The Latest From The Shopper

We've been waiting to see what the local bank was going to do to celebrate their "Century of Service." Now we know--the 100th Anniversary Celebration is coming up this Wednesday, May 3. They'll have free coffee and cookies all day, a live radio broadcast from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. along with free hot dogs and pop. They're going to have some drawings: Adults can register to win a 20" television, a 9" portable DVD player, two Savings bonds, and a Radio/CD player. The kids can register to win a girls' bike and a boys' bike. There is also an Anniversary Jar filled with coins. Everyone will have the opportunity to guess the dollar amount of the coins and the winner will receive the jar and the money! We think there will be many folks downtown that day (besides, it is Social Security day for many of the local seniors, so the third of the month is always a busy day at the bank!). The local mayor has issued a proclamation honoring the bank on that day. The bank will definitely be the place where things are happening that day!!

OMIGOSH! Our social studies teacher from the 50's and 60's is turning eighty! There is an Open House to "toast and roast" him on May 13th. Should be a grand time for everyone!

The Kindergarten Round-Up is Thursday, May 11. Have to round up those kids and then get the parents on a tour and to an informational meeting.

The local HRA has some lots for sale at very affordable prices! Now that the school referendum has passed, we are looking for more new families to move to the community. According to the school superintendent, many families have indicated that they will move here now that the school situation is in place. Sounds as if this is a good time for the HRA to advertise for these lots in a "beautiful wooded setting."

The Methodists have their Rummage, White Elephant and Bake Sale on May 5 and 6. Might have to check it out to see these white elephants. They must come from the North Pole or something!

The local Volunteer Fire Department is now taking applications. As our local population ages, we need to find some younger folks to volunteer to help out. Hopefully, they will find enough people for these positions as we have wonderful volunteers in our small communities. They spend hours getting training to provide these services and do many other things in the communities to make them a good place to live and to raise a family!

There are several ads for the local Clean-up days in our fair cities. We'll all have to get involved in "spiffing" up everything! The local governments help out by offering to pick up a lot of junk for nothing--try that in a big city!

Someone wants to buy some rotted cow or chicken manure with no dirt or straw in it. He/she is willing to load it and haul it away. That's always good for the gardens. Hope he/she finds it.

The local hospital and nursing home had its annual luncheon for its volunteers. Each year it is held at the local Baptist church and there are hundreds of volunteers in attendance. The Activities Director has a note of thanks in which she says, "Sometimes while waiting for big impressive miracles, we miss the magical moments that occur daily when one person connects with another." There is a VERY active volunteer group--many of whom have been volunteering for years and years and for many hours each week (in fact, many of the volunteers are older than the Elders in the nursing home!).

The Optical Shop at the hospital has re-opened and is ready for business. They are offering a good discount on frames through May.

A BIG holiday is coming up in less than two weeks--the Fishing Opener! It ranks right up there with Christmas, Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day, the Fourth of July, and, of course, the Deer season Opener! There are several ads in the paper for some specials coming up. Next week there will be many ads for that plus Mother's Day. Unfortunately, in Minnesota, the Opener and Mother's Day always fall in the same weekend. Of course, mothers sometimes get bigger gifts because of the "guilt factor."

"R.V." is playing at the theatre and "Mission Impossible 3" starts on May 5. We do get the movies as soon as they come out--pretty great for our small town!

Until next week . . .

Full Strength--or As Close to it As Possible

We are almost at full strength again:

Joan is back from Australia, Fiji, and New Zealand and Emily is back from England. Both had wonderful times.
Irene was at coffee today. She is recovering from her foot surgery and will be back walking with the group soon.
Mary, of course, is in and out. She is getting ready for taping a program for "Sewing with Nancy." She is trying to come up with a June Cleaver outfit for the taping so that she can wear one of her aprons. She was going to stop at the Lutheran rummage sale today to see if she could find something.
Elsie and Naomi are home but we assume they were working at the church rummage and bake sale.
Lorraine is the only one that is out of town--more about that next week!
Jodie is in and out also, now that the cabin season is starting. She leaves for Seattle on May 8th.

