whistler ~ here we come...

 Once again our favorite feed company hosted a ladies get-away.

We know from past experience...

that one must sign up quickly...

or the bus will be full.

We did just that!

This year we found ourselves on a bus headed for Whistler.

Fifty-three women...

and Patrick (the driver).

Now this bus takes a long time to get to Whistler...

since there are many stops en route.

The first stop was at Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver...

for coffee and such.

The view was great!

A little further down the road...

we stopped at 'The Village at Park Royal'.

Some shopped...

some browsed...

...and some just enjoyed sitting in the sunshine and having lunch with good friends.

We got to Whistler just in time to check into our rooms at the lovely Fairmont hotel before dinner...

which was a multi-course dining tour in the village. 

We walked about from one restaurant to the next...

...enjoying beverages and appetizers

 ...and a delicious entre of our choice.

For dessert...

we sampled some of Canada's finest chocolates...

 ...and joined the 'aging' bear on the bench outside the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.

I have been to Whistler a number of times in the past few years...

and never has the village been so quiet.
 Usually there are tourists lined up to take a photo right here...

where the awards ceremony for the winter games 2010 took place.  

This time...

we had the rings to ourselves!

 It was nine o'clock by the time we trekked back to our hotel...

and one could hardly call it dark outside.

The moon lit our way!

We had planned to take the gondola up the mountain in the morning...

 ...but found ourselves 'between seasons' and most of the lifts were not running.

So what could we possibly find to do all day?

We slept in far too long...

played tennis...

 ...and ate breakfast at lunch time.
It certainly is nice to have good friends who also have connections to our feed company!

You might even want to check out Lovella's blog...
or Marg's blog...
where they will likely be posting an entirely different version of the same event. :)

We had a great time in the village...

enjoyed the sunshine...

and were all carrying a bag or two by the time we caught the bus home.

It's a bus trip with a view...

one I never tire of.

We stopped for dinner in Squamish on the way home.

All fifty-three of us were in one room...

and it seemed all fifty-three were talking at once.

Worksafe BC would not have approved of the decibel level in that restaurant!

We took a photo of the 2013 Whistler tour group after dinner.

But just with one camera...

not fifty-three.

It wasn't mine...

so I don't have a group photo to share.

But it was a great group to travel with!

With dinner over...

we boarded the bus for home.

Mt. Baker was a welcoming sight as we entered the valley from the west...
as was the smell of the freshly mown hay!

While many of us were off on an excursion...

the farmers back home were bringing in the first crop of grass.

When the sun shines in April...

they must make hay!

 Thank-you to Vivienne and Diane of Ritchie Smith Feeds 

for hosting and organizing this event for us.

We had a great time!

it's raining again...

April has come and gone.  

The rains came...

as usual.

They have not gone!

I stand by the kitchen sink...
and watch the droplets run down the window pane.

Everything is lovely and green.

 The grass is ready for harvest...

but there is no getting out there just yet.

(photo compliments of Karen Booey)
 
Though an outing in the rain...
with a few friends and an umbrella...
is a good diversion!

As for the tulip fields that I planned to visit...

they are officially closed for the season...

though I am still waiting for a sunny day to do a drive-by.

There's always tomorrow!

I have hope.

Hope is that thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops... 

at all.  

~Emily Dickinson

Today begins the month of May.
Rain or shine...

have a great day!

Celebrating 'Nyla'...

She was born in the Ukraine...ninety years ago.  When others fled Russia in the 1920's...and came to Canada, her family stayed.   During the second world war...she had the opportunity to serve as a nurse with the Red Cross in Poland.  She lost all contact with her family...who had been sent to Siberia.  As the war ended...she somehow managed to escape with the retreating troops...and eventually came to Canada.  She knew not a soul...spoke no English...and was at the mercy of those who took her in.  Coaldale, Alberta was her new home.

