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Sunday, February 17, 2008
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Photo © Jerrianne Lowther
My Love is Like A Red, Red Rose --Robert Burns

Updates -


Photo © Jim Indermark
Alexander James Indermark

Update -- he's here!
by Jim and Kristi Indermark
Phoenix, AZ

Alexander James Indermark was born February 11, 2008 at 11:58 a.m. He weighed in at 6 lbs., 14 oz. He was 19-1/2 inches long. He is doing great.



Photo © Roxanne Mitzel
Jackson Bradley Sorum on afternoon of his birth.

Update -- a new grandson for Art and Roxie Mitzel
by Art and Roxanne Mitzel
Jamestown, ND

Amber Augusta, our youngest daughter, and her husband, Brian Sorum, are the proud parents of their first child, a son born January 30, 2008, at 9:26 a.m. at the Oakes Community Hospital. He weighed 7 lbs. 11 oz. and is 21 inches long. He has been named Jackson Bradley Sorum. We now have six grandchildren: four boys and two girls.

Amber and Brian live in Oakes, North Dakota, where Amber is a Registered Nurse at the Oakes Community Hospital and Brian is a Deputy with the Dickey County Sheriff's Department.


Photos © Roxanne Mitzel, left; © Brian Sorum, right
Brian, Amber & Jackson Sorum, left; Art & Roxie with Jackson, right.



Photos © Earl Stahlecker
Aaron, suited up at the beginning of the season, left; action picture from the last game of the season against McMurry University in Abilene, right.

Student Update -- Aaron Stahlecker
by Earl Stahlecker (Aaron's dad)
Gatesville, TX

We can't seem to get Aaron to slow down a bit and write a little bit about what he thinks of college life. I will see what I can do.

Aaron has completed his first semester at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas. His studies are geared towards Coaching and Biology teacher. He is living in a dormitory and is rooming with a former high school classmate this semester. As far as we can tell, he enjoys college life and his freedom away from his parents, although it appears that he is happy to come home once in a while to see his high school friends, get his laundry done, and let me fill his old pickup up with gas.


Photo © Earl Stahlecker
Aaron with his 1966 Ford pickup. We are still working on it. Not very pretty, but runs and sounds really good with the 390 that we rebuilt and put in it. Stanley bought it in the 70's and parked it in 1989. We started working on it in 2006.

He is about three hours from here, so it is not a bad trip. He is also on the football team and playing football is really the highlight of his life right now, even though there are some tough workouts. Hardin-Simmons fields about 200 players for Varsity and Junior Varsity teams. Aaron earned a second string varsity offensive strong tackle position as a Freshman.


Photo © Angela Roberson
Dad (Earl), Aaron & our favorite cheerleader, Trinidy Roberson.

He stands about 6'4" and weighed about 295 pounds. He weighs about 310 pounds now, after a week of off-season work-outs in January. I thought he was big two years ago at 250 pounds! He had playing time in seven games out of 10. Six of the games were in Abilene. Kathleen and I were able to go to all of those and his sisters were at most of them. We listened to the out-of-town and out-of-state games on Internet radio. We really enjoy watching him. He has begun his second semester and everything is going well.


Photo © Earl Stahlecker
Trevor, Tracer, Trenton & Aaron holding Trinidy at the University.


Update -- a family birthday party
by Melody Printz
Edgemont, SD

Well, turning 31 wasn't so bad after all! As soon as the kids got home from school, we had a family birthday party. I opened gifts (with lots of help!) and then they made me a red velvet cake so we could have it after supper.

We had thought about going out to eat, but it was snowing and the roads were getting slick. So, we opted for soup and cornbread and a warm evening at home! It was perfect, really.

After dessert, Wade re-arranged the living room so that the couch was very close to the fireplace. Then he invited me downstairs so he could read me my book while I laid on the couch and enjoyed the fire. That is one of those things a mommy won't soon forget!

Justin couldn't let my birthday go by without some good laughs, though. We got up from eating supper and he told me, "It's your birthday; you don't have to do the dishes. I'll stack them in the sink and you can do them tomorrow!" :)


Justin & Wade make Red Velvet birthday cake, left; Melody gets help with opening birthday presents, right, from Wade, Amy & Callie.



Top Scorer Katie Pettit.

Update -- Katie Pettit scores
by Gert Dake Pettit
Howard Lake, MN

Don Pettit's granddaughter Katie, 17, is a Junior at Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted High School. She made 21 and 25 points in her last two games. She just became the school's all time girls' scoring leader. Katie had reached her 1,336 career points after the game against Mayor Lutheran. She is now working towards topping the number of points for boys' high scoring career for the school record.

