CAPTAIN'S LOG STAR DATE 06 APRIL IN THE YEAR 2011

FINAL LOG ENTRY

My time as an American migrant farm worker has come to an end and so with that I must bring this blog to a close.  The last few weeks on the farm were incredibly trying.  I was not making any more trips to Saskatoon and there was nothing left but the overwhelming isolation of  my environment, and even worse was the inability to escape the constant thought processes (dare I say "voices") going on in my mind which I could find no escape.  There were seriously days when I wondered if I could hold on, but if I lost it no one would even know...and then what?  Thank God for Skype, and two of the best friends a person could wish for, Chris and Rita.  They  became my daily contact with civilization and offered the encouragement and confidence I needed to pack up and get out.  Karen called just about everyday, too. A lot of the time we'd just discuss the mess happening in Madison with that moron Scott Walker at the helm. It was such a needed distraction. Another reason I knew where I needed to go. Home. Then the many sincere offers of a place to stay until I got on my feet also began to present themselves. Several from dear sistas I hardly knew. The guys were due back in a week or two (one never knows as they function on their own time which I truly admire), but as badly as a wanted to stay and see them I knew I had to go.

No one sold shipping boxes in the Outlook area.  Doh!  A trip all the way to Saskatoon.  But even that meant I had to wait until the roads were drivable.  Finally got my boxes and got them packed and ready to ship.  More snow.  More waiting.  At one point I just headed out saying the hell with it!  Made it a short distance down the main road and knew it wasn't worth risking my life.  Turned around, back to the farm, and I again waited a couple more days.  But the day did finally come when the sun was shining brightly and the roads welcomed me back. Back to Saskatoon for the last time to drop the boxes off at the UPS Store. It felt so unusual to have been there twice now,  and not to have seen Sam.  I had already made arrangements for someone to look in on Cletis Ann for the last week until the guys got back, and friends of Mavis' from Outlook were going to check in with her on a daily basis also.  The time had come to leave Canada behind. 

I stopped in to say good-bye to Mavis.  We had our usual tea, and we ate some donuts that I had picked up on the way.  We had grown very close.  She is a very wise woman and I knew I would miss out chats and her insistence on taking time to have tea.  I'm sorry I didn't learn to play Cribbage, Mavis.  Perhaps we will still have that chance to play each other. On Thursday, March 24, with tear filled eyes, and emotionally spent,  I headed for the border.  I pulled into my old apartment building on Saturday, March 26th.  Chris has been working feverishly since trying to make room for me so that I feel welcomed.  Our goal is to both "pull up our big girl pants" and get busy.  Splitting bills for a while until we get on our feet would help us both tremendously

It's kind of funny.  I don't know where my life is headed now anymore then the first time I headed for Canada back in June of 2010.  All I know is that I had an incredible time and I will never forget being an illegal migrant farm worker.  We all worked so hard and played so hard...we lived! I saw such beauty that I may never see again.  Will I ever out grow this thing inside me that has a tendency to just pack up and go?  I'd like to say yes, but then what fun would that be?  Is it better to have loved and lost then to have never have loved at all?.....my Goddess/God and I are still discussing this in great detail.
Blessings and great love to you all.

Maggie

THE END.

Message To Self

Dear Self:

Next time I start a relationship with someone (if and when) make sure that individual does not believe that 1 (one) argument constitutes the end of that said relationship.  I can't even believe I didn't think to check that out before hand!  Damn!  What was I thinking. I am so out of practice in today's dating world.  We had been together 9 months already! That's crazy. Of all the things that could have gone wrong by throwing a city girl onto the Canadian prairie for a winter (those stories yet to come) the only catastrophe was my relationship.  I guess that solves the problem I thought I faced of changing the title of my blog.  There is always a bright side isn't there...I remain "Single White Female American Migrant Farm Worker." Sam is very special.  She always will be.  And I must say meeting her family and having gotten to spend time with them has deeply enriched my life.

Also, no more "nice!"  I am not nice.   If I ever was nice, I am nice no more.  In fact, I am a mean, cruel, abusive, angry, person who just happens to be too sensitive, menopausal, perhaps a  bit too isolated at the moment (R-E-D-R-U-M), and an all round smorgasbord! I'm just saying, "look out."  You've been warned.   I used to get so angry (see, I'm angry right there) with Dwayne when he would say, "woman put the I-R- in RATIONAL.  Dwayne, as hard as it is for me to say.....you are so right.  But you already knew that.

It is only a matter of time now and "the boys" will begin their trek home to Canada. Admit it ladies...you're going to miss them terribly, but you're ready for them to leave, aren't you? (Tee Hee) They are very hard to keep up with sometimes.  Down right exhausting!  From my first spring here until the ending of my first winter I have decided that I wish to continue my blog as it serves as such an outlet for me during such an uncertain time in my life.  Sometimes it just helps to write it down.  And if you wish to follow I welcome you and always encourage tips, advise, a good joke,  recipes...whatever you feel comfortable with.

