On Wednesday, we are moving to our new home in Hanley. It is a three bedroom bungalow with double car garage on a corner lot in the flattest little town I’ve ever seen. It is just around the corner from Marilyn’s parents and they are so happy that we are going to be so close. We are looking forward to helping out whenever it is appropriate and enjoying doing things together.
Front View of our new home
The woman who lived in the house had a wheelchair ramp built in the front which is going to come in handy for me when I need it….ha ha. I know that day may be coming soon because I received a letter from the Canada Pension Fund reminding me I am eligible for a pension now or can wait and get more when I turn 65.
Back view of our corner lot and house
Yes, we have snow. It almost melted away but a new dumping arrived on Sunday.
We signed our lease yesterday and went to the Hanley Post Office to get our new postal box. I thought we might need the receipt to prove we are residents of Hanley but when we walked into the post office, the postmaster (Kathy) greeted us with smiles and said, “Oh you are moving into Lucille’s house”. She also reminded us that Curling is starting soon and hoped we might join.
The Hanley Legion
The building above is the Hanley Legion. It is only building remaining of the original three small school rooms where Marilyn attended her first years. I haven’t seen anyone going in or out of the building so I’m not sure how often Legion meetings are held.
During the past few weeks, we’ve been staying with Margie and attending all kinds of functions. I’m also exploring Saskatoon to learn my way around and find all the important stores (beer, Canadian Tire, best Pizza, etc.)
Margie and I attended the Saskatoon Remembrance Day Ceremonies which was an amazing tribute to our war veterans and those who lost their lives in the wars. There were three orchestras, a men’s choir, a pipe band, a brass band, and a soloist. It was quite moving and, as it turns out, broke a record for the largest crowd ever. It was also the largest attendance at an indoor Remembrance Day Ceremony in Canada.
Remembrance Day in Saskatoon
Marilyn couldn’t come to the Remembrance Day Ceremonies because she was rehearsing for an upcoming ‘Classical Afternoon’ of entertainment. She was in three numbers, complete with costume changes. It was a great afternoon of amazing talent and Marilyn certainly received a lot of complements for her performance.
Marilyn, Bob,and cousin Ron
I was quite surprised by the number of people who came up to me and said “So, I hear you are back from Africa”. Many people had visited our web site over the past three years and were quite aware of the work we did in Zambia.
Song from Annie Get Your Gun
We helped Margie hang Christmas lights and decorations at her home in Saskatoon.
Margie's Christmas Decorations
Marilyn and I also attended the ‘largest’ Western Canada Pow Wow at the Credit Union Centre. It was such a fun time with amazing traditional native dress, dancing, drumming, etc. Native culture is very strong out here and it made us proud that our aboriginal peoples have managed to survive the oppression and attempts at ‘assimilation’ over the many years since Canadian colonialism. 
I will be posting a weekly blog on this site on Sundays for those of you who are interested. By the way, our new address is Box 269, 208 Garfield St., Hanley, SK S0G 2E0. We’ll soon have a new home phone we can pass along.
