Evening with Lorie Line - Fabulous!

This was the 5th year of a tradition that our daughter, Dawn and I started 5 years ago, on the Friday after Thanksgiving. NO, it's NOT shopping at 3 or 4 am in the morning! It is attending the Holiday Concert at the DECC of Lorie Line, pianst and her Pop Chamber Orchestra. It really puts us in the mood for Christmas, listening to her Holiday music. Her show is a big production number, just like the shows they produce in Las Vegas. We always enjoy it. We say each year, "this is her best show, better than last year"... we can't believe that it could get better each year, but it really does. This year she had such a good Soprano soloist performing with her, she performed "Ave Maria", the best I have ever heard! She had "The Hallelujah Chorus" from Handel's Messiah music printed on the program, and when they performed it, she invited us all to stand and sing along...that was awesome! There were also two other great numbers from Handel's Messiah.

She always invites the children under age 15 to the stage. This year they outfitted the kids in costumes (behind stage then they come out for the song) representing the gifts of the "12 Days of Christmas"... the kids were just darling, the costumes darling and it's so much fun for the kids!

(See the photo above)

Before the concert, Dawn and I go to dinner, usually to a nice restaurant that is too expensive to indulge in with our husbands. This year it was Bellisios (Italian fine dining).

When we leave the concert, we always feel a bit guilty that we didn't share it with the men or with the 7 year old Granddaughter. But, we enjoy having this special tradition to ourselves, maybe we are being selfish. We talked on the way home about the possiblity of Madelyn being able to go with us next year, as she will be 8 then, and maybe would sit through it and truly enjoy it. (Of course, we really feel the guilt when all the kids are on the stage!) We'll see ... we have till August to decide. I go to the DECC ticket office and buy tickets the first day they are sold, so we get good seats. Last year we were in the front row of the orchestra pit. We decided that was a "bit TOO close". This year we were in the FRONT row, right in the center. They were the PERFECT seats, however, for the music there really are no bad seats for Lori Line's music!

There was a lady sitting next to us. She drove from International Falls, alone, to see the concert. It was her first year of coming. She told us before the concert started that she had to pay $144 for her motel room (and that wasn't even downtown or at the canal!), Comfort Suites. At intermission, she told us the show was worth every penny she was paying for her overnight room!

Thanksgiving in Duluth

Since I didn't have access to a computer over Thanksgiving and the weekend, I will write tonight about the Thanksgiving holiday at our home. It was a good Thursday and a good weekend. Our daughter and her family were here from Hudson, except our Grandson, who spent the holiday and weekend with friends (you know how 18 year old's are!). We did talk to him though. They came up late Wednesday afternoon, and they had icy roads, so the driving was not great.

I did the cooking and I must say that this year I got more help in the kitchen than usual. My husband helped more. Our son surprised me with offering to peel the potatoes, and he even helped with clean up. Guess he's more mature than he used to be, and is thinking more of others these days. Our daughter was a big help, as she always is, and the Granddaughter pitched in and did what she could do (7 years old).

Our younger son had Thanksgiving meal with his Fiancee and family. We did join them in the evening for dessert and a visit at their house. It was good to see them.

We were all thinking of Joe and his family and Nancy and her family, with their losses right before Thanksgiving. They were in our prayers when we said Grace before eating the "big meal".

Snow is Here

We woke up to about 3 inches of snow up here on the hill, less downtown. It was a slippery drive to work, as the temperature was in the 20's. The same for coming home. It stayed cold all day, so the snow is still here!

I'm Back!

Oh my gosh! 4 and 1/2 hours last night and over another hour tonight, getting the e mail back up, and I think we are back online! Let's hope for a long time... it has been very time consuming, and frustrating, to say the least. But, at least we don't have to buy a new computer! Now, I'm glad I can back to my writing, but for tonight, this is all I will be writing, as I'm much too tired from getting our computer back up! Until tomorrow night...I wish you all a great night and day tomorrow!

