Waiting for something good

 So, I haven't, yet, seen any money or anything good for so many years... I am getting very worried.

I am looking forward to seeing my sons and my grandchildren.

Drive away 'regrets'

How do we drive away regrets? 

Today, I would like to tell you what my Dad told me... what he regretted. Well, I will only tell this one thing for those who should realize what a devastating effect this can be.

My Dad regretted allowing his wife to be 'put into' a nursing home. What he told me was... "I didn't think she would be in there forever. I thought I would still be able to take her home."

I hadn't signed for her to be 'put in there' because I had worked in a nursing home when I was a teenager and I knew that was not a place I ever wanted to go to and, most certainly, I never imagined one of my parents would be placed into a facility of that kind.

So, one day, somewhat early on... I like to use language like... early into her, (my Mom's), forced incarceration because she, quite literally, could not get out... I visited my Dad. 

As usual, he was sitting at his kitchen table with his Bible and, on this day, I just put things into the kitchen and sat down to listen to him... he was very adept at 'talk therapy.' He was a man who needed to talk things out and he was never too proud to ask an opinion of his children who had a much better grasp of the English language than he did.

He often took something out to talk about something that was important to him. On this day, it was Mom's driver's license. "This is good," he said. 

Mom was over 40 years of age when she got her driver's license. It was her 'proud moment.' It was also Dad's proud moment. You see, mostly, my Dad wasn't one to 'hold out on' or 'hold back' the progress his family made. So, on this day, Dad was holding Mom's driver's license... and having a very good memory. He was sad because Mom was no longer in their home but he was still celebrating her achievement. 

The best thing we can do in life is to live in such a way that we become adept at the skill of 'driving away regrets.'

Calling in to question

 I am calling into question the reputation, based on behaviour, of the families that my sons married into.

Without the right information, I would also call into question my own families' banal replies, a year ago, that my sons are healthy, wealthy, and wise and working for their houses, vehicles, and children... and, maybe, wives... maybe not. I'm not sure.

For the last few days I have been disseminating information, on my blog, to get the correct responses. 

I have also been studying the psychological problems that are, today, considered pervasive in our society. One book I am, currently, reading is written by a very young man but I am finding the information immensely helpful. When I was about 26 years old I was going to become a psychologist. I was working at a café, bored beyond bored with the endless pouring of coffee. So, I looked into the courses I would need to take at the local university, not the university across the pond where I actually took courses for interior design 13 years later. 

The reason I had, at that time, believed that I would make a very good psychologist was... everywhere I went, people would tell me their life stories. It was like a light bulb went on and I thought, maybe it is ethical to receive a wage if I help someone. 

What happened next was... a virus... I was working in a public place and I got a terrible virus. Only once, since then, have I had a virus that bad. It felt like I had vertigo and the doctor said that I had developed an infection in my main control center at the back of the brain stem. Woah, I had to take a few days off of work, for the first time in my life. I had never missed a day of work, until then. It took a few days and I was back at the same boring job and I didn't sign up for those psychology courses because those few days of not receiving income blew my budget right out of the water and I realized I would have to save some money if I wanted to be able to afford higher education.

So, I went back to work... pouring more coffee.

Here I am, 36 years later, and I am really learning about brain energy and what happens when your brain is attacked by a virus... I hope to heavens that is the only reason you ever suffer a brain injurious problem.

I have written in a journal, of mine, something I said to my son when he was very young... "You need to think right." He replied, "Well, how do you know who has right thinking?" 

At the time, I thought he had the question half right... his question of who has right thinking was correctly valid but it should have been prefaced with... 'how do you know what is right thinking?'

So, I would love to prove that wrong motives can be sifted through to call into question behaviour that is so obviously wrong that anybody would call them on the carpet. Colloquially, to call someone on the carpet means to criticize someone for doing something wrong. People don't use this old idiom much but I like it... maybe because I sold a lot of carpets.

It's going to take more than one day for me to detail experiences that I would say are 'good ways' to respond versus 'bad ways' to respond. Social graces is a topic that should be taught everywhere because the world, in general, has forgotten what social graces is, as a class, not brash response.

I'm going to start with something simple...

Diet

If you want to have a functioning brain, you must eat right. I would tell my sons, and anyone who wants to think right... you must eat right. 

I will give you a small example from my dear departed father. When his dear wife was put into a nursing home, he really suffered. My dad was so lonely, he didn't bother cooking himself anything. He went into a real slump, emotionally, and he talked out this event each time I visited him. That was healthy. 

He did hire someone to cook one food item and apportion them into containers and fill his freezer so he had this 'favourite food,' of his, to eat every day. That was the one right thing my dad actually did for his diet but, it wasn't quite enough to make his thinking clear and concise. One day, I visited him before he had a good meal and stayed long enough to watch him eat the entire thing... and I thought, oh, he does like good food... he just doesn't have anyone to make him food. So, myself, and some sisters, starting bringing homemade food and putting into his fridge/ freezer. My youngest brother visited one time, from out west, and said he'd tried all the food I had brought and he said it was all good. So, I thought, this is a good thing.

Now, for the brain to work correctly, good food is a must and, forsuredly, a staple. If my sons needed homemade food, I could certainly do that and make sure there was food for them every day, in the freezer, so they can lead a healthy life...

precisely as I took care of them when they were still living "at home." I just need to be contacted so I am aware of their situations. That is normal behaviour... to contact when you need help... or, as I do, contact to offer help and ask if there is a need. This is normal and helpful and, many times, needful.

And, I know, for sure, that each of the eight children in my family, has enough children to take care of their parents, my old siblings, so I am only volunteering to help my own children because that is fitting and responsible and loving. 

I am waiting for them to contact me.

Going forward, I will address the 'healthy brain, healthy body, healthy actions' processes of life using some very current information to help everyone 'think straight.'

 

Information Accountability

Information accountability is the topic today.

Accountability means responsible; required to account for one's conduct.

I am a very rational person. I raised my sons in a manner fashioned after a Christian organization that adhered to the 'give them a choice' instead of forcing your children because forcing people usually creates rebellious people and if a child is forced to do things they shouldn't be forced to do or keep quiet about things they should never keep quiet about, the resulting situation may well become uncomfortably criminal.

If ever you find yourself mentioned on this blog, know this. I am the only writer of this blog and if I mention you, personally, I am holding you to accountability. I am certainly not saying that you will ever be helped, by me, if you have harmed my children or grandchildren or stolen from them or subverted justice, in their lives, in any way.

So, what are people responsible for? 

Let's start with the basics. 

We are accountable for what we know. I sent a text message to a man, (approximately, October of 2024), who used to have positions of responsibility, in job form, not necessarily in his home. That may have been secondary. You'd have to interview him. He is my sons' father-in-law. I received one text message back from him which said, loosely, "I can't share information with you."

So, then I phoned his wife, whom I had spent a few hundred hours with... I calculated about 1095 hours and that is not including all the hours I spent decorating for their daughters' wedding when she married my son. She answered, '________ here.' I said. 'This is Elfrieda.' She hung up without having another conversation.

So, let's say her husband can't share information with me about my son... why not? He doesn't have to share information about his daughter, with me. I am not responsible for her but, when my son married into that family, I certainly did not expect to lose touch with him for 15 years. I would suggest there is something very diabolical happening in that family. 

Now, whatever information they have would have to be relayed to me, if I were required to try to help my sons or, forsuredly, if I were concerned, and I am, about their well- being.

If you can yet believe this... the couple I am writing about tried to be youth pastors, without any training, and all three of my sons served in the church where they 'gave orders' to my sons to get the 'set- up' for youth night ready for the 'less- churched' youth who didn't volunteer but did show up for free food, etcetera.

Now, I ask you, what has happened to this 'churchified' couple that I can't trust anymore... if, indeed, I ever should have?

I am holding them accountable for any suffering of my son, since he married into their family. 

I am also holding the other two families, that my other sons married into, accountable, for any of the suffering they have encountered without getting help from those precise families... because all three families mentioned on my previous blog professed to be Christians with church affiliation. 

You are accountable for what you know about my children. 

My Three Sons

 Where are my sons? I know which houses each of them purchased but I am having a very hard time catching a glimpse of them. Are they being worked to death? 

What can possibly be going on?

One son married into a family by the name of Perron. I haven't seen him in about 15 years.

Another son married into a family by the name of Cross. I did see him November 9, 2024, here, where I currently live.

The other son married into a family by the name of Anders. I dropped in on him December 26, 2024 and saw him for twenty seconds at his Winterton home. That was the first time I had seen him in about five years or so.

