The Wander Years, Part Drei

In my junior high years I got slightly lazy in the summers. There were no sports going on to keep me busy and in shape so in turn, I got pimples and gained weight. I wasn't playing Barbies and tag anymore. I had outgrown my beloved banana seat bicycle.  Although my friends got shipped off to bible camps for a week or two, I did not. Heaven forbid my father pay for such nonsense.

There weren't any more animals on our little farm yard except for our old dog Tony. More of my siblings had moved out and on their own. I was the one relied on to mow the two acres of thick lawn every week while my mom took the push mower around her flower beds, large trees and outbuildings. I had time to think.

I can't remember exactly when, but one of my friends' family acquired an Atari gaming system. What fun that was! Keeping the little ball from touching the side of the TV screen......slowly bouncing back and forth.....wow! Pacman and Donkey Kong turned into all the rage about that time too. My brother got in on the excitement and purchased an Intellivision system which I absolutely enjoyed because I could play baseball on it for hours while he was at work all day.

I can put money on the fact that my brother still has this thing

The flared jeans were going out of style and were replaced with crotch-wrenching acid-washed jeans and the uncomfortable jelly sandals were the footgear of the year. The '80's were fun and colorful, I'll admit that, but the clothing was quite awkward to me, even at that time. I probably hung onto my flared jeans a little too long. To me, the early teenage years were all about how to acquire somewhat fashionable clothing without having a job. Begging. Yes, begging my mother would just have to do until I could find a place to work and make some money. Hair crimpers and leg-warmers weren't a dime a dozen, you know!

Ha!

Eventually, I found sweatshirts/t-shirts and old jeans were the most comfortable and affordable attire. I should have stuck to that plan right from the start....it really is cheaper and much less stressful.

Boys were really looking interesting to me at this time. But not the boys that I grew up with.....that would be like finding my brother attractive....yuck. I should have tucked those feelings away until I was older anyway because when I tried dating boys at that time, the distance between Winkler and Schanzenfeld proved to be the biggest problem. How was I going to make a relationship bloom from 3 miles away?

Time was ticking and soon Garden Valley Collegiate in Winkler was on the horizon. High school is where many of us that grew up together, grew apart. It was inevitable. Different friends, different interests and busier lives pulled us in opposite directions.

I was already missing my carefree younger years but realizing that I'd have to put on my big-girl panties soon. I couldn't lay around playing video games forever. My parents were already reminding me that I'd have to think about working part-time so I could save up for a vehicle in the next few years. I didn't really know how to go about this at first....I lived out in the country so I'd need a vehicle to get to my job but I needed a job to afford my vehicle. Eventually it all worked out.

This was the time in my life that I really, really, really, would like to do over. I look for this period in my own children because this can be a very "lost" time. I honestly wished that I would have had more guidance.

Me in Grade 8

My second son, whom I may need to punish, tells me that I look a like an alien in this picture. I may have to pull out his baby pictures.

I really do miss those young Rebecca years but we all know that nobody can stay there. I would be a 47 year old lady with teased hair and spider bangs wearing platform shoes. That would be a hoot to see, wouldn't it?!

More of The Wander Years

I started school at the Schanzenfeld Elementary School at the age of 6. I originally started school at the age of 5 but I was a scared little mouse and painfully shy so Mom kept me home for another year. Those of you who know me are thinking "What? You were shy?" I know, I know....it's still an anxiety thing but I've learned to work through it. I picture everyone naked just so you know. *Wink*

My friends and I had plenty of things to do in our neighbourhood. On beautiful summer evenings we could knock on doors and find enough kids to play a good game of hide-and-seek. One friend had an indoor pool, another friend had a trampoline and one family owned horses. Unfortunately I couldn't swim and was scared of the horses but there was always something to do whether it be riding our bikes or exploring somebody's big backyard looking for a place to build a treehouse. (Everybody had a big back yard....it was great!) Many a dog-day summer afternoon, somebody's mom would invite us in for homemade cookies and fresh cow's milk and maybe we'd watch a little TV..... if there was anything good on the boob tube on one of the three channels that were available. We'd rather find something else to do because watching TV was usually done out of desperation and wasn't a favorite activity except on Saturday mornings.

Sometimes I would still wander about our ten-acre piece of land. I'd sit or lay by the stream that meandered through the property, chew on a piece of grass and watch birds, snakes, frogs, the sky or the clear trickling water.

