Violas are the first to pop up around the yard, everywhere, like weeds. Only better.

Gorgeous Days

We both need a haircut.

12:47pm

Took my coffee onto the step after Scott woke me, and watched a pair of geese plus an interloper at the dugout — the pair doing a performance thing with their necks and heads, or maybe only sounding an alarm — and Everett joined me for a while, till I got him to dig three deep holes under the oaks and move three delphiniums over. So glad he is here to help me, because that job requires weight and strength I don’t have.

I’ve watered all the recently transplanted violas and the cosmo, calendula, bachelor button and wildflower seeds, and scattered the red poppy seeds along with zinnia seed from the year before last, which is unlikely to do anything but what the hell, never know.

Also watered yesterday’s greenhouse purchases: five green pepper plants and two packs of petunias. Marilou didn’t have portulaca, nicotiana or jalepenos for sale, and I forgot to look for a new rosebush while I was there (I've planted one in memory of Mom every spring since she ... went. It's hard to find a word I can stand to write). It looks like the five already here did not fare well over winter. They seem to have died back almost completely. Scott warns me the yard needs to be torn up so none of the existing flowerbeds are safe, and there's not much point in buying another bush this year. But I still want to.

And that’s my day so far. I’ve just sat down to work. Everett and I are going to town in a few hours to do laundry, pick up Emil for the long weekend, and buy groceries. Supper will need making and I'll want to do some hoeing, then get another hour’s paying work in tonight. We’ll see. The days seem particularly plump full when the sun is warm and calls me outdoors, if even only for short walks around the yard.

***

Almost forgot to give the farm report! I am such a bad "farm wife."
Scott's been in the field for the past two days; lots of tractors pulling equipment in the fields now. I do not know if they are cultivating, or harrowing. I think cultivating. Doesn't harrowing come after seeding?

Skip Skip Skip to My Lu

Luanne prepares to drive home to Flin Flon

She suggested I hop into the passenger's seat and wave a breezy goodbye to my family as we headed out the driveway, but I managed with great effort to restrain myself.

We had a short but satisfying visit, only Friday to Saturday, but she had been away from home a week already so wanted to get back and have a day of rest before starting work on Monday.

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Every spare moment is being spent outside, now, while the weather is welcoming. I've been transplanting violas, sowing flower seeds, and bossing Everett around — he hates gardening, he tells me. Can you blame him? Guess who has to fill the pots with a shovel and carry them around, and rake straw off the grass where the bale house for the dogs was, and do the turd tour.

He reports that there is one batch of newborn kittens in the attic of the tractor shed.

One of the best things about farm living is you can throw a jacket on over your jammies and go for a walk in the morning sunlight.

Off and Running for Another Week

Last weekend: Scott holds the door for Emil, who's going "home" for the week

9:53 a.m.
Now that it's summer(ish)time, Emil gets his wish, which is to stay here at Golden Grain Farm till "after supper" on Sundays. We still need to get him back by nine, which is bedtime for the residents of the group home, and having him come in later would likely be disturbing for them.

Luanne hadn't seen Emil in person since he was six years old, so she wasn't prepared for the beard or the deep voice.

Someone in bed with me last night tossed and turned and moaned and groaned for hours; thus I may be due for a nap after work this afternoon. Right now the wind is pretty cool so the horseshoe remained leaning up against the house in the minutes before my morning coffee was poured, but with luck I'll be tackling another section of the flower garden later on today. Got one cleaned up yesterday; love that magic hoe.

During their stopover, which has lasted a week so far, this Canada goose pair suns together in the mornings on top of a muskrat house next to the dugout. The photo was taken from the back step; if I went closer, the geese would fly off pretty quickly. (Click to enlarge.)

Summertime Summertime SumSumSummertime

Chocolate cake, from scratch

Today's warm and sunny, so we've been outside quite a bit -- except for Scott, who has a cold or flu again and is lying about, groaning. I hauled the plant pots from the brooderhouse to the hill of black soil, where they'll be filled, and transplanted perky little violas from the garden into pots under the oak trees out front. Emil walked around the yard for several hours and Everett and I lugged the garden swing from the barn to the shady spot where we hope to spend many leisurely hours this summer. He has swept out the camper and made up a bed out there, where the air will be drier than in his basement bedroom. And Skip-to-my-Lu, who spent last night with us, headed down the road toward Flin Flon around 1 o'clock, so should be safely home by now after her whirlwind tour of Winnipeg, Yorkton and Wadena.


