“The RoseBouquet”

A bit earlier than we are used to, so we all feel pleasantly surprised, but it is welcome. In the last week we have had a lot of snow and ice disappear. The most used roads are clear and where residents have cleared the sidewalks in front of their properties, there the sidewalks are fine too.

Despite all that, yesterday morning walking to my office here I had countless “near falls” on little patches of ice here and there, even where the sidewalk looked clear. Early in the morning the temperatures are still hovering too close to the freezing point, 0 Celsius, and over night the slushy snowy patches have frozen. So there it is like walking on icy rocks.

By the afternoon, when I walked home at 5 pm, many more spots had cleared and dried off - even though the sun was hiding and the skies were grey and overcast. Where there was still snow it was slushy or sometimes like dry sand. (That means the warm air must have drawn all the moisture out).

When I got home yesterday I saw that a neighbour had cleared the slush and snow off the sidewalk in front of my place, so I decided to get some exercise by doing it in front of my other neighbour’s house. This morning that sidewalk looked clear, but it has a thin glaze over it, and I had to watch my steps. When I get home, I hope it will have dried off.

Even the snow on my garden is disappearing and I can see strips of black dirt beside the path! However, there is a big puddle under my car. And the old wall plaster I had knocked out of the stairwell and dumped behind the car has become a clay-goop.

Oh well, spring is here. We’ll tolerate all these things. The problem is - we may get spoiled and have a downer when a big spring snowstorm blows in! So those of us older and wiser are bracing ourselves for another dose of winter yet.

I called my sister Elsie last week for her birthday, and she said they had all kinds of flowers out in B.C. but she was worried the blueberries would start blooming too soon, and would die if another blast of winter should hit there.

But hey, compared to the people who are experiencing earthquakes - do we have anything to complain about? Do we?

When you are part of a poor family you learn to make do with simple things, and focus on living well spiritually. Since Snowflake is part of my family or household he has had to make do with cardboard boxes for his nests to curl up in. He has never complained, but has eagerly investigated any boxes or containers he found.

Well, on Sunday, Shirley, a friend of mine who is very fond of animals and admires Snowflake a lot, came over with not just one, but two new carpeted cat houses for Snowflake!

The one is a simple, one-story bungalow, with a sunning roof. It has a streamlined circular architecture, made of sturdy plywood and lined inside and out with a thick new carpeting that is both warm to curl up in, and great for exercising one’s claws.

The other one is a two-story townhouse, also with a sunning roof, and designed by the same architect, with matching decor to the bungalow.

But how would Snowflake like these new houses? While Shirley was around he merely sniffed them over carefully and politely peeked inside. Seemed clean enough, no scent of previous residents.

After she left, while I was making myself a light supper in the kitchen, I turned around to find Snowflake was inside the first story of the townhouse which I’d placed in his sunny south window, right in the room where he spends most of his days. I ran for my camera and took a snapshot. (When I’d finished supper I emailed it to Shirley).

The bungalow was parked under my desk, and I’d turned it so that I would be able to have eye-contact with Snowflake when he was in it. About 7 pm I glanced down and found that he had managed to move in, and curl up snug as a bug in a rug. His face looked up at me from the round door-window. Satisfied, I thought. So I grabbed the camera and took another click.

Later, when I was ready to go to bed, I didn’t have the heart to pull him out, as I usually did with the cardboard boxes. Instead, I picked up Snowflake, bungalow and all, and carried him to his room for the night. Wow, no need to wake up the sleepy pussycat!

I’ve left the boxes around in case he missed them, but I think he has fully moved into his new homes, so I can clean up the shabby boxes - as soon as I have time.

By the way, Carol, whom I haven’t seen in several years, phoned up last week to ask if I knew someone who would be willing to board her cat for 6 weeks while she is moving. If you live in the Saskatoon and northward area and would like to do this, do get in touch. I can’t see myself doing that, but said I’d ask around in case I heard of someone else.

