Slow Down

Yes, I still have my “Slow Down” post-it on my speedometer. I’m going to keep it there as a reminder to slow down, and remember that I'm driving in town not out in the country!

I also need to remember to slow down in my everyday life. Yesterday, I made a mistake at work because I was hurrying too much, and realized that in my hurry to accomplish all my work at the office, I need to slow down and "be more observate and pay closer attention". We all tend to hurry too much, I've seen it referred to as "Hurry Sickness".

Tonight it was my turn to lead our Covenant Discipleship Group that I belong to. We meet weekly. Later this week I will write about that, when I have more time. But for tonight’s post I want to share with you the poem that I passed out to our group this evening, in fact we closed reading it together. I think it fits in with all of our busy lives. We all go through life too fast. We need to slow down, not just when we are driving in the car, but to slow down our life too. I’m getting better at that, the older I get, especially since my husband is retired, I am slowing down a lot more, to keep up with his slow, relaxed pace! But, some days I forget, and I fall into hurry sickness. Here is the poem I want to share with you.

This poem is taken from “The Book of Grace”, it was given to me as a gift for Christmas one year by a friend (who also happens to be part of our Covenant Group). “It’s a collection of international poems, prayers and quotes that bring peace and spirituality into your life”, put together by Margi Preus and Ann Treacy (who are from Duluth). I have enjoyed and referenced this book quite often.

Slow Me Down, Lord
Slow Me Down, Lord
Ease the pounding of my heart by
the quieting of my mind.
Steady my hurried pace with a vision
of the eternal reach of time.
Give me, amid the confusion of the day,
the calmness of the everlasting hills.

Break the tensions of my nerves and muscles
with the soothing music of the singing
streams that live in my memory,
that help me to know the magical
restoring power of sleep.

Teach me the art of taking minute vacations –
of slowing down to look at a flower,
to chat with a friend,
to pat a dog, to read a few lines from a good book..

Remind me each day of the fable
of the hare and the tortoise,
that I may know that the race is
not always to the swift –
that there is more to life than increasing speed.

Let me look upward into the
branches of the towering oak
And know that it grew great and strong,
because it grew slowly and well.

Slow me down, Lord, and
inspire me to send my roots
Deep into the soil of life’s enduring values
that I may grow toward the
stars of my greater destiny.
-- Richard Cardinal Cushing (1895-1970)

Have a nice slow evening!

How Observant Are You?

Linda's Thoughts from Duluth
So, some interesting things happened this weekend that made me think that maybe I’m not as observant as I should be:

Stopped by the police – it was a seat belt check, to see that I was using my seat belt which I was, (I always do), but I was going over the speed limit, and I was sure I was going to get a speeding ticket. I was so relieved when he told me it was a check for the seat belt, but noted that I should “watch my speed on Calvary Road”. I have a habit of not paying attention to what speed I’m driving… not observant enough.

Turned onto a one-way street by accident – gee – that’s scary – probably not being observant.

The one that really threw me for a loop – a mural of our Woodland UM Church was added to our fellowship hall wall at Hope UMC. I noticed it yesterday morning, thinking it was just put there. I was told, “Linda, it’s been there for months”. I walked up to it and discovered that the date on the painting was 11/05!!! Oh, my. I can’t believe that I never noticed it before. I’m in that hall almost every Sunday morning! The friend I was talking to at the time, said “Linda, when you visit with people, you concentrate on them, not the surroundings. The mural also blends in well with the other murals there.” She was probably being kind, because she knew how upset I was that I never noticed it before. I’m hoping she’s right about the reason. But the two incidents that happened with the car, what excuse except that I was not being observant? Getting old… could that be it? Wait a minute… I’m not that old yet!

To be on the safe side, this morning I drove to work with two post it notes on my dashboard “Be Observant” and by the speedometer “SLOW DOWN”. I got a speeding ticket in town last spring, (due to not paying attention to my speed), I can’t afford another ticket to be against our insurance!

Suffering Due to Procrastination!

Linda's Thoughts from Duluth
You haven’t heard from me lately because I have dealt most of the week with eating issues. I wasn’t able to keep any food down since noon on Tuesday. I’ve dealt with acid reflux disease for years, and just when I thought I had it under control, pain wise, I started having problems with pain after eating, something new the last few months. I’ve had several attacks, but the attacks usually only lasted for a day, then the next day I would be fine. I usually blamed it on eating the wrong food. I have known all fall that I needed to make a doctor’s appointment with the gastro, it’s been almost 2 years since I’ve seen him, but the procrastinator that I am, I kept putting it off. Well, I suffered from the procrastination this week. I kept waiting for it to get better, and when I realized that it wasn’t going to get better, and that I wouldn’t be able to eat or drink, I was forced to the hospital yesterday morning for an emergency endoscopy with my gastro doctor. Thankfully, he had an open spot. Apparently the acid caused not just constriction of my esophagus, but caused a pouch where all my food was going to, instead of going to my stomach, which is why it kept coming up with coughing fits when I would be sleeping. He did a procedure which he hopes will take care of the problem. If it doesn’t, he assured me that there are other things that can be done. I learned my lesson, to keep after this disease, especially after Wednesday night at 12:30 am when I thought I was going to choke to death, a really, really scary feeling. Last year about this time my regular doctor sent me to a pulmonary specialist, thinking that I might have lung or asthma problems. He declared my lungs healthy, sent me for a sleep study, and diagnosed me with sleep apnea. A few weeks ago I went to the doctor thinking I had a very bad chest cold, and he said I was having an asthma attack (even though the lung doctor said I didn’t have asthma.) Ummm, we are beginning to realize that my breathing problems are connected to my acid problems. Too much acid can cause many problems.

I ate a small bowl of cereal and a cup of tea for breakfast this morning, and it went down well, with no after effects. So far, so good, I am attending a women's luncheon at church today. I will be eating very carefully, hoping all goes well.

If you have severe indigestion on a regular basis, or have pain after eating, feel like you need to throw up after eating, or cough excessively at night when you don’t have a cold, please go to the doctor. Check it out; get treated, before it becomes worse! Don't procastinate!

