“The RoseBouquet”

My sincere apologizes to those who ran into frustrations looking for last week’s RoseBouquet on the blog, and in the RSS feed. When I went to post it, I found that things were not working as they should. It took me a couple of days to get my blog system updated. Now it is functional with some new features to discover.

Basically I’ve been maintaining my work agenda, and sneaking in time to do things in preparation for the Reunion. My goals have been to finish those 5 Uncle John binders, and to bake up a few jars full of peppernuts, and to dress them up and take them along for the auction sale.

Well, the Uncle John Binders ground to a halt on Saturday. I thought I had the photocopying all done, and just needed to finish writing up my observations and the story knitting all the memories of his siblings together. While I worked on the latter I got to thinking that I had not scanned all his photos, so I went on a serious hunt throughout the house to find them. I went through lots of boxes in the basement. Then up in my bedroom, I found them in the desk where I have always stored them. Crazy, eh?

But then, lo and behold, I see that I have a thick handful of photos that need to be scanned and printed into my story! Plus a cereal box full of file folders with more documents to photocopy.

It was noon, and I planned to leave for another meeting at 2 p.m. This was NOT going to work! I decided right then and there to make apologies and to finish those binders after the reunion.

It turns out now that Tom and I will be the only ones representing our clan. Even my Aunt Helena who never misses a reunion if she can help it, can’t come.

Now with the peppernuts, there is hope. I made a pail full of dough the other week, and have been baking about a cookie sheet full or two every other day over my supper hour. Since these are small spicy, crunchy-hard marble-sized cookies, I can get about 100 on a cookie sheet, but shaping them takes time. They are an old Mennonite tradition and the younger generation doesn’t seem to know how to make them, and the older ones are not so likely to make the effort any more, but they will appreciate the treat if they see them. They are great for dunking in coffee too!

I’m hoping to get another two sheets full done tonight, and maybe another tomorrow night. Then it will be time to see how many jars I can fill and dress up while packing on Thursday evening.

I have printed out some sketches I once did of my great-grandfather Klaus Friesen, and my great-great-grandfather Cornelius H. Friesen, but I doubt that I’ll have time to fuss with putting them into frames. If I can sneak it in yet, good. If not, I’ll take them as they are. They will be the earliest ancestors of almost everyone there, and for whom we have any photo or idea what they looked like.

Meantime, I must trudge along with my work agenda for three more days, and do my best to catch up on emails as they are likely to form a log-jam over the weekend.