Proud Godmother (that would be me!)

MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

Drove to Gwen's home near Oakbank - she is my goddaughter, my best friend, Olga's daughter. Olga passed away in 1988. Gwen and Brian have 5 acres, a beautiful home and a large garden. How do I know she's Olga's daughter? Duh! Just the yard and garden would tell me that.- checked out the garden, picked some beans and then watched most of the BC/Toronto game - After a lovely dinner of chicken, ribs, fresh potatoes, zucchini, onions, dill, beans and cucumbers from her garden, Gwen & I drove to Belair and surprised her aunt and uncle, Jean & Monte. Had tea and a very nice visit with them. On the way home we had a heart to heart conversation about her Mom and other things. What a great day and evening! Thanks Gwen & Brian for a great afternoon and evening!.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 8, 2012

Invited to Darren & Michaela's for dinner - Darren is also my godson - the son of Dan's sister Dorothy. Darren, Michaels and their family, Steven, Nicholas and Jessica are big football (Bombers, of course) fans as well as hockey fans (Boston), so we had a lot in common. Cheryl joined us for a great dinner of roast beef, yorkshire pudding, potatoes with carrots and bacon, salads and buns. Terry came from Yorkshire and loved yorkshire pudding, so we enjoyed them in honor of him. After dinner we watched DVD's of Dan, Evelyn & Leonard - shed a few tears, but mostly laughter. Thanks Darren, Michaela, Cheryl, Steven & Jessica for a lovely evening! Thanks to Cheryl for guiding me back to Fermor Ave.

I feel so blessed to be Gwen and Darren's godmother - they make me so proud!

Transcona MB

MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

Marg, Terry & I visited nephew Tim and his daughter Victoria, as well as his girlfriend Jody in the early afternoon. Len & Karen were there as well  - Tim has restored a 1936 Chev truck that used to be my brother Tom's truck many years ago - nice day and a nice visit - didn't stay too long as Jody is still suffering the after affects of her chemo last week, so didn't want to tire her out too much.

Winnipeg MB

Hello everyone

Will try to catch up on my blog today - have a bit of free time

SATURDAY, AUG. 4, 2012

After the big day we had yesterday, we slept in a bit - weather was much cooler - Len & Karen came over for a short visit - after supper Margaret & I took a drive to her son Ken's place - for those of you who know Wpg, we took Henderson Hwy to Hespeler (Dan's aunt and uncle used to live on Hespeler years ago) and then over the 'old' Redwood Bridge - I think they must he refurbished it some as it still is a good bridge, narrow as heck, but was fun. Had a nice visit - they were babysitting their 13 month old grandson, Grayden, oh my, I had forgotton how busy those boys can be - I felt tired just watching him. LOL!

SUNDAY, AUGUST 5, 2012

9 am Mass at St. Bernadette's on Cottonwood in Windsor Park - Fr. is a big football fan, and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers have only won one game so far - I don't think he is a happy camper.

Margaret & I were invited to her daughter Dorothy's for a BBQ - Steak, baked potatoes, mushrooms, salad, corn and dessert - a great time was had by all. Seen a great niece whom I hadn't seen in quite a few years and her growing family. Also a great nephew's wife for the first time. They played a new lawn game - looks like fun. Thanks, Dorothy & Craig for a delicious dinner and a lovely visit - Loved meeting your parents as well. Happy birthday to Cindy tomorrow, the 6th of August.

Back in Winnipeg again!

THURSDAY, AUG 2, 2012
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When I walked in the door at Margaret's she was busy making bread & butter pickles - felt just a bit guilty because I should be at home doing some canning myself - oh well - my guilt didn't last long! Made some calls, did some texting and caught up on some of my e-mails - much cooler, still pretty hot, but bearable - I knew what Manitoba summers were like before I left but I told myself to just suck it up, Babe!

FRIDAY, AUG 3, 2012

Margaret & I left quite early on our big adventure to Morden and Winkler to visit 5 more relatives. Our first stop was in Morden at Margaret's sister-in-law (Bill's sister) Eva who is 93. She lives in a senior housing development, fairly independent, gets a meals on wheels a few days a week. Her memory and hearing were amazing! She & Margaret had a great visit. After lunch we dropped in on our Aunt Agatha who will be 90 in a few weeks - lives in a Legion apartment - still quite independent as well. Next was cousin, Dorothy who was out playing cards and just arrived home as we were pulling up - she was thrilled that we had stopped by and the visit was great - she is just a few years older than I. She had two great grandchildren born on July 12 - not twins, both girls. July has been the month for babies in my family & friends. First of all, my friend Lorraine became a great grandma for the second time on July 5, a baby girl;  On July 11, Margaret became a great grandmother for the sixth time - this time a first baby girl for Deanna who lives in Victoria,  a third grandchild for Linda & Gary; then on the 12th, these two great grandbabies for Dorothy, and then Michael Lucas on the 13 of July, a first son for Shane & Caylee, a third grandchild for Marilyn, a fifth great grandchild for Leona - what a month! We stopped at a deli and bought some buns, meat and cheese, picked up Timmy's and had our dinner in the parking lot - Margaret doesn't much care for restaurants, so one that day was enough for her which was fine with me. Next we drove to Winkler where we visited cousin Luella who is just a few months younger than Margaret - I had visited her a few weeks ago, but this time it was Margaret's visit. She has a collection of dolls and Margaret also has a collection so that was the topic of the visit for the most part. Last visit of the day was to one of Bill's older brothers who is 95 - just so happened that their oldest daughter was visiting as well, so Margaret had a real good visit with her in-laws. We didn't call anyone (except Aunt Agatha) - we didn't have most of their phone #'s or even their addresses, so we took a chance and were flying by the seat of our pants so to speak, but it worked out so well, it couldn't have been better if we had planned it. On the way back to Wpg  we ran into more rain and weather systems, one of which I will include below. I should have taken pictures sooner, it looked just like a whale. It rained quite a bit, but was not bad for driving. Margaret was very happy as her garden really needed it. What a day, arrived home about 10 pm - a little tired but very happy that the day turned out so well! Margaret had not seen her in-laws for some time and was very pleased that they were doing so well! Enough for now.

