With Irene and the Belize group now back from their travels, we are almost at full strength. Mary had the Belize photos at coffee today and we could tell that they certainly enjoyed themselves!
Joan is the only one that is gone now. We've gotten several emails from her and it sounds as if she is having a great time. She's seen lots of wildlife--kangaroos, crocodiles, koalas, foxbats. She's also ridden on a camel! She's seen some beautiful sunrises and sunsets and the Great Barrier Reef. We can barely wait for her next emails and to see her photos.
One of our WT's, Lil, has now moved to an apartment in a nearby town. It is the same apartment building as Jo, so they should see each other. We will be planning a lunch outing in the next week or so. She promised to keep drink glasses so that we can enjoy a Margarita in her new place!
Laurie was the Maid to the High Priest at the ecumenical Lenten Service last night and did an outstanding job. With all that she has going on, it's amazing that she got it all done!
Ten of us WT's are taking a "field trip" to the Twin Cities to the Plymouth Playhouse to see the Church Basement Ladies. We're leaving on Wednesday, April 19th, having dinner at the Green Mill, seeing the play that night, and returning the next day. It should be a great trip because everything--the play, dinner, and the hotel--are all in the same place. Mary (see the link for Mary's Productions) has church lady aprons for all of us to wear, so we should really make a splash when we all walk in together!
Lots and lots of rain here today. It's not that good, however, since the ground is still frozen and there is no place for it to go. Everyone at coffee today was worried about sump pumps keeping up with all of it.
Friday, March 31, 2006
Monday, March 27, 2006
Shopper--A Little Late, But . . .
Sorry for the delay to our local Shopper news, but better late than never!
April 2-8 is National Week of the Young Child. The local Early Childhood Coalition has arranged to display artwork in several local businesses to acknowledge this week. Two of the mayors have issued proclamations indicating the support of the local communities for this event. One mayor recognizes the need for early childhood educational opportunities and encourages us all to become advocates for programs that support childhood learning activities. The other mayor encourages us all to make a good investment in early childhood education in the town. Great support!
The American Cancer Society Relay For Life is scheduled for June 23-24. There will be a kick-off rally on April 25. We are all encouraged to form a team to Relay to put an end to cancer! The WT's will probably sit out again this year, but we have been very loyal supporters in the past and many of us will still donate to the event.
It looks as if we could pick up some extra income by becoming a school bus driver! Methinks the WT's will skip this one--all kids are raised and out of the house, so why would we need THAT aggravation! There's also an application for a janitorial position at the school. I think NOT! We could also become carriers to deliver one of the regional newspapers. Perhaps NOT! We all think that retirement is the best job that any of us has ever had (except for Mary who is still working).
It must be that some fund-raisers have had it with spaghetti dinners. There is a Swedish Meatball Dinner on Saturday, April 1st. No foolin'!!!
One of the Lutheran churches is having its annual rummage sale on Saturday. We can fill a bag for $2.00. It's hard to believe at those prices, but they will raise a bunch of money. The proceeds will go to finance Day Camp--2006. A very worthy cause. There will be more rummage sales at the churches coming up in May. Once the snow is gone and spring is here we can count on a full page of rummage sale ads in the paper.
The Spring Community Education calendar takes up a full page. We can walk the hallways in the school early in the morning--might not be a bad idea on some of these slippery spring mornings. We could play volleyball in the evenings or participate in low impact aerobics. There are also plenty of after school programs for youth--drivers' training, study hall and computer lab, art club, chess club and swimming lessons. There is always something to do in our small towns!
As we get closer to the May deadline for the Medicare Rx sign-up, there are a heck of a lot of ads from insurance agents encouraging us all to set up an appointment to talk to one of them. They are really wanting to be helpful, I guess.
The menu for the recently opened A&W Drive-In is in the paper for all of us to clip out and put on our fridges so that we can phone in orders to pick up. It is a busy place!
