Gert, with her children who attended the 75th Birthday party: Ardis Quick, Peggy McNeill, Lisa Boltz, Marvin Gordon, Gert, Justin Blackstone, Genelle Mogck, Linda Knutson. Not pictured: Wesley Sigman, Jim and Dennis Blackstone.

My thought was, "How do you go out to a nice place to eat with six sweet little won't sit still kids along, and enjoy your meal?" So my response was, "Just come to the house so the kids can play."

So having the birthday party wasn't a surprise. And yet, I was VERY surprised when I saw the people who came.

Three girls that I worked with for 23 years at CTS came and a lady that I go to TOPS with.

I must tell you about Tina (CTS); her mother died when Tina was young, so she adopted a lady at work to be her mother. Then, when that lady retired, she had to adopt someone else to have that mother title, so guess who was elected -- me! So there is an extra daughter in my family that the kids and I have a lot of fun with. She, herself, has three sons and two grandchildren.

Five great grandkids and 17 grandkids were with me, plus seven of my own kids. And the sons-in-law and daughters-in-law were here and two granddaughters-in-law. Plus three family friends, so my house was busy.

You know deer hunting started that weekend, so Wes was up in Duluth enjoying that. And Jim lives out in Wisconsin, and Dennis is out in Nevada. But most of the family was here.

Then it was open gifts time -- I think my old computer had decided it was retirement time, so Marv had said he would work on it when he came out. I think maybe he and Wes were kinda tired of me calling them and asking what all was wrong with the old thing -- never in my dreams would I have expected the gifts that my family gave me: a brand new computer and scanner and also a digital camera with a printer dock!

Marv set the computer up for me but couldn't get the printer to work right so he said he would come back and work on it. He did come back, but didn't have to work on it because he brought me a different printer.

My grandsons Travis, Beau and Adam know that I like country western music, and that Johnny Cash was a favorite of mine, so they gave me the last two CD's that he made before he died and also the DVD "Walk The Line."

Forty dollars in money gifts came from friends. And my grandson Josh gave me a home made computer card with a gift certificate in it for a free meal with him, any time and anywhere I wanted. I told him that I knew where there was a great McDonald's to eat at because I had eaten there once before. He asked me where and I told him -- over in Maui. I think he thought the five hour air trip might be kinda long.

I couldn't have asked for a greater day. Each person in my family is very special to me, I love them very much. But you know, I don't feel like I am that old!

Update -- a grandson reconnects with family
by Jerrianne Lowther
Anchorage, AK

I was delighted to find e-mail from a second cousin I've never met in my inbox Tuesday morning. I had no trouble recognizing my great uncle Edward Miller's signature, though he signed it "Grandpa Miller," on the beautiful, inlaid wood, folding chess board in the photos. My sisters and I each have serving trays made and signed by our great uncle that same year (1958), when I was 17 and Dave was 7, the year Mitzi was born. Here is what Dave Ring had to say:

Roy lost his beloved Edith on their 50th anniversary. We were married February 18, 1993. I am just so thankful for his kindness and generous sharing of his home and himself.

Betty (Weiland) Droel
MoundsView, MN

After flooding, drought, fires, etc. seen around our country this year, I find myself most thankful for the simple things that we take for granted each day: a roof over my head, food in our pantry, and being surrounded by a loving, supportive family. Also, working as a pediatric nurse on a heart and kidney unit, I see and take care of very sick babies and children. So, I am VERY grateful for two healthy, active children.

Steve Miller
Coral Springs, FL

It snowed about half a foot in Anchorage this week and we're thankful that we get to be indoor cats. We're also glad that the bears are finally asleep in their dens so Miss Jerrianne could put sunflower seeds in the bird feeder -- that's our winter entertainment. Those nuthatches and chickadees look good enough to eat... We're grateful that The Bulletin keeps Miss Jerrianne sitting down so there's usually a warm lap to sit in. And we're glad that Banger, the tabby cat, made it home all right, after leaving suddenly in a grizzly bear's jaws four months ago. What a story that cat has to tell! We may fuss at each other sometimes, but we're really happy to be here.