Hawk's Ridge - "Watch em"

Hawk's Ridge in Duluth


A few weeks ago when it was the height of the migrating birds crossing Lake Superior heading south, I wanted to write a post about Hawk’s Ridge here in Duluth. I didn’t get it done. In today’s mail we received a full page article that appeared in the Los Angeles Times about our Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve. My sister in law from California sent it to us. The article was titled “Postcard from Minnesota” “A Great Spot to watch ‘em like a hawk”. The article tells about the reserve and about the hawk watching. The article was also a good promotion for the city of Duluth itself, as it tells about the lake, the city parks, recreation opportunities, where to stay, where to eat and other sights to see in the city. The height of the migration has passed, however there are still birds migrating each day through November.

For my out of state readers, we have a nature reserve that sits at the tip of Lake Superior, and every fall raptors arrive, 94,000 in an average season. The ridge is like a super highway for southbound birds coming from Canada, Alaska and the Artic. From August to November, the ridge is one of the most spectacular, colorful sports to view fall raptor migration in North America. Thousands of people each fall come to the reserve to watch the birds pass over. It is becoming more popular each year. Now, besides word of mouth, this article in Los Angeles Times, will probably bring interested people from California too! On my post about the 7 Bridges Road, I posted a photo from Hawk Ridge, it overlooks Eastern neighborhood of Lakeside, and Lake Superior.

There is an interpretive center there, explaining about the birds, the facility is free. One really neat thing about Hawk Ridge is that you have a chance to release a bird through its “Adopt-a-raptor” program. For $100 donation a band with a unique number on it is put on the bird. If the animal is ever recaptured, Hawk Ridge will be notified and then will notify the person who adopted the bird. The donation helps fund the reserve’s educational programs.

For more information log on to this site: www.hawkridge.org/visit/visit.html

For more information on dining, lodging, charter fishing and other outdoor activities in Duluth and around western Lake Superior, call (800) 438-5884, or see www.visitduluth.com

Breakfast with...and other Surprises

We received a surprise call on Friday night. Our Grandson, Skylar, was in town!
His Aunt and cousins from his Dad’s side, moved to Duluth a month or so ago. They have been wanting Dawn to let Skylar drive up for a visit. Skylar has been trying to convince his parents to let him drive to Duluth by himself, ever since he got his driver’s license a year ago. They have not allowed him to, but I guess after a year, they felt that they couldn’t hold him off any longer. The cousins wanted him to come up to go to the “Haunted Ship” with them. We have a retired ore boat docked, which is a tourist attraction, tours are given. Every Halloween season it is made into a “Haunted Ship”. Skylar doesn’t have any weekends to come up, due to his school activities, and work, he didn’t even have a chance to spend any time in Duluth all summer. This weekend was no exception, he had to leave town by noon Saturday, to get back in time for work. So, we met him for breakfast. It was really good to see him! He was so happy to see us, and happy that his parents finally relented and let him make the drive up from the cities by himself. (2 1/2 hr. trip) The trip went well, so hopefully he will be allowed to come up to see us all here in Duluth, more often! Of course, one more year from now when he is 18, they will have nothing to say about it. I can’t believe he will be 18 in another year. I can’t believe we will soon have a grown Grandson!

Another bright moment and surprise yesterday, I just wrote and told you that we hardly ever see our son and his girlfriend due to their working all the time. Yesterday, just as we got back from breakfast with Skylar, Sarah and her Mother stopped in for a visit. That was very nice. Sarah also brought me my Mother’s Day and Birthday gifts, that she said Scott was supposed to get to me earlier. (well, you know boys!) Nice surprise, nice visit.

To top the day off, my friend Lois and I had made plans to go to the movie “One Night With the King” at 4:00. It was a great movie, we really enjoyed it. It is a movie based on Queen Esther of Persia, who risked her life to save her Jewish people. The event is related in the book of “Esther” in the Bible. I also wrote about it on my post “She Didn’t Have To”…if you want to refer to it. The actor who played the villain in the story, I have never seen him before, but boy, did he do a great job as the villain… you really had to loathe him, every time you heard him talk, and saw him! And, the actress who played Esther, was sure a beauty! Omar Shariff, (who I have trouble realizing that he is getting really old, because I remember him when he was young and in Dr. Zhivago,) also had a key part. Anyhow, for all you movie lovers, I would definitely recommend this movie and also recommend it even if you aren’t a movie lover. You will enjoy it.

So… since I didn’t get anything around home accomplished yesterday, I guess I should quit writing and try to get something done today!

Nice Friday!

What a nice day I had! It was a quiet day at the office. It's Friday! I left the office feeling good, nothing leftover to be done on Monday, all caught up - that's un believeable! That hasnt' happened at the job for over a year, maybe even 2 years! I'm enjoying it while I can, because I know in a few short weeks it will be a zoo again! Another good thing: I had lunch with my husband and our son, Scott, who we haven’t seen in over 2 weeks! It was so so good to see him. It seems he and his girl are so busy working full time and part time jobs to be able to have their own place that we don’t see him very often, and from a Mother’s prospective, I don’t see him nearly enough! I would like to call him every day on his cell phone, I know that I could, but I also do not want to be the Mother who is constantly keeping after her grown 25 year old son, I know how busy they both are and hate to bother them. I don’t want to lay guilt on him for not calling us, as Bob’s Mother often did to Bob. She knew how to “lay on the guilt”. (Italian Mother, you know) I always said I would never do that to my children, so I bend over the other way, sometimes I wonder if I go too much the other way. It's hard to know what balance to have when it comes to your grown children, who really aren't children anymore. So, as I’ve said before, I have to accept that sons have to keep their girls happy and Mother’s are put on the back burner (many Mothers have told me this.) So, as long as he knows he can always come to us, that’s all I can expect now, and an occasional stop at the house, and lunch a few times a month! I sure do enjoy those lunchs!

Keep Tabs on Duluth's Weather!

Home early today. I spent the last 2 hours of the day at the Second Harvest Food Bank, working on my “community service” hours for my ACS employment. ACS prefers that we do the work during the work day. I was asked if I could come up sometime this week and file. There were a lot of papers to file. I hate filing at my job at ACS and at home and put it off as long as possible. But, I didn’t mind filing since it counted toward my community service hours that I need to fulfill! The office there closes at 4, so I was able to get home a bit earlier than usual, since their office is not all that far from Woodland.