The School referendum is still the hot topic with several ads urging us all to vote "Yes." Those of us who are going to be gone on April 4 can cast absentee ballots early--even on Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. One of our own WT's has a small ad indicating that she supports the referendum. Evidently, someone thought that this retired teacher was against it and she took out the ad to be sure that everyone knows she is in favor of it. Good for her!
Back next week!
April 2-8 is National Week of the Young Child. The local Early Childhood Coalition has arranged to display artwork in several local businesses to acknowledge this week. Two of the mayors have issued proclamations indicating the support of the local communities for this event. One mayor recognizes the need for early childhood educational opportunities and encourages us all to become advocates for programs that support childhood learning activities. The other mayor encourages us all to make a good investment in early childhood education in the town. Great support!
The American Cancer Society Relay For Life is scheduled for June 23-24. There will be a kick-off rally on April 25. We are all encouraged to form a team to Relay to put an end to cancer! The WT's will probably sit out again this year, but we have been very loyal supporters in the past and many of us will still donate to the event.
It looks as if we could pick up some extra income by becoming a school bus driver! Methinks the WT's will skip this one--all kids are raised and out of the house, so why would we need THAT aggravation! There's also an application for a janitorial position at the school. I think NOT! We could also become carriers to deliver one of the regional newspapers. Perhaps NOT! We all think that retirement is the best job that any of us has ever had (except for Mary who is still working).
It must be that some fund-raisers have had it with spaghetti dinners. There is a Swedish Meatball Dinner on Saturday, April 1st. No foolin'!!!
One of the Lutheran churches is having its annual rummage sale on Saturday. We can fill a bag for $2.00. It's hard to believe at those prices, but they will raise a bunch of money. The proceeds will go to finance Day Camp--2006. A very worthy cause. There will be more rummage sales at the churches coming up in May. Once the snow is gone and spring is here we can count on a full page of rummage sale ads in the paper.
The Spring Community Education calendar takes up a full page. We can walk the hallways in the school early in the morning--might not be a bad idea on some of these slippery spring mornings. We could play volleyball in the evenings or participate in low impact aerobics. There are also plenty of after school programs for youth--drivers' training, study hall and computer lab, art club, chess club and swimming lessons. There is always something to do in our small towns!
As we get closer to the May deadline for the Medicare Rx sign-up, there are a heck of a lot of ads from insurance agents encouraging us all to set up an appointment to talk to one of them. They are really wanting to be helpful, I guess.
The menu for the recently opened A&W Drive-In is in the paper for all of us to clip out and put on our fridges so that we can phone in orders to pick up. It is a busy place!
The School referendum is still the hot topic with several ads urging us all to vote "Yes." Those of us who are going to be gone on April 4 can cast absentee ballots early--even on Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. One of our own WT's has a small ad indicating that she supports the referendum. Evidently, someone thought that this retired teacher was against it and she took out the ad to be sure that everyone knows she is in favor of it. Good for her!
Back next week!
Thursday, March 23, 2006
They're Back!
The Belize group is back! They returned late last night but we could tell they had had a great time. It's great to have them with us again and to have the table full. Now we will wait to see their photos and, hopefully, we'll post some of them on our 'Blog.
We've heard from Irene in Phoenix and we know that she is having a good time--eating too much and not walking enough. We'll be anxious to see her soon also.
Joan is in Australia now. We'll be waiting to hear from her since she was heading to the area where the cyclone hit earlier this week. She should be having a great time on her tour!
We've heard from Irene in Phoenix and we know that she is having a good time--eating too much and not walking enough. We'll be anxious to see her soon also.
Joan is in Australia now. We'll be waiting to hear from her since she was heading to the area where the cyclone hit earlier this week. She should be having a great time on her tour!
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Small Group Today
There were only five of us at coffee this morning. Though the group was small, we still had a lively conversation. Hopefully, Lorraine will be feeling better and walking soon. The last time she was with us, she walked alone and said it was very lonely. Perhaps that's why she got sick. The Belize group should be back with us tomorrow a.m. (they get home late tonight). We'll be anxious to hear all of their stories. They emailed us over the weekend and mentioned something about snorkeling with Alfonso. We definitely want to hear about that!