Many of the neighbourhood kids had small motorcycles or three-wheelers to drive around and around the village. All I got was an old moped that needed the battery charged every 30 seconds so I dared not leave the yard with it. When I begged my dad for a motorcycle, he just looked at me over his glasses and shook his head. He knew I was becoming materialistic and he wasn't happy about it. Looking back, I am ashamed how I talked to my parents when I wanted what the neighbourhood kids had.
One day I was outside and watched two boys on a three-wheeler jump a driveway. The machine tipped over and one boy screamed bloody murder...he had broken his arm. Ummmm.....okay, I thought to myself, maybe I don't want one of those after all.

I had to settle for my new banana seat bicycle. I loved her. I don't have a picture of it but it was similar to the one shown here except for it was orange. Bright, metallic orange. No '70's childhood was complete without a bike like this. It was my only mode of transportation around Schanzenfeld.

It was technically my sister's bike. Now I'm not clear on the story here, but she wasn't living at home anymore and she definitely wasn't riding bikes--she was 17 years older than me and had her driver's license and her own car for several years--so I declared the bike mine and I drove this bad girl until it was too small for me. Or maybe it wasn't cool anymore, can't remember. Did I say that I loved this bike?

I had other bicycles after this one but this is the most memorable. Today, if the chain fell off my bike or my flared pant leg got caught in it as many times as it did back then, I would throw it in the junk pile. But I was totally in love. To add to the affair, my mom or dad bought me the tassels for the ape-hanger handlebars and the plastic thingies for the spokes. It was beautiful! When the neighbor's bull got loose or our pen of pigs escaped, this muscle bike never let me down AND I looked good riding it.

Things have clearly changed in Schanzenfeld since my wanderlust days. There's two schools in Schanzenfeld now, an elementary and a middle school. From when I was in grade one to grade four, we were packed into three huts until the brand new elementary was built. (The one-room school house previous to the huts had burnt down.) 

Now streets have names and houses have numbers. There's even sidewalks lining the neighbourhood. But I still smile when I drive through Schanzenfeld because nobody can change or take away my memories. 

I wonder if the young children living in that community now are having as much fun as we did?

The Wander Years

I grew up in the southern part of Manitoba in the village of Schanzenfeld. (shon-zen-felt for those who are wondering how to pronounce that nasty German-type word.)

My parents had purchased about 10 acres of land in the late '60's, mostly pasture land, and it was prime wandering-around-looking-for-frogs-and-snakes territory. The house on the property was built in the early 1900's and was originally an old grainery, I am told, but the old place did it's purpose in keeping a roof over our heads. Mom and Dad made it a place for our family to call home.

I was very young, maybe four years old, when my mom would allow to me explore the yard on my own. I'd be out there for hours.

Tony was a few months older than me and he died when we were 14 years old.

My dog Tony, a surviving mutt from a litter of pups whose mother had been quite promiscuous in our neighbourhood, would follow me everywhere. Fortunately Tony was very loyal and extremely protective because, thanks to him, I never wandered onto the road or fell into a well. I shudder when I think about what was on the property at that time. I could have been on the six o'clock news......many times! I've never asked her, but I will assume my mother checked on me as I was roaming about.....although I wondered about those days when I'd come in the house after exploring the yard and she'd be having a nap. Hmmmm. Whatever. I survived.

I had several pets over the years. My favorites, besides my dog Tony, were a couple of cats by the name of Charlie and one by the name of Cookie. (I didn't have them at the same time.) Both of these cats grew well into old age. But, alas, one day Charlie just never came home, presumably hit by a car, and Cookie met her demise by the barrel of a gun. Cookie was a very irresponsible feline and was "in the family way" too many times to count so my dad told me one day that she had to go. Any animal on the yard that was more trouble than it was worth just had to go and that's just the way it was. No questions.

Cookie

Charlie

I had rabbits and several other cats throughout the years as pets but our family also had chickens, ducks, pigs and slightly further back than I can remember we apparently also had a turkey. The latter animals weren't considered pets. They were food and so I was informed to not give them names.

Later in the summer, any time I felt peckish, all I had to do was wander out into the yard and find something to munch on. No, not animals but something much better. We had raspberries, gooseberries (which were the most sour berries I've ever tasted in my life), strawberries, plums, choke cherries and many different kinds of apples. What I wouldn't do to have that luxury now! Mom always planted a large vegetable garden too so I could pick as many fresh peas and carrots that I could fit into a scooped shirt and lay under a shady tree and enjoy my harvest.

I made plenty of friends while growing up in Schanzenfeld. I had no choice. That's just the way it was. I probably had more friends in the little community of a few hundred people than my kids have in a city of almost 100,000. It was a different time and I'm happy to have been a part of that era.

I'm pretty certain that when my kids hear my stories about the good ol' days, they would like to roll their eyes or at the very least, give a big sigh. I know I would. They're polite enough not to. I tell my offspring that it really was a time when we had lots of freedom and yes, moms would just yell out the door and from out of nowhere, their children came running to the house. I often wasn't even questioned about what I'd been up to when I'd come swinging through the door, but if I had been doing something naughty, my mom knew. I think my children believe my stories but it's hard to tell. Hearing myself talk about my young life sounds like fiction to me now.