Last evening I didn’t blog, because I spent time figuring out how to put a weather spot on to this blog site. One of my friends who blogs, put one on, so friends from out of state can see the weather there, gee, I thought, what a good idea. I should try that. So…look to the left of my page here and you will see an icon of the Minnesota map, with the temperature on it. The time there represents that last update of that temperature from the weather site. If you click on the map, it will take you to the weather site where you can find more information about our weather here in Duluth. So, now, to my out of state relatives and friends who read my blog, you can check out what the weather is here!

The last two days have been gloomy and sunless! I guess Novemember is soon upon us,
I always think of November and December being very gloomy due to not having much sun!

Duluth Fogged In

Duluth is fogged in last night and today. It is also a rainy day. It was pouring this morning. But...hey, it's better than SNOW!!!

The Sister Study

I had not heard about this study until recently, and thought I should pass it on to any that might be interested.

The Sister Study:

Sign up to participate in the Sister Study. The Sister Study, being conducted by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, is a nationwide study to help us better understand the reasons women get breast cancer by studying women who have sisters with the disease. If you or someone you know is a woman who lives in the United States or Puerto Rico, is between the ages of 35 and 74, has never had breast cancer and has a sister related by blood who has had breast cancer, you may be eligible. To learn more about the Sister Study and how you can get involved, visit www.sisterstudy.org.

This is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. You can help in the fight by:

Getting a mammogram
Encouraging others to get a mammogram
Supporting the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP)
(While the program has saved many lives, currently it is only able to serve one in five eligible women due to a lack in funding). Ask your legislators for continued and more funding. (for tools and resources to help you contact your federal legislators go to: acscan.org/detection
Encourage participation in Making Strides Against Cancer. Nationwide events that raise funds and awareness to further our fight against breast cancer. Since 1993, Making Strides has raised approximately $194 million to support our breast cancer efforts.

If you qualify - sign up to participate in the Sister Study. More details go to www.sisterstudy.org

Relay For Life donations and memorial donations may also be designated toward breast cancer research if you indicate your wishes at the time of donation.

ACS continues to strive toward its 2015 breast cancer goals for the nation - reduce the age-adjusted incidence rate of breast cance by 15 percent, reduce the mortality rate of breast cancer by 50 percent and increase to 90 percent the porportion of women 40 and older who have breast cancer screening consistent with ACS guidelines (by 2008).

Thank you for your support and involvement in one of ACS' priority areas. With your help, we can continue to save lives and make strides against breast cancer.

Read my posts below for more information on the impact that ACS is making on Breast cancer.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

It seems everytime I turn around I find out about another friend diagnosed with breast cancer! I have 2 friends going through treatment, one that is just about finished with treatment, and many friends who are breast cancer survivors. Yesterday I received an e mail from a friend in Louisiana, she is my age. She is fighting breast cancer right now. I have no doubt that breast cancer has touched someone that you know and love.

Take a minute to check out the new American Cancer Society's web page on breast cancer at:
www.cancer.org/breastcancer

This page serves as a one-stop shop for breast cancer information, resources and opportunities to join the fight.

Did you know that The American Cancer Society has spent more than $290 million $ on Breast Cancer Research since 1972. ACS is the nation's largest non-governmental supporter of breast cancer research nationwide.

Also, your support of the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program will help low-income, uninsured and underinsured women access breast cancer screenings and follow-up care. To support this effort or to learn more about the program, visit www.acscan.org/makingstrides.

Read my post below for more information on how The American Cancer Society is impacting Breast Cancer.

How ACS is Impacting Breast Cancer

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer

Did you know that there are TWO MILLION breast cancer survivors living in the United States today? While breast cancer deaths are declining thanks to early detection and better treatments, more than 212,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and nearly 41,000 will die from the disease in 2006.
The best defense against breast cancer is to detect it as early as possible, when it is easier to treat. Thanks to mammograms and new treatments, the five year survival rate for breast cancer that has not spread to other parts of the body has increased from 80% in the 1950’s to 98% today. The American Cancer Society recommends yearly mammograms for women 40 and older.

Throughout October, please help educate your family, friends and coworkers about the importance of breast health as it relates to cancer prevention and early detection.

How The American Cancer Society* Is Impacting Breast Cancer

Funding Groundbreaking Research: Over time, the Society has invested more in breast cancer research than any other voluntary public health organization. Since 1972, the Society has funded more than $290 million in breast cancer research grants, resulting in the development of many of today’s breast cancer treatments.

Advocating For Access To Mammograms For All Women: The Society advocates for important public policies and programs to ensure all women have access to breast cancer screening tests and care, regardless of their ability to pay.

Educating Women About Prevention and Early Detection: The Society educates women about the importance of early detection and following recommended breast cancer screening guidelines through its many educational programs. At www.cancer.org, women can sign up for a free mammogram reminder that will be e mailed to them each year so they won't forget to schedule their yearly mammogram.

Improving the Quality of Life for Breast Cancer Patients and Their Families: The Society empowers breast cancer patients and survivors and provides support through fee programs such as Reach to Recovery, Look Good ... Feel Better, and the Cancer Survivors Network.

Mission Statement:

*The American Cancer Society is the nationwide, community-based, voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives and diminishing suffering from cancer cancer through research, education, advocacy and service.

Fall in Hudson

Fall in Hudson
One last post about our beautiful fall, our daughter just sent me these photos, and must share them. Look at the leaves in the background, how beautiful. These photos represent fall in Hudson, WI. They live in an area that has a lot of trees, and wooded all around their house. It’s beautiful down there this time of year. The house is our daughter’s home in Hudson; she sent us a photo of it because they just put on a new roof. They put the kind of roof on that is supposed to last a lifetime, that’s good, because in the 35 years we’ve lived in our house, we have put on two roofs. Not a fun way to spend money!

Oh yes, by the way, after they bought the house, they replaced some of the carpeted floors with hardwood floors. (see my post on hardwood floors). But, they put in the new synthetic kind that are easier to care for. They did keep carpet in their family room.

The beautiful girl is our granddaughter.

