Photo © Virginia McCorkell
All decked out ... I love the ever changing subject matter just out my patio door. The light, shadows, shape of the snow ... all changing constantly. This one had such a warm feeling with the glow of the late afternoon sun. --Ginny McCorkell

Update -- no fun day, but Eric & Leona are OK
by Eric and Leona Anderson
Maple Grove, MN

Photo illustration © Virginia McCorkell; photo by Susie Holman
Hunter Holman gets acquainted with snow.

Update -- Brandon Hellevang wins national honors
by Merna Hellevang
Fargo, ND

I sent this news release to Donna yesterday and she thought I should send it to The Bulletin, since there are some sports fans in the reading audience. It is a national award, so we thought it was newsworthy:

Brandon, left; his 41-yard field goal at the Alerus in Grand Forks, right.

Hellevang earns Daktronics All-America honors

Photos © Jack Adair
The doors, left; the music center inside, right.

Update -- what is behind the doors?
by Capt. Jack Adair
Coon Rapids, MN

Okay, here goes. {Good! I'm getting tired of waiting. How long do you think you can draw this out?} Don't tempt me, Rufus, I might just go away and forget about the whole thing! But, I'm sure some of you, especially those who know me, already have figured it out, and the rest don't care. It all started when Mrs. Betty Droel did a review including some mentions of my guitars. She wondered where I kept them all. Well ... BEHIND THE DOORS! {I knew it all along!}

Photos © Donna Johnson
Just so you can see the snow stacking up here. Our evergreen, drooping with the amount of snow, left; Buster came to the door and wanted in, right; I couldn't even get the door open, so I had to go down to the tunnel to let him in! Lexie won't come in at all, just goes in the woodshed. Beaver said her coat is thicker than Buster's, though.

Photos © Donna Johnson, left; Beaver Johnson., right.
Midnight's new perch. Yes, his eyes glow like that when he looks in your direction, with the light on ... rather freaky!

Beaver said he's tried to get Midnight to sit on the back of his chair, as he wants to sit on Beaver's chest instead. I have not encouraged him to do so here; this was all his idea. Not that a blind cat like Midnight has a view, so I don't "get it." Maybe, just because he can, I guess! When he comes down, I have to be careful, as he once in a while gets a random claw in the wrong spot. He does "talk" to me first, with a little chirpy meow ... or I should say ... most of the time he warns me.

Midnight LOVES going outdoors, except if it's snowing, cold or raining. The other night he asked at three different doors, at various times. I'm not sure if he really expected different results, or just chickened out, once he sniffed the cold! He's entertainment!

No, this is not a smaller living area than we had before. The living room area that Donna showed looking so attractive was the area for visiting... I can enter it and sit in the lift chair or remain in my own Jazzy and have a little visit in coziness...

What makes it so nice for me is that we have arranged the rest of our living and dining room furniture so that it is all easily accessible to me in my chair. I can now pull up to all of the conveniences. I can even play the piano right from my chair (with the foot rest up) ... maybe I will get some practice again!

Also the kitchen is separated from the dining room but has a counter facing the dining room and has a door at either end. The counter is built low enough that Don and I can eat together in the kitchen at the counter, he on the kitchen stool the last residents left behind, and me in my Jazzy.

Our landlord had a new Whirlpool dishwasher installed Wednesday. It is so nice to have a really nice, up to date one, with all of the "bells and whistles." Now we know if the dishes are clean ... well, as long as someone doesn't open the door and then not put the dishes away...

I have not been out of our condo rental unit for this whole week ... and I do not expect to go out again until the temperature ceases being below zero wind chill factor. It surely is starting out to be a cold winter in this part of the continental USA.

We have an invitation from the people here to come to their pot luck next Tuesday, as their guests. (The community room is right next door to our apartment.) We have already met several of the owners.

We are making use of all of the conveniences. So come for a visit and see it all for yourself!

Dorothy (connected with civilization again!)

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.

(Send us some to run; we will line them up in our staging area to take their turn. Mavis Morgan, Gert Pettit and Donna Johnson supplied last week's mystery pictures.

Answers to last week's mystery pictures (click here to review them):

Editors' Note: Correct guesses appear in bold face type and incorrect guesses in normal type.