Peace and Hugs      (Pictures to follow next time)

The Year 2010...A Field Workers Reflection

Personal Discoveries

Moss won't grow on a rolling stone.  The first 5 months of 2010 found moss growing on my ass.  Keep moving.

If the time ever comes when you feel you are left with no hope and you feel so totally immersed in your sorrow that you stop believing it will get better get in the car and drive to frickin Canada.  Ok, it doesn't have to be Canada.  Just change your seat!

Working in an organic garden is very hard work and picking green beans really sucks.  But I can live with it.  For awhile more maybe...

I prefer the sun rising at 4am and it staying light out until 10pm over these crazy winter hours of darkness.

One can never say they will never fall in love again because one never really knows when never is. (what?)

I really never want to help clean the ducks and geese! That's what I know about never!

Family and friends really do stay in your heart.  No matter what country you may find yourself in they still seem to always be with you.

My Garmin (GPS) was a great investment.  As was the block heater I had installed.

Two lives can be infinitely altered by the simple sentence, "I never thought my knight in shining armor would be a woman." Thank you Sam.  Thank you Universe.


HAPPY NEW YEAR!  Ya'll down in Texas be careful and watch out for those falling bullets!  See you in 2011!  And remember as you start the new year what you put out into the universe will come back to you.  Believe and always keep the faith!

An Inside Look at Outlook

Welcome to Outlook, Saskatchewan.  And look...they even have a rainbow on their sign to greet visitors.  Coincidental you may ask?  Hard to tell, but I like to think it's there for....well you know.  Although the indigenous population of Saskatchewan has existed in the province for possibly 6,000 years settlers declared Outlook a village on August 6, 1908.  A huge railway station was soon established and on November 23, 1908 citizens welcomed the first train and Outlook became a gateway to the west.  On November 1st, less than 1 year after being settled Outlook was officially declared a town.  Population statistics differ, however, I did find a number of 11,114 which was as of November 10, 2009.  I suppose now it would be 11,115 with me here, but no one is suppose to know.  There is your history lesson.

Outlook is the home of Skytrail which is Canada's longest pedestrian bridge.  It measures 3000 feet across and stands 150 feet above the beautiful South Saskatchewan River.  Have any of us crossed it yet?  No. As the farmers say, "there's always next year."  I will cross that bridge this summer!  And I will raft the river.

Let's see.  What else...this is part of Saskatchewan Ave. one of the main streets.  There are banks, stores, the credit union, the Co-Op grocery store, the AG grocery store, a tire place and of coarse most important the liquor store. 

The liquor stores are all controlled by the government.  No independent owners in Saskatchewan (not sure about any other province) and all prices are the same in all of them.  This location had a sudden increase in their brandy sales upon my arrival (go figure) and they had to start ordering it.  Previously it wasn't something they sold much of. 

This next picture I love.  Competition can be pretty tough in a small town so why not just all open up next door to each other?!  Here we have 3 restaurants all in a row.  The K&S Restaurant serving Chinese and Canadian food, The Golden Dragon serving Chinese, Japanese and Canadian food, and then there is the Modern Family Restaurant.  They just claim to be a "licensed dining room."

And also on this street is where you will locate the men and women who protect this town.

 

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

It is my understanding that there are 3 vehicles that operate out of this RCMP building.  When 3 vehicles can be seen here speed limits on the roadways have a tendency to fluctuate somewhat.

Just around the corner from Saskatchewan Ave. is a street called Franklin.  This is an equally important part of the town.  Here you will find the post office, the hardware store,  Sasktel Electric, a florist, insurance office, a bakery and even a coffee shop. Not to mention one of the best meat markets I've ever been in.  The family that owns it has been there since 1975.  The cute little movie theater I showed you in an earlier post is directly across from the hardware store.



CJ's Java Joint and Outlook Bakery further down



But wait.  We're not done.  Here is a picture of the Outlook Museum.  Dwayne and Alton volunteered to paint all the trim of the building this past summer.  They did it as their civic duty.  Isn't that nice?  Now I couldn't live with myself if I didn't mention the Yang to this.  Their mother's house is in dire need of painting. Kind of like the cobbler's son who had no shoes.  Her house seems to fall into that ambiguous category of "there is always next year".  Sorry guys.  It's the truth.  I know you take such excellent care of her in so many other ways...but her house.  You will see that while her boys are away Maggie's got Mavis' back.

Outlook Museum

Hotel/Restaurant/Bar (w/pool table!)

Hospital and Medical Clinic

Speaks for itself...

Why there is even a Sears catalogue center in town! 

So, there you have it.  A quick look into Outlook.  There is quite a bit more to it.  These are just a few of the many important places that keep this town alive.  There are many apartment buildings and many nice new areas with big beautiful homes being built.  This province is experiencing a tremendous boom.  I hope that you have enjoyed seeing this town as much as I have enjoyed showing it to you.

Blessings for the new year.........

SOS...FRUIT FLY INVASION

I'm not exactly sure why, but the TempleRoseth Organic Garden's kitchen has seemed to have become a winter vacation destination for quite a few fruit flies.  And at this moment there are no fruits here (HA-HA-HA-HA-HA)!!!  I just had to zing that one in there!  Any suggestions for the elimination of these moochers would be ever so appreciated.

