Sunny days with Emora

I'm realizing that I need to take more pics of the kids on weekends.  There aren't many photo ops during school days now.  The big kids are gone all day, then we do pick up and it's crazy evenings with somebody off somewhere, getting homework and practice done, so I rarely take a picture all week long and our weekends seem to be zipping by without me snapping much either- all of which to say that all I've got in photos lately is Emora.  But then I have to remember that at her age- there were plenty of pics of the big kids too.

While at Treaty 4, I saw groups of kids heading up a trail I'd never noticed before and I told myself that we'd have to go up that trail someday.  So, the next week, Emora and I "took to the slopes" (the ski hill is the next hill over).  It was a lovely trail, but you could tell large numbers of people had taken it before us.  It was covered in trash and recyclebles.  Lucky for us, we found a couple of bags amidst it all and a couple of jackets too, so we gathered as we walked.

The weather was so nice.  Last hot days before winter decides to make it's way on through.

The trail is straight behind the Treaty 4 governance center.

Emora kept asking if there was a treasure at the top of the trail.  It curved into some bushes, so you had no idea what you would find.  Well, we were surprised and pleased to see that there was a treasure at the end.  Right before the trail dead ended into a harvested, flat field, this blast from the past greeted us.

                                        I wonder what all it could have told us of days gone by.

                                                     We found lots more bottles here too.

                                                            Time to go back down....

                                                                  Happy little trail partner.

This was before a tiny little rain and colder nights.  Now the leaves are even more orange, which is so nice to get to see.  I remember missing the colors in Texas.  We had fully intended to get out each day for a treck, but not long after this, we all started coming down with bad colds.

                       Our physical loot from the hike, to add to our mental/emotional benefits from the day.

We are getting ready for thanksgiving and battling impetigo (some highly infectious bacteria outbreak that Ivan got from his cold).  Unfortunately, we already have a cousin who has had to postpone and possibly cancel coming, but we are told that he will not be infectious much longer (24 hours of having meds).  We had planned a fun day with the kids out from school, but had to shuffle things with Ivan's face broken out- and basically stay home.  He is clearing up quickly, but we didn't want to share it with anyone!  Hopefully some cousins will still be able to make it Sunday as planned and we can still have a wonderful party.

Play dates

The elementary and high school had an open house and hot dog roast.  The kids were excited to show us their classrooms and some of their work.  Our school policewoman was also there and let the kids check out her car.  They got to turn on the siren, and call out to us from the loudspeaker.  So last year, Dominique went to jail as a kindergarten outing and this year, she was in the police car!  Emora went in too, but Ivan wasn't very interested in it.

Emora and mommy are loving having time together, playing games, reading books and doing preschool type things, like going to the cosmetology class and having our nails and hair done.  OK, so maybe that was not really preschoolish, but they needed volunteers and I thought it would be a fun outing.  Was it ever!  Emora got a sleuth (bunch) of panda bears painted on her nails and they curled her hair.  I got a French manicure.  I told the teacher that my schedule is pretty flexible and she asked if I could come back for 2 hours some day so that all the students could check out and work with my hair since they do not often get to work with naturally curly hair.  OH lala!  I've had my nails done fancy 3 times in my life:  when I got married, when my sister got married, and um- yesterday.  Oh and I also got a very fancy pedicure once by a friend when I was expecting Emora.  But now we may be going for a facial, nails and hair!

Brian had a practice with his band in the city and they invited us to a weanie roast.  Ivan and Emora found some cool toys in the yard.

Emora and I got to play with a couple of our favorite boys in town.  Nick and Eric went with us to the park, where we had snacks and played.

Dad always said that imitation is the highest form of flattery.  I'm not sure who was imitating who, but they were in sync!

It was an amazing Sept.  So warm and beautiful out!

But October rolled around and the cold has blown in.  We are fighting colds a bit, so that is not fun.  Last week I had a goal of walking each day to check out all the colors, but then we got so congested!  So we've been laying low a bit.

Our walk home crew is a fun bunch.

This day, cousin Kellen joined us for a bit too which was a treat.  Now, back to my regular programming... Emora is graduating to more advanced puzzles, we have games to play, laundry to fold and kids to go get pretty soon.

