While Strolling Along in the Country

Today was a gorgeous fall day, perfect for an after school stroll. Fortunately, I had my phone with me to capture some of the gorgeous scenes. No words necessary. Enjoy!

 

 

Bountiful Harvests - Share the Wealth

Colourful trees, plus cooler and shorter days are a sure sign autumn is upon us. Where I live, this means harvesting potatoes - 400 acres of them. You can read about this interesting process here. 

We started harvesting a few weeks ago, but then we got a lot of rain, and our soil doesn't dry quickly, so for two weeks our potato equipment was parked. Fortunately, we've had warmer, sunny days and were able to continue this week. Potato harvesting days are long, many times from 9 AM to around 9 PM or later, with many people from the other work areas of the colony pitching in. Yesterday evening I went to help. Standing at a conveyor and picking out dirt and small potatoes, is a nice change from my day job at our school.

We sometimes get visitors to help out as well. Yesterday a local banker came to help for a few hours, which has become somewhat of a tradition for him, as he comes one day every year. It seems he too, sometimes enjoys a change of scenery from time to time.

A few years ago we had a visitor from Nigeria, a place known for its poverty. He stood in awe at our huge potato shed, which at that point was just about full and exclaimed, "I've never seen so much food in one place in my entire life!" He was probably thinking about all the people he could feed back home.

We're so used to harvesting huge quantities of potatoes, wheat, barley, oats... that we seldom stop to think what it would look like for less fortunate people, if they'd get a chance to see our granaries and sheds full of food, like our friend from Nigeria.

There's a lot of need locally as well.

As we celebrate Thanksgiving or bow our heads in gratitude over our daily abundant tables, may we remember, while we enjoy fine dining, others are dying for lack of food. When we bring home another load of grain or potatoes, may we remember, one less load of wheat in our bin may not make a difference on our own table, but would mean everything to a hungry family. God did not bless us with bountiful harvests to keep it all for ourselves – share the wealth! It's true, there’s enough food in the world for everybody, it’s just not evenly divided. May our attitude of gratitude reach beyond our own circle, radiating love and compassion for fellow human beings in need everywhere.

Good Mail Day

I love the changing seasons - each one brings it's own beauty. Right now autumn is colouring the trees in bright orange, yellow and red hues. 

Another sure sign of fall, we've started digging potatoes. If the weather stays nice, it takes about three weeks to harvest them all. We have about 500 acres.

As the days turn cooler and the evenings longer, I think about getting more writing done. Right now I'm working on an article in support of organ donations. You're probably wondering what prompted that; I had a corneal transplant over the summer which opened my eyes to this topic, including the loooong wait lists. Stay tuned, the article will be posted here hopefully in the not so distant future.

Speaking of writing, today I got email from Latvia. I don't know anybody there. But it's always fun to get email from people in faraway places, who are interested in the Hutterite way of life. Today was no exception. She wrote me through the Contact Me form right here on my blog. It's obvious she's still learning the English language. And I was impressed that she only started learning it at age 47! Should I ever be this ambitious, I'd probably learn Spanish. I fell in love with that language at an in-service a few years back. A teacher demonstrated a new language learning program and the attendees got an intro Spanish lesson, and were able to speak a few phrases after an hour. But, I'm straying from my topic...  

You probably know where Latvia is. I wasn't sure, so ended up getting a quick geography lesson via Google. Latvia is in Northern Europe and is part of the three Baltic States, all part of the European Union. The other two Baltic States are Lithuania and Estonia. It seems to me the only time I hear anything about these countries is during the Olympics. 


First she asked if I know anything about the Herrnhutians, who apparently originated in Moravia. The Hutterites have roots there as well. This Latvian lady seems to think the Herrnhutians are similar to the Hutterites in other ways as well, because they, "desire pure and honest living and working. They didn't live communally, but goods were shared, if needed, nobody had been left hungry."  

I've never heard of the Herrnhutians, and a few Google clicks didn't bring me any closer to learning more. Do you know anything about these people? I'd love to know more about them.

Then this lady from Latvia surprised me by saying she has my book. As much as I'd like to say, Hutterite Diaries has been translated into other languages, including Latvian, I can't.
I thought it's rather sweet, though, how she got my book. Her son gave her an Amazon gift card for her birthday. And of all the books on Amazon, she chose mine! It makes me want to meet these people.

Yes, today was Good Mail Day. 

