Feb. 12, 2015

Big fluffy snowflakes are falling this morning as I sit at the computer. I would live to be out there walking but maybe next winter. The puzzle pike is down to three but I've gotten sidetracked with another quilt project. I wasn't going to sew another one this winter but once a pattern idea gets into my head, I have to do it.

Baby news

A while back I implied that Rosenfeld has had a mini baby explosion and now here are the parents and addition to their families.

Willy and Martha Kauenhofen welcomed their new baby on Dec. 30. Lamuel, born at Boundary Trails, weighed 7 lbs. 15 oz. and was 21 inches long. Siblings Drusilla, Milka and Demetrius are excited about the new brother.

Terence  Assiniboine and Denise Peters added baby Triton to their household on Dec. 19. Triton weighed in at 8 lbs. 14 oz. and stretched to 21 inches. He has a full house of caregivers: Siobhan, Sharmayne, Myson, Major, Maddox, Magic, Asha, Achilles and grandson Kingston.

Olexandr and Maria Antipov had a tiny girl on Feb.2. Elena is a wee 5 lbs. and 18 inches and will have help from siblings Mark and Elezaveta. Her paternal grandparents are Olexandr and Rayisa Antipov of Altona and maternal grandmother Anna Matiychuk of the Ukraine

Even thought he next baby will not grow up in Rosenfeld, I have included the announcement. Mike and Karin Banman added a baby boy to their family on Feb 3. Rowan Michael is a big boy at 9 lbs. 10 oz. Karin is a staff member at the Rosenfeld School and is currently on maternity leave.
Best wishes from the community go out to all the families.

School report

February is I Love to Read month and the theme at Rosenfeld School is camping. The gym is decorated with huge tree cutouts and students are encouraged to weat camping clothes. A guest reader comes to read every Thursday after assembly and the first reader was no other than me, Tina Wolfe. I can report that the students were an excellent audience.

The month of February is also the month of Wacky Wednesdays and the students are encouraged to participate in dressing up for certain themes. February 4 was pajama day and Feb. 11 is everything weird and wacky. This includes funny hats, crazy hair and funny clothes. February 26 moved to Thursday) is occupation day/sports day. This means to come dressed in your favourite sports jersey ot in the occupation you would like to be when you grow up.

The students are also spending time at the Rosenfeld skating rink every week. all these activities will surely help make winter fly by fast.

There will be no classes on Monday, Feb. 16 - Louis Riel Day.

Community events

Thursday, Feb. 19 - Ladies Night Out
Saturday, March 7 - Winter Carnival

Have a great week everyone and Happy Valentine's Day.

Feb. 5, 2015

     Brr, the temperatures sure took a dip from last week. I turn into a recluse when it gets this cold, going out only if absolutely necessary. It's near tax filing time and I turn into a crazy person trying to organize the files. This isn't my favourite thing to do and I can assure you that I would never work as a receptionist or secretary. Mike, our son, takes care of the actual filing and I used to just bring him a box job but I have been trying to be more organized that that. For those of you who don't' know what a box job is, it's when a person throws all the papers into a box for the whole year and then brings it to thee accountant. I think that most accountants would refuse but this is our son we're talking about. seeing how we have only one child, he gets it all, if you know what I mean. Ach, it's not that bad, he never complains after all, I'm his mom and we know each others short comings.

Community announcement

     Marge Schellenberg will again be hosting a Ladies Night Out this year. It will take place on Thursday, Feb. 19 at 7:30 p.m. at the Rosenfeld Good Neighbour Center. This year's theme is Africa and from all reports the decorations alone will be worth seeing. There will be a guest speaker and coffee and desserts will be served. All ladies are welcome to attend.

Baby news

     Jim and Judith Schellenberg of Mitchell welcomed their second granddaughter to their family on Sunday, Feb. 1. Willa Marie was born at the St. Boniface hospital and weighed a very nice 7 lbs. 13 oz. She was welcomed into the family of Mom and Dad, heather and Jordon St Cyr and brothers Aiden and Liam of Niverville. Best wishes go out to the families.

