Mama Mia - YEAH!!

Oh, that reminds me – about the movie being better than the book – they say that a play is very often better than the movie that is made, based on the play. I must tell you, though I enjoyed every moment of the two times I saw the movie “Mama Mia” based on the Broadway show by the same name – Wednesday night I was just wowed and bowled over by the touring group that brought Mama Mia to our stage at the DECC!!! I would for sure say in this case that the PLAY WAS THE BEST!!! It was so much fun, the talent, the voices, the costumes, the humor! Yes, there is something about seeing it on the stage, vs. the screen that makes the stage show so much, much more!!! Tuesday night’s performance was reviewed in the News Tribune, it was given an excellent review, the writer just raved about it. He was right, Wednesdays was also excellent. I heard that Tuesday night was sold out and our house looked sold out too. It played again on Thursday, so many were able to enjoy this play that, when I bought my tickets on the first day, was only to be here one night. It was well worth the price, which I considered to be on the high side for Duluth, but I don't regret spending the $$

I invited a friend’s daughter, who I know is in theater at Ordean (in fact I will be going to see her in Alice in Wonderland soon)…to come with me. She enjoyed it too, and it was such fun enjoying it together with someone as enthusiastic about it as I was. She kept thanking me for inviting her and I kept saying “I’m just happy you enjoyed it with me!”. We had pizza at Old Chicago before the show (she’d never been there before – her family is fairly new in town), so we made a night of it! It was fun, fun, fun! You know I’ll be playing the CD soundtrack as I go back and forth to work this week!

Leonard & Lucille

I felt good when I got up this morning, yeah….actually felt rested. I didn’t want to miss church this morning because once a month we have “Sounds of Hope”, it’s not our usual service, it is different and varies, so we always have something different to look forward to. This morning we had a good mix with our hymns, we had newer, contemporary ones mixed in with oldies and traditional. We had what I considered an “oldie”, that was actually in our newer hymnal, (strange). It brought a flood of nostalgic feelings back for me as I sang that hymn. You see, I learned by heart every word from every verse of several of the old gospel songs that we now call old gospel, from sitting in my Grandmother’s dining room listening to a set of 45 rpm recordings of those gospel hymns sung by Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. Did any of you ever listen to their gospel recordings done in the 50’s? I know you probably remember their secular songs, like “Happy Trails”. These records were turquoise green and in an album, think there were 4 records, with 4 or 6 songs on each side. The songs were all gospel hymns. Anyway, I loved those songs. I think I loved listening to them because of who was singing, but I came to love those hymns! So, that memory comes alive every time I sing one of them. I watched Roy Rogers and Dale Evans on TV every Sat. morn on their TV Western show! Remember he was “King of the Cowboys” and Dale was “Queen of the West”. I loved that show, with Pat Brady and his jeep, and Bullet their dog, and of course their horses (Who could forget Buttermilk and Trigger!)

Did you know you can waste a lot of time, just reading what all you find, after "googling" someone, or something. There was so much to read about Roy and Dale. They did recordings in the 50’s, and their TV show ran from 1951 – 1957. Did you know that Roy’s real name was Leonard Slye and Dale’s real name was Lucille. (Can you imagine "Leonard & Lucille"??) I also enjoyed both of them in later years, they were both in the music business well beyond their retirement years. I always respected them for the witnessing they did about their Christian faith (of course maybe that turned some off too), but I respected them for it. Roy died at age 86 in 1998 and Dale at age 88 in 2001. I remember mourning when they passed away. There is a museum about them in Branson, Missouri. Branson is a place I would like to go to sometime, if I do, you know I’ll be visiting their museum!

"Angel Unaware"

--And speaking of talking about your faith:- my Grandmother respected Dale Evans too, especially after she read a book that she wrote about the little girl she and Roy had. Robin was born with Downs Syndrome, she only lived for 3 years. Dale’s book is about those three years and the joy and meaning Robin brought into their lives. She said she was an angel brought to them by God, hence the title “Angel Unaware”. After Grandma read the book she encouraged me to read it. I remember it made a big impact on me. I was in elementary school, thinking about it now, makes me want to read it again, as an adult. I noticed that it is available on Amazon.com – I might have to make a purchase.

Last evening I watched the movie called “The Memory Keepers Daughter”. I had seen it before, and remembered it exactly, but it’s the kind of movie you don’t mind watching a second time. It is a touching movie, it involves Downs Syndrome in its story, and watching it in 2009, makes us so thankful that we have come a long way from the 50’s when it comes to knowledge about and attitudes about this birth disorder. I highly recommend it, if you haven’t seen it. It is based on a book by the same name, and I’ve been told by those who have read it, the book is better than the movie (isn’t that the way it always is).