Sunday, March 19, 2006
Spring and The Shopper
The calendar indicates that spring will be here on Monday. The ads in this week's Shopper seem to indicate the same thing!
The A&W opened on Friday. It was 4 degrees below zero on Saturday morning, but that did not keep folks away. Folks were sitting in their cars with the windows up and the trays barely hanging on and the vehicle windows were all steamed up (hopefully, from the warm burgers!)--must be that pent-up need for grease and sugar!
The outdoor ice skating rink is now closed down for the winter! Hard to understand because there is also a notice that the local PTO is having a Family Ski-Skate-Slide night on the hills near the rink. We'll have to investigate that!
The Youth Hockey season is over. The banquet and equipment return is this coming Saturday at the Arena.
The Friends of the Library are having the Spring Fever Mini Book Sale starting on Thursday. Don't know what a "mini book" is but we'll all be there! It's $2 for a bag of books on the first two days and $1 on the last day, but by then the selection will be very limited.
The A&W opened on Friday. It was 4 degrees below zero on Saturday morning, but that did not keep folks away. Folks were sitting in their cars with the windows up and the trays barely hanging on and the vehicle windows were all steamed up (hopefully, from the warm burgers!)--must be that pent-up need for grease and sugar!
The outdoor ice skating rink is now closed down for the winter! Hard to understand because there is also a notice that the local PTO is having a Family Ski-Skate-Slide night on the hills near the rink. We'll have to investigate that!
The Youth Hockey season is over. The banquet and equipment return is this coming Saturday at the Arena.
The Friends of the Library are having the Spring Fever Mini Book Sale starting on Thursday. Don't know what a "mini book" is but we'll all be there! It's $2 for a bag of books on the first two days and $1 on the last day, but by then the selection will be very limited.
The Kindergarten and Early Fives Registration is coming up on April 6 and 7th. Time to get the little ones prepared for school in the fall.
More fund-raising Spaghetti Feeds: The local baseball team has one this Tuesday. The nice thing is that there will be take-outs for those that want to eat it at home. Our neighboring town is also having a Spring Fling on April 1: It's a fund-raiser by their Volunteer Fire Department for local scholarships. There will be tak-out orders there also. Love that spaghetti!!
The Volunteer Fire Department reminds us about the fund-raiser for the Fourth of July--the basketball game this Thursday pitting the faculty/student team against the fire department.
The local Methodist Church has its contemporary service on Saturday night followed by a free sloppy joe supper. This month's theme is "Bare Bones." The minister has had a series of sermons on nakedness--is this a tie-in to that?? Might not want to miss it. Those Methodists are pretty liberal, but . . . These services have become quite ecumenical and everyone looks forward to them--something different to do on a Saturday night (perhaps it's the free supper!).
The Minnesota Firearms Safety Training for area youths (and some adults) starts this Tuesday. A couple of years ago, one of the WT's took the class as an anniversary surprise for her husband. This is a great class. Many of the parents take the class with the kids and there are as many girls as boys in the class. It's great to see the kids and the parents studying together for the test.
The local Chamber has its Business After Hours coming up on the 27th. It's a great way for business folks to meet and get to share some time and conversation with others who work and do business in our communities.
The movie theatre is open again--"Curious George" is playing. We hope that the owners had a great week off. We missed the place!
The information about the School Referendum is in the ads again. One ad suggests that if each houselhold gave up two bottles of water a week, that would cover the tax increase on a $50,000 house! Not too big a sacrifice when we can fill some bottles with our great tap water.
"Talk to you" again next week! Enjoy the first week of spring!
Saturday, March 18, 2006
G'Day!
Joan will be leaving on March 21 for a Grand Circle Tour to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji along with one of her friends from college days at Macalester. Will she return speaking "strine" (the Australian colloquial language) and ask us "owyagoin'?" On the left is a veiw of the Sydney Harbor Bridge--affectionately known as the "coathanger."
