Kiss of Promise

 I have all my personal information at 225 5th Avenue, N.E., in Dauphin. It is being guarded by my husband who has assured me that... should even one item of my personal belongings be missing when I can pick up all I own... he, himself will personally pay for anything that is missing or damaged.

That is what a husband should do.

This is my guitar... It's in a black cardboard case with denim- style stitching on it. Warren will guard that with his whole heart. He knows how much music means to me.

So, on the night table... some people say 'coffee table' (both of mine are still at 225)... so, on the bare floor (I am also waiting for that lovely blue rug I purchased at the furniture store in Dauphin) of the apartment I am renting; I am reading 'Why Marriages Succeed or Fail... by John Gottmann, PH.D.

This kiss of promise encapsulates...  I have all my personal information at 225 5th Avenue, N.E., in Dauphin. It is being guarded by my husband who has assured me that... should even one item of my personal belongings be missing when I can pick up all I own... he, himself will personally pay for anything that is missing or damaged.

This photo was taken in the back yard of 225... this is our wedding day... so, I wanted everything to be very legal when it came to 'where I moved my belongings'. That's why we got married right on the property where all of my life possessions were. I only feel comfortable with my investments around me.

I was told that if you get married on a property... your legal rights to it are very firm and should there be any renovations or upgrades done by the couple in the photo, the owners, that is a absolute sign of foundational principles of marriage being displayed in the 'bettering' of the house they have lived in together. 

McMunn's, in Dauphin, was in ecstasy every time I picked up building materials in a year when one employee said... 'I would never pay these prices for lumber.'

I can't even count how many trips to the lumber stores I made to buy all the materials for the upgrades. This was my work.

Warren was at Norwex... getting paid by that company.

Christmas on my mind

Novel

My novel, The Orchard Walk El Dueck quote... "Flanked by mortared pillars, dry stacked stone walls... often stood for centuries. Tiny flower seeds that had been wind tossed into the cracks... sprouted and became green plants that happily flowered..."

This is a photo I took, I think it was in Bath.

The only trip I have ever made, across the pond, is always going to be the most important one, for me, as I had written about this little country in my novel and, as I walked the undulating streets I would look for depictions of my written work, snap a photo, so I could use these 'real life,' "I took these photos," representation as the next step in my live and breathe my work chapter of authenticity.

I know I've said this before but I will say it again... El's quote- "A book that has a life to it, is always relevant."

So, I am getting annoyed that my 14, 15 boxes of books aren't in the city yet... Warren needs to get them to me now. 

I am sure Warren won't allow one thing to be stolen, from me, because he knows the value of all my lifes' work, to me. This work, my 15 year project is the most interesting work I have ever worked on. I still have a load of photos, on my phone, with all my quilts, made for my project... photographed a month ago.

My external hard drive, in my armoire, are photos of years of my work... my photo history.

 

Every day start with...

I purchased a new stainless steel coffee press... a good cup of coffee every morning is still my favourite start to every day. 

Christmas

Christmas on my mind...

I am still going to use all my Fraiche Christmas decor, this year, that I purchased last year. I'm also awaiting my entire house contents... I admit I'm getting impatient with the tardiness of the packers.

Trust

As I mentioned, in a previous blog, the privilege of being 'bonded' is that you are being trusted with the emotional and physical needs of people who make appointments to have personal work done for them.

A person who fixes appliances must be bonded or they can't come into your home. I actually helped a young man start a small business, exactly like this, back in 2022. I'm not sure if he is still doing that work but I know I helped him start.

A person who works as a 'in- house nanny' must be bonded. Many professionals need this type of help.

I was bonded to sell gravestones, in home consultations.

I have also done in- home consultations for interior design.

So, always be sure to keep your reputation clean so your work can continue in a seamless road of trust and results.

Wedding Rings

Did you know I still have my wedding rings from my 33 year marriage. I have them at my 225 5th Avenue, N.E., Dauphin, Manitoba house.

You can't imagine how 'gold' gets de-valued over time. I remember that the price of gold, in the year my rings were purchased, was very high. Those prices were, then, reflected in jewelry stores.

So, I chose a set of rings, at that time, that were identical in style... the wedding ring is always smaller than the engagement ring. They were both a solitaire with a fsh, or ichthys, on either side of the diamond. Well, it was the ichthys without the tails. This Christian symbol was believed to be the secret symbol, used by early Christians, to prove their Christianity. So, I was very happy to wear these rings which were purchased on April 4, 1981 at Ben Moss, 1501 Polo Park (this is the handwritten address on the receipt). I still have the clarity chart and purchase paper in a safe place. 

Isn't it interesting that I wore these rings for 33 years, the number of years Jesus walked the earth? The only reason that relationship fell apart was that I was still walking in the same direction as Christians have, for centuries, but my, then husband wanted to go with the drinking/ smoking crowd. So, our paths were diverging.

So, I'm still not sure what I'm going to do with these rings. The original price was just $1145.00 before taxes... oh, but, they were on sale. I used the mathematical calculation for what those would be worth today and AI said... $4219.50 in 2026. 

I wonder who would pay me that amount for those rings. I doubt that anyone will but... you never know. Somebody should go see if they're at the pawn shop in Dauphin. That's right across from No Frills. I'm not saying my current husband pawned my stuff... I'm just saying they have that kind of stock, there.

So, people often wonder what their 'lifetime' possessions are worth... and, they may be worth a bit more than suggested by those trying to steal your stuff.

So, I'm sure my current husband is guarding and packing all my stuff for the safe trip to Winnipeg. All my jewelry I purchased, in Dauphin, came from the same store... a Christian family I met at a fundraiser at the church we attended for 9 months or so. The one ring I bought there said it was a topaz but it looks more like a cloudy aquamarine colour and one of the mini stones on the side has already fallen out... all my jewelry is still at 225 5th Avenue, N.E. in Dauphin, Manitoba. I actually purchased this ring from my inheritance money that my folks left me because my brother said I should buy myself a little something, from that, to remember my Mom and Dad. 