Hockey refs

     I know that I an not a sports reporter but I would like to address the topic of reffing. In my opinion, when two teams are playing, in this case the Miller Aces and the Morden Thunder, the reffing should be done by outside refs. No refs from either community should be on the ice, period. Monday, Feb. 2 these teams played in Morden and the reffing was so lopsided that most of the Altona parents ended up going inside to watch. The Miller Aces opened the scoring and after that they played the refs, not the other team. When this happens I totally understand why the players start slashing the refs like at that hockey game in the Interlake region last year. Oh, you may say, she has a temper. Yes, I do but for goodness sake these are kids trying to play a game and as long as they're not goons out to injure the opposition player, let them play. And I am not a sore loser; I give kudos to players of either team when they make a good play. But the refs at this game deserve rotten eggs.

Birthday wishes

A big, loud happy birthday wish goes out to Jean Warkentin of Sanford and Mike Wolfe of the Rosenfeld area who celebrate their birthdays on Feb. 3.

Get well wishes

     The community would like to wish Gail Shimonek a quick recovery. She fell on ice last week and broke her left leg. She reported that the surgeons at Boundary Trails were very busy with surgery and casting last week. She will be wearing an air-boot for a number of months. To add pain to injury, her and her husband, Percy had to cancel their trip to Mexico. Now that's a double ouch!

Jan.29, 2015

     Howdy to all my readers. It's a gorgeous Tuesday morning with hoarfrost and fog creating a mystical feeling. Very often it makes me feel depressed but for some strange reason today is different. I feel like singing and doing the two-step if only I knew how. My feet could never figure out that dance. Dorothy, my sister-in-law, tried to teach it to me in Mexico one year and I had the locals who were sitting on the plaza, in stiches. It's sort of like when Carol Schroeder tried teaching me to knit and the group of ladies from my English class laughed so hard they lost stiches on their needles. So now you know, I'm a bit klutzy. I think of it as a gift because it makes people laugh and in this day and age we need laughter to ease the stress of the worlds' news.

     I received my first seed order which was made up entirely of heritage flower seeds. As of now, the table in the basement is my puzzling table and I have a stack of four puzzles left to do this winter but I might have to cut that short. Some of the seeds need to be in the dirt at the end of February or the beginning of March.

School news

     February is I Love to Read Month and the students will be busy hitting the books. The school also invites guests to read at morning assembly and I have been approached to participate and am looking forward to meeting and entertaining the students. I miss going to school; I used to drop in at least once a week.
     Jackie Nickel, a staff member at Rosenfeld School, has organized a Breakfast Club for the students which began on Jan. 16. All the children are welcome to have a snack before school begins each morning.

Belize vacation

     David and Manda Zacharias along with their children, Jeslyn, Branson, Ryelle and Avy, left for a warmer country on Dec. 30. They landed in Cancun where friends picked them up and headed off for their destination. It was a five hour ride to the border of Belize and another two hours to family and friends.
     The first four days were spent in Shipyard which is an Old Colony area. The residents still adhere to no rubber tires and the family was entertained with a buggy ride.
     The next two weeks were enjoyed in Blue Creek where they also attended a wedding. The weather was hot and humid: it rained often but dried fast, so they were outside most of the time. Everything was lush and green and Manda says that this is the best time of year to visit.
     There were very few mosquitoes but lots of geckos, iguanas, lizards and big grasshoppers. they heard monkeys at night but never did get to see any. It was very wet so they didn't venture far into the jungle; they made a visit to a park where they walked a hiking trail. They splashed in an uncle's spring-fed pool which had concrete walls but the bottom was gravel. It was designed to be partially drained after every swimming day and then allowed to refill. I was told that the water was warmer than most of our swimming pools here in summer. The family enjoyed private lodging during their stay in Blue Creek.
     Then on to Consejo Shores and Manda's aunt's beach house. Here they enjoyed feeding Charles, the iguana, who had decided to make this his home years ago. He acted as though the yard was his and the family fed him like a pet. They spent most of the lazy days at the beach playing in the white sand. They learned how to tie an orchid plant to a tree where it grows roots and blooms without damaging the tree.
     The Zacharias family spent the last three days in Cancun in a condo. They played in the ocean enjoying the warm water. They arrived back home on Jan. 22 sporting a nice tan.
     This was their first visit back to Belize in nine years when David and Manda went as newly weds. The food was very good, a cross between Mexican and Mennonite with lots of fresh fruit and peanuts. They enjoyed picking fresh coconuts and roasting them. Manda came to live in Canada when she was nine years old and thoroughly enjoyed showing the children the country where she had been born.

