Watery Wednesday : Larson’s Landing and Veen’s Marine

It was a long flood, it went on for weeks and weeks. When I could manage the pumps Far Guy went back to work.  The dogs evenually came home.

Travel was by boat only.  Far Guy would go to work and get groceries before he came home.

The place where we landed the boat and left a vehicle was called Larson’s Landing and Veen’s Marine.

Veen’s Marine offered Cold Beverages, Across the Lake, Boat Rental and something else I cannot read possibly gasoline! 

Welcome to Larson’s Landing on Shure Lake.

That is Larson’s house on the right, they built that house and sold their old house to us.  We  sold it to some crazy people who didn’t care if it flooded (we showed them photos) and they sold it back to one of the Larson boys.

That would be us “the boat people”  Captain and Mate might have been visiting but they would soon come home.

My Dad and Gene doing something with the boat motor. I put a star above our house.

This road had a bridge that Lake Shure went under. In the photo the entire road is underwater.

During the daytime dike watch I watched people come and go.  A fellow a few circles down from us bought a hover craft to go back and forth to work. Our neighbors were all really good, if someone was going to town they would ask if you needed anything or if you needed a ride across the water.

We wondered when we could quit boating…next week you will find out.

April 21

April 19

April 18

April 16

April 13

April 10

April 9

April 8

April 6

March 19

Paige: The Graduation Party

Sunday afternoon we celebrated Paige’s Graduation.

A huge banner led the way to the party.

In the center of the photo is Paige’s Certificate of Ministry.  She applied for it and got it. She always says “I can marry people now.”

Hockey she was the Captain of her Hockey Team her Senior Year.

St Kate’s Hockey is in her future.

Paige and her brand new nephew Mikey! He seems to be in the spirit of the day giving his Auntie Paige a round of applause!

We are very proud of Paige! 

Oh yes there was lunch.  Several kinds of pasta, a cheese and cracker tray, a fruit tray and cupcakes!

Decoration Day 2017

When I was growing up it was called Decoration Day.  Now a days it is called Memorial Day.  Times change but we should not. 

Sometime during the day could you stop and remember the soldiers?  They are not just a name on a tombstone. They were sons, brothers, husbands and fathers.

They fought for you and for me and their graves should be decorated.

 

Paige: Graduation

Paige graduated from High School Yesterday.  She is an Honor Student.

I took some photos after the ceremony.

It was a beautiful day and about 72 degrees one of our warmest days so far.

Chance and Miss Paige

Congratulations Miss Paige!

Paige will attend St. Catherine’s also known as St. Kates in the cities in the Fall.  She will be playing Hockey for them.  So she will be a Wildcat!

This is what St Kates wrote about her.

Paige  – Bemidji High School
"Paige spends a lot of time on the ice. She showed vast improvement each year at BHS and is a natural wing who uses her speed well to create numerous chances per game. Coach Pezon will really help Paige take her game to the next level. It will be fun to watch her develop into a complete college player."

Paige will be majoring in Biology with Pre Med as her goal.

This summer she will be working in a Sports Equipment Store…selling you guessed it…Hockey Equipment.

Happy BIRTHday Mikey!

Our first Great Grandson entered this world safely early Friday morning after a long 20 hours of labor. 

I was getting text messages from Great Auntie Jen and I was ready to call it a night when she said 20-30 more minutes.  Then the next message was “The Doctor is here and dressed….ready??”  I texted “push”

Jen sent this photo. Which I quickly took a photo of just incase I lost the photo on Far Guy’s phone.  ( me and phones do not get along)

I asked if he had ten fingers and ten toes and if he was crying…she replied yes.  It was the middle of the night so I went to sleep. 

He weighed 7 pounds and 5 ounces and is 20 inches long. 

We will be properly introduced later today or tomorrow and possibly I will take a few more photos!

I can hardly wait to say “Hey Mikey!”

Aunt Karen’s Dash

I have an Uncle and Aunt who are twins who were born two month after I was born.

