A Holocaust Survivor

For more than a month our community has been promoting an evening with a holocaust survivor and step-sister of Anne Frank. I bought two tickets right away and was really looking forward to hearing Eva Schloss and her holocaust experiences. I knew it would be more meaningful since we visited Dachau and that experience was very moving and memorable.

The event was scheduled to begin at 7 PM. We left the house at 6. We did not have reserved seats, but I knew we would have to get there 'early' to have a choice. I knew the location for the event was on the college campus and I was aware it was in the sports venue, BUT, I was surprised to learn we'd be on bleachers. Only the $250 and $150 tickets got chairs with backs on the arena floor. That's okay as Hubby and I did find bleacher seats along the top so we'd have a back rest, a cold, brick back rest, but a back rest. At 6:15, there weren't many of those spots available.

2500 tickets were sold. The audience included middle school and high school students, many Augustana students and the rest of us, ages 22 to 100.

Eva told about growing up in Vienna, Austria and shared photos of her home and family.  She told how her family of four fled to Belgium and then Amsterdam during the Nazi's invasions of European countries. Eva talked about meeting Anne and other children and their families who had escaped their homes. She shared her memories of being confined, having to hide from the Nazis and moving from one safe location to another. She talked about the capture of her family and the train ride to Auschwitz and the initial experiences at camp.

As she talked with her thick German accent and soft voice, I could visualize and feel her shame of standing naked before the German soldiers, her fear as she and her mother were separated from her father and brother, her despair when sleeping with seven other women on a 6 foot piece of wood...I was with her because I had visited Dachau and I had seen what the Jews, gypsies, political dissidents, homosexuals, and others had to endure during interment. I felt what those million souls had endured.

Eva Schloss is 90 years old, living in London. Her husband of 63 years passed away 3 years ago. She started sharing her concentration camp experiences in 1980 after Otto Frank, her step-father passed away. Eva's mother survived her time at Auschwitz but her father and brother did not. Otto Frank survived his time at Auschwitz, but his family did not. In 1953 Otto and Eva's mother married and moved to Switzerland where he shared his daughter Anne's diary of experiences leading up to their capture. When Otto passed away, Eva continued Otto's mission, of sharing not only Anne Frank's story, but her story and stories of other holocaust survivors. She has written two books.

The down-side to the evening was the sound system. Because we were sitting on one of the side set of bleachers, the amplification was less than desirable. Hubby said he heard very little of Eva's talk, even with his hearing aids. I felt I heard maybe 1 of every 10 words. Eva talked for 90 minutes, in an interview format, but once she got started with her story, the words flowed and flowed, with humor and heartbreak. Never Forget, Never Again.

Fall? Winter?

SD and many parts of the midwest were in a winter storm warning the latter part of this week. I don't think anyone is ready for winter, much less a winter blizzard which did happen in some areas. Schools were closed. Semis overturned on icy roads with the strong winds.

Here in the southern corner of the state our only evidence of the winter weather was...

the few snowflakes that stuck to the deck rug and

 evidence of the strong winds!

we will probably have to stake the new tree next spring

one of our neighbors' tree is a lovely red

and another a bright gold

the trees across the gully are still very green

Monday was one of those beautiful, perfect days for working outside. There had been enough rain recently so I was able to dig another 3 feet to the perennial flower bed where I planted a rhubarb plant I had nursed along all summer, and some tulip bulbs. I transferred the chives plant from the deck planter to the flower bed.  I also planted the 3 perennials I purchased in August when we bought the new Red Oak tree for the back yard. I scattered all the potting soil I had purchased, cleaning up that space in the garage. I moved some outdoor decor indoors, but not all of it as it is supposed to be fall-like weather next week.

