letters from a family friend


Joanne B: Mom's best friend and Dad's first "job." Her parents paid him 10 cents to walk her to and from school when she was a wee girlie. Their mothers were also good friends, so our family connections go back a ways. 


Joanne Malene Bohl passed away on November 12, 2014. 

Joanne and Gerald in front: standing, left to right, Tammy, Robin and Erin

Gerald will miss his sweetheart, and so will we.




October 16, 2014
Let me introduce Joanne's granddaughter Kristen:


Farming: The Final Chapter
I'm hijacking my grandmother's blog - not many people can say that!
As some of you friends and family know, we've been planning a final family harvest since last year around this time. Grandpa let it slip to me that it was really difficult to find drivers for his three combines and that it was going to be his last year.  He would have to put everything up for auction and call it a day. I asked him to give me about a half an hour to see what I can do. Within half an hour's drive home in the combines from Regan Graham's house to the Bohl farm, I had hatched a plan.  (Scroll down to Sept.21 to start at the beginning.)

Today we move back to the Farm... at 15 km/hr.... 

We moved the combines back to the Bohl Farm and prepared them to go and finish off the canola for our first customer.  However, once we were in the yard and Grandpa to told him we were ready to head over, he informed us that he had only a little bit left to go and was going to do it himself. We had one more potential customer to call. Grandpa drove over to see if he wanted us, and the guys stayed in the yard and continued to give the combines a good clean.  Grandpa returned to the yard with no work. So... we are done!!!! 

Harvest 2014 is complete! CHEERS!

The rest of the day was spent cleaning off the machines and parking them in the shed, ready for a long winters nap. With no major breakdowns, only a bit of maintenance on the newly purchased machine, Grandpa says it was a successful year!

I will leave you with one of my favorite pictures of the season.
Kristen.




October 15, 2014

It's time to chomp into the Oats at the Graham farm.  They ended up starting a little too early, so it was a tough go for the first hour.  Stefan and Arlen managed to plug both their combines right solid, even though they were combining at 1.5 km/hr. After they unplugged themselves, with grandpas help, they had no troubles and chomped right on through the oats. They finished the oats at a decent time and brought the truck and the tandem grain truck home. We will bring the rest home tomorrow morning.

Stefan is leaving back to Calgary tomorrow. Here is a picture of one of our final shareholder meetings :-) Time to go through the hour logs and make sure the books are adding up.



October 14, 2014

Today the guys finished the canola for the Graham Farm. Now its on to the tuff stuff.


With the canola all done, its time to get into the oats.  The guys tried to get the settings right, but it was late and they decided to call it a night.

They will try again tomorrow morning to see if they can get the settings right, its sometimes better to do these types of jobs in the daylight.



October 13, 2014

Happy Thanksgiving!

Dad left very early this morning - it was a quick last minute trip - but everyone really appreciated spending the weekend with him!
We also said "see you later" to Erin and Brielle as well as Caitlin today. Then Grandpa, Stefan and Arlen were off to combine again. The weather is looking really great for the rest of the week. This is great news for everyone!


October 12, 2014

Its Mom's Birthday today!! Its not too often that all three of us kids are able to share her birthday with her as she lives in Manitoba and we are all in Alberta. We had a lovely breakfast and spent the morning with Mom :-) (Caitlin and I made the cupcakes by the way...)


I GOT TO DRIVE THE COMBINE! Finally! OMG I'm so excited and a little stressed... and I only combined 1 swath! ha ha ha Thanks for letting me drive Arlen!! The lesson I received from Arlen went about the same as when he taught me to drive his standard transmission car. He stopped, got off the seat, and said "Ok, its your turn to drive" :-)
For the rest of the afternoon, Caitlin and I helped move all of the operations south of Invermay to the Graham Farm. We will start the combining operations there tomorrow morning, but first Bohl Thanksgiving Dinner - and I hear Dad is deep-frying a turkey.... and other goodies!
Kristen.


October 11, 2014

YAY! It's sunny!!! The canola -as well as the guys, are ready to GO! As you can see, Arlen has his water bottle topped up and ready for another day.


