Month: May 2011

Golf is good for me!

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After battling tendonitis in both my shoulders for more than a year and then being diagnosed with adhesive capsulitis or frozen shoulders a couple of months ago, I worried about whether or not I’d be able to golf this season. As it turns out, golf is actually good for me! Imagine my delight when I first swung a club earlier this month and discovered that the motion was almost the same as one of the exercises that I’d recently been given by the physiotherapist! Shortly after that, I read that playing golf can actually enhance strength and mobility of the shoulders, hips and other joints. It’s actually recommended by the Canadian Arthritis Society as well as the Arthritis Foundation in the US. Though I don’t have arthritis, the recommended exercises are the same. Sweet!

Over the past few weeks, I’ve worked hard on the exercises that the physiotherapist gave me and have been delighted with how quickly I’ve seen positive results. Not only are my shoulders no longer sore but I have regained almost normal range of motion. When I saw my doctor last week, he actually told me that I could start lifting weights again! I’m not planning to do that until fall but I do have a new fitness goal that will help rebuild strength in my arms and shoulders. I want to learn to do push ups! I don’t understand why but even after all my years of lifting weights, I’ve never been able to do a push up, not even a so called ‘ladies push up’. Hopefully, that’s about to change. I found a great little video entitled Push Ups For Beginners on YouTube and started working. So far, I’m only doing the super simple wall push up but eventually I’ll graduate to more difficult versions and hopefully someday I’ll be doing the real thing. Maybe before I’m 60?

With our two month missions trip to Saipan coming up soon, we won’t be golfing as much as usual this summer. Apparently there are five golf courses on the island though and we hope to have the opportunity to try one or two of them. I can do shoulder exercises and work on learning how to do a push up anywhere though and we’ll also continue to keep in shape by doing some hiking and lots of walking. Since setting my 100 mile goal back at the beginning of September, I’ve actually walked just over 300 miles and am still counting! Anyway, the sun is shining and golf is good for me so guess what I’ll be doing this afternoon?

Norman the tree

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When I finished working at the farm yesterday, I came home and planted the flower beds, an exercise in futility perhaps since we won’t be here most of the summer to take care of and enjoy them but I love getting my hands into the soil at this time of year and I want the place to look somewhat cared for while we’re gone.

We love our yard but it will never be the showcase that some people’s are. We don’t stay home long enough, especially in the summer! One of my favourite features of our yard is Norman the tree. Yes, unlike the rest of the trees and plants in the yard, this one has a name! It also has a story.

In the summer of 1994, we were returning from a trip to the Yukon and were somewhere near the BC/Yukon border when a wheel bearing went on the tent trailer that we were pulling. Richard jacked up the trailer, removed the wheel and he and Matthew drove back to Watson Lake, the closest community, to have the necessary repairs done. I waited by the road with Melaina and Nathan.

What does one do to entertain two ten year olds for almost three hours on a hot summer day in the middle of nowhere? Hiking into the bush was out of the question as I didn’t want us to get lost or eaten by bears so we were limited to the road allowance. We went for walks along the highway, endured the bugs, read, played cards, picked wild strawberries and built a fort using trees, sticks and our jackets.

Hundreds of tiny evergreen seedlings grew alongside the road. One of them was a perfect mini Christmas tree shape. Imagine Richard’s lack of enthusiasm when he returned hot and dusty only to discover that, in addition to putting the trailer back together, his wife wanted him to find the folding shovel that was buried beneath everything else in the back of the vehicle so that she could dig up a tree! I know that removing trees from crown land is probably not an entirely legal thing to do but I also know that the ones growing along the road allowance are mowed down from time to time to keep visibility clear for drivers. That perfect little tree wouldn’t survive if I didn’t rescue it! Being the patient husband that he is, Richard indulged this craziness and found the shovel. I dug up my tiny prize and temporarily housed it in the plastic garbage container that we carried in the vehicle. When we camped across the highway from the Liard River Hot Springs that evening, I planted it in an ice cream pail and there it stayed until we got home and it took up permanent residence in our backyard. In the 17 years that have passed, it has grown into a stately and still perfectly shaped tree. I remember waiting patiently for it to get big enough for its first string of Christmas lights and then, in no time, it grew so big that it was too difficult to bother stringing lights on it anymore.

