Bulletin 47, June 15, 2003

The Bulletin
June 15, 2003
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Read All About
Jazmine Jane Hill

Jazmine Jane Hill

FAMILY UPDATE
The Youngest Member
of the Anderson Clan
by her mother
Brenda Hill

Our baby, Jazmine, will be two weeks old already on Wednesday! Time flies by as she is growing up so fast! She seems to be a very strong baby and lifts her head and looks around quite easily. She is over being jaundiced now, too.

Nathan went back to work last Monday so she and I have lots of bonding time every day! Grandpa and Grandma Anderson (Dwight and Janie) are spoiling her rotten already! Grandma helps us to our doctor appointments, too, which is a really big help. Grandpa can stop her from fussing when nobody else can! We are enjoying her!

Brenda Hill

Introducing Beaver's new great niece, in a letter (update) from his niece Colette:

I'm sure many of you have already heard our exciting news ... Ashley Marie Huseby was born Sunday morning at 9:15 a.m. -- so nice of both of our babes to be during the day! She weighed 6 lbs. 4oz. and is 20 inches long. We came home from the hospital today. Big brother Erik can say Baby Ashley, along with many other new words every day!

Tim, Colette, Erik & Ashley Huseby

FAMILY UPDATE
by Gert

I haven't written for a long time, but have been quite busy. Stanley Pettit's (Don's brother) wife died a couple months ago and he is in assisted living now, because he is diabetic. Anyway we have been cleaning his home, etc. There have been three sales already and two to go. First a sport auction, then an auction of his things that were here, then a pottery auction, next will be two auctions at his farm.

So can you imagine all the stuff he had. Don's three boys, his nephew Kenny and myself have been doing the most of everything. But that's right up my alley; I love cleaning up things that are such a mess.

Our place looks different now too, as we had the old barn and silo knocked down and buried. The old barn at the home place will go this summer too, as it is leaning pretty good. If it wasn't for the tree holding it up, it probably would fall. It will be leveled and then burned.

How are you both doing? Don is okay, has a problem the breath shortness, but I am sure that will stay with him after so many years of smoking. He has been off from that for over three years now.

I am a girl scout helper. Sammy is in scouts, so I take her. We bused up to Avon yesterday to a horse ranch. Guess what I did for the first time in my life -- rode a horse. Of course nine horses WALKING SLOWLY down a path in single file wasn't too bad.

Don't think I'll ever get one of Lisa's, cuz they don't go slow. Hoping for some sunshine tomorrow. The past few days have been cloudy and damp. Just nicer working outside in the sun. Enough rambling on, and it's about bed time. Have a great day tomorrow. Love Gert

Desperately
Seeking
Stuckey's 2
The Pudding Pack
Chronicles

A Short Story
By Doug and Dorothy
Anderson

Editor's Note: The following is a story with two narrators. When the writing is in normal prose style, it is the Mother speaking. When it is written in journal entry form, it is the Son who is speaking.

Chapter Four
Banjos on Our Knees

6/20/76, 2nd Entry: San Diego, California! What a town! I haven't even thought about vanilla pudding or comic books all day! There are palm trees along the freeways! More later.

3rd Entry: We checked into a Ramada! Pretty snazzy! The pool is by far the most superb of all that we have sampled coast to coast, and we have done some sampling! We wallowed like a herd of hippos in the Amazon! Hope my sisters don't read that remark...

Finally I can sit here in the sun for a bit and relive the last two days and plan tomorrow. I had looked forward to revisiting San Diego. On an earlier trip, Don and I had found it so beautifully clean and free from smog. And the city traffic was so much easier to drive in than Los Angeles. We are disappointed to find that things are not quite so inviting as they were on our last visit. We did have a very special time introducing the kids to all the things we had seen, and done, and enjoyed the last time. They were fun this time, too.

We had the usual tourist circuit -- but best of all we had a special evening together in the pool. I finally got out the swim suit I had brought along and joined the rest in our motel pool -- and as they had told me I had to admit, it was the "Greatest Ever." I thoroughly enjoyed spending most of my time in the whirlpool; maybe it could be called a spa. We sat on a built in bench that went the whole way around the heated pool. The water was so warm and the bubbling flow of it relaxed all the kinks out of my muscles.