When she was in 8th grade, Katie was in the B squad, and during that year they put her into the A squad, which she has been in ever since. Last year they had a listing of all boys and girls who had scored over a thousand points and Mark Wackler, the boy with the record, had about 1,460. Katie and Mark are kind of related as he is married to one of her aunts.



Photos © Ruth Kitto
Co-hostess Joann Kloos with heart cake for Valentine party.

Update -- Valentine luncheon
by Ruth Weiland Kitto
Apache Junction, AZ

Joann Kloos (from Minneapolis) and Bernice Hedin gave a marvelous Valentine luncheon for several of the ladies here. We had a lovely time. Most, but not all, complied with the request to wear red for the festive occasion.


Photo © Ruth Kitto
Back row, left to right: Lois Kramer (MN), Bonita Magsam (WI) Bernice Hedin (MN), Marian Jackson (WA), Sadie DeFoer (WA), Martha Bunger (AZ all her life); front row: Kathleen Blair, AZ, Joann Kloos (MN), Eunice Wilson (IL), Verna McCombs, AZ, Ruth Weiland Swanson Kitto, AZ. Not pictured: Esther Bruck, who arrived later.


The Matriarch Speaks W
by Dorothy (Dake) Anderson
Alexandria, MN


Sweethearts... Please tell us about your valentines.

A thought about a VALENTINE, she says ... Hmmm? Well, first thought -- LOVE ... second thought -- FAMILY ... third thought -- FRIENDS.

So Valentine's Day is another of the 364 days we have to remember, with much love, our families and our friends!

There is NO END to all that we could include in our thoughts of love! We are blessed with families and friends that make life worthwhile from day to day!

Ruth and Ken Kitto
Apache Junction, AZ


There is one surviving plant from the wonderful basket of plants sent to Mother's funeral. I am using the basket every single day. Thank you again for your care. They grew for more than a year, but all except this last one faded with time.

Betty Weiland Droel
MoundsView, MN


Photo © Betty Droel
The Croton lives on...


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.

(Send us some to run; we will line them up in our staging area to take their turn. LeRoy Dake supplied last week's mystery pictures.


How many can you identify?

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.

I don't know who is in the picture on the left, but the family on the right is my mom (Kathleen Dake Stahlecker), my dad (Earl Stahlecker), and my sister (Angela Stahlecker Roberson).

Adriana Stahlecker Brown
Granbury, TX


I see the picture on the right in the "Guess" section this week is my sister Kathleen (Dake Stahlecker) and Earl Stahlecker and Angela Stahlecker (Roberson). Not sure about the picture on the left. I would guess either Uncle Jim or Tom Miller.

Carol (Dake) Printz
Sidney, NE


The picture on the right is the Stahleckers: Kathleen (Dake), Angela, and Earl. It was taken summer 1978 in front of Uncle LeRoy's and Aunt Vonnie's when we made the trip and I met a bunch of my in-law family.

Earl Stahlecker
Gatesville, TX


The young fellow sitting on the running board of the car looks like our brother-in-law Jim Miller and the young couple are our niece Kathleen and Earl Stahlecker, and their daughter Angela.

Gert Dake Pettit
Howard Lake, MN


I am disappointed that I can't remember who the GUESS person is, sitting on the car running board. I remember that was in another GUESS picture not too long ago as only a small part of the picture. I wonder if it was Jim Miller? It would take more time than I have to look it up in the Archives.

I was shocked that it was Mavis and Elaine in last week's picture.

Betty Weiland Droel
MoundsView, MN


Travelogue t


Photo © Kjirsten Swenson
Essaouira, a Moroccan fishing port.

Essaouira
by Kjirsten Swenson
Houston, TX

My next destination in Morocco was Essaouira, a lovely, white-washed city on the sea.


Photo © Kjirsten Swenson
I spent a few days there, strolling along the windy beach...


Photo © Kjirsten Swenson
... and watching the bustle of fishermen in the port.


Photo © Kjirsten Swenson
Kjirsten enjoying the views from the ramparts.


Photo © Kjirsten Swenson
The ramparts: city walls and fortifications, to keep the pirates out.


Photos © Kjirsten Swenson
Stray cats are to Morocco as stray dogs are to Latin America.

To be continued ...



Photo © Ary Ommert, Jr.
The Garden Center decked out in red for Valentine's Day.

Greetings from the Netherlands
by Ary Ommert, Jr.
Maassluis, The Netherlands


Photo © Ary Ommert. Jr.
Ary shows off a Valentine bouquet in the fresh flower shop.

Flowers For Valentine's Day

When I write this article it will be Valentine's Day tomorrow, so I took my camera and made some pictures in our garden center. It has been a while since I made an article for The Bulletin. The main reason was that I had problems with the computer; glad they are fixed now.