We look forward to getting reports from her via email about what she is doing and what she is seeing. She has left her itinerary with us so that we can follow along and keep track on a daily basis (and be envious). Hopefully, we can remember the time/day difference. It sounds like a great trip.
She will be enjoying the views of Sydney Harbor and the Sydney Opera House and . . .
. . . some gorgeous sunsets in the harbor. She will be taking a water taxi at some point which should be beautiful.
the Gold Coast
and the flowers. Although it will be autumn, it might not be tulips that she'll see!
We hope to hear from her during the trip. We know she'll come back with many stories and we hope that she will stay healthy and not get "crook."
Bon Voyage! Have a great trip, Joan!
Friday, March 17, 2006
And The Luck of the Irish Be With You!
Tee, Pat and Laurie are our resident Irish lasses! Tee and Laurie are both in Belize now but we're sure they will be enjoying the day and, certainly, Tee will be telling stories. Pat will have to do her part here locally!
St. Patrick is most known for driving the snakes from Ireland. It is true--there are no snakes in Ireland, but there probably never have been since the island was separated from the rest of the continent at the end of the Ice Age.
St. Patrick's Day has come to be associated with everything Irish: anything green and gold, shamrocks and luck. It is also a day of spiritual renewal. So--why is it celebrated on March 17th? One theory is that is the day that St. Patrick died.
Happy St. Patrick's Day from all of us who are Irish and those who will be Irish for the day!
Thursday, March 16, 2006
St. Urho's Day--Have a Good One!
The Finnish members of the WT's will be celebrating St. Urho's Day on March 16th. St. Urho, the patron saint of local Finns, poised himself for battle with his pitchfork raised high.
Many, many years ago in Finland they say there were wild grapes growing all over. One season, a bunch of grasshoppers with a voracious appetite for grapes happened to hop into Finland. Enter the great Finnish Hero, St. Urho. Waving his pitchfork and chanting "Heinasirkka, heinasirkka, menetaalta hiiten" (which in English means "Grasshopper, grasshopper--scoot!"), he drove the grasshoppers out of the vineyards. They were so happy and grateful to Urho, they declared him a saint and now celebrate the event on March 16th. The official colors are purple to represent the grapes and green to represent the vines (or dead grasshoppers?).
According to Minnesota tradition, St. Urho's Day began in the town of Virginia, Minnesota, in 1956. The verbal records say that it began at a St. Patrick's Day party where the Irish were bragging about their St. Patrick and how he drove snakes out of Ireland. Getting sick of all this bragging, someone else decided to blow the Irish bravado off by proclaiming that Finland had a wonderful saint who got rid of poisonous frogs (?)! (Coincidentally, in 1956 the Finnish President was Urho Kekkonen and many believe the name was taken from him.) Others say the tradition started in Bemidji, Minnesota. Whatever the source, it really doesn't matter. Some say that it gives the Finns and the Irish (and all others who celebrate) an excuse for a two-day party. With our long, cold Minnesota winters, it works!
The Irish say that the Finns made up St. Urho to get a day's start on the beer in town. They claim that there really is no such person at all--just an attempt to get at the green beer before the Irish do.
Some towns have statues depicting St. Urho clearing out the grasshoppers. One such town, Menahga, Minnesota, has a 12-foot statue of St. Urho (above) and there is another one in Wisconsin (below). There is also one in Finland, MN, which looks more like a totem pole (no photo).
The Finnish WT's--Mary, Elsie, and Lorraine-- and those that are Finns "by marriage"--Sharon, Joan and Dorothy--wish everyone a Happy St. Urho's Day. Enjoy the legend and do celebrate!
