Paige: Prom

Last weekend was a busy weekend, it was prom!

We went up north to get some photos.  It was a nice day, a little windy but sunny!

Look at those high high heels.

The back of Paige’s dress.

Paige’s group of friends.

Talking something over with her Grandpa…probably something about lello (Yellow) hair.  When Paige was little she couldn’t say Yellow for a long time…finally she told her Mom to make Grandpa stop saying lello.

Paige and Chance.

Paige and her beau…he had a Star Wars Watch.

Sparkly sisters

I stayed for Grand March it was fun to see all the different gowns.  I think there were 175 couples that went through the Grand March.

Wistful Wednesday: Three Hazels and others

Lately it has been a funeral every week.  Last night we attended Irene’s visitation, the funeral will be today. Irene was 94 years old and married to Jim for 72 years.  Jim was there at the visitation, he knew who Far Guy was but had to be reminded of my name…then he said “How could I have forgotten your name?”

I got to thinking about all the women in the area north and west of me and it seems only fitting to at least mention them.

Women still living will be in red.

Hazel Y., Margaret, Violet, Grace Y., Rose G., Rose P., Eunice, Shirley, Emily, Margie, Alice, Hilma, Grace L., Edie, Leah, Meady, Joanie, Dora, Irene, Hazel S., Hazel E., Ruby, Mary Ann, Jeanie, Betty, Etla, Mary M.,  Madeline, Barbara, Lorraine, Karin, Lucille, Pat, Trisha, Ella, Minnie, Gertie, Vi, Ashley, Mary H.,Tammy, JoLynn, Arvilla, Kay, Erna, Mary Lou, Connie, Cindy and Melissa.

This winter/spring was tough on the gals. Vi, Hazel E, Mary H. and Irene have died since the first of the year.

Two Roses, Two Graces, Three Hazels, Four Marys if you count the Ann and the Lou. Our numbers are dwindling.

Smoke and Fires

We are supposed to get some much needed rain this week.  It is very dry and our Fire Danger is Very High according to Smokey Bear in Park Rapids.

There was a fire at the edge of town last week that was quickly put out…the water bombers and flame retardant dumping planes and helicopters assisted.

Luckily a Minnesota Incident Command Team had just finished up at a fire near Staples when the Lake Hattie fire broke out.  They set up at the Lake George Fire Hall.  Lake George’s Fire Trucks were parked outside to enable the use of the Fire Hall for a command center. 

See that Semi Trailer?  It is full of food and supplies.

Smoke from the fires hung heavy in the air.  On Saturday we drove out of it and into sunshine and blue skies…Sunday there was no relief from the smoke.

On Sunday as we neared home, our Smoky Hills were indeed smoky.  What wasn’t smoky was dusty from the field work.

My eye balls are doing their usual spring itch, eye drops help. 

Paige: Confirmation

Paige was confirmed on Sunday May 8, 2016.  We travelled up North to be at the church service.  Chance stayed home, it was a warmish day.

We filled up a pew.  Trica and Richard were there, Savannah, Andy, Jen, my parents and Richard’s parents.
30 children were confirmed. Paige picked Saint James the Greater as her Saint.

Jen and Paige

My parents and Paige

After the service we gathered in the church social hall for cake and punch.

Chance : Prom

I went to Prom…well kinda.  I got to have my photo taken with some beautiful girls that went to prom.

They had flowers and new bracelets and me and everything!

I got me some kisses!

Can you tell how much I adore the girls?  I do! 
They were the prettiest girls around.  No Dogs allowed in the school for The Grand March  or the dance either…so I let the girls go there with their dates.

Far Side says I should say Happy Mother's Day to everyone!!  I hope your Mama is as good as mine!

Spring Update

The Pin Cherries are blooming.  The birds love the berries.

We had an orange sunset one day this past week.  There is smoke in the atmosphere from fires.

Some of the early Popples are budding out.  You can see them in the hills.

We have two different species of Popple (Aspen) one buds out before the other. 

We had summer for two days, then late yesterday the wind switched to the north and it cooled off. The wind seems to blow everyday, I don’t remember the wind being so persistant years ago.

The ticks are out:  me 0, Far Guy 3 and Chance 4.

We are having Internet troubles so if I am not around for a day or two …don’t panic!

  

Change

We certainly didn’t need the 80F or 26C eh temperatures…or the hot winds from the south.  Fire danger is high, there are fires everyday…scary.

In town spring come a bit earlier than out here in the boonies.  All that concrete makes a warmer micro climate.

The Forsythia outside Far Guys old home in town. The house used to be white.  It now boasts a sheltered deck and a new step….the old front porch (that used to be really cold in the winter and was an area for boots and overshoes with a small closet that held the clothespin bag and the garbage can and the pencil sharpener was at the ready next to the window) now has a picture window. Of course that “newness” seems foreign to us.
Here you can see the old water tower.  It will be torn down, it has been deemed unsafe.

It will certainly change the landscape…I think all of Far Guys old neighborhood pals had meetings and other such shenanigans at the water tower.

