A Catch Up Blog for May

Hans' 12th birthday party

I'll start this blog with Hans Erik Markentin, who turned twelve on May 16.  He was born just a day before Norway's Syttende Mai.  On May 16, 1999 my brother Merv became a grandfather and his wife Jan, a grandmother.  That is such a special day and only happens to us once in a lifetime.  Of course each new grandchild is very special but becoming a grandparent for the first time can only happen once.

When Joan and Morris named their baby Hans, it seemed like an old man's name to put on a baby.  The only people we knew with that name were Grandpa Hans Haaland and Uncle Hans Olson and we knew them only as "old men".  But those old men were babies named Hans at one time too, and the name soon grew to suit this new little Hans.  I admire Joan and Morris for choosing these solid Norwegian names for all four of their children.  There's no wondering if it's a boy or a girl when you hear their names!

Hans was born in Saskatoon, lived with his family on a farm at Rosthern for several years and is now back in Saskatoon.  Hans loves to swim so the move to Saskatoon made them so much closer to the swimming pool. The Shaw Centre has become the family's second home!  Not long before his 12th birthday Hans took part in a swim meet in Regina and came home with silver medals in the breast stroke.  Here's a picture of him partaking in one of those races.

Hans, in the yellow swim cap

As well as spending five days a week at the pool, Hans plays the saxophone in the school band and enjoys that even more than his piano lessons and his electric guitar.  It sounds like you are a very busy, "almost teenager", Hans.  We look forward to seeing you at the family reunion at Cypress,  unless there's a conflict with swim meets.  

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MARK AND HEATHER ROLFES

I also missed doing a blog for Heather (Erickson) and Mark Rolfes who celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary on May 18.  Seeding was underway at that time in 1996 when they were married in Saskatoon.  I remember that Howard stayed behind to put some crop in.  Seeding would not have interfered with going to a wedding in May this year, at least in this part of the province.  So far Clare has only seeded 80 acres, about 5% of what he usually puts in.  The rain guage showed 1.7 inches over the past two days.  That was on top of the 2.5 inches that we got last week!  Some farmers are thinking that they will not get any seeding done this year.  That must be a record for SE SK.

Heather and Mark are experts at building and renovating houses, having done three of them since moving to Birch Hills.  It helps that Mark is an Industrial Arts teacher and Heather's niche is planning and designing.  Their last project was a new home on an acreage a few miles from Birch Hills.  I don't think they have plans to move from there for awhile!  They have lots of sweat equity in that house and we enjoyed seeing pictures as the work progressed.  I hope to see it in person one of these days.

The house that they had moved to a new site in town and completely redid it.

I'm couldn't find a picture of the newest house after it was completed but this one will give you some idea of what it's like.  No doubt you are busy with landscaping in your country yard.  My brother Merv, who is Heather's dad, restored a Fordson tractor that our dad had at the farm at Frontier.  I think it's being put to use now in this yard at Birch Hills.  Dad would be so pleased.

We look forward to seeing you at the Erickson reunion in July!

The house on their acreage when siding was being done.