Road Trip

The weather is rainy, cloudy and cool barely 50 degrees F or 10 C eh! It was a good day for a road trip.  We originally had a destination in mind, but decided to just meander on Highway 71 South.

We don’t see many of these Wind Turbines.   This one was someplace along Hwy 71 near Long Prairie.

The Clarissa/ Long Prairie area has Amish.  You can usually tell by the horse poop on the roadways.

We saw some baleage.  Hay that is baled at a higher moisture content and sealed in white plastic bags.

We ended up in Osakis…then over to Little Falls…visiting antique shops along the way.  Each one is interesting as are the proprietors..from a 1950’s wannabe to a little old lady with huge hair that was all her own…teased and I am certain hair sprayed to be stiff as a board.

Marbles have gone up in price.  The going price for marbles is 12 cents each.  It used to be a 10 cents. 

I only bought this small bag of marbles because of the shooter.  12 cents is a bargain for a shooter.

Three Polish ornaments and two Shiny Brites were purchased…40 cents each, a bargain I couldn’t pass up.

It was good to get away for a day.  We returned home just in time to warm up leftover lasagna for supper.  Cook once eat twice that is our menu plan this week.

Gifts from a friend

I collect Shiny Brites.  Shiny Brites are a very breakable blown glass Christmas ornament that was produced in New Jersey from 1937 to the 1950’s.  I remember these ornaments on our Christmas Tree when I was a child.  I love how the light catches them on a tree..it looks like you have a tree all lit up with lights when it is just the ornaments catching the light.

Some similar ornaments; Indents and different shapes etc..were made in Poland and Germany and imported  since 1907 by Max Eckardt the founder of Shiny Brites.…I collect those too!  Those ornament are always marked Germany or Poland but you might need a magnifying glass to see the imprint on the top of the metal cap.

First I collected just a few ornaments here and there, then a box here and a box there.  Then friends gifted me some…Rae, JoLynn, Susan and her Mother Lillian’s ornaments.  Then there is my husband and Chance who scour garage sales all summer for ornaments. 

A few weeks ago a neighbor Edie brought me a box of ornaments.  She found these in an antique shop and thought of me!

The two ornaments on the right are not marked as Shiny Brites.  Someone could have switched the metal caps…it is easy enough to do.  When I get out my entire collection I will compare them to known Shiny Brites.  The blue stripe ball is not marked Shiny Brite either but it is a classic design they used in the 1950’s.

Edie also gifted me an ornament that belonged to her Grandparents.

It is a ornament made in Germany and is marked as such. Isn’t it beautiful?  Edie gifted me another special ornament last year..but it is put away with the Shiny Brites and has a story all it’s own that I will share someday…rest assured I will not forget.

The Shiny Brite tree is not up yet.  I still have time.  I have been going through boxes and  making a huge mess organizing a few things upstairs.  Once I get everything in it’s proper place I can bring out the Shiny Brites that are stored in the tree coffin and an old trunk and elsewhere up there.  Those ornaments sure do take up lots of space.

It is cold here now, way below zero and the wind chills are horrid.  We got about 11 inches of snow from Winter Storm Cleon. It will be too cold to snow for awhile.

I am getting nowhere fast on that list of mine.

Gift count: two bought and two ordered.  Gifts wrapped: none.  Cookies made: none. Cards written: none.  Home made ornaments: Complete!  Homemade gifts: in progress.  Decorations…none except the snow outside.  19 days and counting.

My Newest Old Ornament

The tree is up..but just the tree and it's lights..not so many ornaments yet.

I found this box at an Antique Shop. I thought is was an interesting box..it had a foreign flavor to it. 

Inside was this ornament, which is now hung on my tree! What does it say? Yes, that was my thought exactly. I asked everyone in the Antique Shop if they spoke or read any foreign languages..no one did..so I had to part with a whole dollar to bring it home and find out for myself. It says "Jolly Christmas" in German. Apparently Louise was the artist..this is a hand painted ornament.


Now to research the box..it is not foreign. Instead it came from Schumachers at the New Prague, Minnesota Hotel. Chef John Schumacher is known for roat duck, kolacky and other Czech and German specialties. First I wondered what is a roat duck..apparently is is a roasted duck. Kolacky..what are they? I looked them up.. ahh Kolache..those wonderful pastries that are filled with prunes or apricots. Montgomery Minnesota is known as the "Kolacky/Kolache capital of the world." I have had just a few of their kolaches from their bakery on main street. I can just taste that dough that is not to sweet..and the wonderful fruit filling.


Apparently the 1898 Hotel with it's historic charm was closed after thirty one years..it has just recently reopened..Chef John is still the owner. Apparently my ornament came from one of those thirty one years... 1974 to 2005. So my newest old ornament is not so old. It is still a nice ornament and it has it's own box..that is a plus when you collect lots of glass ornaments. If I am ever in New Prague, Minnesota ..I know where I am going for lunch:)