On Saturday I left all my work lie right where it was, and I attended workshops all-day MHSS day at Bethany Manor.

In the morning Esther Patkau taught how to write one’s Memoirs and then, how to write a good obituary.

I had assumed lunch would be served, but we were on our own for that. Fortunately, Maria Bartel, the lady sitting beside me was eager to talk with me, and invited me to the dining hall where she normally eats her meals, for she is a resident of this large retirement community. I followed her as she trudged along with her walker.

In a large, spacious and lovely dining room, we sat to eat with a couple whom I had never met before, but who are also related to me. I don’t have my genealogy book right here, but I believe Peter Friesen, like Maria, is a second cousin of my mother’s. Anyway, it was a delightful lunch. Lovely food, served graciously by friendly waitresses.

For the afternoon workshop we had been promised that if we brought a laptop, we would get a free database loaded up with over 1 million names. It is called GRANDMA. (It stands for: Genealogical Registry And Database of Mennonite Ancestry). It normally costs $75 with a registered copy of the Brother’s Keeper software, so that offer was a good deal.

A cousin has given me the older versions 4 and 5, but this was the latest, version 6.

Last week Jondalar had helped me prepare a laptop that had been given to me a couple of years ago. I was looking forward to getting this gift. Unfortunately, we had not loaded all the drivers, so while it worked, (hallelujah!) it didn’t recognize the USB stick when it was inserted. My friend Anna said she’d bring me a copy next time she comes into the city, so not all is lost, but I have to be satisfied for now with the smaller database that I already had.

While my American friends were celebrating Presidents Day yesterday, three provinces of Canada were celebrating a new holiday called “Family Day.” Yes, Saskatchewan was one of them. (Alberta and Ontario are the other two; Manitoba celebrates Louis Riel Day, and Prince Edward Island celebrates Islander Day). It converges with Valentine’s Day to give everyone a bit of a shove for showing love to those near and dear to you.

In my case, my friend Shannon invited me over yesterday for supper, so we celebrated friendship. Otherwise I spent the day working at home, and had a fairly productive day. I even got some bread-baking and mending done over my noon hour. Beyond that I got as much done as I would have at the office.

Sure, rub it in, I’m a workaholic. But I knew that work had to get done, and I didn’t mind doing it.

Incidentally, I have added the photos from weekend before last when
Ernie Came to help with my stairwell.

Yes, my brother Ernie came on Saturday and he helped without complaining, and even did more than I had hoped for. We were both rather tired out, but I’m grateful for what was accomplished. I meant to add some more photos - the last installment - to the stairwell page, however, I’ve just realized that I left my camera at home. I can’t get access to the pictures I took on Saturday!

Ernie also brought along some jewelry that his wife Penny had prepared for me.

We had talked on the phone some weeks back, and she told me that she has taken up a new hobby, repairing jewelry chains and making necklaces. I had a handful of broken chains, and she urged me to send them to her. So I had. Now Ernie brought them back, plus some new ones that she had made for me. Again, I was going to show you these, but I forgot the camera in my purse as I walked to the office today.

You really don’t want to hear about our weather these days, do you? Or do you need a break from your own?

Saturday was quite mild, then the temperature plummeted for Sunday and yesterday. Today it is supposes to creep up again, and give us some milder days again. For us, mild can be still on the freezing side of -0 Celsius. It’s when the temperature drops to -20 to -30 and more that we wince and some are afraid to go outside.

On Sunday afternoon I walked to the hospital 9 blocks away, to see the mother of some friends from Hague, who is dying. I found the air growing sharper, and by late afternoon, when my friend Anna dropped by, the cold was beginning to creep into my house, so I had to turn up the thermostat.

When her son came to pick her up after 7 pm, it was truly COLD, and to top it off, the heater in his van was not working. They waited in my place for a while for someone else to bring another vehicle. Finally Gary and his buddy decided to ask me for a pail of hot water and a funnel to add to the radiator. After a while they figured it was safe to head home.

