The Bulletin
Sunday, August 13, 2006 Browse The Bulletin archive index
Updates - FAMILY UPDATE We've had the fun of being with our grandson Levi some this summer. He's such a pleasant fellow! We're going to The Cities tomorrow to see Mom, Dad, Ginny and Larry. On Monday I'll be seeing my eye surgeon at the University of Minnesota. Tuesday we'll meet Amy at the Minneapolis airport. She's to be flying into Minneapolis from North Carolina, before driving back to Nebraska, before (finally!) returning home (to her cats!). We're very glad for her being able to spend the summer gallivanting about, but we (especially the cats) do miss her! Wednesday Sherry and I "may" go see friends in southern Minnesota, before we return home to check on Lhokha and the lambs. (It'll be "back to work" on Monday.) We sold the ewes and rams a few weeks ago, as the pastures have dried up. With the drought, there will be no second cutting of hay this year, so hay will be expensive and scarce. We hope to keep the lambs on pasture until winter arrives -- and then to sell them, too. We've been irrigating the pastures with the garden hose and lawn sprinkler. As long as we continue here, we may buy lambs each spring, and sell them each fall. (That had been my original intent when we moved here, but instead, we "inherited" ewes and rams. So we enjoyed our little ewe flock for about seven years.) I'm about half done building a workshop and storage shed. I started building it the last week of June, using about 99 percent used lumber we had earlier recycled from demolition of other buildings. What cut-and-split firewood is still outside is nice and dry now, so I hope to get it moved inside this week. We're still hoping to get the house and granary shingled this summer. I've yet to get photos and notes organized for my LTD Storybrooke project. Perhaps that will begin to come together as the season of short days and long nights approaches. I've been trying to make the best use of my time. When I took my break from writing, we were concerned that we might need to move to a more managable home, on account of my eye problem. We've been busy getting things in order, to sell our place, if it would come to that. Now, however, we're much more hopeful of staying here! Thanks for your note. I better run now and get that wood moved inside. It might rain one of these days. We hope. --LTD
UPDATE -- a whittle bit o' news from Blaine
UPDATE -- Beau Birkholz trains at Fort Lewis, WA
UPDATE -- it's hot and dry in Yankton, too
UPDATE -- Diana weathers a tough week I am so proud of my nephew Dan Mellon, who wrote an update in the last Bulletin, and I wish him tremendous luck with his new job! He is a gem. Thank you to all who have asked about my situation, sending prayers and kind thoughts. I truly appreciate it. I had my first new chemo a week ago last Friday [July 28th] and, for the most part, all went well over the weekend, but come Wednesday evening, I started getting terribly sick ... pain and body aches ... and at first just thought it was part and parcel of the chemo, but as time went on, I realized something more was going on. I made it through Thursday, but by Friday morning [August 4th] I was so sick, I asked Maralee to take me into ER at Mercy. I was kept there all day and had dozens of tests done, including a CAT scan, blood work, EKG and UA, but to all of our frustrations, not one thing came up to pinpoint the cause of the pain. All tests matched the ones I had had just two weeks ago, so I was sent home with a few minor directions for eating and resting, and the usual, "if you don't feel better in a couple of days, come back" speech. Well, although the symptoms became lighter, they didn't go away, and I was still having pain and discomfort on Monday. I seem to be doing better, so I am hopeful that whatever was going on has run its course. I missed my second chemo because of being sick, so my second treatment [was yesterday, August 10th]. It was a bit of a rough session yesterday, and I am feeling the effects today. Fatigue, mostly. I also now have to start wearing a patch for the colon upset, to see if that helps, and that, too, causes drowsiness. I'll be falling asleep in my coffee cup pretty soon! ha ha... I hope you and Don are doing well. This cooler weather has been a true Godsend, and so enjoyable! Love......Diana UPDATE -- Sully Michael Brown turns two Also, Sully is going to be a BIG BROTHER! We are expecting our second child the first part of April, so we are very excited about that!
Day to Day R
Impromptu "Reunion Picnic" At Mom & Dad's Using the vernacular of our local Ashby reporter, we "motored" to Alex last evening, to visit Marlene and her family. They stopped in at Mom and Dad's for a visit and we'd been invited to join them. The "us" comprised Becky, Jayce, Cecilia Nelson (daycare girl) and myself.