Oddly enough, those second marriages aren't nearly the same as first marriages.

In my current marriage, we purchased our own rings and we each paid for our own honeymoon, in England. 

I am trying to follow the advice Warren gave me... don't delete any of your photos... those are your history, dear.

Dearest Warren, 

If you have any travel, hiking plans... please leave a key to the house in care of the church we attended so they can help me get my stuff... Thank you.

Privacy Laws

If I am right about privacy laws... nobody can look at my personal information, or any of my personal possessions without my express permission.

I have never granted anyone permission to touch or go through any of my possessions so I am sure all of my 'lifetime' of paperwork and house contents will not be rifled through at 225 5th Ave. N.E., in Dauphin. 

Key Responsibility

Situation

Husband and wife live alone in a small house.

 A wrongful arrest of a wife, whose husband had threatened to hit her in the face, and then followed through with his fist as she jumped back from his incoming attack..., the fist glanced off her chest due to her quick response... has caused great problems for all involved.

After the wife defended herself, the husband faked a 911 call, saying he was being pursued by his wife. The truth is that he was making a very 'in control' and cognitive 911 call in the basement of their home, lying about the situation to get his wife in the most trouble she has ever had in her life. The husband was in the basement all by himself.

When he came upstairs, the wife offered to assist him but he said... "Oh, no, they are going to see this!"

She did not know who 'they' were so, in order to avert being attacked by him, or whomever he had invited there, again, she got her vehicle keys and wallet identification, for her personal safety. She went outside to go for a drive to let him cool off from his raging anger.

Two days past and the wife and a local pastor requested a chair from the woman's home. The pastor said the husband was insisting on her house key being given back to him... the wifes' house key. The wife did not want to do this because all of her entire lifes' paperwork and possessions are in that house. Knowing the she would be living in the city, a very safe distance from the attack on her, she gave a house and gate key to the pastor... who then gave them to her husband. There are many keys, for that compromised house, in the hands of his family members.

The only things that the husband, then, gave the pastor, to give to his wife, were a few items of clothing, no shoes, scant toiletries, and one chair.

The wife has no income and could only find two friends to couch surf with for three days. The other days were in hotels... the pastors' church paid for the first night in a hotel, seeing the terrible condition that the wife was in.

In order for a apartment rental to be attained, monies that were to be saved, from the wifes' miniscule inheritance, (both her parents passed away 5 1/2 and 4 1/2 years ago), had to wasted on this debacle. These scant funds are not enough for any living expenses and the wife is unsure if she has to sue for the refund of all these expenses or what the financial path to regaining these monies is. 

                                                            .    .    .

I am not a lawyer and I do not really know much about the law at all. I really only know how to follow the law.

Obviously, the people who have keys to this house are responsible for any and all persons they allow to infiltrate the premises. All theft will be the responsibility of the husband because he insisted on the house key, that legally belonged to the wife, being returned, before he allowed any of her possessions to be chosen, by him, to leave the premises. Holding a persons' possessions hostage is a crime of another nature.

The only time I have ever been finger printed, in my law- abiding lifestyle, was when I was asked to do that for a job where I was required to be bondable. The job was a 'home appointments' position, that the client would make to have a representative come into their home to order a gravestone for their deceased loved one. Because of the emotional nature of this transaction, some people prefer to do this memorial work in the privacy of their homes.

So, I still recall how busy the station was and filling out the paperwork for the reason I was paying for finger printing. Nobody pays for these things unless they are wanting a very good job. My name was misspelled and I brought this to the attention of the person I paid. She waved me off, saying... if it's just for a job, you have no criminal record whatsoever. Just show them that you paid. The line- up is long to re-do this.

So, Dudeck would be a little bit funny because, if you know German 'du' means you and a deck, is a deck, which I certainly did build at 225.

This is the deck I built, at 225... treated lumber 2x8's. These are my flowers... I just love flowers.

So, I drove to the employer and they laughed at the mistake but didn't require me to re- do this so the spelling of my name would be correct.

I successfully had a few in- home consultations and felt very accomplished at this extremely sensitive work position.  

Did you know that reputable companies, moving companies, for sure, will advertise that their employees are bonded? The reason they do this is to make sure that they are not blamed for any theft before they pick up a persons' belongings and move them.                                                               

More of my stuff

 

My WWII flag...

Waiting for my stuff

 

Any suggestions?

Warren seems not to understand that my runners are not the same size as his feet so he doesn't need any of my footwear, clothing, fabric, my novels, the 14 boxes of The Orchard Walk by El Dueck, all my quilts...

 My sole proprietorship inventory is mine alone and I am waiting to receive it here in Winnipeg. 

Does anyone have any influence on this person who seems to be holding my 'entire lifetime' possessions hostage... Isn't that strange?

I don't want any of Warren's possessions.

I need some support, for sure, as his current wife. We'll see what the future holds, of course.

I need my bicycle so I can keep my muscles in good working order. I'm not interested in his new bicycle. I just want my old bicyle.

What could be the hold up?

Everything I own is at 225... whom do I send to pick it up? 

 

Lots of furniture.

I did make Warren a quilt for his birthday and he is certainly welcome to keep that quilt (not pictured on this blog) but he is not welcome to keep any of my inventory that I have designed, sewed and created since 2010.

This photo, of my old table and chairs was the first place Warren enjoyed being served yummy food... by me... He probably has very fond memories of this little apartment he came to Winnipeg to visit me... in. This is where he sat for that first breakfast... apple cinnamon pancakes. He just loved those.

Looking for

Looking for jobs has never been more frustrating. 

I have already applied for over 20 jobs and the impossible websites with their terrible programs are unbelievably difficult to manage.

Did you know that everything you apply for in any government program has limitations that do not allow you to easily input information. All you can do is follow the prompts and then hope for an explanation box to correct the programming limitations with accuracy?

Moving Woes

 Moving is a real eye opener if you haven't done that in over 4 years.

These are a few things you will likely suffer as you await your lifelong collection of...

