Another full week behind us. Every morning the sunrise is a little later, and even though we do chores at the same time each night, there is less light to do them with every time. It's never the cold or the snow that makes winter unpleasant for me, it's the lack of sunlight. I'm sure thatI must be solar powered, and my "cheerfulness" batteries just don't stay boosted during the deep dark months of winter.
Coming into the dark time in late October and November isn't too bad. Socially it's a busy time of the year. It starts out with a whole string of birthdays that we usually celebrate with meals out with family or friends, and then moves on to Redvers' and district's annual fundraisers. Tonight we will be attending a dinner theatre and auction benefit for the local Health Foundation. By Redvers standards, quite the gala affair, and a lot of fun. This is the year we get to see the burning of the mortgage as well. Redvers is the proud owner of our own Health Centre (they aren't supposed to be called hospitals any more), a beautiful new building of which we are very proud. The trick these days is finding enough people to keep it staffed.
In November there will be another big evening put on by the Wildlife Association. It is a supper and auction as well with proceeds going to further conservation efforts in the area. By then, we roll into the Christmas party scene and the year comes to an end. It is January and the first half of February that really get to me. I drive to work in the dark. I drive home in the dark. The day I actually arrive home while the sun is still shining is one that I celebrate! I wonder if this year will be any better as I will have a full week of sun to start the year off with. We're off to Mexico for New Years with my sister and family. If it gets me through winter without my usual "low battery" warning, we'll just have to make it annual pilgrimage, don't you think?
Some people would consider these occasions "dates", but I'll bet that most farm wives would agree with me that, while they are great reasons to perk up your wardrobe and get your hair done, a typical date is a much more low key affair. Glen and I went on a "date" this week. After work and a bowl of home made soup for supper, we pulled on all our warmest clothes and headed out to do some fencing in the dark. This is not the same thing as dancing in the dark. Except for the romantic glow of the dashboard light as I hunted for a spilled can of fence staples, there was no mood lighting. The "music" came from a herd of 90 or so cattle who heard the truck and came running and bawling to see if there was chop being offered. Glen pounded staples and I moved the truck forward so that the headlights shone on where he was working - the culmination of this adventure was when we opened the fresh pasture up to those poor, starving beasts (they always think they are so hard done by) and watched them scatter into the darkness, 160 acres of ungrazed land at their feet.
Other dates I've had with my husband are things like crop checking during the growing season, cattle checking when the cattle are up on 21, returning a brother-in-law's cattle trailer after we've used it ... you get the picture. Strangely enough, I don't mind these kinds of dates - back in the day when the house was full of kids, it was a quiet time to ourselves, and now that the reverse is true, and we are always just the two of us, it still seems kind of special to "go" somewhere together.
4 comments:
Jocelyn, what dating fun? And I mean that most sincerely. Obviously ambiance isn't a mood artifically created by light and shadows; it just IS or ISN'T -- right? Could be moon, stars, or fence staples at it's core.
I forgot to mention the many lunches I've delivered to the field,as well. You park into, or away from the sun, depending on whether the warmth is welcome or not, and share a steaming hot mug of coffee and some home made cookies ... dining at it's finest.
Jocelyn;
Who knows, perhaps Mexico will give you a bit of a romantic glow, it sounds like you could use the time away.
Nicole and I don't travel as much as we did when we were first married, primarily because there is no one to watch the animals for us if we are gone for long periods of time...I am curious, are you all able to make arrangements for the care of your cattle and other livestock when you go on vacation?
Dave, It's kind of a community thing. We have neighbours who also like to be able to take off from time to time. We do chores for them, they do chores for us. No money exchanges hands, and we all know that they know what they're doing and how they treat their animals.
Jocelyn
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