The Flower Room

       At Turtle Mountain Bible Camp in southern Manitoba, my work partner, Joy Rothfuss, and I worked on an interesting project during the month of May. The camp has been given a fabulous donation. One day after a kids' camp, a ten-year-old camper who had heard of the camp's needs said to his mother "We could help the camp." The mom had had an event planner business, but unforeseen circumstances forced her to give it up. Thousands of dollars of inventory were donated to the camp. 

Before all the boxes were unpacked

    Our job was to sort through and take inventory of silk flowers, hundreds of different shaped vases, candles and tea lights of various kinds, and seasonal and decorative decor. There were also tablecloths and napkins in various colours. 

Joy adding to the inventory

Counting tablecloths in the furnace room

The immediate challenge was to count items, store them and display the flowers so that those planning an event, like a wedding, would be able to see it immediately without searching through boxes and boxes. 

    Camp director, Kathy, had an ingenious idea for displaying the many silk bouquets. Sections of PVC pipe cut on an angle [the men helped with this step] were fastened  to the wall in a corner of a room filled with air ducts. Filled with bunches of flowers, the space was transformed into a kind of flower shop. All we needed next was a diffuser filled with a floral essential oil, like "Rose"! 

     Because of a busy summer schedule, the camp isn't exactly going to advertise this bounty, but I'm sure the word will get around. Already one wedding is scheduled for a Tuesday right after a camp ends. 

"For the LORD is God, and he created the heavens and earth and put everything in place. Isaiah 45:18

For God is not a God of disorder but of peace...I Corinthians 14:33

Turtle Mountain Bible Camp

 We're at Turtle Mountain Bible Camp to check it out as new area reps for western Canada.  It's great to be on a project, and still be in Canada!

We wondered where the mountain was, but found out it was a low mountain range, slight rises in the landform, like the low backs of turtles. 

One of my jobs was taking inventory of tablecloths and other banquet paraphernalia. No, that's not a super-tidy storage room, but a brand new furnace room.

Terry and his work partner put molding around some windows, and added metal protectors around columns.

The main building is new--beautiful and multipurpose

When we arrived, there were still patches of snow, and tree limbs everywhere from the previous ice storm. It's too dry to have ice break tree limbs in Alberta.

 Now the snow is gone, and Partridge Lake, which this building faces, is open.

It was still a little difficult to hike in places.

Big event on Saturday--a town wide garage sale. We followed a map and drove from house to house to house all morning.. Terry was so patient. Here's my best find, a lightweight down coat.  I'd wanted one for a while.

The other best find was the motor part of a food processor, exactly like mine at home, which had quit working. And it was FREE! The seller was so glad I took it off her hands! And I was so glad to find it. The Lord certainly does provide. 

Since these pictures, the sun has come out on some days.

A baby turtle, its back only as big as a quarter (25 cent piece), showed up in the basement of the main building. It was returned to the Lake the next day.

Southern Manitoba is fascinating.

Owl be Darned!

 I lay in bed one morning, listening to the who-whooo of an owl. It had been calling in the early hours, and sometimes in the middle of the night for the past month. Once the noise of the nearby freeway starts up again, it's almost time to get up, and too late to look for an owl. The owl is very sensitive to the slightest noise. When I first started hearing him, it was late at night. We agreed that I would wake Terry up if I heard it, and we were going to get out of bed to pursue it. No sooner had we gone to bed, then the owl started its hooting. 

I forgot, however, that Terry takes his hearing aids out at night. By the time I yelled into his ear, "It's the owl! Get up!", it was too late. By the time we had pulled on some clothes, and sneaked out the door, there was dead silence. Finally, one night, I lifted my curtain, which is right at the head of my bed, and actually saw a shape with a great pair of wings swoop down from the trees surrounding our cabin! That decided it; I had seen my owl. We counted it for our Year List, as a Great Horned Owl.

As a bonus, a park ranger at Estero Llano Grande State Park in Weslaco, TX, actually told us where we could see owls. At a grove of trees designated with orange cones, was where the Great Horned Owls hung out. High on a branch the dad peered down at us with his one open eye.

Male Great Horned Owl

The mum was on a branch in the next tall live oak tree. She was even larger. That's how it is with Great Horned Owls, the female is larger than the male!

