Greetings on New Year's Eve

The Shopper has arrived early today to prepare us for all the activities for the New Year. Obviously, it is filled with ads wishing us all a great year.

We are already thinking ahead to the Fourth of July. There is a Spaghetti Feed Fundraiser on Jan. 10 from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. The Fourth is always a huge celebration here--in fact, some people come "home" on the Fourth rather than for Christmas. Most of the class reunions occur at that time and it is great to see everyone out walking around town.

The Community Ed. folks are already anticipating "Cabin Fever" and have just the cure for it with several programs coming up: There is a concert for families on January 13 in the school auditorium. "Jackpine Bob" Cary will present a general show of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and show slides of all seasons and our neighboring animals in the school library on January 26. Sam Cook, a Duluth columnist and author (Northern Exposures) will speak about why we live here and show slides on fishing, backcountry travel, wildlife, North Country characters, camping with kids, etc. Those are great programs coming up to break up the long winter nights in northern Minnesota.

We can now rent "Fountains of Passion" for our parties. A local entreprenneur has chocolate fountain rentals for parties. The WT's will have to plan a party utilizing one someday soon.
It's a pretty slim Shopper this week. More next week . . .

Beware the plows of December!

One of the neatest thing about living in a small town populated with many retirees is to see how things come to life in the morning--especially when we have received a snowfall.
The pick-ups with plows on them were out in force early, weaving in and out of the driveways of folks who had hired them to do their plowing. In a 2-block stretch, there must have been 4 plows. Those that could were out shoveling and snow-blowing at daybreak. By mid-morning most of the sidewalks, driveways, and streets were all cleared and people were sitting around drinking coffee and chatting.

Now we are just waiting for the next winter storm to hit later this weekend.

Back to "Full Force"

Had a larger group at coffee yesterday and today. It was nice to get caught up on all of the Christmas and family news. Some are still not walking for a variety of reasons--post-surgery, too slippery, working out at Curves earlier. At least, Lorraine didn't have to walk alone all the way today!

Quiet Day

Pretty quiet at the coffee table today--only three of us, but we had a good time. Both Helens are still gone; Tee, Pat, Sharon and Naomi still have family visiting; Mary has furnace problems, Emily, Irene, Elsie and Joan are gone. Looking forward to having more tomorrow.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from all of the Wonderful Walking Women (aka "Walkie Talkies")

Solstice Party

Our group celebrated their 3rd annual Winter Solstice party last night in the community room at Jo's new residence. The group was a bit smaller than the last two years, but we enjoyed good food and fellowship all the same. We were especially happy to have Pastor Ruth join us. She is a member who has moved to another location and we were so happy she could join us.

We were treated to a tour of Jo's apartment and then got down to the serious business of eating. Our dinner centered around the huge special sandwich which was purchased at our local bakery. That was augmented by a rice/spinach casserole, a tuna salad, dessert and lots of cookies and candies. None of us left hungry. Here we are busy eating.




After dinner, we had our photo session but without Jodie's professional touch. We will try to post a couple of pictures anyway. Then we had a time of candle lighting, sharing, and singing all very capably directed by Emily.



In the front are Jo, Anna, and Naomi. In back are Emily, Pat, Ruth, Irene, Tee, Lil, and Lorraine
The second photo of the group shows Joan in place of Emily.




Now we are all eagerly awaiting the lengthening days that we are promised after the Solstice.

Elderhostel attendees return home

This report is a bit delayed due to frantic Christmas preparations and a pesky root canal following our return to reality!

Our week was wonderful. We stayed at a Presbyterian Conference Center in Montreat, N.C. The center was beautifully decorated for the Holiday Season with garlands, wreaths, poinsettias, and even a sleigh by the huge fireplace which always had a fire going. We learned that Montreat, N.C. is the home of Billy Graham.

Our classes were themed around an Appalachian (that's pronounced App-a-lach-ian) Christmas. We heard stories from a wonderful story teller who had grown up in the mountains of the area. A lot of the stories were from her growing up years and her family, but could have been anyone's family. She had a wonderful way with words and a good sense of humor. At our last class session with her she taught us how to make little boxes out of old Christmas cards or calendars..... with the admonition, "Waste not, Want not".

Our other class was all about the Mountain Dulcimer. Believe it or not, we actually made dulcimers (cardboard, but amazingly good sounding) and of course worked at learning to play them. Our instructor was great and most patient with us. When we all played together, it really didn't sound too bad.