Caitlin and I enjoyed High Tea with Grandma Bohl at the Care-home in Invermay.
mmmmm...Markowski Thanksgiving Dinner.... Mom and Grandma Markowski slaved over a stove today to prepare an amazing meal!! Unfortunately, the combining crew were unable to join in. Caitlin and I got to spend the evening with Mom and Ron - they came from Manitoba for the weekend.
Kristen.

October 10, 2014

Stefan and Caitlin are driving in from Calgary tonight, we will have a full farm house for Thanksgiving weekend :-)
Many farmers are in the field today... the farmers that have grain driers that is... Our customers however, are not quite ready. Grandpa, Dad, and Arlen headed over to the Erickson Farm to take samples of all 4 quarters that they have left. The canola was testing at around 11, meaning that there will be no combining today either. I wonder what their "patience" is testing at... ?
Kristen.

October 9, 2014

It's another sunny day today, but its not quite warm enough to do much drying... we still are unable to combine.
Dad flew in from Fort McMurray late last night - perfect timing once again! It seems as though the dogs won't be staying at a kennel in Saskatchewan any time soon, as I am somehow never needed as a driver ;-)
Kristen.

October 8, 2014

Grandpa and I started our day out very early. He has an eye appointment in Saskatoon with his Macular Hole specialist. The highway is still closed this morning, it will be interesting to hear about CN's findings as to the cause of the train derailment.

His appointment was to check the status of the eye that hasn't had surgery yet. When they had a good look at his eye, the decision was made that he needed to have it fixed. When he had his other eye done, it involved day surgery and 2 weeks recover with his head down 23.5 our of 24 hours a day. This time, the doctor said that he would be a good candidate for a shot that they have available. Unfortunately this shot is more expensive than paying Mike Tyson to give him a shot in the eye - and it has a 50% chance of working. If the shot works, there is no surgery needed and no downtime - wish us luck!!

He is so brave! He got the 2 oz shot in the eye and we headed home.
Kristen.


October 7, 2014
So... this happened today:

We could see the smoke billowing all the way from the farm (about 15 mins from the crash site) read more about it here : Wadena Train Derailment

Oh yeah, its still raining, so there's no combining....
Kristen.


October 6, 2014
Another installment for Auntie Kiki's Brag Book!

I spent the day with my Grandma Markowski making dough for beet-rolls and cinnamon buns. Arlen spent the day putting in a sensor on his combine and the belt on the chopper - it should be field ready now! Arlen and I were invited for a delicious home cooked meal at Jolene & Jeremy's. However, there was a call from a neighbor asking for help taking care of a field of wheat. The neighbors combine combine had an electrical fire and he wanted the field harvested today. They left around 4pm and didn't get home until around 10pm. Don't worry - Jolene sent home a plate for Arlen :-)
Kristen.


October 5, 2014
"Never approach a bull from the front, a horse from the rear, or a fool from any direction"

With no combining to do, we decided to go ranching! Arlen and I came home from church, quickly changed our clothes, and headed off to one of Jeremy & Jolene's pastures. Jeremy had a big job to do today and we were there to help - in any way we could!
First: get the right animals in the right pens. Arlen proved to be a natural Cowboy.


Then we began corralling the little ones toward the chute. They were going to be the lucky recipients of some fancy nose pinchers today. Jeremy is trying to wean the calves in 2 stages this year. This process is supposed to dramatically reduce the stress of weaning - not only for the calves but also the cows. By removing this stress his calves should be much healthier.
This is one super cute calf with the pattern of a skunk :-)


Teamwork at its finest - Arlen nose pinching, Jeremy on syringe duty, and me on the chutes! :-) we had such a fun day - thanks for including us Jeremy!


We also found out that our old bird-dog (Weimaraner) Ellie has more of a knack for cattle than birds! She seemed to enjoy herding the calves today and pranced around at the end of the day, very proud of herself!
Kristen.


October 4, 2014
Time for another installment for Auntie Kiki's Brag Book!!

It's Birthday Party Day!