Uncle Kenny and Aunt Karen although I never called them that.

They were twins but totally different in personality.

This photo in 1952 says it all.  Karen is crying, Kenny is wondering what she is bawling about and I am on my way out of the situation.

Karen on the left and me on the far right in 1954, the little girl in the middle her name was Connie also.

Kenny, Carey, Me with Deb, Karen

Vickie, Diane and Maxine

It must have been Diane’s birthday party.

All of us grew up together, we saw each other just about every Sunday because everyone gathered at my Grandparents on Sunday for dinner.

I got along just fine with Kenny.  Karen not so much, she was always getting someone in trouble and I was often punished because she was a Miss Tattletail.

I was usually off with Kenny and my baby brother doing “stuff”…you know…jumping from hummock to hummock in the swamp, poking long sticks down into the oozey bog where the ground would move, playing games with sticks and balls, Anty I Over, Hide and Seek.  We could play outside all afternoon and be entertained until it was time to eat dinner or go home. Karen was mostly in the house playing with dolls.

Both Kenny and Karen were attendants when Far Guy and I got married.

Karen got married in 1970, she had two maybe three kids and while those children were little she divorced her husband. 

The last time I saw her was in May of 2004.  It was at her sister’s funeral visitation (Marion).  I expressed my sympathy and inquired about her children.  We really never had much in common.

My Mother had four sisters.

Toots, Karen, Grandma, Skip, Madeline (My Mom) and Marion in 1977.  This photo was taken at my Grandparents 50th Wedding Anniversary.

My Aunt Karen died on May 24 2017, she was living in a Nursing Facility in Florida near her daughter.  She was 65 years old.

Now my Mom has no living sisters.  She does have two brothers still alive.  Once there were twelve children and only three remain.

I know that Karen was Confirmed in the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod because I was there.  I suspect that she eventually grew up a bit.  She had a hard life being a single mother. My Mother always tried to make her feel special.

 

I should know more about her dash, but I don’t.  Sometimes it is really hard to put childhood conflicts behind you. We co existed on Sundays because we had to “get along” growing up. I did not go out of my way to learn more about her once we reached adulthood.

I hope she had a good life and enjoyed her children and grandchildren.   

Lilacs and other stuff

The lilacs are in full bloom.

It has been cool and most days rainy.  Not much rain in the rain guage, mostly just enough to make you wet and shivery cold.

Yesterday was party cloudy and we saw the sunshine for the first time in a week.  I took the opportunity to get out my sprayer and kill some Poison Ivy.  Yes…death to the ivy, it is small and an easy target.

One rainy day I painted a bunch of bark houses that I had carved over the winter.

The one out front is one of my favorites.

Fun little carvings!

We are working on the design for this years Christmas Ornament…it is still in R and D.

Sadly one of our woodcarving friends died last week.  Norm was 88 years old, he was  a good carver and a kind gentleman.  Three days after he died his wife of 65 years died also. What a blow to their children.

Far Guy and I are the youngsters of the carving group…most are in their 70’s and 80’s…so I suppose we will lose many more woodcarving friends.  The group is always telling funny stories and laughing…and that is a good way to remember your friends.

Watery Wednesday : April 21 1997

The emails continue during the flood of 1997

Subject: Day 14 and still holding

Hello everyone, the water has gone down about 3 1/4 inches, still a long way to go.

Still pumping, the sump pump is still keeping up but we have a plan to add another pump soon, it is pumping alot of water every 35 seconds, Gene times it several times a day.

Sounds like the President will tour Grand Forks tomorrow all 50,000 residents have been evacuated.  Dick’s Store ( Radio Shack) has water inside, the hospital where Trica works was totally evacuated.  Trica and Dick let friends stay at their apartment in Buxton ND and they are now safely in Park Rapids with Dick’s parents.  It is total devastation up there in Grand Forks.  (A large area of downtown Grand Forks started on fire.)

At least here near Fargo we only have water to contend with.