Down for the Count

Boy, we never realize how “good we feel”, until we get sick and know we are sick. I woke up Thursday morning feeling more exhausted than usual, but thought it was just because it had been a long week. (And because I maybe over did it at Mama Mia show the night before) By the end of the day I knew that I was not just tired, I was sick! I went home and went to bed immediately. It was the flu. Wasn’t sure if my tylenol would stay down, but I took it to help my pounding headache. I slept that night and the next day until almost 3 pm, before I could get my head from the pillow.

I’m happy to say that yesterday I started feeling better, and today I feel good. Thankfully it was the short-lived stuff. It was a good reality check to not complain when I’m just tired, and remember to be thankful when I am well.

MAMA MIA! N Y Broadway in Duluth

I purchased 2 tickets for the broadway production "Mama Mia" for tomorrow night at our Duluth Entertainment Center. I wanted my daughter or grandson to come up from Hudson to go with me. (Of course, neither my husband or son are interested!) With it being the middle of the week, neither of them were able to come. I thought of Skylar's cousin who lives here in Duluth. She is in Middle School and she is involved in the theater, and will be in their production of "Alice in Wonderland". So, I invited her to come with me. She was very excited that I asked her, and I am excited that I thought to ask her! I'm looking forward to sharing it with her. I suggested that we go get a bite to eat first. Now, I hope the weather co-operates, and that I won't have to stress about driving in snow! I wonder if tonight's performance was cancelled due to the weather? It was only going to be here on Wed. night when I got our tickets, but the show must have had such a good response that they added Tuesday and Thursday nights to it. I'll give you a report on Thursday!

Duluth on the National Weather Station

Did any of you notice that the National Weather station did their morning broadcast from our Lake Walk at Canal Park, with our Aerial Lift bridge and Lake Superior in the background????
My husband noticed it this morning, as he watches the weather station every morning! They were here because of the storm coming our way. The news guy kept saying "It's going to be brutal here in a few hours".... I'm not sure how long they stayed around...maybe they headed west toward Moorhead and Fargo, ND where it was REALLY SUPER bad! I heard it was so bad out there that a major part of Interstate 94 was completely closed. It is so FLAT out that way, that the wind really a number on them!

March Storm

We got our snow and our storm, although I don't believe the storm gave us the wallop that they were expecting us to get. The wind was bad, but didn't seem as "blizzardly" as it could have been. It didn't start till about 12:30 pm, and we left work at 4, which was nice because the traffic wasn't as bad at that time to travel home in the snow. The roads were slick and I went very slow, but I made it home. Our 2009 Camry does not seem to go as well in the snow as our other Camry's always did. I've heard that from some other camry owners too. We think it may have "cheaper" tires on it. I slip much more going up steep hills than I did last year!

Our son had to work until 8 pm, and he said it was not fun driving home, but he made it safely.

With the help of some great volunteers, our ACS DAFFODILS got packed yesterday and ready for delivery this morning and the volunteer drivers had them all delivered by 11 am this morning, well before the snow came. That was a real accomplishment. Other years, the deliveries have taken all day to get done. We had more help this year, which made the difference! I man the phone in the office with all the calls, about deliveries, about where to buy daffodils, etc. and I didn't even have as many calls this year as usual.

It has snowed all evening, but I believe just lately it has either quit, or isn't snowing as much. It is to start up again though through the night. Then, of course, as always happens...we will go into the deep freeze in the morning and tomorrow!!

Must Be State Hockey Week

Well, well....this is the week of Minnesota State Hockey Tournament, and it seems like every year we get a snowstorm this week! Yes, this is true... and a storm is being predicted to be coming our way (in fact it hit Fargo earlier today and coming east to the Northland) for tomorrow. We are to wake up with an inch or two, just a teaser - then by 1:00 pm, it is to start coming down fast, with winds to match. Just in time for it to be bad for the coming home from work commute! I am already dreading it.

I am also worried because our truck delivered our fresh daffodils today from the state of Washington. This afternoon was spent putting them into bags and getting the orders ready for delivery to all those wonderful businesses, whose employees purchased them, to support The American Cancer Society. We have volunteers (thank you Skyline Rotary members) ready to deliver tomorrow. We hope they deliver fast and that we get them all delivered by 1 pm, before the heavy snow starts. That is my hope for tomorrow, and also that I get home safely. I'm not a fan of driving in the snow, unlike some people who look at it as a fun challenge, that's NOT me!

I hope you all get home safely also!

Return to Solvay House

There has been a hole in my heart since cousin Rose passed away on January 20th. I have missed visiting her. The first few weeks it was really hard for my car not to go directly up the hill from downtown after work, so used to going there to see her. And going by the main road where I would turn off to go back to the house was hard (Central Entrance a major route to the mall area). Anyway, I have been wanting to drop off something for the nurses and employees there, and finally today I was "prompted to do so". I needed gas, and sometimes I will go to Sam's Club since it's cheaper. Today when I went there for gas, I decided to buy something food wise to take there. It was hard to go, but I saw familar nurses and staff there who greeted me, and it was nice to chat with them. They told me how Rose touched their lives and how much they too, missed her. One of the nurses was the one that was there with us the day she passed on. I told them again, how thankful our family and Rose was that she was able to be in such a beautiful, quiet and compassionate place to spend her last time on earth. They told me that no one has been in her room since. Also, the deer that used to hang around by her patio windows have not been back. It was good to see them again, and good to be able to thank them again.

