April 14, 2013 Rosenfeld News by Tina Wolfe
Can anyone say “deja vu?” Doesn’t this April remind you of 1997? Here it is April 15, we’re having a storm and the kids get a snow day in the Border Land School Division. I’m wondering when we’ll get the next flood update from our intelligent NDP government officials. If we would have listened to the North Dakota flood predictors in the first place, no updates would have been necessary. Anyone who lives within 15 miles of the border knows that our weather is more like Grand Forks than Winnipeg and since the water flows north it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure this out.
Just when the grass was beginning to peek out in places and moms were getting ready for rubber boots along comes this dump of snow. One of our neighbour’s daughters, Bailey, stopped by on her way home from school the other day and she informed me that she was tired of winter. When the children are done then it surely must reflect that in the home and in school. Usually the adults get cabin fever not the kids but since we’ve had snow since October it’s beginning to wear and tear on everyone.
Ladies nite
The Rosenfeld Good Neighbour Center filled with women ready for an evening of fun on Friday, April 12 and they were not disappointed. The table at the entrance was covered with a teapot puzzle and the shelf in the lobby showcased Marge Schellenberg’s teapot collection. The other tables had a teapot as the center pieces which had miniature teapot lollypops in them which were made by Stephanie Friesen.
Approximately 50 ladies were entertained by three guest speakers who were introduced by emcee, Brenda Braun. First up was Ang Loeppky, an interior designer from Altona, who spoke on how to balance the décor in a room. She recommended that a person limit the use of their favourite colour, suggesting that if the colour is red to only use splashes of red. If the favourite colour is yellow; don’t paint the walls yellow but use vases, pillows or flowers to give punches of yellow. Illustrations were passed around the tables to help visualize the helpful hints on decorating.
Next up on stage was Elaine Gitzel, also a resident of Altona, who collects hair-ware. What is hair-ware you ask? Well, I had never heard of this jewelry form before this evening. Queen Victoria, the first, made this a fashion statement. When her husband died she was devastated and wore a piece of jewelry with her husband’s hair in it. This fashion soon became known as a love token and ladies would save their hair to make it into necklaces, bracelets, barrettes or watch-fobs for their gentlemen friends. Elaine had an interesting collection on display and the finished product is of the most amazingly intricate design. It’s fascinating to wonder how hair was woven and crochet into the same form as some of the gold necklaces we wear today.
Lastly we were entertained by Barbara Alarie who owns and operates Deerhaunt which is a retreat estate near Carman. Barbara brought fun and laughter along with her tickle trunk. She had hats, coats, shoes, bags, scarves, gloves and attitude. She spoke on bringing out the inner child and having fun. “What other people think of you is none of your business” was one quote with which I entirely agree. Another quote: Your best accessory is your smile. Barbara encouraged the ladies to experiment with colour and design, shop at the local thrift stores and not to put off having fun but to enjoy themselves today. She was a hoot and soon had everyone laughing which was a beautiful way to end the evening.
Coffee and tea followed with a wonderful selection of crumpets, squares and cookies. The evening was a huge success with allowing planner, Marge Schellenberg, to donate $100.00 to the local Food Bank and MCC. She would like to thank everyone for their support especially Helen Kuhl for going the extra mile. I and I think I speak for all the ladies who attended, would like to thank Marge and her group of volunteers for a very fun evening.
Amber’s journal
So, I know that it’s been a long time since I’ve written, so I’ve got a lot to say especially concerning all of the stuff that I did over Easter Break, which is a two-week holiday like our Spring Break. My Canadian au-pair friend Elsie and I made plans to go during the first weekend of the break to Salzburg, Austria! Reasons for going there: the movie ‘The Sound of Music’ was filmed there, the famous composer Mozart was born there, and it is just a really beautiful city set in the mountains.
We ended up travelling separately as Elsie went one day earlier than me. I got to take a German train by myself, which was kinda nerve-wracking but really fun, and we met up at the hostel where we were staying. Yeah, a hostel! I wasn’t really sure what to expect since I’ve never stayed at one before, but for only 17 Euros a night, I’d say that we got a steal of a deal. Elsie and I stayed together in a girl’s dorm room, so it was sort-of like staying at a camp. There was room for eight girls in each dorm, which worked because the beds were bunk beds. There was a separate shower room for the girls, and we all shared one bathroom. To protect our stuff from getting stolen, the hostel provided lockers and the doors to the room were all key-accessible only. We also got breakfast included in the price, which I thought was a bonus! It certainly wasn’t the nicest, most cleanest place to stay, but it was in a good location, had all the necessities, and was fairly secure.
When I say good location, I mean that it was located really close to the old section of Salzburg. The city itself was really beautiful. There was a clear blue river that ran right through the centre of the city, and all along it were really old buildings with beautiful architecture. Just try to imagine a lot of stone detailing, big stone pillars and many, many big churches with huge colourful stained glass windows or life-like statues out front, tall clock towers and a lot of big majestic buildings painted a pale yellow colour because that was the royal colour of the Austrian emperor in past centuries. On top of one of the hills overlooking the city stands a huge castle, which I took a tour of on my second last day, the day that Elsie left and I was by myself. That day, I explored more of the city as well, and in the evening, I dressed up nice and went out for wiener schnitzel by myself for supper.
On the days when Elsie and I were in Salzburg together, we explored the old part extensively and also took a bit of a walk to an amazing look-out point facing the mountains. The view at the top, I can say, was probably the most amazing view that I’ve ever seen. None of the many pictures that we took at the top will ever do justice to the glorious splendour of what God has created. It was truly spectacular.
Elsie and I also went together on a Sound of Music tour, where we got to see different sites where the movie was filmed, and also got to see more of the Austrian countryside. It was really neat to be able to see the places that up until that point I’d only seen on a T.V. screen. It truly was as beautiful there as I’d imagined, probably the most beautiful city that I’ve ever been to up till this point in my life, and it was definitely worth seeing. (Amber, my granddaughter, is an au-pair in Germany.)
Elsie and I also went together on a Sound of Music tour, where we got to see different sites where the movie was filmed, and also got to see more of the Austrian countryside. It was really neat to be able to see the places that up until that point I’d only seen on a T.V. screen. It truly was as beautiful there as I’d imagined, probably the most beautiful city that I’ve ever been to up till this point in my life, and it was definitely worth seeing. (Amber, my granddaughter, is an au-pair in Germany.)
Dave Wolfe’s carving of this blue winged teal took home a third place ribbon at the Prairie Canada Carving Competition which was held April 6 & 7 in Winnipeg.
Barbara Alarie brought out many exotic and fun pieces of clothing from the tickle trunk at Ladies Nite which was held April 12 in Rosenfeld.
