December 26

December 26, 2012 Rosenfeld News by Tina Wolfe

            In the words of an old song; Oh baby, its cold outside. I have a pair of lined jeans and they sure come in handy on days where the temperature drops below -20 and your nose soon looks like Rudolph’s. I’m hoping that we’ll have cold now and then come February the south wind blows in, Quebec and Ontario have again had power outages along with their storm systems and I really hope they don’t share that situation with us.

            Even though Christmas day has come and gone many people are still gathering and as the TV shows, still shopping. We had a wonderful day with our family even though the stomach flu was still having an effect on our grandson, Thomas.

Rosenfeld program

            The Rosenfeld students and staff worked and practiced hard and again performed an awesome program. It was held on Wednesday, Dec.19 with two performances. The grandparents, aunts and uncles and family friends attended in the afternoon in order for the parents and siblings to have enough seating in the evening. Before the performance began all the piano students participate in a musical prelude. This year we were pleasantly surprise when one of them played Silent Night on the violin. Good job, Jennifer Wall.   

            The concert was entitled The Tale of the Drowsy Shepherd and yes, the shepherd did fall asleep on the job and later had to go looking for the runaways but it all turned out alright in the end. We listened to poems, songs and watched dancing sheep. We were entertained by the Grade 2 class with their rendition of Rockin’ around the Christmas Tree, the school choir singing Sing Noel and poems written and recited by the Grade 3 students. There was never a dull moment as once again the Christmas story unfolded. A big round of applause goes out to the students and staff with special note to the school choir director, Denise Wohlgemut and her accompanist, Kathy Schroeder.

Parkside program

            The Parkside Winter concert took place on Thursday, Dec. 20 at the Altona Bergthaler Church. Due to the drama teacher being ill most of the month; the entire evening was music and singing. It was great. The Grade 7 band was up first and it’s always amazing how far these students have come in their music ability in such a short time. They had an outstanding performance when playing Away in a Manger in two parts, brass and woodwind. The Grade 8 band began with Do You Hear What I Hear and closed with a Jubilant Carol. While the congregation sang Joy to the World the choir took their places and filled the entire front section with just as many boys as girls. As I’ve noted before, having a male music director has made a huge impact on the number of boys participating. This is a good thing.

            Now would be the time where the drama begins but in its place we had a variety of groups entertain just for the fun of it. We had a clarinet trio, a flute trio and Joy to the World beautifully done by student, Avery Brillinger on the cello and Mr. Schott, music director, on the tenor saxophone. The audience then listened to a saxophone quartet and a brass ensemble.

            Not to be outdone, the jazz band came out rocking beginning with Angels Diggin’ It and finished their set with Bell Carol Rock. Those of you who read this column on a regular basis already know that I enjoy the jazz portion the most and it doesn’t hurt that our grandson, Thomas is now the drummer and he did an outstanding job. Those are grandma’s bragging rights.

Rink up date

            The Rosenfeld and District Skating rink is now officially open. The lights are on every evening and from our house I can observe the heads bobbing along on the ice. If in doubt as to the time schedule, please call ahead, 204-324-8902.

            I hope everyone is having a great Christmas break and enjoying the snow. Happy New Year!

December 17

December 17, 2012 Rosenfeld News by Tina Wolfe

            The month of December is more than half over and we’re fast approaching the shortest day of the year. The shopping, wrapping presents and baking frenzy is on. I am happy to report that our shopping is done and I don’t bake nearly as much as I used to. There is such a thing as food overload and the older I get the more obvious it seems. I’ve begun to downsize my grocery shopping to the point that Dave has started picking up items. This is not a bad thing except the fridge and freezers are full and all that food makes me crazy.

Miller Concert

            The W.C. Miller 58 annual Christmas Candlelight Concert was held on December 13 and 14 at Buhler Hall in Gretna. The lights were dimmed; the procession of students carrying candles and singing O Come, O Come Emmanuel filled the hall. After the welcome by Principal Jonathan Toews the Junior Concert Band played a beautiful rendition of Angels from the Realms of Glory. They then played We Three Kings which could have been from a movie set; it was that big of a piece. A medley of songs followed entitled Christmas Swing.  The Senior Concert Band performed three pieces which was followed by audience participation with Hark the Herald Angels Sing; a silver collection took place during this carol. The proceeds were donated to a local charity and used to help cover the cost of renting the hall.

            Now the singing portion of the evening began and up first was the Junior Concert Choir with T’was in the Moon of Winter Time. Madison Smith and Carlissa Dyck performed solos during this song.  The audience listened to two more pieces before the Senior Choir filled the stage. They performed three pieces and in this segment the rendition of Jingle Bells was my favourite.

            I have been attending the candlelight service for a number of years and was pleasantly surprised to see that the school now has a Male Choir. Their performance of 12 and ½ Days of Christmas was hilarious and had the audience bursting with laughter. The Chamber Choir was the last to perform and Ashton Cornelson sang a beautiful portion of Domine Fili. The evening closed with the audience participation of the Hallelujah Chorus.

            Special thanks to band director Dwayne Schott, choir director Akufuna Sifuba and piano accompaniment played by Loren Hiebert.

