Bulletin 402 February 28, 2010

UPDATE -- 40 wedded years inspires a special gift
by Dan Mellon
Alta Loma, CA

Acknowledging that Christmas photos in late February does not qualify as "timely"; I nonetheless thought I'd like to share this photo with you. My darling Nancy and I were married in 1969, at the end of our teen-age years. Nancy worked at Sears. With the aid of her employee discount, we purchased an engagement and wedding ring set that seemed really special at the time, but by current standards, the stone was barely a chip. I decided to take the opportunity at Christmas to replace them with something more appropriate.

The question became, how to present them to her. I decided I didn't want to simply hand her a wrapped box. It occurred to me a more special way was to let her find them on the tree. I tied a loop of dental floss around the rings and put them in clear sight. With all the lights and ornaments, no one even noticed them. I have to admit I nervously kept checking to be certain they hadn't fallen off and gotten gathered up with all the wrapping paper.

When the moment came to surprise her, I had to use the "you're getting warmer/colder" method and it seemed to take an eternity for her to locate them. Happily, in the end she did, and was delighted with the gift. This kind of thing is not my specialty, but for once I got it right!

UPDATE -- Alex celebrates his second birthday
by Kristi Larson Indermark
Litchfield Park, AZ

So our baby is now 2 years old. We had a large shared birthday party for Alex and our friends' daughter Chloe. There were about 25 kids in attendance. We rented a bounce house, made mini-doughnuts, had a chocolate fountain and a popcorn machine. The kids played outside in the bounce house for a couple of hours and then, just as we called them in for cake, it started to pour. The timing could not have been better. All in all, it was a great time.

Photos © Kristi Indermark
Birthday cake, left; Grandma Shari Larson, Kristi & sister Kelly Seaman, right.

Photo © Kristi Indermark
Kelly, Wes & Alex, Jordan & Nathan jumping in the bounce house.

Photos © Kristi Indermark
Alex & Chloe getting a bath after cake, left; birthday hug between Alex & Chloe, right; in the background is our friend Michele Williams, who is Chloe's mom.

UPDATE -- three friends take in a Timberwolves game
by Weston Johnson
Maple Grove, MN

This past Sunday, Eric, Leona and I ventured to the Target Center in downtown Minneapolis to watch a basketball game between the hometown Timberwolves and the Oklahoma City Thunder. I figured I am overdue for an update from The Bulletin Sports Desk, so I thought I'd write up a summary of our outing.

I used to be a regular at Target Center when I lived in nearby St. Louis Park and the Timberwolves were perennial playoff contenders. However, since my move to the more distant suburb of Maple Grove and the Timberwolves' descent to perennial league doormat, I'm lucky to make it to a game or two per season.

Despite the 'wolves' frequent losses, it is still fun to see a game now and then, so I jumped at the chance when Eric and Leona offered me a half-price ticket, which Leona was able to acquire through her work. We decided to splurge on lower level seats, which would offer us a much better view of the action than the upper deck seats we had when we attended a game last year.

The 6 p.m. start would give us time to grab an early dinner (or late lunch, depending on your perspective) before the game. Eric and Leona picked me up at my place around 3 o'clock and after we found parking in a downtown ramp, we made our way to The Loon Café, a couple of blocks from the arena. We enjoyed a tasty meal while several TV's kept us abreast of the latest Olympic hockey and NASCAR racing action.

By the time we finished our meal, we still had plenty of time to kill before tip-off, but we headed to the arena anyway, to watch the teams warm up. We arrived about an hour before the game. During that time, fans are allowed to stand right next to the court and watch the players go through their warm-up drills. It is always fun to see the players up close -- it is amazing just how huge a 7-footer looks in person!

Eventually we found our seats and waited for the game to begin. The Timberwolves got off to a terrible start, trailing 13 to 2 before the players had even broken a sweat. However, to their credit, the 'wolves kept playing hard and managed to climb their way back into the game. By midway through the fourth quarter, the Timberwolves even managed to take a brief lead, but the Thunder came back to pull away a three-point win.

