Dec. 18, 2014

How is everyone doing with their shopping? I'm pretty much done with shopping and baking which frees me up to have coffee and lunch with friends and family. Busyness used to limit my social part of life and boy, am I making up for that now.
It was nice to have milder temperatures but not the icy roads. And it sure was foggy for a few days; I'm waiting for the sunny wintry days even if it does get colder. Many people have booked trips for the south; some have already left for Arizona for the three coldest months. I read an article concerning taxation which these residents will face from the American government, so if you are heading south for an extended stay, be sure to know changes are continually occurring or you may receive an unwanted tax bill from the good old U. S of A.

Anniversary wishes

Happy anniversary wishes go out to Mike and Anna Wolfe. They celebrated 21 years of marriage on Dec. 6. May you enjoy many more years of togetherness.

Birthday wishes

Happy birthday wishes go out to Carol Schroeder who celebrated on Sunday, Dec. 14 and to Loretta Smith who will have her special day on Dec. 22. Anna Wolfe, Tina Wolfe, Carol Schroeder and Loretta Smith enjoyed celebrating these birthdays by having lunch at Pizza Haven and dessert at Carols' house on Monday, Dec. 15.
Happy wishes go out to anyone else who celebrates in December including Judith Schellenberg of Mitchell.

Concerts

Everyone is busy going to concerts; some families have children in three different schools and must make sure the calendar is front and center where the family can see which days and times are booked. Add to that the church programs and some attend at least four concerts.
Dave and I have one more to attend an that is the MCI Christmas concert. It will be happening on Dec. 18 & 19 at Buhler Hall in Gretna. If you are planning to attend, a note of advice; be early. The hall fills up very quickly. The concert runs from 7:30 - 8:30 p.m.

I didn't have a very good week last week so I won't bore anyone with that. It will be better when the sun shines. Sun always takes a way the aches and pains. Friends take away the blues. Life is good.

That's it for this week. Take care on the roads, enjoy the gatherings and have a great Christmas.

Dec. 11, 2014

If anyone was wondering where I'd gone last week, well wonder no more. Nothing's wrong, I'm fine, I just took a mini-vacation the week before and gathered no news. I sure did have fun but didn't think I'd write a column just about myself.

Isn't the weather fabulous? Those few bitterly cold days were stark reminders of what winter could be like. Many of the houses shine brightly at night and the windows feature a beautifully trimmed Christmas tree. Some people have finished shopping for gifts but I'm not one of them. It's fun to be able to go to a few stores and look around to see if there are any new ideas out there.

New committees

Every community runs with the help of volunteers and Rosenfeld is very fortunate. The Parent Council has the following on its committee: Andrea Friesen-chair, Sarah Sawatzky-co-chair, Janet Hildebrand-secretary, Elma Sawatzky-treasurer, Ashley Peters, Wayne Kauenhofen, Gwen Herman, Eva Peters and Jason Pilkington-Principal.

The Rosenfeld and Area skating rink committee: Sean Winter - village councillor, Brenda Wiebe - secretary, Warren Schroeder, Jake Hoeppner - RM councillor and James Friesen.
Rosenfeld is not a very big community and it's great to see these positions filled. I'll have the Good Neighbour committee names next week.

Christmas carols

Music was in the air last week Wednesday, Dec. 3 when a group of carolers made their way around town in a wagon of hay bales. Brian Friesen was driving Mike Wolfe's John Deere and they made their way from house to house. They ended the evening at the Bergthaler Church for snacks and hot chocolate. It was much appreciated and a wonderful way to begin the season.

Hockey update

The Miller Aces travelled to Morden Wednesday, Dec. 3 to take on the Morden Thunder. The Aces played fast and furious and the game was tied at the end of the third period. Try as they might they couldn't score and it was reported that they way out-shot Morden but the puck just wouldn't go into the net. The Aces lost in the overtime shootout 5-4. Better luck next time.
Gramps Dave went to watch our grandson play hockey and I stayed home to listen to our granddaughter come caroling. It was a good evening.

Progress report

It's great to be able to get around. I used to complain about washing dishes and vacuuming but since the accident I look at these chore differently. I no longer say "I have to do them", now I say, "I get to do them". Dave still helps when my aches and pains kicks in.
I am also quite upset if someone mentions body shape or weight. If people base their friendship on the other person's body shape, well let's just say - they don't deserve your friendship. And as to worrying about your impression in a swimsuit when you're on vacation - that too is silly. No one at the resort cares. They're much too busy enjoying the sun. So go into the world, be yourself and let the sun shine out of your soul.

