Merry Christmas 2022 from the Hegels
Merry Christmas
From the Hegels
Well, we blinked again and another year is almost over. We hope all is well with you and your family, and that you are able to enjoy this Christmas season with peace of mind and good health.
Many things in our lives have stayed the same over the past year, plus we’ve had some exciting new developments. Our first big event happened in February, when Alyssa gave birth to a beautiful little blue-eyed girl named Brooklyn. She is a healthy and active little girl, and keeps Alyssa and Ben very busy, as she prefers being awake to being asleep, both in the daytime and at night. Of course, she stole Grandpa and Grandma’s hearts right from day one. Alyssa plans to start back to work at Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital in late February or early March. This will be a big adjustment for both Alyssa and Brooklyn. Ben is staying busy working at Mobil Grain, and loving being a dad. Much of his “shop time” out in his garage is taken up by his baby girl now, but he doesn’t seem to mind one bit. Like all parents of little ones, finding the right balance between baby time and adult necessities is an ongoing challenge.
There was more excitement in our lives this spring when Laura and Stephen announced their engagement. Their wedding will be this July in Kerrobert. They plan to hold the ceremony outdoors in their farm yard, followed by the reception and dance in town. We are all very excited to help them celebrate this big day. Laura’s photography business is doing well, and keeping her busier with each coming year (along with her large garden, as well as two large farm yards to mow). Stephen continues organic grain farming, which typically involves a very busy spring, summer, and fall. Winter is usually a slower time, but this year’s abrupt change from fall to winter has kept Stephen going steady, plowing snow on oilfield leases. Stephen and Laura had a big garden again this year, and their cold room is well-stocked for the winter. They both seem to enjoy spending time together planning ahead for each new season on the farm, as well as in the kitchen, preparing meals. Every time we eat at their house, we are impressed by the way they work together to make some variety of gourmet meal. The Schraefel restaurant gets a five-star rating from us.
The other big event in our lives this year was when Joseph and Chandler bought the acreage (and surrounding quarter section) just down the road from us. The sequence of events leading up to this all happened in a rush. Their house in Maidstone sold very quickly in March, so they needed to finish their project house in Neilburg, to have a place to live for the next 3 months until they could take possession of their acreage. Several of us pitched in to help with trim, flooring, painting, cleaning, etc., and they got moved in with hardly a day to spare. They took possession of the acreage at the end of June, and seem to be loving the space, the privacy, and the view of the prairie sunsets at the end of their lane. Their well-sheltered 16-acre yard includes large mature trees, a recently renovated house, a double garage, a partially finished 3-bay shop, and a lot of grass to mow. Our favourite part is that they are just a mile down the road from us, so we get to see lots of them, and Dawson gets to hang out with Grandpa and Grandma fairly often. Joseph’s business has been steady with new construction jobs, renovations, concrete work, blown insulation, and, more recently, spray-foam insulation. Chandler continues to be run off her feet at Catholic Family Services in North Battleford, as well as taking online classes towards her Master of Psychology degree. Dawson has started attending pre-school 2 mornings a week, and often spends some of those afternoons at Grandma’s house. Needless to say, life in their household is very busy. We are happy to be close by and able to help out whenever we can.
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| The Neilburg house (after renovations) |
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| The stamped concrete pad, one of Josep[h's specialties |
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| The work never ends on an acreage. |
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| Having fun with a magnet in Grandpa's shop |
As for Coleen, I often get tired just watching her. In addition to housework, baking, gardening, yard work and babysitting, she still makes a trip to Regina about once a month to visit her mom and dad, who are 91 and 95 years old. They are still able to stay in their own apartment in their senior’s centre, with a little bit of home care assistance. Visits from their kids, grandkids and great-grandkids always seem to brighten their days. Coleen had another big garden this year (after vowing for the umpteenth time that she was going to downsize), and as usual, kept our yard looking awesome all summer. She hosted a big salsa-making bee once again this fall, and with the help of our girls, made over 80 jars. Perogies will have to wait for a future opportunity.
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| My honey in her flower garden (the rest of the garden is behind the hedge). |
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| Making apple juice |
I have been kept busy working for Joseph, which I still enjoy very much. Most of my recent jobs have been interior renos of various kinds. Many of these jobs are too small to send a crew or to piece out to various sub-trades, so that’s where a jack-of-all-trades comes in handy. I enjoy working at my own pace, and I like doing the variety of tasks from the beginning to the end of a project.
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| A fireplace I built for a customer last spring |
My ‘48 International is tucked away again for the winter, but saw lots of miles over the past spring, summer, and fall. Besides the usual weekend car shows in various communities, Coleen and I drove it on a road trip out to the west coast in June. In spite of outrageous gas prices (especially on Vancouver Island), we had a great trip, and did lots of visiting with friends and family along the way. When you’re driving a rusty 74-year-old truck with out-of-province plates, you end up having a lot of conversations at gas stations, ferry crossings, and roadside rest stops. I joined the Just Kruzin’ car club in Lloydminster this fall, and so far I’m enjoying the time spent with fellow gearheads.
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| 3 dinosaurs. Ha ha |
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| There was still snow in mid-June at the top of the Creston-Salmo skyway. |
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| In line to board the Tsawwassen ferry to Vancouver Island |
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| Visiting with new friends while waiting to board the Brentwood Bay ferry on Vancouver Island |
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| The locals were very friendly in Duncan, BC |
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| At Campbell River, BC |
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| A typical Wednesday summer evening in Lloydminster |
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| Coleen's immediate family (the Joe Lang gang) at the Lang reunion |
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| Most of the Lang aunts and uncles |
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| Aunt Beth's last earthly reunion. She just passed away on Dec. 18. Rest in peace, Aunt Beth. |
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| Our great nieces and nephews had a good time pretending to drive my truck at the Langs' annual Labour Day get-together. Their parents really appreciated it when I showed them how to honk the horn. Ha ha |
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| At the Access Communications car show on Labour Day in Regina, SK |
In July, Joseph, Roland, cousin Gerald and I managed to fit in a 4-day motorcycle trip to BC. Those trips are always fun, but they go by too fast.
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| In Kananaskis park |
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| Kootenay Pass (Creston-Salmo skyway) summit |
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| On the Galena Bay ferry on the way from Nakusp to Revelstoke, BC |
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| At Saskatchewan Crossing between Lake Louise and Rocky Mountain House |
Time spent at home this summer included the usual acreage work (mowing grass, trimming trees, etc), as well as emptying out and tearing down a portion of my shop, in preparation for a slightly larger addition on the north side, as well as new roofing and siding on the whole shop. My original shop renovations are now almost 40 years old, so it was time for some much-needed preservation and improvement. I'm very thankful for an energetic son who has the expertise and equipment to make so much of this job go smoothly. The concrete got poured shortly before freeze-up, and we have 3 out of 5 walls standing, with roof trusses to follow. Now that some walls are up, it’s starting to get exciting.
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We are very thankful to enjoy good health, and to have friends and family nearby (whether physically, or electronically). Hopefully, we won’t see pandemic restrictions again in our lifetime, and face-to-face visiting with friends and family will continue without further interruption. We pray daily for those with difficult challenges in their lives, and that God will be kind to all who are struggling.
We hope you and your family enjoy a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. God bless!
Glenn and Coleen
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