SALEM SERVICE AUGUST 11, 2019

Clare Johnson rang the Grimsrud bell to open the morning service.

I wasn't going to do another blog post until the end of the month but that changed after this past weekend when we had the now annual worship service at Salem Lutheran Church just two miles north of our farm.  This little country church was closed in 1963 and members voted to join Trinity Lutheran in Torquay, just eight miles away.

In 1998 a decision was made to preserve this building that was deteriorating with a leaky roof and much damage to the inside. Letters were sent out to former members and friends of Salem asking for support if they were interested in saving this building.  The answer was Yes as people responded with monetary gifts that would cover the cost of necessary repairs.  

An Anniversary Celebration was held in 1999, seventy years after this church was built to replace the original Salem that had been struck by lightning and burned to the ground in 1929.  That means that the church is now 90 years old.  I hope to be around to celebrate the 100th anniversary, or that the younger generation will keep the tradition going. Services have been held in some years but we want to get back to a yearly one.  The second Sunday in August seems a good time although in 2018 it happened to be the hottest day of the year!  Next year we'll plan for service on August 9.

Mice damaged the pump organ so now
my accordion accompanies the singing.

This year August 11 was the second Sunday so we planned a service for that day.  The eleventh was Howard Johnson's birthday as well as my mother's -  Hulda Haaland Erickson who was born in 1919, one hundred years ago.  I wanted to do something special in her memory and also Howard's.  When my sister Sandra at Frontier,SK learned that Salem service was on August 11 she said: "I'm coming". 

 We decided to serve lunch after the service in memory of Mom and Howard and the planning began. The lunch menu contained open face buns with egg salad, ham or Norwegian brown cheese (from Jason's Grocery in Crosby), flatbread, Hardanger lefse, krumkake, sandbakkels, a fruit tray, and rømmegrøt.  (Thanks to Vickie for making coffee at Trinity and sending it to Salem in carafes and to Sandra for making the lefse and rømmegrøt and to Sandra and Jodi for serving)

We had over an inch of rain on Saturday and the forecast didn't look like picnic weather so we served lunch indoors.  Thanks to Ron Fonstad and Alan for hauling out two tables from Trinity for serving. Special thanks to Keith Hanson who keeps the grass neatly trimmed and to his helpers last week, Jordan and Landon Marcotte. Also to Janice, Patti, and Gail for cleaning the interior, even vacuuming the rug!

Sandra wore her Norsk bunad, which was appropriate as both Mom and Howard were 100% Norwegian heritage.  (My siblings and I have "tainted blood" as our great-grandmother, Mathilda Munter Stenson, was Swedish! Actually, we are very proud of our Swedish background too.  My brother Alan has done a lot of reading and research about our great-grandfather, Johan Munter, a soldier in the US Civil War.)

When Sandra asked me what I was planning to wear, I told her "my Salem dress".  I had to explain that it was the dress I first wore to son Kirk's wedding to Shauna Fornwald that took place at Salem on April 8, 2000.  I still love that dress so can wear it at least once a year and I also wore it to grandson Carter Johnson's grad in May!

 

Thirty-nine people were at Salem on Sunday morning.  The pioneers who established this congregation would have been pleased to see members from these early families represented - Fonstads, Grimsruds, Johnsons, Tenolds, Vinges, and Ulledalens. 

Melvin Fonstad from Richmond BC came from farthest away. International guests were Kevin and Lorna (Enget) Carlson from Powers Lake, ND.  Other visitors came from Regina, Milestone, Weyburn, Estevan, and Torquay.

In the afternoon our family gathered at the farm for a time of visiting, golfing for the guys in Crosby, and of course eating again -beef on a bun, salads, corn on the cob, homemade ice cream, and Sandra's rhubarb cream pie.  (She has a table at Frontier Farmer's Market every Friday)

Greg is showing that he "won the heavy-weight belt" for
having the long drive on the last hole.

Little did we know that people would be gathering again at Salem on the following Friday, this time at the cemetery.  Jeff Marcotte, the 43-year-old son of Patti (Mossing) and Brian Marcotte had battled brain cancer for four and a half years.  On Tuesday, August 13 his battle was over and he died at their farm home near Outram, surrounded by his loving family -  his wife Stacy (nee Coughlan), fourteen-year-old twin sons Jordan and Landon, and eleven-year-old daughter Alyssa.

