July 23 2012 Rosenfeld news by Tina Wolfe

            Summer, what a season! I’m not one who runs to turn on the air conditioner and sit inside when it’s hot but wow, these last few weeks have been hot tamale hot. Okay, I admit I’ve finally said “uncle” and set the a/c at 24 for during the day and 22.5 at night. It’s so humid at night; we’ve stopped opening the windows. Manitoba usually has some hot temperatures but this long stretch of humidity is out of the ordinary.  Our garden is suffering from lack of moisture and emptying the Red River for a couple of peas is not an option so those are drying up. We had a wind storm go through last week Thursday to Friday night but it left little moisture behind. Some farmers in the area have started combining wheat and I imagine they weren’t hoping for rain; or maybe only for their bean and canola fields. This must be a difficult period for the farmers to hope for rain or no rain. All the harvesting I’ve seen so far is being done by straight combining with no swathing first; saves time and money I would assume.

Wedding bells

            Herman and Helen Kuhl began their summer on a very busy note. On May 25 they celebrated the marriage of their granddaughter Amanda Kuhl and Mark Budala which took place in Steinbach. Amanda is the daughter of Glen and Deb Kuhl. The wedding colours were navy and white. The newlyweds are making Steinbach their home.

            Then on June 23 another granddaughter, Teri Kuhl, walked down the aisle to wed her loved one. Teri and Joel Gonske were wed in a ceremony which took place in Winnipeg. Teri is also the daughter of Glen and Deb Kuhl. Their wedding colours were purple and off-white. This couple is making their home in Winnipeg.

            Everyone who knows Helen also knows that she is a very good seamstress. This led to her being very busy prior to the weddings with many alterations which seem to come with wedding occasions. Congratulations to all the wedding couples and their families.

Family gathering

            Martin and Dorothy Friesen of White Rock/Altona held their annual family gathering on July 21. The meal as always was outstanding with varenika, farmer sausage, shmont fat and Saskatoon sauce. The guests added to the meal by bringing salads and desserts which filled an entire table. This gathering was made even more special due to the fact that we celebrated a birthday and an anniversary. Aunt Anna Friesen of Winnipeg hit the number 79 and by the way she looked absolutely gorgeous in her multi coloured red blouse and red earrings, Movie star quality if I do say so. The couple celebrating their 55 years of marriage was Ron and Anne Dueck of Steinbach. The fact that they’ve been going down to Mexico for three months every winter for the past 17 years must factor into their youthfulness; I’m trying to convince my husband of this. Everyone spent the afternoon getting reacquainted. The weather was absolutely gorgeous and though it got hot there were enough umbrellas to sit under so as not to get sunburned.

Baseball

            Russ and Gladys Klassen drove up to Hamiota for the past weekend to watch their son Brett play baseball. They camped in the provincial camp ground in Rivers which is approximately 25 minutes from Hamiota. Brett plays with the Altona Midget AA’s and the team took home the gold after winning their last game against Plumas with a score of 9 – 1. They played 5 games and won all of them. This placed them in the Provincials and they will be busy in Morden on the weekend of Aug.18 playing in the Western tournament. Congratulations to the team.

July 16, 2012 Rosenfeld News by Tina Wolfe

            Haven’t we been having quite a summer? Two weeks of burning hot sun and it doesn’t seem to be running out of heat units any time soon. It was a nice reprieve this week from Monday to Wednesday to be able to open the windows. I’m not complaining about the air-conditioning but the house just seems fresher with the open windows. Also I miss not waking up to the birds singing.

            The garden production is in full swing and the peas are coming to the final picking. Beans and cucumbers are next on the list. I don’t can too many dills, just a dozen quarts for one a month so it always stays a treat. We’ve been eating fresh potatoes for a couple of weeks and what’s better than baby spuds and butter. The corn is forming cobs and is towering at ten feet. We still haven’t had much rain but we’re happy to receive any amount.

Baby news

            Brody Hunter Peters was born June 28 at the Boundary Trails Healthcare Facility. A big boy at 9 lb and stretching to 22 inches, Brody will have a lot of attention from his other siblings; Cole, Noah, Bailey and Dylan and parents, Steve and Bethany Peters. Paternal grandparents are Albert and Kathy Peters of the Winkler area and maternal grandparents are Frank and Brenda James of Altona. Congratulations to the family from the community.

            Congratulations go out to first time grandparents, Ron and Anne Wiebe of Altona. Grandson, Eric Marshall was born on July 6, weighing in at 9 lb. 15.7 oz. Proud parents are Vince and Melissa Wiebe of Winnipeg.