Isla ~ Abel ~ Harper


We were invited to Abel's 1st Birthday party and enjoyed some wonderful family time. There were presents, blue shark cupcakes, and kids everywhere! The grandparents and great-grandparents attended too. We had such a great time - and with Harvest on hold, we were lucky to attend :-)
However, I really hope we get some sun soon. We really need the weather to dry up so that we can get back to work... we have flights booked to a warmer climate for the 19th! I hope we can finish up before then...
Kristen.
aka Auntie Kiki :-)

October 3, 2014
So... this happened today :


Grandpa and I were chatting in the living room first thing this morning and we were interrupted by a small bull moose! He walked right past the big picture window in the living room. He continued walking through the yard before we were able to snap some pictures of this tall beauty. These pictures don't do him justice - they are the supermodels of the 4 legged beasts!
Then on my way into Wadena later this evening for a visit with my cousin Ashley, I had another one cross my path. You do not want to be going fast when this occurs! 1 or 2 km/hr is fast enough for me!


October 2, 2014
It's still wet... and raining... oh wait... is that snow? oh god....


We started the day off with putting Grandpa's tarp car garage together, well, sort of... we need some more parts to finish it... isn't that how every project ends around here... argh!
On to more exciting things - our nephew Abel is 1 today! YAY!!I am shamelessly posting a picture of this super-cute little guy!!We went out for dinner to Wadena with Arlen's mom, sister Jolene, our nephew Abel, and our niece Isla to celebrate! Thanks for the visits!!
Kristen.




October 1, 2014
October is Agriculture Month - learn more here :
www.saskatchewan.ca/thinkag


What do you do when it rains? Run into Yorkton and do some shopping :-) The closest city to the farm is over an hour drive south east. Arlen and I enjoyed lunch and swapping farming stories with his sister Alicia. :-) Thanks Alicia - we really enjoyed our visit!!
Arlen dropped me off at the be-a-U-tiful character home of my friend Elyse. I had such a lovely visit with this beautiful expecting mum! I also got to meet her sweet toddler Sully :-) Thanks for the play-date Elyse!! See you again soon!
We finished the day off by meeting Grandpa in Margo, and then heading to Foam Lake for a steak dinner - yum!!
Kristen.


September 30, 2014




... said NO Farmer EVER!


So, its raining today. There aren't to many happy people around here. We had a week of glorious warm Harvest weather, and now, it has come to a grinding halt.
Arlen moved his combine into the shop, so that they can work on getting the chopper properly attached.
Its the last day of September, and it has many meanings. For me, with 2 home-based businesses, the last day of the month is always crazy! I have an added challenge of "rural internet" this month, this will be interesting. You see, when you are dealing with a cut off, the internet has to work. It's really nice when your phone works too, but most people expect me to drop a call frequently when I am out here. It doesn't look too professional though... Ok, I'm stressing already, I gotta go - wish me luck!
Kristen.


September 29, 2014
“It does not take much strength to do things, but it requires a great deal of strength to decide what to do.” ― Elbert Hubbard

Grandpa decided that today would be a great day to change out the chopper on Arlen's combine. You see, there is a much better chopper on the "parts" combine, and it would be really nice to have it on Arlen's combine. Now, its not that they needed a "make work" project, but it would be really nice to have the good chopper on Arlen's combine... So, off we go. Thank goodness there were three of us!
Grandpa was in the front-end loader ready to catch the chopper off Arlen's combine, as Arlen and I removed the last few bolts (we were also trying really hard not to loose and limbs!) Then off to the shop to drop off the old chopper - and we do it all again! Arlen and I removing the last bolts - oh so carefully, while grandpa lines up the bucket of the front-end loader to catch the chopper. Please keep in mind that this game of "drop and catch the chopper" is using a "ball" that weighs about 1025 lbs!!!!
Now comes the hard part - we have to perfectly line up the good chopper with the holes from the previous chopper... using a tractor! oh goodness.... With Grandpa's less that perfect hearing and Arlen on one side of the chopper trying to line it up, and me on the other, I have no clue how it all came together, but it did! Not 20 minutes later, and 4 bolts in, Grandpa got the call that Les's Canola was ready to go!
So, with one combine down, and 2 on the field, Arlen and Grandpa packed a lunch and quickly headed off to the field. I had a nap. I'm not even ashamed to admit it. I have no clue how they do it. We worked all morning in the yard, and then they put in another 10 or more hours on the field that night. They didn't get home until after 11:30... This is one tough life!Kristen.