Hardwood Floors

Hardwood Floors

Have you ever watched “Sell This House” on cable TV? I just watched two episodes of it. One thing I have noticed almost every time I see one of these shows, and today was no exception, is the home buyer’s interest in having hardwood floors in their home. Many older homes have hardwood floors under the carpet, and it is almost always suggested that if you are going to sell your house, you should rip your carpet out and go with the hardwood floors.
(A lot like when you see makeovers on women, the first thing they do is cut the long hair short!).

When we did refurbishing in our home 3 years ago, that I just wrote about in my posts this week, our daughter was just insistent that we should go with the hardwood floors that were under our carpet, rather than buy new carpet. I wasn’t sold on the idea. So, I considered taking out the carpet ahead of time, just to see what the floor looked like. I knew there was hardwood under. One very early morning in early August, it was 3 am in the morning. I couldn’t sleep. I got up, and decided to take some of the carpet off in the dining room to take a look see… one little piece ripped away, led to another piece, until I had ripped out all of the carpet from the dining room. What a messy job that was, but it was kind of fun. When Bob and Rob woke up they were quite surprised! Bob thought I was crazy and he wasn’t very happy with me! (Maybe that’s exactly why I did it at 3 am in the morning!). Later that week we ripped the rest of it out of the living room also. The floors were maple. They weren’t in too bad of shape, but they would definitely have to be refinished. I checked into what the cost would be. I looked at the floor and tried to decide if I would like the hardwood.

Our carpet I ripped out was shades of darkish brown, and I think it made the rooms look smaller, so I had decided I wanted a very light (not white…which is also in style now) carpet, so the two rooms would look larger. I couldn’t get a look I wanted with area rugs. Then I considered doing only the dining room with the hardwood, but decided I didn’t like the flow with one room wood and one room carpet. We let the rooms sit with no carpet, for three months, while we waited for the kitchen remodel job to get done.

I had trouble thinking of the two rooms without carpet. I wasn’t in love with the hardwood floors, and with the age of our home, the floors were creaky and noisy. In the fall when the weather changed, the floors were cold. Now I know, I know, you put an area rug down…but I couldn’t even find any area rugs that I liked! To me, nice wall to wall carpet would be so much nicer. After three months, my husband and son felt the same. Maybe it was because I grew up in a cold drafty farm house, we did not have carpet. We always thought carpet would be so warm, cozy and lovely, back then, people craved to have carpet like people crave the hardwood today!

Just a few days before Thanksgiving in 2003, after our kitchen and bathroom work were completed, our new carpet was installed. We also put it in our hallway and up the stairs, and it looked beautiful! I had no doubts after, that we made the right decision.

If we ever sell our house, maybe then I will consider ripping the carpet out and redoing the floors. But not until then! We are happy with our warm, lovely carpet. Especially now that winter is upon us!!!

Note: I'm sure glad I stayed with my first instinct and didn't cave in to the peer pressure I had from many people to do the hardwood floors. This experience reminds me that we need to do what's right for us, not what others want us to do!

PS...what are your thoughts...carpet vs. hardwood floors?

32 Years Later - Dream Kitchen

32 Years
This month is the 3rd year anniversary of a dream come true for me.

I told you in a previous post when I was talking about my Mother not getting her dream for their home for over 25 years, that the same thing happened to me. Only I had to wait longer. She always dreamed of tearing out the wall between the kitchen and the “summer kitchen” and making a large kitchen in the farm house. (Old farm houses had what they called a “summer kitchen”, which was used for canning and heavy cooking). When I was grown and married, living here in Minnesota, Mom finally got her dream. She used her inheritance from Grandma and had her kitchen done. They still had three young children yet, so those three siblings were able to enjoy it, us other three were grown and gone.

After 32 years of living in our home, I finally received my dream of a new kitchen too. Our children were all grown, with one living at home yet. Three years ago last month, in fact on my birthday, the remodeling started on our kitchen. I’m convinced that we still had the original kitchen from 1914! It had taken me a very long time, and lots of discussion to convince my husband that we needed to do this remodel job, I used the viewpoint of resale value, as we look toward retirement. We had planned it all summer, and I thought the company we contracted would be doing it in August. It seemed we waited forever for them to get started. Finally on Sept. 23rd, the work started. The kitchen was taken down to the studs, we got new walls, new ceiling and the floor was so bad under the linoleum, there were places where we could see the basement. A new sub floor had to be put in. I had them move the sink across the room to the window, so that I could look out and view our beautiful back yard when working at the sink. We took out our pantry to make the small kitchen larger, and we closed off one of the two entrances, to give us more space to work with. The kitchen to the back porch got moved, for more space. It’s amazing how our little kitchen was able to get bigger, just by doing those things. We bought new appliances AND a dishwasher! Side by side refrigerator and a smooth top, Maytag double oven stove, even an eat in area (how lucky can you get!) The work took almost 6 weeks, if I remember correctly. I have before photos, but apparently don't have them on the computer to post. The contractor who did the remodeling told us that it was the most dramatic change in a kitchen that he had ever done!

That summer we had our plastered walls downstairs all fixed and painted. I wanted to get new carpeting, but had to wait till the kitchen was done. Our bathroom had been remodeled about 10 years earlier, but there was some refurbishing that needed done in there too. We contracted for that work at the same time. The kitchen got done, the bathroom got refurbished, and by Thanksgiving we had our new carpet. We bought some much needed new furniture for the living room. We had a new house! Of course we had a new mortgage too! But, our dream was fulfilled. I considered myself a very lucky woman. I still do, and now for three years I have been enjoying our kitchen. I always said that I didn’t want to move from here, because we lived in such a nice neighborhood, but I did want to update and fix the house. I finally got my dream. I love our home even more than I did 35 years ago! (Bob does too, though he doesn't oh and ah like I do)We plan to stay!

Brrrrrr

Linda's Thoughts from Duluth
Brrrr...went out for part of my lunch today, it was 34 degrees, windy and very cold and gloomy!
Snow flurries, but only in the air. We haven't received too much snow to speak up, except for last night we had about an inch or so on the ground in Woodland where we live. I had to clean snow off of my car before leaving for work. As I headed down the hill toward work, there was none. The ground is really too warm yet for the snow to stay laying, except where we live it is always colder in the winter. That's alright though, we make up for it in the summer. Woodland is always warmer in the spring, fall and summer - over the hill away from the lake - and that's fine with me!

