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 . . .
Saturday, April 08, 2006
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
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.
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.
Sunday, April 02, 2006
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 . . .
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 . . .
Saturday, April 01, 2006
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!
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!!!
Friday, March 31, 2006
Almost at full strength
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.
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.
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 . . .
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Quilters Together
Colorful fabric brought the Lutheran and Catholic quilters together in the Lutheran Church basement this snowy morning. The Catholic quilters inherited boxes of fabric and couldn't use all of it. They generously passed some on to the Lutherans. In gratitude, the Lutherans invited them to view the quilts that are made and to enjoy coffee together. Hot coffee went well with cheese, crackers, lefse, Finnish biscuit, kumkaker, pizzelles and other goodies. The guests thought that the Lutherans have wonderful coffee breaks. Kelly, the Lutheran church secretary, brought her four month old nephew who flirted with all the grandmas, smiling and cooing, charming everyone. Pastor Bob told some jokes and all shared stories of how times have changed so that we can enjoy fellowship together, helping each other. The fellowship was warm, knowing that the quilts that each group sews, with loving stitches, go to people in need around the area and the world.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Las Vegas Implosion by Jodie
I have always wanted to view an implosion of a casino in Las Vegas. The Cast Aways was imploded just before we arrived. We saw a sign that Flamingo Road would be closed from midnight to 4:00 a.m. on February 14 and then heard a VERY brief mention on television that the Bourbon Street Casino was going to be imploded. That is very near where we are staying right now and our corridor looks over it, so I got very excited that I might finally see one and have a bird's eye view at that! The only problem was that no one else had heard it and no one seemed to be talking about it. Finally, after waiting for several days and not getting an answer from anyone that I had asked, I finally emailed the weatherman, the weekend anchor, and the traffic reporter at that television station. I figured I would hear from one of them. I was shocked to hear from all of them. The actual time of the implosion was secret and was not to be announced, but each of the television folks told me that it would happen around 2:00 a.m. Harrah's now owns the property and they did not want crowds of people because there was really no safe viewing area (The site is one block off the Strip). They did announce approximate times on the 11:00 p.m. news on the 13th--preventing people from getting down to see it at the last minute.
We all (the two of us and our friends from Washington) set our alarms for 1:30 a.m. and put a chair and the camera (of course) in the corridor on the opposite side of our condo to watch it. It was an unbelievable experience and we're glad we had a chance to see it. Our view was spectacular.
Photos: The first three are of Bourbon Street during the day of the 13th. The next one is the daytime view from the corridor beyond our condo. Following that is a photo of the site just before the implosion--testing the camera. Then--"There she goes!" followed by the rubble when daylight came.
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Losing A Good Friend
We have lost a very good friend--Sue passed away on Sunday, February 5. She had retired in June from teaching (over 30 years as an elementary teacher) and was subbing for a couple of months when she fell and broke her ankle. She died unexpectedly on Sunday. Although Sue and Ed had no children of their own, they both have many children--nieces and nephews, students from school and athletes from sports and recreation programs. We will miss her very much.
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
News and Notes
Just some notes about some of the WT's:
Sue--our retired, out-of-retirement, back-to-retirement--teacher is house bound until February 27th. She took a long-term subbing job in the first grade class and fell and broke her ankle. She goes back to the doctor on the 27th, so we hope she'll be back with us soon. We have been to visit her and she is in good spirits.
Laurie and Emily are taking a knitting class with about a dozen other women taught by the owner of our local Curves and by one of the local teachers.
Emily is reading in two first grade classes and also is involved in the reading program in a second grade class.
Our "snowbirds" are gone--Jodie in Las Vegas and Pat in Hawaii. The weather is very balmy here so they are not missing any cold weather this year. Jodie thinks that the cold weather will return in March when she gets home.
Mary has been in Florida for her seminars. Check out her website for other places where she will be.