She had heard from her parents that somewhere in Canada they had relatives with the last name of  Tessman.  How hard might it be to find them?  You have to know...that with this lady there is always a way!  She took out in ad in a paper that circulated around the country...wondering if anyone knew her long-lost cousins.  My mother-in-law was one of those she was looking for.  My in-laws responded to her ad...and invited her to come live with them while she settled into her new country.  She accepted their invitation...and when my husband was just an infant...Nellie R joined their family.  The name in itself was a bit of a problem since my mother-in-law was also a Nellie...as was hubby's sister.  Three Nellies in one household was just too confusing...and so her new Canadian name became Nyla.  The house was small...but they gave her a room to call her own.  She was about 30 years old at the time...and became like an aunt to my hubby.  Eventually she found employment in Vancouver...but on weekends she always came 'home' to her new family. By the time I arrived on the scene...Nyla had located her family in Russia and was eventually able to sponsor some of them to come to Canada.  Though she now had family to call her own...she was always near and dear to hubby and his siblings.

She celebrated her 90th birthday this month.  We couldn't let that slip by unnoticed!  On the weekend...we (her adopted Canadian family) took her out for lunch...and passed along our warmest wishes to her.  Thanks to my sis-in-law Martha for organizing the party!

After she retired, Nyla spent her days helping others.  She made nine trips to the Ukraine doing mission work.  They know her well at all the local hospitals...where she has regularly visited the sick over the past many years.  She was always willing to drive the 'elderly' to their appointments.  Every September she bakes up a storm for the local MCC relief sale.  She is still in good health...still driving her car...still spending her days living for others.  If you are at all connected to Nyla...you will have been the recipient of her needlework and baking. And most importantly...her prayers.  I'm so glad they took Nyla under their wings so long ago.  She is one special lady!

of pears and prayers and one who cares...

Let me introduce you to Frieda...a wonderful woman that I have known almost as long as I can remember.

 
She loved to sing...and one of my earliest recollections of Frieda is of her singing in the church choir. Later I sang in that same choir with her for many years.

Jenny, Corrine, Steve, Kris and Mike ~ with Herman and Frieda

She was also a Sunday School teacher extraordinaire...and all my children had the privilege of being in her class when they were wee.

She loved children and they all loved Frieda.  Before she had grandchildren of her own...she borrowed our oldest on several occasions and babysat him while hubby and I led the youth group at church.  Later she watched our pre-school daughter many times, while I worked in the raspberry fields.  On one such occasion, I came to retrieve Heidi at the end of the day...and Frieda handed me a delicious pear loaf, fresh from the oven to take home for our dinner.  It was a pear loaf from a community church cookbook...one I also had at home, but had never tried.  The loaf was delicious!

Frieda also loved flowers and gardening...and for several years in a row she was a winner in  a local gardening contest...winning top spot in the 'most improved large garden' category. The photo above was clipped from the local paper in 1987...and waiting in my files for today!

Not one to be idle...Frieda has always been involved with the women's group at church...

...and has been one of our faithful 'blanket ladies' for many years. They give freely of their time and energy to make blankets for those in need around the world.

More significant than all the other things Frieda has done through the years...is that she is a woman of prayer!  Not only has she organized the prayer chain at church...she is always there if someone is in need of prayer.  Last week she assured me once again, that she prays for my family every day.  We should all have a Frieda in our camp!  The praying grandmas in my life have gone on to their reward...but Frieda is still here and praying faithfully.  How special is that?

Last week I pulled out the old community cookbook...the one with the pear bread that Frieda had baked for me some 30 years ago.  I decided I would bake a batch and drop off a loaf  for her. 

The loaves turned out just fine...and once they were fresh from the oven I brought Frieda a loaf.  She recalled baking the pear bread all those years ago and sharing a loaf with me..and was quite delighted to have the loaf returned after all these years.

Frieda is also a great encourager!  She reads 'My Front Porch' regularly and encourages me to keep writing.  She also follows Mennonite Girls Can Cook...and not only bought a cookbook but also came out to one of our book signings to show her support. 

Frieda has no idea I'm doing this post today.  Often in life we live with regret over the things we might have said or done and never did.  Frieda deserves to be thanked from the bottom of my heart for all she has meant to me and my family over the years.  I have an opportunity right here and now to do that...and so I am.

Thank-you, Frieda!

Edited to add: Who would have known that I chose Frieda's 87th birthday on which to publish this tribute to her?  I had no idea!