All the rest spent time alternately sitting near me or running and jumping into the regular pool -- or even into the very elegant kid's pool. I did go and dip into the colder water occasionally, just to enjoy the vigor it gave me after the spa's warmth.

It was fun to have two nights' stay at this special "inn." We surely made good use of our daytime hours. To start with the harbor cruise, it is fun to go down to the lower area and look out at what is going on under the surface of the bay. But I liked best to sit on one of the benches and listen to the narrator -- the others did a lot of roaming and exploring.

There certainly can't be many zoos that are as well done as the San Diego Zoo. I saw it from the tram and then up closer from the second level of the zoo's tourist moving bus.

The three of the younger generation with more stamina did a lot of walking to see it all up close. And what wonderful landscaping, and free roam arrangement's provision of freedom for the animals where possible, but always with the protection of the visitors a prime consideration. We came away tired but with our own personal favorites of what we had seen -- mine was watching the Pandas from China, who were busy feeding on eucalyptus. They looked very huggable -- but I doubt that they hug very nicely!

Today has been a highlight for all of us, but most especially for Don. We got loaded up from the motel and traveled across town and out a ways to the Naval Station where Don trained when he was a boy, not much older than Marlene is now.

We found it without much trouble and we were all interested in what Dad had to tell about the funny things that happened in training, the hard work of being a sailor, and the change there has been since his days there. We had been given a wave through to go to the area where we could park. It was a bonus on an already interesting day to get to watch the men practicing for the program of marching and drills that they were preparing to use in a demonstration for the graduation guests!! They looked very nice -- and their drill masters sounded really tough!

We found our way to the road that comes along near the ocean -- Number 5. We wanted to find a place to stay for tonight so that we could get organized for our next "port of entry." We went through several areas without success, but then in Oceanside we found just what we needed.

It is old, but clean; the beds are pretty narrow after the big ones of the last stay, but it has a lovely view of the ocean. And though the cost was almost as much as the much nicer one we left this forenoon, we loved getting it -- BECAUSE this has a VIEW!!! We can see the surf roll in, go picking shells, and listen to the sounds of the ocean. And we can understand that if this were a weekend, we would never have gotten to stay here at all! But now it is time for me to call Don away from the fun activities in order to help me find the laundromat.

6/21/76: We get up in the middle of the night because Dad can't sleep anymore. Too tired to write. More later.

2nd Entry: The sea breeze has revived me! I feel alive! We are on a harbor cruise, much the same as I'm sure our descendants before us did. We could see Alcatraz from the boat, and I had to wonder about all the notorious criminals who once lived there. They say it's haunted! I guess, why wouldn't it be?

3rd Entry: We are now at the world famous San Diego zoo. We split off from Mom and Dad and explored on our own. They don't have wax animal machines like Como park, but it is still really cool. We saw Panda bears from China and they looked fake. I'm still not convinced they were real... More later.

6/22/76: We saw a bunch of sailors today. Man, are those ships huge! Mom said Dad trained here when he was 19. I tried hard to imagine Dad being young, but it didn't work.

2nd Entry: We are now heading up the coast. Patty is annoying me on purpose while I try to write.

3rd Entry: We have rented a cool little cottage by the ocean! Man, I could LIVE here! We saw tiny crustaceans in the sand as we took a little seaside stroll. I have been out of film since Texas, but I really don't have time to worry about it, this place is so cool! Wish we could swim, but it is a little chilly for swimming tonight. More later.

+ LETTERS TO THE EDITOR?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I have received several letters these last few days: some excerpts from my mail follow:

"More news in there than in our paper. Thanks again." Elaine.

"I really like the addition of the classifieds. I thought Mavis's story was absolutely 100 per cent entertaining! Dad's section was breezy reading, too!" Doug.

"Another great Bulletin!" Donna

Thanks everybody -- it is encouraging to know our efforts are appreciated!

Wow Mom, another wonderful bulletin. I love the attachment of the trip ... what a car that was!!!