The Matriarch Speaks W Company Picnic We had company! It was so special to have them! Our granddaughter Heidi and her husband, Ryan Henderson, from Albuquerque, New Mexico, are vacationing in Minnesota and are home based in Long Lake at her parents' home. We entertained them for supper. (You can't call picnic fare "dinner," can you?) It was short notice for a "gathering of the clan," but Heidi's Aunt Donna managed to come -- bringing Celia, a sweet little daycare girl with her. (She also brought the watermelon and fruit salad.) Becky and Jayce, Heidi's mom (our daughter, Marlene), and Kim, Whitney, and Mark Johnson -- with a new haircut -- were all here, too. As the kids say, "It was a BLAST!" Talk, talk, talk, then we ate a little, and last of all Donna got a picture of the honored guests ... then away they went again, headed for the lake ... where they are to enjoy some water activities ... at a cabin on Clear Lake. Have a great vacation, Heidi and Ryan -- and come again! Labor Day Vacation Plans Don and I are in the midst of a flurry of plans... Patty and Curt Henderson have suggested that the four of us should take a trip to Springfield, Missouri. For those of you who haven't been reading The Bulletin for the full four years, and who may not know why that would be our destination, it was home in the past to all four of us who will be going back. Patty and Curt lived there first and stayed a few years, and during that time we moved there (at my retirement from teaching), back in 1987. It would take too long to tell you all the details, but suffice to say that though the kids left earlier, Don and I lived there almost 12 years. So now the four of us plan to go back for a visit. I am so thrilled! We plan to stay in a suite at The Residence Inn by Marriott for two days and three nights. We have plans to see many of our mutual friends, and also some of those we knew from days after Patty and Curt moved from there. And to see all of the sights of the city and eat at all the old eating places we used to enjoy! Don and I are to leave Alexandria on Thursday, August 31st. We will be overnight at the Hendersons' so we can get a really early start on Friday, September 1st. Our plans are to return to their home on Monday, September 4th ... and then to make the return to Alexandria on Tuesday, the 5th. Who Is This? Let's Play a Guessing Game: Whenever it is handy to do so, we will run a picture of someone of the subscribers or staff members of our e-magazine. Tell us who you think it is -- we will let you know who was the first to guess it right -- and the correct guess -- in the following week's Bulletin. ![]() How many can you identify? Answers to last week's mystery pictures (click here to review them): Only knew Auntie Blanche (at right) on the Guess pictures. Was my guess right last week? The only one I can identify is Blanche, on the right! I have several pictures of Blanche I would like to share with you, so please give me your "snail" mail address again. I don't know the lovely ladies on the left or right, but am quite certain that the handsome couple in the center are my own parents, Marcella and Rolly Mellon. Mom has been gone for ten years and Dad for seven. I know two of the three pictures. The first one is of me [Diana Mellon Martin] holding my favorite doll, at about age one or so. (Now that was easy!) The second is of my beloved brother and sister-in-law, Rolly and Marcella Mellon, on their 50th wedding anniversary, I believe. The third cutie eludes me, so will look forward to the next Bulletin to see who she is. The GUESS pictures are always fascinating as we try to pick out family resemblances, etc., but this time I only recognize that special friend, Blanche! Betty Droel Travelogue t Greg and Sonja Dake left Durham, North Carolina, for Shanghai, China, on January 6th and returned January 28th. It was a business trip for Greg and Sonja went along. They took extra time for sightseeing while they were there. This episode concludes their report. They were in China only three weeks but they have kept us informed, educated and entertained with insightful commentary since Bulletin 188, published January 22, 2006. We think they've done magnificent reporting and we hope they will take us along wherever they may go on their future adventures.