So, I am really thinking that my sons have not married into very good families. 

What do people who know these families think? Do I have reasons to be concerned about their safety, well- being, and treatment since marrying into these families?

Money, money, money

Money 

I am going to be very bold today and talk about something important to me, especially now. All the trials and tribulations I have endured to be able to share the journey of one... myself, and three, my sons, is for the learning, and careful living, that I esteem.

So, I have never received money to help me out in life. I don't really know if anyone else has. Well, I do know of one person I went to church with who said she had a good friend who helped her out when she needed it so I suppose it does happen to some people.

Now, let me be very clear here. If and when I should ever receive money from anyone, I would make sure I can always take care of myself so I'm not a burden on my children and I would try to help my children if I had enough for that.

I would not give to anyone else other than that until we were taken care of. I hope that's clear.

I would certainly not give anything to my current husband who asked me not to hug him this morning as he went to work. I would not give him or his family anything. They are very capable of looking after themselves.

Lawfully Unlawful

There are times when life seems lawfully unlawful and you think... how can that even be right? Then there are times when we need to prove that something that is 'unlawfully lawful' really needs to change. I am going to define unlawfully lawful as something that goes against the spirit of the law but, because of the way a law is written or interpreted, the goal of protection becomes subverted under the guise of we can do this to you because the law says we can.

If you meet someone who thinks that they are in charge of your life because of positional power, beware! That person is not interested in you or your life. That type of person enjoys power.

Do you know there is a system of law, in some countries, that makes progress and the sanctity of human rights almost impossible to achieve? Thank goodness, in Canada, we can disagree and write that on any document and sign it with a flourish.

I would like to define the word sanctity as the quality of being very important and deserving respect.

The reason I am so very passionate about the e- quality of life is likely because I am the seventh child in a family of eight and you cannot possibly imagine what life is like when you have to wait for 'your turn' to receive anything in life because six other people believe they should 'get first.'

I just thought about a very wise saying... everything is permissible for you but not everything is beneficial. So, it's like this... tenting in bear country is permissible but, you are crazy if you think 'tenting in bear country' is ever going to be beneficial, for me. I respect bears and stay as far away from them as possible. That's wise!

Here, in Canada, we have a system of law that often has to be updated or 'fixed' because it is so outdated, you would think the last 100 years hasn't been lived to prove the progress of a valuable country that others desire to live in. For instance, Winnipeg has a 'tour' that people can buy tickets for and visit historical sites to verify that, indeed, we have progressed. Approximately, eighteen years ago, somebody found an old law on the law books that said... the 'law of the land' required that a 'horse' be given to everyone being released into the 'wilds of the prairies' to try to survive. We all laughed because, nobody wants a horse, in this day and age, and we can't even afford to feed a horse so that law was quickly taken off the law books.

Now, what would you think about a law that requires you to prove that you are 'clean of any substance' or any drug that would or could alter your behaviour and then, when your bloodwork and urine sample are 'clean as a whistle...,' that same law then provides an opportunity for someone to incarcerate you and try to make you take a drug when you were just required to prove you weren't on any drugs?

Well, that is what happened to me from May 27, 2026 to May 29, 2026. I was told that I had to go through this process to prove my valuable living contribution as a person who is fully in charge of my life... and I am and always have been since leaving my family home at the age of 17.

Now, I write these things to say to all of you... this could happen to any of you!

I am going to tell you about one person, in particular, and what she did that I do not think is lawful! I refused to take a drug that made me dizzy and discombobulated and unable to focus until eleven in the morning... as an experiment. They couldn't actually force me to take any drug as a clean living drug- free person but I agreed to try two pills... two... that's it... they were different and both were terrible for me... that was Wednesday. So, a very nasty woman came into my room the next day and I informed her that the experiment was a complete disaster and I would never be taking any drug that caused me such trauma. Her response was... 'We can inject you!' 

I was shocked. This person outweighed me two to one and I thought, well, if you do try to force me, you are twice my size and I will likely not win a tussle with you, my dear.

So, this 'failed experiment' that was forced upon me is a very bad law and, I would have thought that clean bloodwork and urine sample would already prove that a law abiding citizen, snoozing on the sofa, in her own home, could not be subjected to such a travesty of pretentious protection. 

Not only was I subjected to this shocking process, do you know how many 'interviewers' were, obviously, required to run through a 'systems check' with me, as part of the law of medicine that has nothing at all to do with actual healing? At least five people were required to perform their duties at the first forced stop and, at least five or more were required to perform their job descriptions at the next stop... same questions, asked over and over... different location... all of this a very frightening experience for a law abiding citizen.

Woah, What an Ordeal!

Woah, what an ordeal,... I was snoozing on the sofa when...  

I could write all the terrible things that happened to me from May 26, 2026, (to May 29, 2026) at the outset of the morning, when the most frightening individuals showed up at my door, knocking imperatively and then most rudely and then abusively. I can't even tell you how many times these individuals rang the doorbell as if there was a emergency with my sons, who live in the city, or my husband, who works at a cleaning products company.

Now, the problem with feeling like these people were all very 'unsafe,' very specifically on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, is that I didn't know any of them; I wasn't familiar with their faces, or their families, or their backgrounds and their behaviour was bordering on being 'out of control.' 

I have been in many garden- related conversations and have purchased quite a lot of plants from one mature individual, who has been employed at the same workplace as this group who carried forth a very nasty violation of my human rights with the use of a very bad law, but the six that showed up at my house were strangers to me.

I am not a lawyer so I can't challenge this law, myself, yet, but I can certainly find out how and when this law became a means of abusive mentality behaviour by a group of people who are hired to uphold the law for the safety of law- abiding citizens, of which I am the most exemplary example. Ordinarily, I am so 'in favour' of this particular group of individuals because of what they represent in our 'law- abiding' society. But, I am here to tell you... six bad apples can spoil the whole bunch. 

I am going to explain how a law- abiding citizen, myself, was treated in my own home. After the first four males did not storm my gate, meaning, they did not jump over my locked gate,... thank the Lord... two females showed up and then I was humiliated beyond words. Because of my fear of these, all unknown, individuals, I had to have a sudden bowel movement... (much like my husband who came in the door twenty five minutes ago, today, with a pinched look on his face saying... I have to use the bathroom... and then proceeded to have a quick bowel movement before proceeding with the grocery shopping); I quickly went into the bathroom and closed the door, which does not have a lock on it because, so far, my husband has not been a maniac and come into my bathroom without express permission and we are the only two people who live here and have lived here since we renovated this bathroom and put this 'non- locking' door in place of the original derelict door. So, because my husband had been picked up, at his work, by some police, I thought he must be in very bad trouble. I did ask him how and why the police had his phone number? He was at the back door and wanted to get in the house... currently we still have a lock on the door that prevents even his children and his brother, who may still have keys for this house, from being able to enter... this really helps with my peace of mind. I don't know my current husbands' family. I haven't even met one of his sons as he, also, hasn't met two of mine.

So, because my husband was at the back door, I let him in but, unfortunately, there were other individuals, I didn't trust either who came in with him and... that is when my bowels needed to be attended to... as mentioned above. As I said, I closed the barn door ironmongery sliding door and immediately had my bowel movement but a very rude and forceful female opened the door and would not let me finish my bowel movement and certainly wouldn't let me wipe my derrière without her frightening feral gaze. I lifted my bottom off the beautiful toilet seat (we did buy a very nice toilet for our renovation) and turned on the water for my bathtub and seated myself back on the toilet as I had, not yet, been given a chance to wipe my butt. Then, blue- gloved scary woman said... you are not taking a bath and tried to turn off the water but she did not know how to turn off the tap so she turned the wrong handle and the shower started to pour onto the newish floor of our renovation. I quickly reached over and said... what are you doing... you're ruining the floor... I was actually frightened enough of her hoping she wasn't going to hit me with the billy club. Thank God she didn't. That is the only thing that might save her career... maybe. So, I cleaned myself... and was forced to wear the clothing that this ridiculous individual brought me from my personal bedroom, in my private home. The clothes she handed me were a pair of sweatpants I purchased for my husband and a top also my husbands', and I said... those aren't my clothes. So, I wasn't even allowed to get my own clothes from my bedroom. This is horrifying. What can possibly be wrong with people like this? I never leave the house unbathed if going anywhere I am in public for any period of time longer than a few minutes, and this was a very uncomfortable forced situation.

Then, my husband and I were forced to go the the local hospital (I didn't have my purse on me) and I shall continue on telling you all about this travesty in the next few days as my ordeal did not end until I was safely back at home yesterday... Friday, May 29, 2026.

Stay tuned...  