Miss Kitty =^..^= & Mai Tai
Anchorage, AK

Reflections of Thanksgiving: On Thanksgiving we need to take time to be reminded to be thankful for our everyday blessings. Someplace to live, plenty to eat and the people that make our lives rich -- friends and family and, most importantly, our God who provides it all. A big thank you to you, friend Dorothy and staff, who make that time to gather the stories of "everyday life" that help us pay attention to the details of our lives and things that bless us every day. I am grateful for the veterans who served our country to preserve our way of life ... and think of and honor those brave people who are leaving their comforts of home to serve now, too! We are so lucky to live here!

Great Aunt Elizabeth, Uncle Bill, Uncle LeRoy, Aunt Gert and, I'm guessing, the woman with the fur collar would be Aunt Lois. And what were they looking at?

I've never seen this picture ... always fun to see a "new" one! Wonder where they were and what they were looking at?

Carol Dake Printz
Sidney, NE

Being the little girl with the pigtails, I [Gerty] can identify the other four. You can even tell which one is not from Minnesota, by the coat she is wearing. Being from Texas, she must have thought it was cold here. Lois (Gandy) was our new sister-in-law, married to that handsome man in the U.S. Army uniform, our brother Billy. Of course, the younger brother, LeRoy, dressed in his Sunday suit, looked pretty good, too. And then there was our only Aunty (Elizabeth McCalla). She use to let me comb her hair, which I loved to do. What joy it is to remember those days!

As I worked, I could feel the stranger's eyes following my every move. I came to understand, from overhearing his conversation with Jack, that he was the new manager of the Silver Dollar Ranch. After he took over as ranch manager, the past summer, the Silver Dollar had purchased a flock of sheep. He had come, he said, to look at our lambing operation; he wanted to learn what he could from us.

After making more circular cuts, this time around the lamb's front legs and neck, I pulled the hide down over its head, like pulling a sock off a foot -- wrong side out. I straightened up with the bloody thing in my hands. The visitor continued to watch as I salted it down, rubbing the salt into the fleshy side of the skin.

From their conversation, I learned that last fall the Silver Dollar Ranch's sheep herder had left the sheep bedded down around his sheep camp and slipped off to town. In town, he'd spent too much time at "The Bottle" and didn't make it back to the sheep until late the following morning. In the meantime, the sheep had wandered off. By the time a posse was assembled to gather the sheep, they had scattered over many miles of rangeland. Weeks of searching had passed and the Silver Dollar was now in the midst of lambing; a number of their ewes were still unaccounted for.

I ducked into the shed for a moment and returned with a live lamb from the bum lamb pen. I bunched the salted skin up like a turtleneck sweater and slipped the neck of it over the lamb's head. It was a tight fit. I then slipped each front leg into the "sleeves" and pulled the skin out over the lamb's body.

Jack commiserated with the man about the woes of finding good American sheep herders. He said Peruvian and Basque sheep herders were better. By their standards, the pay was good, the living conditions were satisfactory, and -- amongst other qualities -- it wasn't so easy for them to slip off to town.

I made slits in the back legs of the skin and put the bum lamb's legs through the holes. It was now wearing the skin like a full length jacket, including the "tail" that wagged behind.

Jack said he had to leave, but he told the manager of the Silver Dollar to feel free to look over our operation. The man followed me into the shed and began peppering me with questions.

The lamb had died at birth, I explained, leaving a good ewe without a lamb to raise. We walked over to the ewe's jug. She was fretting, anxious to have her baby back. I explained how ewes identify their lambs by smell. (Surely the manager of the Silver Dollar must have known this!)

I reached into the jug and picked up some afterbirth. I smeared this over the bum lamb's face and ears, and around its tail to further transfer the dead newborn's smell to the adoptee. I let the two talk to each other through the fence. If the ewe could be fooled into thinking this was her lamb (suddenly come to life), she would raise it and we'd have a win-win situation.