Sue--our retired, out-of-retirement, back-to-retirement--teacher is house bound until February 27th. She took a long-term subbing job in the first grade class and fell and broke her ankle. She goes back to the doctor on the 27th, so we hope she'll be back with us soon. We have been to visit her and she is in good spirits.
Laurie and Emily are taking a knitting class with about a dozen other women taught by the owner of our local Curves and by one of the local teachers.
Emily is reading in two first grade classes and also is involved in the reading program in a second grade class.
Our "snowbirds" are gone--Jodie in Las Vegas and Pat in Hawaii. The weather is very balmy here so they are not missing any cold weather this year. Jodie thinks that the cold weather will return in March when she gets home.
Mary has been in Florida for her seminars. Check out her website for other places where she will be.
Tee and Joan had a great time at the Elderhostel in Oklahoma and returned with some Will Rogers humorous stories and some Trail of Tears horror stories.
We will update everyone on other members shortly. Stay in touch and Happy Groundhog's day tomorrow!
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Happy (Chinese) New Year
Sunday, January 29, marks the start of Year 4704 on the Chinese calendar, the Year of the Dog.
The Chinese New Year starts with the new moon on the first day of the new year and ends on the full moon fifteen days later. The fifteenth day of the new year is called the Lantern Festival.
There is a twelve-year cycle of animals of the Chinese calendar. According to Chinese folklore, each animal is associated with certain personality traits. People born in the Year of the Dog are supposedly loyal, honest and trustworthy but can also be stubborn and selfish.
Happy Chinese New Year from the Walkie Talkies!
Photos are from the Conservatory at the Belaggio Hotel in Las Vegas where one member of our group is vacationing.
Friday, January 27, 2006
Pepsi Challenge Ski Race
The 22nd annual Pepsi Challenge Ski Cup Race was held at our local ski area on January 21. There were 564 ski racers, nearly double the field of the event last year.
Giants Ridge has a world-class reputation for its race trails. The Ridge has held the World Cup, Olympic Trials, national Collegiate finals and the U.S. National Championships. This race is part of the American Ski Marathon Series.
Matt Weier of Marquette, MI, and Sarah Peters of Navan, Ontario, won the 48K Freestyle event. Joshua Tesch of Superior, WI, and Mary Beth Tuttle of Pine Springs, MN, won the 24k Freestyle event. Evan Pengelly of Plymouth, MN, and Margaret Nelson of St. Paul, MN, won the 24K Classic event.
This event draws Nordic ski racers from all over and brings some positive publicity to our area; we are very proud that the race is held nearby.
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Geocaching by Jodie
Geocaching--"Where YOU are the search engine"--is a sport that the WT's have come to enjoy. Geocaching ("Geo" for geography and "cache" for hidden stash) makes use of the multi-billion dollar satellite system that the government has in place. Once the Defense Department stopped scrambling these signals beamed to GPS receivers from the military satellites on May 1 of 2000, owners of a handheld GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) receiver could hide "treasures," post the information on the Internet (see our link at the right), and others would flock to find them. Once they found the cache (pronounced "cash"), the finder would write in the logbook, exchange a trinket in the container, and then later log the find on the cache site. There are now caches in over 220 countries in the world and during a typical week tens of thousands of people log in "finds" on the site.
The WT's have taken advantage of this. Jodie has two of the handhelds now and plans outings for the group. In addition to finding caches, we have also hidden some in our area. We have developed Travel Bugs which travel from cache to cache and are logged on the site. In fact, one travel bug which we started in 2004, the year of the Centennial of our town, is now in New York!
One of the most fun aspects of this is that many of us now have our adult offspring and grandchildren interested in the sport. We love to hear them say, "Our grandmother is the one that first got us interested in it!" We love it when we learn something "techie" before they do!
Photos: Jodie with her GPS on a "find" in Arizona. The group near a cache that we hid at a drill site. The group at a mine viewpoint near another cache that we hid.