Safe People

 Safe People... I bought and read the book.

Who are the safe people in your life?

I am waiting for my three sons to contact me. Winnipeg seems so far away... almost four hours.

My sons are the most important gifts I have ever received from God Himself.

Are they safe?

Who cares if they're safe? 

I do.

Sometimes I wonder if the churches are deaf, blind, and dumb. I certainly haven't heard from any good 'churchies.' Have you?

Let's hope we don't have the same kind of church that Bonhoeffer faced in his day.

I hope to see my sons this week. 

I'm quite sure Jordan wants to get out of 775... is his truck running? I hope their vehicles haven't been stolen... this is getting very concerning.

The Orchard versus The Orchard Walk

The Orchard versus The Orchard Walk- El Dueck 

This morning, I have sent quite a few messages asking for 'proof of life' of sons and, maybe their children, as well. I am waiting for a response. I will, most assuredly, post the 'end of this debacle' when I receive visual assurances, or 'in person' evidence of their well- being.

I am the author of The Orchard Walk - A Novel- El Dueck. I self- published this novel and I have not, yet, paid for the printing of this book... published in 2012, with a date of 2013 in the book, as I was not assured that the printing company would be able to have it ready for me to start selling copies of my 3-4 year work of human rights in a historical fiction genre.

After I published my novel, I visited my 10 RHW Christian friend, RHW are the initials for the street name of this 'friend' who, originally, came from Dauphin. We had been friends for, approximately, 25 years. 

I think she purchased one copy of my novel from me. That was a good feeling.

When I commented on the fact that it certainly was difficult to sell copies of my novel... she offered to help, if she could... I can't precisely recall if she had any ideas but what I do recall is that I hand- wrote a note... I may still have a photo of it on my external hard-drive. I do recall taking a picture of my hand- written note for 'saftey' purposes. 

At that time, I was in danger of losing my house, 90 Forest Cove Drive, and I was unsure if I would be easily reachable so I gave my friend an email address... of my sister Eva... because I was very sure that I could trust her, at that time.

To the best of my ability... the note I wrote said something like... (hopefully she still has it so we can cross- reference the note to my memory)...

Please contact me if and when any 'monies' come in from my novel...                                          The Orchard Walk El Dueck... and, if putting anything online... I want to differentiate between my novel and any money that may come in for the 'project' that my novel clearly lays out... So, to differentiate between the two categories of my novel and the possible project fundraising this may produce, I would like the 'project portion' to be called The Orchard... period.

I did not hear from my friend or my sister and so, I am wondering if anything ever did come in.

Missing a Day

 So, this late in life marriage is really having a hard time surviving.

Yesterday, husband agreed to 'do the long drive' into Winnipeg, with me, Elfrieda, for a dental appointment. 

When we first 'got together' and, forsuredly, during the early courtship season, husband would say... I want to spend all our time together. At the time, I thought, hmm, sounds romantic.

I asked  about his four children... I'm not sure he asked about my three children... and, yesterday, husband didn't even know all my childrens' names. I, sort of, didn't really feel like telling him what their names are. Why would he like to know what they are now... we've been married three and a half years. 

This morning, husband makes his own eggs... and, surprisingly, offered to give me some. I accepted.

But... as he's making his eggs, he says... I'm missing a day from yesterday... and, I say, what do you mean when you say that?

He tossed some 'fighting' words at me and I said... you know, you would be better as a single man... especially if you don't like accompanying me to Winnipeg for the people and social things that are important to me. He used his terrible line, which he has used so many times, it could be a country song... "Our relationship is done." 

Hmm, well, if that be true... he needs to find $350k for me to be able to move with all the updates and a mortgage free house and the beautiful bathroom I 'got done' here and the beautiful gazebo I built... we did build that together but I had to take the lead on that project.

Now, he tells me I have to pay for my own 'vehicle repair' on Tuesday and I said, 'Well, you have to stop driving my vehicle then because I need it to last 20 or 30 more years with the way things are going right now. 

I did call my husband on the fact that, this morning, when he said he thought my son's wife would talk to him much more readily than talk to me... I thought, 'you're a virtual stranger.' Why would they want to speak to a 'virtual stranger.' This was very worrisome.

So, I have no intention of trying to fix husbands' ideas of marriage. He has some very strange ideas. For instance, since moving all the way out here, to Dauphin, (not knowing anyone here), whom would he imagine I should ask to drive to Winnipeg, with me, when I want to go or need to go there? I am barely comfortable with him and certainly don't feel he is stable, yet.

To all the marriages, out there, with people trying to get along with each others' children... to the women, in particular, would you feel comfortable having your new husband speak with your sons' wives, in your stead?

The Truth

The Truth- on stand-by... can there be such a thing? 

I finally received one telephone call, yesterday, from a dear son. I could tell that he was stressed out. Three decent officers came to my gate and told me my son had to reach me via the emergency line. Living in a zone, without decent telephone service, is very hard on me, in particular. I prefer to know if things are alright; if my sons and their families are in need of anything; how their income is doing... if it is enough to pay all their bills... things a mother is concerned with.

I haven't heard that anyone has been in the worst trouble you could find because of 'travel.' I can think of three instances where people got in the worst trouble and only a 'miracle' protected them, during world travel.

One situation that I 'experienced'... secondary... 'standing beside', so to speak was...

... a young woman had to have emergency surgery in a foreign country and the mother did not have her passport updated and ready. She was almost impossible to console because she couldn't get to her child. The adult child was travelling with a irresponsible partner. Where do people go when they need a prayer, consolation, and 'real help?'

... another situation... a severe attack by an animal required the young man to fly back to Canada, for treatment, because they didn't want, or couldn't, spend the huge sum of 'credit card debt' to bandage his hand, in the country they were in. A lack of insurance and real funds for unpreparedness caused this very costly decision to return to Canada for treatment... flying back, getting treated, flying back again... outrageously expensive. That 'cut short' the vacation by at least a month because they really needed to get back to work and earn that vacation... underfunded and over- zealous. I worry about that thinking versus planning versus outcome.

... a emergency surgery was needed... a young man had let his insurance lapse and his family had to do a 'go fund me' to find the money for that 'foreign country' rescue.

Now, why do I talk about these types of things? 

Well, many people would like to 'cover up' things that are happening but there are times where nobody can cover anything up... during an emergency... life and death. That's when people tell the truth... if they care enough to rescue someone.

Covering up the truth is the greatest travesty and tragedy when people are suffering. Who can find a huge sum of money to 'fix it' as it is needed?

So, what is the most 'calming' thing that can help a person who enters into a completely unknown situation with complete strangers? Try to find out the truth. I wrote a long story and sent it to my sons, yesterday, about my current situation. It detailed a, approximate two year, time span. This is something we should all be aware of... a completely new situation with total strangers is a very dangerous life situation to enter into without some 'church people' or people who have known you for a very long time to be able to say...

Hmm, I don't think that can be true of that person. They have never shown that behaviour before... there would have to be a huge change in them to have me believe that would be true... in all those rumours, there's always room for the truth... calling once a month doesn't mean you're dependent... it just means you're responsible... 

So, let's get into lingo I am unfamiliar with... 

What is a butte? 

One person said it is a 'person' who is supposed to take punishment for another person because the person who deserves the punishment can't 'take' the punishment. 

I almost had a fit when I was told this! This is not civilized thinking or behaviour. Only criminals think this way. For over two thousand years, the law has dictated that 'you do the crime, you do time...,' which is a personal responsibility dictum... for anyone who thinks the law is 'a friend,' the law is nobody's friend... it is a last option pressure, usually applied by strangers... brought on by... listen very carefully here... someone who 'set you up' or someone who is punishing people 'privately.'

I wish I hadn't erased ten years of writing, on this blog. I had a really good story about the law, why we need it, and who tends to need it, etcetera. 

People who think they are 'above the law' worry me if they are covering up 'stuff.' For instance, a person who has a very bad way of treating people might hit someone and then say... "Are you going to listen to me?" This old- school rod of iron beastly behaviour is not going to 'wash with me!' Before my divorce, I was in a family, like that... 'beat the hell out of someone...,' cover it up... pseudo apologize... 'beat the hell out of someone...,' cover it up.

My Dad, gone to heaven, was not like that. He was civilized. He didn't beat his wife. Talking things out was normal... especially over the 'dinner table.' We ate together, we talked about the day, sometimes Dad started an argument with Mom, same topic every time... about building another house... and Mom would balk at this because she enjoyed living in the first new house Dad built for us and she didn't want to 'move every year' and create such upheaval in her life.