A time of memory sharing at the Hall Funeral Services Chapel took place on Thursday evening with an open mike for people to share memories of Jeff.  The celebration of life was held at Trinity Lutheran Church in Estevan with a reception following in the social hall.  Jeff was laid to rest beside his maternal grandparents, Norman and Carol (Fonstad) Mossing.  

It is so sad to lose this young husband, father, and farmer, who was awarded Farm Family of the Year this past spring and had so much to live for. But the Bible verse from Psalm 23:6 on the bulletin cover reminds us that this was not the end of Jeff's life, but a new beginning.  "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."  Blessed be the memories of dear Jeff.  He was just a year older than our Todd.

Pictures and more family information can be found at Hall Funeral Services, Estevan online https://www.hallfuneralservices.ca/memorials/jeffrey-marcotte/3947294/index.php

Click on the above address and a blue box will appear. Click on the blue box and it will take you to Hall Funeral Service

Below is a link to the Farm Family of the Year award for Jeff and Stacy and family.  Again, click below, then on the blue box.

https://www.estevanmercury.ca/news/business-energy/marcotte-family-recognized-for-love-of-farming-and-dedication-to-the-community-1.23771100

Thank you for following my blog.  Please remember the Marcotte,  Mossing and Coughlan families in your prayers as they mourn and adjust to life without their precious Jeff. 

Please let me know about any errors or omissions that I have made.

A BUSY JULY!

We started July off by taking in the Canada Day celebrations in nearby Oungre Regional Park.   A Jamboree is always part of it and is organized by the Daae family from the Torquay area.  It always includes guest singers, often from the US but we always prefer the local talent - the Daae Family and the Hansen trio.  They didn't disappoint us.  There were many activities for the youngsters as well as a parade of tractors and older vehicles.

We went for lunch and what a busy place!  We had to wait almost an hour for our order of chicken strips and fries.  It was fresh and hot when we got it so it was worth the wait!  We got in a bit of visiting during the wait too.  We didn't stay for the cabaret, a new addition this year, or for the fireworks.  Too late for us old folks!

On July 11 our accordion group, Homespun Harmonies, played for the residents of Trinity Tower at 2:00.  Then we enjoyed supper out with our spouses at The Flats.  Following that Alan and I left for Milestone where we spent the night at the Diekrager farm. 

Red, white and blue pickups at the Diekragers!

 In the morning we left for Brooks, AB.  Laurel and Ashley came with us to visit Kristy, Nora and Elly Clara, who were visiting with Kristy's family for a few weeks.  Alan went on to Calgary where he visited his daughter Nancy and Trevor and son Derek and Jackie along with his four grandchildren.

Alan's two grandsons (with caps) now visiting cousins in Ontario

Todd remained back in Norway to work on his studies for a Masters degree in theology and ministry.  Todd has been reading up on Martin Luther and came across several podcasts that his second cousin, Pastor James Nestingen, has published. Jim, as we know him, is a retired seminary professor who has done a lot of research on Martin Luther's history.  Todd hopes to meet up with Jim someday.

Elly Clara turned three on July 6 so we had another birthday party for her on Sunday afternoon.  I gave her the tea set of Moderntone dishes that Mom and Dad gave me for my fifth birthday, along with a picture of me taken that day.  The setting was outside in front of the steps at Grandma and Grandpa Erickson's house.  It was February and no flash cameras for inside pictures back then.
Special thanks to Dan and Helga Ledene for your warm hospitality!

On her actual birthday at Auntie Jenny's, Thorhild, AB

Elly Clara beside a "dinosaur" at Brooks museum

Elly Clara opening her 72-year-old tea set from Grandma J

Fun in the Brooks pool with Auntie Laurel

We had planned to take Alan's car to Alberta but found out the week before that it wouldn't start even with the battery fully charged.  He had it towed to Power Dodge in Estevan where they discovered that mice were the cause of the problem, to the tune of $700 damage to repair wires and cables.  That was fixed up and we set off in the car from Estevan that Thursday afternoon.  Soon the red engine light came on and 70 km was top speed.  So back to the garage and we ended up taking the pickup on our trip. This time the mechanics were to blame for mistakes in the wiring so no further bills!