For some reason, the lady in the first Guess picture looks familiar, but not enough to even make a guess. The middle picture must be one of Don and Dorothy's girls.

Editor's Note: Larry Dake is taking a break to organize the next section of his story series about sheep herding. However, he sent us a couple of photos taken by Bergit Swenson on a visit he wrote about a couple of weeks ago. These photos perfectly illustrate stories we ran earlier with no photos. The week's photo illustrates "Silver Dollar Ranch" from Bulletin 283. It has been added to that story in The Bulletin archives. Find all the LTD stories via the Stories link.

Photo © Birgit Swenson
Grafted lamb, wearing jacket from skin of the ewe's black lamb that died.

Dear Miss Hetty,

There must be some mistake. It says Bulletin #286, but surely it can't be! Actually, the weeks are going by so fast that it's just a blur, but they tell me there have been 24 hours in every day. The number just keeps going on up until it's #286 this time.

Something happened in my heart when I saw the first picture this time. That pretty, slim brunette carrying that huge box was Patty Anderson. That is almost unbelievable. I felt such a happiness for her, and such a sense of respect that she could be so successful with her over 100 pound weight loss. Of course I am wishing it were me, but I can be applauding those who will (not can) do it. I spent a lot of time trying to look through the Archives for a "before" picture of Patty, but just could not seem to find one suitable for a comparison to this lady with all the ambition to carry that huge box up all those steps. Patty, I just wish you knew how I give you more congratulations than you can even believe.

Elaine just does not look like she's adding another year. She always looks so youthful (all I see are pictures) and smiling, and at peace. She has seen a lot of life and could tell us many experiences if we could take time to listen. Occasionally, there is a story in The Bulletin of her memories. If she took time to read all those encyclopedias she has there in her bookcase, she would be very wise indeed. Thanks, Donna Mae, for taking those pictures of Elaine's deck and bird feeders. Fun to see all the snow she has there instead of the beautiful flower garden.

How can Mason be that big already? Wonder what he'd say snow tasted like? Oh, the Ben Hendersons will have some news for us around January 11th. Nice.

And Capt. Jack. You might know he'd keep us guessing a little longer. Can't say that instrument could sound very musical by the looks of it, but it would surely be a novelty, and the memory of its origin would be the best part of all -- it was free, except for the many years of guilt over not having opportunity to pay for it.

Oh, by the way, whatever happened to the blue chair from the big move Rich Johnson had quite awhile ago? Bitzi's green couch reminded me of it.

THE BIG MOVE. We thought of you all day, moving in the snow. If it had only been the week before, but it wasn't. Such an interesting account of it all, and the picture of the living room, as cozy as can be, with big windows. I am sure you'll be using that community room a lot with your family. That was good thinking for Donnie to find a place for that corner cupboard where you can all enjoy it yet. Also your doll shelf. You will be so glad to have that sentimental shelf instead of having left it behind. Thanks for a look at The Bulletin office.

It's no wonder LTD Storybrooke needs a break to organize more sheep stories. They are so detailed and so interesting that you don't write such very quickly. We thought the picture of Sherry and the girls is priceless. Forever memories!

I see Lori went shopping the day after Thanksgiving and lived to tell about it. That is one day we do not go shopping -- guess we are too chicken, plus we don't need much at our age anymore. We need to start giving away instead.

It was so much fun to see the picture of our weight coach, Donna Mae! I have never met her, that I remember, but I must have. Nor do I know the other two ladies.

Dorothy's right, Ruthy, you should join us for some sub-zero snow. I am so thankful for the Archive that lets me look back at every single issue of The Bulletin. I hated to delete any, too, but had courage to do it when I knew they were a click away.

The CHUCKLES was funny. They were probably warming up their hands in their pockets before making yet another trip out to the moving truck! What a day to move!

"Life is like a ten speed bike." Well, I think we have worn out all our gears.

The Bulletin arrived right on time, but we had guests using the computer room so didn't have time to read or print it until late Saturday. Was exciting knowing it would be there, though, and as always it was varied and interesting. Not too many weekly papers could keep our interest like The Bulletin does. THANK YOU again!

Betty Droel