So, let's talk about how Dad dealt with a problem when a problem arose... he would ask our opinions. I don't mind telling you that the problems I had, that precipitated my personal divorce, were not easy to 'get to the truth' because some people think the outcome of a difficult situation might be better were they to keep very critical things 'private.' There are things I didn't get to know, for ten years after my divorce, that would have caused the end of my marriage much sooner... if only I had been told.

So, I'm reading a book, right now, called, Strengthening your Grip. I'm going to be really honest here. This book is not about 'punishing' another human being. It's about 'getting a handle on life' when things are really hard.

I would like to see 'the truth' shift. I mean this in every way you can imagine. I came up with the acronym 'shift' this year, in my prayer time... 

S... Safety... 

Sh... Safe housing

i... Integrity

f... Food

t... Transportation... (a vehicle)- a safe vehicle where germs are contained; and violence is not present.

I have prayed that, for my children, so many times.

If I had to 'investigate' something I suspected... physical abuse, per se, I would ask for a doctor to examine the person I thought was being victimized. That would be a very easy 'finding' unless they're whacking your head and you have a lot of hair. I had a car rollover, when I was 16 years old, and the concussion and resulting scar from the stitches is under the hair. Like 'pressing on a bruise' to see if it still hurts... I can find that scar, just like that.' That scar is almost 56 years old. 

I could write for another hour on physical scars that become emotional scars... another day, perhaps.

Sufficient to say... if I wasn't told the truth for ten years, or more, think about how many people 'hide the truth' to 'save their skin' instead of having someone challenge 'old school thinking,' resulting in old school behaviour that often sounds like this... "Are you going to obey?" 

   

My Three Sons- Most Important

Most Important... I just called Scott, Tyler, and Jordan. My phones, here, in Dauphin, have been a nightmare.

My greatest concern is for my three sons. 

My move to Dauphin, from Winnipeg, was precipitated by a desire for a late in life relationship so I, Elfrieda, did marry Warren David Justice in the back yard of 225 5th Avenue, N.E. in a private ceremony., 2022.

For people who think about making a drastic change in life... like moving almost four hours away from 'home town' Winnipeg, I caution anyone who imagines that this will be an easy life transition. You can't just walk into a job. It's very difficult to find a new church. As a lifetime church attender, it has been very hard to find a church family.

Here, I have, inch by inch, created a few quilts... hand sewing is therapeutic when I'm stressed out. The first project Warren and Elfrieda made was a 'garden box.' The reason we didn't go straight to building the gazebo... was because Warren does not have a construction background. I was quite worried about that. 

So, I suggested we start with a garden box, in the same style as the one I moved out here from where it was built, 3 Donegal Bay, Mother's Day.

 

This is the garden box when it was still at 3 Donegal Bay, where I was living. I purchased the lumber for all the garden boxes that were built on this property and my son built them for me as a Mother's Day gift.

The 'nonsense' photo, which I thought I would never post, below, is the old Dodge Ram, my dear Bruce owned. He asked me to pose for this silliness 'back when.'

I owned this 2014. It's the truck I had an accident with September 7... in Winnipeg.

So, the garden boxes, the double ones, in size, had to stay at 3 Donegal Bay because they were so large, we couldn't move them.

This address was actually a forced move and I'm sure I'll still be in contact with Restall and Restall, the law firm that has been so lax in calling me back.

I was wondering where my settlement was, for this address, as I invested in the basement renovation... sweat equity as well as a huge amount of my personal monies for the construction materials to 'fix it up.'

This photo was taken on Donegal Bay, at London, in Winnipeg.

Now, back to the projects that I produced, where I currently live.

The garden box that I purchased materials for, at McMunn's, was made in the same style as the garden boxes produced at 3 Donegal Bay. I was really, a little bit upset, at myself for buying the wrong lumber... most people would say... 'as if you can buy wrong lumber!' I had purchased a grade of lumber that was of a stronger and higher quality (see my 2024 photos under 'Gardening'), for the box I moved to Dauphin. I didn't ask for the correct 'thing' when I purchased lumber here. Sometimes, you only notice the difference, in comparison. We went to Canadian Tire, and bought a Dewalt saw and the project proceeded. That was the first outdoor project, completed, at 225 5th Avenue.

The indoor renovations that I started immediately, were very necessary because the 'doggie odour' of those beautiful dogs you saw in a previous story... had created quite an unpleasant smell in the house.

I featured a bare room in the story... 'New Everything.' That was the first room I renovated when I moved to 225. What was new... was the paint and stain and the fresher odour after I was done in that room.

The second, outdoor project, was the gazebo, which you can see in the 2024 stories... 'Spending Time, Gardening.'

I cook in the kitchen, here at 225, but I wouldn't exactly call it 'El's Kitchen' in the way my Pinterest page suggests. At this time, we have decided not to renovate the kitchen... I still have dreams of moving back to Winnipeg.

This was Bruce, shining up his old Imperial at a car show we participated in. 

This is me... sitting in that old relic.

Since my move, one son has visited... the other two I'm still waiting for. They, and their families, are welcome where I live... anytime!

 

Keeping Up

Keeping up... 

There are eight children in my family, that I grew up with. I was born seventh. 

I actually wrote 'The Red Dust Healers' about my life experiences and renamed all eight of us for the novella. My brother John may remember when I was writing it because I visited him, before they built the house they are now in, and he invited my son, and I, to go for a drive because he had to visit a jobsite and pay an employee.

So, I was talking about the novella, I was writing, and I said, "I just haven't put the oldest brother into the novella yet because I'm having a lot of trouble with finding an alternative name for him." (The reason I called my oldest brother, his brother, in that moment, was because they had been business partners since they were in their 20's.)

"Well, John replied, "your novella isn't complete if we aren't all in it."

I felt reasonably chastised and after I returned home, to Winnipeg, I worked hard to find a alternative name for my oldest brother... I finally settled on a name and, if coincidence could yet be called prophecy to the more religiously informed... the name I used for my oldest brother was the middle name of my Bruce, who died. 

When choosing names, for my novel (published) or my novella, (unpublished, as yet), I tried to, somehow, match a name to how I saw them and perceived their strengths and weaknesses. 

The old- fashioned way of naming children, of my parents' generation, was to give us each only one name... that was Biblical. Have you ever noticed that everyone, in the Bible, only has one name?   

I had purchased a very old book, written in 1915, and the mother, in the fictional novel, had named the children with names she was hoping they would live up to. That novel inspired me to come up with names suitable to each personality. You see, the serendipitous maybe of naming a child, at birth, could be a book unto itself. We, parents, name our children for all kinds of reasons... mostly, to inspire a good life... if you're wise. 

A really strange thing started happening after I wrote my novella... nobody knew what I had written, or what names I chose for my family members. I tried to choose names of people whom I had never met. Strangely, in the next 16 years, I met or the news featured some names I had called my brothers and sisters.

You know when you do something, before it happens, it's a creative verve I was working within and nobody can foresee if that might, somehow, become meaningful. 

When I wrote my fictional novel, I put all the appropriate disclaimer on the second page...

"This is a work of fiction. Though some incidents are based on historical record, the work as a whole is the product of the author's imagination and inspiration." Copyright 2013

My novella was a creative writing project but my novel was, as quoted, above, a very difficult and long project... self- published.

The reason I have started writing, on my blog, about my family, is because notoriety has not always been something my parents, now in heaven, would have considered of humble character. Now that they have passed into eternity, I no longer feel the need to hide my talents or refrain from speaking out about the issues of life that really matter to me... human rights... in a world where our rights are so often violated.

Woah, "One Room Hell"

 Well, well, well, it's Friday. My husband got a call from a stranger and we can't yet verify if he was actually speaking to the person that the screen said was calling. We'll wait on that.

So, what I would like to talk about today is old age and bad decisions and a slight bit of possible dementia.

This story is about my Dad. My Mom was in a nursing home when this happened.

The first thing I would like to say about my Dad, is this... he was a highly intelligent man who had beliefs and concepts that were at times 'at war' with himself because he had, mainly, lived in small 'cloistered' communities where 'backwards and odd' behaviour is sometimes hidden and possibly approved of.

I believe the culprit of most of Dad's strange decisions, from his years of 90- 93, in age, came from his potato chips and cola diet. Unfortunately, he much preferred a yukky potato chip variety to a good homemade meal. 