In Praise of Praise

About twelve years ago, I was driving to our business. When I passed a certain house, I stopped when I saw a woman and a young boy shoveling their driveway because I had recognized the boy as a customer of ours. I walked up to the woman and said, "I'd like to tell you about your son." She immediately bristled and stood as if she expected the worst. I quickly explained that her son often came to our business and I just wanted her to know how polite he was and how much I enjoyed his visits and his business. I told her that something in the family was definitely happening the right way. She was so pleased that I had stopped to tell her. She indicated that sometimes parents don't know how much of what they say is actually getting learned by children. Needless to say, she was beaming as she walked back to her son who had continued to shovel the driveway.

Fast forward to Easter, 2006: I parked our van by a lake where our church was having an Easter sunrise service. A woman and an older woman emerged from the car next to ours. I reached out my hand and introduced myself. She said, "I know you. You're the lady that stopped one day several years ago and told me how polite my son was." She went on to say that every time he saw me after that--for tweve years!--he told her, "That's the lady that stopped and talked to you about me." She said that it made such an impression on both of them. He is now enrolled in the law enforcement program at a local community college and is doing really well. She said he has continued to be a good kid and they are very proud of him.

Let that be a lesson to all of us--give praise where it is due. Sometimes we do not hesitate to complain about someone or something but don't take the time to give positive feedback!

'Blog to Shopper Writer, "Come in, Please!"

The spring in Minnesota marks the time when owners open their cabins. Since your Shopper writer is among that clan, this report on the local news is a little late. During the summer, she is also at the cabin many times when The Shopper arrives. Hang in there, however, as the news in our small town can generally wait for a couple of days--not much will change! By the way, the weather is lovely, the ice is out on all the lakes, the daffodils are blooming, and the leaves are starting to bud out! It doesn't get much better than that!

On to The Shopper news:

The towns are having their Spring Clean-up--time to make the cities shine! Some days, we can leave grass, leaves and brush curbside and it'll all be picked up (no animal waste, please) and on other days scrap metal, appliances (remove doors from refrigerators) and tires will be picked up. We are proud of our cities and we want them to look inviting since we get many visitors during the summer.

Girls (no, not "old" birds like the WT's) are encouraged to "Be a Queen." The winner, sponsored by the local Chamber of Commerce, is crowned around the Fourth of July, wins a $500 scholarship plus other cash prizes. This is a good thing!

One of the Lutheran churches is looking for organ donations. No, not the musical type, but the ones inside us. They encourage us to make an organ donation--"Give hope, renew life," they say in the ad. Sounds good to many of us, who already have it listed on our driver's licenses.

One gentleman is looking for someone to move him to the Twin Cities--he'll pay $300 plus gas! We hate to see anyone leave but hope that he finds the help he needs and we wish him well!

There is a Bowflex for sale for $200. Wonder if it has EVER been used.

The Fourth of July Rummage sale is coming up on May 20th at the Community Center. They encourage us to rid our homes of unwanted items. Wonder exactly what they want and what we can get rid of! The committee is busy already for our big summer celebration.

The Relay For Life Rally is this Tuesday night at the Community Center. Many of us will attend the Rally.

The Hospital has a notice that they are going to start using an automated telephone answering system this week. We can press 0 at any time during the call to get the receptionist. Some of us don't like these systems and will probably dial 0 just to talk to the friendly receptionists. We have all been looking at a list of "How to Reach a Human" when we call larger companies and it does work well--we have no time to waste punching in numbers on a 'phone!

The first church Rummage and Bake Sale is coming up this Friday and Saturday. They are open from 8:00-noon. Some of us will be on the doorstep right away at 8:00 a.m.--those Lutherans really know how to bake!! Rummage to buy? We have enough of our own to get rid of!

There are several ads for positions that are open for the Recreation Department in our three towns and the rural areas. A nearby 4-H camp is also hiring--$135-220 per week plus room and board. Sounds good!

The Blood Mobile was here on April 18th and there is an ad thanking everyone for donating blood. The local Lutheran church sponsored it this time. They are generally here at least four times a year and it is always successful. We love to give--even our blood!