I won't tell you how many engorged woodticks the kids picked off the dogs. It was a bloody killing field, I will say.


Two new species of ducks on the dugout this morning: a lesser scaup pair, and another we haven't identified yet.


Tomorrow, out comes the horseshoe hoe. I will be spending the day in the garden, liberating my perennials from the hordes of dandelions.

A Child's Garden of Poetry

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Lately I’ve been turning the TV on for a short time during the day to see what’s on Ellen Degeneres (who makes me laugh and/or get up and dance) or Oprah (winding down her 25-year talk show so may have some good ones – unfortunately there are still too many commercials throughout, so I rarely watch a whole show) or All My Children (also going off the air, so may for a change fairly feature some longtime characters, favourites of mine from the days when I’d sit down and watch the show in the afternoons while nursing Emil — twenty-some years ago).

Today I flipped through the channels while eating breakfast— whole wheat toast with leftover  egg salad — and when I’d find a title that seemed interesting, I’d click on it and find only a commercial. I’d sigh, and go back to the guide, where I start at channel 300 and work my way down the screen, up in numbers to the 600s. There I found A Child’s Garden of Poetry, which captivated me from the first moment. I cranked up the volume to cover the noise of the dehumidifier in the kitchen and of Everett clanging dishes around on the countertop, and watched, and listened — moved, and spoken to.

And I had some “profound revelations” at the same time. But then, that’s no surprise. Poetry will do that to you.

Look for the half-hour documentary on HBO. For more: click here.

Busy Week Ahead

A horned grebe is out behind my house this morning; this is a first, for me; maybe it will nest here! (Photo from Eagle Wing Tours)

Yes, we live in a slough! as Scott says. But can't you see it's worth it?

✿⊱╮

Get out there and spoil your mothers, all of you, if you're still lucky enough to have one. Or a grandmother.
Or a mother-in-law. This is mine, in the light blue top, and beside her in the violet is her sister.

Kate, Pat, Ann, Leithe, Kathy (a.k.a.KateduNord)

I should be out with Scott and his mom and aunt, at the Mother's Day brunch in Kuroki, but instead I've decided to work for a few hours before I have to run out for the afternoon. Tomorrow we're driving Reta and Carl (my aunt and uncle) to Saskatoon to spend a day with friends before they fly back to Phoenix. This afternoon I have to take Emil to see them; they're staying at Neil and Rose's (my other uncle and aunt). A dear friend (Luanne) is coming Thursday and staying till Saturday. You can see I need to work ahead. Or, I do if I want to get paid. Or enjoy my time with friends and family. I could always pull off a power weekend after Luanne leaves, and will if I have to, but to have my work done in advance ... now that's the ticket to satisfaction. Though I must say, my work seems more inspired when I'm under pressure. That's when the brilliant ideas come, if any.


Yesterday afternoon the gals above (fondly called the Likeminded Ladies because of shared interests) dropped in for tea. They brought me a lovely potted plant, which I've got indoors because it's so damn cold out. When I walked them out to their vehicles after we nibbled on Everett's Chocolate Chews (he found a recipe on the internet for cookies without eggs or flour, and they turned out stellarly), a jacket was required. How do you like mine? Do I not look like a lumberjack? (Jean, your mom and dad gave me this jacket. I think they'd gotten it from Arty.)

All the women in the photo above are mothers.

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When I was in my twenties I went to a concert at the Yorkton Exhibition. Tom Jackson was a guest or maybe the opening act, and Buffy Sainte-Marie was the main attraction. I don't remember anything about the concert except this one thing she said: "Every person on this planet must come here through the spirit of a woman." Something like that.

✿⊱╮

The local greenhouses opened this weekend. In this weather they won't get much of a turnout— doorprizes and draws or not— although many people I suppose are picking up a potted plant for their moms and grandmas.

Spring Day

click on image to enlarge

✿⊱╮
I want to be outside, not in here at my desk. The window is open so I can hear the frogs and birds and feel the breeze. It’s a beautiful day.

3:46pm
As you can see, I got out. Everett and I walked as far as the ravine, which is where the road was washed out a week or two ago. These two Canada geese watched us and the dogs closely (and loudly, in the male's case); then as soon as we turned around and headed home, they took flight across the field.

5:01pm
For instance, "2012 is just the end of the biggest cycle of time that the Maya had. There was no association between the end of a cycle of time and the end of the world," he explained.
-CBC news story about an exhibition of Mayan artifacts coming to Canada: click here to read.

