Today I am posting only one photo. Nature is quite a bit behind in our neck of the woods in Western Canada. Normally the cherry trees would have already shown their blossoms and the plum trees would have put on their white dress. Last week I caught the late bloomer of a daffodil in the brilliant morning light. Truly a harbinger of spring! Enjoy.
“flight
1 a journey made through the air, especially a scheduled journey made by an airline
2 the action of fleeing, such as flight from turmoil
The New Oxford American Dictionary”
On April 6, 1966 Biene’s best friend Ulli pulled up her Mercedes at Elisabeth Street 9 to pick up Biene and her mother and drive them to the Düsseldorf Airport. Having taken the passenger liner Ryndam the year before, I was unable to give Biene any advice on the best possible airline route from Germany to Calgary. The Frankfurt International Airport would have been a better choice. For it was then and still is one of the busiest travel centres with non-stop flights to all major destinations including Calgary. As it turned out, Biene’s odyssey with two stop-overs, one in Paris, the other one in Montreal, was going to be the last endurance test on her patience, which had already been stretched to the limit of her strength during the past twelve months.
After the final farewell and one last appeal from her mother to keep her independence (meaning not to get married), Biene stepped onto the regional plane to Paris. She was travelling light, although in those days airlines were far more generous than today with the weight of your luggage. Her suitcase contained only the most essential articles of clothing and personal effects. Perhaps her mother perceived it as a hopeful sign. The sweet illusive prospect of having her daughter back by Christmas had made her departure a little easier to bear.
In the late afternoon, Montreal time, Biene had just made herself comfortable at the window seat on the plane bound for Calgary. Tired and a bit exhausted from the long journey across the Atlantic and the tedious passport control by Immigration Canada, she let her thoughts and feelings dwell on the joyful moment awaiting her at the Calgary Airport and on the time together with me in our humble basement suite. She could barely contain her excitement mixed in with the fear of the man whom she only knew, except for a very few visits, through their three years of correspondence. Yet, it was a pleasant fear, as she described it in one of her last letters to me. She managed to calm herself knowing that the love she felt for me would overcome all fear.
Suddenly an announcement over the intercom brought her back to the immediate presence. In a calm and reassuring tone the pilot explained that due to some engine problems he would have to fly back to Montreal. When Biene looked outside, her eyes became glued in horror to the engine on the left wing. A trail of thick smoke was pouring from the defective engine. Fortunately, a short time later the plane landed safely, but caused a two-hour delay for the passengers on their flight to Calgary.
In the meantime my brother Gerry (Gerhard) and I were getting ready to pick up Biene at the airport. The Chinook winds, which had brought spring-like weather to the city of Calgary less than a week ago, now yielded to the cold front chilling to the bones everyone who was foolish enough to venture outdoors. I was grateful to my brother and his wife Martha for providing accommodation for Biene until the time of the wedding. Biene seemed to have forgotten that this arrangement was part of the conditions we had to fulfill for getting her landed immigrant status. ‘Tempora mutantur et nos mutamur in illis.’ Times are a-changing and liberally minded people may scratch their heads nowadays and ponder in mockery and disbelief over this old-fashioned provision by Canada Immigration of the 1960’s.
At the airport we found out to our great dismay that Biene’s plane was delayed by two hours. I admired Gerry’s patience for having to wait that long before he could drive back to his home in southeast Calgary. This being Wednesday he had to work the next day. And I had a psychology lecture to attend in the morning. Shortly after midnight we were standing at the gate, through which the first bunch of travellers were passing and were being received with cheerful hellos from friends and relatives. As their number dwindled to a trickle and the flight attendants were marching through the gate, Gerry noticed the grave expression on my face and in his own peculiar way to cheer me up remarked matter-of-factly, “Don’t worry, Peter. Biene is not coming.”
He had barely finished teasing me, when a figure, rather slim and bundled up in a black coat emerged all alone in the doorway. The fluorescent light gave her a pale appearance. But her smile upon seeing me was unmistakably Biene’s. Weaving our way through the remaining stragglers we approached each other faster and faster like driven by powerful magnets feeling the overwhelming forces of attraction every step of the way. Then we embraced and kissed each other, while Gerry looked on amazed at the sheer length of time we took just to say hello.