* * * * * * * * * * * * 

I had 2 more OLLI classes this week. One was a bus tour of What's New in Sioux Falls? and the other a Mixed Media Pumpkins. Not certain what to expect other than knowing it was listed under the creative arts section and held in a carving (crafting?) room at the Pavilion...

our place settings

the mixed media pumpkin demo

work in progress

some tearing of paper to cover the display board as background

painting of paper to tear into crescents for our pumpkin

nearing completion

some painting of the background

before adding the final details

finished project

From Poults to Cutlets

The third and final interesting aspect of the Hutterite Colony tour was a visit to the turkey barns.

13,500 poults, all toms

one of four turkey barns

A Hutterite young-ish gentleman was our tour guide at the turkey barns. He has been taking care of turkeys since he was a kid, assigned to the turkey barns. These poults arrived just a week or so ago as a few days old. He and his crew have to 'train' the poults to go to the water and grain feeders. They do that by spreading different colored shreddings near the water containers as the poults can determine colors at a very early age of development. (He does not believe they are color-blind.)

green shredding can be identified among the floor material

Although I took notes as fast as I could on my phone, there were things I missed, like what is used for shredding material. I believe the colored shredding is paper. (You can see a green piece just below the C of my name.) The temperature in the barn is a consistent 92º and has a constant air flow/exchange. The barn did NOT smell as I was expecting it to smell. This colony raises turkeys for their breast meat. The turkeys are sold to a Tyson processing plant in Huron.

The poults stay in this barn for 4 weeks when they are moved to another barn where they are kept until they reach their desired weight of 46 pounds. The barn is then cleaned and disinfected and prepped for a new batch of poults. 

In reading about poults and from his talk, the little turkeys follow him as soon as he steps into the barn. (We were cautioned to be quiet at the viewing window, or the poults would rush to the window causing a stampede and possible suicides/deaths.) They are called poults until they are more than 4 weeks old.

I asked how he would know if there would be any dead poults in a group of 13,500 and he replied he walks through the barn often watching them scamper and follow. Imprinting. He opened the door and called to his little guy friends and they chattered back and scrambled to the open door. Someone is on duty at the turkey barns 24/7. I am thinking this barn requires the most observation.

This barn of 15,000 turkeys, hens and toms, are about two weeks from shipping. These birds are 17 weeks old, each weighing about 40 pounds. (Toms weigh more than hens.) I have to admit, it did not smell as badly as I remember the smell from the turkey barn across the road from our first home in Watertown. A west wind made your eyes burn some days! I have no idea the size of the barn, other than LONG. Although it can't be seen in this photo, the water and grain feeders are in lines under the row of lights.

He shared they have a barn of 14,000 and another of 19,000 all in various stages of growth and readiness for processing. It is 140 days from hatching to processing or maybe in their hands for 140 days. The colony grows and harvests the grain used to feed these turkeys. They also raise chickens and pigs for their own consumption, but no cattle.

The turkeys we buy this time of year, the 12-14 pound birds, take 16-22 weeks, and are most likely a different type of turkey, just as there are different breeds of chickens for different purposes.

This colony raises the turkeys for their breast meat. Remember that 8 oz. turkey cutlet we had for lunch during our visit? A very nice LARGE slice of meat, lightly breaded, which I cut in half. 

Diversified~A Challenge of the Times

According to hutterites.org, there are 462 Hutterite Bretherens located in Canada and the U.S., with most concentrated in Alberta (168), Manitoba (107), Saskatchewan (60) and South Dakota (54). June 2018 ~Google

Agricultural was the mainstay of the Hutterites when they migrated to the prairies of North America in 1874 and the reason for settling in the regions they did. The Hutterite population numbers around 45,000. I found an excellent website should you be more interested in learning about this population of people who keep to their 19th century customs and values. Hutterite.org

And just like many farmers today where one or both wage earners may have a job away from the farm, the Hutterites have also had to diversify, no longer relying totally on agricultural as their way of life. Such was the colony we visited.

