Date and Time

Date and Time Please


Another year has passed and another shall start anew.  Traditional year end happenings of light shows, religious events, and joyous celebration that marks the  success of the world going around the Sun one more time and cheer on its  journey anew on January 1. To mark this momentous occasion people around the world dance, sing, cheer, feast, and make promises to 'Do Better'.

Another tradition that most everyone in the 1st world countries do at this time of optimism and anticipation is to acquire a new calendar to mark the upcoming year.  In fact, there are whole retail establishments dedicated to the selling of calendars. These  'Pop Ups' are transient as the Time they sell and exist only for six weeks or so.

In these almost spiritual manifestations of society's need to look forward and beyond the present are calendars of dogs, puppies, cats, kittens, sports figures, girl figures, flowers, ships, weather, cars, toys, and recipes.  Some have stickers, others do not.  Some have tear off pages and some are simply flip ups.  However, if you are of the philosophical ilk that believes the price of a calendar does not dictate the future you can always pick one up at no charge at most gas stations, grocery stores, pharmacies or tire shops for your "Free Time".

Some calendars have Sunday at the beginning of the week and others have Monday.  Some holidays are printed in red, some mark good fishing and others mark the phases of the moon or good planting times.

Sometimes there are on the back pages space for Important Numbers and Addresses. There are sometimes  Time Zone maps and small replica's of last year's and the year that will be coming next for those who want to remember or to plan far ahead (I always like to know what day my next birthday will fall on).


Calendars say a lot about the households they are in.
For some, one of the most important aspects of a calendar is the size of the space allotted to each date for writing in important appointments, anniversaries, and birthdays, meetings, club dates, tournaments, and oil changes.
In other houses the calendar may not  have a a single mark on them and others are left languishing hung up on the wall with the current page three months in arrears. Proof  that one can sometimes get so busy that the passing of time is only lived and not observed.

I have a recipe calendar from 30 years ago that I kept because someday I will find that one bit of ingredient in the local Coop so that I can 'do it right and not substitute.
I also have a calendar that at one time  belonged on my Mother- in- law's kitchen wall with little notes marking who she had let have 3 jars of pickles (not that she resented the pickles but because she wanted the jars back),  and also  when the wheat was put in on the 'rented' land.  

These paper recordings of personal history  reflect  our values and priorities. They indicate what and who we value even more so I believe than what our Google History reveals because it takes more than a click to actually record Time and Dates.  It takes forward thought and planning on a visual spreadsheet that is as accessible as just looking at the calendar on the wall.   

May this New Year be filled with memories of Joyous Times as you look back on your own calendar and relive some lovely times  made more real  because they were written pen in hand in  concrete anticipation. 

A short calendar story.  I once went to visit a friend's house on January 1.  My friend's Mother had 12 calendars--all different--turned open on the kitchen table. Each calendar was at a different month and with the help of my friend and myself she climbed on a step ladder and hung all 12 calendars up on the wall side by side...January to December.  The year at a glance.  Each calendar different .  Each picture different.  All sizes and all types.  Each calendar forever distained to remain at the chosen month for the rest of its year of value.

A Forever Blessing

95th Anniversary


Tomorrow would have been, although I would rather say will be, the 95th anniversary of my Grandparents Edna and Edgar Dixon.

I cannot help but wonder about the happy bride and groom as they planned the modest wedding and family reception.  There seems that I once saw a picture of them sitting in a horse drawn cutter to be whisked away to their home on snow covered prairie ground.  I am not sure if they had their house already built by then but if not it was soon finished as by the following September my father was born in the family home.

It must have been so exciting to finally have gotten married as they were sweethearts even before Grandpa went overseas to participate in World War 1.  They were neither of them yet 23.  Young and in love with hopes and dreams and plans the same as any young couple today starting out.

All in all they had a pretty blessed marriage.  Three children were born and three children lived to adulthood.  Many grandchildren...16 in total-- called them Grandpa and Grandma and all lived for most of their lives within 15 minutes of their home.  Great Grandchildren were born as well. 

The farm prospered.  As new machinery became available combines, tractors, and automatic grain auger's were purchased and horses, binders, and thrashing machines were put to the side.  Gardens were planted on the top of the most clay soiled hill in the yard and water was hauled and weeds were scraped away by diligent hoeing.
Snakes sunning themselves on the back steps were annually tolerated as one carried milk pails and clothes from the line into the house.
 The cattle were 'let go' on the suggestion from the doctor after Grandpa had a 'heart' scare.

The living room tube radio was upgraded to one with transistors-- although the 'new' car...a Ford Comet did not have a radio but  it did have a clock with a minute hand instead.

