Saskatchewan has just voted in a new right-wing government but the sun still rises and it still sets. And people still get married; Jonathan King and Dawn-Marie got married in Osler and the weather cooperated. We wish them all the best in their life together.

The Job is Finished after FOUR months!

We have finally finished the renovation project and the renters have moved in. Ruth is doing some final touch-ups on Oct 30 and the renters moved in that evening. It is so weird having a Saturday off where I can go work in my own yard rather than somewhere else

These two bendrooms with walk-in closets are completely finished! The lino for the hallway is to be done Monday and with a couple of finish coats of paint in the bathroom, some clean-up and other minor things, the project will be completed. Hurrah!

Renovation is nearing completion

I'll sure be glad when November 1 comes because that is the deadline for completing the latest renovation job.
Here is a question for all you puzzle fans out there: What do Tommy Douglas (voted the Greatest Canadian) and Mary Muirhead, Chrystal Stonehouse, Angela Baggett and Ivan Baggett have in common? The clue is in the newspaper story, if you can't figure it out.

Batoche on Thurs. + a wedding on Fri.

Last Thursday I took my Social Science class on a class trip to Batoche. (It was the second last day it was open for tours and it won't open again until next spring.) Here I am on the St. Laurent Ferry on the road to Duck Lake after visiting Batoche National Historic Site. The ferry was disappointingly fast; we had about a five minute ride across the South Saskatchewan. I didn't ask the ferry operator but I suspect that a new powerful motor was installed as the trip used to take about 15 minutes. The students who went really enjoyed the trip and the interesting stories that the tour guide told, even if some of the stories were a bit far fetched.
Then on Friday I was at Joyce Taylor and Tony Armstrong's wedding. Apparently it was Mano who played the part of matchmaker. It was good to be able to visit a bit with Scot and Mano at the reception.

Jamaican Patois

On Saturday Ruth brought supper over to a rental that Andrew and I are renovating and Ruth decided to leave before I did. So she came down the stairs to say goodbye and said with a twinkle in her eye, "Me a go me yard b'fore night catch me a road!" I had her repeat it three times before I could get the drift of what she said. Translation: "I'm going home before it gets too dark."
On Sept. 2 we were invited to Jenn and John's home to a meal after which we had the traditional ice-cream cake because it was Ruth's birthday. Rob and Sue Wallace as well as Andrew can be seen in the mirror.

Renovations and Chokecherries

Ruth and I and Andrew have been busy doing renovations at a rental. The bathroom mirror is special because I made the frame out of oak and had a hardware store cut the mirror and I put it together myself. It also is on sliders and when it is pushed to the left a medicine cabinet is revealled. The kitchen is almost finished and I just have to cut a hole in the counter and install the sink.
The last picture is of some chokecherries that Ruth picked. She made about 10 litres of chokecherry syrup out of them.

Ruth's garden

Ruth has grown a terrific garden this year. There were beets, zucchini, potatoes, beans, peas, okra, tomatoes, and kohlrabi. There were turnips also but the worms ate them so badly that they were ruined. Oh, and corn is on the way.

August Visitors

Here is Jaqueline, Lin Brown's youngest. Harley and Lin also came to visit but Harley managed to swat at a wasp and got stung on her finger so she was not feeling so good. Then this last Thursday Jess and Sheena Bailey and their son Andrew and his son Aidan plus Andrew's granddaughter, Sylvan came to visit. They were on their way to a Bailey family reunion at Fort Qu'Appelle.
(Aidan was proud to announce that he was Sylvan's uncle even though he is younger than she is. Also you might notice the T-shirt that Aidan is wearing that says "Jamaica . . . No Problem")

Robins and frogs

Yesterday I took this picture of the last robin chick to leave the nest and today the nest was empty. About 10 this evening Ruth called me because a toad had hopped up to the front of the house. (She has often seen one in the garden and once I saw a toad in the fish pond.) You never know what kind of wildlife will appear at our acerage.