me-barbie

BBQ supplies ready! I am hoping for an extra special fireworks display, cause I do love me some fireworks.The day started out sunny, it has now clouded over, but as long as there is no rain, it's all good...a storm in the distance against the fireworks tonight might make for some awesome photography though.... And yes, I know many people are protesting today, and I respect that choice. My choice is different, I am choosing hope. I am choosing hope because I am hearing *for the first time ever*, "oh my god, why weren't we taught this in school?". I am seeing people starting to really talk and reach out to understand First Nations issues, and to take those first, and really uncomfortable steps, towards understanding the multigenerational effects of colonization. I am hearing less and less "why can't you just get over it?". I am hearing less and less "Well *I* didn't send anyone to residential school, why should I feel guilty". I am seeing people trying to heal that. It won't happen over night, and not everyone will agree with me. But I see hope.

*Update* When I posted this back in March, there was no funeral or service, at Jenna's express wishes. I was fine with that, funerals are really for the living. Jenna had already gone on. A few weeks back, her oldest child posted that, rather then, and I quote "a sad and boring funeral", a camping weekend in August was being organized, and all who wished to attend were welcome. Camp, or bbq, or enjoy the bonfire, doesn't matter. Now that's Jenna. I am sure she will be dancing in the sparks of the firewood.

BBC also did an Edwardian one: Manor House (which you can both see on YouTube and buy on DVD). My house is Edwardian (of a family with enough money to have pretensions! ). Manor House is quite interesting as well, although one does wonder what the volunteers for the downstairs thought they would be doing....they do not cope well with the sheer hard work and lack of 21st century worker's rights.

While I would not want to make a slum mini, even for historical purposes, it's been a fascinating series!

I am another Craftsman fan. I did as a child live (twice) in such houses. Now, I am in a 1970s mock tudor townhouse, lol. But if I could, this would be my dream house: http://www.antiquehomestyle.com/plans/stillwell/18stillwell/r856.htm

+9 C today, can get to the bbq and I heard geese last night!!

{{{hugs}}} to you and yours. May the good memories comfort you.

you shall have to come to visit, and I will introduce you to maple fudge, maple candy, maple drinks....

Actually, I won't put the stuff on pancakes, I prefer home made jam for that. But in baking, candy making and believe it or not...cocktails....it adds a wonderful depth of flavour!

Do not blaspheme the maple sryup!

So, tonight I hosted a wee dinner party, where each guest brought a dish honouring their heritage. We had Irish, English, Ukranian, Chinese and First Nations. Me being the FN. I made Three Sisters soup....well my spin on it (beans, corn and squash) and Indian pudding. I had never made this pudding before, but I was daring enough to put my own spin on that too...I added maple syrup to the milk, molasses and cornmeal mixture and baked it. Smelt amazing as it baked Then when I served it? Gingerbread. I made gingerbread.

Woke up to -43 windchills It's "warmed up" to -32 windchill

We've got the wrap around cold now. -40 windchill tonight.

A friend of mine died of cancer the other night. We've known it was coming, but still. The last few months I have taken my coffee breaks and gone up to her room when I could. 5 yrs ago, she was diagnosed with Stage 4 colorectal cancer. I swear, she willed herself to live long enough to see her youngest child graduate and hit legal age. Within weeks of him graduating, she found the cancer was not only no longer responding to chemo, but had spread to her liver, brain and spine. She went for radio therapy, complications resulted in paralysis. We raised the money for a ramp and electric chair, so she was able to go home for Xmas. Small pleasures become large ones. Note I don't say she fought, or lost the battle, or any such terms. She hated that with a passion. In the 5 yrs since her diagnosis, she came into her own, and lived her life to the utmost. Sometimes our humour got black, but that was how we were with each other, lots of laughs at ourselves and at life. I shall miss her.

I did try to post a before and after, but the photos on my phone are too large and I don't know how to resize them

woke up this AM to the sounds of a tow truck rescuing my neighbour....who was stranded in our parking lot. I notice his SUV is back in it's parking spot, so I assume he gave up his attempt to go to work. All the highways are closed, schools are closed (even for staff!!) and most small businesses are closed. It's pretty bad, I live in a 2 story townhouse and there is snow that was blown up and packed into the 2nd floor windows.

Blizzard conditions are now here. We had freezing rain all morning and into the early afternoon, before it changed over into light snow. The snow is now quite heavy. The TransCanada is closed, and other highways are poor driving. Glad I am snugged in.

So yeah, this is on the way: http://weather.gc.ca/city/pages/mb-58_metric_e.html

Yesterday was lovely and warm. Today, it's pretty raw...and tomorrow we have between 30 and 40 cms of snow heading our way!

And I am out of noodles! Tuesday night, I broke a filling on a lower incisor. Yesterday, I was able to get it fixed. So, because it's an incisor, I have to be careful for about 3 days, and avoid hard food. I refuse to cook all those beautiful fruits and veggies in my fridge down to mush, so I am existing on packaged noodle dishes! (Think Knorrs sidekicks).... 48 hrs to go..and then real food again...

GAH! No wonder my HS boyfriend told me I had been voted ugliest girl in school... I don't know about the US, but in Canada passport photos and driver's licenses now must have a "neutral" expression. "Neutral" on me looks cranky or exhausted. Depending on how charitable you are feeling. I had my passport photo taken by a friend, who has a photography studio and many years experience....and I look cranky. Or exhausted.

It's a huge pile o 'snow that you tunnel into and hollow out. And yup, I slept in one. I was the only Gr 4 girl brave enough! The others backed out. The teachers and Gr 6 girls were impressed.

There are people who winter camp here (actually, I did twice as a kid, but both times it was school trips and most nights were spent in dorms...I did sleep in a quinsy though!) http://www.riding-mountain.ca/winter-in-rmnp.html

It's the Louis Riel long weekend here. Sat we were up to +7, so everything turned to slush (causing a snowmoble derby to be cancelled). It went down to -4 overnight, causing everything to freeze hard. It went up to 1, and we had rain on and off all day. My parking lot is now a rather bumpy skating rink. It's actually quite dangerous to get to the car. today it's +2 and the sun is desperately trying to shine. This is nuts for Feb in MB. It's also Festival du Voyageur in Winnipeg, and events have had to be cancelled (not to mention what has happened to the snow and ice sculptures) http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/festival-du-voyageur-falls-1.3990504

Feb in MB is a bit chilly for camping....