More from Treaty 4

During the grand entry, the girls noticed a classmate or two and as we were leaving, there was a classmate and a girl we had met at the neighborhood park.  We asked them if they would show us how they danced and if we could get their pictures.  It was one of those precious moments as we watched them get their regalia on and demonstrate.

The girls would have liked to stay all day and night to watch the dancing and competitions, but the boys were wanting to go home and play Star Wars- go figure! ;)

The next week were the educational sessions.  Dominique's class didn't go this year, but Ivan's did and Emora and I snuck in too.

Of course, she loved the eating stations a lot and who wouldn't!  She had bannock that I cooked on the fire for her and then it was lathered in cranberry jelly/syrop- she didn't share any with me.  We saw a lady cutting up meet to dry.  We both got a piece of fried bannock- because I begged me some to ;)  There were other food tasting teepees, but we didn't get to them.  We went to one about teepee teachings, another about clothing and their significance, one on peace, another was a coloring station, a game with following directions and watching the dances.  The final dance is the round dance when they invite everyone to join in-- a dance prayer for peace and unity.

Treaty Four parade and grand entry

The kids caught on pretty quick after their first Fort Qu'Appelle parade- candy is thrown out to the kids.  So since that first time when they walked back with their loot in clutched hands, they now come prepared with bags and in Dominique's case a matching hat.

During the educational sessions- that Emora and I took in, we found out lots about First Nations culture.  This hat was the buffalo hat.  A child would be brought up from a young age to learn all about the buffalo and when he got older, he would be the buffalo expert- where to find them, how to use the parts, which ones to hunt, how many were needed...  He was consulted or would direct the tribe in their affairs concerning the buffalo.

We found a few people we knew ;)

Ivan loves his one boy cousin in town!

During the grand entry- everyone stands and the flags and veterans come in, so do other officials and all the dancers.

I love how it is intergenerational and little little children were out dancing with their kocums (grandmothers).

For years we had visited our cousins in Medicine Hat, Alberta.  Now I actually know what one is!  This dancer is wearing a medicine hat.  For every cure he had learned, he would earn a feather.  So if he knew how to cure a tooth ache- he got a feather, if he knew how to set a leg, he got another feather...

So beautiful.

The girls watching the women go past us.

These two little girls were holding hands as they danced behind the big guys.

People came in from all over- lots and lots from Manitoba.  There were campers and tents all over the field as people spent the weekend.  They also had about 20 teepees set up- most of which were used to share teachings as school children came out and visited.

canoe outing

I was anxious to get out onto the lake or in a lake or a pool, whatever I could find first, so I was able to convince Mike to let us take the canoe out.  Ivan has been desperate to fish all summer, so he came along and Arwen didn't want to miss out either.  We canoed to a beach, but by the time we got there (we were doing a slow paddle over) the sun was nearly down.  So Mike SOS called his wife (my cousin Sheena) who came and rescued us so that we weren't paddling back home in the dark!

While we waited for Sheena to find us, the kids paddled a little.

Mike was holding on to them with a long cord, which at first I thought was for safety- however, the fact that Mike was holding it may not have been the safest of choices!!  They kept rowing out and he would yank on the cord, which sent them flying a bit and laughing a lot.  It was pretty fun.  I'm dreaming of a kayak so I can get out there as needed without finding others to help navigate.

Emora got to have one of her best friends over- Nick.  She likes to tell the big kids that Nick is her boyfriend because it sends them into hysterics as they tell her she is not old enough for a boyfriend and then she laughs and laughs at them. 

Dominique is loving her dance class and Ivan is taking guitar lessons with a teacher that Brian really likes out in Lemberg (about a 30 min. drive).  It's nice for the guys to get to have some time together.  They are going to Ivan's first concert this weekend too- apart from the one we went to last night- done by his guitar teacher.

One of my goals this week is to get out and take some pics of the trees and hills, to hike up a trail and take in all the colors.  One of my absolute favorite things here is to see the hills transform- they are wonderful.  They are the same shapes, to the point where I recognize the horizon at the nearest beach, and yet, depending on the light, the time of day, the time of year, if there is fog or not, the geese, the clouds, frost or not, they are constantly changing in appearance- like they are speaking or alive.  I'm so glad we can see a little patch from our front window.  At times, we can spot some horses out there too.