Grandson's Birthday

Grandson's Birthday

Oh my, can it be 17 years ago that I was in the nursery of St. Luke’s Hospital at 3 am holding my first grandchild???? Our Skylar is 17 years old today. At my daughter’s request, I was with her throughout her labor. I’m glad she had her Mom there, because I kept after the nurses when her labor didn’t progress and she was so miserable. They finally took x rays and realized that baby was never going to make it down that birth canal on his own. Skylar’s Dad was with her through the caesarian procedure. I was there to hold him soon after though. I will never forget that thrill of seeing our first grandchild and holding him. He was a beautiful baby, blond hair and blue eyes. He looked like his Dad. Knowing how much I wanted my Mother with me when Dawn was born, and she was 1250 miles away, I knew that I had to be there for my daughter. I’m so thankful I was able to be there for her.

Skylar has been a joy to us these 17 years. He is a very special person, he is not your typical teen, but then maybe I’m prejudiced! (oh...no...he IS special!)

Nine years later, both Bob and I were able to be at the hospital for her when she had our second grandchild, Madelyn. Another thrilling day! Madelyn just turned 6 in August.

Thank you, dear daughter, for giving us two beautiful grandchildren.

Happy Birthday dear Skylar! We love you!

October Snow?

From this morning’s News Tribune: “Duluth neighborhoods away from Lake Superior are expected to see up to 5 inches of snow through Thursday”… That’s us, Woodland neighborhood is away from the lake, over the hill from the lake.


It’s Wednsday morning, no snow yet…only rain. I’ll keep you posted.

Oh No! Snow!

Oh No Snow!
Talk of the town today was that snow is coming. I refused to listen or believe, but I just heard the news and it said it is already snowing in the northwestern part of Minnesota and is for sure coming this way. It sounds like more than a mere inch too. We don't want to hear this. We've had such a beautiful summer and autumn and we want it to last longer! This is way too early in October to see snow, even if it's only an inch or so. I don't remember getting snow this early in October for years. I do remember though, the famous "Halloween Storm", October 31st, about 7 or 10 years ago when we got over a foot or more, and most people didn't have their yards cleaned up, or even summer things out of their yards! Bob took our deck furniture off our deck on Sunday.

Today at my lunch time, I went to the Rose Garden for a walk on what they said would be our last really nice day. I expected it to be warm and sunny. I was disappointed. It was very cloudy and cool and windy. The temperature at 1 pm was ony 55. I guess we'll have to face it, winter is coming. It started raining around 7:30 tonight. We didn't believe we'd get a storm with a foot of snow the year we had the Halloween storm either! Yeah, I guess snow is coming, but let's hope it won't be a "Halloween Storm". I guess I'll have to break down and wear a coat tomorrow morning!

Board of Trade For Sale!

The building that was the center of agricultural trading for the entire Upper Midwest is for sale. It is a piece of Duluth's history. It bustled with grain traders, during the early 1900's, more grain changed hands on the Duluth trading floor than in Chicago. To read more about its history and to see pictures of this beautiful ornate building, click on to my Duluth News Tribune link to the left, the story is on the front page.

When I first lived here 36 years ago, my first job was in this building. Third floor, it was a beautiful building to work in.

A Surprise at the Grocery Store

Oh my gosh...can you believe that I stopped at a grocery store during my lunch time, and who did I see but the realtor that sold us our house 35 years ago, that I just wrote about yesterday morning! I almost didn't recognize her, but approached her and said her name, and it was her! When I told her my name, she remembered, and remembered the house she sold us. She asked if we were still there, and I told her we were! She said she can't keep houses listed in Woodland, as so many want to live there. It is only the second time I have ever seen her in these 35 years! She stopped one time when Dawn was about 10 years old and asked if we were interested in selling, she was looking for listings! I thought she'd be retired by now, but she said she is still working, still selling houses!

Oh, I want to add about the area we live in, I used to work with a woman at the bank, who kept telling me that Woodland used to be truck farms and bogs years ago!
Bob's Dad grew up on one of the farms up this way, we don't know exactly where or anything about his family, because his Dad was not close to his family and I don't want to say what my Mother in law had to say about her Mother in law! I never got any information from Dolly, so I know nothing about that side of my husband's family.(Did I ever write about how Bob's Mother's marriage was one of those
"arranged" marriages..no I don't think I have..the two mother's arranged it and the two getting married had no say!)Well...that's a story for another time....

Friend, Fire ... Tradition

Friend, Fire ... Tradition
Friends - it's great to have friends. Yesterday, my friend Sharon couldn't take the drive up the North Shore with me, so I was thinking that morning, the leaves are going to be all down by next weekend...I really want to take the drive today. Then I thought, "hey, I've got lots of friends, why not ask another friend to go with me?" So, I did. My friend Lois, we visit at church, and via e mail and phone, but we don't do a whole lot together otherwise. I asked her, she said yes right away, and said it had been a long time since she was up there, and she would love to go. We had the nicest time. We chatted as we looked at the scenery, I was with someone who enjoyed the scenery as much as I did, and we ooh'd and ahh'd together. We did decide that last weekend was the peak, but oh well, we would enjoy the day anyway. We even stopped to visit one of her friends that lived along the shore, she hadn't seen them in over a year. We sat in their front yard overlooking Lake Superior and we watched a ship go by. Chuck said it was a coal ship taking coal from Superior up to Taconite Harbor. We stopped at a craft shop and looked around and saw some things our friend had there on consignment. On the way back to Duluth we stopped and had a bite to eat in Two Harbors. Culvers, we don't have a Culvers in Duluth. It was a great afternoon, satisfying for both of us, and it was great to share it with a friend.

This morning's News Tribune in the local section has a column by Sam Cook. His column this week is titled "Friend, Fire part of a Timeless Tradition" he writes about sharing conversation with an old friend over a fire by Lake Superior. I could relate to the article. It's like what I did yesterday. Click on my link to the left, "Duluth News Tribune" and check out Sam's article. It's good.

October, 1971

October, 1971
You’ve heard me get nostalgic over Pennsylvania, my home, my childhood and my children. Today I am writing about how nostalgic I get this time of year, in October, and especially this week coming up in October. It begins when the leaves start changing colors and the height of the memories come when the leaves start falling and half are on the ground and the other half still on the trees.