When I set the lamb in the jug, the ewe eyed it suspiciously and gave it a few head butts. I called Checker over and hissed for him to distract her by lying outside the jug and giving her the "Border Collie stare." She stomped a front foot at the menacing dog and then began licking and fostering the lamb. The hungry lamb was already searching for a nipple; this was starting to look like a successful graft.

Refugio came by, carrying buckets of water, and the Silver Dollar manager spoke to him in fluent Spanish. I turned my attention to other lambs that needed grafting to other ewes. The visitor followed Refugio down between the rows of jugs. The last I saw of them, they were speaking to Domingo.

***

Alas, a few weeks later, Domingo packed his few things, and three of his dogs, into his little red car and drove away. He was going to work for The Silver Dollar Ranch!

Sherry, the kids, and I made a point of going to see him at his new job. He was quite pleased with the better pay -- $150 more per month -- and a nicer sheep camp: this one even had solar powered electric lights and a two-way radio! But, he said, he did miss Esteban.

It was the last time we saw Domingo.

Being in the United States on a three-year work permit, his contract stipulated that he work only for ranchers who were members of the sponsoring Western Range Association. The Silver Dollar Ranch was not a member.

Jack's wife reported his defection and Domingo's visa was pulled. Clarinet in hand, he was soon boarding a plane back to Peru. He was being deported, without having earned enough money to start the neighborhood grocery store he had hoped for -- and he had to leave his beloved dogs behind.

However, he would soon have an opportunity to dance with his favored señoras peruanas (Peruvian ladies).

One Mower Time
By Beaver

This Week's Special Days
November 22---Thanksgiving Day

This Week's Birthdays
November 19---Tyler Swenson
November 20---Jeff Gauderman
November 21---Alex Jo Marie Sigman (3 years)
November 21---Amy Elaine Printz (3 years)
November 21---Judy Riesenberg
November 23---Jessy Wolff Chap

Happy Birthday!

More November Birthdays
' 
November 2---Gert Dake Pettit
November 2---Brianna Susan Lehtola (6 years)
November 7---Thomas Roland Mellon
November 7---Sandra Kay Miller Smith
November 10---Argyle Anderson
November 11---Allison Aydelotte (10 years)
November 12---Patty Anderson Henderson
November 14---Marian Miller
November 14 Cara Lee Swenson
November 17---Zachary Myron
November 17---Mark Andrew Johnson

November 26---DeLoris Anderson
November 27---Shalana Kay Weiland (11 years)
November 30---Aaron Stahlecker

November Anniversaries
Z
November 3---Rich and Verlaine Weiland (45 years)
November 16---Argyle and Kathlyn Johnson Anderson (44 years)

November 26---Ben and Heather Henderson (3 years)
November 29---Kurtis and Jeni Larson (3 years)

November Special Days
O
November 4---Daylight Savings ends
November 6---Election Day
November 11---Veterans Day
November 22---Thanksgiving Day

Dear Miss Hetty,

Click here to review last week's Bulletin

Veterans Day. I was glad to see our Bulletin honored our Veterans like they did, and the last picture with the THANK YOU and flag was especially impressive. It "hurts your heart" to observe disrespect for our flag that has cost so many lives to keep it waving proudly through all the years.

Janie, it was refreshing to see the beautiful blossoms that are still blooming. The white dahlias and butterfly looks like a picture you would buy for the wall.

We felt very sorry to hear about Chuck Anderson being so ill in Phoenix. We met many young folks in our teens, and Chuck and Donna were among them. Also were Don Spangler and Doris Syverson. Don and Doris married. They had a lovely home in Minnetonka, but Doris died just last week.