Friday, January 20, 2006
Quilting with Sharon
Sharon has been quilting since 1998. Here she is with some of the quilts/wallhangings in her home. Through the years we've enjoyed seeing many of her sewn creations: quilts, wallhangings, jackets, ponchos, and more. She's made quilts for her children and grandchildren, and taught one of her granddaughters how to sew and quilt. When she's not quilting, she might be working on scrapbooking.
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Thought for the New Year
"Unless we set up some kind of a schedule, we just aren't going to get around to all the things we should be worrying about." Erma Bombeck
Monday, January 16, 2006
Gail Sheehy's New Book
It appears that Gail Sheehy's new book, despite its title, might be something that the WT's would be interested in. Perhaps there are parts of it that used us as examples. She talks about the "seasoned woman." We are definitely that! A seasoned woman is spicy and has been marinated in life experience, according to Sheehy. The WT's are that--we can be alternately sweet, tart, sparkling, mellow--just like complex wine.
In an article in the Sunday magazine section of the paper, she discusses what makes a woman "seasoned." Her answer is "time." Although we only have two Boomers in our group (Mary and Sue--Jodie missed it by 6 months!), we are definitely the passionate, liberated women she mentions--unwilling to settle for the stereotypical roles of middle age! We are definitely part of the Second Adulthood. The Seasoned Woman offers a "what-the-hell-life-is-short" joie de vivre, emotional stability, financial independence, the ability to talk about anything, no ticking biological clock or toddlers underfoot, and a knowledge of what she wants sexually and the appreciation of a good lover. Well, five out of six ain't bad!
The book comes out at the end of this month and I'm sure that someone from our group will get one right away to read and share with everyone! We can barely wait!
In an article in the Sunday magazine section of the paper, she discusses what makes a woman "seasoned." Her answer is "time." Although we only have two Boomers in our group (Mary and Sue--Jodie missed it by 6 months!), we are definitely the passionate, liberated women she mentions--unwilling to settle for the stereotypical roles of middle age! We are definitely part of the Second Adulthood. The Seasoned Woman offers a "what-the-hell-life-is-short" joie de vivre, emotional stability, financial independence, the ability to talk about anything, no ticking biological clock or toddlers underfoot, and a knowledge of what she wants sexually and the appreciation of a good lover. Well, five out of six ain't bad!
The book comes out at the end of this month and I'm sure that someone from our group will get one right away to read and share with everyone! We can barely wait!
Thursday, January 12, 2006
Off to Another Elderhostel
Joan and Tee are off to another Elderhostel. This time they head to Poteau, Oklahoma, to discuss Will Rogers and to study contemporary Oklahoma artists and authors, the post-Civil War Frontier and the culture of Native Americans. One of the highlights will be a tour of the Will Rogers Museum. Once again, they will return with many stories to share with those of us who are staying home. We're certain that they will regale us with many Will Rogers' sayings.
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Daughters of the American Revolution by Pat
Like many other members of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), I joined to please my mother. Membership requires proof of descent from a member of the military or a support group of the Revolutionary War. My plan was to prove that I was her daughter and join on her apron strings. Mother would have none of that. She had proved seven different lines and assigned me to another that she had not been able to prove several years before. It was a good move on her part. As I searched for birth and death certificates, marriage licenses and proof of service, I became fascinated with their social history. I found myself reading about the routes they must have traveled and marveled at thrir courage. It opened a whole new world!
My Chapter of DAR is the Daughters of Liberty Chapter in Duluth. It was organized in 1897 and has been active ever since. Our programs revolve around patriotic, historical and conservational topics. With more people becoming interested in computers and the increased capacity of genealogical research, we have been growing. We have two projects tht we are very proud of. We offer several $200 grants each year to teachers in the Duluth area for special class projects. We also sponsor and serve at a reception for immigrants on the day they become United States citizens. A most rewarding experience--their stories rival my ancestors' stories!
