Restorative Gardening

 Raked up the nice leaves (not Black Walnut as they have a toxin) and filled the garden beds (about half way done) and now back in to the work on the Siderfin Book. I spent the morning on the Siderfin book as well as doing my weight lifting and my fourty minute run. Then lunch - peanut butter sandwich (my favourite), about 125 ml of cottage cheese 2%, 2 tbsp humus with fresh spinach, a clemintine orange, and a glass of cranberry juice, then a date square and about 125 ml of chocolate ice cream. Then out to rake after a suitable rest watching the television. I think back sometimes on how much Edward and I had in common when we married, Chemistry, Astronomy, Walking, Movies, Traveling, Church, going to interesting lectures in the evening, and as it turned out talking to old people - they have such interesting stories to tell actually. For Edward it was learning about his father mostly but also looking for information on his Kipp family for whom he wanted to do the genealogy. For me I just have always found old people interesting - I used to visit at Parkwood Hospital when I was in High School and had a couple of people that I visited regularly. Older people are quite fascinating especially if they can remember life as it was particularly political; I do love politics and would say Edward was considerably less interested in politics. Sort of like me and genealogy; I had pretty much zilch interest in those early days of our marriage in genealogy and pretty much up until 2003 when  George DeKay wanted a profile of my mother's Pincombe family for his book Early Settlers in Westminster and Delaware Townships in Middlesex County and what was then Upper Canada. To fulfill this project I did take 42 courses from the National Institute for Genealogical Studies completing my Professional Learning Certificate in Genealogical Studies (PLCGS) in 2007 in English and Canadian Records and Methodology with the Pincombe Profile completed in 2005. Who would have ever guessed that it would lead me to the Guild of one name Studies and then my having a BLAKE and PINCOMBE study there and now planning on writing books for both of them once I complete the SIDERFIN book (one of my 3x great grandmothers was a Siderfin). 

Wow did I digress from Restorative Gardening. The leaves are thought to be helpful to the ground as they will rot into the dirt and enrich it. This land is pretty worked out having gardened it for 50 years. It has never had a rest and it isn't like on a farm where you can cover it with manure and dig it in. You could still do that here but I am not doing that; I am too old to do all that digging and moving of stuff. My daughter could do it but she doesn't get back here until mid May which I assume everyone educated knows is the 15th day in May! Although I guess if English isn't your first language you might have missed that (except I also said the 15th to Christmas) but you can always tell someone who helps that person the same thing and they could explain. But anyway she simply isn't here at a convenient time to do anything like that. It is time to plant when she comes. 

Sometimes I think I should have used my intelligence more but then I think as a mother I have produced a Professor of Knowledge Information/Data Science and a Family Doctor Specialist both of these skills are something that did interest me and they are fulfilling it for me. So I am content in that regard since God does give us qualities and we should do our best to put those qualities to good use in our life on earth (since I passed them to them I have done part of the chore!). I did work for several people who liked me to help with their research projects and that was really interesting - Perinatology was one of them; my employer there was the Chair of Obstetrics so a very busy man and I used to organize his material to go home each day so that he would have everything he needed for his meetings the next day. Then there were various projects and I would organize that material that was sent to him along with articles that he wanted and it was quite fascinating. I did really enjoy those two years. Prior to that I worked in Microbiology and Immunology at the Medical School for two people actually - an immunologist and the head of department and she was quite involved with (Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) so lots of interesting things to do for both - that was my first job after I stopped proofreading and copy-editing at home for private printers. But I wanted to always be available to my girls if they needed me so avoided any job that involved me having to travel or be so involved I didn't have time to listen to them or help them with their work. 

Edward when we arrived here found it lonely I think and he joined a number of things which I also enjoyed the Royal Astronomical Society and the Ottawa Field Naturalist Club and we did go to both of these (with a small child believe it or not, she was a keen observer of the sky from a young age). He also joined the Amateur Radio Club and was pretty involved there. He also worked at the National Research Council. He wanted to find a United Church that was smaller and he found the large ones overwhelming (he was always afraid that the baby would cry or fuss and he didn't like that). I just took her out; not a problem but I was very used to children. When we moved from South Ottawa to here I think he was happier as the Churches were smaller and he just had this desire to be part of that as his father was a Deacon in the United Church in his small home town as well as Treasurer and Edward loved to sing and was in the Choir. I had started to take our daughter to the Anglican Church but Edward, I would say, was never comfortable in my Church although he did come sometimes (and then much later in the latter part of the 90s and right up until he got his pacemaker in 2012 and sometimes after that because he loved the organ music and the singing). When he discovered what was Convent Glen United later Orleans United starting he wanted to go and so we did. Although a couple of times at the beginning I did stay at home and he went with our daughter but I had promised I would go to his Church years earlier and so I did do that. I somehow got volunteered for volunteer secretary and did do that I think for about four years along with producing the bulletin on a Gestetner. Fortunately they decided to hire someone and they did offer me the job but I was already working full time proofreading and copyediting (I guess I never mentioned it) so declined. Life was pretty busy for me as I also helped with remedial English reading for French Immersion students at our daughter's school then so was rather happy to have that item gone from my desk. Sometimes I was calling people to check on things for the bulletin in the evenings, weekend etc; it did take up a lot of my private time for sure but it was for God for sure and one can never begrudge work for God. But Edward loved his life being on the Finance Committee, being Treasurer, singing in the Senior Choir and he just felt like he belonged. I think he needed that. My gosh I do get distracted sometimes.

Must get back to work on the book. I have nearly finished the Baxter family. I just felt there had to be more than I got from my cousin and I was able to fill in a little more as I have World memberships for Ancestry, Find My Past and I also have My Heritage.