I felt bewildered to see Richard Johnson working with the logs in Oregon. That must be Richard Johnson, as in Beaver's brother, rather than the Richard Johnson as in Don and Dorothy's son-in-law. Anyway, I was impressed with the descriptive story of logging. What a lot of manual labor involved! To be working with the family would make it tolerable, to say the least. I am thinking the story will be continued with a chapter on Clearing and fencing. I hope so. It's interesting, knowing a little of the "behind the scenes" labor.

Then the beautiful sunrise over Beaver's new shop required someone to be out there with the camera pretty early in the morning. Woodcutting on the farm would be different than in the Oregon woods. It would mean even more backbreaking hard work. Probably will take all winter to get the new shop really organized the way you want it, Beaver, but it would be a great time to work at it, being it's heated, while the snow piles up all around you.

Honestly, that "Whisker lickin' good" picture is gross. Good picture, however; but it doesn't happen to appeal to me. I am sure others will have loved it.

I was a little concerned to see Eric had been let go from Boston Scientific. We have a good friend working there (in Shoreview). He repairs and rebuilds pacemakers all day long. So far, he has been able to keep his job, but he is expecting anything at any time. Very good that Leona was able to find quite steady work, being she's substituting. With all the uncertainty, you would love coming home to Ozzie and his friendly, devoted welcome, helping you forget your troubles.

Jayna and Shane must spend many hours updating their web site. I clicked on the link and decided I needed a lot more time than I had right then to read it. It looks so interesting. We have some great photography and stories here.

It seems like such a short time ago that Mavis and Tom returned from Florida. The more the temperature drops, the more anxious they would be to head south. This is Sunday -- you were leaving Saturday, so you must be on the road right now.

The Photo Editor's daughter is nearly as efficient as her mom. Do you see that well poised/posed picture of three cats? How could they ever get THREE cats to accommodate the camera like that? They are really growing! They are so clean and well groomed and look contented on the picture. Quite a feat for three cats to get along.

But, Miss Kitty is giving us another side of having more than one cat. Thanks, Miss Kitty, for pushing and shoving your way onto Miss Jerrianne's lap so you could get a chance at the keyboard for a change. Am sure she helped you with spelling, but that's OK, and I want you to know that anything you can report about that new cat at your house will be fine. I decided I wouldn't even try to pronounce "Mai Tai." By the look in those eyes, I would not want to interfere with him at all. He sounds like kind of a problem, if you ask me.

Donna Mae, thank you for having your camera ever ready. Some nice pictures of the last of the flowers. Wonder what will be made of the big burl, eventually?

The Guess picture gets harder and harder. They look somewhat familiar, but I wouldn't even want to try guessing, beyond the little girl being MAYBE Shari.

We had to laugh at LTD Storybrooke's account of the "Flight of the Americanos." I doubt many would have any idea how much actual hard labor was involved in caring for sheep. Would seem pretty easy to just fit into the routine, but it wasn't long before they found out that was not for them. Domingo and Esteban would be pretty happy to see that cloud of dust rolling down the road.

The Travelogue was so totally different this time. Just 60 miles short of Newfoundland would be disappointing. I know people get very attached to their animals, as is the case with their beloved Gracie. Don and Patty will be so thankful they learned of her problem so they can show her a special love and care. Don and Gracie discovered the gnome. Don seems to have a way of attracting them, -- either that, or they're on the lookout for him. Tim Hortons coming to Plymouth sounds too good to be true. We will try out the cranberry-blueberry-bran muffins as soon as they're open. Don, please give us updates on Gracie. Our thoughts go out to you and Patty.

What a story by Beaver about the motorcycles! Sand and a fender! That man will have you on his blacklist for sure, but sounds like you had great fun.

Matriarch, you were asking for a Thanksgiving story (short paragraph and photo) about what we are thankful for. We hope to send you something, as we know you appreciate a response when you ask. I guess I already know what I'll send in.

Thanks again. Wish you could have been at our dinner table today. We were invited to Rich and Verlaine's, along with Barb Veldkamp and Larry Meyer.

Betty Droel