Looks as if real estate is starting to move as there are a few "Sale Pending" notices on some of the ads. We hate to see people leave, but sometimes they are just relocating within our towns and then new people come in.

There are several ads that indicate summer is around the corner: the garden centers are opening, the heating ads are now heating and "cooling," and we can order black dirt for our gardens.

Interesting ad: the Therapy Services department at our local hospital is having a fundraiser. The proceeds will go toward the new circuit training exercise equipment for the Community Fitness Center. The interesting part is that it is being held in a local bar with refreshments! Does anyone else see a little inconsistency there???

The Friday night Seafood Buffet is back beginning this coming Friday--all you can eat for $15.95. That is a very popular outing on Friday nights.

"The Shaggy Dog" is playing at the movie theatre until Thursday and then "R.V" starts.

Until next week--stay out of some trouble, enjoy a little trouble, and we'll be back!

"Church Basement Ladies" Field Trip

In the 1950's and 60's, there was a column in our local paper--"Up and Down the Street with Lila." Each week she would tell about various people in the communities who were doing special things and those that had "motored" to Duluth or to the Cities for entertainment or shopping. In that spirit, we give you . . .

"Down to the Cities and Back on I-35 with the WT's"

On April 19, a group of ten women from our communities made an excursion to Plymouth (a Minneapolis suburb) to attend the production of The Church Basement Ladies at the Plymouth Playhouse. They left in two vehicles and stopped at Tobie's in Hinckley for lunch (which was great). When they were leaving the parking lot, Jodie offered a box of candy to Jo to share with the women in Tee's car. Much to the amazement of everyone, she took the box of candy to Tee's car and off they drove! Fortunately, through the technology of cell 'phones, Jodie called Tee and had the scofflaws return the box of chocolates which was meant for "sharing" and not "keeping." Obviously, that got the rest of the trip off to a light-hearted approach for these women.

The group arrived at the Best Western Kelly Inn without further problems and checked into their rooms. Since it was still early and there was plenty of time before dinner, they did what only a group of Lutherans, Catholics, and Methodists from a small town would do when turned loose in "The Cities"--they went to the bar for a drink! Clockwise Below: Laurie (in red), Mary, Jo, Tee, Pat, Naomi, Sharon and Elsie.

