Living in rural Canada is pretty much an example of living par 'status quo'.
A person often lives in the same community where they grew up, traveling the same roads they used to learn to ride their bikes, and later, to drive a car. People pass by neighbours' houses that haven't changed since forEVER , except perhaps a new coat of paint, or a shingle replacement, and a new dog every 10 to 15 years.
Routine is about as certain as the rising of the sun and the setting of the moon. Every year there is the birthing of livestock, cutting of hay, harvesting of grain, and the ultimate clearing of snow followed in turn by the slushiness of spring run off. With all these work-a-day happenings interspersed with the play time of card parties, bonspeils, hockey tournaments, Poker Derby's *,
along with Sports Days, one can complete the annual picture of traditional life on the prairies that has remained unchanged in spite of unavoidable delays ( but only delays) caused by unforeseen weather or ill health. A place where one can plan ahead, predict, and pretty much know what would happen in a semi-certain way what activity would be happening in home and community from day to day and week to week.
Not so, however, for me and mine this weekend--a weekend of changed plans, surprise events, and unpredicted outings have in effect spiraled myself into what can only be described as a pressure cooker of shock and awe resulting in a tizzy which I suspect could be compared to the 'fast lane' of city life with its mandatory quick decisions and the surge of adrenalin caused by the instant acceptance of change which is so often accompanied by a massive outpouring of money for less than quality merchandise.
The first bit of change occurred with the unavoidable cancellation of a supper party due to ill health that was disappointing but an easily accepted bit of change as health issues certainly due surpass any prior social commitments.
As Sunday morning dawned, the decision to attend our country church was made. We groomed, ironed, and dressed accordingly, and drove the 15 minutes across country enjoying the morning sunshine. Our arrival at our destination five minutes before service was to begin was overshadowed when we realized that no one was parked at the church building , no one was in the church building, and there clearly wasn't going to be a service at the church building at the time we expected it to be. We accepted this as probably mostly our own fault for not checking the schedule as we have been absent for the past six weeks or so.
As a consequence, we were, therefore , literally 'all dressed up with no where to go', so we stopped and pondered as to which restaurant we could go to (this in spite of all the food left over from the uneaten company supper which still rested in our fridge at home). It was decided to go to the little cafe right in the same town as the last time we had stopped there we had a great traditional breakfast.
As we drove up we at first thought the For Sale Sign meant that the restaurant was Closed--until we saw the small almost unnoticeable Open Sign in a far corner of a window, and gladly walked in looking forward to our traditional breakfast. Upon placing our order we learned that there was only going to be a Breakfast Smorg that morning and no traditional plates of poached eggs, brown toast (no butter), and bacon would be served. We were also told that the Smorg would not be ready for 20 minutes.
We chose to wait and discovered that, yes indeed, a Breakfast Smorg can be overcooked, cold, full of fat and grease, and served with some questionable hygienic methods.
We ate and came straight home in spite of the Auction Sale held in the former Co-Op building where, if we had known, we could have stopped and probably had a homemade egg salad sandwich and coffee for a fraction of the cost we paid for the Smorg and at the same time been able to bid on a 5 gal. pail of paint, miscellaneous Vintage Books , and a marble topped coffee table to name but a few items that were listed on the bulletin board by the door going out from the restaurant.
Change and acceptance were part of almost everything planned this weekend.
What does it all mean I wonder?
Perhaps it means that just because one isn't working on Wall Street, or living in a Metropolis, or trying to bring Peace to the World, it doesn't mean the rest of us , who strive to live quietly, don't have to also use and hone our coping skills to adjust, accept, and make choices with whatever comes popping around the blind sided corners that is part of Life.
It also maybe means that Living and Boring are pretty much antonyms if you are doing anything right at all.
* A Poker Derby in Saskatchewan is a type of activity that involves the riding of snowmobiles throughout the countryside stopping at predetermined rest stops where the driver gathers traditional playing cards until he has developed a Poker Hand. At the end of the tournament the Driver with the best Poker Hand wins the Poker Derby. People can also sign on for a fee as a Ghost Rider and get to take part in the Poker Game as well. Usually great food is served and beverages of all sorts are available.
