The other day I was thinking about what Sept. means in our lives. The one thing that comes to mind is harvest. Living in the city one doesn't often think about what is going on out in the country. Bob sees farm and ranch land on the days that he goes to work but I can go for months and not realize that the rhythm of rural life continues on. That rhythm continues whether those of us who don't see the change. So I began to reminisce a bit about fall.
A big thing is back to school. The best deal that I could find on lined loose leaf this year was ten cents a pack which is great. I had to buy one----well...............just because it is fall. Over the coming years I am sure we will use up all the packages that we have.
This is also the month we dug up all the root crops in the garden. I can still smell the dirt as you dig for potatoes. The big deal was pulling the plant up and seeing how many potatoes stayed attached and how big they had grown. We would usually start digging with a fork but would pierce to many potatoes, so then out came the spade. The potatoes that were pierced or cut by the spade went in one pile so we would use them up quickly. The small potatoes in another pile. Now these small potatoes, that often were tossed over the fence, bring top dollar-----at least in the grocery stores. The rest of the potatoes for keeping over winter in another pile. Let them dry off and then we put them into grain sacks. We loaded them on the kids' wagon and away to the basement to be stored. The air was usually brisk with yellow/golden leaves falling---ah fall!!! Then of course we had carrots and beets and even some parsnips make it into the house. We would also make sure the onions dried down by pushing over the green stems to stop the growing and start the drying. In my garden it was more stomping over the green than pushing over. One year my mom-in-law braided all the onions together and we hung them in the basement and to use them ---- just break off the bottom one..
Fall also was time to combine the grain. This could often be a very tense time of year depending on the weather. There is nothing better than on a sunny, bright day to watch the combine hum along the rows and rows of swathed grain. The grain would be a steady stream into the hopper. These days had everyone smiling. The part I liked was packing lunch or supper and taking the kids out to the combine. The guys would stop and we would have a picnic together. The kids and ladies stayed longer as the guys usually ate and went back to work quickly. The nights that had no dew and the moon was full our guys often combined through the night. That was so pretty and so satisfying. Perhaps I am romanticizing it a bit, looking back. So,,,, Bob often said:" well, of course it doesn't break until you are using it". We also had our fair share of breakdowns. The kids and I would drive to town with a broken something to get a new something.
Take a sniff and use your imagination. Can you smell the fire? All the leaves have been raked and a few dry logs of oak are added and just like that, a bedtime wiener roast with everyone in parkas or wrapped in quilts. To be truthful we only raked what was needed for the fire as we didn't have a lot of forest in our yard. Now Gerry, well he raked and raked----using the grass picker upper attachment. Gotta say Gerry and family had great fires!!!!!!
Oh Oh, I didn't mention corn. Corn-- anyway you like to eat it--boiled, roasted, on the cob, off the cob with that wonderful butter dripping down your arms,--- yum. This was of course after you beat the raccoons to the corn. A radio out in the corn? For sure. After a while the raccoons get use to the talking and choose their own channels, usually country music!!!!!! This too is fall.
Often times fall is very different. Case in point: this year 2014 before the leaves even changed color a snow storm came through southern Alberta. Sept. 5 and 6th we had almost a foot of heavy wet snow in our part of the city. Lots of trees damaged by the sheer weight of the snow, power lines were down all over the city. The newspaper claimed this was the earliest snow in a century. Today is +25C. and the temp will be warm all week--way above average. The poplar trees are a beautiful deep yellow and the catoneasters are turning red. A different fall for sure.
The year 2004 also had a very different fall for us. This was the month that we were leaving the farm for the very last time. It took a lot of time and effort to empty barns and shops and garages and our house. We sold 45 tons of scrap metal from Bob's storage pile "may need it some time". We had bought a house in Brandon with possession the beginning of Oct. Bob already had clients for his handyman business. I was still working at the school in the Hutterite Colony. I had a wonderful ideal of what living in the city would be like, could hardly wait. We were going to live with Gerry and Claire until Oct but were first of all heading to Calgary to visit Tim and Barbie and the kids. They had made the big move from Thunder Bay in August and we hadn't gone out to see their home and new surroundings. Tim and Barbie wanted to be in Calgary for the beginning of the school year, Colton going into grade 2 and Aston to grade 1. Emily had another year at home before kindergarten.
I came home from school that day, Sept.23, and Bob quickly ran from the shop to meet me. He was upset and looked awful. My first reaction was "oh no the sale of the farm fell apart". Bob hugged me and said "Tim fell at work and is in the hospital". West Jet was hiring later in the fall and with the flying hours Tim had, he was pretty much assured to be hired. In the mean time he walked down the block and got hired on as a framer building houses.
I didn't or wouldn't allow myself to think it might be really bad. I was sure that by the time we arrived in Calgary all would be well or almost well. Bob seemed to grasp how serious it was for Tim. Barbie cried and cried when we spoke with her. I assured her over and over all would be well. Sept 26 was the possession day of the farm so we worked like mad to get everything finished. On the 25th of Sept we left for Calgary about four 0'clock in the afternoon. We went straight to Foothills Hospital and the reality of Tim's situation and the situation of Barbie and the kids became all to clear.
This is the 10th anniversary of that horrible life changing fall. Life changing for so very many people. For Tim and Barbie, Colton , Ashton and Emily their lives were impacted in ways that are still unsettling and make me cry. We have no idea this side of heaven what truly happened to each of them. Perhaps this is not an anniversary of celebration but maybe one of reflection of the events, feelings, attitudes, goals and dreams, the good and the bad. How will we go on now ten years older?
Shamus who is now 5 years old, starting kindergarten this fall. Shamus is the picture of his daddy. Shamus and the futures ahead for the big kids give hope for the times ahead.
"For I know the plans I have for you",says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11
In the face of everything that fall of 2004 brought into Tim and Barbie's life that verse can seem callous to their situation. Yet that is the very verse Barbie choose to take them through that beginning time. I have learned that the future and the hope that Jeremiah speaks of is only found in knowing Jesus, really learning to know Him through reading His word and allowing the Holy Spirit to teach us what He desires us to know. We can then know the hope and future. We can discern what the Lord has for us each day as part of those plans.
Fall is a lot of different things for us in a number of different seasons of life.
September/Fall/Peace