Wednesday, Nov. 21 Not a Good Day

Wednesday before Thanksgiving - Not a Good Day

Last Wednesday, the day before the holiday of Thanksgiving, I had a very bad feeling all day. Did you ever have one of those days where you just suspected something wasn’t right?

Our friend and next door neighbor, Ruth, was diagnosed about a month ago with Leukemia, just one week before she and her husband were set to leave for their winter in Florida. Ruth is a Breast Cancer Survivor by at least 5 years or more. The Doctor told her if one was to get leukemia, this is the kind to get, as it had a 90% cure rate. She has been in the hospital, in isolation, while getting her chemo. The chemo, as you know, takes down all your white blood cells, and makes you very vulnerable to infections, the reason for being in the hospital.

Ruth and Joe are just a few years older than us, and have lived next door to us for over 35 years, we raised children together, and their daughter is very close to our daughter. Tuesday morning Joe told us that she was moved to ICU in the middle of the night and he was worried. I couldn’t reach him by phone on Wed. morning when I wanted to check in with how she was doing. I started getting a bad feeling. I tried several times, even calling one of the children in the middle of day. I prayed all day for her. I had my covenant group and our prayer chain at Hope UMC praying.

The house was dark all Wed. evening and night. Thursday morning I saw a light in the house and called, and heard the dreaded news, that she had passed away Wed. night at 9 pm. My feelings were right. When you hear 90 % cure rate, and the patient is in the hospital, and she fought cancer once before, you just don’t think of the possibility that death could come to her.

How devastating for Joe and their four children and grandchildren, and for it to happen over Thanksgiving, even more sad! All of our family had thoughts of them throughout Thanksgiving and the whole weekend. She will be missed very much, not just by her family, but by her many friends, of which we count ourselves.

Last evening the family had a very touching and lovely Memorial Service for Ruth. It was a tribute to a lovely lady who, as the family said, lived life to its fullest.

Love and prayers to Joe and family, and know that we will keep Ruth in our hearts.

As stated in my title, Wednesday was not a good day, not only for our friends next door, but also for my best friend from school, Nancy, who lives in New Jersey. I visited with her and her sister when I was in PA. Their Father and Mother are both failing, and both in nursing homes, and there has been much concern about both of them. I heard on Sunday that her Father passed away on Wednesday night also. It wasn’t as unexpected as Ruth’s passing, however Nancy, especially was not expecting this to happen so soon, and I know that she was not prepared. It also, not only happened at Thanksgiving time, but also he passed away on her BIRTHDAY, her 60th Birthday! So I am feeling very badly for her and her family at this time also. His Memorial Service was also yesterday.

Wednesday was NOT a good day. Let’s hope tomorrow’s Wednesday will be better.

Family Gathering II

Family Gathering II
My brother told our family that if he was fortunate enough to be able to live in the farm house, that he would have gatherings there and picnics for the family. So, when I knew I was coming home, I asked him and Vickie if they would be willing to have the first “family gathering at the farm” when I was home. They talked it over and decided that yes that would be fun. I told them that I would help. I knew the Aunts and Uncles, especially, have been wanting to see the house, knowing that they have been working on it for more than a year. I thought it would be a good chance for them to show the family what they have done with the house, as well as a chance for me to see everyone!

We had it on Saturday (not the Sat. that I came in). Vickie told me I was “in charge of the invitations”, and she would be in charge of the “food”. Vickie is like my Mother, she likes to cook. She likes to cook for people and enjoys doing so. She told me she had a menu in mind within a day or so of when we talked about it. We did grocery shopping together on Monday. We each bought stuff and checked out, combining our things into the car. I told her I would make Minnesota Bars. She laughed, because she knew why I said Minnesota Bars. She always teased me over the years because I talked about “Bars”. They make mostly “cakes” and “cookies” there and never refer to anything as a “bar”. I bought the things I needed for the 4 kinds of bars I decided I would make. My sister Julie was in charge of the cookies. She made 4 different kinds of cookies and doubled each recipe. She is the best cookie maker in the family. I love to make desserts, cakes and cookies, and so does Julie. Vickie said she is NOT a dessert maker, she loves to make main dishes, so we left the main dishes to her.