A person often lives in the same community where they grew up, traveling the same roads they used to learn to ride their bikes, and later, to drive a car. People pass by neighbours' houses that haven't changed since forEVER , except perhaps a new coat of paint, or a shingle replacement, and a new dog every 10 to 15 years.
Routine is about as certain as the rising of the sun and the setting of the moon. Every year there is the birthing of livestock, cutting of hay, harvesting of grain, and the ultimate clearing of snow followed in turn by the slushiness of spring run off. With all these work-a-day happenings interspersed with the play time of card parties, bonspeils, hockey tournaments, Poker Derby's *,
along with Sports Days, one can complete the annual picture of traditional life on the prairies that has remained unchanged in spite of unavoidable delays ( but only delays) caused by unforeseen weather or ill health. A place where one can plan ahead, predict, and pretty much know what would happen in a semi-certain way what activity would be happening in home and community from day to day and week to week.
Not so, however, for me and mine this weekend--a weekend of changed plans, surprise events, and unpredicted outings have in effect spiraled myself into what can only be described as a pressure cooker of shock and awe resulting in a tizzy which I suspect could be compared to the 'fast lane' of city life with its mandatory quick decisions and the surge of adrenalin caused by the instant acceptance of change which is so often accompanied by a massive outpouring of money for less than quality merchandise.
The first bit of change occurred with the unavoidable cancellation of a supper party due to ill health that was disappointing but an easily accepted bit of change as health issues certainly due surpass any prior social commitments.
As Sunday morning dawned, the decision to attend our country church was made. We groomed, ironed, and dressed accordingly, and drove the 15 minutes across country enjoying the morning sunshine. Our arrival at our destination five minutes before service was to begin was overshadowed when we realized that no one was parked at the church building , no one was in the church building, and there clearly wasn't going to be a service at the church building at the time we expected it to be. We accepted this as probably mostly our own fault for not checking the schedule as we have been absent for the past six weeks or so.
As a consequence, we were, therefore , literally 'all dressed up with no where to go', so we stopped and pondered as to which restaurant we could go to (this in spite of all the food left over from the uneaten company supper which still rested in our fridge at home). It was decided to go to the little cafe right in the same town as the last time we had stopped there we had a great traditional breakfast.
As we drove up we at first thought the For Sale Sign meant that the restaurant was Closed--until we saw the small almost unnoticeable Open Sign in a far corner of a window, and gladly walked in looking forward to our traditional breakfast. Upon placing our order we learned that there was only going to be a Breakfast Smorg that morning and no traditional plates of poached eggs, brown toast (no butter), and bacon would be served. We were also told that the Smorg would not be ready for 20 minutes.
We chose to wait and discovered that, yes indeed, a Breakfast Smorg can be overcooked, cold, full of fat and grease, and served with some questionable hygienic methods.
We ate and came straight home in spite of the Auction Sale held in the former Co-Op building where, if we had known, we could have stopped and probably had a homemade egg salad sandwich and coffee for a fraction of the cost we paid for the Smorg and at the same time been able to bid on a 5 gal. pail of paint, miscellaneous Vintage Books , and a marble topped coffee table to name but a few items that were listed on the bulletin board by the door going out from the restaurant.
Change and acceptance were part of almost everything planned this weekend.
What does it all mean I wonder?
Perhaps it means that just because one isn't working on Wall Street, or living in a Metropolis, or trying to bring Peace to the World, it doesn't mean the rest of us , who strive to live quietly, don't have to also use and hone our coping skills to adjust, accept, and make choices with whatever comes popping around the blind sided corners that is part of Life.
It also maybe means that Living and Boring are pretty much antonyms if you are doing anything right at all.
* A Poker Derby in Saskatchewan is a type of activity that involves the riding of snowmobiles throughout the countryside stopping at predetermined rest stops where the driver gathers traditional playing cards until he has developed a Poker Hand. At the end of the tournament the Driver with the best Poker Hand wins the Poker Derby. People can also sign on for a fee as a Ghost Rider and get to take part in the Poker Game as well. Usually great food is served and beverages of all sorts are available.
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