The name was given by the children who were reading a hilarious book entitled The Plant That Ate Dirty Socks by Nancy McArthur that summer. Norman was one of the main characters. I resisted for a long time thinking that my brother, Norman, might be offended. I should have known better! He’s definitely not the kind of brother or uncle who would be upset by something like that. In fact, I think he quite likes the idea. Eventually even I began to call the tree Norman.

Richard isn’t as fond of Norman as I am. With his lower branches so close to the ground, he’s difficult to mow around. Richard has actually threatened to cut them off a time or two. I may not have been completely serious when I told him that that might lead to divorce but he hasn’t taken any chances! He also complains that I planted Norman too close to the house but his trunk is actually a full 12 feet from the back corner of the garage. Perhaps Richard’s lack of love for Norman goes all the way back to their rocky beginning on that frustrating day beside the highway but I think that that’s one of the reasons I’m so fond of Norman. After all, he’s not just a landscaping feature, he’s part of our family history!

Parallel lines

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I spent about 60 hours over the past couple of weeks drawing parallel lines across the fields as I pulled the harrow/packer back and forth, back and forth. When I first started doing this several years ago, my lines were far from straight and evenly spaced. In fact, the fields looked a bit like a drunk had worked them! Over time, however, I’ve learned to operate the 50 foot wide implement much more proficiently and I’m proud to say that this year’s fields look pretty awesome.

Of course, now that I’ve pretty much mastered making nice even lines, along comes GPS, the maker of absolutely perfect lines! I’m afraid that mine will never measure up to those. Richard seeded using a tractor with GPS for the first time this spring and loved it. All he had to do was turn the tractor at the end of the field. After that he let go of the wheel and GPS took over. I can’t imagine how strange that must have felt at first!

We finished today. For awhile we wondered if this day would ever come as we had more breakdowns and setbacks this spring than ever before. The seed is finally in the ground though and now we pray for just the right amount of rain and heat and hope for a bountiful harvest. I enjoy spring work, the solitary hours on the tractor making my parallel lines and the feeling of accomplishment when it’s done, but it’s harvest time that I really love!

Family resemblances

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We were blessed to have our daughter, Melaina, her husband, Aaron, and their two children here for each of the past two weekends. Melaina doesn’t get home very often so many of our long time friends and neighbours don’t really know her children. It was no surprise to us to hear “He looks just like Matthew” over and over again when people met three year old Drew. He does indeed look like his Uncle Matt, Melaina’s older brother and our oldest son. In fact, the first time Matthew met then one year old Drew, he picked him up, looked him straight in the eye and said, “Take a good look, Drew. This is what you’re going to look like in about 30 years!”

       

           Drew            and a young Uncle Matt

We also heard many people say “She looks just like her Mommy” when they saw one year old Jami-Lee. It was my sister who pointed out that she also looks a lot like I did as an infant. In reference to her children, Melaina likes to joke that we did such a good job that she decided to use the same designs!

      

Me                              Melaina                   and Jami-Lee

There are some family resemblances that are quite inexplicable though. Here’s our youngest son, Nathan, with my brother, Norman, back in 1985

and here they are now.

Nathan in blue & Norman in red

Do you see the resemblance? Perhaps it’s not particularly surprising unless you realize that Nathan is adopted! Though we know that there’s no biological relationship between the two of them, we’ve often teased Norman, asking him where he was back in the fall of 1983 when Nathan was conceived!

Though Nathan does look a lot like his Uncle Norman, he actually looks even more like his birth mom. Here’s a photo of them the first time they met.

So who do I look like? People always tell my sister and I that we look alike but we don’t see it. We’re the same height and colouring and similar in build but I guess we see our differences instead of our similarities. What do you think?