With love,

a real field trip...

So where would a whole busload of Canadian farm women (and one American one as well!) go on a field trip in the middle of April? 

South...to the tulip fields of La Conner, Washington...of course!

Since the event was sponsored by our feed company...

and the room was based on double occupancy...

our farm sent it's two most eligible reps (one Canadian...one American!)

The predicted doom and gloom...

mud and rain...

held off until we were about done our two days of touring...

and we had us a fabulous time!

The earth dances in flowers!

One of my favorite tulips had to be this ruffly white number.

 I couldn't resist taking a few pic's of those who work the fields...

rather a happy job, I would think!

We saw so much more than tulips.

The daffodil fields next door were still in their glory.

 And beyond the tulips...

the old farmstead...

and the hardworking International tractor!

As we left the last of the tulip fields...

I noticed their billboard once again...

and I nodded in agreement!

And when we had seen the last tulip...

we found us a cozy spot and some good company for lunch.

And before we made it back to the bus for our trip home...

the skies opened up.

The trip home in the rain was uneventful.

Even the Canadian customs officials were quite agreeable...

and allowed us to return home with little fuss.

(Did I mention that there had been a little shopping happening between tulip tours?)

A two-day field trip...

with all fifty-one coach seats  filled...

went off without a glitch.

Thanks, Vivian and Diane for organizing such a fun event!


Oh...and if any of you are interested in next year's field trip...
you might want to start buying feed from the Ritchie Smith Feed Company.
I'm just saying!

hospitality lived out...

I've been thinking about hospitality these past days...and discussing the meaning of the word with a few friends. We agreed that hospitality is not entertaining or impressing our friends...it is about blessing them. It is all about making people feel welcome, accepted and comfortable in your home. I had many good role models...when it came to showing hospitality. My mother always had a spot at the table for one more...and and extra bedroom for anyone passing through. And if they had no home to go to for Christmas...or Easter...or Thanksgiving...they were always welcome at hers!

I then I got to thinking about two of her older sisters...my aunts...who were also so good at making others feel welcome in their home.

My Aunt Mary and Aunt Anna are the two girls in the centre of the picture...having a tea party with all their cousins in 1926. The family lived in Neu-Schoensee, Ukraine and life as they knew it...including tea parties with cousins...was soon to come to an end. That same year my mother was born...and several years later the family fled Russia...leaving most all their possessions behind.

Fast forward some three decades...and I was a child who lived for Friday night visits to the home of my cousins. My aunts had a way of making us all feel special at their place. Aunt Mary...famous for her sponge cakes and hugs all around...managed to accommodate crowds in the little house on their farm. At Aunt Anna's we rode the pony...went for a swim...and had coconut macaroons.

The years flew by...and before she had a chance to get old...Aunt Mary was gone. In year 2000 my mom passed away very suddenly...and after that I went to visit my Aunt Anna as often as possible. She had stories...some I had never heard. She was hospitable to the end...wanting her visitors to feel welcome. The last time I visited her...she told me about the family heirloom...the only item of value that came with them out of Russia. It was a samovar...

...an ornate tea urn and the symbol of Russian hospitality. She was wondering if I could bring it to her room at the care home...she would like to have it there.

(Aunt Anna with my sister and I ~ 2005)

Soon after that visit...Aunt Anna had her final tea party on earth...and went on to her eternal reward.

I don't think I ever thanked my aunts for the hospitality they showed...or the good role models they were. Today I know I was most blessed to have Aunt Mary and Aunt Anna...two wonderful women...in my life.

hats off to...

Selma....the lady who wears the hat...and so much more!

It's Wednesday...and I have another wonderful woman that I would like to pay tribute to today. We go back a long way...although she likely has no recollection of me from some five decades ago. I was just one of a hundred students who attended our local country school...where she was the school janitor...and knew us all by name. She lived across the road...though it seemed she was always at the school. I don't recall her wearing a hat on the job...but I can still see her in her work dress....a smile on her face and a kind word for every student. That's how I knew her then.