Agriculture in a Hutterite Classroom

During the last school year we, here at Brennan School were part of a program called, Agriculture in the Classroom. It's an excellent opportunity for students to learn about the various aspects of farming. Even though we live on a farm, and see things first hand, almost on a daily basis, our students found it interesting to visit other farms and learn from them. Some of our older students got to plant and take care of plants in our greenhouse.

My sister Elma Maendel, the principal at our school, wrote an article about our experiences with this amazing program, which was recently published in the Manitoba Cooperator. You can read it here.

My Sheep Know My Voice

Earlier this week I was traveling in the Brandon, Manitoba area - a gorgeous drive this time of year, with the last traces of autumn colours decorating the rolling hills!

As we (my brother and I) got to the top of one of those hills, we were taken by surprise and had to stop abruptly. Right in front of us were Hutterite boys happily herding their sheep.  This is a sight I don't see every day, so I savoured the moment, as we slowly followed behind them, till they allowed us to pass, after a few minutes. We stopped to talk with the shepherds and they told us that the sheep had been out in 'greener pastures' for the summer and they were bringing them home for the winter.

I found it amusing that the guy on the four-wheeler in the front had a pail of grain and was scattering it on the road, in the hopes the sheep would follow him. In the few minutes I had to take in this scene, most of the sheep didn't seem to notice, or care about this follow-me-trick-and-treat. The two boys behind were busy trying to keep the sheep on the road, as they were more interested in the last blades of green grass of the season in the ditch. I wondered what happened to the age old 'my sheep know my voice' technique. Do these Hutterite shepherds even know that sheep follow the voice of their shepherd? Or perhaps the shepherd hadn't been talking... or singing to his sheep. In any case, their sheep herding technique worked, too. About fifteen minutes later, while visiting at their colony, I saw the sheep scampering to their shed in the valley.


I was reminded of this song, "My Sheep Know My Voice'.

An Apple a Day...

...makes German class real sweet.

Hutterite children have German lessons each day.  As part of an apple theme, grades 3-5 wrote an Apfel-Elfchen - an apple poem, using just eleven words.

My students really enjoyed working on this poem, especially seeing their basket full of apples on the bulletin board. Unfortunately, most are hard to read on this picture, so I'll print them here as well:

Lecker

Der Apfelsaft

Gelb und süβ

Ich trinke ihn gern

A-a-a-h

Joel Waldner

Heiβ

Der Apfelmost 

Er ist schmackhaft.

Ich mag würziger Apfelmost.

Toll!

Doreen Maendel 

Rot

Der Apfel

Auf dem Baum

Ich hätte ihn gern!

Essen!

 Jonathan Waldner

Hoch

Der Apfelbaum

Ich klettere ihn.

Ich will Äpfel pflücken.

Heute!

Hadassah Maendel

Süβ

Die Apfeltorte

Warm und schmackhaft

Ich esse ihn gern.

Mmmmm 

Serena Maendel

 

 

Welcome to Kindergarten

Kindergarten students on a Hutterite colony usually don't know a lot of English when they start school. This year I have three girls and one boy in Kindergarten. On a colony, it's also always obvious these children are growing up on a big farm - with lots of machinery. It was especially evident this morning when we worked on this poem:

Way up high in the apple tree, two red apples smiled at me.

I shook the tree as hard as I could.

Down came those apples and m-m-m were they good!

To help explain what this poem is about, I first asked them what they would do to get two apples that were hanging way up high on a tree, down.

"I'd use a ladder." Kandra replied.

Okay, I can see where this is going. "That would work. But what if there's no ladder around." I queried 

"Oh, get a forklift." Dorothea piped up excitedly.

Yeah, why think of manual when there are so many machines around? "Let's say the forklift is busy somewhere else. How could we get the apples down?"

For a few moments all four were puzzled. I can't believe this, they don't even want to climb the tree. Then Jakobi thought for sure he'd come up with the best plan.

"How about a scissor lift?" he asked proudly. Honestly, how many people even know what a scissor lift is. I know I was waaaay beyond five when I first saw one. (Just in case you never heard of such a thing, click here.)

I was hoping at least one of them would think of shaking the tree. No such luck.  

I can just feel it; this is going to be a never-a-dull-moment Kindergarten class.

Yup, welcome back!

Harvest Joy

It is the child in man that is the source of his uniqueness and creativity

and the playground is the optimal milieu for the unfolding 

of his capacities and talents.

- Eric Hoffer, American moral and social philosopher

I do believe we have the cutest harvest crew!