The group had decided to wear aprons to the performance of the play, just to get in the spirit of it. Mary had plenty of her aprons for us to wear--in fact, she ironed them in her room after we arrived (See the link on the right for Mary's Productions)! The women had the nerve (perhaps it was because of the drinks in the bar beforehand) to move the sign for the play and have their photos taken with it. Below, they are all in their "apron finery" before eating dinner at the Green Mill, part of the complex where they attended the play. There was a group of Red Hat women in the restaurant and the WT's decided that they didn't need a group like that since they have each other! Below:
Front (L to R): Mary, Sharon and Jodie. Back: Laurie, Jo, Tee, Pat, Naomi, Helen and Elsie. The tour guide had arranged for very good seats for this performance of the play. Below: Sharon, Naomi, Elsie and Laurie (back) and Helen, Mary, Pat and Tee (front) read the program as they wait for the production to start.
Below: Jo, Sharon, Naomi, Elsie and Laurie (back) and Jodie, Helen, Mary and Pat (front). The group made quite a "hit" in their aprons. Before the play, some people thought they were part of the cast and others wondered if they should have been wearing aprons also.
The play was fantastic! The story takes place in the kitchen of a church basement. There are five characters: the minister, the organist, three women who prepare the meals/refreshments for church events, and the college-age daughter of one of the women. In the first scene, they prepare for the December, 1964, lutefisk dinner during a blizzard and during which the minister keeps coming down to the basement to tell them that the number of people who will be attending keeps on growing. The three older women are hilarious as they explain the food and how things work to the younger woman. A funny song is "The Pale Food Polka." In the second scene the longtime church custodian has died and they are preparing the food for after the funeral. The minister keeps coming down to say that the sanctuary keeps getting colder and colder. Finally, Mavis, one of the cooks goes to try to fix the furnace. The upshot is that it cannot be fixed that day but she discovers a wood heater and a pile of wood. It turns out that Willie (the deceased custodian) had it piled and saved for just such an emergency. The funniest song in this scene is the "Dead Spread" about the food for the event (and a discussion of the lasagna--and how inappropriate it is--that the minister's "new" wife had prepared for it). The third act takes place at Easter--a Hawaiian Easter dinner. The costumes and the placement of the coconuts for the "sagging" women is a riot. There is much discussion about the younger woman and "The Cities" and how young people change when they leave home. Their concern is that she might be falling for a Catholic young man. The final scene takes place three years later as they prepare for the wedding of the younger woman and her "cold feet" that day. One of the songs in this scene, "For Good," was near and dear to Mary's heart. The older woman sings a song to the young bride about using things and not saving them "for good." Mary is always telling us and her seminar attendees that they should use their linen and silver often and not to let it sit in drawers and cupboards waiting for the appropriate moment--any event is a "for good" time to use it! Obviously, we loved seeing the various aprons that they wore for each of the scenes. After the curtain call, the characters ran up the aisle and out the door. As they passed us, one of the women tapped Jodie on the shoulder and said, "Love your aprons!" So we were noticed!
Above: After the curtain call, the actors formed a reception line so that we could greet them. Left to right: Mrs. Lars Snustad (who had us all rolling in the aisles with her facial expressions and comments), Mrs. Elroy Engelson (mother of the bride), Pastor Gunderson, Signe, and Mavis (who was hilarious with her kitchen solutions to her hot flashes).
Naomi and Sharon greet the actors who mentioned the aprons once again.
Helen and Jo share a laugh with "Vivian Snustad."
After the play the group stood around as people came up to ask questions about the aprons. One group of women from Wisconsin wanted the information sheets that Mary had prepared. They commented that they liked the aprons better than "certain colored hats!" And what did these Walkie Talkies think about the play? "It was outstanding! Any woman who has worked on lunches after church events can identify with these 'Church Basement Ladies'."

After a great night of sleep and probably some laughter about remembered scenes and lines, the women enjoyed a continental breakfast at the hotel and left around 9:00 a.m. They stopped for about an hour of shopping at an outlet mall and then ate at Applebee's in Cloquet on the way home. The one group shared the chocolates with the members in the other vehicle (this time they were sure to get the box back!). Mary entertained the group in Jodie's van by reading the Personals from the City Pages. One area that was particularly interesting had to do with speed dating; the group decided that it might be worthwhile to set up a speed dating event in town when they return!

What is their next plan? Jo wants them to set up a trip to Chicago to get on the Oprah Show! We'll have to follow the Walkie Talkies to see what they will do next! One never knows with this group of crazy and active women!

End of Article.

Trip Trivia

1. Which two women (who just happened to share a room) forgot their nightgowns? Better yet--what did they do?

2. Who sleeps with her head wrapped in something very interesting?

Our lips are sealed--we will never tell--because "What happens in Plymouth, stays in Plymouth!"

While We're Getting "Culture"

We thought we would leave you some things to think about while we are at The Church Basement Ladies play. These sentences actually appeared in church bulletins or were announced in church services. While many of you have heard some of these before, we thought they might get us "in the mood" for the play which we will be seeing tonight. Also--in our local churches, there are often some pretty incredible and hilarious announcements.

Enjoy:

The Fasting and Prayer Conference includes meals.

Our youth basketball team is back in action Wednesday evening in the recreation hall. Come out and watch us kill Christ the King.

Ladies, don't forget the Rummage Sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Don't forget your husbands.

Don't let worry kill you off--let the Church help.

Miss Mason sang "I will not pass this way again," giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.

For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.

Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get.

Barbara remains in the hospital and needs blood donors for more transfusions. She is also having trouble sleeping and requests tapes of Father Jack's sermons.

At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be "What is Hell?" Come early and listen to our choir practice.

Hopefully, we will come back with some winners also!

