December ~ The Finale

As the year comes to a close...

we find ourselves emerging from an extreme cold weather event over here on the west coast. 

Too cold...

but so beautiful in the valley this past week!

Let me go back to the beginning of the month...

and do a quick re-cap.

As December began...

almost every field was a lake in our neighbourhood. 

For some the flood of 2021 will not be forgotten any time soon.

 

The fields that weren't under water were as green as spring.

Flocks of snow geese arrived to set up camp next door.

With no Christmas gatherings permitted last year...

it was such a treat to start the festive season with an MGCC Christmas party hosted by Herb and Anneliese in their new home.

Good food (of course)...

good friends who had been apart for too long...

stories shared and lots of laughter...

and before we knew it,

the evening had slipped away.

It has been 13 years since we met together for the first time at Christmas. 

These friends are such a gift!

By mid-month the snow arrived...

and it was 'beginning to look a lot like Christmas'.

We attended one of many Christmas Eve services at our church...

with registration required to insure the auditorium was only half full.

Some of the family came for appetizers after.

The Arctic cold front brought a blizzard overnight...

and by morning our front door was not too welcoming.

The front sidewalk was somewhere under that drift.

They came for brunch...

through the back door!

The Christmas morning menu is still the same...

after many decades.

Christmas morning 'Lifesaver' casserole, fresh fruit bowls, croissants.

And a special order or two.

Ranen read the Christmas story.

We opened gifts.

The chaos of yesteryear is gone...

the grands are all growing up far too quickly!

Emme and Spencer organized the 'Saran ball' game this year.

Always so much fun!

It was so nice to spend time with family this Christmas...

though we pushed the limits just a little.

It's been too cold here this past week...

but also SO beautiful!

The Fraser River is freezing over.

We bundled up and went for a drive one afternoon. 

We walked along the river for a bit...

...but not for long!

The geese discovered some open water in Kris and Lina's front yard...

and it is now a bit of a bird sanctuary.

As another year with many challenges comes to an end...

I am reminded that there has also been much to be thankful for.

I thank God for His faithfulness...

 'come what may' He is still in control!

 Sending wishes from my perch to yours...

for a very happy new year!

November Remembered

Sunshine on leaves.

That was November at its best.

Before the storms rolled in...

one after another.

The travel advisory to the United States was lifted and we returned to our favorite spot in the sun...

 after a few years absence.

Sunshine...

good books...

some memorable hikes...

time spent with friends.

We visited the Thousand Palms Oasis...

situated on the San Andreas Fault. 

 We found shade under one the the 1500 palm trees flourish at this spot in the desert...

where water bubbles up along the fault line. 

And just to say we did...

we hiked a portion of the Pacific Crest Trail.

Not all 2,653 miles.

A very small portion!

The sun set on our California reprieve...

...and we arrived home to a welcome mat of red leaves.

We rounded them up...

and then rounded them up again.

The temperatures dipped...

and the snow levels dropped on the hills.

We gathered the family on Remembrance Day...

and all squeezed around one big table.

We also had November birthdays to remember...

three of them.

Micah...our gentle and kind-hearted grandson...turned twelve.

These two who made me a 'grammy'..

celebrated their 20th birthday.

How can that even be?

Love them all dearly...

and pray that God protects and guides them one day at a time.

So thankful that spectators are allowed at sporting events again.

It had been a long time since we had watched Ryder play hockey.

It seems he is playing at a whole new level!

How my dad would have enjoyed watching his great-grandson play hockey.

Beginning mid-month, a parade of devastating rain storms rolled through ...

as I re-capped here. 

It is now the end of the month...

and we are still dealing with rains and floods...

road closures and disruptions to supply chains.

BC Highway 1 from Chilliwack to Abbotsford was closed for 10 days.

Unprecedented.

The day before it re-opened to the general public...

they allowed access to some essential vehicles, including trucks hauling cattle.

I accompanied a load of cattle to the stockyards in Abbotsford...

...and got a front-row seat to view the flooded farms in the Sumas prairie. 

Blueberry fields...

...poultry and dairy barns under water

... and tow trucks that will need towing once the waters recede!

Our local streams and rivers have tree trunks piled high on the banks.

It could be awhile before things are as they should be over here.

The highway re-opened for a few days and closed again on Sunday as another storm arrived with accompanying flooding.  As I publish this, it is still raining and the highway remains closed. We are hopeful that the rains and flooding will soon be over!  

It is advent.

We have hope. 

“You don’t need a reason to Hope — 

you only need the Person of Jesus. 

And He is Coming.”

Wishing you all a wonderful advent season...

as you prepare your hearts and your homes. 