Roads Washed Out All Over

People for some inexplicable reason drive around and over barricades, and damage signs.

A mile from home, on our way to Faye and Rick's for another Stellar Supper.

We went for a little drive around our area on Sunday afternoon and had to take a few detours.

The Wadena News came out today with loads of photos of the flooding in our district. I hadn't realized that there are families who've had to leave their homes, and one is even having its grocery supplies delivered by quad, as it's no longer possible to drive up to their farmhouse. Others are battling water that is trying to fill their basements; they're hauling out carpets, furniture and other stored items, and manning sump pumps till the wee hours. People are getting tired and more than a little worried about the cost of repairing everything. By comparison our family is sitting high and dry — as long as the pumps don't seize up.

Today it's cloudy and cold, after an early morning rain. Fingers are crossed and braided in hopes we don't get more precipitation.  

This farmer's field is now more of an island.

 I made an early run to town with Scott, to have a truck repaired before he headed off to work at my sister Karen's new Aurora Beach house, which he's drywalling. While we waited for the mechanic to finish, we took ourselves out for your basic prairie breakfast — toast, fried eggs, hashbrowns, sausage and/or bacon — and then visited the credit union, the post office, and a construction customer of Scott's. So I'm getting a late start to my working day, and had best get at it.

Froggies are A-courtin' in My Backyard, Uh Huh

Before mating season is over, the volume will be twice as high in our yard. I love it. This short video was taken from our back step, just to give you a taste of ... frog heaven.

Kiva

Cambodia - wants to buy two dairy cows

This is the lady I lent $25 to this morning.









My first Kiva loan of $25 went to this fellow, who paid it back in small increments— around $2 per month:

Paraguay - added onto his bakery

After he paid back the $25, I re-lent it to this lady:

Peru - makes and sells rope

From now on I'm going to make a $25 loan on the first day of each month.
Check out Kiva; it's an interesting way to give people a hand up instead of a hand-out.

Hooray Hooray

Joanne and Grace

Do you know what day it is? she says, with a smile in her voice.

Hooray, hooray, it's the first of May!
Outdoor screwing starts today!

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Mom used to phone and remind Joanne every year on this date.

Movie Night

Near town

Buttered popcorn, and a plethora of movie choices.
It is cold out there! I'm amazed it hasn't snowed.
In Yorkton, they had snow on the ground this morning.
I went out for a few minutes only, and was glad to have on my ski pants and gloves and winter coat with a hood.
Choices:
The King's Speech
The Social Network
The Fighter
A s--tload more, thanks to Gord, but this looks like a pretty good start. I'm after watching The King's Speech.
My cold is keeping me tired; mending, but need to stay home and rest. Had some plans for tonight but ... will have to skip the par-tay and take "My Girl" out for a meal instead.

Kids These Days

Not our first choice for chariot

10:31a.m.
Scott didn’t start up the pump at the dugout before leaving. Maybe he forgot, but more likely it’s because the gas can is empty. So I can hear the frogs! I’ve turned off the radio station, eschewing manmade sound, and opened the office window wide, instead. Between the determined croaking and the trilling harmonies added by the birds, me and my fluffy housecoat are firmly ensconsced in heaven, here.

Made Everett drive Scott’s red and white GM, his work truck, to town yesterday. That kid bitched all the way there, and all around town, about having to drive the truck. I told him I’d heard his message the first 10 times, and now Just Stop! But he couldn’t seem to. It was Bemoan This, and Belabour That. The truck felt different to drive. The brakes didn’t work properly. He can’t see out the back. There’s so much dust in the cab it’s hard to breathe. The signal arm doesn’t work right. No way he’ll be able to parallel park. It’s broken; you have to guess at the gear shift positions. Blah Blah Blah BLAH. Wash Rinse and Repeat, Drive Your Mother Insane.

Dog Doctor

Sara, age 6, who visits regularly and for long periods

I was out in the back yard a while ago, re-filling the pump with gas and admiring the dozens of croaking frogs that are floating spreadeagled on the surface of the dugout, when I noticed Sara had three porcupine quills stuck in her snout. I came in for scissors to cut the tips off, and then she patiently let me remove them.

