The Grand Ole Opry

Little Jimmy Dickons opened the show. He is 90 years old & he sure looked very sharp in his flashy outfit.

Jeanie Seely

Whisperin Bill Anderson sang "Still."

Alison Krauss sang "I don't know about tomorrow but I know who hods my hand."

Vince Gill & Sarah Darling

MDS in midst of a Disaster

The above pictures show severe damage done to a home which is about a mile from the MDS camp. This happened yesterday evening when there was a thunderstorm here.We were downstairs in our bedroom & heard the loud thunder.Around our camp, trees were downed as well as lots of branches.
The damage to the house was done by a tornado or tornado-like winds. A family of four lived in this house & they are now staying in a hotel.The whole family was at home when very strong winds tore off the back half of the roof.  MDS was called on immediately to access the damage & the house is beyond repair.The family will work with the Long Term Recovery Team who will assist the family with housing & MDS may be called on if needed.

It's Lost??

 Early in the morning on February 22nd, I got a ride from Winkler to the Winnipeg airport to catch  an airplane to Chicago & then to Nashville where I would meet Albert who is on a Mennonite Disaster Service assignment. Albert has been at Lyles, Tennessee since January 29. The plane was about an hour and a half late leaving Wpg. but I did make it in time to catch my connecting flight to Nashville. As I was walking (running) to meet Albert who was meeting me in Nashville, I had to make a difficult decision. There was a Starbucks coffee just before I went down the escalator where I was meeting Albert & I had to decide if I would stop to get a coffee first or meet Albert.. Hmmm - I really like Starbucks coffee but ---- I chose Albert!
So we went to get my luggage. I was so proud that I had very carefully packed frozen Farmer Sausage in the middle of my suitcase & had declared it at US Customs I wasn't asked to unpack my suitcase by the nice Customs officer.  So we waited & waited for my suitcase & soon the turntable  was empty of suitcases. Well, Albert knew exactly what to do & where to go as the airline had lost his suitcase too! It was delivered to him the next day. We went to the office to report it lost & there was one lady ahead of me also looking for her baggage & she was very rude to the agent behind the desk who very politely recorded the details from the Very Rude Lady. I very politely asked about my luggage & she scanned my baggage ticket & said my suitcase was sitting in Chicago & it could arrive later that evening on the 6 or 8 o'clock flight & it would be delivered to me. Long story short, I had packed a change of clothes & some necessities in my carry-on & stopped at Walmart to purchase a few more things & I knew I could make it through the night.
So then Albert took me to Cracker Barrel for a birthday supper. It was an eventful birthday & it wasn't over yet. So then we drove out to Camp Cedarcrest which is a 15 minutes drive from Dixon. The MDS camp is situated at a Bible camp in a beautiful setting surrounded by lots of trees & a lake of which I have not be able to enjoy due to my orientation to my duties here.
At the camp I was greeted by the MDS volunteers singing "Happy Birthday"  & a birthday cake. No chance to sneak in quietly.
My suitcase was delivered after 10 PM after I had gone to bed as it was a long day & it was sitting outside my bedroom the next the morning and guess what - the Farmer Sausage was still partially frozen! I plan to cook Klieke & Farmer Sausage this coming weekend when the MDS cooks aren't on duty. And that's the story of Day 1 in Lyles, Tennessee.  

I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane & I do know when I'll be back again.

My bags are nearly packed & now I just have to reorganize tomorrow when I  pack the last of my clothes. I'm still trying to decide about taking some Farmer Sausage with me. I would put it into an insulated bag & then in the middle of my suitcase & it would stay frozen. If I can't take it, then Albert just wouldn't get his meal of Farmer Sausage which is a staple of Mennonite cooking that we enjoy.
I'm flying to Nashville with a short stop in Chicago. I'm joining Albert in Lyles, Tennessee where we will be volunteering for Mennonite Disaster Service. Albert has been there since January 29. Albert has been working as Crew Leader & will be taking on the Project Director role & I 'll be the office manager. I'll be doing the same kind if work that I did when we were in California in March 2010. We will be returning on March 26.
My plane leaves at 9 AM. Tuesday, the 22nd & yep, I'll be flying on my own on my birthday so I hope it's a great celebration. So keep checking my blog & I should have lots of material to post here.
Your prayers for safety & health & wisdom to do our work will be much appreciated.

Spring Project

I saw this pattern & coordinating fabric in a quilting magazine last spring & it really caught my eye even though I generally don't use alot of floral in my quilts. I studied the pattern for awhile & googled to see where I could purchase the fabric & that's as far as I went with it at that time. When my cousin & I were in Stratford this past summer, I happened upon a quilt shop & they carried the fabric for this quilt so I purchased enough to make this quilt & didn't get to it until 2 weeks ago. It took me a while to cut the pieces as there are many small pieces & I got it pieced this past week. Yesterday I got the borders sew & got the quilt sandwiched with the batting, backing & got it pinned. Now it is ready to be quilted & I'll machine quilt it. It is not a large quilt - 56" by 56", so I'll use it as a nap quilt or put it on a chair as a decorative accent piece.Maybe both!! The quilt is called "Sketches of Spring" & I would really like to get it finished by spring but I'm just not sure if I will have the time as I go to Tennessee for the month of March.But we are still in spring mode for all of April & May, so I may find the time.