I'm wondering, though, was Mavis at the same graduation I was?? Just kidding, but she is a very creative writer. :-) Fun to read what others have to write. Thanks for putting it all together and keeping us prodded to add as we can! Thanks, Pattydee

Memory Lane

A Letter to the Editor with a Memory Lane included:
from Gert

Dear Sister,
I just finished reading the bulletin once again. It is fun to do and gives a lot of information. I thank Doug for the memory of Stacy. And that makes me think of other silly things that happened when Doug, Patty, and Marlene used to spend time at my house with Lisa, Mel and Stacy.

One night we were all sitting around the table, and they were telling scarey stories; all of a sudden the hallway bedroom door squeaked open, and I almost had all of them in my lap at one time. They forgot that Foy was sleeping in the bedroom and he opened the door to go upstairs. They really jumped!

Also saw Duane for a minute the other day in my yard. They were spraying the neighbor's field. That "guess what I did" smile is still there. Must have gotten it from his Dad. Blanche always had a smile, but not like that! Will be waiting for the next issue. --Gert

A Letter From a Memory Lane Author:

To whom it may concern: I am writing to apologize for the fact I did not make myself clear on my graduating third in my class. I should have stated that I was the third one to get my diploma. Jack and Marlys Anderson were ahead of me.

I was questioned on this and I want to make this clear to everyone who read last week's bulletin. I do not want any honor where honor is not due. I was 17 when I graduated from High School so you can see I did move along pretty smooth with the flow anyway...

Clara Jung was my History teacher -- in fact she taught many from our family; if I have this right, Junior cried when he was through with having her as a teacher. I can't remember now if it was tears of sadness or joy. As we get older, we forget details.

I just had a birthday, so I guess it is showing up in my memory. I hope this will clear up any questions or wonderings that anyone might have had. Feel free to call me on my answering machine to clarify any other statements that may be in doubt. I thank you all. ha ha!

Mavis (Anderson class of '53) Morgan

Father's Day ---------Sunday June 15, 2003

The following story is dedicated to My Father on Father's Day, 6/15/03:

Tractor Wheel
Sandboxes
and
Other Minor Miracles

A Memory
by Doug

       When I dare look at myself in the bathroom mirror with the light on, it is hard for me to imagine I was ever four years old. However, definite memories persist, so I must have been.
       I remember the area behind our house where my Father cleared the trees to start his makeshift tractor painting shop. I remember the smell of paint, both at once noxious and delicious. I remember the colors: Allis Chalmers Orange and Farmall Red. John Deere Green, (with a balancing yellow) and orange again for the Minneapolis Moline. Ford tractors were inevitably grey with some black and red trimmings.
       Even though I was living in a country that was knee-deep in the bloodbath that was the Vietnam war, my fledgling life was virtually, if not completely, unaffected. My time was spent largely "fishing" for moss patches in the tiny creek that ran behind our house, or watching dad paint monstrous tractors from the safety of the house, wishing I could be closer to the action.
       There were many other hobbies as well: cutting up Life and Look magazines, listening to the twelve-string guitar Glen Campbell album, chasing frogs, collecting cattails, to name just a few. But the pinnacle was definitely the strange and wondrous happenings of my Father's tractor painting shop.
       I remember one magical summer day in my third or fourth year that stands out above all others, even more than the days when the strange race of people that were called "Teenagers" came over from a far away distant land known as "The Neighbors" to entertain and amuse me with their alien antics. This was a day unlike any other, and it would change my tiny outlook on the world forever.
       One of my Father's many commissioned contracts produced a serendipitous byproduct: a spare tractor wheel. This was then flung under an apple tree, filled with sand, and christened "The Sandbox."
       I now know that Tractor Wheel Sandboxes exist and have existed all across our fine country for as long as there have been tractors. I also know that they are about as uncommon as those two-dimensional wooden cut-out people that country folk like to pose in their gardens and lawns. However, when I first beheld the grace and simple wonder that is the Tractor Wheel Sandbox for the first time, I was moved to state of higher awareness.
       Christians call this state Epiphany, while the Buddhists prefer to call it Satori. I called it Tractor Wheel Sandbox. It was in my Tractor Wheel Sandbox that I was destined to feel, for the first time, in tune with God and Nature. Perhaps you have felt it too: that Golden Feeling when a person senses for a fleeting second that all is right in the Universe.
       Of course, I didn't think of the sandbox in such grand and lofty ways then. I was a child, much more honest and straightforward then I am now. Perhaps I was subconsciously revelling in the consideration of my thoughtful Father for supplying me with such a seemingly perpetual source of Joy, or perhaps Tractor Wheel Sandboxes are minor miracles in and of themselves, I cannot say. I can only remember the joy and contentment my tiny newborn soul felt while I was entrenched in the stronghold of the priceless gift my Father gave me on that crisp and golden summer day so many years ago.