Off to Get Some "Culture"

We are off to the Cities to get a little "culture." Ten of us are making the pilgrimage to the Plymouth Playhouse for their "Play and Stay" package--tickets to the play, a night at the Best Western and a coupon for dinner at the Green Mill. We're going to take off in two vehicles around 10:00 on Wednesday morning, April 19th, stop along the way many times to "rest" and stretch our legs, and stop for lunch. The normal trip takes a little over three hours but it will probably take us five hours! Dinner at the Green Mill is at 6:00 p.m. and the play starts at 8:00. Mary has "Church Lady" aprons for all of us to wear, so we should make quite an entrance when we show up in a group. We'll head home on Thursday, stop along the way many times to "rest" and to stretch our legs, stop at the Outlet Mall, and stop for lunch--sounds like about six hours for the return trip.

From the website: "A celebration of the church basement kitchen and the women who work there, CHURCH BASEMENT LADIES, is a new musical comedy featuring four distinct characters and their relationships as they organize the food and solve the problems of a rural Minnesota church about to undergo changes in 1965. From the elderly matriarch of the kitchen to the young bride-to-be learning the proper order of things, we see them handle a record breaking Christmas dinner, the funeral of a dear friend, a Hawaiian Easter Fund Raiser, and, of course, a steaming hot July wedding. They stave off potential disasters, share and debate recipes, instruct the young, and keep the Pastor on due course while thoroughly enjoying, (and tolerating) each other as the true "steel magnolias" of the church. Funny and down to earth, audiences will recognize these ladies as they witness the church year unfold from below the house of God.

CHURCH BASEMENT LADIES uses the renowned Scandinavian Lutheran humor writings of The Lutheran Ladies, Janet Martin and Suzann Nelson, authors of a host of humorous books the most famous being GROWING UP LUTHERAN. The script is by Jessica Zuehlke and Jim Stowell with music and lyrics by composer Drew Jansen, who gave us the music for the popular long-running hit musical, HOW TO TALK MINNESOTAN, THE MUSICAL." Check out the link for the play on the right.

We know that we will recognize many of these women (perhaps as ourselves??) and compare them to women in our own churches. It sounds like a lot of fun and we will be sure to post some photos and a report of our trip when we return!

News from The Shopper

Greetings to everyone after the Easter holiday!

The Shopper has grown by two inches! Printing changes led to the change in size! (Many of the WT's have grown two inches also--but we try not to announce it!)

On Tuesday, April 25th, the Relay For Life Rally will take place in the Community Center. This is the 3rd Relay Rally (try saying that fast three times!).

There is another Spaghetti Dinner. The cause is near and dear to many of the WT's--the Northern Lights Music Festival. The ad has a drawing of Kokopelli playing his flute. We doubt if there will be anyone at the music festival to rival the lure of Kokopelli, but one never knows! The Festival takes place this year from June 28-July 25. The WT's always volunteer in various ways to help out. Check out the Northern Lights website on our links on the right.

The Lions Club is hosting a Pancake Feed next Sunday, April 23rd. That is always a good event. The groups of folks arrive by church denomination--when the services are over, they go to the Pancake Feed. So the Lutherans eat with Lutherans, the Methodists with Methodists, the Catholics with Catholics and so on. Usually, we are quite ecumenical in our towns, but this "Feed" is always a little different when it is held on a Sunday.

On April 27, we will be honoring Ed Modetz as the Citizen of the Year. Ed has done so much for our town. For the school referendum, he completed his usual morning walk carrying a "Vote Yes" sign. He has also been on the Relay For Life Committee; as a cancer survivor himself, he coordinates the Survivors' walk by calling all of the local cancer survivors and setting up the reception for them in the Community Center. He serves on the local cemetery board and volunteers for just about every cause that benefits the city (and he is in his 80's!). He never misses a City Council meeting. He will be presented with a key to the City that day, which he probably won't need since no one here locks their doors anyway!

The award will be presented during a Community Meeting that night. We will get an update on the school, the hospital and the nearby Minnesota Power Energy Park. We hope that many people will attend the meeting to hear the news and to honor Ed.

