“The RoseBouquet”

The last week of July there is always a Missions Conference in the small town of Waldheim, about 45 minutes north of Saskatoon. It’s the 57th annual, so it has a long history, and I can recall my parents taking us to be present at least one service - usually a Sunday evening - from when I was 12. (I even remember being sent out to the car to babysit my restless younger siblings). The missionaries of the valley area who are home on furlough, or planning to go out to a foreign country for the first time, apply to get on the agenda of these four evenings, so they can report on their work, or their needs for going. A budget is set, and very often enough comes in from the generous people of the area to help out most of the missionaries financially.

They always bring in a good speaker and a music group too.

The last few years I’ve gone on the Sunday night and then begged off as too busy the rest of the evenings, but this week I’m taking the evenings off from my usual web-work and catching a ride with my good neighbours, Joe and Penny. They are manning a display table for our WTM there.

Sunday evening when we drove back after 10 pm, we watched an amazing light show in the clouds to our right as a tremendous thunderstorm rolled in from the west. On the radio we heard how a tornado had touched down near Radisson at 9:05 pm. We were safely home before the thunderstorm really spilled out over our houses here. I couldn’t get a local radio station clearly, so only heard the next day that another tornado had touched down near Dalmeny - which is much closer to our city.

Yesterday was a new and sunny day, with some clouds. But when we came back there was a glorious sunset to watch in the west. This time we had Priscilla and her three teenage daughters in the vehicle too. Suddenly Joe asked if any of us had to be back in a hurry. When we said no, he turned off the highway to the west, and didn’t tell us right away what he wanted to show us.

We bounced through some rough grassy roads with deep mud holes. The water and mud flew up past our windows, but Joe pressed on. There was a certain property right on the North Saskatchewan river he wanted to show us. When attending a former church he was part of a committee that was going to turn it into a church campgrounds. When we arrived we all piled out and oh-h-ed and aw-w-ed at the rustic cedar cabin and the marvelous view westward over the river banks to the other wise. Right against a dimming but red and orange sunset.

We all got excited at the possibilities! The teen girls begged to come back today for a picnic. Priscilla knew her little car could never make it through that muddy road. Mine couldn’t either! But — now my imagination doesn’t want to stop. I fell asleep dreaming about it last night, and this morning in my bath I was building a Retreat Centre there, naming the cabins that would be built, and so on. I’ve really had to beg the Lord to help me put this aside, for I must get some other work done.

My imagination keeps laughing at me and darting away again in another direction.

Maybe this just means I have a writer’s mind and that it easily builds empires under my thatch of hair. Do you ever think like this too?

Or - could I call this a vision?

The RRAP is beginning! Next week Friday they will come to take out the huge octopus (gravity) furnace, and replace it with a high efficiency one that will be a wee box of a thing. The week after on the 18th, the plumbers will come to replace all the galvanized pipes with new copper or plastic pipes.

I’ve notified the electrician and the contractor that will do the roof, and several other projects, and though they are busy right now, they think they’ll be able to come around by September, most likely.

Yes! It has taken a year from when I first applied, but finally it is all coming together. And I do plan to take some photos.

The office computers? Well, I put off buying a certain used one because my car insurance bill showed up, but I think I have three of four working ones, and I need to fine tune them this week. Oh, I hope I can do all that this week yet. I want to move forward to promote a Saturday workshop, and hopefully to recruit some paying students for September.

(Oh dear! I was going to edit some photos to include, but my neighbour and her young daughter came over for a visit, and the time has flown away! I apologize. However, they did give me gifts of raspberries and Saskatoons - what could I do?)

Yesterday a man dropped by our WTM office to ask Joe for a bit of help designing an anniversary card for his wife. This man is quite romantic, and we were tickled to see that he was planning a scavenger hunt for his Honey. He’d already put a note in their car, and caught a ride with someone else to go lay the other notes in various places. She would have to follow the clues to find him, and - of courses, he was going to be at a nice restaurant where he would treat her to some fine dining.

I recall when my friend Lynette in Kamloops, B.C. told me about how she celebrates her birthdays with a special dress-up Tea for her friends. She invites those who have had a special influence and meaning in her life, and instead of receiving gifts from them, she takes that opportunity to thank them very specifically for the blessing they have been in their lives. I love that idea!

However, so far I have not felt I was in a position to put on such a tea. I do want to do that some day, but in the meantime, I’m hoping for time on Sunday to write some thank you notes to some of my own friends.

