Us Lately

We've been living in Morden for 7 months now.  During supper this evening we watched our neighbour cut her grass, and realized that in the entire time we have lived here this was the first time we've seen that.  Life in manitoba is like that I guess.  7 months of winterish weather.

There has been a lot of things to do on our house, and perhaps we have taken on more than we should, but we are starting to see the fruits of our labour.  We've cleaned up the shrubs in front of the house and put in some new flower beds.  It has taken us a long time, but we are getting some of the stumps out of the back yard.  We spent 2 summers cleaning up all the stumps out of our yard in Boissevain, and I am pretty sure that without heavy machinery we will spend 3 or 4 summers on this back yard.  Argh.  I hate stumps!  If you need to take out some frustration, give me a call and i'll point you towards a tree you can chop down.

The basement is coming along.  I am really excited to get that project done.  Hopefully by september we'll be able to have a usable space.  The drywall is almost done and Trev has been taking his time and doing a great job!  It may not look like much yet, but it's gonna be great to have that extra living space.  We have had a tiny trickle of water coming into the basement, so we'll have to deal with that before putting in flooring, but overall the basement is sound.

Us Lately part 2 - Reptile Gardens

We took a trip to Brandon over may long weekend to visit Grandma and Grandpa Fleming.  It rained. It rained a lot, and because there was nothing we could do outside, we went for a trip to Reptile Gardens.  I am not a fan of creepy crawlies or slimy things. This was an entire building FULL of them.  (Full body shiver)  Anyway, they were all behind glass and the kids had a great time.  Brook loved the iguana that came up to the glass to see her.  

I learned that crocodiles can hold their breath for 1/2 hour, and can live 80-100 years.  We did not buy any pets on our way out.  We took a short glance at the bulletin board on a way out and there was a picture of a boa constrictor that had eaten a man, as well as the results of a few snake bites.  At that point I was ready to leave.

Us Lately part 3 - Random Happenings

We took a trip to Stienbach because Trev was taking a course at SBC, which gave the kids and I a chance to visit with Beth and Nora.  We stayed at the Days Inn so we got lots of swimming and visiting done.  Not much sleeping, but we had a good time.  Trev learned a lot too, which was the whole point. There were 3 big pieces of machinery parked by the highway, so the kids and I took some pictures.  Yes, they are in this picture, you just have to look hard.

We had a great impromptu family gathering at the farm about 4 weeks ago. Now that I think about it this was not the best picture to post, because it was a really fun time.  The kids got really dirty playing in the mud and generally exploring the yard.  Brook collided with a cousin on the trampoline and this was the result.  4 weeks later and she still has a little bit of a bruise.

 We were outside doing some yard work and I heard a bird, but I couldn't place it.  It raised the hairs on my neck and brought back memories of feathers in the ice cubes and being harassed about my pet choices.  Sure enough I turned around and there was a budgie perched on the back gate of the red trailer.  We tried to lure him closer, but he was unsure about us and eventually took off.  I didn't want a budgie for a pet, but it was pretty cold out and I was concerned for his life.

As a family we took a trip to the farm for a breath of fresh air.  I have to admit that living in Morden has been a bit of a challenge.  I feel a bit crowded, and although I am determined to love my neighbours, I don't always want to hear and see them.  I am looking forward to our tree's getting some leaves.  It is always great to go to the farm and take a deep breath.  Sometimes just driving up the hill on my way west out of town is refreshing.  I spent some time cleaning up the horses and enjoying Mom's cooking.  Trev sat on the deck and read a book.  Brook and Jack jumped on the trampoline until they were exhausted.  We celebrated mothers day on Sunday, but I think monday was really the day I enjoyed the most.

We made smores over the BBQ.  There was marshmallow EVERYWHERE. It was worth it.