Linda and I

Work for Widows

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We had a fabulous ladies retreat at the church this weekend. Our guest speaker, Jodi Faith, is in her own words “a living sign and wonder”. She has an amazing testimony and in addition to being a dynamic speaker, she’s an international recording artist. She’s also an ambassador for Work for Widows, a humanitarian organization that offers hope for a brighter future to widowed and abandoned women in Sri Lanka.

In the aftermath of the massive tsunami that devastated much of Sri Lanka on December 26, 2004, Canadian, Pamela Porodo, who was semi-retired and living in that country with her husband, Jerry, was introduced to a young woman at one of the camps for displaced people. Six months pregnant, this beautiful 21-year-old had lost her mother, father, husband and three year old child. Without hope for a future, she was taking medicine from other survivors and hoarding it so that she would have enough to kill herself. Pam managed to talk her into giving up the bag of medication. In return, she visited a local bead shop and brought her all the requirements to begin making jewelry and Work for Widows was born. Within days, there were 14 women in the program and today there are over 120. Over 350 children being raised by mothers and grandmothers are in school today because of the income it provides. $60 a month, the price of two or three pieces of jewelry, is enough to support one of these women and their children for a month! WFW has recently been asked to move into Haiti and is in the process of doing so.

If there’s one thing that most women love to do, it’s shop so we were delighted to have Jodi bring a suitcase full of jewelry to the retreat to sell! We poured over the colourful array with delight and most of us went away with at least one piece. Each necklace, bracelet or pair of earrings came with a tag carrying the name, photograph, signature and brief description of the woman who made it. After pondering several pieces and trying a few on, I finally made my selection. Unlike most of the other pieces, my beautiful necklace had two tags. When I asked Jodi why, she told me about Pieces for Peace, a special project of WFW.

I literally got goose bumps as Jodi explained that Pieces for Peace brings ladies from rival factions within Sri Lanka together to work on single pieces of jewelry. Both the Canadian High Commissioner and the Swiss Ambassador have recognized the Pieces for Peace program as a truly successful peace-building mission. One half of my necklace was made by Kanthi from Matara in southern Sri Lanka and the other by Meeramohaideen in Ampara in the north. By creating jewelry together and writing to each other on a weekly basis, these women, one Tamil and one Singalese, have learned that though civil war raged between their peoples for more than 25 years, they can work together in harmony. Kanthi uses the proceeds of her jewelry to care for her parents while Meeramohaideen, who was abandoned by her husband when she was three months pregnant, uses hers to support herself and her 13 year old daughter.

At $40, mine was one of the most expensive items on the table but it cost far less than similar items that I’ve seen shown in fashion magazines and it was a small price to pay to contribute toward the well-being of two women! I firmly believe that empowering women in a society that traditionally discriminates against them helps not only the individuals involved but also their families and their communities.

I love the tiny hand that dangles from the clasp of my necklace. It reminds me that this unique piece of jewelry was hand made. Not only will the necklace remind me of a great weekend spent with my daughter, my sister and the women of my church but each time I put it on, I’ll also remember the hands that made it and pray for Kanthi and Meeramohaideen.


20 000 hits!

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Sometime last evening Following Augustine was looked at for the 20 000th time. 20 000! Wow! I can’t help feeling both humbled and amazed to know that that many people have read what I’ve written.

Unless people leave comments, I can’t tell who’s stopped by but I do see how many visit each day. I know that I have several faithful readers who visit regularly. Most of them are friends and family but there are also a few that I’ve never met.

I’m completely amazed by which blog posts attract the greatest number of readers. Recently, Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout has probably been the most popular! In addition to seeing how many people look at the blog, I can see what search terms have led them to it. I can’t imagine why so many people are searching things like gold ring in pig’s snout and pig nose ring! I thought it was a pretty obscure thing to write about!

I started blogging in December 2007 as a way of sharing our year in Japan with friends and family but I’ve always loved writing and when that first year came to an end, I decided to keep the blog going indefinitely. Though I still use it to chronicle our travels, it has branched out to include other aspects of my life including grandchildren, fitness, farming, hobbies and even an occasional book review. As we prepare for our upcoming missions trip, it’s also beginning to reflect more of my spiritual life. I suppose in a sense, it’s become a record of what my retirement looks like.