Schanzenfeld is now a suburb of the city of Winkler. The area is filling up with new houses, built close together with little character.

Oh, what a life I led! *Sigh* Then I grew up and life got stressful. Oh well, all good things must come to an end I suppose. When I was a little bambino, I used to tell myself "I can't wait until I grow up!"

What was I thinking? I had it all!

For all of you camera fanatics, my photos were shot with
the Kodak Instamatic 126 (or something like that??) similar to the one shown above.
Note the optional cube flash bulb for enjoyable indoor photography.
And to think, it would only take about a week (or two) until your photos were
processed at the local pharmacy!

Christmas Time Is A-Changing

We became accustomed to young children waking us up at 4:00 a.m., then at 4:30 a.m. and then again at 5:00 and perhaps even 5:30. By 6:00 we'd drag our wobbly legs out of bed and gather around the Christmas Tree (often times before our first coffee of the day) squinting at all the bright lights that the children have flicked on at this ridiculous hour of the morning. We help the youngest, whomever that may be at the time, sort and hand out the gifts and the kids proceed to viciously unwrap the long awaited presents.With lots of oooohs, aaahs, thank-you-very-muches, and sometimes tears (usually due to lack of batteries in a particular toy) we make it through our annual Christmas morning ritual.

Things have changed over time and so this year was totally different. Mike was woken up by the canine duo at about 6:30 and took them for a walk. When he returned, he shoveled snow, fed the mutts, made himself a coffee and clicked around on the TV remote only to find himself a '70's movie with Jeff Bridges as an alien and waited patiently for everyone else to get it together. I crawled out of hibernation about 7:15, made myself a coffee and continued working on my crochet basket until, well, whatever it is I'm waiting for, oh yeah, for everybody else to get up. Our oldest worked a night shift and headed home to bed right after his shift this morning and informed us through texts that he won't be arriving at our house until at least noon because he's "dangerously" tired. (I get that!) The other two offspring nonchalantly start their day later in the morning.

When did this all change?

Whatever Christmas morning brings us now is okay. We have to face the facts--our kiddies are growing. We still (eventually) get together by the tree, open our gifts and I can still hear the oooohs, aaaahs and thank-you-very-muches (no more tears, thank goodness). You won't see huge piles of gifts under our tree anymore because many gifts have taken a turn towards the more creative side and are given to their recipients earlier or later than December 25th. (Besides, it was those nasty, battery-sucking toys that hogged all the room under the Christmas Tree.)

And sure, sometimes I miss being with family from other parts of the country but for the most part we enjoy our quiet, low-key little Christmases. We still enjoy a traditional cooked turkey or ham, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce....and don't forget homemade cookies and trail mix. We hang around the house, play games, talk and watch movies (and over eat!)


As I can only hope for grandchildren, like many women my age have already, ahem, I won't put any of that pressure on my own children. Christmases are just changing for us and honestly, if I will be looking for more excitement during the holidays, maybe it's time for giving back to the community .......volunteering at the soup kitchen? ....visiting people at the hospital?

Who knows what future holidays will bring!

Dieting, Not A Piece Of Cake

Something really strange happened to me earlier this year. I can't explain how it happened or why it happened but no amount of excuses will justify the fact that it happened to me. You see, I gained 25 pounds within a rather short period of time. And, no, I'm not pregnant. It doesn't matter how many times I sweet-talk my bathroom scale, it will not back me up.

I love food alot. I realize I don't have to eat every meal like it's my last supper. It's too bad that I have many weaknesses. Oh. My. Goodness.....even the wine I have consumed in the past year.....I could've opened my own little liquor store. I know for certain that wine is NOT good for the waistline either.

I'll admit, I'm getting older and my metabolism is slowing down (and I need to get my ass to a gym) but my walks in the early hours just are not cutting it anymore.

I don't want to live out my days where my husband and I point at each other's bellies and laugh. Or listen to our bodies make noises when bending over with tight jeans that should ...just...be....thrown....away already.

I've gained and lost weight before and what used to work for me is getting myself in the mindset that I don't need to eat until I pop a button. That concept was easier when I was younger though. I know I'll never look as thin as I did in my 20's and that's okay because I'm not so sure my kids would recognize me.