About 7 years ago... I'm not totally sure of the year... I was single... Dad was alone... my children were all busy on Christmas Day. So, I guess Bruce was already dead... that could have, then been, 2022 Christmas. I made a entire meal of meat, potatoes, gravy... and brought it to Dad for us to share on Christmas Day. Dad was a very generous man so he didn't really like 'taking' without 'giving.' He went to the pantry and got his 'potato chips' and put them on the table along with the hot meal I had prepared. We prayed and the repast was enjoyed... "Don't you like these?" Dad said with a 'Help yourself' smile. I smiled, and said, "I like real potatoes and gravy and meat, like this," I put some on his plate.

The reason I tell this small story is that... Dad was much more able to think clearly when he ate good, nutritious food. I am a very strong believer... in many ways... in the area of food and the brain, I believe that food is the best medicine and the most important medicine. 

Now, fast-forward to the summer of 2023... Dad and Sara, thought it would be a great idea if I moved into Dad's house to help him, in particular, drive him around. That is, definitely, what Dad requested of me. 

So, my son and I got a bunch of my 'stuff' together,...

 after Restall and Restall law firm sent a letter to 3 Donegal Bay, telling me that I would be paid a paltry sum of $10,000.00 if I moved out of that house that Bruce and I shared. I had no intention of only getting that small amount of money because, when Bruce was alive, he said that half the house was mine... so, when he died, and I had invested in the property with sweat equity and almost $10,000.00 worth of bills I still have in photocopies... I assumed the entire house would be mine because I used my personal money to renovate the basement. The only reason I moved out of that address was because a very nasty man turned the water off, to 3 Donegal Bay, at the corner of London and Donegal. I saw him do it one day but I did not know who the man was.

I have never signed off on that estate and I have never received anything even though I did sent a copy of all my purchases to Restall and Restall, as Martin McKaughan, Bruce's brother, requested I do.

Now, back to my one day move to my Dad's house, 17 Chevy Drive. 

Most of my belongings had to go into a storage unit and what I brought with me, to Dad's, was supposed to be 'enough' to get me through the time I might have to serve there.

Well, things did not go very well when we started to unload my kitchen stuff and then... I was going to unload my gardening boxes but, woah, those went right back to Winnipeg when Dad said... "As soon as I die, you will have to get out of this house immediately so the family can divide the money from it."

I looked at Dad and said, "We'll take most of my stuff back to Winnipeg."

So, my son was there to 'follow my lead' because Mom and Dad didn't spend very much time with my children... dinners at 90 Forest Cove Drive... when I invited, especially for our personal celebrations of Thanksgiving.

So, that one day... I put my little black Baroque style upholstery button- tufted tub chair on the boulevard. The woman, across the street came to get it. Dad asked if I got money for it... I said no.

When my son was safely on his way back to Winnipeg with much of my stuff going back, Dad pointed to one drawer in his kitchen and said, "You can put your stuff here."

I looked at him to see if he was serious and it seemed he was so I didn't say too much but I wondered if he realized that I had been cooking for quite a few people in life and I brought all my kitchen stuff there, thinking that I would be cooking for him every day.

Things really did not go well when I said I would be getting the Internet while I was there. Dad, basically, said, 'when hell freezes over... nobody is ever putting that devil's tool into my house, 17 Chevy Drive."

So, I had a nap and then took my mattress and went back to Winnipeg before nightfall. I still had plenty to move back because I had brought quite a bit to 'be busy' while I was there.

By the Wednesday, Dad called to apologize by saying... "I just can't have things the way you live because I am old and I need things to be like I want them. I was so shocked at all the stuff you brought for the kitchen, I just couldn't imagine trying to change my lifestyle for how you were used to living."

I said, "That's okay, Dad. We don't have to live differently than each of us wants to. I will come get all the stuff I brought there and visit you like I have been doing."

So, to synopsize, I can't live in 'one room' in anybody's house as a grown woman, of just over sixty, who has raised three sons to adulthood, been divorced due to a very contrary difference of opinion with their father, as to how a person should live. I was not willing to cope with his alcoholism. The having my next 'husband' drop dead. Then being forced from my home. Then trying to help Dad. Then, finally, finding another place to live, not a happy one... and, in all this time... losing all my retirement money in terrible rentals.

So, this information is for those who haven't bothered to keep up with all the tragedies I have lived through.

     

Diabolical Game

 As part of the investigative team, trying to find evidence of who has been 'playing the game.' I am ashamed to say that there may have been so many people that I knew for a very short time, in my life, that have played this diabolical game that has caused so much heartache, I can't even describe, to you, the terrible ways the feuding families tried to 'one- upmanship' other families to prove that 'they' were more important in some insane way.

It was reported that... one uncle, of my sons, 'paid' for something so my son would be so severely beaten, and left for dead, that his son could 'win' something. Now, I ask you, why was my son Jordan beaten for his cousin Tim to win something? Apparently, Tim's father also fisted Scott in the face so that he may never be able to work again because old man Dueck has left his diabolical seed upon the earth in his sons... It was reported that old man Dueck reached across the table and belted Scott in the face because, in this game of 'pick and pay' Scott wanted a decent vehicle to drive. Now, as Scott has always earned enough money, certainly when I knew what was going on in his life, to pay for his Tacomas that he purchased, I am in shock to learn of this terrifying behaviour that old man Dueck is trying to cover up.

It appears the father of Tim is in a strange cult that administers justice with the old- fashioned method of fisting people in the face. Tim is welcome to contact me to admit the guilt of this 'event.'

It was reported that... every time someone 'paid' it was an admission of 'sin guilt' and there was a group who then beat the living hell out of someone for that.

So, someone put the word out that... "Don't pay!" Because, if you pay, someone gets a severe beating.

So, could we take a poll and find out 'who paid,' who didn't pay and who thinks someone should still pay and, most importantly...

We all want to know what people wanted to be paid for. 

Verify... we also want to know why people were being coerced to pay for people who were considered much too privileged to ever have to pay. Evidence of this would be... people living in what we call 'glass houses' or very costly houses were being sheltered while poor people were being extorted from.  

Please contact me to tell me your story so I can write another book.

 

If you want to be...

... in business... you're going to suffer. 

So, you want to be in business? You must like suffering. That is something an old fella I rented a 'retail space' from, said to me... 

many years ago when I was living at 90 Forest Cove and trying to get out of 'dead- end' jobs.

I'm trying to recall the 'end of year' 7 weeks that I rented this space... at the same time as the local politician rented the space in the same complex.

My photos for this little retail space are on an external hard- drive so I'll add those at a later date if need be. I purchased a little black Baroque style upholstery button- tufted tub chair. Then I purchased a sleek black firm seating chair with stainless steel 2 1/2 inch covers on the bottom of each chair leg. (I gave this chair to Scott and Tammy when they moved to Winterton).

 None of the items I purchased to set up this tiny little showroom, sold. 

My black and white striped drapery, that I made, were put up and I'll have to check my photos to see if the black and white desk, that I purchased from Salvation Army and then refinished for that swanky 60's look, was situated under the drapery. That little showroom, completely furbished by myself, was really quite adorable.

Now, what was not adorable was all the money I 'lost' doing this little business venture. All the capital was my own... thank the good Lord I didn't do anything foolish like borrow money for this.

So, the day came when I suffered the most traitorous $5 sale. A woman, who babysat in the Meadows West area, and whom I had listened to for reasons of being a 'unpaid counselor,' came into my little business. I still have the little receipt taped into a journal, as a reminder of what the cost is... of kindness. 

One of the pastors I listened to for a time taught me this lesson with a fake, dusty, chicken sitting in his office. I recall asking him why he had such an ugly, dusty fake chicken sitting in a pastoral office... Oh, he said, that's to remind me of a camp conference that I was invited to speak at and the pay for my services that weekend was this 'crafty' fake piece of garbage 'chicken.' 

So, my 'crappy craft' story is from the babysitter who came into my little 7 week shoppe with an old dusty wreath. She wanted it re- purposed so she could use it another year. She didn't bring in any supplies to refresh this dusty mess. It took me at least an hour and my own supplies to refresh this wreath and, when I was finished she offered to pay me $5. 

She was in a hurry to get back to her little house for the after- school babysitting children that she had been hired to care for... so, she left all the mess for me to clean up. 

When she left, I thought, I am never doing anything for her again. She had no concept as to the expenses of a 'retail business' to set up and operate. I have never put up a shoppe like that again and, unless I had guaranteed real customers, I will not.

P.S. I am waiting for my children to come for a visit... much more important to spend time that way. 

God is Good was born

 When my grandson was born to my oldest son, Scott, there was such hope and promise of the meaning of his name... 'God is good.' 

I thought I caught a glimpse of him, at Christmastime, in 2024. I'm not sure if Scott's hearing was already impaired at that time.