If I had one wish where my blog is concerned, it would be that more people would leave comments. I love hearing your opinions and cherish the opportunity for dialogue. Though I didn’t at first, I now make a point of responding to comments. Since I linked the blog to Facebook, some people leave comments there which is fine but I prefer that they be left on the blog itself as they’re more permanent that way. So, please leave a comment, a question or even a suggestion for a future post.

Anyway, a genuine thank you for stopping by today. You are much more than a number to me!

Love through me

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In church on Sunday morning, Richard and I did a presentation about our upcoming missions trip to Saipan. When we were done, we invited the congregation to join us in singing two verses of an old chorus.

Love through me, love through me;
O Lord, love through me. 
Somewhere somebody needs your love today.
O Lord, love through me. 

Speak through me, speak through me;
O Lord, speak through me.
Make your Word upon my lips a flame today.
O Lord, speak through me.

There are other verses but these two could really be the theme of our mission. Ever since Sunday, they’ve been stuck in my head. I’m not much of a singer but I’ve been belting them out over and over again while I’ve been alone on the tractor! I guess I’m getting just a little bit excited about what the Lord has in store for us!

Richard just started seeding today but I’ve already put in lots of hours out at the farm. I spent two days cultivating fields that were in summer fallow last year. That was a new experience for me but an easy one as the cultivator is pulled by the same tractor that I’ve used for several springs to pull the harrow/packer. The cultivator is much easier to maneuver though as it’s only 35 feet wide instead of 50.

I don’t usually run the harrow/packer until after the seed is in the ground but because last year’s crop was so heavy, there’s a lot more straw in the fields than usual. I’ve been out with the harrow to break it up and scatter it before the seeding is done. I put in several hours today and would still be out there but we had a breakdown and some welding needs to be done before I can continue.

As much as I love being out at the farm, I’m not minding the extra time at home today as our annual ladies retreat begins tomorrow and I have a number of things to do to get ready. It’s always a wonderful weekend and this year my prayer is that God will use it to continue preparing me for his work in Saipan.

Here’s a few rustic scenes from the farm:

   



Living out of a suitcase

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Though I still love the title, Following Augustine, I might have called this blog Living Out of a Suitcase since its original intent was to chronicle our travels and it still serves that purpose from time to time.

This week I read an article about a young man who spent six weeks travelling around the world without any luggage. None at all! He took nothing with him that wouldn’t fit into his pockets. I like to travel light but I’m afraid I couldn’t quite manage that! When we leave home, we have several suitcases to choose from but we decided to buy yet another one when we were in Calgary last weekend.

When we fly, we rarely take as much luggage as we’re allowed. In fact, we moved to Japan for an entire year with less than the full amount that the airline would have permitted. We did purchase one enormous suitcase for that trip though; one that probably won’t be used again. Shortly after we bought it, the airlines reduced the maximum allowable weight per bag from 70 lb (32 kg) to 50 lb (23 kg). Filling that enormous bag while keeping its weight under 50 lb was a major challenge. I don’t think they even make suitcases that big anymore. It’s so large that I could almost pack myself in it! Hmm… I’ll definitely have to remember that idea for future games of hide-and-seek with the grandchildren!

where's Gram?

Our most interesting and innovative piece of luggage is the two piece Mountain Equipment Coop backpack that Richard received from his school staff as a retirement gift. Attached together, the two multi pocketed bags are big enough that they have to fly as checked baggage but when separated, the larger wheeled pack and the smaller detachable day pack can travel as carry ons. They were absolutely perfect for short trips within Japan and also wandered Korea, Vietnam and Cambodia with us.

this + this

= this

We bought this set as an early retirement gift to ourselves when we made our first trip to Japan in 2005. They replaced the old soft sided suitcases that we’d been using for many years; some since my university days. Those ones didn’t have wheels which have to be the best addition to suitcase technology yet. The smaller one can go as either checked baggage or carry on and it’s great for overnight trips. The larger one serves us well when we’re away from home for several days.  Together they don’t give us quite enough space for longer trips like our upcoming two month sojourn to Saipan though.