Many, many years ago in Finland they say there were wild grapes growing all over. One season, a bunch of grasshoppers with a voracious appetite for grapes happened to hop into Finland. Enter the great Finnish Hero, St. Urho. Waving his pitchfork and chanting "Heinasirkka, heinasirkka, menetaalta hiiten" (which in English means "Grasshopper, grasshopper--scoot!"), he drove the grasshoppers out of the vineyards. They were so happy and grateful to Urho, they declared him a saint and now celebrate the event on March 16th. The official colors are purple to represent the grapes and green to represent the vines (or dead grasshoppers?).
According to Minnesota tradition, St. Urho's Day began in the town of Virginia, Minnesota, in 1956. The verbal records say that it began at a St. Patrick's Day party where the Irish were bragging about their St. Patrick and how he drove snakes out of Ireland. Getting sick of all this bragging, someone else decided to blow the Irish bravado off by proclaiming that Finland had a wonderful saint who got rid of poisonous frogs (?)! (Coincidentally, in 1956 the Finnish President was Urho Kekkonen and many believe the name was taken from him.) Others say the tradition started in Bemidji, Minnesota. Whatever the source, it really doesn't matter. Some say that it gives the Finns and the Irish (and all others who celebrate) an excuse for a two-day party. With our long, cold Minnesota winters, it works!
The Irish say that the Finns made up St. Urho to get a day's start on the beer in town. They claim that there really is no such person at all--just an attempt to get at the green beer before the Irish do.
Some towns have statues depicting St. Urho clearing out the grasshoppers. One such town, Menahga, Minnesota, has a 12-foot statue of St. Urho (above) and there is another one in Wisconsin (below). There is also one in Finland, MN, which looks more like a totem pole (no photo).
The Finnish WT's--Mary, Elsie, and Lorraine-- and those that are Finns "by marriage"--Sharon, Joan and Dorothy--wish everyone a Happy St. Urho's Day. Enjoy the legend and do celebrate!
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Beware The Ides of March--15th!
Julius Caesar was given (and ignored) the soothsayer's warning in Shakespeare's play. That has forever imbued this date with a sense of forboding.
But in Roman times the expression the "Ides of March" did not necessarily invoke a dark mood--it was simply the standard way of saying "March 15th." The "Ides" actually refers to the 15th day in March, May, July and October and the 13th in the other months.
At any rate, enjoy the day and don't worry!
But in Roman times the expression the "Ides of March" did not necessarily invoke a dark mood--it was simply the standard way of saying "March 15th." The "Ides" actually refers to the 15th day in March, May, July and October and the 13th in the other months.
At any rate, enjoy the day and don't worry!
Monday, March 13, 2006
Irene Will Be Off to Phoenix!
Irene and her husband leave for the Cities tomorrow and will be off to Phoenix on Wednesday. The Cities had quite a snowstorm today so they will, hopefully, miss all of that--except we're sure it'll be a slushy mess. This is a great time to get out of Minnesota and it sounds as if the weather in Phoenix will be great.
We hope that she and Ralph get some dancing in down there since she will have to take a break from dancing in April when she has some foot surgery! Shake a leg, Irene!!
We hope that she and Ralph get some dancing in down there since she will have to take a break from dancing in April when she has some foot surgery! Shake a leg, Irene!!
Thought for the Day
We were looking at an article on ice fishing in Minnesota from the February Smithsonian magazine. There was an interesting comment about our long winters and the fact that they are for the heartiest souls: "When you freeze paradise, it's bound to last a little longer!"
Saturday, March 11, 2006
Saturday and The Shopper is here
Once again, The Shopper has arrived and it is full of local news. Somehow it makes it seem as if there is more going on here than we realize!
There are two big stories: the school and the hospital.
The front page has colored photos and a congratulatory ad for the completion of the new emergency room and hospital addition. Next Saturday is the Grand Opening and we are all invited to check out the new rooms and to enjoy refreshments (and, don't forget, the chocolate fountain!).