35 years ago this time of October we bought our home and moved from the duplex apartment, where my Mother in Law and Bob’s two Aunts lived. It was the home where Bob grew up, 12th Avenue and First Street, in the winter you could see the part of the lake, when there were no leaves on the trees. We lived there when First Street was a main artery from east to west, before the freeway extension. It was such a busy street we had trouble getting in and out of the driveway due to traffic. It’s much quieter now.

I often wonder if we’d have a home today if I hadn’t pushed for it, it certainly wouldn’t have been that year or the next. Bob was content to be in the apartment next to his Mother. I wanted a home, so I could unpack all of the china and cookware I had purchased as a single girl and brought from PA, so that I could unpack and use all of our wedding gifts that we brought from PA, and to live in a neighborhood that I would have friends nearby, not just relatives. I wanted a home where our daughter could grow up playing with other children her age. I wanted us to make friends as a couple, find friends and get established as a family. I didn’t think we could do these things living next door to Mother (much as I loved her). Buying the home helped me to adjust to living in this new environment, and helped my homesickness. It gave me something to work toward, something to take my mind off of being homesick for PA.

In the building where I worked downtown, the Board of Trade Building, there was a real estate office. One day I stopped in and talked with one of the realtors, a wonderful woman named Nancy, just to see if there was any possibility that we could manage to afford a home. Next thing I knew, on my lunch times, Nancy was driving me to places in the city that I didn’t even knew exsisted. I really had never been east of downtown, and didn’t know that there were beautiful neighborhoods like Lakeside, Chester Park and Woodland. The first time in September when she took me up Woodland Avenue, I couldn’t believe the beauty of the old, tall elm trees that lined the avenue on both sides. At the “top” of Woodland Avenue there was this small community of newer homes, mixed with older homes. It was like its own little town, nothing like downtown Duluth. Oh, boy, did I fall in love with this area immediately. It was the neighborhood that I wanted to live in. It reminded me of the small towns near the farm I grew up on in PA. There weren’t a lot of homes there available that were in our price range, but there was one that Nancy showed me. I fell in love with it right away. There was a large spruce tree in the front yard, there was a porch, a large back yard with trees at the back of the lot. Inside, I fell in love with the living and dining rooms, and from there I overlooked everything else that might have distracted us in another house. A fireplace with a mantle, book cases on each side of the fireplace on one side of the living room, a large mirror on one wall. The dining room had a built in china hutch, with “piano” windows on both sides. There was a “plate shelf” across the the dining room walls. There were windows across the front of the living and dining rooms and a beautiful archway in between the two rooms.

The house was built in 1914. There was one other house on the block that looked similar to this one. There was a mix of older and newer homes on the block. It looked like a nice quiet neighborhood. The street was a deadline two blocks down, so wouldn’t get much traffic. That was good, for having a one year old. We were told there was a mix of young families and older families. The downside, since it was an older home, the kitchen was small, and not updated, the bathroom, small and not updated. There were two bedrooms up and one down. The bedrooms had the smallest closets I’ve ever seen, but then I was used to the farm house that had no closets, when I was growing up. I was also used to living in a farm house with an outdated kitchen and bath. So, when I fell for the living and dining rooms, I was able to overlook everything else. When I showed Bob the house he wasn’t as keen on the house as I was, but did comment that we could remodel the kitchen. Little did we know then that it would take us 32 years before we could do that). I have often told Bob over the years, that he was lucky that I grew up on a farm, and not used to having fancy things, he might have married someone who would have insisted that this home would only be a “starter” home, and would have never been content for 32 years like I was! But, remember, this was a home we could afford at the time. It was the cutest place I saw of all the homes we were shown in our price range. None of the others had the living and dining rooms that this one had. Bob knew I fell in love with it, and he knew it was what I wanted, so he agreed we should make an offer.

We put our bid in, and thanks to the GI Bill, we were able to purchase the home with $300 down and payment of closing costs. There was one benefit of Bob’s having been in the army!

The beginning of September, I had child care issues and was not able to find good care for our daughter, so I quit work. I thought, after saving money for the down payment and closing costs, that I might be able to stay home with Dawn. So, after the closing of the house, while Bob worked, I started packing and moving boxes up to the new home. It seemed far away, but I soon got used to the trips up and down the hill. Before I was married, I had bought myself a brand new 1968 Blue Ford Mustang. (I now see this mustang in antique car shows!). It was small for hauling things, so I had to make quite a few trips. It was fun though, and exciting. When I see the leaves in Woodland each fall, and the changing colors and our street in the fall, I remember those fun days of moving boxes in my little mustang. I remember being excited with our baby girl, knowing we were providing a good home for her, I remember cleaning, unpacking boxes, arranging my china and crystal (which my Mother encouraged me to buy, she said I’d never be able to afford it after I was married, and was she right!), in the built in china hutch, unpacking wedding gifts and actually getting to use them, Around the week of the 11th or 15th, we moved our furniture, with the help of some friends that Bob worked with. We started settling into our new home just in time to welcome (welcome?) winter. Now, I knew for sure I would never get Bob to move back to PA. (not that there was ever a chance!) I knew I had to adjust to living here. Having our own home would help.

It was good that we bought when we did, because within a year or two later, the interest rates started rising and reached as high as 9 %, we bought at just the right time when the interest rates were affordable. Home rates increased drastically after 1971 also. Bob had to admit that it was good thing that I had “pushed him”! We have never regretted the purchase. While Bob might have wished over the years for a newer home, I never did. I have always been happy here. I did push many times over the 35 years for us to make improvements, always had to “push him”. Sometimes it took me years, to get improvements, but eventually he would come through. It took me 32 years to get the kitchen remodeled (I’ll write about that soon too, because that happened in October also). At that time we did some other improvements too, so now, my “improvement” list of wants is the shortest it’s ever been in 35 years. And, I’m still happy to be living here. We couldn’t ask for a nicer neighborhood to live in. It’s the next best thing to living in the country (which would have been my preference, but Bob is not a country boy!) To us, Woodland is the best area to live in the city of Duluth.

And, yes, living here did make the adjustment from PA to Duluth much easier.

PS..wish I had a photo of the house in the autumn, here is our house in the winter.