Despite the loss, it was an entertaining game and a fun way to spend a Sunday evening. Thanks to Eric and Leona for lining up the tickets!

After a week of melty, mushy weather that made us wonder what happened to winter this year, we woke up on Thursday to about eight inches of snow ... and it has been snowing on and off ever since. Just in time for the 75th anniversary of Fur Rendezvous, Anchorage's winter ca rnival, and the World Championship Sled Dog races. I can tell you, those dogs were mighty relieved to be running in a soft, fluffy blanket of snow and not the jagged ice we've been dealing with for a week.

Mai Tai and I aren't all that interested in sled dog races, though I suppose anything that keeps them off the street chasing cats is a good thing. There used to be a cat show called Purr Rendezvous during Fur Rondy and that was Miss Jerrianne's favorite event, but it went missing last year and it's not back this year, either. Anyway, all this snow should bring lots of birds to the feeder and that's our idea of entertainment. Those chickadees look so delicious ... if only we could catch one, but when we try, the window gets in our way.

UPDATE -- introducing the John and Penny Pesta family
by Penny (Miller) Pesta
Sauk Rapids, MN

I would like to officially subscribe to The Bulletin! Here's my current information:

Penny Jennifer (Miller) Pesta. I have a social work degree and work with adults with disabilities, training them on job skills.

Married to John Jason Pesta May 2, 2008. John works at Camp Ripley as an electronics technician.

Kids: Abigail Jean Kramer, born February 2, 2003, and John Carter Pesta "Carter," born February 25, 2009.

Recent activities for our family: John completed the requirements and is now a Warrent Officer in the Minnesota National Guard. Penny ran her first half-marathon in Key West, Florida, and enjoyed it enough to be training for another one! :) Abigail is enjoying first grade, ice skating and swimming. Carter is already walking and getting into everything. He is a true boy ... loves cars and roughhousing!

If you have any questions, just let me know! (Send e-mail to the Matriarch for my contact information.)

Photo © Donna Johnson
Clockwise from left: Beaver Johnson, Erik, Tim & Ashley Huseby, Argyle Anderson, Colette Anderson Huseby & her mother, Kathlyn Johnson Anderson.

Beaver and I had such a wonderful visit to Kathy and Argyle Andersons' last weekend! We brought them some of their meat and spent time visiting and playing games. Even got Beaver to join us in Scrabble, and he won! Very relaxing, nice time.

We also got invited over to the Husebys' for dinner. Very delicious meal -- thanks again, Colette! She needs to share her wild rice recipe, with The Bulletin readers. She had some delicious chicken, too, and she shared the recipe with me. Yum.

Photo © Donna Johnson
Beaver, Argyle, Kathlyn, Colette, Erik & Tim at the Husbys for dinner.

Sunday lunch, Husebys joined us again; at Tim's request I made sausage gravy to go along with Kathy's delicious homemade biscuits. She'd also made a delicious roast, potatoes and veggies. Another great meal!

Ashley was not feeling the best and did not want me taking her picture. She did let her daddy take one of her, even giving him a smile ... while he used my camera.

Erik was very talkative and shared the fact he loves Legos, so he displayed one of the things he'd made. Such a smart young man -- I enjoyed getting to become a little better acquainted with him.

Photos © Donna Johnson, left; © Tim Huseby, right.
Erik with Lego project, left; Ashley with picture she drew & colored, right.

Diego loved to jump up on Kathy and either snuggle in under her chin, or hang himself over her back. He was friendly, but scary at the same time. :-) He jumped up on me and cuddled in and then proceeded to "bite" at my head ... not a true bite, more scraping his teeth on my scalp. But enough that I put him down! He was comical to watch, though.

Photos © Donna Johnson
Beaver & Diego, left; Kathlyn gets a hug from Diego, right.