Tea

            Amber Wolfe is a Sunflower Queen contestant this summer and therefore is involved in many events. Since I’m her grandma, I had the pleasure of attending the fund raising tea held on Thursday July 12 at the Millennium Center in Altona. Every contestant invited 9 guests to fill one table and all contestants choose a theme. Amber’s theme was summer and beaches which included sunglasses for each guest. There was quite a variety of themes; John Deere, a dairy farm, anniversary, shoes, antiques, even Winnie the Pooh. All monies raised were donated to the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation and the speaker was overwhelmed that the girls had chosen this charity. Rachel Sawatzky, Sunflower Queen of 2011, presented a power point presentation while she spoke of her wonderful trip to Australia this spring. The evening included an absolutely smashing smorgasbord of food from veggies and dip to fruit and dip to trifle, lemon squares and on and on. Too many to list and as one lady stated, “Women in southern Manitoba know how to bake”. It was a wonderful evening and I was honoured to participate.

Baseball game

            Sunday, July 15 all the queen contestants challenged their sponsors to a slo-pitch baseball game. It was held at the Parkside School diamond and the rain stayed away and the temperature was great. All the sponsors were male and soon into the game pulled ahead on the score. Not to be outdone the girls began changing the rules. Sort of like “it’s a woman’s prerogative to change her mind”. By the third inning the girls stated they would not change places until they had 5 outs. Then they put in place that they could run on foul balls and after that failed to help the score they implemented the “drop the ball rule.” If they hit a ball and the guys caught it, they had to drop it before throwing it to any base player. By the last inning they stated that all 15 girls were going to bat no matter how many outs they received. The game was hilarious and Dave and I enjoyed it along with other friends and families.

Time flies

            It’s almost too much too comprehend that our youngest grandchild has become a teenager. On July 14, Thomas Wolfe hit the spectacular age of 13. The whole family celebrated with a wonderful supper at Nora’s in Gretna. Time surely does fly when you’re having fun and we enjoy our only grandson very much. He likes coming over and playing records and I must admit I enjoy it just as much as he does. The house vibrates with music anywhere from Johnny Cash to CCR to Rolling Stones. It’s great.

Community announcements

            All children under 16 and residents of Rosenfeld are eligible to receive a swim pass during the summer months. This pass is good for 6 swims at the Altona Pool and is available for pickup at the Rosenfeld Post Office from the postmistress, Trudy Wiebe.

            There will be no VBS in Rosenfeld this summer.

Rosenfeld News by Tina Wolfe July 5

July 5, 2012 this is the earliest that we have ever eaten new potatoes from our garden. When a person has new fresh potatoes, peas and baby beets, you really don't need meat. Thank goodness we seeded 4 different varieties of peas and they're not all ready at the same time.The beans will be ready for picking in approx. 2 weeks.
The temperatures have been insanely hot the past 2 weeks and many people have hit the beaches. It's the only way to stay cool unless inside in the a/c house.
The garden was looking like Flander's Fields and I pulled wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow of poppies so that we could see what we were really trying to grow like potatoes, cukes and tomatoes.

Rosenfeld News by Tina Wolfe June 27

Year End Celebrations

            The frenzy began at 8:45 a,m, on June 28 at the Rosenfeld School. The program was an end of the school year celebration but also a farewell to one of the teachers. Brenda Braun has been in the school approximately 15 years and for much of that time she was the Grade 4 teacher. There were tears in many eyes as the staff and students said or sang their farewells. Brenda responded with a few words and reminded the parents to be involved with their children and the staff during the school years. Mrs. Kathy Schroeder ended the celebration by saying a few words about each of her Grade 6 students as Mr. Jason Pilkington, principal handed out their diplomas. Eighteen students move on to Altona to attend Parkside Junior High.

            Then it was on to the Parkside Junior High Awards presentation which began at 10;30. Many of the parents scurried from one place to the next to attend. Many of the students were awarded the Parkside Pace-setter Award which acknowledges the students for their efforts and achievements based on four categories: participation, academics, citizenship and engagement.

            Parents hurried home for a bite to eat and then back to Altona to attend the W.C.Miller graduation ceremony which began at 2:00. Dave and I were there early due to the fact that only parents were given reserved seats and we wanted the closest chairs possible. Over 100 students walked up to receive a diploma with some receiving special sponsorships and bursaries. Amber Wolfe received the Governor General’s Bronze Medal which is awarded for academic excellence to the student who achieves the highest average upon graduating from a secondary school with 90% or higher. She also made the honour roll and at the grad supper was awarded the Outstanding Music Award. Amber is the daughter of Mike and Anna Wolfe and our oldest granddaughter.

            Some of the students have begun careers; Lidia Henneberg, daughter of Friedrich and Svetlana Henneberg, will be working at the Rosenort Credit Union branch in Altona. Brett Klassen, son of Russ and Gladys Klassen, has been picked up by the Dauphin Kings hockey team. Amber Wolfe’s smiling face can be seen at Sunvalley Co-op in Altona for the time being. She like many of the students is taking a year to decide which career to choose.

            Congratulations to all the students. May the future fulfill many of your dreams and even though you may come upon a bumpy road, don’t despair, keep going ahead. Learning never stops.