Serendipity

Serendipity
I haven’t talked to Sharon the last few days, and she isn’t home today, so don’t know if we are going up the shore tomorrow. On my errand running today, I made sure that I took the long way around everywhere, so that I could see the colored leaves. It looks like last weekend was the peak. We had rain and wind this past week, and so there are an awful lot of leaves on the ground right now. Today is very windy, so we will lose more. The temperature was great, when I got back home at 5:30, it was still 75 degrees. It’s cloudy though, and the lake wasn’t as blue as some days. The leaves weren’t as many as last weekend, but they were still pretty.

One stop I made today was to a friend’s new business she and her daughter just started. I wanted to show my support of their new venture. It is an old Victorian home in Lakeside on Superior Street, and every room in the home is decorated with wonderful things to look at and of course there is the “opportunity” to purchase what you see. There are antiques, collectibles and retro things. You know, now a days, “retro” is in. I was amazed at looking at familiar things from my childhood, which are now considered antiques and “retro”. They have done a beautiful job. It’s very interesting to look at and they have quite the assortment of nice things. They have it decorated for fall and Halloween. After Halloween, they will decorate it for the holidays, and have an official open house. Yesterday was the first day they were opened, and my friend told me that after they closed at 6 pm, they had a lot of empty spots to fill back up. I asked how long they had been planning this. Her daughter has had this idea in her mind for a very long time. She said the two of them started looking for a home to “decorate” 3 years ago and started collecting things then. Her daughter finally found and purchased this home in May. I did find something that I just had to have. It is a small solid wood cabinet on legs, it opens on two sides with a lid on top, to be used to put things like books in (that’s what I will use it for), or it would make a nice sewing basket. It looks very old fashioned, and is most likely an antique. I thought the price would be high, but it was very reasonable. Since I haven't bought anything new for my house for a long time, I thought I would get it. It looks perfect in our dining room, I set it next to my antique curio cabinet that I brought from the farm house in Pennsylvania last summer. It belonged to my Great Grandmother, and was passed down to my Mother. It sat in the farm house's kitchen since my Grandmother has been gone in 1975. Ha, it cost me as much to ship to Duluth as it might have cost if I had to buy it at an estate sale or auction. My husband thought I was crazy, but, it was worth it, I’m happy that I didn’t let him talk me out of shipping it. I think I took a photo of it to show my siblings how it looked in my home, if I find the photo, I’ll post it.

The name of the business is “Serendipity” (everything chic for home and garden). The address is 4407 East Superior Street.

I also bought a beautiful handmade silk fall arrangement for my dining room table. It’s always nice to get something new and fresh for your home. Now that puts me in the mood to change my décor in the kitchen from the summer sunflowers to my fall leaves and fall theme decorations. Maybe I’ll get that done tonight or tomorrow.

Another Beautiful Day in Duluth

Duluth Fall Landscape I

Duluth Fall Landscape I

Duluth Fall Landscapes II

Duluth Fall Landscapes II

Amity Creek along the Seven Bridges Road

Duluth Fall Landscapes III

Fall In Duluth III
Top: Amity Creek along the 7 Bridges Road,Middle: Brighton Beach Bottom: View from Skyline Pkwy, overlooking Lakeside Community by the lake

Retired Husband Benefit

Retired Husband Benefit

Wow! I came home tonight to the smell of supper coming from the kitchen. My husband had supper waiting for me. He has helped out with meals a lot throughout the summer by cooking on the grill. He told me that this fall and winter if I tell him what to make and give him instructions on how to make things, he would try his hand at cooking. Remember, Bob retired in May and has become the “house husband”. I am so pleased with how he has pitched in and helped me around the house, and actually has taken over some chores like laundry. He has made it easier for me to be employed full time. I am finding so many benefits to his being home. One example: yesterday we needed to have a plumber come for our toilet. Before his retirement, I would have had to take time off of work to be home for the plumber. I could give hundreds of examples I have found throughout the summer. He has mentioned that “won’t it be nice to come home from work with all the snow being blown out from the driveway”, and “when the weather is bad in the winter, I can drive you to and from work”…umm these will be nice benefits too! He has even offered to do all of the grocery shopping. However, he wants a list made by me…now like many women, I don’t grocery shop from a list, so that’s been my hesitation to turning this chore over to him. BUT, I think I may just make myself sit down and make a grocery list and let him take that job…. I have never really liked grocery shopping! So, on Sunday I made a meat loaf, we had that last night for supper with micro-waved baked potatoes. This morning I showed him the casserole dish in the frig that I had made Sunday with browned hamburger and onion. I set out a can of Campbell’s tomato soup, can of green beans, and showed him the container of Reasor’s mashed potatoes in the frig (yes, I cheated on the mashed potatoes, I’m not going to make him do real mashed potatoes, at least not yet!). I told him how to put it together, put in the oven at 350 for 45 minutes and it would yield a delicious hot dish (that’s Minnesota lingo for casserole) for our supper! My Mother called this casserole “Shepherd’s Pie”. I smelled it when I came in the house, and along with rolls, it tasted as delicious as it smelled, and the best thing was that my husband made it! This from one the most “macho man” I have ever known, up to 5 – 10 years ago!! When I came in the door he was talking to our daughter on the phone, when I talked to her, she couldn’t believe when her Dad told her he had made supper!!! Now, she is accustomed to a husband that cooks, because her husband does most of the cooking in their home. But, she never saw her Dad cook – ever. She told me, “Boy, retirement is good for Dad and for you too!” I am so grateful for my wonderful husband, and now, after the many doubts I had about him retiring, I must say that I am grateful too, for his retirement!

She Didn't Have To. . .

She Didn't Have To . .
Today is Yom Kippur for my Jewish friends. It is the Highest Holy Day of their faith and the most solemn day in the Jewish calendar. It means Day of Atonement. My Jewish friends will be fasting from midnight last night till midnight tonight. They attended Temple today.

Do you know the book of Esther in the Bible? Do you know about a young girl who saved her people? We should know this story because our Christianity roots are Jewish. The Book of Esther tells about Queen Esther, who saved her people from being slaughtered and annihilated. Pastor Hargrave gave her message yesterday from the book of Esther. She talked about justice. She talked about how Esther stepped up and risked her life to save her people. You see, the King did not know that Esther was Jewish, and her cousin was sentenced to death, along with all the other Jews. It is a great story, all laid out in the Bible, telling how she saved her people. Our pastor made it relevant to our life today, what we can do for justice in our lives, for our people. Click on the “Pastor Hargraves Sermons” on my link on the left of this page and read what she has to say about Esther and what we can do in our lives toward justice.