With harvest in full swing on our colony, I've had the joy of watching this crew of little farmers 'bringing in the sheaves', right in front of our house. Listening to them I get the impression this is not play, but every bit as important as the men working in the field. And of course it is. They love 'working' together, sometimes for most of the day and they feel each plays an important role during their harvest season. One day I asked why they weren't threshing. One of the boys replied, "Some of the boys are missing, so we can't." They also know on most mornings, they can't start till the dew is gone, "doesn't work to thresh when it's wet." my nephew, (in the orange and black shirt) informed me.

Another fact they're happy to point out is that their piece of equipment or vehicle is "just like my uncle's', or some other guy on the colony. I'm pretty sure they're even wondering why the meals are not brought to them the way it's done for the men in the field.

If this is not one of the best playgrounds in the world, then I don't know what is; wide open spaces to play and explore, your friends are always close by and there are a variety of things to do year round.

With all this farm fun, most of our students are actually excited about the start of the new school year. I just hope they get all their crops off till then.

Tall, Bare and Striking

Last post I said 'we're into the grey and dreary days of late fall.' And it's true, for the most part. However, yesterday as I walked home form school, I was reminded that this time of year can have some striking scenes as well. Here are some pictures to prove my point. This scene changed in mere minutes...and it was overcast again. In the second picture you can see how the shadows are not as sharp anymore. I wish I would have taken two pictures of the second shot. It was magical how quickly the scene changed from striking to...well, not so striking, (for lack of a better term) as clouds moved in front of the sun behind me.

I love the trees against the dark sky in this picture and the long shadows of the trees behind me. It's strange

how at first glance, they seem to be the shadows of the row of poplars along the road.

 I feel like making a poster with that one.

and today, we're into grey again

Falling For Fiction

Here in Manitoba we're into the grey and dreary days of late fall. Our colourful leaves are all gone from the trees, and most have blown away or have been raked. So, there are not that many left on the ground either. All we have left is bare trees and right now grey skies. But there's beauty in shades of grey as well, just not as vibrant and striking as our eyes like. We've even had a hint of winter - snow flurries for most of the day, but most melted as soon as they hit the ground.

A few days ago one of our first graders came in to the school and announced, "The trees are just about all clean now." I never looked at it this way, but it somehow makes sense. At least it did for one little boy.

Dreary days are perfect for curling up with a book after school or in the evening. They are also superp for writing. I'm working on a book with Herald Press and right now am in the editing stage. I've never worked with an editor from a major publisher before. Besides finding it very enjoyable, I'm also learning a lot about the publishing process and about writing and editing, of course! I promise to talk more about that, hopefully in the not so distant future... I may even have a cover reveal soon. Yes, very exciting!

I've always loved reading fiction, but these days, I'm also dabbling with writing fiction. It all started after an interesting workshop with my local writing group. We have fiction writers in our group, so to hone our fiction editing skills, we had a former member and fiction writer come and share some fiction writing/critiquing strategies. We were then given an interesting assignment. All of us took two slips of paper and wrote a name and an occupation on each. We put them all together and drew one. From the slip that we drew, we're to write a fiction piece, which we'll share at a future meeting. I can't wait!

I've never written fiction before, at least not as an adult and have actually always adamantly maintained, "I don't do fiction," whenever someone suggested I try that genre. However, working on my first attempt at fiction, has me rethinking this. It's quite different than writing non-fiction, but it's fun. With non-fiction, of course, you know how the story goes, so you have a pretty good idea what's going down on paper. Not so with fiction, for one can never tell beforehand where your imagination will take you. Sure, before you start writing, you have the characters, a plot, and a general idea about what you'll do with it, however, some very interesting things happen once you start penning your story. Some unplanned characters show up and unforeseen things happen... which makes for some exciting finger dances on the keyboard.

I promise, I'm not going crazy... at least I don't think so. I'm just taking a trip down fiction lane and am finding it rather enjoyable. Where this will lead to, I have absolutely no idea right now. I will have to finish this piece first and then determine if there's some serious fiction in my future. Came across this quote today, and thought it's a good fit for this post.

All fiction has to have a certain amount of truth in it to be powerful.

George R. R. Martin

Your turn. What are your thoughts on writing fiction, or my attempting it? Would especially appreciate feedback from fellow Hutterites. Have you tried it? Perhaps you can even share some sage advice with me. Whatever your thoughts on this topic, I'd love to hear them!

Snapshot Muse # 27 - Simple Gifts

It was a gorgeous Sunday afternoon as I went for a walk with my sister, cousin and nephews, Jakobi and Terrance. Of course one can never walk long distances, or get any where fast with two little boys along. There are just too many things to explore and be in awe of. Yes, things you would otherwise miss - like that seagull soaring in the sunshine, waaaay up there. And those 'tires that don't have a tractor'. I love seeing the world through the eyes of little children - everything is magical and pretty and, and, and... 