The Flood of 2021

It may not be the end of the month...but I think the flood event of 2021 deserves a post of its own! 

The last few days have been sunny...but he scenes of  trumpeter swans sailing on calm blue waters are not a true reflection of what has happened here in the Fraser Valley this past week.  The 'once-in-a-century storm'. 

In 48 hours we received close to a foot of rain.  They called it an 'atmospheric river' for good reason.  Highways and railways were washed out.  Mudslides covered roadways and buried vehicles...some lost their lives. I can't begin to describe the devastation but you have all seen the images on the news.  I'll share a few pic's of the impact of the storm in my neighbourhood.

Ditches overflowed and our fields were mostly underwater. We brought in an extra pump to keep the water out of our basement /crawl space.  And then we brought in a bigger pump....but not before we had a lake downstairs.  Though we had more cold water than we knew what to do with...we had no hot water for several days. We have a new hot water tank now and are thankful!

 Some homes in our neighbourhood had no access to their house other than by boat. 

Some roads were closed...others were a little tricky to navigate.  

This was my 'front porch view' for a few days early in the week.  

Chilliwack schools closed for the week...but students kept themselves busy.

Water flowed from one field to the next...making it impossible to see where the lane ended and the ditch began.

Since highways in and out of our community were all closed...there was no way to bring in supplies. By mid-week the grocery store shelves were bare.  Gas stations had long line-ups and most ran out of fuel. We now have a 30L limit per fill-up and are being asked to travel only for essential purposes. 

Milk trucks could not get to Chilliwack to pick up milk on the dairy farms.  After dumping milk all week, it was a big relief to have the tanker show up for the scheduled pick-up at the farm yesterday. The cow's grain has been rationed all week as well, since getting grain trucks to the farm was impossible.  

Highway 7 on the north side of the Fraser River is is now open allowing for some movement of goods and services, as well as emergency access for medical reasons.  There is also hope that one of the rail lines will be functional by mid-week. Highway 1 remains closed. 

It was a hard week but we are counting our blessings.  What we experienced personally was minimal, compared to our many friends and acquaintances that live nearby on the Sumas prairie...where the flooding Nooksack River roared in and created a lake.  Farms are still under many feet of water...and poultry and cattle that could not be evacuated perished.  It has been amazing to see how the community has reached out and worked tirelessly to help all those who have lost their homes and their livelihood. Those who had room took in evacuated cattle...some found crowded quarters here on our farm.  People opened their homes to strangers. Others opened their wallets. This won't be over anytime soon! Our hearts go out to all those who have been hit hard.

It was good to be in church yesterday...to gather with a family of believers and realize that we are not alone.  We are in this together. 

When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you.

    When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down. ~ God

Isaiah 43:2 The Message

October ~ as it happened in 2021

'I'm glad I live in a world where there are Octobers'  ~ Anne with an 'e'

Just like that, every leaf is a flower!

The last crop of grass was cut and chopped.

The cattle will be thankful over the winter months.

The golden hour on the water at Cheam Lake Wetlands...

a lovely place to walk whatever the season.

Early in the month, my sister and brother-in-law drove out from Manitoba.

We had a long overdue family get-together in our basement...

to sort through about forty boxes of my dad's treasures.

So many books...

and photographs...

and favorite LP's...

and his collection of caps.

So many good memories!

While they were here, we went on a little get-away to Victoria...

four sisters and our hubbies. 

Victoria harbour at night.

We stayed right next to Fisherman's Wharf...

...and enjoyed fish and chips on the dock as the sun set.

We were thankful for sunshine...

...and the opportunity to spend some time at Butchart Gardens together.

Who knew the gardens would be so lovely in fall?

We visited the Royal Museum, took in the Orca Exhibition and the IMAX show, ate good food, played games, enjoyed each others company and the beauty of our capital city!

October is always cranberry harvest in our neighbourhood...

and I took a few pic's as I passed by the fields last week.

Lucy and Maggie came for a sleepover mid-month.

They had requests in the baking department and were more than willing to help.

Peppernut cookies...and peppermint cookies.

They went home with a few buckets of cookies for the freezer.

Will they last until Christmas? 

Later in the day we went bowling together...

...and landed up on the set of a movie being filmed in downtown Chilliwack.

Watch for 'A Christmas Miracle for Daisy' over the holiday season.

Very few people sat at our dining room table this past year...

but we are making up for lost time!

The table has been set and re-set many times this past month.

A few Thanksgiving gatherings...

a few birthday celebrations...

and a few friends for dinner.

Food tastes so much better with good company around a table!

I think my favorite colour might just be October...

at home or away.

Until next month...