Storm storm clouds near Winnipeg on Hwy 75 going north - the pictures do not do it justice! Spectacular!


Goodnight and God Bless  ~D~

Back in Gimli with no cell or Internet!

SUNDAY, JULY 29, 2012

Whatever did we do without technology? We are so fortunate to live in an age where our ancestors were great inventors!!!

Attended a baby shower for sister-in-law, Leona's fifth great grandchild, Michael Lucas born on July 13, 2012. It was nice to be able to see the new baby as well as many other nieces, great nieces, etc. The maternal grandmother was out from Peachland where they have a winery - Colette, when I get back, we will have to go and check that one out! After the shower I went home to Dorothy's - last time I stayed with Leona - have to spread the goodness around! LOL! Cheryl, Darlene & Haley were out and after dinner (Gramma Marks' fried chicken) we all watched quite a show of lightning with thunder, rain and a bit of hail. Southern MB and the southwest part of Wpg got a real 'good' one doing a fair bit of damage before it went east to Kenora, VB and Dryden - haven't heard if there was a lot of damage there, but looked pretty bad on the news

Michael Lucas 

Darlene, Cheryl, Dorothy & Haley

MONDAY, JULY 30, 2012

We pretty much spent the day looking at pictures and talking about old times. Dan & Dorothy were close in age so we spent a lot of time together before and after we were married - The anniversary of Terry's death is coming up in a few days, so memories were first and foremost in our minds. Went to bingo at the legion in the evening; Dorothy won a small amount, enough to cover her admission, but Leona and I just donated a few dollars! Chalk it up to entertainment!


TUESDAY, JULY 31, 2012

Dorothy, Leona, Lorraine, Tyra and
her little friend

Mike, Dorothy & Leona

Leona made a picnic lunch and we went down to the beach - actually more like a feast - beet borscht, salad, sandwiches and trifle for dessert! Lorraine, her granddaughter, Tyra and her little friend joined us and then they went swimming in Lake Winnipeg. After a late dinner of pickerel Mike and Leona came over for a game of 31 - that was Gramma Marks' favorite game and the game that we played all the time when Dan was in Pine Acres.


WEDNESDAY, AUG 1, 2012

A little cooler so did some ironing and straightening out - Dorothy and I both napped in the afternoon. For dinner we joined Mike & Leona at the Viking for Chinese food, after which we went back to Leona's for more 31. We had more stormy weather, but that seems to be the norm - it's so hot during the day that something has to give at night - I have always enjoyed a good thunderstorm so I was quite thrilled!

THURSDAY, AUG 2, 2012

Remembered Terry at 9.30 am - 11 years since his passing. We had just visited them a few weeks before when we got the sad news. That was the year that we took Amber with us to MB and Ontario. Got my hair cut - I asked her to cut it quite short and she did. Wow, every time I look in the mirror now I scare myself, but fortunately it will grow. Packed up and motored back to Wpg in early afternoon. Thanks Dorothy for a great few days of remembering and laughing and crying and eating.

Winkler & Carman MB

THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012

Arrived at my cousin Viola's place just after 4 pm - she had made a lovely dinner of perogies, ham, etc. etc. After the dishes were done we drove into town (Winkler) to visit her sister, Luella - we had a lovely visit and then we went to the Winkler Heritage Museum and spoke with the curator - my mother's 90 year old white broadcloth and lace breadspread ( which she made herself for her trousseau) will eventually be donated to this museum - both my parents were born and raised just a few miles outside of Winkler on farms - although they moved to a few other places, they moved back to Winkler in their later years and are buried there - this is a much more appropriate place for it. Then we went back to Vi's house and reminisced over a glass of wine.

FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2012

Drove into town again to pick up a watermelon and then drove to Carman to visit Vi's sister, Kathleen - Kath and Vi immediately got busy making Roll Kuchen and so we had Roll kuchen and watermelon for lunch     what a delightful treat! Then we traipsed through three cemeteries, before going back to Kathleen for Vi's home made 'bean' soup' for dinner. After we got back to Vi's, we looked at pictures etc. over another glass of wine - Does it get any better? Thank you, Kathleen and Vi for a wonderful day.