September 28, 2014
"For six days work is to be done, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest,"

Today is indeed a day for rest! Everyone is getting the day off - except for Stefan and Caitlin who have an 8 hour drive home....We pooled our efforts to come up with a wonderful breakfast, then we all went our separate ways. Ashley back to Wadena to prepare for her week of Kindergarten classes, Gerald headed to Invermay to visit with Joanne, & Arlen, Stefan, Caitlin and I went to Grandma Markowski's for a visit with Mom before Stefan and Caitlin headed out on the road. In the afternoon and Arlen and I headed to Rama to visit with his Mom and Baba. Arlen's Baba is providing delicious farm eggs for us! She has a very productive chicken coop and we couldn't be more thankful!
I leave you today with a beautiful creation, a picture of the Bald Eagle Ashley and I saw.

Kristen.


September 27, 2014
"Hooray!! It's the weeken- ... oh wait, farmers don't get weekends...."

My sister Caitlin drove to the farm last night all the way from Calgary! YAY!! More Family! I am really thankful everyone in our family is always excited to spend time with more family members. I understand that's not always the case in other families...

We don't have much left for combining these days, as we are waiting on some fields to ripen. Today everyone on the crew should be done by the early afternoon, therefore, Mom, Caitlin and I raced over to the field to get in on some combine rides! The weather may turn in the next few days. It has been very warm and dry for the past week, but we do have cold and wet in the forecast in the upcoming days!

This morning, after combine rides, us girls returned to Grandma Markowski's house to make 2 batches of cinnamon buns, poppy seed rolls, and poppy seed deep-fried perogies (I know, I'd never heard of them either - that's how most of our favourites start) We had quite a busy day! Grandma even managed to cook a huge Turkey dinner with potatoes, carrots, and corn from the garden. Yum!!

It is unfortunate that the combining is done for a few days, but it is so wonderful to have some time to visit this weekend :-) We had quite a houseful! Ashley stayed the weekend with us - and my dear friend Elyse stopped in for a visit too! What a wonderful time of year!
Kristen.


September 26, 2014
"Family is not an important thing. It's everything." *Michael J. Fox*

Last night my cousin Ashley came out to the farm to have supper in the field and to help out. She was a big help when it came time to move several vehicles from one customers' farm to another other. She was the lucky driver of Grandpa's ACE Air Conditioning Service van :-) I will let her tell you all about that one some day...She seems to be very lucky with animal sightings too - we saw a Bald Eagle on the way to the field (I will add a picture later) and 4 Moose (2 mom's and 2 babies) wondering the field.
Today we get to add yet another family member to the custom combining crew - my Mom!! I am so excited! She really missed being involved in farm life and jumped at the chance to drive "her" combine again. I am so excited for her to combine with my brother Stefan.
:-) Kristen.

p.s. Tonight, around midnight, the Northern Lights were out dancing :-) its my most favourite time of the year - they seem more vivid!!! The Northern Lights were all shades of green and yellow and bits of red. They were towards the North of the sky, but then, all at once, they were dancing right on top of the farm house. It was so incredible!

I wish for you to experience, some day soon, Northern Lights dancing right above your head.
Sweet dreams... Kristen.

September 25, 2014
"It is only the farmer who faithfully plants seeds in the Spring, who reaps a harvest in the Autumn." *B. C. Forbes*

Its barley day :-) YAY for BEER! not YAY for itchy farmers..... Canada currently ranks 6th in the world for Top Barley Producers by volume; I would suspect we would be #1 in quality - wink wink. Canadian barley makes some of the best beers - and I'm sure that by the time the crew gets home they will be needing a cold one! Today my harvest journey takes me a mile north to help my Grandma Markowski harvest her garden. Its not just fields that need to be harvested, the gardens need to be tended to as well. Today we are digging potatoes, and cutting cabbage and kohlrabi (Arlens favourite) No Organic Certification needed on this farm - you can taste it! My whole life I grew up on fresh, canned, and frozen food from the garden. I will leave you today with a picture of the beautiful fall flowers, as well as a picture of my beautiful Grandma Markowski:-) Kristen.