They're both about as large as a Snowy Owl. [see blog post Jan. 2021]

Unfortunately, the baby was hiding that day, but apparently it was cute, with fluffy white feathers on each side. 

Then, the park ranger said, we could see an Eastern Screech Owl on the nest, in a wooden box attached to a tree. Police tape prevented people from getting too close. We sat down at a nearby picnic table, but we didn't see anything for several minutes as we munched on our sandwiches. Oh! There it was! Mum poked her head out of the box. Terry was able to get a picture of her as well. This species is smaller than the Great Horned,

The picture is a bit indistinct.

Eastern Screech Owl

One tuft of feathers on the bird's left is poking out of the hole. You'll have to imagine the corresponding tuft on the right side. The owl's right eye is closed, and the long piece pointing down is its beak.

We rarely have Eastern Screech Owls in Alberta, so that was a Lifer for both of us.

Enlarged version

The same weekend, our son reported seeing a Snowy Owl on Highway 21, back in Alberta.

In the Hill Country of Texas

 

As we drove home to Camp Loma de Vida after our between-projects holiday, Terry said, “I think we can consider that a very successful výlet.

Výlet is Czech/Slovak for “outing”, and we use this word in the family to refer to any adventure. This was the second time we had a week off between projects, (although we remain at the same location), and we left it rather late to plan anything. My ideas came together, however, at the last minute. One of the readers of my PresbyCan devotions, who occasionally writes devotionals herself, lives in Texas. I had highlighted her hometown, and had written her name on the edge of the Texas map in our road atlas. I boldly asked if we could meet for coffee, and she invited us to stay for a couple of days.

I didn't know she lived out in the country on an 800-acre ranch! Not a cattle ranch, but a deer hunting ranch. The winding roads to their place led through lovely rolling hills covered in bushy Mountain Cedar trees, known as “Texas Cedar”, and tall spreading live oak trees. We were invited to stay in a separate building from the main house called The Barn, so we could be more private. It really was a renovated barn.

 

As we stepped inside, it was like being in our log home, with a decidedly Western/Texas flair. We had a choice of bedrooms. I chose the one with the most cheerful patchwork quilt, and we happily settled in.

Punky explains the origins of their house, which had been originally built by Norwegians in the area in the 1800s.

It has since been added on to.

Wally

The next day Punky invited us on a tour of Clifton, the nearest town of 3,500 people. For such a small population, the Museum and Art Centre were amazing! 

This 84-year-old lady seemed to know everyone we met, and introduced us to everyone we met.

An old-fashioned classroom in the Arts Centre. I just had to take a picture of the blackboards, remembering the horrible sensation of chalk on my fingers in my early teaching days. These rooms are still used for classes today.

The town was founded by Norwegian settlers in the 1800's; the displays in the Museum were extremely well done.

 

Then there were the picturesque churches in the countryside, still unlocked as in days gone by. 

St. Olafs Kirke, built in 1886. It was restored in 2010. It's also called The Rock Church. 

Special services, weddings, and family reunions are held here.

Interior of St. Olafs Kirke

Another Lutheran church

 Lunch was a delicious soup and sandwich at a little restaurant with a Bible verse prominently displayed at the front of the cafe proclaiming the purpose of the cafe- to interact with others in a setting of delicious food.

Breaking Bread Bakery and Deli

On our last morning we bade our gracious hosts 'farewell',and drove a few miles to Meridian State Park. A beautiful, wooded path, nearly four km long, wound through the bosque (wooded area) around the little lake.

 A highlight was finally seeing an armadillo at close range! We watched him rooting around in the dead leaves for at least five minutes. My dream from ten years ago was being fulfilled. [see blog January 26, 2012]

Our next appointment was a pre-arranged visit with Nicole, who was a friend of Christopher's from the short time our children went to school in Nakusp, B.C. She's a gracious young lady living near Waco, TX now, with her husband and children, but still a Canadian. 

When we were in Slovakia, we visited her dad's cousin and his family for a few days. I remember that none of them spoke English, but we had a good time, just the same. Our visit with Nicole, after not seeing her for 30 years, was delightful as well.

Benedictus! I'm declaring my blessings once again.

Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father James 1:17

January - One Third of our Project

     The first month of our adventure at Camp Loma De Vida in Edinburg, Texas, is over. I'll summarize with some highlights, and pictures to go with them.