Another treat was our trip to the Biltmore Mansion one evening to view it all decked out for Christmas. There were 50 Christmas Trees throughout the mansion all decorated. And hundreds of poinsettias and other Christmas decorations everywhere. There were musical groups performing to add to the seasonal spirit. We also made a trip to the Grove Park Inn and viewed all of the Gingerbread houses that has been entered into this year's contest. This was really a fun event. The imagination and work on those houses is amazing.

We are back home and trying to get ready for Christmas ourselves....hope we make it!

Sunday School Program

Twenty seven children performed in their Sunday School program, "What Child is This?", this morning. The story was written by our local Pastor Bob. After some pre-rehearsal complaining by the angels, they did well. One little angel didn't see the point of being there and another said that she will never be an angel again, since they didn't say anything. Their job was to be joyful or scare the shepherds--they were sore afraid, after all. The shepherds were in their usual garb, clutching their staffs. One staff fell in a crash when the shepherd's dishtowel head dress fell over his eyes and he couldn't see his next move. There were very small stable animals with cardboard faces. One stable mouse bunny-hopped down the aisle to the manger. The three kings had elegant costumes sewn by a talented local seamstress. During rehearsal, a young narrator had a little trouble pronouncing "frank-in-sense and mire". There was a galaxy of beautiful golden walking stars leading the wisemen. The words were read nervously. The carols were sung with sparkly eyes. Once again, the baby Jesus came to earth. As the young narrator said, "That's what it's all about."

Pre-Christmas News from the Northland

There's quite a bit happening in our little "burg" before the holidays. The Shopper is one of our main means of communication with all sorts of wonderful news again.

The churches have ads and schedules for their Sunday School and Christmas programs. Many have candle lighting services on Christmas Eve. Most of us will be attending.

The local floral and gift shop has a nice ad with some ideas for last-minute stocking stuffers.

The music department is busy again. On Monday there is a Jingle Jazz Concert at the school.

Someone lost her boots at the Legion Party last week. Evidently, someone took her black boots with fur tops and left a pair with a blue sole and heel. We hope that hers will be returned/exchanged before long as she will really need them in our newly fallen snow.

The winners of the coloring contest, which was sponsored by the local bank, are listed. Some of the names seem to re-appear after all of the coloring contests. They must be pretty good!

Our neighboring town is hosting a Children's Christmas party on Wednesday at the Hockey Arena. Santa will be there, arriving on the fire truck at 6:45 p.m., after his ride around town from 5:00 to 6:00. It might be the place to be that night because they are holding drawings for bikes in addition to free skating, free pizza and pop, and a free bag of candy!

The same ad appears each week: Somone wants to buy old gas station, oil company and auto dealer signs. Also some logo-ed items. It doesn't appear to be a local 'phone number. Curious!

Wirtanen Farm cookbooks are available to purchase for Christmas gifts. The Wirtanen Farm is about 15 miles from town. One of our group is on the Board and we have hidden a geocache there, so we're always interested in what's happening there. We will have information about that coming up on our 'Blog soon.

There are several needlecraft classes being offered starting in January. Might be a good time to start a new project for Christmas next year!

More ads for Medicare Part-D. Will we ever understand it?

The local ski area is hiring food and beverage staff. Some of our group have been volunteer hostesses at the ski area and have enjoyed it. Don't think we will apply for "real" jobs, however. Been there, done that!

Curves already has an ad for losing weight after the holidays! It's a good thing that most of us already belong!

It appears that even this early, the local "watering holes" are getting ready for New Year's Eve. Many have their menus in the Shopper. Some will be having karoake--sounds as if it might be something that most of our group might miss, opting instead for a quiet evening at home.

More next week . . .

Christmas Spirit and Other "Doings" in the Northland

Just looking through the local Shopper and it makes me realize why it is so great to live in a small town. Although we are not living in Lake Wobegon, reading the ads almost makes it seem as if we are!

This week we can buy canvas book bags at the Public Library--2 sizes for only $10 or $15! This book bag project is sponsored by the Friends of the Library, a group that has donated money or books, and is a great marketing and fund-raising endeavor. The bags look great and there is a pocket in the front where we can put our library cards or ID's.

The Music Department at the school is very busy:

The jazz choir is presenting a dinner show on the 22nd. Tickets are on sale (advance sales only) for $15.00 and there will be limited seating. Sometimes we don't like to prepare that far in advance!
The Winter Concert on Monday, the 12th, features the junior high band, in the gymnasium. They will have raffle items and also a free will donation

Our ELCA church women are having their Christmas party on December 13th at the American Legion Club Rooms. This is a grand salute to the end of the 50th Anniversary year at the church. There will be some lively entertainment and singing (of course, they're Lutherans!).

