This is one of Arthur's favourite ways to hang out.

It's been too long since I've been here, but writing here is just what I need, this evening.

It's hard to believe that our summer in Regina, is drawing to an end, and fall weather is really not far away.

We have had some warm days, but for the balance of July the weather has been cool and rainy.

I am good with the cooler weather, it allows Herb and Art to be comfortable while I am at work all day, in our top floor apartment, minus air conditioning.

As well, the children at the daycare center where I work, have been able to enjoy spending their days outside, as children should in the summer. We do have a weather policy, and cannot take the children outdoors when the temp is at 30 C and over.

 We are blessed with one of the best daycare yards in the city, with a small hill, green spaces, and little corners for small groups. We also have a wonderful park and hill right next door. I was fortunate to observe the creation of this yard back in 1989, by our amazing director of the time.

One of the favourite activities this summer is washing the wood play structures and deck with water using scrub brushes.

Paul, my son has been on a camping trip throughout British Columbia, with his girlfriend Bela.
I just learned that he is now back home in Calgary, and I expect they will be here by the end of this week for a couple of weeks.

Paul sent me this picture, and he looks great here. Bela is good for him. : )

 I've been working on and off on a children's picture book of the stories by a wonderful woman I met back in 1991. She was in her 80's at the time, and I taped her stories, of growing up, on the prairies, and some of the animals she remembered. She had been a writer of short stories, and so had a story telling way about her.

 This summer I'm having fun putting her stories into a framework of some kind, and drawing a few more pictures to illustrate.

In 1991 took a small group of daycare children to the Plains Historical Museum, and Bessie, led us on a tour. She ended the tour with a  story of a family of gophers she took care of as a young child on the farm.  One of the girls ran up and gave Bessie a big hug. Bessie had a whimsy about her, that one had to love.

 

The storyline in my book idea, is that the children invited Bessie to visit the daycare center, and so she visited us and continued to tell the children her wonderful stories. The children as well, had stories for her, and wanted to show Bessie the gopher holes on the hill next door to the daycare center. (Our children do love to look for gophers on this hill.)

One of my favourite "Bessie" stories is of the fall day when she was returning home from a church womens' meeting out of town, and noticed that the sky was filled with migrating geese. She described that the geese just kept coming in waves and waves, and that she noticed not only the "V" formation, but as well, an "A" formation.The next day, she heard that the northern lakes had been hit with a sudden freeze, and this could have accounted to the vastness of the flocks of geese. As well, there later was a report of a small town in the United States, that was just full  with geese. For one day people could not drive their cars, or walk on their sidewalks, because Canadian geese had landed everywhere.

I tried to convey here the sense of geese everywhere.

Hmm, I see Herbert wanted in on this post. If someone is looking carefully, they might just see a small orange paw at the edge of the pencil  drawing just above the goose picture.


Of course, Herbert, you definitely deserve to be in any post here at Mullin Avenue - you are The Boss, in my books.

Well, that is most of what I have been up to this past few months. Presently I am advertising to find a roomer, to help me with expenses.  I am extremely cautious, so won't do this unless I find someone who will be a good fit. I'm thinking I might have Paul help me interview possible people when he is here. I am hoping to find a quiet, respectful student, who likes cats. :)

I don't know why I took this picture. :)

Hoping your summer is continuing to be good.
Love - Brenda