Dec. 4, 2014

Good morning to all my readers. It's actually Feb. 15, 2015 today and I'm still trying to catch up with all my newspaper columns. If anyone is interested in reading them in news print just go to The Carillon which is printed in Steinbach, Manitoba.
It's a very blustery morning with blowing snow and nasty north wind so it's a good day to try to catch up.

I would like to welcome Trechelle Bunn to the life of a Carillon correspondent. It's really nice to see a young person take interest in her community and then be willing to share it with the readers of the newspaper.

The flowers outdoors are done for the year; even the hardy mums got frozen the other night when the temperature went down to minus 10. But indoors is another story where the Christmas cactus is in full bloom. The weather outdoors is amazing so far. All we have to do is look to Calgary and we know we'll soon see Old Man Winter with a load of snow.

Another Halloween has come and gone. This year we actually had 15 kids come for treats. there sure is a difference from 10 years ago when we'd get around 60 ringing the doorbell. And we'd know if there would be tricks overnight.

Baby news

Best wishes go out to Frank and Brenda Braun on becoming first time grandparents. Jen and Kristen Epp-Braun were first-time parents to Jonah Alexander on Oct 20. The nurses at the Royal Alexandra Hospital weighed Jonah in at 8 lb. 1 oz. and he measured 54 cm. the family calls Edmonton their home. Maternal grandparents are Frank and Brenda Braun of the Rosenfeld area and paternal grandparents are Richard and Brooke Epp of Stony Plain, AB.

Miller concert

The W. C. Miller concert was held on Oct. 30 at Buhler Hall in Gretna. The audience was entertained for an hour by some very talented young people. I had two favourites for the evening. One was Hallelujah presented by the junior choir and wonderfully accompanied by Victoria Wegner on piano. The other was Bright Morning Stars done by the senior choir in which Madison Smith sang a solo piece. Christina Banman is the choral director and the new band director is Mike Urichuk.
Please note that the Christmas Candlelight service will be held on Dec. 11 and 12 at 7 p.m. at Buhler Hall.

Sports update

The Miller Aces played in a hockey tournament last weekend in Neepawa and won all three games; Miller Aces 5 - Portage Trojans 2, Miller Aces 2 - Neepawa Tigers 1, Miller Aces 10 - Russell's Major Pratt 1. Way to go guys. Sorry to hear that Simon Schroeder was out with an injury. Let's hope he can hit the ice again soon.

The MCI Varsity volleyball team travelled to Portage for a tournament and came through with a huge team effort and won. This makes for happy grandparents when it involves two of the grandkids; Gabby Wolfe attends MCI and Thomas Wolfe plays for the Aces.

Brett Klassen of the Winkler Flyers is continuing to up his stats. Check out his information on the Winkler Flyers home page; it's looking good. His brother Angus plays for the Altona Maroons; he's no slouch either and his stats are listed an that website.

Volunteers

The fall supper committee is grateful to everyone for their continuous support. For the past many years the Rosenfeld Good Neighbour Center has been the venue for an annual fall supper and the generosity of the community is much appreciated. The center serves many purposes - morning coffee shop, family gatherings rentals, church rentals, Rosenfeld School Soup and Pie fundraising, pancake breakfast for the winter carnival and more. The profit from the fall supper goes back to the community center for operation costs and upkeep.

The group organizing the fall supper is looking for new participants for 2015. If you are interested in meeting new people, making new friends and helping to organize, please call Phyllis Friesen at 204-324-6534 or Leona Nickel at 204-324-6223.

Nov. 27, 2014

     A month till Christmas and I have managed to scavenge around to fill one gift basket. More and more families are doing a motel day in Winnipeg, Brandon or Grand Forks and only giving a filled stocking as a gift. It's beginning to sound like a good idea for this grandma, too. A colouring book and crayons or hanky just doesn't cut it anymore even though I used to look forward to it. Those hankies have all been made into quilt tops which now are the grandkids blankets when they do a sleepover.
     I have made a couple of batches of cookies but I think it's too early because they keep disappearing. Oh well, the weather is nasty this week and I'll just bake more; all the while heating up the house.

Opinion

     I very seldom agree with James Loewen on any of his opinions in the As I See It column but last week's hit home with me. It's surprising how many people out there have the same opinion about the Hitler subject. When you have an in-law who believes this, what do you do? Sell out in order to keep the peace and continue to see your sibling? Or speak you piece, have an upset sibling and end up with an estranged relationship?