Cletis Ann seems to be having a great time chasing them, however, I really don't think she's is actually doing anything to control the population.

Well Hello Again.

A few nights ago (actually it was Thursday, 23 December, how can I forget) I was pulling into the farm driveway after coming home from the store in Outlook when something very unexpected occurred.  My plan was to get into the house and start some serious baking to take to Saskatoon with me the next day.   I wanted a variety of holiday treats that might thoroughly impress my new extended family. It all looked great on paper.  But then it happened.  Backing into the spot I use for parking so that I can make an easy forward drive out I somehow totally misjudged my positioning and ended up sliding ever so gracefully down the small hill that sits besides the driveway.  I know!  Don't say it.  I immediately had visions of no baking being done and of coarse, no way to get to Saskatoon the next day.

I went into the house quite disheartened and called Mavis. "Mavis, I'm stuck."  "Call Albert!" was the Roseth family matriarchal command.  Well, I already knew that, but since never having met Albert I was kind of hoping she would do it for me, but no such luck.  The guys had already spoken to Albert and he was prepared for helping out if needed.  He is also responsible for plowing the drive-way so that I can get out, and hauling water in for me when the cistern runs out.  Bless his heart!  I picked up the phone and made the call. 

Not 15 minutes later this huge John Deere tractor, lit up like a small city, came cruising down the drive-way.  Now where can I get me one of those?!  And so I had the great privilege of meeting Albert.  I have yet to meet his wife, Alice.  After doing a few quick drivebys with his big plow and a bit of shoveling I  managed to drive right out of my very embarrassing parking spot.  I felt like such a girl.  I couldn't even blame it on Max for sitting on my lap and getting in my way because I had left Max at home.

I believe that Albert might be a little concerned about my winter on the prairie.  Oh, he didn't say anything outright, however, even though I have their home phone number, Albert made sure he handed me a slip of paper that had his cell phone number clearly written (LOL).  On top of the 20 bucks I slipped him I also sent him home with a dozen fresh baked pecan finger cookies and a bag of "nuts and bolts", or as some call it cereal mix for him and Alice to enjoy.  Thank you Albert.

The really sad part?  There's not but maybe 3 inches of snow here.  Maybe this summer Dwayne will teach me how to drive "his" John Deere with a shovel and I'll get myself out.  Although his is not all enclosed like Albert's and it doesn't have all those great lights!

11 December 2010 - Two Weeks Until Christmas...

Only 13 more shopping days until Christmas!  I get special weather alerts on my laptop for the weather in my home town of Waukesha, Wisconsin.  Seems they have been getting quite a bit of snow the last few days.  However, today they did cancel the winter storm warning advisory.  It's now a "blizzard warning".   Ho-ho-ho!  There is more snow there right now then there is here in Saskatchewan Canada.  It is early though.  We can still catch up!

Last night I decided the farm needed a little Christmas.  I have been helping Mavis (Dwayne's mother, Alton's mother-in-law) with putting a few things in her windows and plugging in a cute little tree (that's about all it entailed). It made me realize I needed something here too.  I hopped in my car (which now only takes minutes to warm up due to the new block heater I had installed last Monday in Saskatoon) and I drove over to the co-op.  I just love the co-op.  I went ahead and splurged on a set of 100 multi-color lights which were on sale and here is my decorating!  What do you think boys in Houston? You will see that I am watching Charles Dickens, "A Christmas Carol".  It is the version released in 1938 which was the earliest screen adaptation.  It remains my favorite although "Scrooged" with Bill Murray takes a close second.  One the screen is Scrooge along with the Ghost of Christmas Present. 

Now, I gave up my oak electric fireplace when I moved up here (it now sits in Mike and Courtney's apartment and I must say it looks very nice) and I was a little forlorn not to have it this Christmas, however, when working with the universe and not against it things have a way of working out.

 This one may not blow heat like my old one but it does play Christmas carols!  So, I guess all is good in Canada.

Cletis Ann has decided that since Max doesn't want to play her little kitty games I'm the next best thing.  I can be just sitting there minding my own business when out of nowhere she springs out and attacks my hand.  She has figured out that "the hand" is good for a bit of war!  She's so cute with her ears pinned back in pretend anger.  And then there is that cute huffing noise she makes before each attack.  Here she is during a quiet moment looking very cute and calm.  Don't be fooled.   She seems to have adopted this empty basket that is sitting on top of "my" dresser.

 

I have a very good friend, Jan Wein, who draws "Soul Portraits."  This is mine.  It's hanging here on my wall and  I was just looking at it and thinking it would probably be a great Christmas gift if anyone is running short on ideas.  You can find out more about her at http://www.soul2soulinpirations.com/.   She also does Tarot readings and she is simply amazing.  Just a really neat lady....

Well, speaking of Christmas.  I suppose I'll maybe try to write a few cards out and see if I can get them to the states on time.  But then there is always the http://www.hallmark.com/ cards.  Decisions, decisions.