I have this fond memory of him walking down Winterton, with Scott following him...

that was before I had that Hummer H3 crash... I was still driving that vehicle at the time.

More importantly, 

Way more importantly,... 

'God is good' was toddling and walking the way a child of two- ish does... happy, curly hair bobbing to his determined and strong gait.

We are certainly happy that 'God is good was born' into the Guenter Dueck family. It is such a faith boon for all of us... 103 family members celebrate him every day. I certainly hope he is safe with Scott and Tammy.

Update... Are they beating and torture... ing

 I haven't heard from my sons... it was reported that Jordan was beaten with a pillow case with a ball in it... upon his face, until his face was black and blue and bloody. If anyone, in Winnipeg, can go by 775 Fleming and 350 Winterton, to see if the Border Glass 'beaters,' who are going to jail for this, are still there... we can proceed with a prosecution. (are there a Ray and Dave and Tim, and Victoria who work for this company?)  

Mary, Sara and Dave, and Eva and Ray, my sisters (their husbands), seemingly, were unable to prevent this terrible 'event' but they are willing to testify to any and all violence that my sons have endured and live to tell about it. Neil and Anita will be contacted to see if they have witnessed this. John and Shirley may also be contacted for witnessing events such as these. Brian and Debra, I'm sure, are also willing to testify.  

Dave from Kleefeld apparently had plenty of money to 'not be beaten' so he paid...(please check with Dave to see if anyone has lost any fingers or thumbs or if this is a plan going forward) but he wouldn't pay for his nephew, Jordan, my son. I am ashamed of every person who has allowed my sons to be hurt. I am especially ashamed of Dave and Janet and their son Brett and Tim... and their daughter, Stacy, if they have visited 775 Fleming and seen evidence of this. I will expect their testimony to be in favour of Jordan and Scott, and Tyler in defense of their freedom to 

not be held hostage and beaten to within an inch of their lives. Please check to make sure all my sons have all their teeth... it has been reported that a mouth torture has been forcibly attached to unwilling victims.

This attack was unprovoked, by Jordan, and his son, my grandson, Liam. Liam is also being tortured and is crying tremendously... Liam is 10... It is my belief that he has been brainwashed to think that he might 'get stuff or money' in the future but the future never seems to come for people who are thus held hostage to these lies.

Jillian witnessed and maybe John witnessed terrorist acts, as well, but they were too afraid to step in. Jordan has been beaten until he is 'blind,' is what I have been told. Blinding victims is a terrorist act so he can never witness as to who has committed the crimes but, even worse... the 'blinding' of a victim also means they can never defend themselves because they can't tell when perpetrators come upon him/ them and Jordan and his brothers are now barely able to hear.

We are needing protection for Jordan, Scott, Tyler, and their families, from all the churches in Winnipeg... (I know that sounds like my sons need to be protected from the churches as if the churches are committing these crimes... pray God, it is not so).

Going forward... until this torture stops I have been told there is going to be a huge collection campaign for all the bodily damages to these three men... and, there will also be a a collection campaign for their properties to restore their lives to Canadian standards of law abiding civility.

My brother Aaron and Lorrie said Jordan has been beaten badly and I am waiting to hear from them as to why they weren't able to stop this attack. We shall see which of my family is making sure that all monies collected for my sons will actually go to them instead of being stolen and wasted by criminals... even criminals who are in the families of all involved.  

Worth Defending

 What do you consider to be worth defending? 

There's a sign in a window I've only seen once... I'll paraphrase because I can't recall the exact wording... 

                                                  "I defend marriage." 

I have met the person who put up that sign but I haven't, yet, had the opportunity to have a in-depth conversation with that person regarding that strong statement but that is what I find fascinating about that person.

I, personally, defend the freedoms I wrote about May 5, 2026. I believe that the freedom from fear is almost impossible to uphold or experience. When I wrote my novella, The Red Dust Healers, it started out as an exercise in 'healing of memories.' I actually wrote this novella before I wrote my novel so, when I couldn't decide if I thought it was good enough to publish, I started writing the big project novel, The Orchard Walk by El Dueck.

Quoting my novel, page 109-110... 

"I have spent my whole life conquering fears, one at a time. That's what Simmy's Adventures is all about."

"Was it your publicist who renamed the book? 'The Red Dust Healers' seems so poetic,... thought it would be more sale-able if we called it Simmy's Adventures." As she said this quietly, her mind was already focusing on the book and absorbing the emotions of the compassionate creativity that had driven her to write it. "We'll need to get the book from the Hummer." (As a aside... I owned and drove a H3 Hummer during the time I wrote my novel so I just wrote my vehicle into my book. I have since crashed it and no longer have it but I did for quite a few years.)

                                      "Simmy's Adventures- Chapter 1- Sugar Justice."

So, what I would, definitely, say is that I would defend my writing and my ownership of property, over time, and my ownership of my intellectual property... my novel, The Orchard Walk and my novella, as yet unpublished, The Red Dust Healers.

When I finished writing, although I keep adding possible chapters to this, as yet, unpublished work... I realized that all the chapters had a very central theme of overcoming fears. 

If you knew how many crazy people have said things like... 'I'm going to publish your novel and put my name on it,' I can't even believe people would say something like this... never mind, actually believe that they can steal my work. Now, I think someone who considers doing this is supremely lazy, lives in a world of make believe where they impersonate someone they must surely greatly admire to wish to steal their work. I, personally, am way too busy working on my project... which I find endlessly fascinating, to care what someone else is doing.

At first, when I started writing my novella... and, by the way, I had this thought, already, when I wrote my published novel... 'What if, I, Elfrieda, want to publish my novella at some later date? Well, to ensure that it is a seamless transition... I'll quote from my own book to my own book. Brilliant. I mean, what better way to defend and prove your writing could there be?

P.S. Wouldn't it be great if someone thought... well, I'll just donate a new H3 Hummer to Elfrieda because she did buy one (a 2008 purchased in 2009) and... maybe she needs a new vehicle... those are just my wonderful thoughts... I am certainly not the kind of person who wants anyone to suffer working endlessly for a material thing.

Night from hell

 Well, this is the worst night I have had in the last three days. 

So, food is the topic these days. My people in Winnipeg are starving. They aren't getting any food. I didn't think this type of thing could happen in this day and age. It is absolutely evil to let people go hungry. 

So, I have 7 brothers and sisters who should be able to help but, it appears, they have gone missing. 

I just phoned Red River Insurance @ 1- 204- 371- 5835 to ask why I wasn't responded to when I tried to insure my quilt/ pillow case/ novel inventory three years ago. I would not suggest you call this number because the man who used to be working for Red River Insurance lived in Kleefeld, not Altona, and his name was Dave Dueck, not Abe Dueck as the voicemail says. Furthermore, nobody would ever be 'calling home' if they were trying to reach this company but that is what my phone said... when I called that number it said I was 'calling home.' Now, there is something very wrong with my I-phone if it thinks I am 'calling home' when I call that insurance company.

Just to see if they're still in business, try calling that number if you have Red River Insurance... to see if they're still in business. 

Whoever calls, please check the policy for 225 5th Avenue, N.E., in Dauphin. This tiny house was insured by Red River.

Freedom of...

 When I went to McNally Robinson for the debut of my novel, in May of 2013,                                   The Orchard Walk El Dueck, had come off the presses in December of 2012. The reason I put 2013 as the year of publication is because the company I hired to print my novel said they couldn't guarantee that it would be ready for Christmas. So, I self- published my novel and all the myriad decisions that I had to make all hinged on 'when the printer could get my novel ready for me.'

    If you look up my Pinterest page 'Quilted Stories,' you will find some fabric examples that I used in the 'representational quilt' I made for that time. I purchased a 'Four Freedoms' fabric and incorporated it into this quilt and there are some more that I photographed during that time. The photo of the quilt I had 'in progress' is also featured under the heading 'Testing out a quilt pattern... The Orchard Walk quilt.' https://ca.pinterest.com/eldueck/quilted-stories/  Scroll over the light grey link to go to the page mentioned.

    Freedom of... all the good things we all celebrate and value was a very central theme of my novel. So, the 'four freedoms' fabric was one of the many fabrics I chose for this particular quilt... I have made so many more since this time. I currently have many finished and am always working on 'another one.' Some I've given away, some I save for the 'representational' value of linking my writing with my quilt making and pillow case making.

    People might say that 'freedom of speech' is most valuable. Well, the fact that a 'unknown' writer, such as myself, can produce a 'historical fiction novel' and self- publish it, following the rules of publishing within the 'district' that the laws encompass, is evidence of the fact that I do, indeed, live in a free country where free speech is still valued. One 'avenue' of free speech, these days, might be your cellphone. Can you use your cellphone to reach out to someone who might be able to help you? Since, possibly temporarily, moving almost four hours away from my home town of Winnipeg, I send a lot of text messages.