Hockey update

            The Altona Maroon Bantam team played on Wednesday, Dec. 12 taking on Manitou/Somerset at the Gretna arena. They lost 4-1 but it was good to see that Simon Schroeder was back on the ice after his concussion. More bad news on that front: Alex Damphousse has been diagnosed with a concussion from a previous game.

            They traveled to Swan Lake on Saturday, Dec. 15 to play Notre Dame. From all reports this was a good game with clean checks and good skating but they were outplayed and lost 4 - 0. 

School update

            The Farm to School fundraiser ended and the principal, Jason Pilkington, reports that the school made a profit of $280. Enjoy the vegetables.

            Christmas break begins Monday, Dec. 24 with the first day back being Monday, Jan. 7.

Mystery

            I was wondering if anyone could explain why the turbines at the corner of Highway #75 and #14 were not turning and lights were off for the entire week of Dec. 9 – 16. Was Manitoba Hydro trying to save money? It costs more to have them turning than what they produce and sell so maybe the Manitoba taxpayers will get a break? Ah, yes and humbug to you, too.

December 3

December 3, 2012 Rosenfeld News by Tina Wolfe

            Many people in the area have been down with the stomach flu and the entire family gets sick. We haven’t had it yet, knock on wood, but I do have laryngitis so it’s a good thing I can type this and send via e-mail, no talking needed. We haven’t finished Christmas shopping and I hope to get it done this week but it will depend on the road conditions. Ice scares me and it has been very mild, too mild for my liking which always makes for icy roads. With the rain we’ve had most of the snow has disappeared, here’s hoping we get a good dump before Christmas.

Thoughts and prayers

            The Rosenfeld community would like to send condolences to the Frank and Brenda Braun family. Frank’s mother, Sarah Braun passed away on Monday, Nov. 26 at the age of 93. She was formerly of the Horndean area but currently a resident at Eastview Place in Altona. She was predeceased by her husband P.F. Braun and leaves behind three sons and their families. The funeral took place on Saturday, Dec. 1 at the South Park MB Church in Altona with burial at the Grossweide Cemetery.

Bantam Hockey Tournament

            Sore throat and all, who can miss the grandson’s hockey games, so off we went to Winkler to cheer on the team. The first team the Altona Bantams played against on Thursday, Nov. 29 was the Winkler team and the kids played hard but lost 3 – 0. The second game was played Saturday, Dec. 1 in Plum Coulee. against a team from Gimli. It was a very physical game with one of our guys getting injured. After that incident the Altona team just couldn’t get it together and lost 5 – 0. The third game was played Sunday morning against Dauphin. We had already heard rumours about this team and the story was confirmed within a few minutes of the game. The Gimli team was mild compared to these guys. Bodies were flying everywhere until one of them got a 4 minute penalty and a game misconduct. Even with all that happening, Dauphin won 8 – 1.   Though the Altona team didn’t win any games they sure worked up a sweat. When speaking to one of the parents we learned that Dauphin had stacked their team with kids from their AAA team. I find this an unfair way of playing tournaments due to the fact that the regular players put in a lot of practice and should get to play all the games not sit on the bench and watch.

Stay and Play

The Stay and Play program has been held for the past nine weeks and we have enjoyed playing, singing, reading stories, making crafts and eating snacks. We are having a break for the month of December and will resume the program on Tuesday, Jan. 8. All parents with preschool children are welcome to drop in for the entire two hours or just for whatever time works for them. It is held at the Rosenfeld School from 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. every Tuesday.

School update

The Grade 5 and 6 students will be curling in Altona On Dec. 4, 6, 7, 11 and13. Will there be any up and coming pros in this group?

The Rosenfeld School Christmas Concert will be held Wednesday, Dec 19 with an afternoon performance at 1:00 and another at 6:30 p.m.

On Thursday, Dec. 20 the Rosenfeld Choir will be caroling at Eastview Place at 10:00 a.m.

Christmas break begins December 24 and the kids are out until Monday, Jan.7, 2013.

Photo taken by Tina Wolfe. Caption suggestion –

The children enjoy the bean bags in the Rosenfeld School library during the morning of Stay and Play.

December 10

December 10 2012 Rosenfeld News by Tina Wolfe

            Happy days, the snow is here. It fell in piles last weekend and though we had a bit of wind on Saturday night, the fields are still white. The grandkids are waiting to get onto their sleds and head out onto the field around the farm.

            My voice is back and the coughing has begun. It’s doable during the day but why is it always worse as soon as a person lies down? I have a brown flat bottle standing at the ready on the kitchen counter but is that Buckley’s ever vile stuff. Gallons of tea have been consumed which is very tasty with the honey Mike and Anna brought back from their trip to Savannah. I hope that the coughing fits are gone before the Christmas Concerts begin.

