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.