerks and our supervisor worked for another five days to enter corrections and additions that were made to the voter’s list on election day.

With three month’s work behind me, I was then ready to hook up the RV and take a break!

Aiding the Political Process: Part 1 – Alberta Provincial Election 2015

Working in the Returning Office for an election is an experience like no other. I had this unique opportunity twice in 2015.

The Alberta election was held on May 5. My interview was in January, followed by training in Edmonton in February. In our Red Deer North office there was a Returning Officer, Elections Officer, Trainer and myself. My position was called Administrative Assistant, but was equivalent to being an office manager. Permission was granted to rent office space on April 1, so the Returning Officer, the Elections Clerk and I were busy sorting materials when the election was called. Suddenly, instead of spending a couple hours setting up our space, we were working all day.

My job for that day was to have three desktop and two laptop computers set up and functioning with internet and printer connections. That was no small feat, considering there wasn’t a piece of furniture in the office until after lunch! But with teamwork, it was accomplished by day’s end.
 

Each day’s activities were laid out on a calendar from Elections Alberta, and if followed completely, everything ran smoothly. Days were busy with phone calls, visitors, training and administrative duties.
 

 

Election night was the time for the Administrative Assistant to have the spotlight for a couple hours! It was my job to enter the election results into the Elections Alberta system as they were phoned in. As I did so, the results of each poll were immediately shown on computers and televisions across the province, including one laptop projected to a screen in the office for all the helpers to see.

In keeping with election workers’ policy, there is no comment here regarding the results. We are required to be non-biased in our work and are not to give opinions. Our role is to make the election in our riding run smoothly and provide everyone the chance to vote.

When materials were sorted and packed, all the poll workers pay requests submitted, computers repacked and the furniture returned, our employment was complete.

…watch for part 2 – Canadian Federal Election