“The RoseBouquet”

This is strange. I ought to be in a panic, and when I allow myself to think of it all at once, a bit does rise within me. This December has been unusually busy, and it looks impossible to get everything done that I’ve taken on, yet, day by day God provides for the next step, so if I just focus on what I need to do for now, somehow I keep moving forward.

Producing my Christmas card, cum story booklet is a large job in itself. I was blessed in that last week Joe spent a day printing out 100 copies of my pages filled with photos, and I’ve been busy over the weekend, addressing my mail, however, I can see that I’m going to run out. So much as I think it will disappoint some people, I’ve just prepared an online version. I’ll give you a link here, and if you click on it, and follow it, you’ll be able to read the whole booklet online - or, if you choose - download it.

Hey the colors in the photos will be more true! You can print it out if you like, and if you don’t, you have nothing to throw away afterwards! Clever, huh?

My annual Christmas story is my gift to my friends and family, but this year it is a photo story of my very Eventful Year 2007

Well, did you notice my absence the last three days? Yes, I had a computer crisis since Saturday. So if you sent me any email - if it was already in my inbox, it will hopefully show up when I get that part set up. If you sent it later, it will download once I have my email addresses set up again in KMail.

Yesterday I was wondering whose computer I could borrow to send out a quick announcement today that I was NOT able to produce the RoseBouquet for this week. However, miracles still happen. (Pretty well weekly for me, right?)

See below under WHAT’S NEW for the details.

Are you in the midst of a winter storm too? I heard yesterday that most of Canada was having winter storms and large sections of Eastern USA too. It doesn’t look too bad right now, but the forecast is for more snow tomorrow.

I guess this is par for the season, but I’m having trouble with cold feet in my house. Also in my boots when I got out. On Sunday morning, after spending half an hour breaking into my car because of the frozen doors, my feet were curling into pretzels in my boots with a rather painful cold. Yesterday I picked up some thinsulate lining material. I want to make booties I can wear in my boots (or at home). I recall once my sister Elsie gave me some and asked me to sew some oven mitts. She said this stuff keeps cold out and heat in.

Last week my friend Shirley got me some “hand warmers’ little packets you can keep in your mitts to keep your hands warm. i tried them in my boots on Friday and found them too lumpy and uncomfortable there. Hence my search for other alternatives for my feet. I’ve already tried some little sockettes made of natural cotton. That tends to stretch out of shape; I think the thinsulate might do better.

Here in my house, the floor is especially cold under my desk, so I’m wearing over my regular socks, those thick black alpaca socks Dad knit for me a year ago. That helps! But then my boots don’t fit me.

Got any other feet-warming ideas? Sugar, but I miss that warm furnace in Dad’s house!

We had a fresh blanket of snow on Sunday, another yesterday, and again this morning. Early yesterday morning I heard a snow shovel nearby, but it got closer and closer before I actually stood up and peered over the frosted part of the window to look out. In the pre-dawn pastel light I saw a figure with a light green parka turn right and walk away with a shovel. I thought I saw a long ringlet of hair hanging down beside the hood.

Michelle? My first guess was my neighbour, Michelle, next door. We’ve only talked a few times, and I’ve been thinking I should take time to work at a friendship with her, but so far good intentions haven’t accomplished it. I tried to phone her a couple of times, and got through after lunch. We had a lovely chat, and I am determined to make time somehow to have them over for crafts. Her 8 year old daughter would LOVE to make things with old greeting cards!

Last Sunday we had rain and sleet and ice. Although I could start my car and managed to scrap all the ice off my car windows, I had this sinking feeling that it was the day for accidents, and I’d be better off to not drive all the way to my church in Neuanlage. Especially since I pick up a refugee family, and they don’t have proper boots and mitts yet. I was about to back out when I decided that I should listen to the prompting of the Lord, and NOT go. I turned the car off, locked my gate again, and came inside. I phoned the refugee family and told them I would not be going.

Then, realizing that my neighbours, Joe and Penny had not left yet for church, (and they’ve invited me several times), I called them to see if I could catch a ride to their church. Yes, they were leaving in five minutes. Okay! I quickly put my coat and boots back on and was on my way out the front door. The rest of the morning went well enough. I enjoy meeting new people and Penny was busy introducing me left and right - but I did have an odd sensation, like floating in a pleasant dream. Just going with the flow.

I didn’t need my car until Friday evening when I decided that I’d dash off to the supermarket for some groceries as I would be at the Day of Prayer all day Saturday. However, when I tried to get into my car it would unlock but the door would NOT open. I realized that the slush and sleet of Sunday had frozen into all the cracks around the doors, and sealed them.

I picked up the two foot chunk of fence post lying nearby and gently bopped my car doors around the edges. No go. I finally got the front passenger door on the right side open, but bruised myself climbing over the console in the middle. I started up the car and remembered that I had to go unlock the padlock on the gate first. I was assuming that once I had the car running a while the other doors would open up too.

