We were in North Battleford, in a hotel without internet access, and then on Sunday, travelled up north in Lac LaRonge. We are in Saskatoon now, in the comforting arms of Mr. Hilton. Guess I wouldn't have made a good pioneer, aye?
I must say, it was really beautiful in both spots. North Battleford is in a valley on the Saskatchewan River, and has rolling hills that make my heart sing. Our childhood home looked out over the prairies, and although I didn't know it at the time, the "blue haze" around town, was really hills in the distance. From our kitchen window, the view was unobstructed, and really gorgeous. I know why my mother did dishes three times a day now...it must have been such a pleasure to look out over the valley as she went about her daily chores. Our house was on the last street in town - we looked across the coulee to a farm. Of course, since then, it has shrunk to being a tiny house (I remember it as being so much bigger!) crowded in by houses in the lots around it. Gone is the big tree and the vacant lot next door where ants would consume a sugar cube in the time it took you to eat your lunch, if you put it by their hill....Poetic justice has prevailed though, as the houses that were built on the coulee are having problems with their foundations. Teach them to obstruct that little house's view! The lady that lives there now thought she was being stalked as my sister and I gawked at the house and talked about how it used to be. It was very tempting to walk up to the door, and just beg for look at the inside, to see if the hardwood floors still gleamed, and if the "new" bathroom was still as pristine! I loved the smell of our home...furniture polish, a little bleach and always something in the oven. Funny, I never cared much for homemade cookies, but I have always loved the smell in the house. I realize how spoiled I was, now that all of our baking comes from Costco!
So, moving on. The food situation has been interesting. My sister is a fabulous cook, so while we were there, we were treated to garden vegetables with our meat and potatoes for supper. One night we had a whole salmon, which was done to perfection. Then, the next night? Chicken smothered in mushrooms was a to live for! Just never thought of doing that before, but will in the future, that is certain! We also went to restaurants that offered great dishes...even a Thai restaurant. Well, there went the Flex points. But was it ever good! My sister can not have gluten, so she is very cautious about where and what she eats, and she has it down to an art form - knows exactly where the good stuff is! I tried to limit the intake, but it was very difficult when faced with a newly opened jar of homemade pickled veggies, not to eat half of it. Isn't a quart a two person serving? Very tart, very tasty. And after all, it was carrots, celery and peppers. How could that be bad? MMM! Soooo good! There is nothing more relaxing than having a diabetic cook for you, when you are a diabetic. I didn't have to question every mouthful, or wonder if there was something that would end up biting me back!
Now, looking forward. We have the weekend coming up at home, and then we are off to Thunder Bay for the week. I really have to figure out how to slow this man down. My role is that of luggage, basically. Well, demanding luggage that hollers "feed me" or "I am tired"! Where he, on the other hand, does all the driving, works all day, then does paper work at night while I read or snooze to the TV. The man has the constitution of an ox. But I really have to figure out how to slow him down a bit. He is at that delicate age, where he needs a smack with a 2x4 to get his attention. Any suggestions will be gratefully accepted as to how to get this man to slow down a little. Our idea of a rest is to fall into the recliners on Saturday night and fall asleep to a rented movie...maybe we can fit that in in a couple of weeks...
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