September 24, 2014"Two's a Maybe, Three's a Go!"

I packed an extra big lunch for Arlen and Grandpa to aid in giving them the strength and brain-power they needed to get that part in! I can't say that it helped, but I can report that the part was successfully installed! Arlen finally got to enjoy driving his combine.I was thinking that it might be time to let you all know where "home" is. Home is a small town in Saskatchewan by the name of Margo. I lived there until I graduated High School, then I moved to my current home, Calgary AB. Our farm was about 15km (10m) north of Margo. I was truly lucky that both set of grandparents lived only about a mile or two from our farm. Fortunately, I still come home quite often and get a chance to spend time with my grandparents.



The custom combining crew enjoyed another wonderful supper in the field. Supper in the Field is another ritual all farm kids enjoy! its almost like having a picnic every evening! I have many fond memories of eating in the field, and many of our favourite family portraits were taken at this time of the day - perfect lighting!! Our family has many birthdays in the month of September and often, you can gauge how early/late harvest is by whose birthdays are celebrated in the field.

The Crew managed to finish all of this customers wheat tonight - tomorrow, they move to another field. :-) Kristen.
September 23 2014
"Two Out of Three Ain't Bad..."

This summer Grandpa bought a new (to him) combine to add to his line-up and of course there are always bugs to work out. When Dad and Grandpa were preparing the combines and giving them a tune-up, the new machine looked good to go, but you can't tell until you get it in the field.Arlen's machine started to get plugged up with grain. It seems as though he would just get it all cleared out and hop back in to start combining, and it would get plugged up again. He didn't know much about combining when he got here, but he did know enough that that wasn't the way it was supposed to be! With Grandpa's help, they diagnose the problem. Arlen is very handy with taking machines apart - from all his work on the rigs in Alberta.I think Grandpa and Arlen made a pretty great team. Arlen is limber enough to get into all the tight spots with the wrench and Grandpa is fantastic at directing! They called and ordered the part that they needed from Yorkton and it was to come on the bus that evening.I went to Invermay to meet the bus. Yep, around here, there is no quick trip to the equipment dealer - they are all about an hour's drive away - one way - so if you can time it right, it's more efficient for the part to take a ride on the bus. The part we needed was a new floor for the feeder house. Yep, that's a real thing - and no, you wouldn't want to live in that house - it's very scary!
The sun was starting to set as I pulled into the field to deliver the part. Good lighting is essential to any field mechanic, and Arlen and Grandpa tried their best, but they were unable to change the part out this evening. It's sometimes a good idea to quit while you still have all your fingers!
This is what happens when Grandma is in a nursing home!
This is what we are using for water bottles.... Thank goodness they were empty when we got here! We know that you have loads of Tupperware, Grandma, but it doesn't seem to be enough!
Goodnight all - Kristen.

September 22 2014
"Day 1: Thoughts are Things"
So, this is really happening! It's incredible to me how quickly an idea changes into reality. We got the orders to move out! One of Grandpa's customers is ready to have us harvest. But first, coffee and a shareholder meeting:

I called this day one because it is day one of custom combining, however, you should know that there are weeks and weeks of preparation put into making sure that all of the moving parts of the machines are functioning properly. The past two weeks Robin has been out at the farm helping Gerald prepare the equipment. And, just like anything else in life, you can only prepare so much - the real test comes when you're on the field!
On our farm (and I'm sure most farms) when it's time, it's time! The theme this morning was "You got to learn how to drive this; we gotta go!" This morning was filled with 10-minute lessons. Arlen and Stefan did very well and soon found themselves on the road moving to the field.

And so the convoy begins! Wish us luck!!
Kristen.