Vickie had great food. She made HOMEMADE Chicken Corn Soup, HOMEMADE Ham and Bean soup, HOMEMADE Beef B B Q (using Tim’s homemade Catsup). I made Minnesota Crock Pot Mushrooms. My sister made a delicious crock pot macaroni and cheese, and of course we had lots of trimmings such as Utz’s Potato chips, Martins B B Q Chips, Pretzels, nuts, pickles, olives, etc, etc. We had so many desserts, that we had to use the table in the dining room to put them all on. (My four kinds of bars), and Julie’s cookies, and a homemade mince meat pie and a lemon meringue pie that I bought at a craft shop in East Berlin. The farm house has a "summer kitchen" like farm houses used to have. This second kitchen is really great for big gatherings... we could have all the food out there, and then go back into the kitchen to eat. Vickie also has a store, refrigerator and cupboards out there, so she could do all the cooking there. Wouldn't we all love to have "two kitchens"!

On Friday morning, Julie and I got together at Julie’s house and did our baking. We had so much fun! My girlfriend Nancy, from N J , got there about 11 am, and visited with us both while we baked. She was the official taster. When we finished baking, about 2:00, Nancy I went to lunch. We wanted Julie to come too, but she begged off (probably had enough of us by then!).

On Saturday morning, Vickie, Julie and I joined forces and got ready for the BIG PARTY that was to start at NOON and go until ??? (according to the invitations I sent). There were a lot of people there by 12:30, and most people came and stayed. Most everyone crowded into the kitchen (it is a big kitchen) and sat around the big kitchen table and we talked and talked. The relatives were so pleased to see that Tim and Vickie are keeping up the house and loved what they have done to it.

They came all afternoon, and the last of them left at 10 pm. Then Tim and Vickie told me to sit down and count how many were there that day... because they teased me badly all week when I told them there would be 41 there, if all came. They told me I grossly under estimated and that there would be more like 60 there. So they wanted to prove their point. And, that they did! There were 62 people that came and went that day! Well, I guess I did forget to maybe include some of the “kids” of the cousins, and then one of my Aunts and Uncles brought their three grandchildren with them (well, I hadn’t counted them either)…ha ha. So, they were right, I was wrong, and knowing Vickie, I will never live that down! 62, just on my Dad's side of the family! Didn't I tell you I come from a large family!

Anyhow, it was a great day for all of us and most especially for me. I am so appreciative of Tim, Vickie and Julie for all they did to make the party for the family.

Family Gathering I

Top: Mom's Cousins and my Uncle Gilbert & Aunt Mae (Mother's brother) In the Rocker is my Aunt Liz
Bottom: The Wiley Cousins

My brother and Sister-in-law invited me to stay with them this trip,(in the farm house) since they have fixed up the house a lot, remodeled the bathroom and have a spare bedroom. I have to put out my nephew from his bedroom when I stay at my sister’s house, so I accepted Tim and Vickie’s offer. They also made an offer I bet they regret making… ha ha. Vickie told me she had to be at work most days I was there, but that if I wanted to invite anyone to the house anytime, even if she was at work, I was welcome to do so. Well, I had already “gently asked” them to have an open house for the family and we decided to do it the second Saturday I was there. I was thinking that if I had both my Dad and my Mom’s side of the family, it would be a lot of people.

So…. I decided to invite my Mom’s side to the house for lunch one day during the week. I polled the cousins and two aunts and one uncle, and they chose Tuesday. A day that Vickie worked, bless her heart, she had a menu planned before I even got home. Tim had a huge garden and they had so many green beans, that she thought we would make another famous PA Dutch dish “Ham and Green Beans”. She also thought that might be something those coming might not have had for a while, as it’s more common a dish when people have fresh green beans or those canned or frozen from their garden. You take good country ham (from our local butcher shop) and cook it, add the green beans and some quartered potatoes, and it makes a delicious one dish meal. So, Monday Vickie had off, and she and I shopped and prepared for Tuesday. We had a great time together, talking, laughing and cooking. I made a Minnesota “Snicker Salad” that no one there ever heard of. I also made Pumpkin Bars and we made apple crisp, from the apple trees from the house they used to live in, in the middle of Adams County Apple orchards. We had apple cider, fresh from Adams County orchards, and homemade pickles, good country ham and good bread!