Footwear- My only pair of 'North Face' running shoes, still in great condition, do not give me any blisters on my toes like the brand new summer canvas runners I had to buy as I wait for my household of stuff, here. *Note- Flip flops are the wrong footwear for exercising and going to a walk. My back is suffering from this incorrect footwear as I await my good shoes.

As a arthritis sufferer I actually have had great success in choosing the right footwear for my active lifestyle.

Outerwear- I am the kind of person who has kept all my outerwear for over 20 years now. I purchased a really nice coat at Mega Deals a few months ago... this would be the time I need that... it's a cloth elegance... I think the same as my cream fake fur name brand which I purchased 6 years ago.

Casual clothes- Everyday clothes are so necessary for... well, every day. I have plenty of that... those just need to be where I am.

Professional clothes for interviews and such the like... I save one particular jacket for that... a JR that I purchased about 7 years ago at a greenhouse, on 'what I call greenhouse row' just outside the perimeter. It was a 'once in a lifetime' style buy. I wore that for an interview at a vehicle dealership in 2021. Classic clothes last.

Furniture- It's so hard to wait for all my old furniture which I have such an attachment to... it's emotional... my pink chair that is 36 years old, my dining room set which is 33 years old, my sideboard which is new, purchased in Winnipeg 6 years ago... (actually, all my furniture, except my pink chair, was purchased in Winnipeg), my industrial shelf, 12 years ago, that was a Home Sense buy as well as my armoire, purchased 20 years ago... 

My tea room white slatted top with black wrought iron legs and chairs... featured on the cover of The Orchard Walk El Dueck. I purchased that at Eaton's. 

My collection is aging but well loved, by me.

I really needed my brand new printer 10 minutes ago to print a legal document.

Just waiting for that phone call.

Writing

 Book II 

Simmy's phone rang and she put aside her laptop and answered.

"Hey, this is Sam. Would you help me out on this self- defense paper I'm working on? You were hit by your husband and I think you can, maybe, help by your experience."

"Yes, absolutely. Start with a definition that is simple and direct. Write this down. "Self- defense or self- defence in Commonwealth English is a countermeasure that involves defending the health and well- being of oneself from harm."

"Got it. So, in your instance, were you able to defend yourself from harm?" Sam hesitated, trying to recall how the situation had transpired.

"Not completely but my countermeasure, a common kitchen cooking pot was a very effective shield."

"Ahh, yes. That was good thinking on your part. The least harmful is always the best. I'll call again if I need a little more information," Sam tipped his chair back and put his legs up on the desk. "It's afternoon coffee time. Take a break. You've always been too hard on yourself. You can't take responsibility for the initial attack. That was unprovoked. You were just defending yourself." 

                                                            .    .    . 

P.S. Still waiting for my bicycle, which is still at 225, in Dauphin... Make sure nobody is using it! I bought that in 2019... I still like it!

Book Unpublished

All of my unpublished works are currently at my 225 house, in Dauphin. I really need my handwritten work to continue working on this. A little silver metal box with my memory stick, of my first published novel, is very valuable for me to be able re- publish. Another memory stick, of a bygone pastor is also in that box. It needs to be protected. 

I am working on my next posting.

This is my rough copy of my novella that is in that location... right now. I am praying that all my work, from my past, is protected and will arrive here unharmed.

My white basket of test papers is very important to me. I put the entire basket into a heavy duty Co-op bag with handles... for safe storage.

Here is an example of book II. Copywritten (El Dueck) 

Chapter-

The Just Shall Live By Faith

Life in this small town was really getting to be an unsteady gait of secrets. There was joblessness but most of the township was run by government funded programs so the pace of life was very slow. The only people awaiting opportunities were the new residents, people who were married to someone who was transferred there.

Simmy had met quite a few locals. A retired judge. a beautiful Irish woman who seemed transposed in a town that scarcely thought of a place like Ireland.

One of the best small businesses in town had one of the best architectural footprints in a place where the rare project was mostly municipal, or provincial. The juxtaposition of the early century brickwork married to the modernity of steel echoes from city to city, across the prairies.   

                                                        .    .    .

I am also waiting for my 'Cosco' two- step ladder to reach the higher places, in my current rental, for the job of cleaning. 

Surplus

 I got just a tiny bit excited when I saw an ad for a company that I have hauled quite a bit of furniture out of in the last four years.

So, Friday, I purchased a double mattress. I am intending for it to sit atop an old antique bed frame that I purchased at a garage sale on Hawthorne. I also purchased an old antique bed frame at a 'cottage country' garage sale last summer or the summer before. That one is an exact replica of one I purchased, circa 1986.

The sofa, sectional, grey chair with wood leg repair, and leather chair with turned leg were all hauled to Dauphin in my truck. I am so grateful I had a truck at that time. I had very strong opinions about the styles and chose all of them to my great enjoyment. Although I love the button- tufted sofa for all the sleeping comfort it provided for me in the last three years, I am thinking the sectional, although not my favourite colour, would work best for me because of carrying weight and moving into a small space. I am also very grateful that my chair, which was amicably moved from current address, by my husband and a pastor, to the church I attended, is being safely stored for me until I can find someone to help me with getting those pieces to where I currently live. I hope my current vehicle can make that long drive without mechanical problems.

The first pieces were purchased in 2023 and the next in 2024.

Now I have applied to work at this place. I really hope this works out well. I could use some surplus.

The think I would have enjoyed working at the decorating place I applied at, in person, in the out of town location. I purchased some vinyl plank flooring for the bathroom renovation, at that store, and then installed it. I find the glues somewhat toxic but the brand new subfloor made the installation very smooth. 

The cleaning business, in the same town, I also applied at, three times, in person, but I was not nearly as excited about that position and each time, I was told, they didn't have any openings. 

Then I applied at the store where the tub, vanity, and kitchen taps were purchased but they didn't have an opening either. It sure was fun, for me, getting those projects completed.