Now I know her in a different way. She is the lady who always wears a hat...walks with a purposeful gait...exudes enthusiasm, vitality and JOY. Oh...and she still always has a smile on her face and a kind word to those she meets...some things haven't changed. She will be 97 years old this summer...and I see her in church on Sundays. And as I was thinking of doing a post about Selma...I realized I had no photos. Until...

...I looked through my files and found a picture of a crowd in the church lobby on a Sunday morning. There in the middle of the crowd...was a lady in a hat...none other than Selma.

And then I borrowed this picture from another publication that featured an article about the lady who bakes 'pie by the yard'. That would be her! She is always sharing gifts from her kitchen. Three years ago we hosted a conference at our church...with more than 500 people in attendance. Though the food had all been pre-arranged...a large supply of piroshki arrived fresh from the oven as the conference began. Bakery bought goodies could not compare...and soon everyone was wondering who had supplied the light, flaky fruit pastries. It came as no surprise to me that it was Selma...who never quits giving to others.

“I just love to bake,” says Selma Fleming. “I’m so grateful to God for his goodness and for allowing me to enjoy what I do.” She bakes regularly. She bakes generously. She usually gives away seven of the eight delicious multi-grain loaves of bread she makes in a normal-sized batch.

Sometimes people leave a sack of flour or sugar outside her door – whether as a thank you, or to encourage further baking, she doesn’t know. Neighbours also bring vegetables for her homemade soups.

“God is so good,” she says.

Selma loves God...believes in prayer...and has joy in her family. She spreads her joy around. What a wonderful example she is to all who have had the privilege of knowing her.

Have a wonderful Wednesday...

(words in italics taken from featured article)

celebrating a wonderful woman...

There seems to be a blog theme happening on Wednesdays...and so I thought I would join in the chorus this week...and share a secret or two about a wonderful woman that I know.

Her name is Hilda...and she happens to be my sister's mom-in-law...and lives in faraway Winnipeg. I met her for the first time more than three decades ago...and once or twice a year since that time.

For most of her married life, Hilda and her husband lived in this pretty bungalow on the banks of the river. I had the privilege of visiting her here several times...and will always remember her beautifully set table...and tea parties extraordinaire! She is a most sentimental person...and has family heirlooms...and keepsakes galore. And her stories...had us all laughing and crying with her.

My most memorable visit is the one in 1992...when we four sisters flew out to Winnipeg for a cousin's wedding...and stayed for night at Hilda's B & B. Her hospitality went far beyond anything that could be expected...even including sleepwear for the guests. That's right...I slept in Hilda's nightgown that first night...since the airlines somehow left my luggage in Saskatchewan...or somewhere else enroute. She likes to call us sisters 'her girls'...and we don't mind one bit...but I think I'm the only one of 'her girls' that has ever slept in her nightgown.

Over the years we have had many fun times together...in B.C. and in Manitoba. I also have a collection of little gifts from Hilda...coasters, candy dishes, candles...

...and some 'not so little', like a set of hand-embroidered pillowslips that she gave me for Christmas several years ago. She is a kind and generous woman...funny...emotional...and one who loves her family above all else.

She was out here over the past weekend...as her grandson was graduating from Columbia Bible College with a degree in worship arts. I sat with her at the CBC spring concert on Friday night...

...and she cried as she said it was so worth making the trip just to see Jamison up there singing his heart out. Oh...and to see him with a haircut and all dressed up...that was almost more than she could take! She cried...I laughed. Jamison happens to be my nephew...and I wish him all the best as he pursues his love of music and seeks to be where God wants him to be.

Hilda has returned to Winnipeg...because there happens to be a party there this weekend that she wouldn't want to miss. Does she look like someone who could possibly be the guest of honour at an eight-fifth birthday party? She is 85 years old...and most excited to be celebrating it together with family and friends. She had the guest list pared down to 70 people...but I suggested she should just invite a few more and make it 85. I'm sure it will be a most memorable celebration!

Though Hilda won't likely be reading this post...here's a verse I would like to give her on the occasion of her 85th.

For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper, not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

The future may look a little scary when you are 85 years old...but Hilda knows who holds her future...and my wish for her is to walk into it with confidence.

Happy Birthday to a wonderful woman in my life!