September 21 2014
"Farming: The Final Chapter"
I'm hijacking my grandmother's blog - not many people can say that!
As some of you friends and family know, we've been planning a final family harvest since last year around this time. Grandpa let it slip to me that it was really difficult to find drivers for his three combines and that it was going to be his last year. He would have to put everything up for auction and call it a day. I asked him to give me about a half an hour to see what I can do. Within half an hour's drive home in the combines from Regan Graham's house to the Bohl farm, I had hatched a plan. You see when my dad quit farming and moved the family to Manitoba, we were just starting to get to an age where my brother and I could help out. We never really had an opportunity to farm with three generations all at once. It was my plan to get all three generations together for one last harvest.
In that half an hour I had my brother committed to two weeks, my dad committed to two weeks, and my husband Arlen Wolkowski and myself committed to the entire harvest. Once we got to the yard and the combines all cleaned up and put away I pitched the idea to Grandpa. I think he was a little skeptical at first - he couldn't believe that it was that easy to round up three or four drivers! However, as the year has gone by we've continued to show our commitment to his custom combining operation.
This is what harvest is like for hundreds of families across our Canadian prairie provinces. Some of you are very excited to see how we make out - as three out of four drivers have never driven a combine before! Follow along and enjoy our funny antics and our trials and tribulations throughout our final chapter of custom combining.
Kristen



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Joanne with great-grandson Landyn, age 4

Joanne's most recent entry:


Tue 29 Oct 2013

I tried to blog yesterday and my hands were not cooperating so will try again today.

Yesterday started off with the odd snowflake drifting down but it didn't last very long. 

At around 10 a.m. they started moving the Invermay residents home and they and their staff were all gone by Noon. It's pretty quiet around now.  

  Gerald made a deal on a new vehicle in Humboldt last week and may pick it up this afternoon. It is a Dodge Journey and I hope he enjoys it.

We are still under lockdown here so if it isn't lifted by Halloween we will miss seeing the little goblins.

   Will close for now and try and get back in a couple of days.

Sat 26 Oct
Time to send another blog ...
Hope everyone is enjoying the week-end and I hope the Riders win their game!
   I seem to be coming down with the cold that is making the rounds here so my day consisted of watching a string of movies and doing a whole lot of sleeping.
     Apparently the restaurant along the highway in Margo has closed. It will be missed for sure.
     I will say so long for now. God Bless

 Thurs 24 Oct
Well....I called my surgeon's office and he doesn't use the Telehealth line so I guess it won't save a trip to Regina.
  Our snow has disappeared so I hope it stays away for the trick or treaters.
   Nothing much new here....just some exercises for my hands. They are pretty sore most days and don't work well together. I guess it could be worse.
   I feel like I'm coming down with the cold that's making its rounds here, but so far don't feel so sick.
   My phone prints typos so I apologize.....too lazy to go back and change them. [No problem, Joanne; I fix them as I read through. - K.]
Should go now and hopefully can have more upbeat blog one of these days.

Wed 23 Oct
I'm just ready to turn in so decided I should jot down a few words.
Not much going on around here but the Canora Courier came today. It had an interesting article about a new Telehealth machine that can save some trips to specialists in the city. I hope I can utilize it.
  Other news of the day is that Gerald went car shopping and traded the blue/ gray van on a white Journey. 
Hope all is well.


Tues 22 Oct
Another day has passed without much to report other than I had a surprise visit from Gerald! That always brightens things up. He arrived at the same time as lunch so got in on some chocolate cake.
  He got a text from Kristen last night on their way to Tilley to be with Arlen's aunt and uncle, whose 20-year-old daughter was killed near Rosetown on her way back to university in Saskatoon. How tragic. Our sympathy to the Wolkowski family.
   Our lockdown carries on and a lot of things have been canceled. It will be good to get back to normal.
Have a good week ahead.


Blue Monday.
It has snowed all day and it seems to have made me lazy. 
Gerald brought the Wadena News down yesterday so I went through that today.....love doing the crossword.
Gerald also brought me some Buffalo wings from the chicken place and I just love them.  
The Invermay residents will be going to their redone facility one day soon so the staff from there have been stopping by to say their good-byes. I will miss them. 
I will sign off and say goodnight to all.

Sunday
It's the story of my life...low battery on my phone tonight! 
We have snow on the ground in Canora and on the rooftops as well.
  Gerald was down this afternoon and he brought Bill Stacheruk with him. Bill is great for having pictures to show, so I expected he'd have some to show of his granddaughters in Edmonton, but he didn't.
Garth and Paulette had twin girls last month named Emma Marie and Grace Marie. So far we only have seen the pictures Garth e-mailed the day they were born. They look like healthy girls. 
I hope everyone had a good.week-end.....tis the season for fall suppers. I think St.Theresa's in Lintlaw was today.
God Bless.