Re- Fresh

 So, last Christmas I purchased a lot of the 'Fraiche' (pronunciation- 'fresh') line of Christmas ornamentation for decorating. I bought a fake Christmas tree. I purchased the metal 'Merry Christmas.' I can't remember how many garlands I bought. I bought a beautiful gold resin tree. Gold bells... 9 gold metal dinner bells... many other gold metal matte bells as well... the lovely stringer of bells that I decorated my bathroom with... I really love that line of decorations. 

I also purchased a cedar tree, which is on the fake fireplace mantel, from a local florist who retired right after that. I also purchased a tiny little blue glass purse, as an ornament for my Christmas tree. I really tried to buy a metal basket- weave garden table, from her, but I couldn't quite convince her to sell her fathers' work to me. Her father was still alive, at that time, and he had created amazing iron works in his youth. He may have, even, made the fencing at the B&B... possibly the most romantic fences in that town.

The Fraiche tea towels were such a favourite of mine. I still have maybe four or more in the linen closet at the house. They may still have the packaging on them. They're ecru and have a stitched bow, in monochromatic thread, on them, as well as a ruffle. I won't have to re- buy those for years.

My red and white square box of glass Christmas ornaments is a collection I have been working on for 40 years... often just one or two per year.

There was one Christmas idea that Warren borrowed from me.

I had purchased two very large, I will call them garland hooks, when I owned my 29 year house. They were a 'strong enough' method to hold garland, Christmas lights, and some ornaments. The beauty of a long- time ownership of a house is that you can do these things without making phone calls to anyone because ownership surpasses rentals. I think I purchased the ones I had in my 29 year house from a business that still exists in Bird's Hill but also used to have a location on Academy Road. I think I left those in my house when I had to sell it because they do require a bit of installing for weight. I may still have a photo of my ornamental hooks on my external hard drive in my armoire out of town. My birth certificate is also in there... one of those updates we have to re-fresh when we are of the generation that still had typewritten birth certificates. This is a method I use for remembering where I put things. Put these important documents with this so you remember that... I'm sure many people have interesting methods for where to put important things.

Like most people, Christmas is often about vintage, a memory collection of ornaments... and, last Christmas I really decided to re- fraiche (re- fresh), and I'll use the whole collection I purchased last year, this year again.

Just like my vintage La Canadienne boots that I wear to Handels' Messiah or Christmas Eve service... my little black boots with the silver buckle, over 20 years old now, can still be purchased as booties. 

That's how... Everything old becomes new again.

Where's my stuff?

 So, I have sent 12 pages of house contents to my lawyer and a few others... waiting to get my furniture and entire life items, purchased over 45 years... and I am not sure what the hold up is on Warren's end at 225 5th Avenue, N.E. in Dauphin... my home for four plus years. 

If you see anybody making off with my stuff... make sure it is going to my storage locker in Winnipeg.

Pardon me, is this helping?

 Dear Elfrieda,

My dear friend suffered a very bad incident. Her husband yelled at her for closing a window, which is no crime anyone's world, but the husband has some very strange hang- ups. He had just turned off her air conditioner and opened all the windows in their house. She had been awakened by this. It was just after midnight. After going to the bathroom, (old people do this a lot), she re- entered the bedroom assuring him that she had not closed the windows he had just opened. Maybe he didn't hear her correctly because he leapt out of bed, put his face a few inches from hers and said, "I'm going to punch you in the face." She pulled back and his fist glanced across her left chest and shoulder and with that move, she avoided the worst of his attack. She screamed, "You hit me," so many times, with those open windows, and he was trying to shush her. Then she defended herself. Do you think she should be arrested for this or should they both be arrested for this? Or... should they be adults and 'stand down' and be Christians and admit to the facts as they happened? 

I may have received some information incorrectly because she sent some pictures of her ankles with leg iron rubbing. She didn't send any pictures of his ankles. 

                                                                                                    How do I help?

Dear 'How do I help'?

Obviously, I think it is possible that you  may have some of this information incorrect. A man who starts a fight, yelling at his wife, and then hits his wife, would be the one to blame in the situation you just wrote to me about. Maybe the husband lied about the situation? Is this possible? I know that, in Canada, self- defense is legal as long as a persons' actions are reasonable and necessary to protect oneself. If this situation happened in a domestic location, only the husband and wife know the facts. 

                                                                                                    I hope this helps

P.S. The topics I deal with are varied so feel free to address other issues as well,... financial, relationship building, living together in harmony, shared spaces in todays' world, etcetera.

Moving

 I'm working on page 12 of my household items that I have sent to my contact. He is forwarding my journal 'pages from memory' to Warren so he can fulfill his requirements. 

It is quite a lot to ask of me to try to remember everything I own since I was seventeen years old.

My storage unit is costing me each day. I hope things move along a bit faster... soon.

I think the legs to my harvest table have to be removed to get the table out of the front room and I hope those bolts don't get stripped... I bought that in 1993. The six chairs, one arm chair, and five side chairs are so unique with that teal stain and natural oak combination. Some think old furniture is, well, old fashioned, but I love what I purchased way back. I bought that dining room set at Wilson's. Does anyone remember that Main Street furniture store? It think it was a family run store.

So, I am a person who tries to follow rules of requirement. I much prefer to make the rules for myself. I have always found I get things done much faster that way.

My new goals are to help get my life back in order and to help my three children and my grandchildren.

Four Years

 What have I accomplished in just over four years?

A town without possibilities is not really the way a person wishes to think about somewhere new.

So, while I applied for positions I wished to work in, I just got down to work building this gazebo. The photo you're looking at here, was a kit, a 12x12 Arlington gazebo with electric. Now, what you really need to know is that it comes in heavy flat boxes... over 600 pounds. The photo you are looking at is the 'built' kit which I did with the help of Warren. Warren actually didn't know which kit to buy so I made that decision for him because the vision of how to turn this bare shelter into a screened wonder with sliding doors, was definitely, my vision and then, of course, execution. 

If you notice the double 2x4's all the way around, that was necessary to put bracing edge to edge in order to put a 4x4 treated lumber post, ceiling to floor. Two braces were installed in each section of the gazebo.