Mayan calendar

            The history buffs are in a tizzy this month. As the readers may have heard, the ancient Mayan people of Mexico were quite advanced in the sciences and agriculture. Archeologists have uncovered calendars in the many ruins i.e. Chichi Niches but they all end in the year 2012, the month of December and on the 21. Is it to be the end of the world? A big catastrophe is predicted but no one really knows if anything or what will occur. Some predict that life as we know it will end but who knows what that means. I just hope our hydro power stays on whatever happens. I can’t imagine how we would cope if the power grid went down. Very few houses have fireplaces or cook stoves and it’s cold out there. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Carolers

            The Boys and Girls Club meets twice a month at the Rosenfeld School. The coordinators, Brian and Roxanne Friesen, plan many activities for the group and this month they went caroling. We were just about to leave for a hockey game when the tractor and wagon pulled up at the end of our driveway. Upon opening the window, Gabby one of our granddaughters stuck in her head and told us that they would like to sing for us. How do you resist those big blue eyes? Out of the truck we hopped, into the garage we went and stood at the open door while the big group sang energetically. Before leaving we were presented with a container of peppernuts which luckily Dave doesn’t enjoy so I didn’t even have to share. The evening wasn’t as cold as many in the past and it was huge group. Thank you, we enjoyed the carols.

Hockey update

            The Altona Bantams are playing at least two games a week and that keeps these grandparents very busy. On Thursday, Dec. 6 the Morden team came to Altona for their second game. It was a very good game and the score was closer than the previous one. Altona won 3 – 1. Saturday, Dec. 8 the Notre Dame team drove in even though the snow was piling up on the roads. This was also a nail biter and Altona lost their first game in regular season play 4 – 2.  We currently have two players off with concussions; Simon Schroeder and Jesse Dowswell. We wish them the best and hope they recover soon.

November 29

         

        

November 26, 2012 Rosenfeld News by Tina Wolfe

            Once the temperatures hit – 20, I fully believe that winter is here and we hit that low from Sunday to Monday of this week so I think winter has arrived. We can’t seem to keep the bird feeder full with all the sparrows descending upon the front deck announcing to the world that lunch is being served at the Wolfe house. When I grew up seeing blue jays in Rosenfeld was a rare occurrence but that has totally changed. Have you ever watched how many sunflower seeds those birds can take into their beaks at one time? I swear it must be half a cup at least. The nuthatches are also very busy but have their work cut out for themselves trying to get a snack between the blue jays and sparrows.

Award in Ottawa

            My sister Eva and her husband live in Winnipeg. Everyone hears stories about how people in the big cities don’t know their neighbours but that can’t be said in this situation. One of their neighbours is a very unique and interesting person with an intriguing background and ancestors. Her name is Terry Somerset and she allowed me an interview only because she likes Eva and Rasheed. I feel very privileged to tell a bit of her story. I have a feeling there will be a book written in the near future; her family has a long history in Manitoba.

            Terry Somerset was nominated to receive a medal and flag at the National Recognition Ceremony which took place on October 25. Terry and her daughter, Cathy flew out to Ottawa the day before to prepare for the occasion. The Governor General, David Johnston and Prime Minister Stephen Harper presented Terry with a flag and she will receive the medal on a later date. The presentation was in honour of her Métis ancestors’ participation in the War of 1812.

            Terry and Cathy were given a very interesting tour of Rideau Hall by the Governor General and his wife, both who were wonderfully personable and friendly. They also attended a fabulous luncheon where they met many of the other recipients from right across Canada.

            Terry reported that the flag will be hung in one of the Métis centers in Winnipeg so that many may enjoy it. She stated that many Métis ancestors fought for the British against the Americans in 1812 and her people should be proud of their history.

           Only two Manitoba residents were chosen to receive a medal and flag at the National Recognition Ceremony in Ottawa on October 25. They are Randy Ranville and Terry Somerset pictured here with Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Governor General David Johnston.

Hockey report

            The Altona Bantam Hockey team began their season with a nail biter at the Pilot Mound arena on Saturday, Nov. 17. They took on the Manitou/Somerset team and for awhile it appeared that the game was theirs but the other team laid on the coals and the score ended 5 – 4 for the Altona team. Tuesday, Nov. 20 we headed out to Morden for the second game. This was easier on the blood pressure and they won 6 – 3.On Wed. Nov. 21, the Portage team came a ‘calling and again the Altona team was up 2 goals by the second period and only squeaked by winning 4 – 3. Three Bantam players hail from Rosenfeld: Simon Schroeder, Conner Winter and Thomas Wolfe, all them play defence. Simon Schroeder has been out for the last two games due to a concussion which occurred during his participation in Hockey Academy.

School update

            The schools Christmas programs are right around the corner or should I say the next page. Mark these dates on the calendar.

            The W. C. Miller Candlelight Concerts will be held at Buhler Hall on December 13 and 14. Get there early, this is usually standing room only.

            Rosenfeld School will be holding their concert on Wednesday, Dec. 19. There will be two concerts; one in the afternoon and another in the evening.

            Parkside Junior High will perform on Thursday, Dec. 20.

Rink update

            The lights are on at the rink and flooding has begun making this one of the earliest starting date in awhile. The storage addition is coming along nicely with the help of Henry and Chris Janz coming to put in many man hours. A couple of more donors helped out financially; Winner’s Circle of Altona and WolfePac Consultants of Rosenfeld. The community appreciates everyone’s involvement to make this rink available to the residents and their children.