SATURDAY, JULY 28, 2012

Back to Winnipeg - met my long time friend, Gladys at the Salisbury House - how Dan & I used to love those Salisbury nips! Did I have one? You bet! Spent the afternoon at her house with our feet up and yakked and yakked! For dinner we went to the Olive Garden - my birthday is in May and hers in June, exactly one month apart, so we slid the check across the table and treated each other for our birthdays!
Another great day!  Thanks Gladys.

SUNDAY, JULY 29, 2012

Was just going to get ready to go to St. Bernadette's for Mass when Linda & Gary came for coffee - I had picked up some Roll Kuchen in Winkler so we had them with our coffee. Off to Gimli.

So long and God Bless!  ~D~

RCMP musical ride at Morris Stampede

Hello everyone!

JULY 20, 2012 - I did get to the Morris Stampede - my sister-in-law, Tena and I went for the evening grandstand show on Friday night, walked the midway, and went for a ride on the Ferris wheel, just for old times sake. There were a few more 'wilder' rides, but I couldn't get anyone to go with me. Saturday I watched the parade from a friends' house (Tena was on a float) and then we went back to the Stampede again for the afternoon and evening grandstand shows. It was HOT, but bearable in the grandstand. The RCMP musical ride were on both afternoon and evening shows on Saturday - see picture - The Morris Stampede will be celebrating its 50th anniversary next year, so realized that the year in the mid 50's when I worked there that one summer, it was still called the 'Morris Fair' - what's in a name? LOL! Just thought I should set the record straight!

JULY 22, 2012 - Sunday morning Mass at St. Maurice Church in Morris was so late, so we decided to go to Lowe Farm to Tena's church, as we were invited to a friends home for lunch. Met some lovely people. Relaxed back in Morris for a few hours and then Tena, her granddaughter, Kimberley, her little boy, Logan and I drove back to Lowe Farm (about 20km) to Tena's sisters' home for faspa - for those who do not know what 'faspa' is - I will explain. Because Sunday is a day of worship and rest the Mennonite tradition was to cook most of the meals on Saturday, so as to only have to do minimal work on Sunday - also traditionally 'Mennonites' have a larger meal at noon and the a smaller meal at about 5'ish which is called faspa - amazing how many people in southern Manitoba still hold to that tradition - we had home made brown bread - home made buns - cold meat - jams & jellies - dessert and coffee. Yummy! Thanks Margaret & Jake!

JULY 23, 2012 - Tena & I went to Rosenort (my birthplace)to visit a couple whose family was our closest neighbor for over 20 years - again we had faspa of sorts - a little different menu - menu's vary from home to home and whatever is on hand. We started reminiscing about his parents, who were like grandparents to me, and then he invited me to go to the 'home farm' - what wonderful memories - no one is living there any more - the house is no longer there, but the barn, granary and other outbuildings are still there - in disrepair, but after all the barn was built in 1936 or there abouts - a long time ago - One winter, one of their single daughters went to Mexico to do some missionary work and I was 'hired' to help "Grandma Rempel" to help with the housework on Saturdays - her granddaughter has her diary and she wrote 'Doreen was here' every Saturday  for quite a few months - at least I must have been reliable if I showed up every Saturday! LOL! We even walked down the 'Morris River' which is not much more than a stream - Tom, my brother used to catch muskrats to sell the fur and I skated on that river once the water froze! Things change, but memories last forever. Thanks, Nick, Mathilda, Joanne, Bertha & Norma for a great afternoon and evening.

JULY 24, 2012 - Picked up my niece,Bev in Rosenort, drove to Winkler (my parents' birthplace) for lunch - more traditional food - varenaki (perogies) and farmers sausage. The we went to the Winkler cemetery and tried to walk off all those calories - I think we almost succeeded as we went to my parents' gravesite, my paternal grandparents' my two spinster aunts, and my maternal grandparents. Bev is the third grandchild, so she knew my parents much better than the younger grandchildren did - many of which remember them when they were quite elderly and sickly - sad, but true. Time for a Timmy's break, after which we went to another cemetery in Roland on our way back to the Rosenort cemetery where Bev's son is buried. He died in August 1994 at the age of 17 as a result of a combine accident - May you rest in peace, Mike! A great day! Thanks Bev! I should get a bumper sticker that reads: My car stops at all cemeteries! LOL

JULY 25, 2012 - Tena and I spent the whole day looking at pictures, scanning, photocopying and going through tons of albums (she scrapbooks) & various other documents - you name it - at one point we had two printers going at the same time. We had a great day!

JULY 26, 2012 - Time to move on - spent the morning doing more of the same- Thank you, Tena for a wonderful 6 days! Could have stayed another week, and not run out of things to do, but time to move on! Thank you again and God Bless!

More later - did you notice that I figured out how to post pictures?  Wow, if I get any smarter you won't be able to stand me anymore!!!! LOL!!!!!!!