Jan. 22, 2015

A great big hello goes out to all my readers. Isn't it nice to have a break in the cold temperatures? Some of the roads tend to get slippery, especially in the mornings but a person just has to plan to take more time driving from place to place. the vehicles are pretty slush covered and when driving in Winnipeg a quick trip to the car wash is necessary due to the salt accumulation. you can almost hear the rust eating away at the car.

We took advantage of the sunny balmy weather last Saturday and removed all the outside Christmas lights, garland and wreaths. They're all packed and ready to be used again next Christmas. Many people still have their light shining at night, maybe to take away the winter blues. Apparently this is the worst time of the year for depression to raise it's head due to the short days. I find that if I puzzle in the basement under our grow bulbs it really helps to quash these blahs.

Best wishes

A belated birthday wish goes  out to Gail Shimonek of Altona formerly of the Rosenfeld area. Carol Schroeder and I spent a very nice day with her on Friday, Jan. 16.
A happy anniversary wish goes out to Elmer and Neta Penner of the Rosenfeld area. They celebrated 18 year so marriage on Monday, Jan. 19.

And then we have baby congratulations going to Cornie and Crystal Zacharias. They welcomed Jonathon to their family on Sunday, Jan. 18 at 11:23 a.m. at Boundary Trails. A big boy at 8 lbs. 10 oz. and 221/4 inches, he joins siblings Christina, Sheldon and twins, Samantha and Paige. Maternal grandparents are Abe and Kathy Penner of Winkler and paternal grandparents are Ed and Margaret Zacharias of Altona.

School musicals

W. C. Miller Collegiate will be featuring a Charlie Brown musical this spring and MCI will present Beauty and the Beast. More information will be forthcoming in the future. Tickets of the MCI musical may be purchased online.

Progress report

It's happening just as I anticipated. One of the nails in the right knee is causing grief and will be removed in the near future. I have an appointment with my surgeon this Tuesday to get paperwork done and set the surgery in motion. I've been told that it's not a big deal and I'll be on my way home within an hour after the procedure. The trip south has been put on the backburner for the time being; everything depends on how fast the surgeon can get a slot for this nail removal and then for me to get mobile again. To say "I'm not happy" is an understatement.

Jan. 15, 2015

Before I begin the column I would like to get something out of my system. I hate winter. There I've said it, if it helped I'd scream it and throw a tantrum but we all know what happens in Manitoba in January so I'll just have to buck up and try to ignore  the cold as much as possible. When I was younger, actually I was caretaker until a few years ago, I'd spend most of the winter at the local skating ring but since that's no longer an option, the season seems to stretch out forever. The month of December is always filled with concerts and entertaining but January and February drag on and on, especially when dealing with such frigid temperatures.

I was so looking forward to heading south for sun and sand but it appears that I'll have to wait until next winter. In the meantime, puzzling will be a huge time consumer and an exercise program has begun.

There's not much news to report but I'm waiting for at least three birth announcements. I don't know what happened nine months ago but there's going to be a bit of a baby boom at the end of January.
The temperatures are supposed to get to the single digits this week and I've heard that many guys are going ice fishing. We have on package of fish in the freezer form summer, so fresh fish would certainly be a good thing. Dave always checks the badger activity near the yunge Wolfe's farm and he reports that the badger has been digging a lot of new holes. This means that we're in for a definite weather switch-a-roo; the badger is never wrong.

