My Gram'mom.

I have been up to visit my grandmother this week. She is 84 years old, and I cherish our time together each time I am able to make the trip up to visit her. She is an amazing woman and I appreciate her more and more as I grow older myself.

She is a larger woman, with lips that she purses on and off when sitting in her arm chair and thinking, lips that she paints red with the one tube of lip stick she owns when we go out for dinner, a beautiful, genuine smile, and 'Tender Tootsie' shoes. She is filled with joy! Especially if you ask about her days in the Airforce as a cook that she is so proud of.

When you ask her about grandpa she gets that sparkle of love in her eye and looks over from her arm chair to the picture of them on the mantle with love. Those two were true love birds.
They met on the bus one chilly day. He came over and sat next to her and gave her the original line of "cold outside.." and she said "you don't have a coat.. but maybe you have your love to keep you warm". Gutsy woman :). He got off at the old city hall and she thought she'd never see him again, but then a few days later there he was at the dance! And they said hi but he didn't dance because he only square danced, and from there the two love birds started dating. They started seeing each other in November and married in April, and they knew by December!

They didn't have much money for a wedding. He had been an Old Order Mennonite before but he left his family when he married outside of the church for good. And gram made the royal salary of 80 cents an hour during her time in the Airforce during WW2 but now she was only making 65 cents at the rubber boots factory. And their parents had no money either so they just had a small ceremony and later bought a little house that they ended up living in for 50 some years!


They had 7 children together there!

She believes in love to make a relationship work. She spoke about a grouchy woman in her building the other day that used to get so frustrated with her husband before he died. Gram's advice was to her was "well give him a hug! Give him a kiss! Maybe he just needs some love". I thought that was marvelous advice..

In no way is she a "mushy" woman as my dad puts it. She was of course loving to her children and especially her husband, but she is a very strong, German type woman. Dad tells me she is not the type to say "I love you", and has mellowed in her old age. He said the kids got hugs and she obviously loves them, but she was quite strict with the kids. Then again you'd have to be with 7 kids, and this was a time in which it was ok to use the strap for discipline. Dad said you couldn't get away with much in Grams house!

She's lived a full life! Today on the way home from dinner she was singing to the radio to 'Four Winds'. Then we saw a bunch of cars outside of a house, she said wow that must be a party, lets go! She makes me smile, so full of gusto!

"Four strong winds that blow lonely, seven seas that run high, all these things that don't change, come what may,
But our good times are all gone and I'm bound for moving on. I'll look for you if I'm ever back this way."

She told me a few days ago "you never know what is going to happen in your life. I ended up marrying an Old Order Mennonite! Who knew! I never would have expected that.." and that sparkle in her eye returned as she gazed at gramp's picture.

On the way home today I asked her what her and grandpas song was and she said she always like 'Yellow Bird', and he used to request it for her at dances. What a charmer ;). I was so surprised because I know and love that song! She started singing it in a very nostalgic way on the way home through the Mennonite countryside and my heart swelled up with happiness and love.

"Yellow bird up high in banana tree
Yellow bird you sit all alone like me
Did your lady friend leave the nest again?
Oh how very sad
Make me feel so bad
You can fly away
In the sky away
You more lucky then me.."

Another Nightmare- "Fires of Hell"

I had a dream that actually made me wake up startled, on edge and slightly teary last night. It was horrible.

There was a native land conflict about my father's property. I was standing by my childhood climbing tree, a big Manitoba Maple in a large stretch of property that we call our 'park' because of the number of big beautiful trees that my dad and I value highly.

As in many of my dreams a newscaster began reporting out of nowhere. The reporter announced that land debate was becoming heated and the native community was predicted to take radical action. A fire was being threatened.

At that moment a tree line that borders our property and a connecting forest spontaneously ignited. The flames were instantly monstrous and roaring. Worried I stood at my tree hoping that somehow the flames wouldn't reach our home, but a moment after the thought had pasted the very tree I stood next to ignited! The whole thing was engulfed in flames, it was horrifying. All the trees were on fire, I ran down to the patio where other people stood. I yelled to them "the trees are on fire!! Get the hose!! Get the hose!!". No one did anything they just stared at the blazing hell that was once our lovely, peaceful, green park. I picked up the hose, turned the tap but no water would come out. Someone told me that the water was cut off, that's why no one was doing anything.

I started shouting "Why us!?! We haven't done anything to deserve this! Why us!??". I fell to the ground sobbing and began rocking back and forth curled up a ball wailing.

When the fire had gone out everything was burnt; the rose bushes, the Oaks, the Maples.. everything was black and ruined.

My dad appeared, the keeper of all the trees. He has always been the one who has loved those trees with all his being, they are like his children. I've often thought of his spirit roaming throughout the trees when he has passed checking up on them. He has such a strong love for his land.

He stood there, picked up the hose, let it fall down limply to the ground again. "What happened? Why didn't anyone do anything to stop this.." he asked. "The hose was broken" the people on the patio said, I was still curled up on the ground, tears in my eyes.

He was heartbroken no doubt, but he didn't cry, or yell or do anything. And that's when I woke up.

When I got up from bed I was shaky. Dad had just gotten back from the bar and I told him the dream. I felt like I was going to start crying I was so startled. He laughed so hard at the absurdity of it all. Then so did I :), I love him so much. He's such a comfort.

Overall a very memorable dream..
Likely fueled by this picture that I encountered while browsing online yesterday afternoon. This a fire in California.. can you imagine.. :( Now this would be a real life nightmare my friend :(