So it came to pass that exactly one year after we had kissed each other good-bye in Germany, Biene and I were wondrously reunited at the Calgary Airport.
End of Book I
Ihr erinnert euch sicher, dass Albert Schweitzer am Beginn seiner Arbeit im Urwald nur zwei Helfer hatte. Diese waren seine liebe und tüchtige Frau Helene und der afrikanische Koch Joseph. Doch später kamen immer mehr treue Helferinnen und Helfer hinzu. Eine von ihnen war Emma Haußknecht. Sie war zuvor Lehrerin und stammte wie Albert auch aus dem Eisass. Nachdem sie von Albert Schweitzer gehört hatte, gab sie ihren Beruf auf und ging im Jahr 1925 auch nach Lambarene, um ihm zu helfen. Dort wurde sie im Urwaldkrankenhaus Pflegerin. Über 30 Jahre wirkte sie an der Seite des Urwalddoktors.
Emma Haußknecht war eine sehr kluge und fleißige Frau mit viel Herz für die leidenden Menschen, aber auch für die Tiere. Emma leitete den ganzen Haushalt der Klinik. Sie achtete auf den Koch, dass er das Essen sauber zubereitete und das Trinkwasser lange genug abkochte. Von ungekochtem Wasser konnte man nämlich sehr krank werden. Sie achtete auch darauf, dass die Bettwäsche und die Nachthemden der Kranken gründlich gewaschen und wieder geflickt wurden, wenn sie eingerissen waren.
Sie pflegte den Garten, in dem Obst und Gemüse wuchsen. Sie leitete den Bau der Häuser, wenn Albert Schweitzer nicht im Hospital war, schrieb Briefe, führte Buch über die Rechnungen und war bei den Afrikanern eine beliebte und geachtete Frau. Auch hielt sie in ganz Europa Vorträge über das Leben im Hospital und sammelte Spenden für die Pflege der Kranken in Lambarene. Ihr wisst ja schon, dass es im Urwaldhospital nicht nur Menschen gab, um die man sich kümmerte. Es lebten dort auch viele, viele Tiere, die verletzt oder auf andere Weise in Not geraten waren. Aber man hielt dort auch Haustiere, weil man Nahrungsmittel brauchte. So gab es viele Ziegen, die gemolken wurden, um den kleinen Kindern wenigstens eine Tasse Milch am Tag geben zu können. Auch fütterte man Hühner, um Eier zu erhalten. Denn eine Kaufhalle, in der man schnell einmal ein paar Milchflaschen oder Eier kaufen konnte, gab es im Urwald natürlich nicht.
Um alle diese Tiere sorgte sich auch die treue Emma Haußknecht. Mit den Hühnereiern hatte sie aber auch manchmal ihre Probleme. Im Hühnerstall befanden sich nämlich Nester, in die die Hennen ihre Eier legen konnten. Damit die Hennen wussten, wozu diese Nester gebaut worden waren, legte Emma weiße Gipseier hinein. Auf sie sollten sich die Hühner dann gemütlich setzen und ihre eigenen Eier dazu legen. Das taten sie auch, denn die Hühner sind gar nicht so dumm. Aber es gab im Hospital leider auch kleine Spitzbuben und Schlingel. Einer von ihnen beobachtete, wie Emma an einem schönen Tag einen Korb voller Eier aus dem Hühnerstall trug und in die Hospitalküche brachte. Der Schlingel aber dachte: „Diese Eier könnte ich auch selber essen!“ Nach einer Weile schlich er sich in den Hühnerstall und erblickte dort in jedem Nest ein weißes Ei. Schnell steckte er sich die Eier in die Tasche und verschwand in seiner Hütte. Doch am nächsten Tag lief er schreiend zu Emma Haußknecht und rief: „Diese Eier sind verzaubert!“ „Warum?“, fragte ihn Emma. „Sie sind hart wie Stein und man kann sie nicht essen!“, schimpfte der Schlingel. Emma fasste die Eier an und merkte sofort, dass es die Gipseier aus dem Hühnerstall waren. Da schimpfte nun auch sie auf den Spitzbuben: „Du hast die Eier gestohlen! Die sind nicht verzaubert, sondern aus Gips! Zur Strafe für diesen Diebstahl wirst du jetzt den Hühnerstall ausmisten!“ Der Schlingel war ganz verlegen, denn es tat ihm leid, dass er gestohlen hatte. Außerdem schämte er sich, weil ihn seine Freunde auslachten und riefen: „Das geschieht dir recht! Du bist nicht nur ein Dieb, du bist auch noch ein Dummkopf!“ Schnell machte sich der Schlingel daran, den Hühnerstall zu säubern und seine Schuld zu büßen. Er hat es auch nie wieder getan, und Emma hatte ihm längst alles vergeben.