The period after Christmas we used to re-style the houseplants part of the shop. We moved most of the tables to create a better view for the customers. In front of two tables after each other, we placed a display to show the potted plants. We now have the displays in three styles: modern, country style and colorful. When everything was in place, the result was much better than it was before the change, as you can see on the pictures.

Above the tables, we hang up signs with the different types of plants, plants that can stand sun, that need much water, for a darker place and easy to handle plants. It's easy for the customers to make the choice when they look for a plant in their home.

As I said before, it will be Valentine's Day tomorrow. Here in the Netherlands, more people are using Valentine's Day to buy something for their loved one or just as a gesture of friendship. The past weeks we made a display with houseplants with Valentine decorations and the favorite color is, of course, red.

On the enclosed pictures, you can see the result of our work; also, you can see in my hands a plant that was introduced last year. It's a Hoya and in the shape of a heart. After a few months, the plant will start to grow new leaves from under the soil but they will be much smaller. It comes from Asia but now it is produced here in the Netherlands. I also took a picture in our fresh flower shop holding a Valentine bouquet (above).

The other pictures I took in the shop you can see in the special gallery. Click here to see the different displays in the three styles and some parts of the houseplants. If you have any questions I´ll be glad to answer them.

Greetings from the Netherlands,

Ary Ommert, Jr.


Ary holds heart-shaped Hoya starts, left; plant arrangements, right.


Celebrations & Observances
From the Files of
5
Hetty Hooper

This Week's Special Days
February 18---Presidents' Day
February 22---George Washington's Birthday

This Week's Anniversaries
February 18---Roy and Betty Weiland Droel (15 years)

February Birthdays
' 
February 1---Kathlyn Johnson Anderson
February 3---Penny Miller
February 4---Cameron Birkholz
February 6---Melody Printz
February 6---Kelli Nicole Mellon (9 years old)
February 7---Rylie Johnson (6 years old)

February 28---Eric Anderson

More February Anniversaries
Z
February 4---Jim and Jan Smith (47 years)
February 6---Russ and Judy Miller Riesenberg (27 years)

February 24---Jess and Louise Cloyd (63 years)
February 26---Tim and Char Morgan Myron (25 years)
February 28---Junior and Doris Anderson (46 years)

February Special Days
O
February 2---Groundhog Day
February 12---Abraham Lincoln's Birthday
February 14---Valentine's Day
February 18---Presidents' Day
February 22---George Washington's Birthday

Miss Hetty's Mailbox:

Dear Miss Hetty,

Today we were invited to Sheldon Swenson's brother Jeff and Evelyn Swenson's home for a most delicious turkey dinner. I was so impressed to see the most realistic, beautiful pheasant mounted on their wall, and Jeff was telling us it was one of Sheldon's works. I wanted to share it with our Bulletin readers, seeing last week we had the details of Sheldon and his taxidermy hobby.

Also, you would enjoy seeing the picture of Jeff and Evelyn. It is a genuine bear hide on the wall behind them. Their home decor and even their dishes are all the north woods theme. Most unique.

Betty and Roy Droel
MoundsView, MN


Photo © Betty Droel
Jeff & Evelyn Swenson with bear hide.


We are in Williston for the boys' WDA hockey tournament. Dickinson beat Mandan last night 4-3, so they will play again tonight and tomorrow. Two wins secures a trip to the state tournament in Grand Forks next week. Our Valentine's Day dinner was take out from Applebees, which is conveniently located next door to our hotel.

Mitzi Swenson
Dickinson, ND


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

That was an interesting Bulletin, Dorothy. Keeps us up a bit on what's going on. I never seem to have much to submit to it. Not much for news but hope all are keeping well and warm.

We have had a blizzard today (Saturday). It is the first time the wind blew so bad that the snow stuck on the windows. Visibility wasn't too bad here in town, but they advised no travel in the country. Temperatures are to be reaching the bottom tonight, too.

Elaine Anderson Wold
Wahpeton, ND

Editor's Note: On Sunday morning, here in Alexandria we had -18 degrees F. and the wind was bad enough that they computed a -46 degrees wind chill. I rather think farther west it was lower yet. BRR!


I enjoyed Don's piece on the Kaiser automobile. My dad (Roland Mellon) owned at least two of them in the late 50's. I believe one was a 1949 and the other was a 1951. Maybe he was a fan, but I'm more inclined to think the price was right.

I'm certain the McGyver TV character was modeled after Dad. He could put baling wire, duct tape, and bubble gum to better use than most.

We left Minneapolis about February 1, 1960, bound for Douglas, Arizona. We were in the '51, pulling a homemade trailer (the axle broke before we crossed the state line and was delivered by an uncle a few weeks later after repairs were made) with a bag of grapefruit in the front seat.