The school referendum is quite controversial because of the increase in taxes. Of course, if the school closes and we have to consolidate with another district, that district will also have to build a new school, so our taxes will go up anyway. Of course, if there is not a school here in town, our taxes will go down a little because the values of our houses will decrease. After all, who will want to move into a town without a school! (Oops! Your intrepid reporter shouldn't show bias!) There is an informational forum on March 15 to deal with questions and concerns.
The local Lion's Club sells "Community Spirit" tickets. There is a big $250 winner this week. We're sure that everyone will try to get the winner to buy a free cup of coffee. Whenever a Walkie Talkie wins something, we share it with the group--first Social Security check means that you buy coffee for everyone, if you win a cash drawing you buy coffee for the group. Sometimes coffee costs more than the winning cash!
There is a "Pasty Sale"--not the kind that strippers might wear, but the kind that the Cornish lumberjacks developed. It's a meat pie and very tasty. The local Catholic women's group will be selling them with the proceeds to go to the Scholarship fund. This is always a great fundraiser. The Youth Basketball group is also selling pasties as a fundraiser! There will be plenty to go around.
There is also a Charity Basketball game between the faculty/students and the local fire department on March 23. The proceeds will go to the Fourth of July kids' races. After the kids' parade on the Fourth, the guys from the volunteer fire department sponsor the races. There are people that come back to town for these celebrations--many of them remember running in these races themselves and make sure that their own kids participate! The school's pep band will provide the music--should be a fun evening as they do a lot of kidding around and goofing off.
The Interchurch Minitries is sponsoring a Benefit Concert on March 19th at 4:00 p.m. This will benefit the local Food Shelf. One of the members of the entertaining group used to teach music here in town. This concert will be at the local Baptist church and it is always very well-attended.
There will be a potluck lunch on March 18th for the summer dart league players. Might be fun to watch!
The local American Cancer Society Relay For Lifewill be on June 23-24 this year. Folks interested in forming a team are encouraged to sign up now. There will also be a Rally on April 25. The WT's have walked in several Relays--not last year, however. We raised the most money for several years--pretty good for a bunch of "experienced" women (not "old"). Last year the Relay raised over $66,000 from our little towns!
Another American Cancer Society event just ended--the annual Daffodil Days. We do like to volunteer and raise money for worthy causes!
A local author will be speaking at the Catholic Women's group on March 14th and we are all invited to attend.
Prom is April 8 and the attendees are encouraged to order flowers and tuxedos soon!
There's a cute ad for the A&W of the Root Bear with a shovel full of snow. That is a sure sign of spring and we can all barely wait. They also have a note on the signboard that they are taking applications.
That's all for this week--see you again next weekend!
There are two big stories: the school and the hospital.
The front page has colored photos and a congratulatory ad for the completion of the new emergency room and hospital addition. Next Saturday is the Grand Opening and we are all invited to check out the new rooms and to enjoy refreshments (and, don't forget, the chocolate fountain!).
The school referendum is quite controversial because of the increase in taxes. Of course, if the school closes and we have to consolidate with another district, that district will also have to build a new school, so our taxes will go up anyway. Of course, if there is not a school here in town, our taxes will go down a little because the values of our houses will decrease. After all, who will want to move into a town without a school! (Oops! Your intrepid reporter shouldn't show bias!) There is an informational forum on March 15 to deal with questions and concerns.
The local Lion's Club sells "Community Spirit" tickets. There is a big $250 winner this week. We're sure that everyone will try to get the winner to buy a free cup of coffee. Whenever a Walkie Talkie wins something, we share it with the group--first Social Security check means that you buy coffee for everyone, if you win a cash drawing you buy coffee for the group. Sometimes coffee costs more than the winning cash!
There is a "Pasty Sale"--not the kind that strippers might wear, but the kind that the Cornish lumberjacks developed. It's a meat pie and very tasty. The local Catholic women's group will be selling them with the proceeds to go to the Scholarship fund. This is always a great fundraiser. The Youth Basketball group is also selling pasties as a fundraiser! There will be plenty to go around.