Aber die gute Emma hatte auch ein „Baby“. Das war kein kleines Menschen-Kind, sondern ein junges Äffchen. Es hieß Fiffi und war ein Schimpansen-Kind. Schimpansen sind übrigens die nächsten Verwandten des Menschen und haben viele Eigenschaften mit uns gemeinsam. Fiffi war ein ganz liebes Tier und hing dem Fräulein Emma stets an der Schürze. Für Fiffi war Emma so etwas wie eine Mutti. Der kleine Fiffi hatte nämlich keine richtige Mutter mehr. Ein böser Jäger, der durch den Urwald geschlichen war, hatte die Schimpansenmutter mit seinem Gewehr einfach totgeschossen. Jemand hatte das verlassene Schimpansen-Kind im Laub liegen sehen und aufgehoben. Es war ganz hungrig und hatte Angst. Sein kleines Gesichtchen war richtig schrumpelig und traurig anzusehen. Der Finder brachte das Äffchen zu Fräulein Haußknecht, die sich beim Anblick des kleinen Wesens erschreckte. Doch sie nahm es an sich und fütterte es wie ihr eigenes Kind. Sie gab ihm mit einem Fläschchen warme Milch und mit einem Löffel etwas Reisbrei mit Zucker. Den Brei pappte das Tierchen am liebsten. Fiffi nahm nun Fräulein Emma als neue Mutti an. Ohne sie würde es ja verhungern oder von Schlangen gefressen werden. Emma musste ihr „Baby“ nicht nur füttern, sondern es auch in Windeln einwickeln, damit es nicht sein Körbchen und das Zimmer verschmutzte. Im Urwald war das natürlich alles nicht nötig, aber hier im Hospitaldorf musste alles schön sauber bleiben. So hatte Fräulein Emma neben ihrer vielen Arbeit im Hospital auch noch ihr Tun mit ihrem Fiffi. Einmal war etwas ganz Ulkiges passiert. Emma kam plötzlich ganz aufgeregt aus der Küche gelaufen und rief: „Wo ist Fiffi?“ Sie fürchtete, dass ihr „Baby“ weggelaufen sein könnte und von Hunden gebissen, von Schlangen gefressen worden wäre. Oder ist es gar im Ogowefluss ertrunken? Doch alle Leute, die das aufgeregte Fräulein Haußknecht sahen, mussten laut lachen: Fiffi hatte sich auf Emmas Rücken festgeklammert, wie es junge Äffchen im Urwald bei ihren Müttern tun. Fräulein Emma aber hatte das gar nicht bemerkt und hatte ihren Fiffi gesucht, obwohl er fröhlich an ihrem Rücken hing.
Before I delve into the next blog series about my Aunt Anna (the eighth child of Friedrich and Emma Klopp), I would like to share a short video which I filmed on Easter Sunday. My wife and I decided to go to our beloved Taite Creek Campground and venture out for a canoe ride on the blue waters of the Arrow Lake. While my nature-loving wife was paddling, still young at heart she was happily singing a German boating song. Enjoy.
The message of this reblogged post is loud and clear: As a successful gardener, for planting do not go by the calendar, but read the signposts of Mother Nature.