Memory Lane

Little Brothers:
by Lori

Mom was relating an incident that recently happened at the farm and it hit me as familiar in a way, but I didn't make the connection until just the other day. She was outside watching Jayce, Caity and the daycare kids play when she heard some screaming and turned to find Jayce bleeding from the head because a little boy had thrown a rock at him.

Jayce, of course, was shook up because of the injury and the bleeding (and head wounds are the worst) but Mom said that you would have thought something worse had happened with the way Caitlynn was screaming, crying, and carrying on! Mom explained to her that it wasn't as bad as it seemed, but she still was all shook up and didn't recover very quickly from the trauma.

I realized that it sounded familiar in a way because I did the same thing when Chris got really sick once and they had to rush him to the doctor. I remember a daycare girl that mom watched and friend of mine, Anna Jose, was there and we stood there screaming, crying and hugging each other to no end.

I guess a little girl doesn't realize how important a little brother is when he's being pesky and intruding on your fun, but we worry about and love the little brothers just the same!

The Family Cookbook
Culinary Heirlooms
by Doug Anderson
SPECIAL FATHER'S DAY EDITION!

It appears that my psychology courses were of some use, after all. After laying it on thick and threatening to discontinue my column, I was inundated with wonderful recipes from family members who had, up until then, been a part of the woodwork. I am considering adding a new feature at the end of each column where I "single out" a family member that has not contributed yet. I trust my faithful readers will not make me result to such totalitarian tactics.
This week it is my special privilege to feature a recipe from our star Patriarch, my own loving Father. His culinary panache is only exceeded by his disarming humility, as you will see. So have a tissue handy and be prepared to be moved by:

Great Grandpa Anderson's Gold Nugget Potato Salad

(Hey, potato salad lovers: I have put together a salad that is second-to-none. I hope you give this a try and let me know what you think. Now, I shouldn't give this away to just anyone, so I hope you feel honored. It's truly the best, I think.) DWA

Ingredients:
4 lbs. baking potatoes (8 Large)
(The Author suggests GOLD NUGGET potatoes.)
3 hard-boiled eggs, grated
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper

Assembly:
Cook potatoes in boiling water 40 minutes or until tender.
Drain and cool potatoes.
Peel potatoes and cut into 1 inch cubes.
Stir together potato and egg.
(The Author suggests white eggs.)
Combine mayo, mustard, salt and pepper.
Slowly blend above mixture with egg/potato mixture.
Serve immediately.
(The Author suggests RIGHT NOW!)

Variations:
Red Potato Salad: Substitute red potatoes.
Potato Salad with Sweet Pickle: 1/3 cup sweet pickles, cubed.
Potato Salad with Onion and Celery: Add 2 celery stalks, diced
and one half smaller, sweet onion. "This will give it a bit of zip," says The Author.

Yield: 8 to 10 servings.
Prep Time: 20 Minutes, "Depending on your speed!"
Cooking time: 40 minutes.

Whew! That was a very passionate performance, don't you agree? Bravo! Now we have seen Potato Salad elevated to its highest pinnacle, I'm not sure what can possibly follow. I'm sure we'll come up with something. "Happy Father's Day" to all of our Dads, and keep those recipes rolling in!
Next week: Something very seasonal from a proud new ND Grandma!

Big Deal
Classifieds (