    During the month, I did a variety of work assignments, like helping to bake thousands of cookies. Terry and the other guys appreciated the cookies that didn't work out. Now we have to make more next month to make up the deficit. 

    Then Cheryl and I inventoried the nurse's station and counted t-shirts and tidied cupboards. 

The very last day, I got to try something new. Some of us sanded down the wooden railings on bunk beds by hand, because of reports of splinters from the wood. On the last day, I graduated to a palm sander! I don't think I operated it correctly, but it was sure fun!

  

  Finally, at the end of the month I bought two sizes of plates and some bowls at the thrift store. What a pleasure to abandon the flimsy plastic bowls, not meant for constant use, but too good to throw out after one use. I quite like our new dishes.

    Much to our amazement, our group leaders, Don and Cheryl Delaschmit are birders, and we'll be with them for the month of February as well. It's been great, their knowledge has been a big help in identifying birds. Here are some of the birds we've seen.

Green Jay

Ringed Kingfisher

Common Pauraque

    

    

    

    

    

This is such an interesting example of camouflage. You would never see this bird even if you walked right by it. It was pointed out to us a couple of feet away from the footpath in Estero Llano Grande State Park. Then it was obvious that a barrier of piled up sticks had been placed at the edge of the path to discourage people from disturbing the Pauraque's sleep. This bird is on permanent night shift; it sleeps during the day and hunts for insects at night.

I was glad to get such a good look at him up close. Last week Terry flushed one up out of the brush when we were chasing another bird, but I didn't get to see it beyond a flapping of wings. 

Roseate Spoonbill

What a surprise to see this pink bird in a marshy area, which we usually optimistically call a pond as we drove around one afternoon with our friends. The Roseate Spoonbill forages by wading in shallow water, swinging its head back and forth to sift the muck with its slightly open spoon-like bill. Sensitive receptors inside the bill detect vibrations given off by prey. When a small fish or aquatic creature touches the inside of the spoon, the bill closes on it quickly. 

What a way to get dinner. 

It's been a great month for birding! 

Kolaches

 

On our week off between projects we visited our Korean friend, Bongwol, in Houston, TX. We had met at YWAM Lausanne, Switzerland in October, 2012, when we were both Mission Builders there.

     We had a great visit. Bongwol served interesting things for breakfast: This is fried cabbage, with an egg is hidden in the middle of the “nest”. It was surprisingly tasty!

    On the agenda, of course, was bird watching. Terry didn't know I had another agenda, but he soon found out I was interested in seeing where Czechs had settled in the latter part of the 1800s. Many towns between Edinburg and Houston had been settled by Czechs and Moravians, and we noticed businesses with Czech names.

     Since my mother was born in the Czech part of Czechoslovakia, and my father came from Moravia, I found the fact that many from this country had previously emigrated to America fascinating. Why did they do it? Freedom. In the old Austro-Hungarian Empire, before it was united as Czechoslovakia in 1918, farmers were still under the feudal system. The availability of land in America in the Blackland Prairie region, as well as the political situation, drew them to emigrate by the thousands.

    Czechs brought with them their culture, a part of which brings me back to my story

    I have been to the Czech Republic ten times, and I am well acquainted with the koláč.

    It's a yeast dough pastry with a filling of fruit, quark cheese, or a paste made from poppyseeds. My parents even had these traditional delicacies at their wedding. Here's a picture of a Moravian variety Terry and I sampled in 2018. This pizza-sized one was sold with various flavours on the same plate. Tom is cutting them up so we could taste them all.

My cousin's husband, Tom

     I found out the koláč came to America, too. I knew it wouldn't be the same, but I was eager to taste-test this American variety, called kolache. We managed to track some down at Prasek's Smokehouse in Sealy, TX. They were displayed with meat pastries that looked like pigs in blankets, also called kolache. [Technically incorrect! Czechs don't call meat pastries by that name.] I carefully chose my apricot kolache. I found the name amusing. The plural form of koláč in Czech is koláče, which is what Americans call one pastry. I carefully carried the little white paper bag out to the car, and happily anticipated our lunch dessert.

    Meanwhile, Terry was on a mission. He was trying to find a certain state park, but the GPS was not co-operating at all. We kept travelling down secondary roads, back and forth, until lunch was long overdue. I have to eat pretty much on time, so I wasn't happy. About an hour and a half later, I couldn't stand it any longer. “Just eat, then,” said Terry.