Tuesday at 11 am, all of Mom’s family arrived, except for one of my cousins and one of my second cousins. There were 13 of us, around their beautiful farm table! Since Tim works the middle shift, he was home to help me with the lunch. I was at Julie’s house Monday night, and when I came home, Vicki had the table all set! Tim was a big help and I was so pleased that he could be there too. What a delight to eat together and be with family that doesn’t often get together. They all told us they were so pleased for the get together, because most of them don’t get to see each other, more than once a year at the annual reunion that’s held, that is, IF they go to the reunion! We visited until almost 3 o’clock before the first ones left. What a great day that was! Not just for me, but for everyone!

The comment was made that Romaine would be so pleased to see her family around the table eating a good meal. Food and family was so important to her. I know she was with us in spirit that day!

Pennsylvania Family

So, since it’s been a long time since anyone has come to Minnesota, this is why I am determined to make it back to PA at least once a year! As you will see from my writings, I have a huge family back there and I get very homesick, even after 38 years. I don’t think my husband and children fully realize just how important my family there is to me or how homesick I get.

My Dad was the oldest of 7 children. He is the only one gone now, the other 4 Aunts and 2 Uncles are still with us, thankfully. I am saddened that my Aunt Sylvia is in the first stages of Alzeheimers, and her spouse, my uncle, is battling prostate cancer. They only have one child and she has just put an addition on to their home and my Aunt and Uncle will be moving in with them very shortly. The rest of the Aunts and Uncles are healthy. I have a lot of cousins and I am the oldest of the cousins. My Dad had a lot of Aunts and Uncles and cousins, and I got to know them all when I was growing up. There is only one of my Great Aunts on his side living, and I was able to visit with her this trip. I also have connected the last few trips with the second cousins on his side, and it's been great visiting with them and remembering old times.

My Mother’s immediate family wasn't as big, she had three brothers and only one of them is left, and you know, we lost Mom in May of ’05. I don't have as many cousins on my Mom's side, and three of them live in AZ, so haven't seen any of them since they were young. My Grandma came from a large family, so I have a lot of memories growing up with my Great Aunts, Uncles and cousins on her side, because she was the oldest daughter, and her brothers and sisters used to come around to her house a lot when I was young. (and remember, I was at Grandma's house a lot!) Only one of her Aunt’s is living yet, and that is Aunt Dot, who is 91. There are quite a few cousins from her side that are still living, and the last time I went home, I was on a mission to see these cousins (would be my second cousins) that I hadn’t seen in a very long time, until Mom and Dad’s funerals. I decided I wanted to visit with them more than at funerals. I had lunch with some of them the last trip home. I will write later about my seeing them this trip!

I am the oldest of 6 children. We lost our brother, who was next to me in age, in 2003 when he was 52. My brother Steve and my Sister-in-law, Donna, have two grown children and one Grandchild. Tim is the brother who now lives in our farm house that we grew up in, with his family. He has 4 grown children (two youngest still at home, 22 and 19) and 3 Grandchildren. Mark is the youngest brother, and he does the farming, he took over the farming when Dad couldn't do it any longer, and he is still doing it. He also works construction, is an avid hunter and sportman, he is not married. He is the most like my Dad. He loves farming. Tim loves farming, but works a full tim job as a truck driver to support his 4 children. Then Julia (Julie) is the baby of the family, she and I are the "bookends", a girl on each end and 4 boys in between! Julie and her husband have a grown daughter, who is married and an almost grown son, soon to be 18. Julie is an avid gardner and their home shows it. She also makes the best cookies ever. She takes after our Dad, and I take after our Mom.

