Paska Reprise
Years ago I wrote this story about getting a loaf of paska from my favourite cousin Katherine Penner. It was, in fact, back in the 20th century. Now, 22 years into the 21st century, I still get a paska loaf from Kathy the week before Easter. Our lives have undergone drastic changes. She and […]
The Forks
There’s a quiet place where the Assiniboine meets the Red, a place for basking in moonglow, a place for wondering in starlight. It’s the place where a Cree maiden fell in love with a Salteaux beau, even though their tribes lived far apart. It’s called The Forks. I used to live in a big […]
Non-Resistance
Non-resistance is the distinguishing aspect of Menno Simons’ teachings. All Christian denominations have a way of finding God through Jesus Christ. That’s what makes them Christians. To think that JC is a personal friend is egocentric. To think that Menno Simons has a monopoly on the principle of accepting JC as a […]
Hutterites
I have associated with Hutterites all my life. Although I never considered becoming one, I admired their communal life. I like their food, served to women on one side of the dining hall, and to men on the other side. We had lots of visitors on the farm near Winkler where I grew up, […]
20 Books
There are 26 cousins in my family tree, descendants of five children of my grandparents. At 83 I’m the youngest. The grandparents were Abraham Kroeker and Helena (nee Wiens). The parents were five Kroeker siblings – Helena, Jacob, Tina, Abram and Peter. The sixth sibling was Nettie, who never married. For nigh on 30 years […]
My Roots
Canadians East and West make fun of Winnipeg. Winterpeg, they call it, the coldest city in Canada, they say. But Winnipeg is so much more. I am proud to be from Winnipeg. It is my home. My roots lie buried here. Actually, I was born in the hospital in the Town of Winkler seven miles […]
Day of Old People
The United Nations Assembly has declared October 1 as the day to recognize older people. The theme is to help them adapt to the digital age. Who needs it? Aging sucks! I’m long past the stage of adapting. Back in the day when computers came with DOS (Disc Operating System), I learned how to use […]
Pee-a-lot
I get water in my legs. It comes from sitting too long at the computer when I should be lying down with my feet up higher than my heart. To help control this malady, I take diaretics that make me get up every hour, every night to pee. That’s when I am inspired to give […]
Paska
Easter was always one of two major annual family celebrations in our household when Diane, mother of my three daughters, was alive. Christmas was the other, but the essence of it – remembering Jesus Christ – was dulled by December’s commercial Christmas cobwebs. Now, years after Diane’s death, the Easter season has become for me […]
Acrylic Painting
Like Grandma Moses, I began painting at age 80. I started by enrolling in an Art Circle in the St. Matthew’s-Maryland Drop-in located in the basement of WestEnd Commons where I lived. The first time I went on a Thursday afternoon, I said to one of the artists I would like to paint a scene […]