A reminder, for sure, of the importance of  'stopping to smell the roses' and to notice the simple things, that often go unnoticed.

On our walk we came across this magical place; two rows of stately poplars creating a gorgeous golden path, perfect for running and kicking up leaves, tumbling down and rolling in them. Or just lying still and marveling at the branches, leaves and sky above. A little boy's paradise.

The best song I could think of for this post is, Simple Gifts:

Dr. Eva Olsson - Holocaust Survivor - Inspiring Speaker

We had a very inspiring speaker at our school today. She's a 90 year old who travels extensively sharing her story in schools, colleges, universities, churches...wherever people are interested in listening to her message.

 Dr. Eva Olson's message in a nutshell: "It's OK to be different, but never OK to be indifferent - the bystander is as guilty as the perpetrator. During the Holocaust there were many bystanders. We're all human beings, created by God. I do not judge people. I leave that to God. We need to show respect towards each other. If we teach our children that at home, that's what they will bring to school."

Dr. Eva Olsson has had to endure a lot in her life. After surviving the Holocaust, she moved to Sweden. It's there she met and married Rude Olsson. Eva and her sister, Fradel were the only ones in their family to survive the Nazi regime, but when Eva married a Swede, her sister disowned her. Fradel now lives in Israel. Early in their married life, Rude and Eva moved to Ontario, Canada, where she still resides. She has one son, and three grandchildren. When Rude was in his thirties, he died, after being hit by a drunk driver. Which means she has been a widow for 50 years. Today Eva shares her story of survival with courage and passion, and with no trace of bitterness, but a heart full of love for all human beings, especially children.

"I cannot live in the past, but I must live with it. Perhaps by writing and speaking about my story I will pass on to the next generation the importance of creating a legacy of caring, compassion and character. I'm going to keep speaking as long as I can. Then I can honestly say to the millions of people whose voices were cruelly silenced by the Nazis, "You have not been forgotten." Dr. Eva Olsson

If you ever get the chance to listen to Dr. Eva Olsson, I highly recommend you do so. 

Dr. Eva Olsson has a number of books and audio and video CD's, some of which can be found on Amazon:

• Remembering Forever: A Journey of Darkness and Light
• Unlocking the Doors: A Woman's Struggle Against Intolerance
• Stronger Than Fire (Audio and Video CD)
• Every Step of the Way (Book and Video)

      

Autumn Art

After a lovely Thanksgiving weekend, I felt like working on something colourful. So, I decided to try finger painting (the first time this year) with my kindergarten class - two boys. Needless to say, they had a lot of fun dabbing red and yellow leaves on their tree... yes, some got on the table as well, but thankfully none on their clothes. Of course, we had drawn and coloured the bare tree beforehand. We all agreed, they turned out very nice and that they needed to be displayed in our classroom wall.

I love the way this one is leaning, as some trees tend to.

And our strong and tall one... no leaning here.

Well done, Josiah and Ezra!

Then Sings My Soul...

 

      Here in Canada we're celebrating Thanksgiving this weekend. At our Sunday service today we were reminded that in order to reach our 'promised Land' we need to always have a grateful heart. Indeed, there's so much to be thankful for.

“All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe,” is the passage our minister read from Deuteronomy 8:1. “Just as the Lord commanded the children of Israel to observe the Festival of Harvest, we too, should not come empty handed. We need to honor God, acknowledge our dependence on Him, and praise Him for his rich blessings, both the spiritual and the material.” To this our minister added. “Today people are grumbling as well, just like the children of Israel. And this sin cost them the Promised Land. Is that the path we want to follow? With all the blessings we enjoy daily, homes, food, clothes, bountiful harvest... it seems we always want more. We forget, that when we fill our heart with gratitude, there is no room for grumbling.” 

I came away challenged to be more diligent in practicing an attitude of gratitude. Today, I'm especially grateful for uplifting and worshipful music...like the German version of How Great Thou Art in the video. Watching this brought back some amazing August 2013 memories - my time in Europe! Wouldn't you just love walking this mountain trail? I know, I would. 

What are you grateful for today?

Snapshot Muse # 26 - God's Colouring Book

I love the vibrant colours of autumn! When I see the wonders of nature, I'm reminded of Chief Dan George's beautiful poem, "My Heart Soars'. At least once every autumn, I grab my camera and head out to capture some of these splendid scenes...'and my heart soars'. Every time.

