Walkin’ In A Winter Hinterland

September 17

The weekend we decide to head to northern Alberta (because it’s mid September and the weather should be fine) it snows.  Murphy’s Law, I think that’s called.  We get a phone call before we leave advising us to bring our winter coats and boots.  WHAT????

It’s a six hour plus drive to get where we’re going – the plus being made up by how many times we stop along the way.  Kenzie is a terrific little traveller.  She brings a back pack full of stuff to do.  She reads and colors and sings and asks how many more minutes before we get there only about every 45 minutes. Believe me, it could be much worse.  My daughter and I have no problem talking non stop for six hours.  We’re very agreeable about where to stop for gas or to get something to eat or take a bathroom break.  I don’t like how fast she goes or how closely she follows behind other cars, but when I’m with her she tries to tone down her driving a bit and I try to shut up about it.   The bad weather starts almost immediately with rain, and develops into wet snow when we’re about half way there.  The closer we get to our destination, the more of the white stuff there seems to be sticking around.  

We have been sent written directions for the last leg of our journey because my son and daughter-in-law moved in August to a spot that is somewhere between two small towns we have never heard of.  We find our turn off no problem.  Now all we have to do is drive until the highway ends.  After half an hour we think maybe it never will.  Of course as soon as we think that we bounce onto gravel.  It’s still snowing, and on either side of us are deep ruts in the mud.  We both wonder how a gravel road can seem to be so slippery and I’m hoping we won’t meet anyone and have to leave the middle of the road. But there doesn’t seem to be any other traffic, coming or going.  The next landmark is a little white house where we turn left, onto an even muddier and more narrow gravel road, and then take the next right and VOILA!  We arrive at the mansion in the boonies!   It’s a rather startling sight to see, way out here, a house just plunked down in the middle of a field, is what it looks like to me.  But the closer we get the more beautiful it looks.  My crocs fill up with snow when I get out of the car.  No, I didn’t listen and bring boots.  It’s September forgawdsakes! 

Kenzie and Kale have a great couple of days together.  When they get together they’re pretty much inseperable.  Kale will be turning five in a couple of weeks.  He’s a very serious little guy who has already started his own business.  He has a few vague ideas about it’s purpose,  but mostly he’s just enamoured with office supplies.  He has pens and pencils and papers and notebooks and keeps very careful records at his desk.  Kenzie is immediately thrilled to help him run his business.  They produce a lot of written material complete with crayon drawings and stickers and various letters of the alphabet, and a couple of times ask me to read what they’ve written.  In case it actually says something.   I am particularly impressed by a paper which Kale has divided into two columns, with headings at the top which say ’sorry’ and ‘oops’.  Nothing else is filled in unfortunately.  Unfinished business, I guess.   When they aren’t taking care of business they’re outside playing in the snow.  Kale has a great big Newfoundland dog who is very happy with his new home and gallops around like a miniature horse. They’re talking about getting a Saint Bernard to keep him company.   There is a stray cat that they are trying to encourage to stick around to keep the mouse population down.  Kale has named him Coffee Cat.  And in the fields next to their property there is a lonely bull who wanders around all over the place.  Kenzie points him out to me and says ‘look grandma, there’s that moose again!’

This is a view of a very small part of the backyard.  That blue circular thing second from the right is a kiddie pool/dogs water dish!  The kids were picking up pieces of ice out of it to suck on while the dog was drinking out of it.  Yeccchhh. 

And finally, here’s our two little entrepreneurs taking a coffee break.   Even business tycoons get thirsty. 

There are also three foster babies in this home at the moment.  They never seem to have fewer than four kids around at any given time.  It’s a busy lively fun place to be.  We have a great time.  When we leave it’s sunny and cool - perfect fall weather.  I’m glad we’ve had a small taste of what it will be like there in the winter.  We have been given an open invitation to be there for Christmas.  Somehow I think the term ’snowed in’ could take on a whole new meaning for us if we go.  But I’m willing to take the chance.  Because I’m also thinking it might be like stepping into a Courier and Ives kind of winter wonderland.