I'd no sooner gotten back to work here at my desk than Everett asked me if Jenna had had those porcupine quills in her nose when I was out there. She hadn't. It seems the dogs are being uncharacteristically quiet while dealing with this particular beast. We called Lucky Ducky, the deerfaced chihuahua, into the porch (he has to be checked over for woodticks before he gets further into the house; he had two yesterday) for his own safety.

Jenna snapped at my fingers once when I brushed against her head, which made me a bit nervous about helping her, but I did manage to snip the quills and get one out. The bottom one is not budging; I need to find a pair of pliers and get a better grip.

Jenna, 8 years old

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Water report:
Scott told me this morning that we have "a little bit of leeway now," should we get rain or something. "Just a little bit, though," he added, lest I breathe a sigh of relief. I'm not sure if he's had the pump at the lagoon running in the last few days (probably), but the one behind the house (which I hear through the closed window behind me, dammit— it drowns out the frogs. So far. When they really get going, they'll be louder) has been going steadily for a week or more during the day. Water is being pumped from the nearby dugout to a slough closer to the road, so that it can get away down the ditch and away from our yard. It will flow on down to the ravine (seen in yesterday's snapshot) and onward. Meanwhile, the sump pump in our basement is doing its job admirably; I hear it start up every half hour or so. There's some water on the concrete but I've seen the floor a lot worse down there. For a while last summer we used a dustpan to scoop up water that filled a five-gallon pail, twice a day.

Flooded Roads

At the ravine

 There are three ways to get to our place, and the road in this picture is the one we usually take.

Yesterday it was as warm as a summer day so I took a walk down there, and the water had already receded and the gravel had been spread.

My company is here for coffee — Bev Semko, a friend from high school — gotta go!

***

9:11pm
I hear our area (Fishing Lake) was on the news last night. Oh oh.

Fifty Reasons We Love Karen

My little sister just turned 50, and I put out a call for her friends and family to send me their reasons for loving her. It's been suggested that she post them so they can all see what each other added, but that would be a strenuous task for Karen, who doesn't read and write. (Heh! I mean, WON'T read and write!)

Here you go:

1. She reminds me of your mom. (Gord)

2. Her whole body shakes when she giggles, tee hee hee. (Danielle)

3. She’s an animal lover; whether it be dogs, cats, rodents, snakes, owls or Richard. (Danielle)

4. I love Karen because she is the daughter of my all-time best friend, Grace. She was a natural-born animal lover and continues to be. One year we had a snow in May, and she looked out the window and said, "Boy, that was a short summer!" (Joanne Bohl)

5. Her beautiful singing voice. (Damon)

6. Her amazing pierogi as well as pretty much everything she cooks. (Damon)

7. Her smile, which is always warm and infectious. (Damon)

8. Her overall happy demeanor. (Damon)

9. Those crazy little glass figurines that multiply and are in danger of overtaking the house. (Damon)

10. I remember Karen cutting patterns out of Grandma Benson's kitchen curtains. Grandma had plastic drapes in her front room (very common in the day!) but Karen did not choose to cut those; she sat at the kitchen table with a pair of scissors and cut the little patterns out of fabric ones.  (Joanne)

11. Karen gives freely and without end. (Vickie)

12. Her shining smile lights even the dimmest of moods and always challenges a grin. She is one of my best lifelong friends and I will cherish that always.  Unconditionally I will love her forever and am proud to call her my friend. Cheers to you on your birthday Karen, you just keep getting better! (Vickie)

13. Hey Karen, turning 50 is well.... turning 50 and that’s it!! Just another day!       with a few more grey hairs! You are a great person and have been a great friend all those years to me. (Barb Barteski)

14. I adore Karen because she has been a fantastic friend while I was far away from my family and she is one of the reasons why I think so highly about Canadian people in general. She is one of the reasons why my stay in Canada has been an unforgetable experience which I cherish all my life. She has made a difference in my life. (Eric Oord)

15. The last time I saw her (probably at a curling game or something in Margo), she had the time to chat and always has a smile on her face. She enjoys friends, community and loves her family! What more can a person say! (Kathy Daviduk)

16. Karen is someone who will be your friend forever. You know how it is-- you grow up and you really don't talk anymore. With Karen it doesn't matter how long ago you talked, nothing changes. What I mean is I feel just as comfortable around her now as I did years ago. She'll always be a very dear friend. (Annella Domeij)

17. I love the way Karen tells the pig joke especially after she has had a couple of drinks, and Darcy loves Karen's buns. (Brendalynn Wallen)

