February

The month of February is almost past. In some ways it is nice to have a short month in the winter. It makes it seem like we are getting to Spring faster. One of the neat things about February and March is that because February has 28 days the dates and the day of the week stay the same in February and March. So, since the 1st of February was on a Thursday, the 1st of March is also on a Thursday.

This has made me think about how I would reorganize the calendar if I had any influence or power. I would divide the year into 13 months with each month having 28 days. Then the one day left over could be an International holiday to mark the change of the year. On leap year we would have a two day new year holiday.

In this calendar, the dates would always fall on the same day of the week all year. So you would know that if the 15th is on a Thursday in January it would be on a Thursday in October. There wouldn't be any more fifth Sundays in a month. People who live where there is no electricity and plan their special church meetings around full moon would know what date full moon would be each month.

Also, if you are paid by the month, you would get an extra month's pay. If you are a landlord, you could collect an extra month rent each year.

Of course, I had had any power or influence to make this change we would need a name for the 13th month. I would suggest we would call it Edithary, or maybe Edithober.

What do you think of my idea? How would you change the calendar if you could change it?

-Merle

Firewood

Today the wood cutting crew was here and cut our firewood for next winter. I had sixteen cords of dry pine here. It was in eight foot lengths. They cut each log in three or four pieces, and stacked it all in our woodshed.

They started about 8:00 AM and were finished by 2:00 PM. This is all pretty amazing since it would have taken me weeks to do it all by myself.

There are many blessings in life. One of them is men who are willing to come and prepare our firewood supply for the year. It is a good feeling to see it all cut and stacked for next year.

Hans and Bethanie

Hans came to Atlanta last evening and the four of us got to spend some time together. It was great to be at the same place at the same time. Bethanie goes back to New York today and we are going back to Sioux Lookout.

Amicalola Falls Marriage Retreat

This week Edith and I spoke at a marriage retreat at Amicalola Falls State Park in North Georgia. David and Benita Chupp organized the retreat. They did a wonderful job. There were 23 couples attending the retreat.

We stayed in the lodge at the park. It was a beautiful place. Just below the lodge was a beautiful waterfall. Thursday we walked down beside the Falls.

This evening we are in Atlanta with Bethanie. Hans came to spend some time with us too.

Here are Edith and I at the base of the Falls.

Here is Edith at the base of the Falls.

Here are David and Benita Chupp in the conference room.

Bethanie is Here!

Bethanie arrived here last evening. Dallas and I picked her up in International Falls yesterday.

Here are the ladies of the household.

Weather Report

Yesterday morning it was 38.7 below zero with a windchill of 56 below zero. This morning it is 34 below zero with a windchill of 47 below zero.

This is what you feel like doing if you find a warm spot.

The Birds Outside

These cold winter days I wonder how the beasties and birds survive outside. It's much colder out there than in our freezer! But survive they do. We help the birds along with sunflower seeds and suet. I got the idea from Lazonya on her xanga site, to post photos of the birds that visit our feeder. I apologize for the quality of some of the photos because they are taken from INSIDE my warm house through our double panes. Altogether I think I have photos of 9 species represented.

There are two species in the above photo and three below. The guy on the right is hard to see well. He might be hard for you to identify.
There is one on the photo below.
Here's the male and female version of a species.
One again of another species. Don't you just admire their ability to survive in minus 30 weather?

List any ones you think you can identify. I didn't see three of the kinds till we moved to Canada. That's a hint for you. Edith

Do Cars Have Birthdays?

This month it will be nine years since we purchased the 1998 Ford Escort Station wagon that we now drive. It has done very well and exceeded all our expectations.

Earlier this year we turned up 400,000 kilometers. I kind of wanted to get it to that point simply to say it had made it. Once we reached 400,000 I was kind of thinking that maybe we should get rid of it, and get something newer. I was feeling like it will probably break down with a major problem sometime when we are on a long trip and have a schedule to meet.

At the Stoltzfus family gathering last summer, one of my brother-in-laws asked me how many miles we have on it. When I told him, he said that God is blessing us with that car. I started to think about that, and felt that if God wants to give us a gift of 100,000 more kilometers, why would I reject that gift by selling the car.

Yet, I would go back and forth between wanting to keep it, and thinking it is about to die anyway, so I should replace it. When my doubts would grow, I would talk to the service manager at Dingwall Ford, where we get the car serviced. He always rejects my logic for replacing it. He is convinced that it will go over 500,000 kilometers without any major problem.

It doesn't use any oil. The engine and transmission seem fine. The body looks a little like a leopard from the spots I have touched up with spray paint, but it keeps running.

My conclusion now, is that the only reason for replacing it would be numbers on the odometer. So, maybe God is in the process of giving us a gift of 100,000 kilometers. I want to accept that gift.

Still buying new tires, and replacing the timing belt on a car with this many miles, seems like a statement of faith. I am interested in seeing what God is going to do.

For those of you who are not familiar with kilometers. You take the number of kilometers times 0.62 to convert the number to miles. At this point we have 454,272 kilometers on the car. This converts to 281,648 miles.

The car (and perhaps me) deserve a gold medal too for this morning. It was 35 degrees below zero with a 10 mile an hour wind. The wind chill was between 40 and 50 below zero. I went in to town for the men's breakfast this morning. The car got me there and actually produced a little bit of heat in the process.

Here is the odometer, just in case you question my numbers.


You see I even have enough faith to keep the gas tank at least half full!

My Mantel and the Birds Inside

When we bought this house, I knew I wanted a mantel above the fireplace-especially at Christmas time, when I can put hooks under it to hang stockings from. Christmas 2005, that was my request. Our brother-in-law, Leroy Stauffer, helped locate the oak shelf. He bought it at a sale in Pa. Merle sanded it and varnished it and discussed with capenters how to mount it on the wall. He didn't have it up yet for Christmas 2006, so I didn't hang the stockings from it yet. However, in January, when I was in Kenora a few days, he put it up! I like it! I put my collection of birds up on it and a few plates. They represent love and memories.

Starting from the left, there's a peice of driftwood with a seagull. There are two little baby birds in a nest too. The father seagull is not with the arrangement right now, because he needs mending. We bought that peice in the New England States on our honeymoon in 1973.

Next is the pewter plate. It was given to Merle for Christmas one year by Mennonite Property Aid when he was one of their representatives.
The wooden Flamingo was purchased on a trip to the West Coast the Summer of 1973.

On the second photo, I like the Chickadee with the dangling legs. Jennifer bought it for my birthday in 2006 when we were all together at a KOA in NY to celebrate her graduation from her Occupational Therapy training.

Next in line is a brown unidentified bird carved from a cattle horn. Merle bought it for me in Thailand. Maybe sometime when we're over there I'll be able to learn what kind it it.

Then there's another chickadee I bought at Johnny Macs. The girls had given me a gift coupon for Christmas one year. I selected it.

Merle and I bought the pair of Puffins to remember our trip to Newfoundland to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. It symbolizes the lovely day we took a boat cruise out to see the Puffin colonies and also followed two Humpback Whales. I felt such euphoria that day!
The next plate was a gift from Morley Beardy. It has a painting of wolves on it done by Don Ningewance.

The last item, a ceramic cedar waxwing bird and baby, has been around for a long time. I don't remember where I got it.

My mantel, and the items on it, like so many of the furnishings of our house, are precious because of what they remind me of; the love of my husband, children, and friends.

The flower arrangement above it was one I made at a ladies' retreat in Thunder Bay years ago. Caroline Miller was in charge of the craft that year. It too brings back good memories.