There is also a Charity Basketball game between the faculty/students and the local fire department on March 23. The proceeds will go to the Fourth of July kids' races. After the kids' parade on the Fourth, the guys from the volunteer fire department sponsor the races. There are people that come back to town for these celebrations--many of them remember running in these races themselves and make sure that their own kids participate! The school's pep band will provide the music--should be a fun evening as they do a lot of kidding around and goofing off.
The Interchurch Minitries is sponsoring a Benefit Concert on March 19th at 4:00 p.m. This will benefit the local Food Shelf. One of the members of the entertaining group used to teach music here in town. This concert will be at the local Baptist church and it is always very well-attended.
There will be a potluck lunch on March 18th for the summer dart league players. Might be fun to watch!
The local American Cancer Society Relay For Lifewill be on June 23-24 this year. Folks interested in forming a team are encouraged to sign up now. There will also be a Rally on April 25. The WT's have walked in several Relays--not last year, however. We raised the most money for several years--pretty good for a bunch of "experienced" women (not "old"). Last year the Relay raised over $66,000 from our little towns!
Another American Cancer Society event just ended--the annual Daffodil Days. We do like to volunteer and raise money for worthy causes!
A local author will be speaking at the Catholic Women's group on March 14th and we are all invited to attend.
Prom is April 8 and the attendees are encouraged to order flowers and tuxedos soon!
There's a cute ad for the A&W of the Root Bear with a shovel full of snow. That is a sure sign of spring and we can all barely wait. They also have a note on the signboard that they are taking applications.
That's all for this week--see you again next weekend!
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Out of the Cold
This is what we woke up to on Wednesday morning.
Mary, Tee and Laurie from the WT's also received their travel packets that day. They, and Sarah (from Curves) , her husband and Laurie's husband will be leaving
this . . .
for this! They'll be walking on a beach and swimming and snorkeling while we are still trudging through the snow and ice!
This is the resort that they will be enjoying. We are all jealous but hope that they will have a wonderful time and return with many stories to share! 
Perhaps Mary will get a chance to explore the waters in a kayak!
They leave on March 15th and will be gone for a week. They picked a great time to get out of the cold and snow. We are in the "adolescence" of winter--that time of year when we hope the snow will soon leave and things will start to green up!Enjoy it, ladies, and have a great trip!
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Shopper Reporter Returns
After a 7-week hiatus, the intrepid reporter of the news from The Shopper is back!
There are snowflakes falling this morning, quite a bit of snow already on the ground, and spring seems far off, but there is a mandatory meeting on March 13 in the school cafeteria for all athletes that hope to participate in any spring sports.
Well--tonight the Academy Awards will be taking place in sunny California. Here in Minnesota, which is the leading producer of popcorn, we will all be watching to see if the movie North Country, will win an Academy Award for Charlize Theron. There is a big party at a nearby casino for folks willing to make the drive! The rest of us will stay home to watch it on television--and make our own popcorn!
St. Urho's Day will be celebrated with a brunch on March 19 at a church in a Finnish community just south of town. St. Urho chased the grasshoppers out of Finland and saved the grape crop. The actual day is March 16--the day before St. Patrick's Day. St. Patrick's Day will be celebrated on March 11 at the local Catholic church. That means we can all make it to two different celebrations.
We are quite ecumenical here in Northeastern Minnesota. During Lent, the Lutherans and Methodists will be getting together for interdenominational midweek Lenten services. The services are at 7:00 p.m. with a soup supper preceding them (except that on Good Friday there will be a soup lunch at noon). Various members of the community and churches will portray different persons from the Easter story. Our own Laurie will portray Rachel, a maid in service to the high priest, on March 29. We will either attend or get a full report the next day from those who will be there.
The local hospital has just completed an addition to the hospital part of the facility and the Emergency Room. The Grand Opening will be on March 18 from 1:00-3:00 p.m. They will serve refreshments which will include a chocolate fountain from a business called Fountains of Passion. Since there are no deliveries of babies in our hospital, this passionate fountain might not be the right thing to have at this time with so many of us suffering from "cabin fever!"