Colette had a cute collection of tea accessories; I just had to get a picture of some of the things. She shared how she used to have tea parties with friends in California -- sounded like a fun time.

I enjoyed the "bobber" water tower that Pequot Lakes has, but we'd waited until later to leave and it does not show up very well in the picture; still figured I'd share.

Photo3 © Donna Johnson
Colette's tea accessories, left; "bobber" water tower, right.

Thought I'd share the desk top Argyle made for them, so they can sit in their recliner, or in the chair on the other side (as he is in picture), to use their computer. It swings around so nicely! I thought it was so neat that I'm going to see if he'd make me one for by my bedroom recliner.

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. Ginny Dake McCorkell supplied last week's mystery photo.

Editors' Note: Correct guesses appear in bold face type and incorrect guesses in normal type ... generally in the order we receive them, so the first guess received is on top.

Well that looks like Anita Pfingsten Weiland in her younger days. From what I understand, she went to assist LeRoy and Vonnie Dake down South. By the stories I got, I think it might be Ginny Dake McCorkell with her.

Rich Weiland
Coon Rapids, MN

Hello, the picture was taken when I [Anita Pfingsten Weiland] went with Leroy and Vonnie and the three children to Tucson, Arizona, when I was 16. It was in between my junior and senior year in high school. I worked for them during the summer vacation.

That was a wonderful summer, and then I got to go with them for the three weeks. It was the summer I learned to French-braid Virginia's hair. I had such a wonderful time, lots of good memories, precious. So this picture was taken during the vacation, on our way there, or on the way home; I don't remember. It was a wonderful summer.

The GUESS/MYSTERY picture was a mystery for sure, until I kept examining it. I think it is Anita Pfingsten, but the little girl still has me guessing. Would it be one of Dick Miller's girls?

Late picture guess on previous week's photo: Ashlee Miller for the guess who picture! Looks like she is in Belize, enjoying the sun and the conchs!

Memory Lane

A series of recollections, of the five years when Bill and Lois Dake and their family lived in Minnesota, began with the episode in Bulletin 343. It's too soon to tell just how many parts there will be in this series, just after World War II. In Bulletin 349, I told more about polio (once called Infantile Paralysis) via two links, Polio and Sister Kenny, to minimize disruption of the narrative flow. Both documents are posted as a series of scanned images. We can't edit them or correct typos and they will not respond to font changes or printer settings as regular Bulletin pages do.

Dorothy Dake, 20, hand tinted portrait, 1946.

Winter In Bemidji
by Dorothy Dake
Howard Lake, MN

Typing A Letter

It did go well! This day -- and the plans I made for it.

You must understand that, though my teachers have done their best, my handwriting is still very undependable. Palmer Penmanship and I have had a close relationship. But I digress. I needed to do the last of a series of letters with a good, dependable typewriter. In the middle of last night it dawned on me how I was going to be able to accomplish the desired results -- in other words, how to "kill two birds with one stone." So I chuckled to myself, then turned over and went to sleep.

I opened the shop as usual. It was a fine morning and I had enjoyed my regular coffee and doughnut at the Corner Drugstore ... not even having to worry about gloves, as it was warm enough this morning to leave them in my pocket! The new lock and key worked well together. I stuffed the key, on its large key ring, back into my purse, put my things in the closet and started my chores.

Ken came in and headed back to start hanging film in the bath and I started sorting the photos to be delivered. This work is done in the lighted room so I could keep an eye on the shop. Soon Harold came in to see if we needed his help at all before he went to coffee with his buddies. Now was my chance to set up my little plan.

I greeted him and then asked, as nonchalantly as possible, "Harold, I have a personal business letter to write; would you mind if I did it on your typewriter when I take my break at noon?" And then I waited for what I hoped -- and pretty well knew -- he would say.

"Don't be goofy -- you can sure use it and work it in whenever you have time. You need your lunch hour to take nourishment -- and get some shopping done, or whatever!"