 I made so many trips to McMunn's, while Warren was at his job,... this became my work. As you can see, from the photo, the deck was completed at this stage. It should be noted that Elfrieda and Warren were the only two people who built this project. Truly, that is most amazing because there was a step, in the instructions, that said... 'This is a three man step,' but we, somehow, handled it even though I thought it was a bit dangerous to do so. We used pulleys to drag the roof into place. It was a slow step, that one.

I had brought two sets of barn door hardware, about $369.00 plus taxes (Home Depot), with  me, when I moved to this property.

These were used to build two sliding doors on the front of the gazebo. 

As you can see here, the sliding doors were two $49.00 finger- jointed screen doors that needed to be heavily shored up to give them a stable structure. This was accomplished with treated 2x4's on the sides and the bottom. That gave the doors a nice heavy form that has weathered three winters. All the front part here, I designed, specifically, for this project. On both sides of these sliding doors, a garden arch, pictured below, was installed. I had, originally, purchased five of them for our backyard wedding, October 8, 2022 at 225 5th Avenue, N.E. Dauphin, MB.

I, Elfrieda, screened the entire gazebo while Warren was at his job. The three sides were reinforced with fence panels that I purchased at Canadian Tire, Panacea Finial Decorative Border fence panel, 30"x37" each. I used nine panels for the gazebo and then bought six plus for my gardening. The large piece of fencing you see on the left, I had purchased at Lowe's before I moved away from Winnipeg. 

The gazebo, being a 12x12, actually had a bit of a smaller footprint so a 12x12 deck was what we built to put the gazebo on top of it.

The awnings I specially designed for this gazebo. 

When I moved to this property, there was quite a lot of backfill that was needed at the back entrance to the house. The soil had eroded and there was at least a six inch height that needed to be filled in order to bring the ground up  to a 'seven inch' space from ground to back door. This was done after the gazebo was built. A seven inch step is normal for any stairs. After this back fill, I scrounged every Barkman Bridgewood Slab that I could find in that town. Then I purchased a couple more from a garage sale... someone who had built a 'fire table barbecue stand' and had some pieces leftover.

I really felt that the location of this gazebo was a good one for a number of reasons. There was a step, concrete, in the back yard, that I smashed my toes on so many times, my toenails still haven't grown out. This strange idea would likely have been done by the original homeowner... possibly before we were born. That dastardly step is now covered by the gazebo... never to cause harm again.

I dug all the post holes for the concrete blocks, which were not very deep. The back of the gazebo has adjustable jack posts for leveling. 

I painted or stained everything the way it is. 

The space between the gazebo and the house is now a very nice courtyard.

I laid more weed cloth than I have ever done. The entire ground under the gazebo is covered in weed cloth. All the gravel and stone paths that I created had weed cloth underneath as well.

This garden box I dragged all the way from Winnipeg to 225... and, it may be coming back now. I am the gardener. Warren is not. 

I planted enough tomatoes, last year, to make enough homemade tomato sauce for my winter cooking. It was such a delicious sauce because I used about 5 varieties of  tomatoes in my sauce and we ate meals, from my work, all winter, until about April, this year.

The tomatoes are, again, coming in. I had a taste last week that is just spectacularly delicious. I hope I can get the rest of my crop.

So, this was quite a heavy investment, on my part... so much design, building and sweat equity. 

I'll talk about the bathroom renovation another day.

Couch Slouch

 Dear Elfrieda,

My friend, who was forced into some couch surfing, since the marital discord, has really had hard questions about her human rights. 

Is a fist a weapon? Is a frying pan a weapon if its used the same way? 

                                                                                            Very Concerned

Dear Very Concerned,

I am assuming that your mention of your friend couch surfing means she doesn't have a solid home to live in... or, was the home she was living in not solid? Marriage does bring certain rights, you know... even now, in our strange relationships world.

Now, dealing with your second question about a fist being a weapon; I was informed that there are combat fighting arts, like jujitsu, that require self discipline and restraint in day to day living circumstances. A person trained in such an art would certainly not be flailing fists and saying they're a peace loving individual. 

Most people use frying pans for cooking. Movies portray a vastly different use of a frying pan in kitchen scenes. This is such a strange question, I hope my answers were sufficient to help you figure out defending motions.

Another tip- make sure your lawyer knows you have a storage unit ready for all your belongings. Contact immediately with a note- storage unit booked and then make an exhaustive list... even if you have to make it from memory... to make sure you can get a truck rolling... to get your house contents to where you are. As soon as you get the phone call that your things are ready to be transported, safely, to the correct 'rented storage,' then you can rest easy about theft and that kind of thing.

                                                                                             Hope this helps  

P.S. Is this a situation of... 'They who are not for me, are against me?'

Not Romantic

 Dear Elfrieda,

My friend is in a relationship that has turned very sour. The man she married, now 65, seemed like a good guy for almost two years and then things took a turn for the 'are you remembering correctly' next two years.

Lately, he had taken to sleeping outside because he said it was cooler. His temper was not cooler. On a weekend, after midnight- ish, on a Saturday, my friend awakened. He had decided to sleep in bed that night. Going to the bathroom, the wife heard him demand... "Did you close the windows?" She replied that she had not closed the windows. He had turned off the air conditioner and opened all the windows. He must not have heard so when she re- entered the bedroom, he was snapping like a turtle and then he leaped out of bed and confronted his wife, an inch from her face, and said, "I will punch you in the face." His wife pulled back and he landed his fist under her chin and across her chest."

Do you think their relationship is over?

                                                                                            Very Concerned

Dear Very Concerned,

The 'over 65 agers' can be a vibrant group of people but not everyone has perfect health and physical fitness and optimal thinking as this is the beginning of retirement for many and the transition from full- time thinking to handling all of lifes' ups and downs takes quite a lot of patience; with oneself, and with others.

At 65, we aren't backpacking and camping and trekking through the woods like we do in our 30's. We have a bit more sense in knowing our boundaries of output and our levels of exhaustion have certainly changed.