However, the padlock was also frozen up. Humph! Now what?

Well, it was too dark already to deal with it any further, and I decided that I didn’t need the groceries that bad. So I locked up the car and went inside. Later, when writing up my reports and a testimony for the Day of Prayer I was thankful I hadn’t gone shopping, or I would have been working at this until after midnight.

The next morning I went out to the car early, armed with a couple of cans of Dad’s DW40. It opened the padlock for me, but not the car doors. Joe, my neighbour to the left, came along the fence between our houses and gave the door handles a mighty heave upward, and lo, they opened! I loaded down the car with the bags I needed for the all-day meeting, and headed out to the WTM office. Later in the afternoon I went to do my shopping. No problem with the doors.

But Sunday morning, guess what? I was iced out again! Fortunately Joe saw me from their kitchen window and was soon trudging along-side the fence, to come open my doors for me. We’ve begun talking about how I need a shelter for my car at least, if not a garage. So I’m wondering, dare I ask God for such a big gift? Should I settle for a tent car-port or hold out for a full garage?

My Christmas Cacti have been taking turns blooming. First was the one in the high east window. I noticed, but didn’t take photos.

Then I found a larger cactus in the front porch looking as if some insects had been chewing up the stems on one side, and the rest of the plant was budding forth with those pretty deep pink tips that indicate flowers are coming. So I moved it inside the living room. It bloomed gloriously for about 10 days. On Saturday I swept up the last of the dropped flowers.

Last week another cactus in the porch pushed out blossoms in the hopes of winning a place indoors. So I brought it in and found a corner on my crowded desk for it. Last week it had blossoms on almost every stem. They keep pushing out another and another blossom out of the previous one, so the flowers look longer and quite dainty with all those hot pink petals sticking out. Today it has some flowers looking droopy, so I guess it is winding down now too.

Yes, I took photos. My Christmas Cacti

The odd thing is that I would have loved for them to bloom in December since I have no room or time for a tree. This way I’ve had all my Christmas decorations in November.

A very Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends who are celebrating that this Thursday first. After that they will ramp up their Christmas preparations too.

I knew this little house had mice before I moved in, and I cleaned up a lot of their waste and tried to block off all holes where they might come in. My neighbours tell me there have been mice coming from under my back porch to sample their dogs’ dishes, but so far I had seen none inside my house, so I thought I had succeeded in keeping them out.

However, on Sunday evening, sitting in my recliner for a quick read, I suddenly saw a movement from the kitchen doorway and glanced over in time to see a little dark mouse creeping under my pink chair. Like a flash I jumped and started hollering at that mouse that it was NOT welcome here! I stomped my feet and commanded it to leave.

Nothing. No obedience, no movement.

Then I realized how it must have come in. I had the back door open during the afternoon to let the bright sunshine in from the back porch windows. I know there are some gaps in the outer door frame big enough for a mouse to sneak through. It must have got as far as the kitchn in the afternoon from outside - under my porch.

Well, I think of myself as a pacifist, but I became very active and alert as I inspected where all it could go. Mainly I think it is camping under my desks and filing cabinets. I haven’t seen it leave, but then I haven’t been keeping my eyes on the floor at all times. So it could be anywhere by now. I went downstairs and brought up a box of fabric softener sheets. I had already stuck strips of this in all the cracks in the basement walls, and foundation. Now I laid some under every gap beneath my desks too, around my bed, (horrors - if it should cuddle up close to my face in the night!)

I also called Penny next door, and left a message for her to come over with her cat once they got home in case her cat was a mouser.

She did, but Buddy is NOT a mouser. He prowled and sniffed and just knew there was something under my desk, but he shivered with fear.

Other friends gave me a couple of new mouse traps some weeks ago, but when I tried to set one, I only caught my own finger in it. What a strong spring! So those are handy if anyone comes over and is able to set them. Since yesterday was a holiday (because Remembrance Day fell on Sunday) I had to wait until today to go shopping for mouse poison. That’s on my to-do list right after finishing this RoseBouquet.

I wasn’t too keen on finding desiccated mice all over the house, but now I’m desperate enough and am declaring a fresh, intensive offensive in this war! I will be rid of all mice in this house - and under the back porch too!

Whew! I have just spent ALL morning at this photo story of the craft party! I think I’m going to short-change some of the other sections to get this out now in record time.

You can see and read all about the Craft Party I had on Halloween night here; Craft Party Photos

I have enjoyed some extra fine blessings here at home though in the past week. Let me quickly mention them. On Friday, Henry Dyck, the widower, whose wife Tina was a corrector at our mission, came over to help me with my plumbing problems. In one morning he fixed the steady leak under the bathroom sink, and also the cold water tap in the tub that just spun around. (I had to carry cold water to the tub from the kitchen each time I wanted a bath). I just had to pay about $21 for the fittings he had to go buy.