Harold loves his lunch and thinks the rest of us should, too. And I must admit that in my case he is entirely correct!

All morning, I spent my extra time composing my letter. It took a while, figuring out what needed saying. I made a hand copy and then did my typed one. I never can figure my margins right and, all in all, it was torture for me to go through -- but I wanted this letter to the Registrar of the State Teacher's College of St. Cloud to be business-like and neat. I still wasn't quite finished when Ken left for lunch, but by the time he came back I had it all finished and folded correctly. I put on my hat and coat and then I asked Ken if he minded critiquing my letter. He said he thought he could do that. I handed it to him and escaped out the door.

I took my full noon hour. I had planned for Ken to do the reading, as he is such a perfectionist, and I have seen business letters he has done. They are just like the ones our teacher, Mr. Beibighauser, used to show us, back when I did my rather lackluster assignments in Typing One and Two back in high school. I knew he would be helpful in making a good impression. I would have time to do a final copy this afternoon.

When I returned, I could hear talking in Harold's office. I hung up my coat and hat and turned just in time to meet the brothers coming out together. It was Harold who spoke to me, while they both grinned.

"Dorothy, Ken and I have been wondering when you were going back to college. It is no surprise, really. But, Kiddo! We sure are glad you are staying out the rest of this season. Two weeks after Easter should be plenty of time to get your work done for fall classes. And do we ever need you for these next two months! And then he invited me into the office to talk things over.

The most unexpected to me was that he has been granted a contract with the college here to do their pamphlets, brochures, advertising photos, etc. That will take him all this spring, and will leave Ken and me to do the regular trade.

And then, even more scary, I will need to tend the shop during several days while Ken does a wedding, the Easter specials and school pictures (which he does in the studio across the street). These events are coming up in the next two months. He told me that he and Ken had decided that I would need additional remuneration but haven't come to any final plan, and really need to see their father first. He promised to get back to me soon and then he reached out his hand and shook hands with me ... and called me their partner for spring production. Well, that wasn't hard to hear!

Ken had not been in on the conference, as he had work he had to do, so he had gone to the darkroom to finish the orders. As he had gone back to work, he had handed me an envelope that was addressed in full. I had saved it to look at until after my visit with Harold was over. So now, the moment Harold walked out the door, I opened the envelope carefully and in it was a letter -- the carbon copy was with it.

It was as pretty a business letter as I had ever viewed in Mr. Beibighauser's Typing II Class. Wow, will I ever slay them at St. Cloud State! I had to grin when I saw that Ken had placed his initials under a place for my signature ... with the little "by line" that made it look like my secretary was writing it for me. What a great gift! It even had the postage on it -- so I posted it on the way home tonight.

Now it is just to wait for all the forms I need, and for the catalogue to help me with class planning. I do think the wait won't be boring!

Photo © Dorothy Dake Anderson
The house where I lived in Bemidji, Minnesota, in 1949.

Travelogue t

Photo © Kjirsten Swenson
Kjirsten looks a fabulous dragon in the eye, Doi Suthep, Thailand.

Southeast Asia Extravaganza 2009
by Kjirsten Swenson
Albuquerque, NM

The following morning, we left Chiang Mai and headed North to Pai, a much smaller Thai town that has a reputation as a backpacker hangout. The road to reach Pai was a nausea-inducing, curvy road that climbed high into the mountains of Northern Thailand. It was interesting to watch the forest change as we ascended. Unfortunately, the sweeping views were hazy, as it was the burning season and the air was filled with smoke.

Pai itself was a great place to visit, a four-street town with lots of interesting restaurants, massage parlors, bike shops, etc. The surrounding scenery was especially beautiful, very green and lush with fields in the valleys and forest covering the mountain slopes.