If there is a personality change that has turned from agreeable to hostile, it would be best if a physical exam, which most people get once a year, is adhered to. If there has been a huge dietary change, some people go from 'Canada food guide' to 'Keto crazy' and think there won't be any adverse effects. Fad diets are called fads for a reason. Fasting, overly much, brings about a drastic change as well. There can be this... 'I went without food for 20 hours so I need food now' thing. That is a very demanding schedule for anyone if their partner is a traditional 'man goes to work' and 'woman takes care of the home' relationship.

Brain energy, a fantastic book I read this year, gives great detail about the huge variances of thinking, reacting, and behaviour. 

                                                                                        Hope this helps

Winnipeg

 So, now I'm in Winnipeg, looking for a place to live.

I'm looking to the future, for a future.

All my belongings will need to be hauled to Winnipeg... I've got a whole houseful of furniture and stuff and quilts... and bookshelves, and my bicycle. I could list things here but that would take a lot of time.

This is a lot of work, for me... to get done by third party?

Who Gave More?

 Today, I would like to talk about a conversation I once had with a person I went to church with. This person was always complaining about how much the leadership expected them to give... they were on a church board. These people are now in heaven so it is the perfect time to tell this story.

I, Elfrieda, was responsible for a family of five, every day, all day long, seven days a week. 

The person who would phone me to complain about how much they were giving... time, money, food, special event fundraisers... had grown children who were on their own and their health was good and they were doing quite well. Let's call these people 'couple.'

Let's call Elfrieda 'family.'

So, I explained giving this  way...

If couple gives 10% of their income in a month and, just as a example, let's say their income is $5,000.00 per month... 'Couple' has $4,500.00 to live on for month. (2 people)

If 'family' gives 10% of their income in a month and, just as a example, let's say their income is $2,200.00 per month... they have $1950.00 left to live on for the month. (5 people)

                    Who gave more?

In the next few posts I will address things like health, safety, and what makes it possible to earn a living and what makes it impossible to earn a living.

Who's with Who?

 Still haven't seen my children and grandchildren...

I called Alan yesterday to see if he could find out where my children are. Sometimes you have to go to a common connection... someone who knew us as a 'family.' This becomes important as people lose their phones. I could still reach Alan, yesterday, and I hope that continues.

So, I, Elfrieda, have always been a 'Winnipeg' person... over 40 years in Winnipeg before moving to Dauphin. My three sons were born in Winnipeg and two of them lived at 90 Forest Cove Drive their entire lives, until they got married. My oldest was two years old when my brother built that house for me. I was, definitely, the person who worked with my brother to find the perfect little plan for the next 29 years.

I believe, Jordan, my youngest son, has been very badly harmed by people I don't know. It is possible that the people who have harmed him are known to Dave and Janet Dueck of Kleefeld, Manitoba... 22 Aspen Bay. I would have these people questioned as to the whereabouts of my children, Scott, Tyler, and Jordan. I do not trust Dave and Janet nor the people who are associated with them. They are having a lot of trouble with their daughter Stacy because she is the most rebellious of their children... she's the youngest. Tim is the oldest and Brett is the middle child of this David Roy Dueck, who is the brother of Elmer John Dueck, two of nine children in the Dueck family. 

Ironically, my sister Sara, is married to a David Roy Dueck, who is not at all related to the David Roy Dueck of the nine child family who moved from Winnipeg to Kleefeld when Dave decided his Red River Insurance job would be a placement job he could work from almost anywhere in Manitoba. These families are not related to each other. My sister's husband only has one sister who used to work for the Winnipeg Police Department for over 25 years, answering 911 calls.

I will continue to give information, on this blog, because it is the only way for people to keep track of what is going on.

I will never go to Kleefeld. I am going to make sure my children are not kidnapped there either. 

I have really tried to reach Scott, my oldest son. He was baptized by Alan, whom I contacted yesterday. I don't know if Denny and Janet Chau are still in a close relationship with Alan but Janet Chau was the person who held the towel for Scott as he came out of the baptismal tank. I have a photo of that. Janet worked for IBM for many years but I think she is retired. The last place I was in their company was likely Ashdown. 

Jordan was baptized by a man from his group when he attended a church, in a school, in Charleswood. A very young Falk might have been the leader there, at Oasis? I have photos of his baptism.

I am not sure if Tyler is, yet, baptized. 

So, I am still wanting to visit with my sons, Scott, Tyler, and Jordan, on a regular basis. I hope Alan can make some arrangements regarding this. 

My sister Sara said she has not seen my children in person. I called her last week. My sister Eva certainly doesn't want to go to Eden as her husband often threatens. Eden is not a good place for anyone I know. 

I will update as soon as I receive more information. Please continue to pray about this situation.

   

The Keep

This morning I was thinking about a keep, which I thought was a castle or a home dwelling. Where I made my mistake, in trying to keep my keep... both times... was, that, I didn't get a lawyer. 

They say that, during siege warfare, the keep is the safest place to be. So, I will tell you, my keep that I was forced to sell, in 2014, was, definitely, my safest keep I ever owned.

Every terrible rental I lived in, after that, was not safe. 

Yesterday, my sister informed me that three of my brothers have sold their keep and don't, currently, have a keep. I think she still does.

I used to have a friend, many years ago, who did not have children, yet, she had a lot of impossible advice for the younger generation. Crazy things he and she would say, like... why don't you make five thousand dollar a month payments to clear a little debt. I looked at Crazy and thought... where in the world do you think people are going to find that kind of money to clear away debt?

Anybody who sets up that kind of payment schedule is Crazy. After thinking about this insanity for two seconds, I thought, this is not what it seems. I think this person, who has set this up is, literally, setting up someone for failure. So, the next question I ask, after this, is, why would a person want someone to fail... if they say they've helped this person?

The first thing that came to mind was this... they are waiting to see this person fail so they can steal all of their assets. Who else thinks this is probably what is going on?

Secondly, if these 'high living' people imagine they can make others find such exorbitant amounts of money, maybe they, themselves, don't have what they want in order to live in a 'high society.' What if some of that is going to 'unknown' people and not to the person who is trying to pay down debt? Who else thinks this? 