Check out the link for the Liberty Chapter on the right.
Monday, January 09, 2006
Our Sewing Authority Mary is on Television
Our resident author, Mary, appeared on PBS on "Sewing with Nancy." The appearance marked the introduction of Mary's newest collection of apron designs. Mary and host Nance Zieman showed viewers a variety of clever aprons for children, dolls and adults.
"Newfangled Reversible Aprons" is the program topic and the title of Mary's newly released pattern. She presented the steps of easy-to-make aprons in three different reversible styles.
"Sewing with Nancy" has aired on public television for 24 years. In these programs, Nancy specializes in presenting efficient sewing methods that result in professional looking garments and projects. Mary has appeared on the program on numerous occasions and we all try to watch her or tape the program whenever possible. She is our resident celebrity!
Check your local listings for Progam #1920. You can also check out how/where to purchase the apron pattern on the link to the right for Mary's Productions.
Sunday, January 08, 2006
Nation's Largest High School Ski Event
The local school hosted a Cross Country Invitational Ski Meet yesterday, the largest high school nordic ski meet in the nation. Out of 58 teams, our local team came in 14th. Several of the local skiers finished in the top 100, including Lorraine's granddaughter.
The weather was perfect--perhaps even a little too warm for these high-energy events--mid 20's, which is still a great deal better than any below zero weather.
Events such as this and just the general business that the ski area brings to our communities make us realize what a gem we have nearby. They help to focus on all that the area offers, including many loyal volunteers who helped to make the event run smoothly.
Saturday, January 07, 2006
Another Saturday--Another Shopper
News from the Northland: Well, The Shopper just arrived and it is full once again.
The big news is that the Pepsi Challenge Cup Cross Country Ski Race will be on Saturday, January 21, at Giant's Ridge Ski Area. There will be a Spaghetti Feed in the Pavilion in a neighboring town the night before. There are several different races: a 24K and 48K Classic Race, a 24K and 48K Freestyle race and a 7K Freestyle race. The Awards Banquet will be at 5:00 that evening. This is usually one of the colder weekends of the year with temperatures sometimes below zero and it usually doesn't stop most people. Sometimes the race is postponed until later in the day when it might warm up. They used to truck in snow to our main street and lined the race track with discarded Christmas trees. The racers would ski through town and townsfolk would stand and ring cowbells to cheer them on. Some of us really miss "those good ol' days!"
There are several Snowmobile Safety Training classes coming up, beginning on January 9.
School is back in session (January 3), so the weekly lunch menus are printed. Doesn't look too bad. Don't remember having tacos when we were in school. They still have hamburger gravy on mashed potatoes--some things do not change. You know, that still sounds pretty good! They also have something called a "Grab & Go Bag" Sounds interesting--PB&J sandwich, string cheese, carrots, apple and milk. There are also several athletic events scheduled. In small towns across the country, most of the life centers around what seems to be happening at the school.
The regular newspaper delivery person is having a sub because she is having foot surgery. We appreciate the fact that she gave us a number to call if there are any problems.
Someone had a purse stolen and with it her heart and asthma medicing plus a prescription for her eyedrops. We hope that it will be returned.
The Girl Scouts will be having their cookie sale kick off. Looks as if we have something to look forward to.
Some of the ads: The local floral and gift shop is encouraging high school students to order flowers for their dates for the Snowball Dance which is coming up next Saturday. Sounds like fun.
With the new year, several beauty salon owners are encouraging us to come in to try a new "do" for the new year. That's definitely something to think about! Some of the local "watering holes" are advertising Super Bowl parties already. "King Kong" is playing through Thursday and "Rumor Has It" will start on Friday. That sounds like a field trip.
Until next week . . .