On our recent six week trip to Japan, we took the set of two and the MEC backpack but that proved a bit awkward. Two people trying to push, pull or carry three pieces of luggage through crowded airports and on and off trains is just too difficult. Though the airlines permit international travellers to check two bags each, we’ve decided that the best rule of thumb is one person, one bag. That’s why we went shopping for yet another one similar in size to the larger one shown above.

We may not be willing or able to travel the world with nothing but what we can fit in our pockets but I’m completely confident that with one good sized suitcase each and a small carry on to hold a few essentials to tide us over if those suitcases don’t arrive at our destination at the same time as we do, we could travel indefinitely.

26 no shows!

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After waiting more than a month, I finally saw a physiotherapist today. He was brought in to supplement the regular clinic staff for a week in an attempt to clear the backlog as the waiting list had become much too long. According to a sign above the receptionist’s desk reminding patients to phone and cancel if they’re unable to keep their appointments, over the past month there have been 26 no shows! 26! That’s more than one a day! What is the matter with people? How much effort does it take to pick up the phone and make a simple call and what has happened to common courtesy? Surely 26 people didn’t forget that they had appointments! Had they bothered to call and cancel, 26 of us who were waiting could have received treatment sooner.

My appointment went well. After a thorough evaluation that included using a protractor device to measure my range of motion, the therapist assured me that I still have plenty of strength in my arms. That was definitely good news! He agreed, however, that the range of movement in my shoulders is quite limited and went through a series of exercises with me that are designed to increase flexibility in those joints. Several of them involve using a wand. In the clinic, he had me use a cane but any straight rod would do. At home, a broomstick would work well but I’m using my old golf putter instead. After all, one of the reasons for wanting to get my shoulders back in shape as quickly as possible is the fact that the golf course opened this week! We haven’t been out yet but I’m hoping that I can still swing a club. Of course, if 26 people had bothered to cancel their appointments, I would have been doing these exercises sooner and my chances would have been a lot better! Grrr…

Three & one!

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Where does the time go? Could it be that it was already three years ago that the phone rang in our hotel room in Nikko, Japan and we learned that we were grandparents? What an exciting moment that was! Andrew David Richard Graham had been born to our daughter, Melaina, and her husband, Aaron.

Almost exactly two years later, Drew’s baby sister, Jami-Lee Marie, entered the world making shared birthday parties a definite possibility. This time, instead of being half way around the world, I was in the delivery room! Another amazing memory!

Melaina is no stranger to joint birthday parties. For several years, she and her brother, Nathan, just eleven months younger than her, shared their parties. They had the same friends and until they were old enough to want sleepovers, it made perfect sense. We usually held the party close to Melaina’s birthday at the end of August because we were often away from home for Nathan’s in July. He turned six in the Yukon, seven on PEI, and nine in California.

Jami-Lee’s birthday was on Thursday and Drew’s is today. We had their party yesterday. Uncle Nathan came down from Edmonton, their other grandma was here as were their Auntie Dani and her family and several friends from their church. Drew was especially delighted with his Thomas the Tank Engine cake.

Trains are Drew’s passion these days. I’ve had to learn the names of all his engines; Thomas, James, Spencer, and Percy. We added Henry to the collection yesterday. Each day while we’re here, we lay out his wooden tracks and spend lots of time playing trains. I also have a special folder of train photos on my laptop just for Drew. In spite of his phonological disorder, his speech is improving steadily and he has no problem asking to look at the train pictures. He even knows exactly which icon to point to on my desktop!

Jami-Lee is walking now and climbing, climbing, climbing! She’s definitely her mother’s daughter in that respect. I remember finding Melaina perched in various spots where little ones ought not to be and she’s the child who escaped serious injury when she climbed the drawers of her dresser and it fell over on her! Jami was a bit overwhelmed by the number of people crowded into her small livingroom and spent much of the party on my lap. What a lucky Gram I am! She loved opening gifts and was especially thrilled by the toy piano her mommy and daddy gave her. Perhaps she’s also inherited Melaina’s musical talent. Only time will tell.