There is a sign-up for the Summer Sports on April 19th for T-Ball, Little League, Girls' Softball, Babe Ruth Baseball. We've got to keep the kids busy and out of mischief during the summer. And it works!!

Earth Day is April 22 and there are some activities planned: The rural Congregational and Lutheran Churches are having an annual spring clean up at the cemetery. This writer was surprised that there isn't more going on. We're sure the students at the school will be doing something this week.

It is Tornado Awareness Week and they will be testing the sirens at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday. We'll all have to pay attention to that. They also test the siren on the first Wednesday in May, June, July, August and September. Sometimes the loud siren catches us by surprise and scares us half to death!

The annual meeting for the Wirtanen Pioneer Farm is on Monday, April 24. Laurie is very involved with it and will have plenty of work to do. The guest speaker will be discussing "Churches in Finland" and there will be a lunch served "in the Finnish tradition." We might have to check that out!

The snow is gone--finally!--so there are not any ads for snow plowing. However, this writer counted three pick-ups with plows still attached last week! Time to get them off, guys!

Interesting Ad: "Diapers for Honduras. If you would like to help, join us at St. Mark's Lutheran Church on Wednesdays at 10 a.m."

There's a pie social and bake sale at a nearby Senior Center on May 6th. More food to help add on those inches!

Getting close to golf season. There is an ad for Cart Repair.

Ready, Set, Grow. The local garden center is now open. Many of us are getting anxious to start scratching in the dirt. We've noticed that they have been busy in the greenhouses for the past month or so, getting everything planted, so we'll have to get our plants early. Then we have to tend to them before we can plant them.

"Failure to Launch" is now playing at the theatre. "The Shaggy Dog" starts on Friday.

More next week . . .

Happy Easter

from all the Walkie Talkies

Happy Birthday, Naomi

Naomi celebrated her milestone birthday in style today. It is a couple of weeks after the fact (Does that mean she gets to subtract a year???), but it was a great occasion. She figured that something was planned because her family asked her if she was going to be home on April 15th and mentioned something about the Community Center. This week there were signs up around town inviting everyone to the party. There were so many people there to celebrate the day and the food was wonderful!
Naomi and Dorothy share the same birthday. Dorothy celebrated with her family in Duluth two weeks ago. One is four hours older than the other. Quite a coincidence!
Most of the WT's attended the event (We always go wherever there is food!). Seated: Lil and Jo (who now live in apartments about 16 miles from us), Jodie, Tee. Standing: Laurie, the Birthday Girl, Sharon, and Helen S. There were other WT's at the party but they missed out on the photo.

Tough "Bird!"

Great news!

Irene had her foot surgery on Monday. The procedulre ended up being less extensive than anticipated with no rods or pins having to be inserted. That means the recovery time will be less and she should be walking with us sooner than expected. She is already up and about with a walker! What a trooper!

We are all so happy to hear that and look forward to seeing her soon!

Saturday Shopper Snippets

With the referendum over (and passed!), The Shopper is once again back to normal--that is, filling us with news of what is going on in our small communities. We are very busy now that spring is here and the snow is gone (hopefully, for good).

Regarding the referendum: There is a full page ad, thanking everyone for helping to pass it. The name of the committee was "United Communities of ME." The last comment in the ad: "And lastly, it is our hope, as it was when we formed the name of our committee, that we will all now stand UNITED as communities for the future" of the school district. The WT's second that!

The local Floral and Gift shop has a front page ad for blooming plants, cards, corsages, and gift certificates. They have Easter lilies and plush bunnies for the upcoming holiday. One gift that is greatly appreciated in our towns is a gift certificate at this greenhouse--makes a great Easter or Mother's Day gift. That is a not-too-subtle hint for any of our families that might be reading this! Some of the churches make arrangements for us to purchase spring flowering plants for the Easter service in memory or in honor of family members. It certainly brightens up the churches on Easter Sunday.

There are several ads for Easter Sunday Brunches. The prices are pretty good, too. They range from $10.95-15.95. Many of us already have made our reservations. After all, who wants to cook that day??!! There is even a lodging special at the local resort.