My suggestion is this. Get all the paperwork of the purchases... trace it back to the original date of purchases and see what went wrong.  

P & B?

Rumours are circulating that Scott, Tyler, and Jordan have very bad uncles... D, in particular. 

Now, D used to work for a insurance company but, recently, he didn't want to insure Scott when D tried to put Scott's leg into the letter P. If D has mental illness and has resorted to violence, we need to address these issues, forthwith. 

Then, we heard a terrible rumour that they were going to try to put someones' body into the letter B. Well, D's son is not going to appreciate that reputation slur. 

That would be tantamount to Jekyll transforming into Hyde to go sit in church somewhere. The Hyde personality is actually the physical and mental manifestation of his own misdeeds because Jekyll and Hyde are the same person, a very dark and sinister problem, indeed.

So, any real doctor will have x- rays and notes about a persons' injuries. 

I encourage people to make reports about any incidents that have resulted in a broken arm, or ankle... I am so tired of hearing about assaults on my children.

So, if you want to put P & B together, go buy peanut butter.

We're all tired of this terrible game you have created to make it seem like you are normal.

Try going to church for confessions.

Getting Away?

 Have you ever met people who think they are... getting away with it? 

What is it?

I am waiting to see my sons, Scott, Jordan, and Tyler. My dear grandsons are also on my 'waiting to hear from' list.

I once heard of a people who thought they could manipulate and lie and then take over peoples' bank accounts and steal their livelihoods, without impunity. I am grateful we live in a country where this has never been successful. 

I dropped off a quilt, on Saturday, and I heard a crazy person say... people cut it up and threw it in the garbage. Does anyone believe that?

It had a navy blue cotton sheet backing and the front was navy and white, with three large rectangular squares going across, starting at the top. It had diamond shapes sewed into the squares, here and there and I heard my grandson just loved it. 

I actually made it for my son but I think he allowed his son to have it because he really liked it. That's what people do who love their children, isn't it?

So, once again, I called a pastor and my sons' wife and my sons, yesterday. I only call a pastor when I am greatly alarmed at something that has never happened before.

My oldest sons' phone won't take anymore messages. The mailbox is full. He has always been the most dedicated person when it comes to carrying out things in his life. So, I was so alarmed and afraid that he has been hurt because what other reason can there be for this? I am hoping my phones are working properly.   

Living in Reality

I put a new page on Pinterest on Friday... The Orchard Walk El Dueck

It's my old book, published at the end of 2012 but I put 2013 as the publication year as the printer was unsure of their ability to 'get it out by Christmas.'

It was definitely me, who put pictures of my work on Pinterest but, what I'm confused about is this... is Pinterest, Canada located in Ontario? Secondly, I had a lot of problems with Pinterest that night. I pinned 19 pictures and then another 20 or more but the system switched my pins to a 'painting, decorating' board and I couldn't get out of that board so I suppose they have glitches too.

So, I made the long journey to Winnipeg yesterday and I dropped off one of my novels. 

My goal was to see my sons and grandsons but nobody was home. By August, I start getting winter ready. I worry about the cold. I try on capes with hoods. I think about my 'work supplies' and make sure I have enough to get through six long months of winter projects. Since moving so far away from Winnipeg, I make a habit of dropping off blankets and pillows to ward off the winter chill. I tried mailing one and I think it was only successful once and then packages came back, unopened, with RTS (return to sender) on them so I knew that wasn't a good way of trying to get something to my children.

I heard a man suggest that my blog was not helpful for psychology and I would, definitely, differ in my opinion of that. 

Most people don't realize that psychology is just... problem solving... mostly relational issues and, for many, behavioural issues. 

Many years ago I spent way too much time with a particular woman who talked and talked and talked about her family and I started feeling like I was her psychologist... because I was doing all the listening. Then one day she started telling people she had written my novel and that's when I knew I would really recommend she go see a psychologist who would, hopefully, help her with her delusion.

If anyone thinks that writing a historical fiction novel is easy or fast... it is a long researched project that, for me, took over three years to complete. When writing anything historical you check and cross- check and re- check information to see which facts match or line up enough to be considered factual. When my dearly deceased read my novel, he corrected me on a fact that he was familiar with, personally, because of his knowledge of the job. So, my novel maintains a living presence within my day to day to work. 

I make blankets, a very creative demonstration of work mentioned within my novel.

So, let's live in the world of reality, at least to acknowledging your own work.   

 

Entitled Heritage?

 The brothers I was mentioning yesterday and my brothers would likely differ in their definition of the word 'heritage,' and this is why.

The brothers I mentioned yesterday had a heritage of violence. This definition of 'inherited circumstances, a heritage of violence' I found in 3 of one of my dictionaries. The father beat the living hell out of his wife and then his children. So, a person could say that they had negative balance characters, as they grew up, and as they grew to adulthood, and then, as they entered the workforce and were required to deal with other people and get along with others.

So, imagine a scale. You can't pick your heritage, as in parents. That is never a choice. You are born into the family as the natural world produces. 

I was born into Guenter family. My father and mother did not beat us and my father never beat his wife, therefore, things were a little easier for us, growing up. We didn't have to fear the nights, the days, the evenings, the end of work days, nor the weekends. Our greatest fear was never getting a day off from working. 

The bad heritage family was Dueck. I actually only experienced the mother behave badly once in over 25 years. 

So, her son explained what life was like, for him, every day, as he fought the demons of violence. He said there was a good spirit on one shoulder and a bad spirit on the other shoulder and every day they would fight to see who would win. He said it was very exhausting. 

Now, let's imagine that this son, or any son or daughter, wants to overcome bad family repute. 

What would be required?

First, you have to be able to prove that you're not like the old man. In Biblical terms, the old man is the unregenerated or unreformed person. The world is full of these types of people. People who are the problem. 

These people of lesser heritage must desire to be the solution and then character build themselves into the best of society. This is a very difficult task but it is necessary.