China Farewell Fun With International Credit Card Use Now I know why ALL business travelers have and use only American Express cards. Amex works everywhere, all the time, with no spending limits. Mine works here, and now, nothing else does. Well more or less, but that's the rest of the story. Most of my regular cards have worked some of the time, but not others ... Apparently, the connection to some US banks from some China banks simply quits working periodically. No reason, just stops. I suppose the good news here is that Chinese businesses aren't surprised by this and take it in stride; it's apparently common. Then there are the stupid fraud alert "features." All of my usable cards are now fraud blocked because they have been accessed from a foreign country. (I've managed to use them all once, and only once each, despite the dropped connections.) Please note, this doesn't protect me in any way, given the current state of credit card law in the US. This well marketed feature only protects banks that have it, not consumers. I suppose the good news here is that you can't tell this from the connection just breaking, so I wasn't so embarrassed when they were declined ... but that also meant I didn't discover they were all slowly being blocked till tonight, when I tried to check into the hotel. So I tried tonight to get one unblocked, as I need to pay for the trip we just took. (See problem above for how we managed to take a trip without paying for it; after five hours of trying to run my card they gave up.) I've got cards from three institutions. (I don't use them normally, but I have them.) Of those companies, only one has a non-800 number, and that number no longer works. So I ended up calling a 1-800 number at about $1.50 per minute, plus hotel tariffs, just to get access back to one of my cards ... one that I didn't use wrong in any way. Now a $10-15 phone bill to regain access to my card isn't going to kill me, but it sure does &*(^ me off. Now for the scary thought: If I didn't have an Amex card we would be sleeping on the street tonight without a way to get cash or even call anyone to help. Actually, I brought with me my Smith-Barney FMA account debit card, and my Smith-Barney Platinum MasterCard, so if our cards all were declined, we could have checked in with one of those. Even though I don't work for them anymore, my accounts are still open and valid. Still not a happy thought, though. Headed home ... Friday, January 27, 2006 Well we are about done here. Going to pack up the router, get breakfast and head to the airport. We will let you know when we get there (about 28 hours from now). Home ... Saturday, January 28, 2006 Well I'm home and Sonja should be here shortly. She had a later flight for the last leg than I did, so she should have just landed. I would have gone to pick her up, but her mom wanted to go and there isn't room for four people and luggage in the car. Photo Editor's Note: We have serialized Sonja and Greg's web log and illustrated it with the photos they posted, but we also provide the links to the blog, for those who are interested: Web Log: http://sonjas-travels.blogspot.com/ Observations ![]() Photo © Ken Hettich Queen Anne cottage on 5 acres, mild year round climate. About a year ago I come across this home for sale. After consideration I decided to purchase it. After checking my financial ability, I came up within an inch of making a deal. I sent my good luck discovery to a few of my friends to see if they would help with the down payment. As time went on, I become discouraged to find that none of my friends responded to help me. Then one day a true friend sent me a letter with a considerable amount and an offer to send me more, if needed.
An Old Farmer's Advice Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong. Keep skunks and bankers and lawyers at a distance. Life is simpler when you plow around the stump. A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor. Words that soak into your ears are whispered ... not yelled. Meanness don't jes' happen overnight. Forgive your enemies. It messes up their heads. Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you. It don't take a very big person to carry a grudge. You cannot unsay a cruel word. Every path has a few puddles. When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty. The best sermons are lived, not preached. Most of the stuff people worry about ain't never gonna happen anyway. Don't judge folks by their relatives. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll enjoy it a second time. Don't interfere with somethin' that ain't botherin' you none. Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance. If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'. Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got. The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from the mirror every mornin'. Always drink upstream from the herd. Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment. Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it back in. If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around. Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.
Celebrations & Observances This Week's Birthdays This Week's Anniversaries More August Birthdays More August Anniversaries Miss Hetty's Mailbox: Dear Miss Hetty, Thank you so much for Sully's e-card...too cute! Adriana, Michael, and Sully Brown
This past Monday I celebrated my 28th birthday. As I told my manager at work, in another two years, I'll be old! I don't think he was impressed with that thought, as he left 30 in the dust several years ago. I put in a full day of work, but after that, Lori and Shawn treated me to dinner at Boston's (a pizza place in Maple Grove). We were also joined by Eric, Leona, my niece Caity and Shawn's niece, Chassidy. We enjoyed some great food and about the time I started feeling so full I didn't think I could eat another bite, all of the waiters and waitresses lined up to sing Happy Birthday and presented me with a brownie dessert, complete with two scoops of ice cream! Well, I couldn't let that go to waste, so I found room for most of it. Along with the meal and dessert, I received some nice cards, as well as a picture frame and a floor lamp that will help my continuing quest to make my house look more like a home. Thank you to everyone who remembered me with a card, e-mail or phone call on my birthday! Weston Johnson
Keep Us Posted! Please drop Miss Hetty a line and tell us who, and what, we've missed. And how about a report (photos welcome) of YOUR special celebration?