Three of the brothers look like Dad's side and the other brother most definitely takes after Mom's side. Isn't it funny how, the older someone gets, the more you can see one parent and their family in them? (Read below)

Saw My Dad

When my brother, Mark came into the house the first day I was home, it was just as if it was my Dad walking into the kitchen. I could not get over how much he looked like Daddy. So much more than the last time I saw him (a year ago). How could he have changed that much in a year? When I remarked about it, all my siblings said, "well of course, he's the one that looks the most like Daddy". But, honestly, it was just like my Dad was walking toward me. It was unbelievable!

Now, I really believe that my Dad transformed my brother at that time, because the next time Mark walked in, he looked like I remembered him looking...not like he did that first day! Was it because I wouldn't be able to see Dad this trip, that when Mark walked in, I imagined he was Daddy, (I don't think so) or was it because it "really was Daddy walking toward me" to greet me?!!! I think Daddy was there with us in the kitchen that day.

Yearning from Company from Home

Yes, my brother’s youngest boy is 22 already, (see below) and that means it’s been 19 years since they have been to Duluth to visit us. (Timmy was 18 months old). I have been after them for years to come out again. He said maybe in the fall of ’08. There is hope. It has been many years now, since any of my family from PA have been to Duluth to see us. They’ve all been busy with raising their families, and time and money is not plentiful, so I understand, but I am getting antsy to see somebody from home here. So, whenever I go home they know to expect that I will be after each family to think about coming out to Minnesota!

Because not too many come Northwest to see us, it's important that I go home to keep in touch with all those that I love so much!

The Farm in the fall

CHICKEN POT-PIE - PA DUTCH Speciality

This is the recipe for the pot pie I wrote about in the post below that my Sister-in-Law made when I was home. Hers tasted everybit as good as my Mother's. She has my Mother's knack for cooking, as does my sister!

POT PIE (Boiled)
(Pennsylvania Dutch)/Also known as Beef or Chicken Pot Pie, depending which meat you use

In Minnesota we have “Boiled Dinner” of ham, potatoes, rutagabas, etc.
In Pennsylvania our boiled dinner is “Pot Pie”. It's a dish that I crave for everytime I visit home. I tried to make it twice in my years of living in Minnesota, but both times it did not turn out well, so I've been shy on trying it again.

Ingredients:
This can be Beef or Chicken Pot Pie. My Mother made both kinds. We loved them both!
Beef or Chicken – to make a good broth (good broth is key!)
Use a 6 quart kettle. Cut 1 ½ - 2 lbs of stewing beef or chicken, whichever you prefer to use. Cut into serving pieces, add boiling water to the top of the kettle and cook the meat until tender about 1 ½ hours. When the meat is cooked and tender, add a diced onion, 4 potatoes (quartered) minced parsley and some black pepper. Bring the broth to a boil, when it is boiling, drop in layers, slowly, half of the dough squares,(recipe below) one by one, covering the whole broth. Stir with a spoon to mix thoroughly before adding the rest of the dough. Stir again. Cover and boil for 20 minutes without removing lid. If it gets dry and you must add water, then add boiling water.
Recipe for the Dough:
2 cups flour ½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder 1 egg
2 tbsp. shortening 1/3 cup water

Cut the shortening into the combined dry ingredients. Stir in lightly the beaten egg and water, to make soft dough. On a floured board, roll out as thinly as possible the dough. Cut into 2 inch squares with a knife or pastry wheel. Note: This dough is light and fluffy. There is a “heavy” dough, use 3 tbs. shortening instead of 2 and use ¼ to ½ cup of milk (instead of water). I think, but not sure, that my Mother used the fluffy dough.

Quality Time

I spent a week of quality time with family and friends I hadn’t seen in a long time.

I arrived home on Saturday afternoon, Nov. 3rd, after a stop for lunch with my girlfriend, since elementary school, who picked me up at the airport. I get so nostalgic just driving home from the airport to the farm, seeing the landscapes, the houses, the towns, the trees, the mountains in the background, the fields. I had her take the long way home so I could see lots of landscape. It was old home week with my brothers, sister and their families. This is the first time in a good while that I stayed in the farm house, I usually stay with my sister, whose house is right up the lane by the main road. As you remember, I told you before, my brother and his family, now live in the farmhouse that we all grew up in. My 19 year old niece has my old bedroom, so I stayed in what used to be the boy’s bedroom, part of it. The other part was added to the bathroom when it got remodeled. Tim and Vicki have done a wonderful job restoring the house, and I love what they have done with it so far.