It seems as if there is a HUGE number of Birthday ads this week. Gee--I wonder what happened in October all those years before! That would put it just before the beginning of deer hunting season!

There is a Community Easter Egg Hunt on April 15 in one of our towns. Although it is spring, they suggest that we should "Dress for the weather" and it will be held rain or shine. Glad they did not mention the "S-" word!

We can't forget the Salad Luncheon at the American Legion on Thursday, April 13th, for a fund-raiser for the Fourth of July Fireworks and the kids' rides. There will be many such fund-raisers between now and the Fourth. We love these meals and everyone supports them--as much for the meal as the fund-raising.

The Fourth of July Committee is meeting on Tuesday, April 11. For the number of festivities that we have, they really have to get going early.

One of the local paper carriers had to resign because of foot problems. She says farewell to her customers and thanks them all and we wish her well.

The optical shop has reopened at the local hospital. That is a nice convenience for those of us who do not like to drive any distance to have to buy new specs. The hospital is also looking for volunteers to answer the phones in the evenings from 4:00-8:00. Might be something for some of us to do.

Jim must be going on vacation because the local sport shop is closed until April 16th! We hope that he is enjoying himself!

The "Silver Foxes" (single, divorced, or widowed folks from age 60 and up) are getting together for lunch on the 11th. Sounds interesting. We'll have to check to see if any of the WT's are going to attend this. We are all certainly "foxy" and most are over 60!

The local bank is celebrating "A Century of Service." They have been in business for 100 years! Hard to believe! We're sure they'll do something exciting this summer to commemorate this milestone.

We are asked to "Stop and pause . . .before it thaws." That is the Public Works Department warning us to check our sump pumps of the drainage holes in our basements now that the ground is thawing. We certainly do not want any flooded basements.

Our own Naomi was wondering why her kids were so curious as to whether or not she would be home on April 15. Now we know! They have an ad inviting us all to celebrate her 80th BD in the Community Center that day from 1:00-4:00--no gifts, please. All the WT's will be there for sure!

Lots of folks must be cleaning out basements and getting ready after winter as there are so many ads for household items for sale! There are several ads for home and property maintenance from plumbers, painters, roofers, cleaners. And, of course, the Rummage Sales!

The School Library is having a "BOGO" Bookfair--Buy one and get one free--on Wednesday. That is also the day of the 4th grade Science Fair. We're all invited to that. They didn't say anything about refreshments, however. Hmmmm! I wonder. . .


There's a big two-page ad congratulating all the fall and winter school sports teams. That includes hockey, football, basketball, both kinds of skiing, cross country runnin, volleyball and swimming. We might be small but we have had some mighty teams this year!

Holy Week is a big deal in the churches here. There are several Easter ads indicating the times of the services in the various churches for Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday plus many of the specials--one of the churches does a Living Last Supper, several are combining on a series on "Witnesses to Christ's Passion," one has an Easter Sunrise Ecumenical Service at 6:00 a.m. on a local lake followed by breakfast. We do some awesome things in our little towns!

Ice Age 2 is still playing at the theatre and Failure to Launch starts on Friday. We have a wonderful movie theatre. They took out the back rows a few years ago and added bistro tables so we can order pizza or subs to eat during the movie. Silver Screen, Dolby Sound and pizza--it doesn't get much better than that!

WHEW! Time to quit. Lots happening in our towns. Until next week . . .

It Passed!!!!

The school referendum passed yesterday by a vote of 2,157 to 1,468!

Laurie, Emily and Dorothy and their husbands worked very hard on the committe to get the job done. On Monday night there was a huge caravan throughout the three towns that are part of the school district and on Tuesday they had groups around each of the towns that were "picketing" to encourage a "yes" vote and to get people out to vote. They also had a telephone campaign, door-to-door campaign, and a system to drive folks to the polls to vote. They really had their act together to get this passed. Many of us were quieter in our support of this referendum, but most of our group was in favor of it.