Saturday 
My battery is pretty low so if I suddenly cut out, you ''ll know why. It has flurried all day here, but there isn't much snow on the ground to show for it. I was hoping for a dry day for Halloween and maybe this will dry up. Usually they set up a table by the door here and pass out treats to the kids who come...usually children of staff. I imagine we will still be under lockdown then. Gerald is coming down tomorrow and will have to gown up.
   Kathy is off to Saskatoon to get Reta onto the plane. Her visits always seem to fly by.

   Will close for now and write a longer blog when my battery is in better shape.

Fri 18 Oct
I'm trying to keep my blog going, but it may get tedious for readers as today the staff told us that we are under lockdown. There is a respiratory infection here. So far no symptoms for me and I hope they stay away. 
Sadly we were having some good music tomorrow and that will have to be rescheduled.
Kristen and Arlen plan to return to Calgary tomorrow.
Not much else to add so will say goodnight for now.  I hope there is no white stuff when we get up tomorrow. God Bless.

[We've got a skiff of snow on the ground this morning. -K.]

Thurs 17 Oct
Our administrator came by to introduce our new head nurse to all the residents. She is Leanne Semischuck from Yorkton and says she worked at Jowsey House during my stay there. 
I had my bath today which always feels good...especially getting my hair washed.
   Supper consisted of good sandwiches and borscht BUT they had put garlic in the soup and they ruined it.
  I must go and read my Canora Courier...I see they have a crossword puzzle in this week. Bonus!

  God Bless all♥♥♥

[Oh sure, Joanne! Just when I get into the editor's chair at Wadena News, you switch your loyalties! Hmph! -K.]

Wed 16 Oct
I must blog a bit to keep up my commitment!
 My day got off to a great start when Gerald brought Kristen and Reta Morris along for a nice visit. Reta will be returning to Phoenix this weekend and we will miss her.
Kristen and Arlen will be going back to Calgary any day as well and they have been a huge help to Grandpa.
  This afternoon we had a husband and wife singing duo from Benito.They were not top notch but bless the volunteers who give of their time to entertain us.
  On that note I will close. Had a call from Tammy on her way home tonight....it is always good to hear from her.
God Bless.


Oct 15,  2013
Here is the first of what hopefully will be a series of blogs.
I had company today....Dawn Little and Adele Rusteika from Wadena ... and they encouraged me to get back to blogging so I shall.
   Adele brought some goodies and the staff brought a tray of tea and we had a great visit. After they left Adele came back with a Sears Wish Book that they had picked up for me, so I can't wait to tie into that.
The days go by quickly when people come to call and I'm very grateful for their kindness.
Dawn and Adele were kind enough not to eat all the goodies so I have some snacks.
I hope to talk again soon. God Bless.

(Yay! Yes, write again soon. Hey, do we have to rename this page "Out Canora Way" or what?- Kathy)

Email May 27, 2013
Subject: Thinking of Grace, thinking of you
Hope you are feeling better Joanne and that you've been able to get out and enjoy some of this gorgeous weather we've had lately. -Kathy

Reply May 27, 2013
I  remembered  your  Mom  all  day  today  yet   when  I  saw  Karen  I  forgot  to  mention  it  to her. Your  Mom  would  be  so  very  proud  of  the way  her  girls  turned  out. Today 
Karen led a sing-song when  our  entertainment   didn't  show  up. And  she  would  have  loved  your   "crack"... -Joanne



Today  is  a  dreary  day  with  some  snow  coming  down   and  earlier  they  were  not  recommending  travel  so  Gerald  didn't  come  today.
     Yesterday  Kathy  stopped  in  for  a  quick  visit  after  she  had been to  see  Jolene. Kathy  said  Jolene  is  doing  well. 
     I  am  still in  Yorkton  hosp.  and  today  I  am  tired   and  had  a   couple  of  naps.
     I  think  that's  all  for  now.Will  try  and have  more  news  next  time.