18. The thing I think of when I think of Karen is her smile. I don't think I have ever seen her without a smile on her face. Maybe she just likes me and I make her smile, but I somehow don't think that is what it is - haha. (Cheryl Eskra)

19. I could tell you a lot of reasons why we love Karen but I’m sure they are reasons that you already know! Karen is a wonderful person. I will give you my perspective of Karen as I see her at work, and the joy she brings to the residents when she is there. She puts her heart into her job and it shows.       Karen is a very caring and giving person; she tries to do whatever is necessary to make the residents happy. I enjoy working with her as a fellow staff member. She is not only a fellow co-worker but Karen is also my friend, and I am very happy about that. Karen is a gem, stunning and beautiful, inside and out! (Denise Redman)

20. Where to start! I remember Karen French-braided my hair for all the school and church events until she got too old and Joan took over. I also loved babysitting for Karen during the summer and going to all the James Gang ball tournaments. I love my cousin Karen and have also been told I look a lot like her! (Karla)

21. I love Karen because she’s got one hell of an arm and her aim isn’t bad either. (Cameron)

22. Karen has/had a kick-ass throw to second base from home plate. (Dawn Wallin)

23. She's got the best wit of most people I know —when she lets herself loose and throws a few daggers. (Dawn)

24. She's the most reliably fun person to make music with EVER! hehehe. (Dawn)

25. Oh yeah…and she only ever phones me when she wants something...LOL.     (Dawn)

26. I love Karen ’cuz she’s voluptuous and cuddly. (Gary)

27. I love her dimples. (Gary)

28. She is a fantastic cook. (Joan)

29. She is never depressed. (Gary)

30. She’s always got time for me. (Gary)

31. She thinks she’s a good singer! (Gary)

32. She would adopt any of my pets that needed a home. (Joan)

33. She wouldn’t be scared to get mice out of her washing machine, like Gary is. (Joan)

34. I love her because she dotes on my children. (Joan)

35. I love Auntie Karen because she has a farm. (Jordan)

36. She is nice. (Jordan)

37. She’s the best companion, up for anything, willing to try new things. (Joan)

38. She “gets” my dry humour and laughs at my wisecracks. (Kathy)

39. She is the most loyal friend a person could have and can be trusted with any secret. (Kathy)

40. She’s lovable and gives great hugs. (Uncle Carl)

41. We love her music and her smile. (Aunt Reta)

42. We have fond memories of her visit with Cameron to the States: she liked the antebellum homes, and the French quarter, and the pecan pie. (Reta)

43. She is as kindhearted as they come. (Kathy)

44. Everything she does, she does well. (Reta)

45. She is the mother-in-law from heaven. (Michelle)

46. She has a strong work ethic. (Michelle)

47. She is community-minded and will do whatever she can to keep her
      little town going. (Michelle)

48. She is generous and has given me tons of Princess House. (Michelle)

49. She is a forgiving mother, thank goodness. (Marc)

50. She is ridiculously modest and self-effacing, not realizing how sweet she is and how pretty, nor how special she is and why so many of us love her for so many more reasons than we can manage to put into words. (Kathy)

Of course, there are many of your friends and relatives, Karen, whose reasons for loving and admiring you are not included here. Take this list and multiply it by 100, and maybe you’ll begin to understand how special a place you occupy in the hearts of many. You are one of a kind and your presence in it makes the world a little bit better for all of us.

If I had to pick just one person to be in my corner, I’d pick you.

****

Our sister Joan has added a few more to the list, on her blog:
http://ramblingsofaprairiechild.blogspot.com

In Memory

It's been a busy week, between Grandma's last days, those that followed, and a couple of extra projects I signed up to help with at work. Then I had the good fortune to catch Emil's cold, so haven't had one ounce of extra energy in the past two or three days.

If you were at the funeral yesterday, you've already read Grandma's obituary, written by me and read at the church by my sister Joan. She could be a public speaker; who knew! She did a great job of it. And my sister Karen played her guitar and sang this song at the service. She did ask me to sing with her, as she often does, but I don't like all eyes on me, let's face it, and was glad it was her and not me up there. Just as well, too, because my voice isn't in tiptop shape with this cold anyway. Afterward our cousin's little girl said to Karen, who has been singing around the countryside since she was in her teens, "You should be a singer someday!" 

We had a fine day for the funeral, with a bite in the air but sunshine to keep it pleasant, and afterward met at the community hall for a lunch of sandwiches and squares whipped up by the church ladies.