The problem with people who refuse to be the authentic home church is that it is too easy to fake being good when in a public place. We must treat people with love, kindness, patient self- control (forbearance), peacefulness, and goodness in our homes first. Putting on a suit and sitting in the back row of Sunday morning church and tithing unto the Mosaic law can be a very old and harsh example of church gone bad if that individual is a violent ruler in the home. I am not sure if Peter thought he could subvert the spirit of the law by fulfilling a church law legality. If he thought that would bring him the respect of the church laity, he surely did miss the whole core of the gospel message.

Our heritage was more civilized. Oh, we were required to work. We were loved. We were driven to church to learn and sing in a very refined choir status metronome timing. We inherited a builder mentality. For no other foundation can anyone lay... was the solid rock on which we stood.

I raised my children in this manner and I certainly hope and pray they are safe and secure within the heritage that I was raised. We always had enough to eat. We always had enough of everything to learn and access to vehicles before we had money of our own to buy them. We were proud of  our accomplishments, in a humble way, because we were always encouraged to progress.

I thank God for my heritage and I hope my children feel the same. 

So, if you want to be entitled to your heritage, you must give your children a just claim or right to it. If you train up a child in the way he should go, then they are entitled to the teaching, and learning, of the precepts that you laid forth as you raised them. These precepts become our heritage as we live by them.

To entitle something, a book, is to give it a name. Did you know you can't, legally, give a book, that you write, a name that is already published? You have to do all that research before you can, legally, publish a book. Only then, are you entitled to the title.

Christian Cult?

 I fear my 1981 husbands' brothers are into cult behaviour. 

If I were to define a Christian in laymans' terms, I would say... a Christian is a Christ follower... most people know who Jesus Christ is and people who are Christians can be defined with qualities from Galatians, as my previous blog stated. Love, joy, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, self- control. Against such things there is no law.

This is what I would do if any of my 'family' members asked me to help them. First, I would ask for their childrens' phone numbers to call them and tell them that their parent has a problem they need to attend to. Of course, I would imagine that family members born in the 50's and 60's are going to be the first to fall to illness but, should I be wrong about that...

I would definitely want to know if my children, currently in their 30's and 40's, are in good enough health to care for, themselves, their children, and then... their parents.

You know that saying... charity starts at home? If charity means giving help, money, food, and/ or time to your people who are poor, sick or in need, then I can say with clear conscience and truthfulness that I lived my life this way, with my 'family' after I was married.

As an aside, I also lived this way when my folks were alive and I was living under their guidance... from birth to age 17. I followed their rules, attended church on Sunday... I prefer Saturday now... went to choir practise, and youth group. We worked from Monday to Saturday. I thought the Saturday working hard thing was way out of line when we had already worked five days in a row.

Volunteering... I am done volunteering until my own poverty has been quelled. We used to sing in nursing homes on Sunday afternoons. I volunteered, in churches and schools, for over 25 years after 1981. 

At this point, I will only attend to my children and grandchildren. This is the season of my life for that. To everything there is a season, yes?

Now, what is a Christian cult? There is no such thing. There are Christians. There are cults.

 Well, firstly, I think people who group together and follow some odd and strange behaviour can be considered a cult. Here are some examples of this type of behaviour.

"You are going to wear this blindfold so you can see what it is like to be blind." 

"You will type with your hands tied together."

"Your child will be beaten black and blue if you do not do as I say."

"Strange people will be put in charge of you and your foundation of one father, one mother foundation will be rocked and threatened."

"You will not be allowed to call anyone you used to know (especially if the people have been locked away for years, as my children have been)."

"You will now get your glasses if you do not obey." (This is so evil, to take away a persons' glasses so he can't see.)

"You will be police forced to go to a mental institution to experience what those people go through every day." (This insanity has been a violation I am going to write about in the future.) I guarantee you, this has happened.

Whoever does things like this is not sane. No child should be frightened with the crazy behaviour of such evil people. No adult should be frightened with such insanity, of violating our human rights. 

You can't pay for a 'restraining order' against someone who has never harmed you. 

You are using the law to violate the law. 

Do you even know how destructive that is? If you take out a restraining order or a protection order (whatever that is), just to give a good person a bad reputation, you are tearing down the actual fabric of our society and making day to day living very dangerous for everyone. Do you know what evil people do with information like that? They use it to extort money from victims. They use this information to level their own assault against good people because you lie about good people and cover the evil deeds of bad people. This is, literally, brainwashing.

This is the most commonly used statement of a cult leader... 

"Now, you are going to say..." (The people who are being manipulated are told what to say, when they can leave their house, when they will not attend kids' club, youth group, public meetings where others can verify the well- being of a family.)

Vehicles are taken away. Wages disappear. The ability to run their own households is re- directed to a 'cult' person.

My novel has my name El Dueck on it. 

Other than myself, I don't know any Dueck I would trust. My Sunday school teacher, who passed away... maybe. My grandson, maybe, if I could see him. My son, maybe, if I could see him. My other grandson, maybe, if I could see him. 

I would like an investigation into a group that calls themselves 'The Orchard.' I wonder if that is a very nefarious group. If anybody has a list of the people who are in that group, please contact me, Elfrieda. 

Window Grace

 Have you ever noticed that a beautiful window can really make a house look nice?

My sisters' husband used to buy from Kolbe. I don't know how he got in touch with them but I do remember one think my sister once said about the very old couple they once had dinner with.

The couple were both Christians and the woman told my sister that she had never needed to volunteer in church for all the myriad hosting things that were often put on for the reason of recruiting members.

The wise woman had said that her Christian service was to be beside her husband and work together to further the Lord's work within their company.

I have always remembered that from 20 years ago. It's possible that the elderly couple have already retired but the window website is still online. 

I know their Christian principles would never allowed any employee to be charged for 'breakage.' These are the types of companies you really admire. They probably just insure so life is smooth and practical and envelops the fruit of the spirit...

love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, self- control. For, against such things there is no law.

I always hope my sons... Scott, Tyler, and Jordan are so blessed as to be employed by such equitable Christians for we truly do desire to live as the Lord intended.