On Thursday, neighbours Joe and Penny took me shopping at Home Depot for the fittings needed to fix my gate and back fence. yesterday afternoon I came back from my lunch walk to find Joe and Arnold building me a new gate and fence! By 5 pm they were done. I went out to clean up and then brought my car into the back yard and locked the gate with the new gold padlock!

We’ve just decided not to hold our breath any more for the RRAP gov’t inspector. Some things can be done without their “okay.”

I’ve got boxes and greeting cards strewn all over my living room last week and this - well, until tomorrow night. Then I hope to get it all cleaned up and put away.

Who am I kidding? I still have to get around to making my own big batch of Christmas cards and gifts. All this has been in preparation for a Craft Party tomorrow night, as a Halloween alternative.

A few weeks ago, Arnold Stobbe, the director and I were talking at our Western Tract Mission offices. I mentioned that I had not had the heart to throw out 4-6 boxes of old greeting cards in my move, and now I was trying to use up a bunch for my Christmas gifts and mailing. He pulled a shopping bag full of cards up from behind his desk, and asked what to do about those. Oh my! I suggested a craft party to get others in on using them up. Arnold loved the idea. “Go for it!” he said. “You can even use the large meeting room downstairs.”

So I’ve been making invitations and handing out whenever I get a chance, and I’ve managed to sort through three generations and several families’ old greeting cards. I pulled out all those that had notes that might help me with family history, and that were personal in nature, and now I have four boxes of cards ready to offer up. Hundreds!

I also asked the printing company where we get our WTM printing done for cuttings. I got 3 boxes full! I’m well stocked up.

Basically, I’ll show them how I make pretty gift boxes with the cards, and a few other quick things, like booklet covers, bookmarks, and so forth, (maybe even a laced up basket). Then I’ll circulate around the room and help those who need help, or who want to chat.

I’ve also made a batch of Prachakuchen (begger’s cookies) and need to finish making a chocolate berry flan. I’ve no idea how many will actually show up, but I’ll have some food to offer.

I’ve already promised one subscriber a photo story of this project next week, so you’ll get to attend vicariously. You might be able to throw a craft party at your house too.

As I’ve said I try to do most of my domestic chores on Saturdays. Slowly I’m getting more of the yard work done , and also tidying up inside. This past Saturday, a friend from WTM who is a part-time farmer, part-time business man, brought over his rotortiller in the trunk of his car, and went through my garden for me. I had been sort of wishing someone would offer to do this. I can’t recall that I prayed very hard about it. So it was a nice surprise.

While we were pulling wilted squash vines from his rotor’s blades in the back alley, a man from the Granada family restaurant came over. He’d been standing outside their kitchen doors for a smoke. He said that it was nice to see some “decent” people living in this place for a change.

I ignored the implication that we might be a couple, but thanked the man, and mentioned that my neighbours on both sides had been glad to see me move in too.

It gave me a good feeling to know that other neighbors have noticed the change in ownership at this address. This includes the staff at the restaurant - I had no idea they were watching me so closely.

After Lynn left, I took my spade and dragged what was left of a bag of peat moss around to the front and scattering the clods into my flower bed, took time to spade up the bed in the front of the porch and along the sidewalk on the one side. I left the other side for next Saturday.

Inside I’ve been re-organizing my bedroom cabinets and also my office desk drawers. The top of my desks still has to-be-filed boxes on them, but I’m making progress. When I’ve got things more neatly arranged, I think I’ll start taking photos for my annual Christmas story in my card.

I’ve also been waiting and waiting for the inspector to come assess the repair projects still needed on this house, but which the RRAP plan of the government might cover. Last week I learned that they are three months behind, then got another call, and the woman said I should hear from the inspector soon. That has got my hopes up that it could still happen before winter really arrives with a vengeance.

This is something I do pray about daily for it could involve a new roof, new furnace, new water heater, plumbing fixes, outer doors, maybe windows, and a new back fence and gate. If you’d like to join me in prayer - I’d be so honoured!

By the way, my face has nearly lost all those vivid colours, and my knee is okay except for kneeling on it. My nose may have a hairline fracture, but is okay as long as I don’t manipulate it. , and I should have my new lens soon. Perhaps today yet. A big thank you to all who wrote to express sympathy for that minor crisis.

Have you ever had a streak of good things happen and then suddenly something bad happens? Life just seems to grind to a halt, doesn’t it? Well, that’s my spot right now. Lots of positive and encouraging things have been happening to me, to give me a cozy loved feeling.