But hey, let’s cheer up. Someone told me in church that they have observed we are alternating weather each month. Sept was nice and summery. October was cold and had some snow. November was a lovely Indian summer. December was awfully cold. January has had some mild weeks, or weekends. February is stormy again, … so guess what’s coming in March! Yeah, it might be spring! Maybe where you are too!

Perhaps you get tuckered out just reading about my home reno projects? (Gulp! I just swallowed a desire to defend myself).

But if you want to know what goes on at my place when I’m home, this is the MAIN THING on most Saturdays. I know the seasons will change and then it will not be so possible. I spent a second Saturday on the stairwell project because a friend from the mission (WTM) agreed to come and help since he is tall and has long arms. I had hinted that I needed such a friend to help get the plaster out that I could not reach the previous Saturday.

Wayne Senger brought along his landlord, Jake, who had a weak arm from a recent accident, but they worked without complaining for about 2 and a half hours.

The plaster came out and when I asked about the slats they tackled that too! God bless them!

Wayne had worked a night shift at a warehouse and by 3:30 he really needed to go home to rest, but fortunately I could reach the lower slats that were left, and then I had to do the clean up. If this peaks your interest, I’ve added a few photos to last week’s photo story page; Stairwell-plaster-out!

After Ernie’s visit, I’ll be away at a genealogy workshop the next weekend, so it will be mid-February before I get back to my reno projects. I like to think that I may get the worst of the dirty jobs done by the end of March.

On Saturday I was determined to break down and carry out all that old-fashioned plaster in the walls of my stairwell to the basement. My brother Ernie is coming from Winnipeg the first Saturday of February, and I’m hoping he’ll help me nail paneling into that stairwell. I want to have the messy clouds of dust cleared up by then.

Well, it was seriously dusty, dirty work. I carried out about ten pails of broken plaster pieces and dumped on the ground behind my car, hoping it will work like gravel there, and keep the grass from growing in my parking spot.

However, I didn’t get a chance to try backing out over that stuff because it snowed and snowed all day Saturday and Sunday morning, though I spent more than half an hour digging out my garden path to the car, I decided that it was probably wiser to stay home. No need to put myself or others in danger of an accident. Traffic was moving, I could see, on 22nd Street, just half a block away, but I doubted that the snow plows would get to all the streets I needed to take to get to church.

I took a few photos after I stopped shoveling snow, then went inside, settled down to pray until noon, and worked at fine-tuning my computer’s new operating system. (See photo story here)

That’s another thing I did on Saturday. I wiped my hard drive and installed the newer openSUSE 11.2. (I had the 10.3 for about three years). That kept me busy the rest of Sunday, so I didn’t really mind being snow-bound.

When I got up yesterday I fully intended to walk to the office, but listening to all the weather reports on the radio spooked me a bit, so I called ahead to see if Anne and Priscilla had made it in. Priscilla called me back moments later and advised that I stay home. The snow was knee-deep on the sidewalks in that area.

Well, I had everything I needed at home, so I was happy to take her advice. I still needed to do some trouble-shooting on my computer, and had to set up my emails so I could receive and answer them. That took until late in the afternoon.

Today however, I bundled up in my down-filled coat with the huge hood, big boots with 2 pairs of socks, and two pairs of knit gloves inside of fur-lined jumbo gauntlets (mitts). My stuff in my backpack and off I hiked. I managed okay and only found a few spots where the home-owners had not cleared the sidewalks in front of their homes.

Things are returning to normal, but everyone has their stories of how they coped, and of course the farmers and gardeners rejoice at all that moisture that will sink into the soil for the summer.

This last weekend I was convinced that Snowflake was initiating a game of Hide n’ Seek. Normally, when I’m ready to close the computer and get ready for bed, I pick him up and give him a last hug while I carry him to his room for the night. However, on Friday night he wasn’t at any of his usual places. I began to hunt for his new cozy spot.