As I'm fretting about my weight, I often think about those Dove ads where they want women to love themselves for whom they are. The ads show women of all ages, colors and body types and sizes. I absolutely love those ads because they (presumably) use "real" women, not actors. These ads make me think differently. The commercials are obviously designed to make you want to buy their products but I'm past that....I'll buy what I want to use but I like the idea behind the promotion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DdM-4siaQw
This video brings me to tears every time I watch it. What makes us think we're not worthy of going through the "beautiful" door. C'mon! We must watch too many celebrities on TV and flip through too many magazines with photo-shopped models adorning the pages because many people are confused about the definition of beautiful. Including me sometimes.

I'm not trying to make excuses for the amount of chocolate and other treats I plan on consuming during the Christmas season....no, no, no...I will make an honest effort to stop myself from stuffing my face like a hamster and get some much-needed exercise.

I smell a New Year's resolution coming on!

Christmas Time's A-Comin'

Ah yes, the season is upon us. I've decorated the house...as good as it's going to get. I've started the shopping although I'm not as organized with the Christmas shopping as I should be. My list of giftees changes almost every year mainly because I'm sort of grinchy when it comes to buying gifts for people who I don't see very often. It's not that I'm not thinking of them. It's that I'm just not very good at keeping in touch.

Do not fear, my Martha Stewart-type friends, I really do have more than just a tree decorated.

 The most exciting thing for me about Christmas time is the time off I take from work and having the family home with no commitments for a few days. I like to do what I want for once whether it be bullying a family member to play a game of crokinole or just shuffling around the house and looking out the window every now and then.....or quilting....or reading.....or blogging. I may even make a few phone calls to my siblings (with a glass of wine in hand.)

This game is calling my name.

On my to-do list: buy more wine.

My favorite movies to watch during these holidays are Stand By Me, Planes, Trains and Automobiles and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. I don't like to go out in the cold during my Christmas time off if I don't have to and I enjoy eating copious amounts of chocolate. I'm unhealthy as it gets during this self-confinement period.

No worries, if you're dropping by my house for a visit, I will roll out the red carpet.....with wine and coffee stains maybe, but rolled out nonetheless. 

(Here's a stand-up comedian talking about when company would stop in 20 years ago as opposed to today. I can relate to it in so many ways! )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Swzvm-gXHg

But really, I'm not that selfish to think that these holidays are all about me, me, me. My Mennonite-ness taught me that Jesus is the reason for the season.  We can't forget that our women and men in uniform have played a huge part of giving us choices on how we want to spend our Christmas holidays. And of course I need to thank my parents. Mom and Dad raised a human being with common sense and a sense of humour...although I've been known not to utilize either one...but all in all, they did what they knew how to do.

Merry Christmas everyone! Stay safe and warm this holiday season!

What's Up Doc?

When the kids were little, every other week we were in the doctor's office due to an infection or bizarre-looking rash. Doc would send me off with a prescription or advice for the kids' ailments and off we'd go. As Mike and I are approaching middle age, it's us that always seem to be in the doctor's office with an infection or bizarre-looking rash. The only difference is, when we go to the doctor we are required to get blood tests, hand over stool samples and God only knows what else Doc has up his sleeve that day (besides our colons).

I think Doc has a colon-cleansing fetish. ......

Doc told me to eat a salad every day. I can do that .....I love salads! I may miss a day or two because, face it, I don't have somebody making my meals for me. Doc told me to take Metamucil every day. That I cannot do. I'm okay with the taste of it, believe it or not, but it's the painful side effects it has on me. Doc tells me I need to soak in the bath tub 2-3 times a day with epsom salts. Ummm, I don't have somebody to run my bath and yell "You're bath is ready, Rebecca!" so I'm shooting for 2 times a week?? .....maybe?? Doc tells me to drink more water. Ookaaay, if I drink more water my back teeth will start floating but I'll see what I can do. Doc says come back in ten days and tell me how it's going. Oh yeah, I'll come back. "I love coming to see you!" (I get the over-the-glasses look again.)

I know I need to exercise...doing stretches just doesn't cut it...especially for my heart. I don't want to end up like my parents  --  over-worked and out of shape.

I figured I did pretty good when I stopped smoking in 2006. I quit that nasty habit with the help of nicotine gum. Gum was probably not the best solution because then I was addicted to that for 10 years. When I talked to my doctor about it, 3 years into the gum addiction, he told me that it was better than smoking. Okay, good. My jaw took a beating all those years but eventually I got off of that too.

I know I'm getting older and for the most part I'm okay with that....although I thought I just turned 18 until recently when I couldn't find my reading glasses and they were on the top of my head. Hmmm. I was looking for those things for quite some time too.

Thankfully, hubby and I have never had very serious health issues but as we're aging and dangling around the half-century mark, we're seeing our health in a new light. But Doc, do we really need to go through all the colon-cleansing? I think he needs to calm down with that.....is this his addiction, I wonder?