On Sunday, my sister in law made a huge pot of CHICKEN POT PIE (the boiled kind that us PA DUTCH make). It was so delicious! We celebrated my nephew’s 22nd birthday. This is the nephew that was 18 months old the last time my brother and family came to Duluth to visit us! I remember he wouldn’t let go of his Dad practically the whole time they were here! Now he is all grown up!

(I’ll write more tomorrow)

A Bad Feeling...

My Flights to PA and back, all went well. Amazingly, they were all on schedule, no problems whatsoever. The last few times I’ve traveled by air, all has gone smoothly. I always stay positive and don’t think of anything bad happening. I work at staying as relaxed as possible when I travel. I pray before the plane takes off, and I say a prayer of thanks when it lands.

I must tell you what happened when I arrived in Harrisburg. My friend who picked me up said “I am SO SO glad to see you arriving here safely”. She told me that she had a funny feeling that something was going to go wrong on the flight. She said she prayed so hard the day before and until I arrived, and she even had other people praying for me. She got the feeling the day before. I told her the flight went well. Then upon doing some more thinking about it, I remembered that the pilot announced that we would get a late start because he had a lot of paper work to fill out, due to a mechanical problem they found when they were on the ground and they got it fixed. I guess I didn’t think too much of it, except remember thinking that it was good they found the mechanical problem before we were off the ground. They made up for it in the air and we arrived right on schedule. Ummm …. So there WAS a mechanical problem with the plane, but they found it and fixed it before the plane took off ….wow…isn’t that something! Could her intuition been right… and it could be that her praying brought the mechanical problem to light?? What do you think?

My PA Visit

Nine days since I have returned to Duluth from my visit to my Pennsylvania hometown and family there.
Between being tired, and having computer problems you have not heard from me much since I got back. I’ve been dying to write you about my wonderful visit!

The first few days I was too tired to write, with getting back to work and back to the swing of things, and getting rested up from the busy week home. Then on Saturday morning, our computer went to the “dreaded Blue Screen of death!” Saturday I was too tired to sit on the phone with the Gateway technician, so I waited until Sunday afternoon. It was all very tiresome and to no avail. I called a service company yesterday here in town, and he informed me that our Millennium program is now obsolete as of Jan. 1st, ’07! He said even if we were able to fix it, it would keep giving us problems and that soon we would not be able to get support from virus protection, etc. He also said that if we had it 7 years, we should consider ourselves “very lucky” as the average life of a computer now is 3 -4 years! In other words, “start looking for a new computer”…oh great! Our son has been telling us this for at least the last two years, and we just ignore his comments! One good thing, my husband has finally started using the computer a bit more, checking sports scores, weather and a little e mail, that even he, now, doesn’t want to be without a computer, so that will make it easier to convince him that we can’t be without one.

So…I am writing this on my lunch hour at work, because I’m antsy to “blog” now. Then I will post it before I leave work.

Christmas City of The North Parade Tonight

Tonight is the "Christmas City of the North Parade". Watch it tonight on TV if you don't want to stand in the cold...it is colder today and tonight. We don't have little ones here anymore, so we watch it from our warm house. In another state? Watch it live online at:

Northlandnewscenter.com

I absolutely love the song associated with our parade:

"Christmas City, Wonderful City, all dressed up in snow and mistletoe. Christmas City wonderful City, come this Christmas, to the Christmas City, I'll go...."