As gardeners in the colder climates, we are waiting to finally sow and plant things, and every year, there is this question of when to get what into the ground. Instead of looking at calendars and weather forecasts, though, all you need to do is look at your yard for cues because nature tells you when the time is right. The study of these signs is called Phenology, and it is really quite helpful for every gardener. Below, you find two example lists, one sorted according to cues, the other according to vegetables, for your consideration. While cues are different in every region, the following examples list plant cues that are quite common from sea to shining sea. Happy gardening!
Cues
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Our human compassion binds us the one to the other – not in pity or patronizingly, but as human beings who have learnt how to turn our common suffering into hope for the future.
Nelson Mandela
March 17th, 1966 Velbert
My dear Peter,
Today in anticipation of spring the sun was shining its warm rays into our office and distracted me from my work. Herr Richter, a very understanding and capable department head remarked that I was in my thoughts already in Canada. But as brightly the sun may be shining and as much I long to be happy and light-hearted, it does not look as cheerful inside me. My father is very sick. He had suffered a stroke and must get rest for a very long time. I am sure that the excitement about me contributed to his illness, but the main cause was clearly his unhealthy life style. Dear Peter, you can imagine how things are now with me. Now that I can come to you, I cannot stand it here at home anymore. Also the barely concealed accusations that I am responsible for my father’s illness are tormenting me. I had been so happy after my trip to Cologne. Now I feel the full force of despair all over again. After an encouraging and conciliatory talk with my mother I had immediately booked my flight with the travel agency for April 6 to be with you already for Easter. Everything appeared to be so promising and now … If my father quickly recovers, I will not postpone my flight; for I believe that the tension caused by my planned departure is harming him more than the certainty that I will be going away soon. I believe that it will be a relief for all of us, as hard as it sounds.
You are right, Peter. In England I was much stronger and also much happier. I could concentrate on myself and attempt to be myself, whereas here I am being torn apart by people, who love me, but wish to decide over my life according to their own ideas of happiness. Nobody can imagine that I wish for myself a totally different life and everybody tries to keep me away from my impending disaster. But they have no inkling that this way they make me and themselves unhappy. I know that it is right to come to you, even though many people think it is cruel.
I am looking forward to seeing you and spending the evenings with you in the tiny apartment. We will certainly then forget all the things which have burdened our hearts. And I hope that in your dreams you will no longer have to sleep with other girls. For me as well temptations have been a constant threat. In England I had my freedom and your love in my heart. That gave me so much strength that I could easily resist the temptations. Even in my dreams I wasn’t searching for a more beautiful reality. Everybody liked me and also everybody knew that I love you. Here at home unfortunately everything is different. I cannot bear it any longer that I must hurt them so much. And yet I love you and I have made my decision. Sometimes I am in a state that I want to numb my senses. But have no fear. I will endure the remaining time I am here.
Now I am almost finished with my letter and have not yet thanked you for your long letter, which gave me a much needed lift. I am happy to hear that you have so much success with your studies. I will make certain that I will not be a distraction to your final exams when I am with you. Now, dear Peter, let us hope that I may soon come to you.
Be now sweetly embraced and kissed
Your Biene
P.S. By the way my inner calendar is very exact. Perhaps it is not good at all to worry so much about it.
March 25th , Calgary
My dear Biene,
I remember very well the time when I wrote you the first long letter. Just like three years ago I am sitting in the warm spring sun and hope that it will bring some warmth into my lines.
Your birthday letter has reopened the locked chambers of my heart with power and might, and a flood of new ideas is pouring out about our near future, our little apartment, our weekends in the city or at the lakes in the mountains. With so much joyful tension and anticipation I can barely concentrate on my studies and I am longing for a break from my intensive work.