Skating rink

     The flood lights have been on a number of times this week and vehicles are seen coming a going at the local rink. I think it's safe to assume the flooding has begun. For more information, please call Sean Winter. I'm sure that volunteers would always be appreciated.

Christmas programs

     December 11 & 12 - Miller Candlelight Service - 7:00 p.m. at Buhler Hall in Gretna
     December 17 & 18 - MCI Christmas Concert - 7:30 - 8:30 p.m. at Buhler Hall
     December 17 - Rosenfeld Concert - 1 p.m. prelude, 1:30 p.m. concert and 6:30 prelude, 7:00 p.m. concert
     December 18 - Parkside Concert - 7:00 p.m. at the Altona Bergthaler Church

Birthday wishes

     November is full of birthdays and the community would like to wish Amber Wolfe, Anna Wolfe and Crystal Zacharias a very happy birthday. I would like to include my sister Betty Warkentin of Altona in the wish.

Nov. 20, 2014

     We have snow. Ah, you say, how observant she is. Since I still don't go out that much, I watch quite a bit of TV and there are many places in the States that have experienced much worse weather than we have, so I think we're still lucky. We know the white stuff will come and blow around here on the open plains so stock up on munchies, puzzles, fabric and anything else to fill the long wintry evenings.

Movie night

     Rosenfeld School held their annual movie night on Friday, Nov. 14 and in the words of the parent council chairperson, Andrea Friesen, "the turnout was fantastic". Over 200 students and parents came out to enjoy the Disney movie Planes, Fire and Rescue. Andrea reported that all the chairs were full and many sat on gym mats on the floor. Movie goers were able to purchase fresh candy bags and pop, and add the to that the free popcorn to munch on during the movie. Andrea started the popcorn machine when the doors opened and stayed with it until the movie was over. The admittance was by donation and the evening was a fundraiser for wheelchair accessible playground equipment. There were also raffle items donated by various businesses. The approximate amount raise was $1,000 after expenses. Well done and a huge pat on the back to all supporting this fundraiser.

     We have a number of students who rely on a wheelchair and this will make for a more enjoyable recess. I know from experience that just because something is called wheelchair accessible it doesn't mean that it is. It would be a good assignment for all students to spend some time in a wheelchair to experience the trials of maneuvering around in schools, restaurants and even sidewalks. There are many washrooms where a person can get into the room but can't turn around to even use the facility but it is posted "wheelchair accessible". Yes, you can get into the room but that's it. Maybe this would bring about changes to the situation.

Hockey update

     The Miller Aces hosted the Morris Mavericks on Wednesday, Nov. 12. The Aces won 7-4 with Matthew Winter scoring a hat trick. Good job, Matthew.
     The Aces participated in a tournament in Morden on Nov. 14 and 15. The first game they took on Fort Frances and lost 3-5. The second game they played Warren and won 4-3 in overtime when Matthew Winter got past the goalie during the shootout. In the third game Saturday afternoon the Aces played hard but couldn't get past Sanford and went down 2-3. There were penalties but overall it was a very good tournament.

Public notice

     The R. M. of Rhineland office in Altona will be undergoing renovations and will be relocated to Gretna until the project is complete. The office phone numbers are 204-324-5357 or 204-327-5578.

Progress report

     This last weekend I was told that some of the doctors had thought that I would never walk again after my accident and that people over 60 do not grow more bone. I am living proof that miracles do happen since I have proven both wrong.
     Our house is decorated for Christmas, now on to the gift shopping and baking. Many go to the States for Black Friday shopping but I prefer to stay local as much as possible. A person never knows when they may need these businesses within walking/wheelchair distance.

Nov. 13, 2014

     When I was in elementary school we always had classes on Remembrance Day. In the morning we would recite Flanders' Fields and discuss the significance of the day and after lunch we would watch war movies which would give me nightmares for weeks. Every classroom had a Red Cross committee and students brought snacks to school, sold them and sent the money to the Red Cross for the military. My contribution would most always be puffed wheat cake. Because I was a chocolate fiend, my mom would add cocoa and this was new to most of the kids which resulted in all the squares being sold. That part was fun.
     Now there are no classes and I wonder how many children really know the meaning of the day or how many people died for the freedom that Canadians enjoy.