Yes, that is a pelican among our ducks.

 

God's Coloring Book - written by Dolly Parton. Performed in this clip by the Primitive Quartet.

Our School's Annual Bag Fever

Park bench made from recycled plastic

It's October, the month when our school has bag fever. To save plastic bags from going to a nuisance ground, where they will lie for ages, or else cling to a fence, bush or tree somewhere, we're collecting them and sending them to a recycling place. This Bag Up Manitoba project is made possible by Take Pride Winnipeg. The company turning plastic bags into park benches, birdhouses and many other beautiful things is Trex. To learn more about this, you can go to some of my previous posts.

In past years, our school has been rewarded with park benches and birdhouses for our efforts. While this isn't the real reason we're involved... It's more about promoting a clean environment. Still, it is a wonderful incentive and keeps our students and their parents, relatives and friends motivated to collect as many bags as possible during the month of October.

If you're in this area, please consider giving your bags to us this month. Let us know, if you have any and we'll arrange to have them picked up. Or you can drop them off at our school. If you need more information, leave me a comment or use the contact form in the side bar.

I'd also like to encourage other schools in Manitoba to take part in this. See Take Pride Winnipeg to learn more.

Autumn - Beautiful Season, Exciting Times

With autumn colouring our world, I should try to keep up to speed on my blog as well - deck it to match the season. The killer frost that crept around during the night a few days ago, is a clear indication that our warm days are numbered. But at least we haven't had a snow storm here in Manitoba yet. Only Alberta has the distinction of being powdered with those pretty white particles almost every month of the year.

Some exciting things have happened in the last few weeks: We're back and school... yes, still settling in, trying to get ourselves organized, and the things-to-do list is growing. But still, it's good to be back!

My family has been hosting friends from Germany the last little while. It was great to see them experience Manitoba, or listen to their stories of all they'd taken in - and they saw a lot: Winnipeg, Portage la Prairie, Hamiota, Brandon, Riding Mountain, Swan River, Pelican Lake, The Pas, Dauphin, and the Peace Gardens at Boisevan. They were quite excited to be able to say they were in the USA, as part of those gardens stretch into that country.One day they also went into Sasketchewan, I think, just to say they were there - if only to take a few pictures with the sign.

A proud Marianne on her lofty perch.

 If you remember, when I was working on the German POW research project. My virtual path crossed with Lutz Beranek's, as he too was researching this era. His father had been a prisoner of war in Canada, and spent most of his time in Manitoba. So the purpose of this trip was for Lutz, his son, Marcel and sister, Marianne to visit the places where Lutz' dad had been stationed. I met Lutz and his wife last summer during my time in Hannover, Germany. We spent a weekend together and they made sure my birthday was a memorable one. It was great getting to know Marianne and Marcel now as well, and I was happy to return the hospitality I enjoyed while in Europe.

 Lutz, Marcel and Marianne were fascinated with our huge farm machinery, especially the combines and semi trucks. One day when we out on the field Lutz pointed out, "Our fields are not big enough for such big machines." They were very grateful to spend time on two Hutterite colonies and learn more about our way of life.

Marcel and Lutz trying out the combine

Barbeque supper, or Grillfest  at my brother James' and Karen's house.

They really enjoyed beef, which they hardly have back home - too expensive.

Lutz summed up his trip like this: "My father enjoyed his stay in Manitoba immensely, deeming it as 'the best years of my life'. Now I know why, I'm enjoying it as much as my father did! This is like a dream come true! I don't know how we can ever thank all the poeple who hosted us, who have been so kind and helpful."

Happy Thanksgiving

As you gather to give God the glory for all the blessings you enjoy, may you be surrounded by family, friends, love, joy and....rich fall colours!

Would also like to take this opportunity to share my sister's brand new blog with you: Schuel Stoff (School Stuff) Yes, she's a teacher and figures she has lots to share, and a blog would be an ideal way. Check it out!

Focus on Fall

I'm playing with a new camera (long overdue, I think. Wish I would have had this slim, light thing before going to Europe. Oh well, next time.) It's a Sony Cyber-Shot. And today, with the world around me alive with beautiful hues, I'm focusing on fall:

1

2

 



3

 

 

4

 

 

 

5

 

6

7

8

 

 

 

9

10

 

 

 

11

 

Which one is your favourite? Why? I love picture number seven. It's such an interesting shade of dusty pink and is so striking against the calm green. Would be a beautiful dress.