CLIFFORD – President Carol Reiner welcomed nine members to the Merry Makers senior meeting on Feb. 6 at Jamesway Manor in Clifford.
A moment of silence was observed for the passing of Gladys Zimmerman and Edie Henry’s nephew.
Later, Happy Birthday was sung to Doris Jaunzemis.
Reinhard and Carol Lange demonstrated how to turn milk bags into sleeping mats for people in third world countries. Reinhard took a bag, sliced off the handle, opened the bottom, and cut the bag into three pieces. He tied the three pieces together and showed how to weave the looped pieces through the loom starting in the middle.
Reinhard constructs looms out of butternut or willow wood saved from his farm. The frame is marked, holes drilled, and finishing nails secured – 32 along the top and bottom, and 89 along the sides. Once 395 strips have been woven, Reinhard uses a crochet hook to finish the edges and pop the mat off the loom.
Now it is ready to be shipped to Lutheran World Relief in Winnipeg.
Carol Lange noted, “The mats will then be shipped where they are needed around the world. Years ago, many were shipped to Haiti and Africa.”
The milk bags that surround the three bags of milk are antibacterial, don’t mould, dry easily, and won’t absorb moisture, making them ideal mat making material. Reinhard uses 132 milk bags for each of his mats. His loom is secured on a frame downstairs in his home where he can work on his hobby at his leisure. Many people save their milk bags and drop them off at the St. John’s Lutheran Church and Knox United Church in Clifford. Reinhard was given a bag full of milk bags and Mary Mighton offered to take them and cut them into strips making Reinhard’s weaving go that much quicker.
Reinhard is willing to teach others how to create these mats and would even provide a weaving loom. If interested call at 519-327-8803.
The rest of the afternoon was spent talking about Valentines, sharing ideas on how to help others and enjoying Valentine treats.
In 2008, a scrapbook was started to profile each member of the Merry Makers. Reiner would like to bring the book up-to-date, so each person received a form to get them thinking about what they would tell others of their life.
Sean LeMay of Clifford Take Out brought pizza and caesar salad for lunch along with cherry cheesecake made by Reiner.
Meetings are held the first Thursday of most months usually at 1:30pm at Jamesway Manor. However, the group does not meet in July or August, they go to the Belmore Maple Syrup Festival in April, and sing at the Fordwich Nursing Home in September.
Each month, the host sets the program and often invites guest speakers.
Currently, there are a dozen ladies in the group. The meetings are open to all seniors and membership is $3.