MCI concert

     Dave and I attended the MCI Fall Concert on Nov. 7 which was held at Buhler Hall. The conductor was Rick Heppner/Mueller and the accompanist for the evening was Kirsten Friesen. My choice for the fun song of the evening was Stodola Pumpa which is Czechoslovakian for "barn pump". The junior choir did an imitation of a pump going up and down during the song.
     Our favourite was the senior choir's rendition of Seth Crissman's version of Shelter in a Storm. The choir was accompanied by Elyse Loewen on violin and Myles Tiessen on guitar. As her grandma, I have to report that Gabby Wolfe's solo in All Creatures of our God and King was none too shabby either. It was a great concert.

Hockey update

     The Miller Aces hosted the Mountain Mustangs from Swan Lake on Nov. 7 (yes, we dashed from the concert to the hockey game). And what a game that was. The Mustangs were up 3 - 1 in the third period and in the last three minutes the Aces poured on the coals and tied the game. The Aces pulled the rabbit out to the hat and won the game 4 - 3. Whew, that was a nail-biter.
     On Monday, Nov. 10 the Aces travelled to Carman and though we didn't attend, it sounds as though it was quite a physical game. The Aces couldn't get enough steam going to win this one; it ended 3 - 1 for the Carman Cougars.

Calendar reminders

     The month of December is coming up very fast and here area  few dates to mark on your calendar. W.C. Miller candlelight services will be held Dec. 11 and 12. MCI Christmas concerts will be held on Dec. 17 and 18. I will add the other school dates a s soon ass they come across my desk.

Progress report

     My visit to see Dr. Pilkey was very good. On a scale of 1-10 it has to rate an eight. The left ankle is doing better than the surgeon and his intern thought possible so that ankle fusing has been put on hold. The only negative is my right knee where one of the nails will need to be removed but not before the trip south. I have the okay to have a great vacation and the next appointment will be in March unless there are unforeseen complications. Halleluiah.

Nov. 7, 2014

     Isn't it strange how some days a person feels totally different than other days? This morning I sit here and though I have some news, my brain is not focusing enough to put it into words. and I've been told that I'm full of hot air and have the gift of gab. Maybe I've been out and about too much over the weekend, so this whole article may just be rambling. I know, it's the wind's fault. One day it's howling from the north and then the next day it's from the south. I feel just like the leaves blowing from one yard to the next and then back again.

Fall supper report

     Ken and Jean Warkentin from Sanford and Jim and Judith Schellenberg from Mitchell joined Dave and me at the Rosenfeld Fall Supper. It was great; both the supper and the chatting. The turkey was soft and moist, the mashed potatoes were nice and creamy, and the pies, well we must have some of the best pastry chefs in Manitoba. Appreciation goes to all the people who donated, cooked, served and planned this event.

Hockey update

     Tryouts for the Miller Aces team are over and I'm happy to report that both of the young guys from Rosenfeld made the team. They join two senior players; Matthew Winter and Simon Schroeder also from Rosenfeld. Now we'll wait and see how much ice time Conner Winter and Thomas Wolfe will get. It's very frustrating when the coaches play only the first two lines. How do they expect the new guys to fit in and improve if they can't participate?

Coffee house

     Dave and I attended a coffee house at Oakridge Greenhouse near Mitchell on Saturday, Oct. 11. Jennifer Kerr and Jordan St. Cyr provided the entertainment for the evening. Good vocals and guitar playing was enjoyed by the audience. The last number of the evening was a rousing southern spiritual which could have come straight off the cover album of "O Brother Where Art Thou". It was good. And it done in a very nice venue.

Concert tour

     The Central Manitoba Youth Choir tour began on Thursday, Oct. 16 in Winkler and ended on Monday, Oct. 20 in Morden. They performed 14 concerts in total with Saturday being the busiest day with four concerts. Dave and I attended the performance at Buhler Hall at the Mennonite Collegiate Institute in Gretna which was on Friday, Oct. 17 in the afternoon. We listened to a variety of 12 songs from their repertoire which ranged from Negro spirituals to chanting and drumming Native numbers. Two Rosenfeld members in the group were Madison Smith and Gabby Wolfe. Great vocals from this choir were enjoyed by the audience. The conductor this year was Cynthia Peyson Wahl of Winnipeg who was accompanied by Loren Hiebert of Altona.

Fall concert calendar

     Thursday, Oct. 23 - Rosenfeld School
     Thursday, Oct 30 - Miller Collegiate which will be held at Buhler Hall in Gretna
     Friday, Nov. 7 - MCI in Gretna which will follow a soup and pie supper