This colony relies on fabrication to supplement the income needed to sustain the 15 or so families living in the colony. Metal fabrication is the creation of metal structures by cutting, bending and assembling processes. It is a value-added process involving the creation of machines, parts, and structures from various raw materials. ~Wikipedia

Our tour of the fabrication building started after lunch. Our morning guide was our guide in the HUGE metal building that began as creating the fenders and chrome parts for the cabs of Peterbilt trucks. She was knowledgable and answered our many questions.

the chrome parts area

This colony continues to produce chrome pieces for the truck cabs, but I understood they no longer make the fenders. 

The fabrication building had a huge, newer addition to the other end. There were less than a handful of Hutterite men working in this area, and as many English (their word for non-Hutterites).

this part of the building had 5 or 6 bays

where different fabrications were happening, or not

one man was running the machine that bent the side tabs

for these cement truck chutes

no human was in this area

small pipes were being cut while we were there...

...but these metal beams of various sizes were also

stacked in this area giving me the impression the machines

also made square and rectangular beams, as well as pipes

this machine lazar cut sheets of metal

no human was at this machine either

Our female guide told us the fabrication runs 24/7 or maybe 24/6?  (They do not work on Sundays). One person is there at night to make certain the machines run as programmed. Some of the men have gone to Technical School to have the skills needed to do these jobs. We were told, the colony does not have enough men, and that is the reason English are also employed in the fabrication department. 

We also visited the machine shop. I thought, what a waste. What a surprise!

one of the bays

there was a second one of the same size, also empty

they have their own firetruck

all five of our cars parked in the bay with the fire truck

and a semi could have driven in the center

we walked through a doorway and this combine greeted us

and on the far end of the building, two campers

Campers? you say...they go camping?

No. This colony bought the TrailManor company. It makes all the parts and sends them to another colony where the campers are assembled. Checkout their website: TrailManor. Talk about diversifying!

unknown contents of this building, but it gives

you the idea of its size

We did get to see one more of their diversified products, but I am saving that for the third post.

This is the school building with gymnasium on the far right. It hosts the 3 English classrooms, and two German classrooms. German school started this week with classes before English classes and a second German school will start next month and be held after English school, for all K-8 students. For now, the students all have required chores after school during daylight hours and having to do with the garden and crops.

This photo and the one above were taken from the entrance of the machine shop where we had all driven our cars out of the rain and mud.

This is a photo of two of the housing units. Our guide offered to show us her family home, but we graciously refused her offer. (Can you imagine 15 nosy English coming to your house unannounced?!) Her home is shared with her mother and father. She is the only child of 12 who lives at home. Her oldest brother has left the colony and lives in another SD community with his wife and children. Her youngest brother has also left the colony and Hutterite way of life. He and his wife (Guatemalan) live in Guatemala with their children. His wife speaks 4 languages! The sons and their families visit the colony and she and her parents travel and visit their sons and families. She has at least one sister living at this colony and I believe one lives in Canada in another colony.

The houses have a kitchen, dining area, living room or front room, bathroom, and as many as six bedrooms, as does hers. No televisions. The houses do not have a laundry area as the laundry is communal and in the lower level of the Main Building. So their homes, 2 or 3 to a unit, vary in size based on family size, are built around the Main Building. Research on the Hutterite.org site told me about 15 families live in a colony. The number of people in a community used to be around 125. Not the case now as the family size is smaller.

We also got to see their church.

the women were fall cleaning in the church

no hymnals, they sing a cappella at this colony

church on Sunday mornings, lasts an hour plus

men sit on one side, women on the other

Sunday School for the children in the afternoon

children under age 5 do not attend church on Sunday mornings

shorter services every evening before the evening meal,

according to hutterite.org

Okay. One more post about my visit to a Hutterite Colony

and another diversification for survival.

Feeding 100+

I have had a unique learning experience this fall through the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. A Watertown friend who learned about the program from her Sioux Falls friend, shared the OLLI information with me. I researched some topics and decided it could be a great way to learn about our new community, meet some people, and continue learning.