(a re-run article from this RoseBouquet in 2002)

How un-natural would it be for a rose to fret and worry, “Where will my nourishment and my moisture come from?”

The sun may shine warm, and the winds blow on a beautiful rose, but without a brain it knows that its Creator will supply these at the very best time.

Our illustrative rose doesn’t have to plot and save up for it’s seed to have a chance to be planted and to grow either. It waits confidently for all that to happen.

Now He who supplies seed to the sower and our bread for food, will also supply and increase your store of seed, and will enlarge the harvest of your goodness (righteousness).

Are you sniffing, “Haven’t got enough for myself, never mind giving away!”

Please reconsider, and look at 2 Corinthians 9:10-11. God really does give you resources for investing in food crops, in business, and in relationships.

The same Creator that the roses growing outside your door trust for dew and compost, will make you rich in resources in all kinds of ways. He wants you to be generous at every opportunity.

In the end, your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. We’ll never give Him enough gratitude and worship. Just think about Him for a few minutes and you can be carried away.

Set yourself then to have a heart of trust and generosity, for the wherewithal shall be provided. As you bless - that is, say and do good to others, you will experience joy and goods pressed upon yourself again and again!

O-kay!! I can give away what I’ve got, for more is going to appear! Hallelujah!

This last Saturday a number of us from Western Tract Mission were invited to Katie and Harold Barth’s farm for some berry picking and a weiner roast. We car-pooled, as it is about an hour’s drive north towards Radisson.

My parents were not much for going on vacation, but I do recall that some years Dad would announce that he had heard there were lots of Saskatoons at such and such a spot on either the North or the South Saskatchewan river, or perhaps at the Redberry Lake, so our whole family would pile into the car and go off for a day of berry picking. Mom would bring along enough pails for all of us, and food for a picnic. When I think of family vacations, it is scenes from those days that come before me.

It’s about two years ago when Dad and I went berry picking together for the last time. He wandered off by himself, and came back later saying he had taken a tumble down a slope and lost most of his berries. That’s when I decided that I would not take him berry-picking any more.

So this day with my friends was something to look forward to! We got there about 10 in the morning and after changing into my old runners as I expected to end up in some muddy areas, all six of us, and our hostess, spread out along a long row of Saskatoons. Katie explained that there were two kinds of Saskatoons, the Thiessen berry, and the Smokies.

(The university and certain farmers have been developing these from the wild Saskatoons to create strains that grow bigger and better berries. They have been encouraging farmers to grow them, and they hope in a few years to have enough of a supply so that we can start exporting them. The small businesses that already sell jams and jellys and Saskatoon berry pies in their trendy restaurants are thriving!)

For me it was a big change from picking the tiny sweet wild ones to these berries as big as my thumbnails. My pail filled faster. I stopped for a taste. Hmm? Not as super-sweet as the wild ones, but definitely juicy and delicious. There were even some raspberries growing at the base of the trees, which had got away on Katie when they planted these trees. I snacked on those too.

Harold got a fire going, and at noon we all considered our picking down and gathered around the fire for hot dogs, the potato salad Priscilla and I had made together, and of course, roasted marshmallows at the end. The temperature had been just right for berry-picking all morning, but as the afternoon came on, so did the heat. Katie invited us into their farmhouse for desserts.

After a while some of us wanted to go for a walk and Katie offered to guide us down to the river about two miles away. Katie and Joe strode away ahead. Priscilla jogged right past us to join them. I’m not quite that athletic, and the road was muddy, so my good (nurse’s) walking shoes were getting soiled. Fortunately, Wayne Senger, another friend of the mission who was one of the guests too, stayed back with me, and we were able to chat as we walked. When we got to the tree line we decided to head back. The others got there minutes after we did.

We headed homeward about three. When I got into my house after 4 I put my two pails of berries in the fridge and crashed across my bed for a nap. Later that evening and on Sunday, I rinsed them and put them into plastic tubs and labelled them for the freezer. I should be able to have Saskatoons about another 10-12 times over the next year. Yummm!

Hallelujah! My RRAP papers came through last week! I’ve been busy calling the contractors who are to do the work, and I have an appointment for Thursday morning when a man from the plumbing company is coming to get their documents all in order.

Hey, maybe that means I’ll even have a new furnace before the end of July! All the old plumbing lines are to be replaced as well. Okay, I can dream, can’t I?

My roof has been leaking right through to the living room again, but I don’t know until I hear back from Jake when that roof will be replaced.

You can be sure there will be photo stories of these transformations.