Birthday wishes

The community would like to send belated birthday wishes to Tatiana Teichroeb of Eastview Place in Altona. Mrs. Teichroeb celebrated her 90th birthday over the Christmas holidays with her family and friends. She was a long-time resident of Rosenfeld and the community wishes her the best.

Rosenfeld history west reserve

Anyone interested in the history of Rosenfeld should go onto the Facebook page; Rosenfeld History West Reserve. Art Wiebe is collecting history information and pictures and a book may be forthcoming in the future. Many people are sending photos and history tidbits and the site is very interesting.

Jan. 08, 2015

So here it is a new year. I wonder what it will bring. It's hard to believe that the days are already getting longer. I know that it's cold out there but if a person doesn't have to go out, well there are lots of fun things to do indoors. And it's perfectly alright to add a nap onto the list. Dave says that my two to three hours don't describe a nap but I have a different opinion. I say any time spent relaxing after the busy holiday season is good for a person.

Many people have the flu; either the stomach ache thing or a very bad cough, respiratory infection. I started with the achy muscles which then became a full-fledged coughing, sneezing thing. Now as long as an earache doesn't develop, I'm laughing. Many adults outgrow the ear infection thing but I still get it at least once a year and I'll quickly add a disclaimer - there are no smokers in this house and no woodstove. According to some information, these two were to blame for all the ear infections that kids used to have. What they'll come up with now, we can only guess.

Spring is just around the corner  for greenhouses and home gardeners and the seed catalogues are coming fast and furious. I love it. Dave and I are experimenting with heritage seeds to find out if there really is a difference in the taste of the produce. Heritage Harvest Seed is located out of Carman the phone number is 204-745-6489 and on the web at www.heritageharvestseed.com. They advertise as no GMO's - no hybrids and untreated natural seeds. This means a person can reuse the seed from year to year and always have the same produce. The seeds stays true and you never have to purchase seed again if you harvest them in fall.

School news

On Monday, Jan.5 2015 school was back in session. Rosenfeld School has many students who do not attend on Jan. 6 and the staff encouraged all the ones who attended to bring skates, board games, Leg and building sets.

Also, a reminder goes out concerning Soup Wednesdays - please bring a reusable cup and spoon.

The after-school program for K-2 offered by the Altona and Area Resource Center has been extended to two days. Beginning next week it will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday from 3:30 - $:30 p.m. in the school gym. the resource center is also looking to run a healthy cooking/eating program at the Rosenfeld School in the near future.

That's it for this week. Wishing all a Merry Christmas to those who celebrate Ukrainian Christmas.

Dec. 23, 2014

Busy, busy, busy; everyone is busy - shopping, baking, sewing, Christmas concerts and sending in my column. Then on top of all this I've started a 2,000 piece jigsaw puzzle which is mostly a snowy grey and blue Christmas scene. I've had a number of helpers, friends Julie Hildebrand and Hilda Wiebe and granddaughter Amber Wolfe came to help but it's far from finished. Oh well, we have a long winter ahead of us so there's lots of time.
Just when a person is into the Christmas mode along come the seed catalogues. What's a person to do? I've stashed them under a pillow. I need to concentrate on meal menus for the upcoming celebrations: family and friends will be coming over and the groceries need to be in the cupboard and freezer.

Concerts

The MCI Christmas concert was absolutely fantastic. I was good to hear some German Christmas carols included. Even though the schools no longer teach German, the grammas and grampas enjoy hearing it. My favourites for the evening were Mary Did You Know by the Resonate Choir and Carol of the Bells sung by the Senior choir. The Hallelujah Chorus at the end brought the house down. Wonderful concert.

The Rosenfeld School concert was a gain a smashing success. The audience was captivated with the student's performance whether it was the Jingle Bell Rock of playing ceramic bells to Jingle Bells and Joy to the World. The play entitled Carriers of the Light  and Brock Harms was wonderful in the angel role. The rest of the cast had worked hard to memorize lines and moved flawlessly through the play. The students and staff deserve a huge round of applause.

May everyone have a safe and happy Christmas and eat, drink and be merry. There's so much sadness in the world, take the time to celebrate all the good things in your life.