    “But I wanted to eat the kolache with ceremony,” I explained. It was not to be. I ended up eating my kolache, while Terry focused on the road. I took a bite before I remembered I was supposed to photograph my kolache, sitting on the dash looking fresh and delicious.

    I'm so grateful to Terry for stopping to find the kolache. We had in mind to stop at another bakery the next day which was famous for achieving the “best kolache” award, but we never got there. The next morning a winter storm warning sent us straight home to Edinburg, instead of exploring yet another state park we had in mind,and stopping at the bakery.

That's ok. I sampled my American kolache.

 We both decided it wasn't at all the same as a real koláč. It was lighter, the dough fluffier, and the filling much sweeter. Delicious, but definitely not a koláč.

Here's a picture of some soup noodles I bought as well.

And the delicious soup I made from them. Just the thing for a cold winter's day!

A Surprise Visitor

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"Where is that sewing kit?" I muttered as I opened cupboard doors in the little cabin at Camp Loma de Vida.

"You've got to be kidding! That wasn't there before!"   I didn't scream, though.

A little snake lay behind Terry's soap caddy. I wondered whether he thought the cord was one of its kind.

I walked next door where the men were working, and, trying to be calm, told Terry, "There's a snake in the cupboard!"

Terry, Don and Gary, carrying a cardboard box, came over to investigate. First, they moved Terry's soap case out of the way.

As it was a bit chilly, the snake was docile, and didn't move.

It was only the size of a garter snake, and had beautiful clear markings on its back.

 Then, using a broom, Don swept the snake into the box. 

He walked the box towards the bush.

"Take it far away!" I emphasized.

I found out it was a harmless Western Rat Snake, quite common, and non-venomous.

The adults can get to 4 to 6 feet long! And their colour darkens.

This must have been a baby, to able to squeeze through the hole near the pipe under the bathroom sink. 

Terry stuffed some insulation from next door, blocking off the space between the pipe and the side of the cupboard.

Once I found out it was just a baby, my alarm melted away. I even felt compassion towards the little snake, trying to escape the cold.

But I'm still cautious every time I open a cupboard door. It's a good thing there are only two cupboards with doors!

Even looking down at our rug makes me look twice! 😀

Return to Camp Loma de Vida

Exactly ten years ago we were at Camp Loma de Vida; it was only our second SOWER project in the US. Now we are back, on our 25th project! At first glance, nothing much seems to have changed. A few cabins have been remodelled, and work is ongoing in building a few tiny houses. A quadriplex cabin to be used as a dorm is being remodelled right next door to us, so Terry doesn't have far to go to work! 

What is different is that we don't have Baby B with us, our little 21-foot trailer. A description of her demise can be found in blogs written in March, 2020. We have been graciously given a cabin to live in for three months, one of the reasons we drove 3000 miles, chasing the warm weather. Very warm weather hasn't exactly materialized yet, but we're very grateful to say good-bye to the bitterly cold weather Alberta is having this month. 

Since we weren't told what exactly was in this little cabin, we brought very little, only the things we thought were the bare essentials. Besides, our Ford Escape is much smaller than the Expedition was.

Here are the things we were glad to have brought with us:

1. Our duvets, sheets, and our own pillows. These were a godsend when we visited friends in Yuma, AZ, as they were having a cold spell as well. What a comfort to snuggle up in at night. 

2. My Bullet machine (mini-blender) for my daily smoothies. 

3. A small porridge pot and a mini frying pan. 

4. Terry's new phone, which had to be bought in Yuma, because his died sooner than expected. That means we have a new North America plan, allowing us phone access in the US, as well as in Canada, and lots of data. And a new phone number.

5. Consistent Wifi in the cabin and elsewhere on campus. This is a HUGE blessing. I can carry on sending in my devotional messages, as well as being able to ask Google all my usual questions, AND Face Time with our family. 

6. And the laptop, of course!

7. Small quantities of basic groceries and staples from home, which I knew our son would not eat, and which would just get stale on the shelf. 

I'm thinking of investing in an InstaPot, which I've heard is a versatile and multi-purposed addition to an efficient kitchen. What else? We'll have to wait and see.

I'm not going to worry about what we don't have, because our Heavenly Father knows what we need before we even ask Him.