On July 20 we went to Crosby, ND for their 50th Annual Threshing Bee.  We enjoyed the parade at noon SK time.  This year they featured Case tractors.  "Ladies of Steam" was a new addition featuring two women from Minnesota who offer workshops of "Women Teaching Women" all about running steam engines.  They drove a big old Case in the parade and had lots of pictures taken of this event.  I enjoyed browsing in the flea market and was pleased to find a runner for the top of our piano made by a lady not far from Minot. The runner is even reversible with small squares on one side and one-piece piano keyboard fabric on the back.  I love it!

We stopped downtown so I could pick up Ty "grab bags" for kids.  They came in handy later that day when Jodi, Clare, and Abbey came back from Crosby with their visitors- Jodi's sister Patti from Winnipeg and her son Jimmy's wife Vita and sons, Frank 7 and Hugo 5 from Australia. The boys enjoyed their grab bags and slept with Abbey and their new "stuffies" in the camper at Clare's.  Jimmy had worked for Clare one summer so his boys were anxious to come to "the farm".  Lawyer Jimmy will join the family in Canada soon.

Clare and Abbey in a canola field with
Aussies- Frank and Hugo 

Frank and Hugo each in a tractor wheel

While they were over at the land east of our home farm they stopped at the DEEP Geothermal site on Clare's land. 

Abbey, the future owner of this land!!

On July 24th we went to Kenosee Lake to visit Kirk's and to help celebrate Jamie's 12th birthday a week early.  Laurel, Dawson and Ashley along with Jodi and Abbey joined us too.  We enjoyed a beef on a bun lunch and then headed for the lake.  What a fun afternoon!  "The kids" headed out with Kirk's boat and the "old folks" enjoyed cruising the lake in a friend's pontoon boat with Kirk in charge.  That's my style of boating!  Carter has his boating license so the kids were on their own with a careful driver.  Dawson enjoyed wakeboarding for the first time.

The weather was ideal, warm with a light breeze and partly cloudy.  There were storm warnings for parts of SK but nothing at the lake. Laurel and Jodi drove through a stretch of heavy rain on the way home and had to stop for a bit.  No hail though.

We gathered at Kirk and Shauna's campsite for a birthday supper - chicken wings done on the Smoky, salads, chips and dips and a special birthday cake made in Carlyle by Shauna's cousin.  Here are some scenes:

Grandma, Laurel and Alan

Relaxing on the lake!

Captain Carter at the wheel

Happy Birthday Jamie

Jamie with Lindsay and Carter

We stayed at the Inn overnight and stopped by the campsite in the morning.  Then we drove to Carlyle and I shopped at King's so now I have a new pair of navy Skechers.

On Friday we went to Crosby for Elberta peaches.  We got to the border when it opened at 8:00 SK time so had a good choice of peaches.  I like the larger ones for canning and came home with nine cases.  Six are for Laurel, Clare and Kirk's.  They are quite green so next week they might be ready to eat or can or freeze.

On Saturday we had lunch for $5 each at the Torquay Community Centre, thanks to the Torquay Fire Department.  They also drew winning tickets for several items donated by generous sponsors.  We didn't have any winning tickets though!  Here's a picture of the old fire truck that has been replaced by a much newer one.

Ron Fonstad and Alan looking it over

Kristy and the girls went back to Førde, Norway last week. Here's a picture of Nora and Elly Clara, happy to be back home with Pappa.  They have been having a heatwave in their area with temperatures of 32ºC the other day, very unusual for Norway summers.

Welcome home at the Bergen airport

The annual service at Salem Lutheran Church, just two miles north of the Johnson farm, will take place on August 11th at 10:00 am.  It will take the place of the Sunday service at Trinity, Torquay which is held at 9:00 am. Lunch will be served by the Johnson family following the service.  Howard Johnson was born on that date in 1935. My mother, Hulda (Haaland) Erickson was born on August 11, 1919, one hundred years ago.  The lunch will be served in their memory and will include some Norsk dainties.  All are welcome to attend the service led by Pastor Danny Krause and to stay for lunch to follow.

