Sunday, July 16, 2006

Mighty Manon strikes again!

I love this kid. She's a busy one, but like me, it'll be a wonder if she can stand the nine to five grind.

Video of some Manon style entertainment.

What a day in a summer of heat. Again it's bright blue and the grass is not in need of cutting! Yeah! Oh the smell of burning grass on a hot muffler is sweet indeed. We are going to have to ration water soon though. There's only a few feet left in the well and if this keeps up I can easily imagine the well going dry.

The gardens look great though! I'll have to pull the garlic tomorrow though. I can't believe it's done already. Tomorrow is forecast to go to 37C or so. They low balled today's estimate, missing by three degrees. I'm just so grateful to be warmed right into my bones that it's difficult to complain about any down side the heat brings.

Manon and I gathered grandfathers (field stones) for a local medicine man's sweat lodge today. I hope he approves of our choices. I'll try and begin hauling wood for the occasion tomorrow I think, unless I get distracted with plumbing or something. I hope that hot encounter will help clear a path ahead.

Pierrette spent the day off with Joe picking berries. Joe's had another stroke and has pretty much lost the use of his right arm now. That doesn't hold him up for a minute of course. He's made of hardy stock! There were almost no berries to be found. Both Joe and PU are expert at locating likely habitat for berries of all kinds, but without water, they don't seem to be very plentiful this year. We had enough blue berries tonight for everyone to have a bowl, but that was it. The pin cherries were a little better, but for the number of miles travelled and the hours spent it was not very rewarding to the pickers. We'll have a few jars of jelly for Dad when he gets here. Joe thought they covered about 200km's in the back country east of us. Pierrette was grateful to have been out with the master. She was shown all his best spots, so even if there were no berries, PU came away with a rich bounty for other years when it isn't so dry. At least they didn't have to worry too much about bears. They must be hungry though. I saw an ant hill this week that was all ripped apart by a bear. There are a few hazel nuts, but not even the choke cherries have fruit this year.

Joe was having a heck of a time shifting the old truck he drives. Ford apparently doesn't make the bushing that might have helped with the hydraulic clutch. So I suggested that I could make him one and immediately set out to dismantle the pedal linkage in his truck. A couple hours later, I had a very serviceable steel bushing installed and low and behold the shifting was a lot easier than before we started. Celebrating was fun. Making Joe happy is a great gift. He's got a large does of humility although he's never been anything but a poor working man, his heart is solid gold. I bet thousands show up to his funeral, or I would hope so, he's a treasure in many ways.
I. N. A. T.

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