Some might say 'freedom of worship' is most valuable.

Some might say 'freedom from want' is most valuable. That wonderful depiction of a big turkey being brought to the table and a group of people all enjoying so much food is what can always be enjoyed in a country that values the freedom to live. Plenty of food is often the evidence of a society that has the freedom to work and produce. A time of war creates 'want,' it doesn't relieve 'want.' 

    'Freedom from fear'... oh, this is a very precious freedom, indeed. This may just be the most difficult freedom to uphold. This freedom cannot even be absolutely proven but there will be many signs if a person is living in fear.

    So, let's talk about what people fear and how we can ensure that we protect our children and grandchildren, let's say. I will relay a little of my own life story to apply this directly to myself and my children and grandchildren. 

    I have feared being harmed by other people... hit, assaulted in some way, abused in some way. I know my children have feared these things as well. One thing a abuser will often say to people they are manipulating is, "Don't you say...," in a threatening voice. I have defended a person was crying, holding broken glasses and nursing a face wound. I was big and pregnant at the time but there was nobody else around to help so I only had two choices, help or ignore what was happening right in the home I was in at that time. I don't really know what it is about people who help versus people who ignore but, I would suggest, that instinct will, in a moment of 'surprise attack' show who will do the right thing.

The book I am writing

 The book I am working on is going to be all about my sons, Scott, Tyler, and Jordan. I am going to write about their childhood and how they were raised. 

The foundation of faith is going to be detailed. 

I am writing about how they decided to follow a certain career path and how things went terribly wrong at times.

I am writing about the churches we  attended and people who influenced them, and myself.

I will need to interview them many times.

I am their mother.

"Who, who, who Gets?" Contest Winnings

         Food- First order of each day is... deliver food to Jordan, Scott, and Tyler. Thank you.

    So, somebody said there was a contest. Nobody knows what to do with a huge Dodge Ram that Dodge donated because Elfrieda had an accident with her Dodge Ram and then 'they' didn't know who to give it to because there were so many men who wanted it so I came up with a solution... 'Whoever' gets anything... just paint a 'slogan' on every vehicle... each make and model.

                     "Somebody said I won this in a contest nobody can prove ever existed so,                                                                       therefore, it could ever be won."

                       What do you think? Is this a good solution to the problem of 'who gets.'     

    When I was at Riverwood, somebody said there was a 'house' that was in the contest that doesn't exist. I haven't seen it but I heard someone built one an hour outside of Winnipeg. I say, 

                                                                "Prove it."

    Now, Riverwood just said, "Prove it" so I would have to call my 'witnesses' Bruce and Betsy Hiebert to see if they know anything about the 'workings' of Riverwood. I don't think Bruce is an elder there anymore... he may have been for a short time. Possibly, Betsy still does her 'small batch' cake mixes for 'gluten free' baking. 

    My son, Scott, bought a huge amount of cupcakes from Betsy, when she still had her cafe on Tache... (no longer there), Scott bought these cupcakes and had the cafe put... 'Will you marry me?' letter by letter on the cupcakes to propose to Tammy. What's really amazing, to me, about that, is... Scott was buying from a woman, Betsy, whom I attended Sanford Collegiate with and he had no idea that I knew Betsy and I had no idea that she had set up a bakery/ cafe. Sometimes, a coincidence might be a God designed appointment, as Todd, from Riverwood used to say.

Sons, My sons are the three sons of Elfrieda Guenter (maiden name) The Orchard Walk El Dueck

 Food- First order of each day is... deliver food to Jordan, Scott, and Tyler. Thank you.

My sons

 My sons have been employed in electrical jobs and glasswork.

My journal says that I called 'Border Glass' on February 5, 2025 to see if my son was working. I was told he wasn't on the 'list.' Now, I don't know what list 'said person' was talking about. I mean, my son has or, for sure, did, work for that company for 17 years. So, I don't think my son is working for that company anymore. I also called the Winnipeg police on the very same day to put in a 'victim report' for 775 Fleming so I'm sure you won't see any Border Glass people there anymore... or any other dangerous person either.

I know of another 'family' marriage connection that another son connected into... that man also worked for that company for a lot of years. I was in a Riverwood Bible Study when he was leading it quite a few years ago.

Now, I'm certainly not putting in a plug for the company unless my son reaches out to me and I start hearing some really good things about the company. Feel free to contact them and ask about my sons to see if they are very well looked after. Has anyone checked the BBB- Better Business Bureau to see what their rating is?

I am just a bit worried that he doesn't have the phone I am used to contacting him with.

I think they were in business last year because I did see a vehicle, here in Dauphin, on Main Street but, alas, I'm sure it couldn't have been my wonderful son. He would have stopped in.

I know... Hmm, a few months ago, there was a white Ford, same as his brown Ford, but, maybe newer, in his back yard... but, I knew the company paid for that because it had a logo on it.

So, just a little check up to see if things are going smoothly at my sons' house.

Wide Open Spaces

There is one good thing about 'going back to school' at 39-43... a lot of what you have to prove, you've already learned. So, I used my personal life and home, 90 Forest Cove, to prove interior design skills. 2005

Essay from FF1 Q.2

    I really like the open plan interiors and chose such a plan both times we had a home built for us. It's possible for plans to be even more open than our present home but I need a balance of open spaces and privacy quarters.

    My personality needs wide open spaces as I can easily become claustrophobic. The first home we had built for us was 750 square feet. We sold it after 3 years and didn't experiment with many changes. The home we currently live in is 956 square feet of perfectly utilized, well planned out space. The home is a basic rectangle with half the home being semi- open space and the other half enclosed, private rooms. My brother was the builder of the home and I was allowed free reign in the designing process. 

    The wall behind the rocker and the Louis XIV chair is nearly a complete wall visually closing off the kitchen area from the living room. (See Q.1 Illustration). I need this bit of enclosure for my peace of mind. The original plan, for this home, called for a U- shaped kitchen. I spend two to four hours a day cooking or baking and I felt there wasn't a counter space large enough to accommodate tasks such as "rolling out dough" in this type of plan. I changed the kitchen to a peninsular design. I also love to entertain but prefer keeping well meaning helpers out of the kitchen work triangle. This design allows me to assign small tasks to someone standing on the opposite side of the counter. I also prefer to clean up immediately after cooking. When I entertain, I need to hide away the unwashed dishes and untidy work area so I can relax with my guests. For me, that requires things to be "out of sight" so they can be "out of mind." The dining area behind the stub wall (See Q.1 Illustration) is completely visible to anyone sitting on the sofa so I ensure that the table is cleaned off leaving only the ambient elements such as candlelight, table cloth and centerpiece. The empty wine bottle and wine glasses also remain on the table to imprint the memory of a good meal shared with good friends.

    One drawback to open plan interiors is the noise factor. When we first moved into this home I insisted on removing the door at the bottom of the lower level stairs. "Open things up!" That was my motto!

    The basement was unfinished and I thought it would be a great play space for my 3 year old and his baby brother. We didn't have a landscaped yard yet so playing outside was out of the question. I purchased a toy riding tractor, with trailer attached and lovingly presented it to my 3 year old boy. He adored it! After the first hour of listening to the plastic wheels tearing around on the concrete floor at Mario Andretti 'racing car' (real name withheld) speeds I thought I would lose my mind or my hearing. It wasn't long before the play are received an area carpet. This diminished the noise considerably. As we put up walls and sound absorbing ceiling tiles, the noise became "livable."

    Ten years later we removed the carpet and linoleum in the living/ dining/ kitchen "great room" upstairs. We laid hardwood flooring throughout the upper floor excluding the three enclosed rooms. Once again, we had to make a noise factor adjustment. The opening between the stub wall and the wicker rocker (See Q.1 Illustration) leads to a space that separates the kitchen counter and dining table and also serves as the pseudo hallway. The enclosed part of the hallway begins where the kitchen counter ends. This five and a half foot enclosed section leads straight to the master bedroom doorway.

    My (then) husband is a night shift worker- ergo- he sleeps during the daytime. When I have afternoon guest over for tea, he awakens because the noise travels from the living room sofa directly to the bedroom door. I now try seating everyone behind the wall, if possible. This seems easier to control than the raucous laughter.

    Even after encountering and managing these different problems I would still choose an open plan concept.