The Basketball Tourney starts here on March 6--it is our way of celebrating March Madness on a local basis for the girls and boys in grades 3-6 with 26 teams scheduled to play. The tournament lasts until March 17 and it is quite a big thing in our communities. The folks of the local Hoop Club do a great job with the youngsters.
Must be getting close to tax time--there are several ads for tax-prep services!
There are also several ads for tanning booths--a time when many are getting ready to take a spring trip to a warmer climate and want to get a headstart on their tans and for the high school girls getting ready for Prom!
The local school is trying to pass a bond referendum. The biggest issue is the impact it will have on everyone's taxes. The election will be on April 4 and many of us are wearing buttons urging folks to vote "Yes" on it. Several in our group have taken an even more expansive role in getting people out to vote on the issue. We don't talk about it at coffee because there are probably some in our group who are opposed to it and we steer clear of those topics.
The local movie theatre will be closed from March 11-18. The owners probably need a vacation but what are we going to do without the entertainment??!!
Spring is coming! The local A&W Drive-In will be opening soon. That is a sure sign of spring! There is hope.
Until next week . . .
There are snowflakes falling this morning, quite a bit of snow already on the ground, and spring seems far off, but there is a mandatory meeting on March 13 in the school cafeteria for all athletes that hope to participate in any spring sports.
Well--tonight the Academy Awards will be taking place in sunny California. Here in Minnesota, which is the leading producer of popcorn, we will all be watching to see if the movie North Country, will win an Academy Award for Charlize Theron. There is a big party at a nearby casino for folks willing to make the drive! The rest of us will stay home to watch it on television--and make our own popcorn!
St. Urho's Day will be celebrated with a brunch on March 19 at a church in a Finnish community just south of town. St. Urho chased the grasshoppers out of Finland and saved the grape crop. The actual day is March 16--the day before St. Patrick's Day. St. Patrick's Day will be celebrated on March 11 at the local Catholic church. That means we can all make it to two different celebrations.
We are quite ecumenical here in Northeastern Minnesota. During Lent, the Lutherans and Methodists will be getting together for interdenominational midweek Lenten services. The services are at 7:00 p.m. with a soup supper preceding them (except that on Good Friday there will be a soup lunch at noon). Various members of the community and churches will portray different persons from the Easter story. Our own Laurie will portray Rachel, a maid in service to the high priest, on March 29. We will either attend or get a full report the next day from those who will be there.
The local hospital has just completed an addition to the hospital part of the facility and the Emergency Room. The Grand Opening will be on March 18 from 1:00-3:00 p.m. They will serve refreshments which will include a chocolate fountain from a business called Fountains of Passion. Since there are no deliveries of babies in our hospital, this passionate fountain might not be the right thing to have at this time with so many of us suffering from "cabin fever!"
The Basketball Tourney starts here on March 6--it is our way of celebrating March Madness on a local basis for the girls and boys in grades 3-6 with 26 teams scheduled to play. The tournament lasts until March 17 and it is quite a big thing in our communities. The folks of the local Hoop Club do a great job with the youngsters.
Must be getting close to tax time--there are several ads for tax-prep services!
There are also several ads for tanning booths--a time when many are getting ready to take a spring trip to a warmer climate and want to get a headstart on their tans and for the high school girls getting ready for Prom!
The local school is trying to pass a bond referendum. The biggest issue is the impact it will have on everyone's taxes. The election will be on April 4 and many of us are wearing buttons urging folks to vote "Yes" on it. Several in our group have taken an even more expansive role in getting people out to vote on the issue. We don't talk about it at coffee because there are probably some in our group who are opposed to it and we steer clear of those topics.
The local movie theatre will be closed from March 11-18. The owners probably need a vacation but what are we going to do without the entertainment??!!
Spring is coming! The local A&W Drive-In will be opening soon. That is a sure sign of spring! There is hope.
Until next week . . .
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