I registered for 10 'classes' in September and October. Some of the classes are during the day, some in the evenings; some for an hour or two, some like Tuesdays, lasting 6 hours. Classes cover many topics like yoga, trips to community businesses, funeral planning, photography, National Parks, health topics, art...you get the idea. I have attended 5 of the 10 and have been so pleased, learning something from each one and excited about the last 5.

On Tuesday I was one of 15 who visited a Hutterite Colony. What a learning experience! I am going to share that experience in 3 parts. I was given permission to take photos, using my phone.

Our tour started at the school, where we visited with the two English teachers, one K-3 and the other grades 4-8, saw their classrooms and students using chrome books for learning. We saw the classroom where older students can take high school classes in their 'free' time, usually in the evenings. When the students were dismissed for lunch, we followed to the Main Building for a tour followed by a meal.

The following photos are from our tour of the food preparation areas used/needed to feed a community of 100+ people. These photos, unless otherwise stated, are all from the lower level (basement) of the Main Building.

jars of canned tomatoes

also some salsa, salsa with jalapeños

and jars of cauliflower were on the stainless tables

2 LARGE boiling bath cookers

a vegetable washer

(and I think she said it peeled the tomatoes for canning)

the French fry press, attached to the wall...

...next to the vegetable washer

(carrot pieces at the drainage spout)

the chicken feather plucking machine

(they raise enough chickens for their use and 

a few others for sale)

the meat grinder/sausage maker

I have a hand meat grinder on a much smaller scale

parsley drying in the drying room

one of 3 storage rooms

bags of sugar in the forefront

some of their garden produce canned

and in storage in a second 'pantry'

and a third storage room

there were also large walk-in coolers, on both levels

Tuesdays are bread baking days. Sweet treats are made on Thursdays. Our guide would have been making and baking bread if not for our tour. Enough product is baked to last a week, until the next baking day.

loaves ready for the oven

the oven

4 or 5 shelves rotating in the oven

5 or 6 loaves on a shelf

baked white bread

rising bread unit

On the main level:

and upstairs, a table displaying the mornings baked loaves, white and multigrain

sacks of flour stacked in the back corner

dough mixer

All the bread dough had been mixed in the morning as the women (all of them) were on fall cleaning duty that afternoon. 

fresh, warm bread with our meal

salad and fresh vegetables

pickles and pickled watermelon

fresh green beans and carrots for a cooked veggie

homemade chicken noodle soup

baked potatoes and 8 oz. turkey cutlets 

The soup, beans, turkey and potatoes were served family style at our tables. We had a choice of water, milk, tomato juice, or a spinach/tomato concoction as our beverage choices. We served ourselves at the salad, pickles, and veggie bar.

The men sat on one side of the room at tables for eight. They sat in groups of two and did not talk to each other while eating. The women sat at tables of eight on the other side of the room and chatted with each other during the meal time. The meal was over when there was a prayer from the men's side of the room. The men got up, clearing their places, scraping their plates, and left the Main Building. Our next tour did not start until after 12:30 when the men had returned to their work station/assignment.

pumpkin pie for dessert

homemade and delicious

The children were served earlier. The dining area was cleared and cleaned for the adults. Maybe 12-15 men ate lunch, and maybe 20-25 women. I do not know if everyone got to enjoy pumpkin pie, or only the two tables of guests. Now that I think about it, I do not believe fresh baked bread was offered to the residents, only the two tables of guests and each table had their own loaf! I do know there was a rack of pie shells waiting on a rolling tray as we left the main floor, riding in an elevator (all 16 of us in the elevator) back to the lower level after our delicious meal. I also saw at least a dozen packages of bacon thawing on another rolling rack. Tomorrow's breakfast?

This colony has one head cook, but all the women help during their assignment lasting a week or two. Whomever is cooking decides what will be on the menu; they do not have a rotating menu like we had in school.

More of our tour in the next post...