I could not find him. My house is only 610 sq. feet, and I know every nook and cranny fairly well.

Finally I went to his room and pulled out the bag with the cat food and rustled the yogurt cup inside which I use to measure out his food. Whoa, immediately he came running. I just don’t know from where.

The next night, same thing. I hunted high and low, and and in places it should be impossible for Snowflake to get into, and then hunted through most of them again. No Snowflake.

After more than half an hour of searching I gave up and got ready for bed, but decided to close my door, so he could not surprise me during the night with a leap onto me. (He did that twice at the beginning). I was in bed with my glasses off, and lights out, when it occurred to me that I had not checked the basement. I had assumed that he came up when I did after folding and bringing up my laundry - but did he really? Maybe not…

I got up and stepped into my slippers, took along a flashlight for dark corners, and went downstairs, calling and hunting for my white cat.

From somewhere, it seemed to be high on a shelf, he made pathetic little mewing sounds. Thinking he might have got himself stuck somewhere in the rafters, I began to hunt in earnest. Still no success.

Going back up I brought his bag of food and tried to lure him with that. No go.

Well, I decided, he has no litter box down here, but he could survive a night. It was going on 1 am, I should go to bed.

I had put away the food, turned out the lights in the basement and was shutting the door, when suddenly Snowflake was at the the foot of the stairs. I called out to him, but he just rolled over on his side, which usually means I’m suppose to come pick him up.

With a sigh I headed down to do so, but he got up and went out of reach. Fortunately, when I clapped my hands, he scampered up the stairs on his own initiative and straight to his room.

It was a relief to us both, yet I had to smile at how long and hard he played at Hide n’ Seek.

It’s also been a surprise to me how many people really liked my Christmas gift booklet, “Beggin’ for Hugs.” Snowflake really made a number of friends with that. If you didn’t get to read it or download your copy, it’s here;
Christmas booklet - Beggin’ for Hugs

I think the weather all over North America, maybe all over the world, is playing a game like Musical Chairs. You know how that goes? Some music is played and everyone has to be up and out of their seats moving around. When the music stops everyone sits down right where they are. Or in another version some gifts are passed around and around in a circle while the music is playing. If one of the gifts is in your hands when the music stops, it’s yours!

It came to me last night while doing dishes, that the weather systems are travelling all over the place, and landing in the most unlikely spots. People in Florida, for instance, are having snow and frost on the oranges, while here, where we usually have the bitterly cold and long January days, we are suddenly having a mild spell with temperatures in the afternoon that are above 0 C, or above freezing! People in parts of the world that normally never see snow are having to shovel mountains of it while we have just a few inches this time.

I was talking to my Aunt Helena in B.C. last night and she says its because the weather system from Hawaii is blowing in over the ocean. It’s known as the Pineapple Express. Of course, the normal flow is that whatever comes from the west will blow over to us in a few days.

Well, I feel sorry for you if you’ve ended up with weather you don’t like, but I feel like we’re getting some sort of prize this week!

On Saturday I did some patching on my basement floor with dry mix cement. I may have to do a bit more, and then I want to press on with my tiling project from last winter. There’s only about 25% of the floor left to go.

Well, I’m satisfied with the Christmas and New Year’s holidays I had and the days between too. How about you?

I had a lovely quiet day on Christmas day and was able to spend the morning in prayer. About noon I started the turkey in the oven and the potatoes and stuffing in the crockpots, etc., and then went back to my quiet time until about 3:30 or 4 pm when I prepared the cooked foods into metal serving dishes and covered them so I could keep them warm in the oven.

After 5 pm I went to the airport to pick up my nephew Jasel, who was our Christmas dinner guest. I’d been tracking his flight online and expected it to arrive at the later time of 5:35 but when I got there it was delayed some more, and so he only arrived just after 6 pm.