It looks like my blog posts are now a monthly item so watch for the next one near the end of August.  If you add your email address at the beginning of the blog you will be notified when a new blog post is published.  Enjoy these summer holidays!

GRADUATIONS 2019

My 60th birthday with three grandchildren born in 2001
Birthdays: Carter Dec 26, Abbey Sept.7, and Dawson Jan.22
(The Mother Goose quilt made by Sandra now hangs in Elly Clara's room in Førde, Norway!)

I am the eldest of four siblings but was the last of the four to be a grandparent.  That happened in 2001 when I was blessed with three grandchildren that year!  Now in 2019 they are all in grade twelve and have graduated from High School.  Fortunately, the grad exercises were all on different weekends so we could take them all in and the cousins could be at all the grads too.

CARTER NICHOLAS JOHNSON

Posing at the farm where he's been working

The first graduation was for Carter Nicholas Johnson at Lampman High School on May 25th.  The banquet was held in Lampman Curling Rink and Alan and I were able to attend that too.  Each grad's family had their own table so we sat with Kirk, Shauna, Lindsay, Jamie and the parents of Carter's escort, Alissa .  The grads all sat at a long row of tables at the side of the rink.                        

Alan and Grandma

Following the meal we moved to Lampman School for the exercises.  Clare's and Laurel's joined us there.  Each grad was introduced and the emcee read a bit about each one.  There was also a slide show and several speeches.  This was followed by the Grand March, after the chairs were gathered up to make room for the dancers
     .

Carter and escort, Alissa 

Kirk, Shauna, Carter, Jamie, and Lindsay

A proud mom with her son!

Ready to dance!

Then family and friends were invited to Kirk's where we enjoyed a tasty lunch and lots of visiting in the Johnson's neatly decorated garage.

DAWSON DAVID DIEKRAGER

The second one to graduate was Dawson David Diekrager at Milestone School.  He took part of his grade 12 at Vanier Collegiate in Moose Jaw while he played hockey with the Moose Jaw Generals but was home to graduate with his class after hockey season ended.

Alan and I attended the banquet at the Hall in Milestone.  We were at the Diekrager table with Laurel, Greg, Grandma Gaylene, Auntie Danita, Shauna, and Kevin, who were Dawson's billet parents in Moose Jaw.

After the meal, we moved to the Milestone Rink that had been transformed by the grade eleven decorating committee into a Greek setting.   The grads were each introduced as they entered and were seated on stage.  The exercises consisted of speeches, toasts, special music from the school choir.

Eric, Laurel, Dawson, Greg, and Ashley

Dawson with Johnson cousins

Girls from Moose Jaw!

Dawson posing with Grandpa Danny's 1935 car
Dawson shares his initials DDD

ABBEY GABRIELLE JOHNSON

Abbey's grad took place after exams were all done, on Thursday, June 27.  We gathered at the Weyburn Comprehensive School for a punch reception at 2:00 followed by the Graduation Ceremonies at 4:00 in the Cugnet Centre.  It was full to overflowing and many people had to stand. (Alan choose to sit in the pickup!) Laurel and I were happy to find seats that weren't reserved. 

Each graduate was introduced and presented with a diploma.  There were several speeches, presentations of awards and special music by the school choir. 

Following the exercises, we gathered at Jodi and Clare's for a special meal in Abbey's honour.  Kirk's and Laurel's, as well as Jodi's sisters and brother,  were able to be there too.  (Terry flew from Edmonton on Wednesday and flew back Friday morning in time for the principal to be back for the last day of school!)

With Aunts Terry and Patti

Posing in the back yard and one taken earlier at the curling rink!

Alan, Abbey, and Grandma

Abbey with her Johnson cousins

Abbey with her proud parents

In the evening a Grand March was held back at the school at 8:00.

With escort Cody 

So now you have had a glimpse of these three special graduations.  It was wonderful to be at each one and realize that these "little kids" are now fine young men and a woman.  We are very proud of each of them and pray that they will make good choices as they mature and go out on their own.  Our love and prayers go with you!

I am going to publish this today but will be open to revisions or additions!