Making Your Own Fun

Today after church I was visiting with a friend and she told me that in reading my blog last weekend, she noticed that “you were feeling sorry for yourself”. Yes, I told her, I guess all last weekend I felt that way, and during the week I did try to change my attitude. Yesterday, after spending the morning just being lazy and vulnerable to those “sorry” feeling again, I decided that I needed to make my own fun, so I would feel better. So, I took off to the Bayfront Festival Park downtown to the 13th Annual Harvest Festival, sponsored by the Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota, Lake Superior Chapter. Bob was off having fun at the golf course. I couldn’t find anyone to go with me, but decided I’d go anyway!

I have never been to this event, but have heard about it. It was very interesting. I walked around looking at all the booths, and resisted the food vendors, which tempted everyone with corn on the cob, blooming onions, cheese curds, etc. One food vendor I couldn’t resist though, was the homemade ice cream stand from a Mennonite family. The ice cream was made in old fashioned ice cream machines fueled by a generator from a John Deere Tractor. Three flavors, vanilla, chocolate and BLACK RASPBERRY! Well, I have never had homemade black raspberry ice cream since an ice cream parlor in East Berlin who made homemade ice cream, served it. Oh, it was delicious, just like Lau’s homemade ice cream!

Farmers from Northeastern Minnesota and Northwestern Wisconsin were there selling their harvest. I brought home freshly dug potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions and sweet corn. I even brought a treat for my son, hot pepper jelly and homemade hot salsa.

There was a booth there with all kinds of Pennsylvania Dutch and German items. I asked if the family had relatives from Pennsylvania. The booth was run by a Mennonite family from up the shore. She told me, no relatives, but they have lots of friends from Pennsylvania. You see, the reason I asked, is the area I grew up in had Mennonite families. Mennonites are an off shoot of the Amish, who are in Lancaster County, a county bordering my home county of Adams. I didn’t buy anything there, because I had brought some of those same items home from PA when I was there in August! Now, I know where I can go to get my PA Dutch fix in Minnesota!

I’m glad I went, the weather was so beautiful, not hot, breezy and just the perfect Duluth Day. It was good for me to be out in it, instead of holed up in the house! It was good for my spirit.

This morning we went to church, also good for my spirit. We had a Bluegrass group do the special music and play along with our hymns. They were great. I always think Bluegrass is not my favorite music, but I have to say when I hear the great songs like “I’ll Fly Away” that are done in Bluegrass, I’m a fan.

This afternoon, while Bob golfs, I think I will take a drive down to Brighton Beach by the lake, I haven’t been there all summer. It’s a great place to walk around, meditate and enjoy nature.