We can register in various businesses to win a ham: 41 hams will be given away until December 16th. The local Chamber of Commerce sponsored this and turkey drawings before Thanksgiving.

The School's Youth Service Volunteers are having their annual fund-raising event for Project Elf, which is a large group of students that collect money from generous individuals that donate money or gifts to give to less fortunate families that might not have a bright holiday season without our help. The Walkie Talkies have been shopping for one of these families.

All the local seniors are very confused about the new Medicare Part D. That means that there are several ads from insurance agents offering their help in choosing the right plan (must mean THEIR plan is the right plan??).

It appears that the towing services are expecting a busy week with the snow that we've been having since there are ads by several different folks with plows on their pick-ups. Of course, many of them just like driving around town with the plows on their trucks!

There are some Finnish Folk Dance instructions coming up at a local Community Center! Should be great fun.

The local American Cancer Society Relay For Life committee is having a meeting this next week. Our local Relay raised over $62,000 last June to help fund research and services in the war against cancer. The WT's walked in several Relays. In fact, we won the prize for the most money raised by a team for the first two Relays. The last time we walked was 2004. Although we didn't raise the most money, we were the first team to raise over $5,000 (which means we were a "silver" team--very appropriate for the color of our hair??). The photo is of our team from that Relay.


There's the annual Lutefisk/Meatball dinner at a rural town hall tonight. Fortunately, it is 16 miles away, so we might not smell it!


Looks as if it will be a busy few weeks in town! That should help us during these short winter days!

Apron Stories

Mary has started a collection of vintage aprons and just added a few more this past weekend at an auction in Iowa. She brought several of them to coffee this morning to share with the rest of us.
It is great to see that magazines, newspaper, and even The Wall Street Journal are featuring stories about aprons. This is great for Mary--she's been designing apron patterns for the past few years using the ideas and shapes of old aprons and adding modern styles. Lots of people have memories about aprons and how the skirts were used to carry eggs from the chicken house to the kitchen and cucumbers from the garden to the kitchen. Other stories are of aprons drying the tears of young children. They were worn for work but turned over to expose a cleaner side when company or the preacher arrived. That's why she thinks it makes a lot of sense to make aprons reversible--in fact, her newest pattern is "Newfangled Reversible Aprons" and it includes sizes for adults and children and three styles of aprons (she gave each of us a free pattern last week). The pattern and Mary will be featured on "Sewing with Nancy" on PBS television in January. Check it out on the link to her website, Mary's Productions.

Thought for the Day

Take a moment today to remember fourth grade!

Jo to be on TV

Today Jo (who moved to a different town but is still a member of our group) was working out at her new club. A company was doing an ad which will be shown locally on commercial breaks during "Good Morning America." We will all have to watch for her "pumping iron" and doing some other exercises. She's (in)famous now!

Fireworks in December

This weekend, a Wiehnactfest in a neighboring town began Christmas for some of us. Friends, crafts and good food filled the crispy cold afternoon. The highlight of the weekend is the fireworks display, exploding into the dark overcast sky. The crowd on the street sings the "Star-Spangled Banner", thinking of our Armed Forces, with red, white and blue brilliant above. Christmas carols follow. The fireworks are but a nanosecond of how the glorious angel chorus must have sparkled in the universe. Our eyes and hearts are turned heavenward to Christmas--above the hurrying and scurrying, a wonderful beginning to the season.

Members off to Elderhostel in North Carolina

Tee and Joan are off to North Carolina for an Elderhostel. They generally attend several each year. An especially interesting one for the rest of the Walkie Talkies was one that the two of them attended in Pasadena, CA, last year. They studied the history of the Rose Bowl Parade and helped to decorate one of the floats. In fact, they purchased a flower vial with our group's name on it and it will be used each year in the parade. So--the Walkie Talkies are immortalized for years to come in the Rose Bowl Parade.
One of the things they will be enjoying this week is the Biltmore Estate, America's largest mansion. George Vanderbilt was the son of the wealthiest man in America at the turn of the century, and his home, Biltmore, is an outstanding example of the country estates built during the gilded age. We're sure we will hear many stories when they return--about the estate itself, about Christmas at the Biltmore, and about the winery (Hopefully, they will be doing some sampling at the latter!).

Good Drivers

Three of our Walkie Talkies took the Defensive Driving refresher course this morning. So, now we are all brushed up on our roadway skills. This was an easy class to take. It was taught by a Highway Patrolman and he had lots of true stories to illustrate all the points and it made the course so much better than the usual where the instructor reads the manual to the group. The class was to last from 8:30 to 12:30 but we were back home by noon and had two breaks for coffee and donuts besides! We have already mailed our proof of taking the course in to our insurance companies.