I wrote the post below in July when Merv Griffin passed away. He sang the song "Christmas City of The North" that is played when the parade goes down Superior Street, during all promos and throughout the parade. Someone today just put a comment on the post from July asking if anyone knows how to download the Christmas City song. I don't know how to go about finding it, let alone downloading it, except when I searched I found a 45 record of it on sale on E Bay. (It's bid is only 99 cents (pretty reasonable). If any of my readers know how to find and download the song, please comment here so that the reader that asked this can get an answer. I do know that it was written in 1962 by Don Peterson. If anyone can help, we thank you.

In Memory of Merv Griffin
Let's think of snow and Christmas, on this very warm Duluth day.
Merv Griffin passed away this week. Merv Griffin, creator of Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, talk show host and the singer of "Christmas City". What is "Christmas City", my out of state readers may ask? The "Christmas City" song is one that we hear every November during the promotions of our "Christmas City of The North" Parade and during the parade itself. The parade started in 1958 and is a tradition to kicking off the holiday season here every November. The song was written in 1962 by Hibbing native and New York songwriter Don Peterson. Merv Griffin lived in Ironwood, Michigan at one time and he was friends with the manager of the radio station that sponsored the parade. He recorded the song, as a favor (and for free), in a Duluth radio station. This was all before he was a big star and before his game shows. He had a talk show on TV in the 70's that I used to watch every day when I was home with our daughter, before the days of employment. I always enjoyed watching him along with another talk show, Mike Douglas. (Is Mike Douglas still living, never hear anything about him)?Merv will always be remembered by Duluthians for his "Christmas City" song, and every November when we hear it, we will think of Merv. (Sadly, he lost his battle with Prostate Cancer).

"Christmas City, Wonderful City, all dressed up in snow and mistletoe. Christmas City wonderful City, come this Christmas, to the Christmas City, I'll go...."

Oh...we had snow spotting the ground in Woodland this morning, and they are predicting flurries for the parade!

Great American Smokeout Today - Nov. 15th

On November 15, the American Cancer Society will once again invite people from across the country to kick their tobacco habit by taking part in the Great American Smokeout®. In the more than three decades since Smokeout began, this event has grown from an effort simply to encourage people to quit for one day to a nationwide endeavor that helps people plan to quit for a lifetime and that encourages all Americans to advocate for comprehensive smoke-free laws that help protect workers and patrons from exposure to secondhand smoke.

We have made progress over the years, but tobacco use still remains the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the United States. Each year, smoking accounts for an estimated 438,000 premature deaths – including 38,000 deaths among nonsmokers as a result of secondhand smoke. The Great American Smokeout helps remind people about the dangers of tobacco use and empowers them with personalized tools, tips and support they need to give up the habit for good.

With many states increasing tobacco excise taxes and half the nation covered by some form of smoke-free law, we want everyone to know that there simply has never been a better time to quit – and that the American Cancer Society can help.

I encourage you to invite others to be a part of the Great American Smokeout. Remember, there has never been a better time to quit smoking.

Terry Music
Interim Chief Mission Officer

Cold Fusion

A new spot in the downtown Skywalk opened about a month ago. We just heard about it at the office. Three of us went there, and I'm sitting here drinking my Raspberry-Cheesecake Fusion Shake, that is a meal replacement. It is delicious! For $5 you get a 16 oz smoothie, a 16 oz energy tea with flavor of your choice, and a shot of aloe supplement! They have a zillion different flavors to choose from for the meal replacement smoothie. I do see, according to the literature I picked up, that they are "Herbal Life" products. We've probably all heard of Herbalife, at some point in our lives. Anyhow, this little shop advertises "Good health on the go!" Check it out. There is a web site: www.coldfusionduluth.com I'm sure I will go back!

Packed and Ready!

I’m just about packed! Tomorrow night I can finish packing and wrap things up to be gone for 7 days. I was busy tonight getting everything together, what to take along to wear, always take too much, trying to pare down what I first laid out, but will probably still take along too many clothes. My suitcase is big, probably shouldn’t use such a big suitcase.