Only at night time I am still being plagued by ‘nightmares’, which constantly warn me against the wedding soon to take place. They whisper threateningly that we both don’t have the assurance of the heart to throw ourselves into such an adventure. But in the light of a new day I always return to my confidence and trust. I have been searching deep within me and often discovered that the very weaknesses I had attacked most fiercely in you lie also hidden in me. You were in deep trouble, almost in a state of desperation. There weaknesses emerged in a way that greatly disappointed me. But after some time through self-discovery I was able to understand them. I wished you wouldn’t worry about this my disappointment any more. In the atmosphere, where nobody dictates what our happiness should look like, let us work on the healing of soul, spirit and mind and let us try to overcome our weaknesses.
I am little ashamed that you are a bit afraid of me. Perhaps I have sometimes given you cause for such fear through my seemingly cold behaviour. Perhaps you even believed that your father’s illness could provide the answer to my last urgent question. Now that I did not receive any reply, I had to assume of course that you are sticking to your original plans. In the meantime your parents will have received my letter, in which in very kind words I have adopted your and your mother’s position and reassured your parents that you would not be in any kind of danger. I hope my letter will contribute to alleviate their fears. I also wrote that I was sorry if they felt insulted by my letter last Christmas. Hopefully you will understand that I could not apologize for what I had written. The strength to overcome my reluctance to write and to fulfill all your wishes came from the returning trust that from now on everything between us will develop normally and we two will forget the ‘sick’ period of the last three months. Should we not learn to trust each other, then spiritually speaking we will have built our relationship on sand and I will have no more hope. I am looking forward to make a little paradise out of our apartment. We will achieve this with love, imagination, and our skilful hands.
Thanks for the many kisses. It’s too bad that I was only allowed to imagine them and did not receive them right away.
Please write when the plane arrives in Calgary, so I can pick you up.
Greetings in love
Your Peter
March 26th, Velbert
My dear Peter,
Finally after a long time I have a quiet evening, which I want to devote to you right away. Normally there is always somebody here for a visit, even though I am not always in a sociable frame of mind and would prefer to be alone with my thoughts. Today it snowed so hard and the streets were so slippery that my friend Ulrike, who had come in spite of it all, immediately drove home again.
Now I sit at my desk, on which I had written so many letters. A little oil lamp, which a friend had given to me for my birthday, is spreading a soft light that creates a dreamy atmosphere. And so it also happens that I am playing my opera records. But ‘Don Giovanni’ will come last, when I am already in bed and have switched off the light. You must feel for sure, what I am thinking. Indeed it would be wonderful, if you were with me now. God willing it will not be long until I can come to you. Thank God, my father is on the road of recovery. We all are breathing a sigh of relief.
In the next couple of days I will finally book a flight. Yesterday my passport with all its pertinent papers stamped and cleared ready for the flight came back from Cologne. I am getting more and more excited. Hopefully at least you will stay calm before the exams.
I have to work for another five days. During the last month I have become so accustomed to my work that I thoroughly enjoyed it. This was especially due to the very pleasant department, in which I had been placed. I would really love to work in Calgary at an office of a large company, if that will be possible. Do you think, we will find something suitable?
My dear Peter, how can I possibly control my excitement, until I am with you? I feel it more and more. Dear Peter, I must not carry on thinking of all these things. Otherwise my fantasy will run wild and I will get sick with excitement, Hopefully I can soon pass the exact date of my arrival on to you.
My dear Peter, try also to remain as calm as possible. But I believe, even if I had to travel to the Shah of Persia, I would not be as excited as now at the thought of coming to you.
For now be lovingly embraced by your Biene
March 29th, Velbert
My dear Peter,
Very quickly the most important information! I just returned from the travel agent. The flight is booked and paid for. Next week on Wednesday, April 6th I take off at Düsseldorf at 13 hours and will arrive in Calgary at 22 hours local time.
I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your kind words with the good news in your last letter. I also thank you for writing to my parents. I am so happy about it. Your letter was well received by them. My father is getting better. I just don’t know how to manage to visit your mother in the remaining days. Unfortunately, my parents had also in this regard thrown obstacles in my way …
Dear Peter, although I did not do everything right in your eyes, I ask you for understanding. Unfortunately, it is true that letters can only reflect a fraction of the life and character of a person. Now I have to close and say goodbye.
Pray that all will be well.
Your Biene
The Peter and Gertrud Klopp Family 