The saga with those old computers at my office continues as a main theme of my days, but it looks like the computer shop just three doors down may sell me a few better ones at a good bargain. I sure would like that wrapped up this week yet. I’m impatient these days to get on to the next stage of my business plan.

An End to Clutter!

Defining Clutter and Organization

30 Second Desk Clean up

10 Tips for Keeping Your Desk Clean and Tidy

Quick, help me brainstorm how to clean up my cluttered home office! A client is coming this afternoon, and contractors will be coming through here in a few days. I usually do a weekly tidy-up and cleaning on Saturdays, but in the summer things fall behind. If we brainstorm some ideas we can help each other.

You: (glancing about) Yeah…, where did this all come from?

Me: Well, the cat plays with his toys, and I have ongoing projects here, and here, and there, and that pile too. With my basement walls damp I dare not hide things downstairs. I tell you, this is a challenge that requires a second brain.

You: Okay, let’s begin in this corner here by the door and work our way around the room.

Me: Good plan! You’re helping me to think clearly again. Let’s see…, these things like the phone on top of the phone book and the box of tissues need to stay, I’ll pick up the pens and put them in this holder. My mug of water can go on this old wasted CD disk. But what about all these slips of paper?

You: Aren’t they garbage?

Me: Well, no… I might need this one, and this one… and these are brainstorming notes for a client’s site; I haven’t finished that yet.

You: I suggest you sort them, and throw out the ones you don’t need and find a way to file those you do expect to need.

Me: Right. I do have a trick for that! I have these boxes and vegetable oil jugs that I cut down and wrapped with wallpaper, and I file things in them that I need to dip into frequently. See, even an old ketchup bottle worked for me. That’s where I keep my blank note pads and card-stock cuttings. I have my passwords and key info for logins on all membership style sites in this pink box with the gold ribbon around the top.

Oh look! Here something I started once to file all my miscellaneous notes. This oblong, white cut-down oil jug has these larger used envelopes that I cut into pocket folders for notes and stuff. I guess… I just forgot to use it for a while.

You: I see you’ve already labelled some of them. This says, “Client Sites Notes.” This says, “Linux Notes.” Oh, you’ve got one called “AGENDA & GOALS.” What’s that about? Here’s, “Prayer Notes.”

Me: Yes, well, I have ideas at the craziest times, and I usually scribble them on a bit of note paper, and try to keep them handy in hopes I’ll get around to doing that soon. I had sorted all these papers once before, and started sorting them like this. See, I’ve even got some envelopes without names yet. I just need to develop a habit of putting my notes into the right folder as soon as I write it. Then when I’m looking for one, I just have to look in the right pocket. Actually, for some sites I need separate pocket folders - they generate more notes.

You: Looks like you never throw anything out until you’ve used both sides. Maybe never?

Me: (admitting sheepisly) - Sometimes. If you ever try to write a biography of someone else, you’ll discover how important little bits of paper can turn out to be. I admit it probably would be smarter to switch to notebooks, or binders, and keep everything in there. I would just pull out the pages once a year that need to be archived.

You: Sounds like binders would be the better way to go then.

Me: I do all my financial bookkeeping in this black binder here in this drawer. (Gulp!) Guess my drawers need some sorting too. But I do put all my receipts from purchases or invoices in the front of this binder, and on Friday evenings I go over everything, entering it in these special pages I made, then I also key it into my record-keeping program on the computer so it can spit out reports when I need them. I fill all the receipts in these two accordion folders after they are recorded twice.

You: Great. You have your bookkeeping done. What else could you do to sort out your drawers?

Me: Ummm… let’s see. If I moved this stuff from the large filing drawers behind me to that drawer a pace or two away, I could have space here to drop my desktop quick-filing caddies down there when I don’t need them.

Hey, things are clearing up!

You: What about those cards and knick-knacks on the book shelves?

Me: Well. Some of those cards are up for sentimental reasons, and some simply because I forgot to take them down. I can remove those and file them in this box where I keep used cards until I get around to doing crafts with them.

You: How about those boxes on that long desk?

Me: Oh, those are work projects. This is a binder of Uncle John I’m putting together with copies for… Right, you don’t want to know what all these are for. But I feel like they need to be where I can see them so I will remember I must get to them.

You: Why not hide them and just make yourself a decent, attractive note of projects to do near the computer?

Me: Yes– (sigh). That makes sense. But where will I hide them? This place is only so big, and I’m out of hiding places.