'Many Thankse
Everyone! Miss Hetty + LETTERS TO THE EDITORS? Click here to review last week's Bulletin I finally had time to sit down and read The Bulletin. I send in my photos in no particular order ... when they are done, they go. So every week I anxiously scroll through The Bulletin to see what Jerrianne has done with them. I have never been disappointed; sometimes I am just plain amazed... :} I just finished enjoying The Bulletin. Don's recipe sounds fabulous; will have to give it a try. And, what a yummy looking picture of it, too! How interesting! I remember Lorraine Tabor from when I used to visit my cousin, Kathy Quiring, in St. Paul. Thanks for the memories! Janie Anderson Another masterpiece, Dorothy! by Betty Droel MoundsView, MN Where does one start to ever express the reactions to all the interesting different things in this Bulletin #216? I suppose, first of all, it must be about the red hat. A very pretty picture of a smug, playful Amy posing in Auntie's red hat. Yes, we see the flowers and all the decorations that must have taken Bitzi hours to do. Very interesting about Rich Johnson's new venture. I remember when he came to a home I was at to do some inside finishing work. It was absolutely perfect in every detail, and I decided right then that he would really go places with his skill and attitude and appearance. Rich, that was at Norman and Nancy's, so many years ago, but I understand why you have this heavy responsibility now. I had to smile at Dan Mellon responding to Dorothy's prompting for a Family Update. He knew he had better submit something soon, and when he got started we learned a lot about his family that you closer relations will appreciate. And, yes, Dan, we are remembering Diana, a lot. I loved the picture of Kathy and Arg's grandkids. The youngest one is about the age Twila Jo was when I first met her. So you see why it was nostalgic to see this about their grandchildren. I actually smiled, sitting here all alone, as I looked at the -- whatever it is -- a frog? on the picture of Bitzi's duck with the red hat on. I wonder who crocheted the doily on the table under the duck. Could it have been Bitzi, herself? It looks similar to the one she made for us when Roy and I were married. The Cancer Relay would have touched many hearts. More and more of our dear friends are included in that number, and it was very touching to see Coni's "luminary." She will never be forgotten, and we do not forget Weston, either. The Travelogue was a little more positive this time. No big disappointments, at least that we got to read about in this trip to Yunnan Province. The cold coffee really turned me off for going on that tour, ever! I can't believe how tolerant and gracious Greg and Sonja were with some of those episodes. Part 2 of 2 of Shawn and Lori's honeymoon story! Thanks for all you took time to record for The Bulletin, and for the pictures you shared. Now we are hoping you're living happily ever after. We need some updates on how it goes for you. Donnie, we would rather come over and have you fix that luscious looking meal for us, rather than try to duplicate the detailed recipe, to end up like the picture. Thank you for printing that sweet picture of an even sweeter Lorraine Tabor. How I wish you could know Lorraine. Seems hardship and handicap make for a beautiful spirit when there is resignation and acceptance of your lot. I read every single one of the letters to the editors to see what all I had missed that was special. Seems like each person sees something the other one missed. The CHUCKLES cooled us off, looking at Donnie on the snowmobile. With his new weight loss, he will have endless ambitions and jumping Rum River will seem tame. I loved the Quotation for the day: Compassion is difficult to give away because it keeps coming back. Oh, that is such a true statement. We have known true compassion toward our losses, and value all that has been extended to us through The Bulletin family. It's just about time for another Update from Miss Kitty. The week is going by slowly it seems, but all of the sudden Saturday morning will have arrived. A lot of the fun is in the anticipation of #217. I'm sure that right now you are working on perfecting it -- and we know for positive that it will be great. Thank you again... ...from Roy and Betty Droel CHUCKLES ![]() Photo illustration © Douglas Anderson; photo of Shawn & Jayce by Donna Johnson Shawn teaches Jayce how to steer the pontoon boat. To search a name in Who's Who or Who's Where: click on the link to open the page, then use CONTROL F on a PC or COMMAND F on a Mac. To search for a second occurrence of the name, use CONTROL G on a PC or COMMAND G on a Mac. (This works on ANY web page with text, unless the text is converted to an image. Chances are, it works in your e-mail, too.) HINT: Search by first name only, as most entries list the family name once but do not repeat the last name for each family member. In Who's Where you can search on state or city names, too. Click here for past editions in the searchable web archive
Quotation for the day: There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it. -- Edith Wharton EDITOR'S POLICY: If you wish to subscribe to The Bulletin, simply send me a statement of that fact. If you wish to keep receiving it I hope you will contribute to one of the columns that are running in this family epistle (at least occasionally!). My e-mail address is dma49261@juno.com This Bulletin is copyright Dorothy M. Anderson; the contents are also copyrighted by the authors and photographers and used with their permission, and the contents are not to be used for any commercial purposes without the explicit consent of the creators.
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