We hurried back to my place, loaded the turkey meal into my fabric carrying bags, and hurried off to my brother Tom’s apartment where we enjoyed a nice hot Christmas meal. Later we loaded Tom’s wheelchair in the trunk and went for a ride through the Enchanted Forest, a display of many Christmas themes in the zoo. We followed the trail this way and that, and looked at all the colourful trees and cartoon scenes, and even one nativity scene.

We dropped off Tom, and then I dropped Jasel off at his other aunt Phyllis’s home (from his dad’s side). He had already had one Christmas meal the night before at his girlfriend’s home, and this one with us, and was having another one the next day with his Peters relatives. Yes, three days in a row!

Meanwhile, I was happy to eat turkey leftovers, and stay mostly at home for a week, and do some serious catching up on several fronts. Well, to be honest, I didn’t get those projects all finished, but I made some good progress.

For instance, I had fallen behind in answering emails on a daily basis while I was working so hard to get my Christmas gifts made and my mail sent out. So I set aside most of my afternoons to work at catching up that area. I managed to read, and answer and file or delete all but 20 emails. Seems I could not break that barrier. One day I answered a whole bunch of personal emails and had a good time chatting with my friends that way. Wonderful, mainly ezines left to go. But the next morning they had all answered, and I was way behind again.

It would seem that with all the people I know and correspond with, plus clients, and ministry contacts, and people using contact forms on my various sites, I really need to dedicate more hours a day to email work.

On New Year’s Eve I had a friend over for supper, and another friend came later to play some Bible trivia games and then we prayed over the minutes of the new year rolling in. It was very special!

New Year’s Day was another prayer day for me, but in the afternoon I took a nap and got really rested up.

This week I’m back at the office, and feeling as if I’ve had a nice vacation.

Our bitterly cold temperatures did turn milder over the weekend. Today we have some softly drifting snow flurries, but nothing compared to what we hear has dumped in the eastern USA.

My neighbours, Joe and Penny have been watching the weather reports from there with intense interest. They left this morning to fly down to Maryland to be with their three sons. The eldest is married and they have two young children.

There are many times Joe has helped me out in practical ways. This morning I considered it a small effort to return the favours when they asked me to drive them to the airport. It meant waking up at 4 am to go start the car and bring it around to the front of their house so they could load it. The plan was to leave for the airport at 4:40.

Well, this is how it went…. My alarm went off at 4 am and I thought that rooster sounded very tinny and mechanical. (Maybe that’s why I didn’t hear it on Sunday morning and slept it). Being worried that I might do it again I had asked Penny to phone me when they got up to make sure I was not sleeping in. I sat hanging my head for a while, and suddenly remembered that I’d promised to start the car and bring it around to the front by 4:30. I jumped up and got dressed very fast, and dashed off to do just that. Then I came back into my house to wait until I saw them loading the car.

Minutes ticked by, and it got to be 5 am. I kept checking my windows for light in their windows next door. Hmm.. finally I decided that it could happen that they had slept in. So I phoned. Joe answered and said a sheepish “Yes.” and hung up. A bit later he was carrying luggage out. In the car they admitted that they had been awake part of almost every hour, and then had fallen asleep when they should be getting up.

It’s only a ten minute trip to the airport and so I was back home in no time at all, for I only needed to drop them off at one door. I was undressing for my morning bath, when the phone rang. It was Joe asking if I’d seen his cell phone on my car.

I hadn’t, but I quickly dressed and went out to check. It was under the cushion he had sat on. I started dressing in earnest to drive back to the airport, and deliver it to him before their flight took off. It only took seconds as he was waiting outside the door.

About 6:30, the time I normally aim to be in the tub, I was stepping into it. Now I’m off to a normal day, except that we three “office gals” who are left behind are going out for lunch, and I’m invited out for a birthday supper too. I will probably be listing to one side later this evening though.

Oh Christmas Day I will go back to the airport to pick up a surprise guest for the turkey meal I’ll take to my brother Tom’s apartment.