Me: (after staring and thinking for a few minutes). I suppose I could put those piles into a box and get that under my desk. There’s room for maybe one or two more. The other big pile there, I could just bring out a pretty little table cloth and drop it over that pile. That’s boxes of photos to scan, etc… and they are NOT going down to the damp basement.

That extra monitor there, I need to decide whether it will work or not, do some research, and if it won’t work I need to take those off to the recyclers. If I organize something attractively in those two baskets they can stay in the room, otherwise they will have to go into storage.

You: There. See, you’ve gone around the whole room. Now, gather up the cat’s toys and drop into that paper bag. Allow him just one or two at a time. Give a good shake to the door mat outside and a sweep and damp mop and your floors will be shiny and tidy.

Me: I do a weekly clean up, but if I did a daily tidy up too, it would be more presentable no matter who is dropping by on short notice. I will find a time slot to do that, and I think I’ll feel much better about my home office. Thanks so much for helping me brainstorm for the best ways. Two heads really are better than one, when it comes to brainstorming!

This past Saturday I was determined to make some headway with improvements around this house, besides laundry and baking bread. (No, the RRAP hasn’t come through yet). First, Joe came over to help lift the two sacks of patching cement out of my car trunk, and put them in the shed, so I could start mixing some up in a bucket to repair the walls in my basement.

Ugh, was that stuff ever heavy and hard to stir when I added water. And gravel was in there! It was really difficult to trowel that into the cracks. It was rather discouraging.

Well, the previous Saturday I had cleaned and prepared the back gate to be painted. But then I’d felt too tired to tackle the painting. I would do that this time. I gave the gate another good wipe with a wet cloth, and got my new avocado green paint into a margarine tub to hold in one hand, and went at it. However, I started on the outside first, and the wind was blowing that way. I had been a bit afraid the wind would blow dust on the fresh paint, but instead it blew the paint spatters into my face! Not quite so bad when I painted on the inside.

It took me about two and a half hours. In the end though the gate looked much improved from the mottled scrap lumber that Joe and Arnold used last November to make it for me.

After 3 pm I came in. My glasses were so spattered I couldn’t see through them, so I took them off and took a photo of my face, so I could see later how bad it was. Yikkes!

I had a nice soak in the bathtub and got rid of most of the paint. After supper I went to hear guest speakers at Bethany Manor as I had promised to take notes for some who couldn’t be there. (It was put on by the Mennonite Historical Society of Saskatchewan, or MHSS).

All that was okay, but the next morning I woke with a headache and right away I KNEW what had happened. I used to have this problem fairly often until I learned to work around it. When I exert myself to an extreme with physical labour one day, I invariably use up all the adrenalin my body can produce, and the next day my bowels and other bodily functions sort of grind to a halt. Sinus pressure builds up in my head, and I have a cross-eyed headache. All the painkillers and anti-histamines I take do nothing to clear this problem up until I’ve had time to rest and get my bowels moving again. That can take from 24-48 hours.

So Sunday I dragged around with my brain at half-mast, doing just the things I could persuade myself to do by will-power, and it lingered through yesterday until the evening. Then suddenly it lifted, and I was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed again. Whoa, but I like it when I can think and see and do all I’m used to doing! Today I’m praising the Lord for good health and a fresh flush of adrenalin juice.

Yes, I know. I really have to remember to pace my heavy work projects more carefully.

My HP printer has been on the fritz for months now. On Friday a friend sold me a slightly used Canon PIXMA MP500. I spent some time on Sunday getting the drivers downloaded and set up, and for a while it appeared it wasn’t going to go “moo” or “baa” for me. Finally I found the key file and where to enter it into my CUPS system. I asked it to do a test print for me, and voila, it came to life!

This machine does faxes, scans, and some other tricks I still have to learn, but I’m most pleased that it has a slot for me to stick the memory card from my camera and presto, my photos show up on my computer and then I can doctor them so they are fit to show in public.

Last week I made some steps forward with the old computers at the office, and a few steps back, but I think I know now that I need to get some bargains on more RAM memory. If I can do that this week, I’ll really be taking some giant steps forward.

Yesterday I stayed home (to take it easy and recover, of course), but I took time to watch some more training videos with SBI, and discovered how to turn my aloe-vera-and-handy-herbs.com site into a blog and an RSS feed. Now that will help bring in traffic! I’m also going to work on some contact forms, now that I know how the email system works there.

I realize this blog/ezine is basically to be inspirational, but a recent experience reminded me that a basic primer to avoid scams is needed even here among my RoseBouquet of good friends, so that’s my Ruthe’s Roses article today.