Grandma could afford to have new dresses tailor made by the lady in town and did so for years although the tradition was affected somewhat with the predominance of women wearing fortral pants from the Eaton's catalogue.  There were a lot of whispers  and giggles of 'Come see.  Grandma is wearing pants." the first time she stepped into the porch in sharped creased black slimming slacks.

Dishes on the farm were washed in a washbasin on the kitchen counter and water was boiled on the stove.  Rinse water was poured directly onto the dishes and special tea towels were used for blackened pots and pans from the wood stove.  Clothes were hung out to dry or freeze as the weather would allow.  Water was collected in the cistern for washing clothes and drinking water  came from a well by the barn and kept in a pail in the porch with a dipper and brown stained cup beside it. Baths were taken in a tin tub and water from the cistern was pumped from a hand pump in the bathroom.


The coal furnace in the basement was changed to one that used oil.  The cook stove was switched to electric.  The wringer washer was never swapped over for an automatic even after the move to Town,  although for their 50 anniversary a clothes dryer was purchased by the family and installed while anniversary celebrations were taking place in the church basement.   For their 40th anniversary the family bought them matching  electric lamps for their bedrooms,  There had been a small gathering of just the three children and their spouses going over for an evening of visiting.

Black and white television became a reality after about 30 years and then a colored set was finally purchased upon moving off the farm.

Grandpa upheld the family tradition of acting as the Secretary Treasurer of the local country school as did his father before him until its closure in 1964.

They attended whist drives, box socials, school dances, church services, and went to town once a week on a Saturday--often picking up this granddaughter who had the duty of buying the groceries from the carefully written and exact list supplied to her from her mother, Groceries could be charged at that time so sending cash along with a child was not necessary.   

Health and prosperity followed the young couple .  Apart from some common ailments such as bunions, goutier, and high blood pressure both members of this faithful couple enjoyed a life of activity and general good health until they left left this earth

One trip to Winnipeg was made for a reason unknown to this granddaughter.  Winters were a time to crochet  or knit  for new grandchildren and grandpa spent many hours down in his little 'shop' doing woodworking projects.

Their marriage on the farm lasted over 50 years.   Grandpa left the family first and Grandma lived on in their town home for many years and finally moved to the nearby  Seniors Home.

They no doubt endured disappointments in life. They may have actually argued with each other.  Perhaps there might have been some serious worries and frustrations with finances, family worries, or neighbours, but if there were I have never heard anyone mention them. 

To me they were simply Grandma and Grandpa.  Their house was always a welcome and safe place to be and little did they know that 95 years after this special day in their lives  there would be a granddaughter writing about them and sending the message about them  out to whoever wished to read it.

November 10, 1922 was a very good day for Edna and Edgar but I would say that I too was blessed .


 

Tree Truth

We are fast approaching the Christmas Season.  The Season where Christians around the world demonstrate their faith and joy in the promise of rebirth and renewal that is inherent in this great and ancient religion.   It is the Season of Giving, Forgiving, and Thankfulness to which every Christian aspires.

There soon will be decorating, food preparations, gift buying, concerts, and trees.   Ah yes....the trees.  That traditional Christian Christmas icon that stands as a symbol of promise and eternal life with its ever green pine needles as well as fitting nicely into  several Biblical metaphors of strength, connectivity, and endurance .  Trees will serve as the focus of the Christmas Season and will have offerings of mysteriously wrapped gifts placed underneath to be given as tokens as love and friendship amid cheers of Merry Christmas echoing throughout the land. 

Nothing could be nicer.  Well almost nothing.

One thing that could be nicer would be the ceasing of Christians complaining that some people want to call their precious decorated trees Holiday Trees. 

I say to these Christians  Who cares?  If  I want to call the tree that I bring into the house...real or artificial a Christmas tree I will.  If the mayor of a city or councilman/woman wants to call it a Holiday Tree...who cares?  I certainly don't.   

What I do care about is the fact that the very same people who proclaim that Christmas is their festival,  basic to their religious beliefs, and part of their heritage forget that prior to having Christmas Trees as part of any Christian celebration the main duty of a Christian was to worship, pray, and spread the Good News.

Christians seem to have forgotten this far more ancient and traditional behavior.  One can sense this by how many empty pews there are in churches across the countryside on any given Sunday compared to how many Shopping Malls are open and filled to overflow with Seasonal shoppers.

It has long been my contention that if Christians truly want the decorated Christmas Tree to reflect the Christmas meaning then Christmas Trees should  primarily be sold from Church yards with the proceeds going to charity. Then they could be  called undeniably what they  are and  could actually serve to be part of the   Message instead of being an instrument for pseudo Christians to protest yet again against other religions and cultures.


Tree Truth:  I have never heard anyone say to me personally that a decorated evergreen tree  is anything but a Christmas Tree.  Then again I have not referred to a turban or a niqab as anything  other than what they are.  

Might there be a connection?