In fact, last week Thursday a pen pal and her brother from Alberta showed up and sort of kidnapped me to take me shopping and shower me with gifts. (Just wait until I can do that for others!) Another friend brought over some potatoes from his farm on Friday, and I bought an SBI site. I made major progress on my unpacking, this time all my sewing stuff, on Saturday. Sunday was good too. Someone slipped me some money in church. Things were just coming along tickity-boo.

But yesterday morning when I called the government RRAP program to see how much longer I would have to wait for the inspector who is to okay some renovation projects around here that they will pay for - I learned they are backlogged for three months!

When I left for my 3 times a week exercise/walk to the Western Tract Mission office to have lunch with the staff, who are also my friends, I was all excited because I’d had a call about Elsie’s stereo and these people were going to meet me there. I’d only gone less than ten minutes into that 30 minute walk when SPLAT! I found myself on my face on the sidewalk. My runner must have caught an up-raised crack in the cement, and before I knew I was falling I was connected with the hard cement!

I managed to roll over to a sitting position and whimpered aloud, “Oh Lord Jesus, come help me! Help me!” My left knee was feeling really bruised and raw, so I hugged it. My glasses were bent out of shape, but I managed to look at them and put them back on. Not broken. My nose felt scrounched into my face.

In moments a strong young man showed up and asked how I was. I realized that the worst was probably the shock, but if I continued to walk to WTM, by the time I got there or wanted to head home, my knee might be too swollen. So I just asked him to help me get to my feet, and then I went home. On the way I felt better already and decided that I could take the car and still keep my appointment. I grabbed a small pair of pliers to bend the left arm of my glasses with Joe’s help, if I couldn’t do it. Took a look into a mirror and saw that I had a bit of blood in my left eyebrow and my nose was getting a thick bridge, but otherwise I was whole. The worst damage was the scratches on my left lens of my glasses. I washed them, and still they seemed dirty. The cement had done a number on the left one.

I showed that couple the stereo, and received a mid-month support check from Helen, (which had extra in it!) so I headed out to do my banking and then went to an optician whom I’ve seen in the past, who is able to order in my special prescription lens and get it inserted in a local lab, so I will only have to be without my glasses for about 10-20 minutes next week.

Today I’m counting my blessings again, and realize that it could have been much worse. The one lens alone cost me $237. If my glasses had been irrepairably broken, it would have cost me over $500! I might have had broken bones too. Now I’m just going to have a colourful face for about a week or two. I’m able to carry on and feel blessed and watched over.

However, I am seriously considering asking the Lord each time I set out to send me an angel as a walking companion. One who can grab me quick before I go down! Have you ever tried that? Does it work?

What’s that? You’re worried about me and need to see my face?

Oh, all right. I can be that humble…

last night’s coloration - and improved this morning.

Yesterday, the second Monday of October, was the Canadian national holiday, Thanksgiving. In this area many people pick and choose which day of the weekend they will celebrate it with the big Thanksgiving meal. Married couples have to juggle family gatherings for both sides of their family, usually one day for the wife’s side of the family and another for the husband’s parents and siblings - and their families. If the couple have grown children who are married, they have to juggle schedules to have a gathering for their own family and the families of their sons and daughters-in-law. Some folks eat big meals on Saturday, Sunday AND Monday!

In my case, things are quite simple. Except for my brother Tom, my siblings are too far away. Sometimes in the past they have come “home” for Thanksgiving, but that was because they wanted to connect with our parent(s). In recent years, I prepared a meal and then would take it and Dad into the city to visit Tom and spend a few hours with him. (That was easier than driving into the city to pick him and his wheelchair up, bring him home, and then take him back again).

Now it is just Tom and me right here in Saskatoon, so my routine was even simpler. I checked with him and decided that Sunday supper would be our time of eating the turkey meal together. I prepared it at home, and took it to his place, and because of the much shorter distance, I didn’t have to re-heat it in his kitchen.

My one problem was that since I had bought a very small turkey I started it in a crock pot where it ju-st fit. About 4 pm when I checked it, it was still bleeding when I stabbed it. So to speed things up I lifted the liner out of the crock, covered the bird with foil and put it into the oven. By 6 pm it was done nicely, and I had already mashed the potatoes and put them into a covered dish, made the gravy, and a topping for the pumpkin pie.

I told Tom that I’d heard on the radio there was to be a phone in show the next morning on whether eating turkey makes one sleepy. I felt it did. That night I found out it was so! My head kept nodding off while I tried to finish one regular email I always send out on Sunday nights.

Yesterday and today I’ve been simmering the bones and trimmed meats, and juices in a crock. Just now I’ve added some vegetables. This should make a large quantity of turkey vegetable soup, which I can divide into containers for the freezer, and enjoy quick defrost and heat soups for some time to come.

Then there’s the left over turkey to cut up and squirrel away in the freezer too. That one birdie, costing me 6.80, is going to give me a lot of fine meals yet! Yum, (smacking my lips).

Do you do things that way too?