My other absolute favorite things here are to swim in the summer.  I wish I could summon up the courage to swim in spring and fall, but I'm a bit terrified of being cold.  The other day when we canoed though, I put my foot in and it was quite warm!  And I love seeing live wild animals here.  It doesn't happen often, but when it does in quite makes my day.

We pulled up our garden after it had gotten a touch of frost (oops).  There are a few carrots out there yet.  We heard that a frost will actually make them sweeter.  It felt amazing to be out in the crunchy leaves harvesting buckets and buckets of awesome smelling and wonderful tasting tomatoes.  I know I'll appreciate them all over again as I pull them out through the winter.  I need to write down things we will do the same or different for next year's garden.  We are such newbies, but we still got lots of produce and even some okra!  Our ode to Big Buddy.  I fried it up and thought of how we used to fry up catfish too.  I think if we'd had friend catfish that night, it would have made me cry.  It was so weird how the taste and smell of even the okra made us remember Texas, our lives and friends there.  Treasures to keep in our hearts always.

neighborhood fun

I should be posting about Treaty 4, the parade, pow wow and celebrations, but that would mean getting the photos off my camera and I haven't done that yet, so you get to see these ones instead.

Amber and her sweet girls and her hubby Greg, live a street over, so we often end up walking home together, along with this crew...

Teagan, Tory, Lucas and their 2 older brothers moved onto our street over the summer.  The kids love to hang with them.  They are from "the Buff" as Lucas calls it.  He said he was hanging out at the Buff all summer and I had no clue what he meant- so I said "what???" and he said at Standing Buffalo- where a lot of his family is.  I was glad I'd asked.

Amber is a perpetual knitter and so as we visited, she knitted.  Before we knew it, my cat had mauled her creation, then the kids got curious, so she gave a demonstration, then handed over her needles and yarn to Dominique as a gift!

Of course the minute Amber left, Dominique couldn't remember how to do it and was looking to me who has absolutely no idea- thankfully we are surrounded by knitters and the cousins have come along with some tutelage.  The other night, Dominique sat at the dining table knitting.  I was looking closely and what she came out with looks somewhat like knitting.  She seemed to be doing the motions I've observed before.  It's weird to see her picking up something (that I have no talent whatsoever in- no less), due to other's kindness and sharing.  I know this is only the beginning.  Ah the places my kids will go ;)  I love it when people can come together to enrich a life with all our little nuances.

School starting/ and birthday party

Ah- the Koops' back yard.  I guess a part of me will always think of it as home in a way since we lived there on and off all summer and since they are so easy going about sharing their space and possessions with us.  I have been known to borrow a bike, or canoe or child on occasion ;)

At some point, the kids engaged in some adult inspired water war.  Sheena was freaking a bit at the kids for bringing out a water war and they explained that one of the adults had started it.  Didn't take long for Mike to join in too.  The kids were wet, but oh so happy and there was a fire to warm up with.

Emora didn't get into the water war.  She was cold already and borrowed my jacket.  Wow- would you believe that some day this could be a jacket on her and not a full length gown.

This one is a bit of a mystery to me.  Sometimes she can be all talk, but not in big settings.  She gets super quiet around a bunch of people and it'll shock me all over again because I'm so used to the lively little lady.

It was our usual fare of folks... Koops', Muirheads and a flurry of stragglers.

We were celebrating Arwen's birthday very belatedly.  She has an August birthday, which can be a bit tricky since everyone or most of everyone and specifically SHE was gone around that time.  I think she was at camp then or thereabouts anyways.

Sheena has an intern this semester who joined us.  Dominique- the rich one in the family wanted to buy something for her cousin with her own money.  She's also been buying an awful lot of chocolate covered almonds that we are supposed to be selling as a ballet fundraiser.

hanging by the fire.

cousins rock!

Ivan especially LOVES his cousins.  He has a harder time making friends than Dominique, although she's had a bit of a rough start to grade 1, I think she was missing her friends from last year, who are all in the other class.  So, it REALLY helps to have the cousins who love us no matter how weird we are!  I've said before that we wouldn't have made it here without these families... they've meant a lot to us with the move here and trying to find our place in life here in Fort Qu'Appelle.