Two of the towns and the closest tier of the rural area voted for it; however, one of the towns and the outer tiers of the rural area voted against it. Now we are all hoping that the school district and the committee that worked so hard to pass it will have a process for all of us to get back together again.

At any rate, most of the WT's are very happy today.

Also today--we have heard from Joan who is on her tour of Australia and Fiji and New Zealand. She used our WT email address (which has been working well for all of our travelers). She is having a great time. We got a "Lazy Letter" from her today--what a fun idea--she just had to check items about what she was doing.

Laurie and her husband are heading to Las Vegas for a class reunion. It is for the Class of 1959. Neither one graduated that year but it sounded like a fun time, so they went. Actually, they went a couple of years ago also to the same get together.

The Shopper Arriveth!

Well--another week and another Shopper to share.

The big news is the local School Referendum. The election is April 4. About 80% of this week's paper is ads for or against it, so there isn't too much else to report this week. The "yes" folks seem to have more ads than the "no" folks. Most, if not all, of the WT's are hoping it will pass. We will let you know on Wednesday if it passed or not.

Tee won the $50 Community Spirit prize this week, sponsored by the local Lions' Club. We will expect her to buy coffee for all of us. Irene's husband sold her the ticket.

"Ice Age" is playing at the theatre until April 13th. Looks as if we are doing our share to make it the #1 movie at the box office this week. Lots of cars were on the street by the theatre this weekend.

Dorothy's husband put in an ad wishing her a Happy Birthday on April 2 (Today!). There's a good photo of her in her nurse's uniform from years' past. She and Naomi are the same age--just hours apart.

The Fourth of July Committee is looking for donations to help with the costs of our local celebration. Most of us will dig deep and help with our time or money. It's a great celebration in our town. There is also a salad luncheon on Thursday, April 13th, at the American Legion sponsored by the Auxiliary. Proceeds from that will help to fund the Fireworks and the Kids' Rides. Sounds like a reason for a WT outing!

The local hospital is in need of recipes for the cookbook that they are compiling for a fundraiser. The Lutherans did one last year. In a small town, there will be duplication of recipes, but they make great gifts.

There's a reminder for all of us to turn our clocks ahead for DST. We should all have done it by now.

Signs of Spring:
The Rummage Sale season has begun--there are a couple of ads for these sales and garage sales (what's the difference?) this week.
There is one ad looking for bids for mowing.
Easter Brunch ads are springing up.
DST started--whether we are ready for it or not!

Kind of a slow "news" week. Should be better next week. Until then . . .

Walkie Talkies Decide to Disband for Awhile

The Walkie Talkies have decided to disband until further notice. It seems that with all the rain and mud that we have had, a few of them got into quite a fight yesterday. After walking home on Friday, Lorraine threw a clump of mud at Mary and then the fight began. Irene and Laurie found that the mud in one of the fields made for some pretty wild slipping and sliding. Emily and Tee soon joined them and Sharon enjoyed throwing mud at all of them. She thought she was safe until Naomi and Elsie drove by and decided to join the fracas. Pat and Helen S. sat in Pat's car roaring with laughter as they watched and cheered them on! Needless to say she would not drive them home! Naomi had to ditch her SUV, walk home and then pick it up later. Jodie, Helen J. and Dorothy were sorry that they missed this fun event.

All of this would have been fine because everyone was still laughing during this fight and on the muddy walk home. However, about two hours later, the City Public Works Manager called one of the group. It seems that the sewer system just could not take all of the mud that was flowing through the system from all of the washing machines that were running at that time. He was able to detect where it was all coming from and someone had told him about the scene that the WT's had created on Central Avenue on the way home. So--we were "busted!"

We will keep you posted after this as to whether or not the group will reunite for walking and then coffee downtown, but it seems as if we are all too embarrassed at this point to show our faces around town. We have even set up delivery service from the local grocery store until this passes over. We have figured out a way to sneak over to Irene's for coffee--her sun room is in the back of the house and we figure if we leave early in the morning when it is still dark (thanks to Daylight Savings Time starting), we should be able to get together some mornings!

Happy April Fools' Day!!!