Grapefruit, you ask? It seems that car was highly susceptible to vapor-locking (help me Don -- overheating of the fuel pump?), and Dad's solution was to mush a fresh half a grapefruit on top of the fuel pump about every 500 miles to keep it cool, and voilà, no vapor lock! I don't know if it was his original idea, but I sure hope so.

We spent a week in Douglas, Arizona, which is the border town across from Nogales, Mexico. Pasty-skinned Minnesotans in February didn't exactly blend in on the border. Within a week we were on the road once again to California, arriving for good on Valentine's Day.

Dan Mellon
Alta Loma, CA


Love reading and seeing all the beautiful stories and pictures.

What a beautiful family picture of Curt and Patty Henderson!

Carol Pokornowski
Hutchinson, MN


I've been enjoying The Bulletin. I immediately recognized Mavis and Elaine in the Guess picture in a previous issue. I didn't let you know but I will next time!

Art Mitzel
Jamestown, ND


Last Week's Bulletin Review JKL
by Betty Droel
MoundsView, MN

Yes, Bulletin #295 is right. Even if it seems way too many, it really is #295. If you can tell me how the weeks can go so fast, I would like to know!

Valentine's Day issue. I knew it would be special. Beginning with the most favored flower, the Orchid.

It was nice to have the Update by Whitney. It has been a long time since we heard from the Johnsons so that was especially interesting. A visit to California would have been very welcomed by Grandma Karen and Dad, Rich. (Nice picture of your grandchildren, Grandma and Grandpa Anderson.) And with the links to click on for the scenic places, it helped us to follow them on their trip. I doubt many would see the dolphins like they did. NOTE: Still no pictures of where the blue chair out of the dumpster ended up.

Tom and Mavis have to have snacks on hand all the time there in Florida, where they have so many visitors wanting to warm up in the Florida sun. Or maybe they just serve orange juice right out of the grove. That would have been tempting to us, too, with the 15 below we had this morning.

I did a double take when I saw the names under the picture being Bob and Doris Myron. The last time I saw those folks they were young and had dark hair. A very good looking couple in their prime. It looks like they are growing older gracefully. I don't remember meeting Duane at all.

The Update of the Dwight Andersons' visit with the Shockeys said they had visited Don and Dorothy in their new home. I envied them that chance to see The Bulletin office and Editor in the new quarters.

It's been fun to see the pictures of Madi as she grows and changes. Now she is one year old. She already has a favorite character: Elmo.

I am so glad someone thought to take that picture of the Henderson family, and then to share it with The Bulletin. Mason is no longer the baby, but has become the big brother overnight.

I looked right away to see if Kjirsten's Travelogue was continued, and it is. So, we will get to see more of her Moroccan trip and the people and the animals, which is all extremely interesting to us. We hardly ever make it out of Minneapolis-St. Paul anymore.

Wasn't Frans de Been's story about the Carnival in Oosterhout interesting? They really go all out for color and imagination. I don't see any snow in those pictures. He said it was dry and sunny. We could handle some of that!

The frosty branch went very well with the cute poem about "Time For Spring." Already we are looking for signs of spring, but we will have quite a wait.

What a cute letter from Madi thanking Great Auntie for her e-mail card for her first birthday. I'd say Miss Kitty will be having some competition pretty soon.

And Kathlyn, I feel really bad that I didn't send you a birthday greeting. I will right now ... HAPPY BIRTHDAY to a very special lady in my life.

You Alaska people wouldn't even flinch at our sub-zero weather here in Minnesota.

I had to laugh at Ruth Kitto's thinking it was Saturday when it really was only Friday, so no wonder The Bulletin wasn't there yet. Now, I'd call that BUSY.

When we were at Jeff and Evelyn Swenson's for a delicious turkey dinner today, one subject we covered was his brother Sheldon's beautiful work on taxidermy. Jeff said he has done some, too. I can't fathom doing it. Where I was sitting at the table, I could look up to the wall where one of Sheldon's pheasants with wings spread was mounted.


Photo © Betty Droel

Jeff said he missed guessing what the first pheasant said to the second pheasant. He said he would have sent in, "Why did the pheasant cross the road? To get to the other fowl." I think that was it -- oh, dear -- I hope I didn't goof that up for him.

I hope the sweethearts are sending in their valentine stories as the Editor requested. Should be interesting, sad and funny and, hopefully, true.

Thanks again to the ones who put so much time and effort and thought into making each issue what it turns out to be, and I think I hear a unanimous echo to that from every side.

Betty Droel


CHUCKLES


Photo illustration © Virginial McCorkell & Douglas Anderson; photo by Donna Johnson
Cockatoo 'dle-oo! 'bye now.


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.



Quotation for the day: There is more hunger for love and appreciation in this world than for bread. --Mother Teresa

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.