We are getting really tired. Dad was here so we could sleep last night, he also brought us a larger boat one we can use in the rough water.

Moses came home also, he seems confused with all the water and little grass.  Captain and Mate went back home with Mom and Dad for a few more days.

We got to see Savannah for a few minutes Sunday afternoon, she has a cold, getting more teeth I think, she has crawling down to a fine FAST art now and is pulling herself up on furniture.  She was nine months old last week, time sure flys.

Jennifer is safe in Bemidji, no flooding there Thank goodness!

Gene is asleep now, I am headed for a long night, thanks for all your messages of encouragement.

Love Gene and Connie

*****

Moses in front, Captain on the boat seat and G’Day Mate behind Captain.

Boat People! The bigger boat made for safer travel

the view from the deck…sometime along the way the outlet for the sump pump was put into pvc pipe with some supports to keep the pipe in place…when doing rounds you had to step over it.  The boat is docked next to the sand bags.

The dogs fenced in area is still mostly water

The current opened the garden shed door.

********************************************

It was about this time that everyone encouraged me to go into town with my Mom and have lunch.  I had not been out since the day we filed as disaster victims.

I was so used to water everywhere that I got dizzy because nothing was moving in town…I was the opposite of sea sick…I suppose you have to call it land sick.   I was happy to get back to our island home and all the water.

During the flood we received a couple of jugs of water, a bucket, a mop and a squeege to help with clean up from the Red Cross.  The items were dropped of at “The Landing.”   No sandwitches…or coffee… or anyone from the Red Cross asking what we needed.  From that point on I decided that I would never donate to the Red Cross ever again.

Links to other blog posts about the flood of 1997

April 19

April 18

April 16

April 13

April 10

April 9

April 8

April 6

March 19

Four Grands : May 19 2017

Four of our five grands were a photo op.

Then we noticed that Adam may be taller than Noah…it could happen.

Adam was proclaimed taller by a hair maybe two.

So this is the newest line up. Shortest to tallest.

Then Maddie said “Hey I am taller than Paige!”  Paige replied “Yeah and you have two inch heels on your boots and I have my tennies on.  No fair.”

Maddie’s baby is due on Saturday May 27, but the Doctor says the baby will be born Thursday or early Friday for sure. We will see.  Mikey’s  crochet blanket is all done…the baptismal gown not so much.

Noah : The Graduation Party

In a small town where there are only 28 students in the graduating class the whole town celebrates.  People wander from place to place on the night of graduation.

The support begins at the Graduation Ceremony.  As we walked into the gym there were long tables with a paper bag with each graduates name on the bag.  Jen deposited cards for most all of the kids graduating.

After the Graduation we headed back to Andy and Jens for the party.

The main feature was a Taco Bar with all the fixins.

There was a slide show behind the cupcakes.  They shared space with a candy offering of Nerds for Nerds, Gummy Worms for Bookworms, Smarties, $100,000 Candy Bars for Student Loans and probably a few I missed.

There was table for cards and a photograph to sign as the guest book.  There was a book of letters from his parents that began when he was born and several photographs.

Outside there was a Smores Bar set up near the firepit.  It was a chilly night so a fire felt really good.

It was a good gathering, we made it through the Taco Bar to douse our chips with Far Guy’s Dip and enjoy some time visiting…we skipped out after the fire was lit and it began to get dark to make our way home.

It was a fine celebration for Noah!  He will be attending the University of North Dakota in the Fall majoring in Chemistry in preparation for a career in Medicine.

Today also happens to be his 18th birthday!  Happy Birthday Noah!!

Far Guy’s Dip

Brown 1 Pound of Italian Sausage

Add and stir until creamy

A can of Hormel Chili with no beans

1 plus pounds of Velveeta Cheese

A brick of Philly Cream Cheese

Pickled Jalapeno Peppers sliced, add as many or as few as you like

A double recipe fills a regular size crock pot!  This is a favorite dip which all our “grands” enjoy!  It is known as “Grandpa’s Dip.”