Far Guy’s parents sold their home in 1994 and they moved into an apartment.   Recently the home sold again.  When we saw it up for sale we checked to see if photos of the inside were online and they were. It was “interesting” to see the inside.

Outside there is still a big dip in the driveway, it used to be a mud hole in a rainy spring…it is rumored that an old abandoned well is under that dip. Over the years that dip has been filled many times but yet it keeps showing up…it must be resistant to change.

Things change, time stands still for no one except maybe an old dip turned mud hole in an old driveway.
 

The Grands : May 2016

All of our Grands were together last Sunday at Adam’s Confirmation.

I made them all go outside for the obligatory photo.

Oldest to youngest.

Shortest to tallest.

The race is on between the boys who are nearing the same height.

These kids are all unique in their own way, I guess it would be boring if they were all the same.  Two of them have  a real good idea where they are going in the future, coincidentally they were born the same year!  One is plugging along through school working part time and going to school part time. One will graduate high school and has an idea what her passion is and the other has a little more time to make up his mind.

Wistful Wednesday: Confirmation 1944

I know when my Mother was confirmed.  Not sure about my Dad I am certain he was confirmed but I have no photo to prove it.

This is my mothers confirmation class in 1944.  Mom would have been 15 years old. She is third from the right in the back row.  Note that most all the girls have some kind of curly hairstyle and are most likely wearing a white dress.

My mothers can still recite most of Luther’s Small Catechism….probably first in German and then in English.  

I was thankful that when I studied Luther’s Small Catechism that they didn’t require the Large Catechism too…I memorized verses and the “What does this mean” parts only long enough to repeat them in a group…then it was out of my brain ready for the next what does this mean.

Since 1529 the Lutheran Church has been using Luther’s Small Catechism to teach its Doctrine to the children…it is often called a short course in the Christian Faith.

I am reasonably thankful that my parents made me go to Confirmation every Saturday morning for two years. ( At the time I wasn’t too thrilled.) The end result was a firm faith foundation even though I wasn’t very good at memorization.

Adam: Confirmation

On Sunday May 1st Adam was Confirmed.  Church was at nine AM so we got up before O dark thirty to make it up north for church.  We could have gone the day before but we like our own sleeping spots.

It was a lovely frosty morning for a long drive.

Adam’s Confirmation Class had three boys and one girl.  Afterward we went to his home for brunch.

The happy confirmand.  Two years of studying for this smile!

Adam and his Great Grandparents (my parents)

Jen and her boys

Andy, Adam and Jen

Noah, Andy, Jen and Adam

Jen made several different egg bakes, cinnamon rolls, and homemade mints.  I think Andy wanted some meat with his meat so there were smokies surrounded by bacon that was just yummy!  I smiled when I saw the skewers of powdered sugar donut holes…knowing that was Adam’s request…he loves donuts.  There was a wonderful punch described as Orange on orange sherbet with something fizzy…it was perfect.  Oh and fruit…how could I forget the fruit…everything I was allergic to was in one bowl and every fruit I am not allergic to in another!  Our daughter is very thoughtful….guess she wants me to live yet another day!

It was a beautiful sunny day. It was good to visit with everyone. Richard, Trica, Savannah, Madison and Paige were there. Trica our oldest daughter was Adam’s Godmother at his baptism 14 years and 8 months ago.

 

May Basket Report

We delivered May Baskets to the Grands and three special little girls up North.

After we got back home and had a nap we delivered May Baskets in our neighborhood.

Most everyone was off doing nice spring evening activities so baskets were placed in plastic bags and hung out of the way of ferocious hungry dogs.

We found one smiling recipient!

Anna was home and promised to give her brother a basket!

We returned home and just as we were settling in for the evening Far Guy noticed some movement outside.  Someone was bringing us May Baskets!  He ran to the door and hollered “I am going to kiss you!”  Giggling Girls ran away squealing!  I got to the window in time to see them disappearing down the driveway.

Someday one of those four little girls will remember what fun it was to deliver May Baskets and keep the tradition alive!

May Baskets from Niece Stacey and her family.

I hope you all had a wonderful May Day! 

May Baskets In Progress

The May Baskets are mostly done. I am waiting for some of the  decoupage to dry. My desk is full!  I believe the final count is twenty.  I ran out of sherbert containers and had to use two red plastic glasses.

We recycled this year.  Sherbert containers.  I cut the tops off and made a decorative edge.  Then Far Guy took them to the woodshop/greenhouse and spray painted them with left over spray paint.  One is yellow, but yellow took three days to dry so the rest are red and orange.  I punched holes for the fancy pipe cleaner.  I used the Sizzix to cut out letters for the names. They are decoupaged onto the container. Then I added a bit of white tissue paper and filled with candy, I also made paper flowers to hold a Tootsie Pop.

I think they are real cute.

Once a year I get to play with paper and make something out of nothing and make some little kids smile.

We will deliver them later today.  I will try to get some photos!

Happy May Day!!

I have celebrated this day since I was about 2 years old.  Baskets were made and delivered almost every May 1st for as long as I can remember.