Winter Woes

Rain yesterday followed by sleet and then snow. Very windy today. When Margaret was with us, we didn't talk much about the weather as most Minnesotans still do. She probably figured that there wasn't anything we could do about it anyway and we had made the decision to live in northern Minnesota. At any rate it is windy and cold and winter is really upon us now.

After the Thanksgiving Feast

Thanksgiving feasts are over and we had better continue with our work-outs so that we can keep on eating during the rest of our holiday celebrations. Curves for Women opened in our town 3 years ago and many in our group have joined. Some work out before coffee in the morning, some right afterwards and others later in the day. The photo on the top is what we see inside each day and hope that we can look like that after all of our hard work! The photo of a group of us by the Curves sign was taken just before the club opened and right after we had attended a tea party (We don't normally dress like that!).

Thanksgiving--Awhile Ago by Helen S.

As Thanksgiving approaches, my thoughts turn to our Thanksgiving dinner we enjoyed during the Depression. Our turkeys were raised on our farm along with chickens and ducks--we watched them strut around all summer, with tail feathers spread. They would reach weights of 25-30 pounds and one of these birds would enhance our dinner table along with the vegetables we grew, stored and canned. Even sage was grown and dried for the dressing.
Ours was truly like the feast enjoyed by the Pilgrims at the first Thanksgiving. I can still smell the aroma of the roasted bird. Oh, yes--dinner was topped off with home made pumpkin pie!
We always enjoy Helen's stories.
We all wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving!

The Applique Queen

Our resident author, Mary (see link for Mary's Productions), spoke to the local ELCA women's group at the church last night. She gave a demonstration on folding napkins from one of her books and included the group in the folding project. Mary also talked about her sweatshirt appliques, her new poncho patterns, her fabric designs and her apron patterns, especially the "Church Lady Apron." The photo is of Mary with our Lt. Governor, Carol Molnau, in an apron that Mary made for her. We invited the Lt. Gov. to join us for walking and talking; you can see from the photo that she took us up on it (a future story for our 'Blog).
Mary is the youngest member of our walking group and works out of her home office, which makes it easy for her to walk with the group. She gives seminars and attends trade shows all over the country and regales us with stories about her trips when she returns.
Mary coordinates our Margarita Night outings, attended a tugboat christening in California, and is half of "The Midwest Ya-Ya Sisters" with her friend Rita at seminars. We will share some of those stories in future 'Blogs.

Knowledge Bowl by Joan

I have just returned home from the Junior High Knowledge Bowl Tournament and am happy to announce that the Mesabi East Team took second place. They are now the proud possessors of a trophy. For those of you unfamiliar with Knowledge Bowl (we call it KB for short), it is a competition similar to Jeopardy. I have volunteered as a reader ever since I retired 9 years ago. I get to play Alex Trebeck in my role as reader and actually have more power than he does as we don't have a group of judges sitting off stage to make decisions for us. But then, we don't offer big bucks as prizes either. As I mentioned today was the Junior High Tournament and the teams that competed today had won that opportunity by performing well throughout the season which began in early October. There were 22 teams competing today. Next week we will have the Elementary and Junior Varsity Tournaments. Then we have a vacation until January when the Sr. High season starts.

Today's tournament went on in spite of very bad roads. There were no school closing though so teams showed up for the competition. That is part of life in Northern Minnesota!

Winter Wonderland

We awoke to some snow this morning. Some brave members walked the 1.5 miles to our coffee spot while others drove. Some think it is a "Winter Wonderland" and some of us wonder why we live in this land in the winter! The snow is probably here to stay now. Actually, we have had a mild autumn and this is almost late to have snow.

Rules for the group.

We have a few rules for our group: no gossip, minimal grandchildren photos (but we can use our 'blog to post them), no recipes (we'd rather eat out). We pledge to enjoy life, support the community and support each other.

We are the Walkie Talkies, aka, "Wonderful Walking Women"

The Walkie Talkies are a group of women who have been walking together for over 20 years. The group ranges in age from 58 to 85. We walk and share stories and opinions that stretch for generations. We consider it "inner jogging" because of the belly laughs we enjoy--we feel it leads to good health for all of us. We are/have been teachers, nurses, a stockbroker, a school principal, a real estate agent, an author, a flight attendant, a pastor, secretaries, a farmer, a rural mail carrier, a pastor's wife, home executives and business owners, mostly retired. We have cried with and supported each other through widowhood, divorce, death of a member and Alzheimer's.
Theses photos were taken at our Winter Solstice parties in December, 2004 (upper) and 2003 (lower). We will celebrate the Solstice on December 21 this year.