Sent from Samsung Mobile, Sat 6 April 2013



Tues 5 March

I'm  just  fine  but  I  type  like  Daffy  Duck !!! Just  by  saying  you''re  my   best  friend's  daughter  makes  me  warm  and  cozy  all   over.

[Heh heh heh. Sweet.
I'm putting all this on your blog you know.
K.]


Mon March 4
I have  decided  to  do  a short  blog  to catch  you  up  on  where  I  am.I  am in Yorkton   hospital  again  and  doing okay..Robin  and  MaI  were  here  for  the  week-end  so   between them  and  Gerald  I  had   @@@many..Stef  also  came  to
Margo  to  play  hockey..so   PCHE


[What is PCHE? I'm too dense. Sorry to hear you're having hospital issues again. Do you have any idea how long you'll be in Yorkton? -Kathy]

My  phone  was  acting  up  and   I  was  going  to  say  that  Gerald  had  some  houseguests.Thanks  for  asking.THIS  TIME  I  had  congesti've  HEART  FAILU 'RE  SO  IT  WAS  A  BIT   MORE  SERIOUS.MY  PHONE  IS  WONK Y  SO  I  DON'T  MEA N  TO  CAPJ UTILIZE.


[Well please keep in touch as you're up to it. I'll let Dad know, as he was asking about you.
Is there anything I can do for you? Speak up. That's what your best friend's daughters are for!
Kathy]





Thurs Feb14

I  will  attempt  another   blog  and  I  hope  I  don't  bore  you  to  bits.

My  day  today  started  with  a  call   from  my  sweetie  in  Phoenix  before  he  left  for  the  airport. He  should  be  in  Calgary  now.

I  had  Mass  this  morning  as  we  do  every  Thursday...always  a  treat.

In  the  PM  the  staff  here  put  on  a  really  nice  Valentine's tea  and  some  of  the  Philippine  nurses  sang. Very  talented. After  I  had  a  long  visit  with  Ernie  Hanchuk...his  mother-in-law  is  a  resident  that  came  from  Invermay. Barb Johnson  stopped  in  on  her  way  home  from  Yorkton  and  it  was  a  real  treat  to  see  her.

Tomorrow  Erin   and  girls  are  off  to  Calgary... hopefully  the  weather  will  cooperate.

Happy  Valentine's  Day  to  all.

[Hi Joanne. Dad's on his way home, too; has one of those calling-card phones and wants to use up all the minutes, so has been calling me from his fancy hotel rooms in the evenings. Expects to be back in Kelowna around noon on Saturday. Joan and Gary have been in Maui with their family for the past three weeks and should have arrived home today. - K.]

Tues, Feb 12, 2013
I  thought  I  would  blog  just  a   tad  since  it's  too  early  to  turn  in.
Today  we  had  a  Retirement   tea  in  honor  of  KAren  Wishlow  who  had  been  our  Activity  Director. She  was  a big  help  to  me   gett ing   ready   for  our  50 th. She  also  bought  Wall  Art  for  my  room   which   I  paid  for    but  she  did  the  shopping .
Gerald   called  again  today.He  and  Kristen   had  been  to  a  movie. Identity  Theft .. and  they  were  going  out  for  supper  with Don  Johnson  and  tomorrow    he  leaves  for  home  and  Kristen  will  take  Gerald  over  to  see  Carl  and  Reta (Benson ) Morris.  
Gerald  is  planning   to  fly  to  Calgary  this  Thur sday.
Now  I'm  ready  to  say  Good  night  to  all.

Today  is  Feb.9th  and  I  thought  I  would  do  a  bit  of  a  Blog to  see  if  I  was  still  capable.
The  sun  is  shining here  today , but  I  just  had  a  call  from  Gerald  in  Tucson  and  there  is  snow  on  the  ground  there !!!! 
 He  and  Robin  flew  to  Kristen  and  Arlen's  on  the  7th  and  went  to    Norm  and  Viv' s  yesterday. Don  Johnson  is  there too. It's  nice  to  have   a  visit  with  Kristen.
 Not  much  news  from  my  end . Will  try  and  keep  this  blog  going.
God  keep  you  well.