March is Minnesota Food Share Month

A Few 2009 Hunger Facts:

• In 2008 there were more than 2 million food shelf visits statewide, and food shelf usage continues to climb, 50 million pounds of food were distributed to Minnesota families by food shelves.
• Food shelf usage in the state has not declined since 1999. It is estimated that Minnesota food shelves are serving double the number of people they served in 1999.
• 992,750 Minnesotans live in households struggling to put food on the table.

Consider a gift to CHUM (Churches United in Ministry).* Please remember that EVERY gift received by CHUM's Emergency Food Shelf in March is proportionally matched by Minnesota FoodShare and the Feinstein Foundation. Please help re-fill CHUM's shelves with food and /or monetary gifts. Monetary donations allow CHUM to buy more food than individuals can provide for the same cost. *Address: C.H.U.M.- 102 W 2nd St., Duluth, MN 55802

"Forgive us when we use our hands to take care of ourselves without any thought for those who are hungry or overwhelmed with adversity".

Engagement

I just wrote a post about our son's girlfriend's Bridal shower. It just occurred to me that I don't think I have ever written that our youngest son Scott, after being with Sarah for 7 years, finally popped the question to her a year ago last fall. I think I wrote that they built a house 2 years ago, and have a lovely home together. Last summer they set the wedding date. It will be in April, which is coming soon. The wedding will be Mexico at one of those lovely resorts by Cancun. We hear the sand is white, the scenery great, nice warm weather, and that it is a fun place to be. We will be traveling there for their wedding. We are looking forward to it.

Bridal Shower

Last weekend was a fun weekend for me. Our daughter was in Duluth Saturday and Sunday, and she came up alone. It was nice to have undivided time with her, more Mother/Daughter time. She was also able to connect with one of her high school friends who she doesn't get to see very often. I know it was a good weekend for her also.

On Sunday she and I attended the Bridal Shower for our daughter-in-law to be and her sister-in-law to be. It was a big shower...over 50 women...held at a restaurant banquet room. Very fancy, very nice. The lady who gave the shower did a very nice job. Sarah got many very nice gifts! Since she and our son have been together for 8 years, and have their home already, most everyone gave her china, crystal and flatware that she had register for. She made out well!

About showers in Minnesota. Soon after I came here, 39 years ago, I attended a bridal shower with my Mother in Law. I was very surprised! It was held in a large VFW Hall, and there were at least 80 in attendance. The gifts were "big ticket" items, like what we would give for wedding gifts back in my little town in SE Pennsylvania! I was told that in Duluth, the bride usually only had one shower, and most of the time they were big ones. Wow! Back home we had small, intimate showers, with 10-15 women at the most. Often the bride to be was given more than one shower, by different groups of friends or relatives. The gifts would be tea towels, small kitchen items, tupperware items, etc. Nothing like "big ticket" items! Often the showers had themes, like a "kitchen shower" or a "personal shower". I was fortunate enough to have been given two showers, one with friends and one with aunts, cousins and family. One of my showers was a "personal shower", that kind is always fun!

Oh, one more difference between showers in PA and showers in MN.... in PA the showers were ALWAYS "surprise showers"....the hostess and attendees always strive to be sure the bride is SURPRISED! Here, the bride knows ahead of time....the surprise aspect was half the FUN!

Sarah's shower was definitely a Minnesota shower....but it was very nice, and I appreciated all the work that went into it, to make for a lovely Sunday afternoon.

Preparing for....

Speaking of spring, we at your local American Cancer Society office are all busy the last two weeks really gearing up for the arrival of our DAFFODILS that come to us from Washington State. They will arrive by truck to us on Monday and we will be packaging them and getting them ready for delivery to all of you that have ordered them. So, next week is your chance to get a taste of spring, fresh, beautiful yellow daffodils. By purchasing them you will also be helping our mission: cancer research, patient services, education and advocacy. Watch for them at your local Super One Stores and the Holiday Center downtown, if you haven't pre-ordered.

Needless to say, I've been very busy on the job and tired in the evenings, which is why I haven't been blogging much.

Nice Day!

My last post mentioned that we might need some new snow to clean up our scenery. Last Thursday we had 4 or 5 inches of fresh snow, in fact it snowed all day and I thought it would have been more than that. It was a nice snow, but then of course that night and the next few days it turned cold. Each day this week has been a bit warmer and coming home from work the last two days the temps have been mild and springlike. It was 36 degrees coming home this evening. It seems funny, I know to some of you in other parts of the country to hear me say that 36 degrees seemed like spring! The snow is now leaving from the side streets. That's nice too.