    One idea I would consider incorporating has been developed by a builder in our city. _______ Homes has enclosed the media room enabling sound proofing to be maximized. I really like the idea of a quiet setting coexisting with a loud, boisterous one because this meets the needs of 'husband, wife, children,' especially my teenaged boys, at this time.

    During the Christmas season, we entertained a family of five. They had three teenaged daughters and they added another friend to the mix. After dinner, the parents retired to the living room to enjoy the fireplace and conversation. The teenagers (seven of them), played games in our lower level media room. As the evening progressed some of the teens came upstairs to sit in front of the fire for a break from the activity downstairs. I suppose we were too noisy!

    In conclusion, I would choose the foibles that come with open plan living over a strictly enclosed- room plan any day. As a family of five living in a (partially) open concept home, we have learned much about respecting one another in this environment.

       I have included two newspaper articles showing different ways to divide a room without permanent walls. Note, in particular, the doors in the "Graced with space" article. I think this is a great solution to dividing space.

    "From prayer to Luxurious Lair" shows some preliminary drawings that are very nice indeed. The freestanding arches on the main floor are very commanding for all their openness. They definitely create a 'wall' bringing definition to each different space.

    Also note the denim blue armoire 'pop over' that I designed for my living room. Although, for demonstration sake, I didn't paint both sides in the illustration, the armoire is meant to have both sides identical. If I didn't have a stub wall there I would incorporate this armoire to hold a plasma television that could be pulled out on a swivel so it could be viewed in the living room or the dining room/ kitchen.

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Balanced Scale

 Balanced Scale- The date on my test is 2/21/05 (This essay is not to be used without the permission of the writer- Elfrieda Dueck) Student number DHE/61.526D

Oh, way back when I was a student in Rhodec International, I wrote a essay called... 

                                                         'Balanced Scale'

    "There was some degree of wonderment at the ample size of the Barcelona chair designed by Mies van der Rohe. Anyone who had met Mies, though, knew that the scale of the chair was simply a reflection of the designer- ample width, dressed up in a slim fitted, refined silhouette disguising the actual size.

    It is preposterous to think that each chair, that is designed, will be ergonomically pleasing to one and all. In my household alone, the height of the occupants ranges from 5'3" to 6'3". (I think my two sons were only six feet.) It is simply not possible for one piece of furniture to be equally comfortable for everyone.

    The best example of an "ideally" fitted seat can be found in the design of automobiles. I would call this type of design "ergonomics in motion." The average car seat (driver and passenger) has the ability to move frontward and backward within an approximate ten inch span. Most seats also have multiple settings to adjust the seat angle to attain the best possible position for each individual driver.

    For the last ten years I drove a car (Intrepid) that was not a good overall fit for me. I purchased it to accommodate the size of my family, (three growing boys). The seat was deep with a slight bump on the front which caused pressure on the back of my knee when I reached for the gas pedal. It was not possible to adjust the height of the seat. Recently, I attained a car that fits me perfectly (Avenger ES 1999). The height of the seat from the floor up is streamlined to the gas pedal, the back is a perfect scale and contour for my body proportions making the headrest useable for the first time in my life. The size of the car on the outside is in perfect balance with the inside- small, low and streamlined.

    Now, let's bring all this information into the home...                                                                       An office chair is the best parallel to the car seat. Both are designed for the high- concentration- related tasks. The office chair has multiple settings, again, to accommodate a wide range of body types. Even an office chair, though, must be chosen for the amount of space it will be used in to comfortably accommodate maneuvering.

    I have found the best solution for the living room is to offer a variety of seating that will accommodate both the petite person and the "Goliath" figure. My home is a small, open plan concept. The living room is 15' x 13'. In front of my window is a 7' Chippendale style sofa with gently sculpted rolled arms. The 3 inch cushions balance the graceful scale of the arms giving the visual impression of diminished size. Don't be fooled though. This sofa has comfortable accommodated a six foot, six inch, 380 lb. guest. On the opposite side of the room are two much smaller chairs with an occasional table between them. The height of the top of the chairs is the same as the sofa bringing balance to the overall look.

    The book shelves behind one of these chairs soar to the ceiling adding bulk to the smaller chair grouping, again, balancing the larger presence of the sofa. The drapery behind the sofa is a bold black and white stripe adding verticality to this wall balancing the tall, narrow, book cases. I added some cardboard binder sleeves to my bookshelf recently to bring orderliness to the overall look of the bookcases. I chose to buy them in the white colour so they would blend in to the bookcase and become, basically, invisible.

    The seats of both the Louis XIV chair and the wicker rocker are ample in width but the cushions have been kept to 3 inch foam mimicking the ones on the sofa.

    It is my goal to eventually purchase new chairs and relocate the wicker rocker and Louis XIV chair. My home is a work in process as most of life is. I have needed to work certain furniture pieces into my scheme as finances dictated. I believe this slight stricture will help me to aid (paying) clients to reach for their renovating dreams in a "one step at a time" fashion.

    I feel I have successfully created a room with good asymmetrical balance through careful arrangement of the furniture. The eclectic furnishings share a visually refined scale well suited to the diminished size of the room they occupy.

    My personal style has changed over the years and I had my furniture slip covered to reflect my more relaxed approach to life. Both the colour and the type of fabric have become more casual. My love of formal furniture has become a silhouette draped in more economical cotton and sturdier plaid.

    I believe Vitruvius' definition of architecture as consisting of order, arrangement, proportion, (a)symmetry, propriety and economy has been accomplished in this living space through the medium of furniture. In keeping the walls white I have created a clean palate for the furnishings to rest against. Each piece of furniture becomes a piece of sculpture representing a historical time. Through the choice of fabrics I have revealed my personal tastes and draped them over the existing silhouettes reinterpreting them to better reflect and accommodate my current lifestyle needs.

    The goal is not to eradicate history but rather to bring fusion to the old, the new, and the "you." 

_________________________________________________________________

I don't believe my children have food or safety living in Winnipeg and I have reached out to pastors and the families they have married into. My writing will continue as I await answers that my sons Scott, Tyler, and Jordan and their children are well taken care of. Mom Elfrieda

Administer Justice

 What does it mean to administer justice? I would think it is the act of 'doing justice,' as in 

Micah 6:8 "He has shown thee, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord requires of thee but to do justice, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God."

This is actually the mandate for any believer trying to be part of the solutions of peace and morality in a world of problems.

I found a great definition of the administration of justice; this refers to the systems and processes through which laws are enforced and disputes are resolved. The goal or aim is to maintain order, protect rights and ensure fairness within society. 

If a dispute is between two people, it can be a very easy fix. One person goes to the other, confesses what they believe to be their sin or the others' sin... it can go like this... "I sinned against you" or "You sinned against me."

For instance, if somebody said they wrote my novel, it would be so ludicrous, because I actually went through all the systems and processes in publishing my novel in order to ensure my rights were protected. To 'get' a ISBN- International Standard Book Number, you must go through quite a process for that. The reason for this is, of course, to protect real writers from people who try to plagiarize my work. 

So, do you know what the process involves? 

Well, one of the first steps I had to do was submit the title of my novel to the correct authoritative office in the jurisdiction that the writings were to be released into. If those hired officials weren't 'in the know' about these rules, nothing would go forward. It is such a long process that most people never publish because of the processes and the cost.

The collection of information is important to governments because, ultimately, there is always a governing body that must answer to the maintaining of order in society.

To protect rights is paramount to ensure that a free society of opportunities is available to all who want to work and produce.

The tenacity that it takes to slog through the process is for the right to have my work available to be purchased... a way to try to earn a living.

I am not punning on the word 'Justice.' That is actually the surname of the man I am married to but, I assure you, all the work I did fifteen years before I ever met this man is definitely my personal work and I do not share my work with him. We work very independently. 

Learning

 Did anyone hate school?

I loved learning but I hated most of school.

I liked elementary school before the middle years. In grade 8, when I did my holocaust project, I felt 'way ahead' of that teenage year. Older, older than what thirteen or fourteen should feel like. 

So, I found one thread throughout the school years where I could find my interest- History.

History is a teacher in itself. Reading history, you can learn so much. 

Mistakes... that is what you can really learn, from history... where people made their mistakes; what reason mistakes were made; but the one thing that is always hard to truth out is... 

                                                                     Motive.

What is the motive for doing what you do?

-Is it safety for your loved ones?

-Is it to earn a decent living?

-Is it to find happiness? That is very elusive if not impossible to find.

So, as you travel along lifes' difficult highways, I suppose we all must learn ways to communicate in a way we all respect.

Only one son from 775 Fleming reached out via email but I am not even sure if he was the one who sent the email so I await further information. Liam wanted the photo back on.