Monday, September 10, 2012

10 Things I Miss from the U.S.A.

Summer 2012: We set up a lemonade stand and yard sale in the blazing heat.
Our impossibly difficult summer move from Nebraska to Canada was not a triumphant experience.   Yet we slogged through the shedding, packing, and painting and made it north somehow.  We are resolved to never again allow the forces of chaos overwhelm us to such an extent.  By necessity, much of the extra clutter we I had amassed and stuffed in closets is gone from our lives, and I am glad.

Such a complicated summertime transition has meant less time for other pursuits, like kitchen experiments, crafts, and social media.  Hopefully as we settle in we can have space to breathe and live at a sustainable pace.

As we adjust to life in a small college town on the prairie, I am missing some of the blessings we had to leave behind, such as:

1. Extended family being a day's drive away

2. The friends we made in Nebraska

3. Delving deep into the Bible with other women at BSF

4. Lower cost of living

5. Eligibility for recipe contests

6. Nebraska farmers markets

7. Bike paths and the various wild foraging opportunities we had along them

8. Grocery stores in our neighborhood

9. Owning a house

10. Relatively mild winters (I've heard former Canadians talk of "summer coats" up here!)

That being said, we are happy about the Canadian approach to health care and education.  I am looking forward to finding a solid church this fall and going berry picking eventually.   Very soon I intend to connect with one of the local "mom and tots" groups.

After living in Vietnam, Chicago, and Nebraska as a growing family, we get to adjust once more to living in this semi-foreign part of the world known as Saskatchewan.  We've enjoyed a very warm welcome here; now it is time to expand and deepen the connections that have begun.

Saskatoon berry tart from a local bakery

4 comments:

amlamonte said...

what is a saskatoon berry! gorgeous pie!

Aiming4Simple said...

Saskatoon berries are similar to blueberries and are also known as service berries. They might be found in Oregon, as they grow in the western provinces of Canada.

To me, they taste in between a cherry and a blueberry.

Jhona O. said...

That tart looks delicious and it would be interesting to try. What an adventure you're on! Wow! I will add you to my prayer book and start praying that you find everything you're seeking after. Have a beautiful day. I bet it's going to be beautiful there in the fall:)

Prairie Scraps said...

Boy - I know how you feel with a big move this year from Wisconsin to the prairie in Idaho! I've found that the benefits that we are gaining from following God's call have outweighed what we miss in our old area. Thanks for stopping by http://prairiescraps.blogspot.com. I'm trying to get signed in to follow you back!