The book of Esther in the Bible is short, it doesn’t take long to read. Look it up, read about the bravery of Esther and how she saved her people. She didn’t have to, but she did. Then click on Pastor Michelle's link and read what she has to say about making this relevant to our lives today!

Celebration on the Hill Photos

COH, Washington, DC Photos

We Knew Him When. . .

We Knew Him When
One of our local area boys has become an opera star in the Metropolitan Opera in New York. He performs in Carnegie Hall and this fall will perform at Carnegie Hall, with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Lyric Opera in Kansas City and the Opera Pacific in California. Andrew (we knew him as Andy) Gangestad, grew up in Two Harbors and at age 31 has been featured in the September issue of “Opera News”.

Andy was our choir director at University UMC (now Hope UMC), when he was a UMD student. He had studied law for two years, and never planned to be an opera singer. His school choir director encouraged him to study music, he had rich bass voice. His vocal instructor at UMD urged him to consider a career in music rather than law, this instructor kept nudging him toward the stage. Since graduating from UMD he’s been performing steadily, moving from Minnesota Opera on to New York, California and many states in between.

He was a wonderful church choir director, but we knew he would be moving on from there for greater things. He teamed up with our local Peter Thompson, who loved to do plays at University Church, and they worked together to bring “The Fantastiks” to the stage at church. (Our stage at Hope will never be the same, as we lost our beloved Peter to cancer two years ago.)

In addition to being a talented musician, Andy is truly a nice guy. It’s so neat to see a local boy make good, and we at Woodland, University and Hope UMC are very happy for him and as proud of him as we were when he was with us. Read more about Andy on my link to The Duluth News Tribune on the left of this page. His story is on the front page this morning!

Breast Cancer Update Program - October 10th

Breast Cancer Update
Mark your calendars, all of you that are interested in breast cancer. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Next Tuesday, October 10, 5 - 8 pm is the 9th Annual Breast Cancer Update Program being held at St. Luke's Regional Breast cancer Center. 5 - 6 pm, a tour of St. Luke's Breast Center, learn more about their new digital mammography and other breast cancer advancements. 6 - 8 pm is the program, with speakers on "The Significant Advanatage of Digital Mammography", "Advances in Genetics and Breast Cancer", "Research and Clinical Trials Update", and "Hope and Survival". After the presentations, speakers will ake questions from the audience. For more information call 218-249-5549. www.slhduluth.com. This program is free and open to the general public.

Seven Bridges

Seven Bridges

What a beautiful colorful weekend we had, the leaves are turning, we have bright yellows, reds and oranges. I want to take a drive up the North Shore, 50 – 60 miles and stop at some spots along the way, Gooseberry Falls, Split Rock Lighthouse, etc. Sharon and I are planning to do so next Sunday, but I’m afraid if we get any more rainy days the leaves will fall faster than they already are. I hope the North Shore will still be pretty with the leaves next weekend yet. I’ll bet that this weekend was the peak.

I’ve also wanted to take a drive along the Skyline Drive Parkway, which is high above the hill overlooking the lake. Since I couldn’t interest anyone in joining me, I took the drive by myself today - some more solitude. I have not been by Hawk Ridge on the Skyline all summer or last fall. It has become more popular each year, and this afternoon, there were cars parked all along that part of the skyline and everyone looking for the hawks that fly over on their way migrating south. They now have signs there with information about the eagles, and birds and I couldn’t believe it, but there was a vendor wagon set up to sell hotdogs and snacks… oh my, talk about making a tourist trap. I was sad to see that! Anyhow, traveling east past the hawk ridge area, the road after a while turns and heads down toward the lake, following Amity Creek. There are 7 beautiful stone one lane bridges along the road. The road is called “The Seven Bridges” Road. When you turn off of Skyline Parkway to the Seven Bridges Road, there is a sign that tells that the road is not maintained between Dec. 1 and May 1. The bridges have been maintained and reconstructed to their former beauty over a period of years. It looked to me like they are all in good shape now. It’s such a pretty drive, that when I came to bottom to Superior Street, I turned around and went up the road again. That time I stopped at a few of the pull off areas by the bridges. At one of them, I took a walk down to the water, and sat on some rocks and watched the Amity Waterfall.

After that I took another road off that road that was called Maxwell Road, just to see where it went. Then when I found where it went, turned around and came down the bridge road again. From there I made a stop to the lovely Lester Park, a city park by the river at Superior Street. From there I went to Brighton Beach by the lake, where I went a few Sunday’s ago. Today there was a brisk wind blowing, like the last time I was there a but the temperature was in the 60’s instead of 50’s, it was very pleasant. The waves were white again, breaking against the rocks. The water was a beautiful blue and there was a boat going out in the distance. The leaves down by the water, didn’t seem as colorful, maybe they haven’t turned as much yet. I was gone from 2 pm until 5:30 pm. What a great way to spend an afternoon. My only regret was that I didn’t have anyone to share it with me. I have good memories, though, of taking that drive every fall and having Bob’s Auntie Mae go with the kids and I. Auntie Mae always appreciated seeing the scenery. Since she didn’t drive, it was something she loved me to do for her. The kids used to like to go too. It’s always more fun if you can share, but oh well, I’m glad I went today, even if I was by myself. It made my weekend!

Here is the web site address that tells the history of the road, the bridges and how it came to be, it has beautiful photos of the bridges.

http://www.amitycreek.com/sevenbridges/page1.html

By the way, Happy Anniversary to our daughter and our son in law Bob. They were married Sept. 30, 11 years ago, they chose this weekend so that their guests from the Twin Cities could come to Duluth for the weekend and see the fall colors. The day of their wedding, it poured rain all day, they couldn't do their photos at the Rose Garden, as planned. The sun did come out just before the wedding, so they got a photo on the church steps of the wedding party, then it rained more. During the prayer time in the ceremony, there was a huge thunder clap. Everyone started to laugh, and the minister said that was The Lord approving of their marriage! It sure did lighten up the ceremony!