I am flying out of Duluth on Saturday morning at 6:20 am, with a connection in Detroit, then on to Harrisburg, PA. I arrive there at Noon, and the airport is less than an hour away, so I will be with my siblings on Saturday afternoon! One of my best friends from elementary school is picking me up at the airport. The guys at home here will have to fend for themselves, but since Bob is retired now, he pretty much does that already, ha ha. I feel much more comfortable leaving them alone, than I ever had before! My going home alone means that I don’t have to entertain any of my Minnesota family, they won’t complain about my wanting to stay around the farm or my sister’s house and “just visiting”, so that’s a nice thing about going home alone. The down side of going home alone is that my family there does not get to visit with any of the family here. I’m going alone because by using 20,000 of my 23,000 world perk miles, I was able to fly home very cheaply at a time when air fares are quite high. However, I could only purchase one ticket at that price. So, it’s only me going.

One thing hard about going home is that my Mom, Dad and one brother, are all gone. I am fortunate though, that I have a very large family to visit when I go there, so that helps a lot. My Aunts and Uncles are all getting elderly now, and I have lost three of them, and lost all of my many Great Aunts and Uncles, except one. So, as I tell my husband, I still need to go home to see all of them, in addition to my brothers, sister and their families.

Great Event Coming Up

My visit: “It’s all about family”. Sat. the 10th, my brother (who now has the farm house we grew up in) he and his wife are hosting an open house for my Dad’s side of the family, which will involve a lot of people. I have so many Aunts, Uncles, and lots of cousins, and now, cousin’s grown children. We have invited them all, could have 40 or 50 people if they all come, and they all love family get-togethers, so I’m thinking most of them will come! They all make a real effort to stop up to see me when I’m home, it’s wonderful to know I am loved. It makes it easier for me to see everyone if we have a “party” or “get together”, so I appreciate Tim and Vickie doing this. My sister in law and my sister have taken Friday before the party off of work, so the three of us can work together to put the party on. Tim and Vickie have done a lot of re-furbishing of the homestead, and I know the relatives are also anxious to see what they’ve done to the farm house. So, my visit IS all about FAMILY. It will be very hard not to see Mom, Dad, Jerry and the relatives we’ve lost, however, they will be there in my heart, everywhere I am and everywhere I look, I will see them. I Thank the Lord for family and thank The Lord for the blessings my family in Pennsylvania in the 22 years I lived there, and have given me even from way out here in Minnesota!

Mom's Side Too!

I want to get together with my Mother’s side of the family. It’s not as big as my Dad’s side. It used to be, but we have lost so many from her side, and I have cousins that live in Arizona. So next Tuesday, I invited my Great Aunt, (only one left) two aunts and an uncle and two first cousins, and 3 second cousins, to lunch at the farm. Two of the second - cousins that are coming I have not seen in well over 25 or 30 years!

Friends, Friends - Can't Wait!

I will also be getting together with friends from school, who I have stayed in contact with over the years of living here in Minnesota. Some I see each time I go home, some I only see every 3 or 4 trips. I especially try to see those that I haven’t seen for a long time. It will be so much fun to visit with them, catch up on what they’ve been doing, how their children and grandchildren are…and we will comment about how is it possible that we could all have grandchildren, and that it could be over 40 years since we graduated from high school, and we will probably talk aboutwhat we are planning for in our “retirement years!” Oh my, oh my… where does the time go!

And - oh - The Land!

Things I'm looking forward to seeing when I get to Pennsylvania on Saturday:

Oh…the land…I can’t wait to see the land again!
The Mountains
The mountains in the background
The Valleys
The rolling hills,
The orchards
The cornfields that have been harvested
The farms, where fall tilling is taking place
The leaves will probably be gone from the trees, but trees will still look wonderful to me...
The little, winding back roads that aren’t paved.
The roads that are paved, that were dirt roads when I was growing up.
The farms and houses that now look run down from when I was a kid, (oh, NOT looking forward to seeing them...but I will see them)
The farms and houses that look BETTER than when I was a kid
Not looking forward to seeing: The new housing developments, the houses where farms used to be.
The homes of my siblings
AND of course most of all:
THE FARM - the Farm and farmhouse that my parents worked so hard on, that we grew up in..and how fortuante that I can still be in this house when I go home. I'm so blessed!