The big news is that the Pepsi Challenge Cup Cross Country Ski Race will be on Saturday, January 21, at Giant's Ridge Ski Area. There will be a Spaghetti Feed in the Pavilion in a neighboring town the night before. There are several different races: a 24K and 48K Classic Race, a 24K and 48K Freestyle race and a 7K Freestyle race. The Awards Banquet will be at 5:00 that evening. This is usually one of the colder weekends of the year with temperatures sometimes below zero and it usually doesn't stop most people. Sometimes the race is postponed until later in the day when it might warm up. They used to truck in snow to our main street and lined the race track with discarded Christmas trees. The racers would ski through town and townsfolk would stand and ring cowbells to cheer them on. Some of us really miss "those good ol' days!"
There are several Snowmobile Safety Training classes coming up, beginning on January 9.
School is back in session (January 3), so the weekly lunch menus are printed. Doesn't look too bad. Don't remember having tacos when we were in school. They still have hamburger gravy on mashed potatoes--some things do not change. You know, that still sounds pretty good! They also have something called a "Grab & Go Bag" Sounds interesting--PB&J sandwich, string cheese, carrots, apple and milk. There are also several athletic events scheduled. In small towns across the country, most of the life centers around what seems to be happening at the school.
The regular newspaper delivery person is having a sub because she is having foot surgery. We appreciate the fact that she gave us a number to call if there are any problems.
Someone had a purse stolen and with it her heart and asthma medicing plus a prescription for her eyedrops. We hope that it will be returned.
The Girl Scouts will be having their cookie sale kick off. Looks as if we have something to look forward to.
Some of the ads: The local floral and gift shop is encouraging high school students to order flowers for their dates for the Snowball Dance which is coming up next Saturday. Sounds like fun.
With the new year, several beauty salon owners are encouraging us to come in to try a new "do" for the new year. That's definitely something to think about! Some of the local "watering holes" are advertising Super Bowl parties already. "King Kong" is playing through Thursday and "Rumor Has It" will start on Friday. That sounds like a field trip.
Until next week . . .
Thursday, January 05, 2006
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
Laurie and the "Friends of the Wirtanen Pioneer Farm"
The serene location of the Wirtanen Farm was thehomestead of the Finnish bachelor, Eli Wirtanen. He filed for a homestad on the land in 1904 and supplemented his farm income by logging during the winters. Eli had chickens and raised a pig; at one time he owned a team of horses but usually kept only one. He sold the hay he raised in his fields. Today this farm stands in proud tribute to the area's early settlers and is maintaines by the Friends of the Wirtanen Pioneer Farm.
The most unique building on the farm is the Finnish style sauna. The firebox is covered with stones without a chimney. The smoke holes were opened after the fire died out to release the smoke. The result was a smoky odor when water was poured over the rocks. A dressing room was provided and a kerosene lamp was used to light both rooms.
The farm is open year round but it is not plowed in the winter. Admission is FREE.
The photos: The Wirtanen Farm, the Walkie Talkies at the Farm (we have hidden a geocache there), and Laurie. Laurie is on the Board of the Friends of the Wirtanen Farm and also serves as the treasurer. She is wearing a Scandinavian outfit in the photo which was taken at one of our Solstice parties.
Check out the link for the Wirtanen Farm on the right.
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Thought for today
"Be yourself and you will always be in fashion."
If that's the case, the Walkie Talkies must be VERY fashionable!
If that's the case, the Walkie Talkies must be VERY fashionable!
Sunday, January 01, 2006
Saturday, December 31, 2005
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 . . .
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 . . .
Friday, December 30, 2005
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.
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.
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
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!
Monday, December 26, 2005
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.
Saturday, December 24, 2005
Thursday, December 22, 2005
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.
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!
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, December 18, 2005
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."
Saturday, December 17, 2005
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!
More next week . . .
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 . . .
Saturday, December 10, 2005
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 So
ciety 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!
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 So
ciety 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!
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
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.
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.
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Monday, December 05, 2005
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!
Sunday, December 04, 2005
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.
Friday, December 02, 2005
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!).
Thursday, December 01, 2005
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.
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