In a two-story farmhouse three miles east of Margo, Doris May was born to May and John Bartley on Dec.7, 1916. They had a family of four daughters and five sons and, although two children wouldn’t survive their early years, the household was a happy one, with music and friends and plenty of community activity as well as the hard work of farm living in those days. One of Doris’s earliest jobs, when she was about four, was to sit at the bottom of the stairs to alert her mother in case her grandfather, who was ill, should need help to come down from his bedroom on the second floor.

Doris, the youngest of the sisters, was also the tiniest; when she started Grade 1 at Olivet School, she could still walk under the kitchen table. She was small but such a swift runner that she won all the races at school and collected the prize “hankies” till they gave up awarding them. Those trusty legs served her well throughout her life. She loved to dance and many people remember her performing the Highland fling at community functions around the countryside till well into middle age and beyond; her minuscule feet flew so fast they were a blur. Right up until her late eighties when she moved to Weneeda Park Lodge in Wadena, she walked everywhere she went in the town of Margo, and at a pretty good clip too.

Doris married Emil Benson in 1939 and they moved out to a farm north of Margo, where they raised a family of four. She busied herself with a wide variety of pastimes aside from keeping the house highly organized—everything in its place—and the children spic and span. She liked to play cards but was particularly fond of whist; she played bingo and took home more than her fair share of small prizes. After she and Emil built a house in town in 1967 she never missed a Sunday service at the Lutheran church and her high voice was unmistakable throughout the singing of all the hymns; she crocheted afghans and doilies; she was a member of the Margo Homemakers Club and the Lutheran Ladies Aid, and as a senior citizen was actively involved in the Silver Threads Club. She was a fan of hockey, curling and baseball (the Blue Jays were her team) and enjoyed watching games whether they were played in town or on TV.

A few things her family will remember: she collected pitchers for her china cabinet, took great care with her clothing and kept her hair “set,” and made hot lunches throughout the school year for the grandchildren, who were completely at home in Grandma and Grandpa’s house. Her skill with a box of Kraft Dinner (what kid doesn’t love KD?) was particularly notable, and her delicious fried potatoes seem impossible to replicate. She took pride in the accomplishments of all the town’s schoolchildren; she always attended their games and plays and was upset when the school was closed down. Dinners and suppers were never complete until the freshly brewed pot of tea had been emptied; the table was neatly set with either a tablecloth or placemats for every meal, and dishes were washed and put away promptly afterward. She took up search-a-word puzzles in her later years and did them every day till she was in her nineties, usually while watching game shows on TV. For the pure pleasure of it, she would occasionally sort through all the clothes in her closet and the jewellery in the box on her dresser. Although she didn’t get behind the wheel herself, she liked to go for a drive with Emil on a Sunday afternoon and remark on the progress of the crops or harvest, or the amount of snow in the fields, and appreciated this sort of outing right up to the fall of 2010. And let’s not forget how she doted on Blackie the cat, the faithful companion of her years in Margo after Emil passed away. The noisy beast even had his own spot on the kitchen table so he could look out the dining room window; there was only one person he really trusted, and that was Doris.

In 2006 Doris became a resident of Weneeda Park Lodge and was happy and busy there among new friends as well as old friends from Margo. In the winter of 2009 she moved to Kelvindell Lodge in Kelvington, where she was affectionately and well looked after and remained content until she passed away in her sleep on April 14, 2011, one week after suffering a severe stroke.

Doris was predeceased by her parents and siblings and a newborn daughter, her first child. She lost Emil in 1997, their daughter Grace in 2005, and their son Bruce in 2010. Left to remember Doris are her sisters-in-law Gladys Bartley, Vera Benson and Trudy Bartley and many nieces and nephews; her daughter Reta (Carl) Morris and grandsons Damon and Nathan and families; son Neil (Rose) Benson and granddaughters Leanne, Jolene, Heather and families; daughter-in-law Shirley Benson and grandchildren Gerald, Karla and families; and son-in-law Don Johnson and grandchildren Kathy, Karen, Cameron, Joan and families.

Our mom, our dapper little grandma, lived her life with determined resignation to its hardships and a firm yet quiet faith that we do indeed go somewhere else after we die.

                                    “Thou lovest these souls that we love
                                     With a love as far surpassing our own
                                     As the glory of noon surpasses the gleam of a candle.
                                     Therefore will we be still, and trust in thee.”