We stayed at a very tranquil place a 15 minute walk out of town. There we enjoyed a beautiful garden, lots of pretty flowers, a lily pond, and plenty of huge resident geckos. We had our own very cute bungalow with a hammock on the porch for less than $18 per night. We spent a lazy afternoon reading and timed an evening run just as the sun was setting -- a brilliant, burning, orange over the smoky mountains.

Photo © Kjirsten Swenson
Kjirsten's own very cute bungalow with a hammock on the porch.

Celebrations & Observances
From the Files of 5
Hetty Hooper

This Week's Birthdays
February 28---Eric Anderson
March 1---Betty Weiland Droel
March 2---Tom Miller (Doctor)
March 3---Donald Anderson
March 6---Jerrianne Lowther
March 6---Gwen Stucker
Happy Birthday!

This Week's Anniversaries
February 28---Junior and Doris Anderson (48 years)
March 3---Mike and Kelley Seaman (9 years)
March 3---Greg and Sonja Dake (4 years)
Congratulations!

More March Birthdays
'
March 9---Kylie Grace McNeill (3 years)
March 11---Kjirsten Swenson
March 12---Jolene Johnson
March 16---Samuel Alexander Cannon
March 17---Ruth Weiland Kitto
March 18---Janie Anderson
March 21---Rachel (Henderson) Olson
March 23---Colette Huseby
March 23---Capt. Jack Adair
March 28---Donna (Anderson) Johnson
March 30---Mason Henderson (4 years)
March 30---Michael Steinhauer
March 31---Linda Knutson

More March Anniversaries
Z
March 14---Brian and Melanie Birkholz Lehtola (8 years)
March 15---Dan and Gina Henderson (5 years)
March 22---Ken and Ruth Weiland Swanson Kitto (8 years)
March 26---Stanley and Janice Dake (40 years)
March 31---Frans and Rian de Been (32 years)

March Special Days
March 14---Daylight Saving Time Begins
March 17---St. Patrick's Day
March 20---First Day of Spring

Miss Hetty's Mailbox:

Dear Miss Hetty,

Thanks for the nice anniversary e-card! We are planning on going to the Red Lobster to celebrate today (compliments of our granddaughter, Alexa).

Tim and Char Myron
Thompson, 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

I loved the photo illustrations this past week -- the picture of Janie "watching my soaps" -- great caption! And also the picture of Kira. :-) Keep them coming!

Amy (Dake) Harrison
Crookston, MN

I missed Doug's funnies this time, but that would really take time and effort to do that every week. Hope we get to have them back before long. They are fun.

It surely would be nice to hear about spring flowers from the Netherlands again. Nice for winter fare.

Glad to hear that everybody seems to be getting over the computer problems. Odd how so many had trouble at the same time. Nice to see that the editors are both up and running again.

Elaine Wold
Wahpeton, ND

I contacted Donna about a doll [a collector's item for her collection] and mentioned that I hadn't received a Bulletin in several weeks. I was concerned that perhaps you or Jerrianne were ill. Glad to hear that the only virus was on the computer!

Judy McCalla
Minneapolis area for now, but soon leaving for the island

Your memoirs have become my favorite part of The Bulletin. It is particularly interesting to me that you write about 1949, the same year I was born. Even though you were in Bemidji, it gives me a sense of what my parents' lives were like at that time.

Dan Mellon
Alta Loma, CA

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

I see Kira has learned some strong gestures, like assuring us that Spring is coming, but I wonder if she really knows or just imagines that? She should take a look at our snowbanks, and then she might have second thoughts. It is a most beautiful Minnesota winter day today, which we are welcoming and enjoying. I think she could almost convice us that our icicles will eventually drip away to nothing.

Roy has what is going around, so we are staying put while he hopes to keep from getting worse. He is never sick, but he has swollen glands and a sore throat today. We are watching for pneumonia symptoms, but so far, so good.

Our friends taking a cruise together would have been really so much more enjoyable. We have no desire to take a cruise, which is likely an unusual feeling, but when someone is able to and wants to, it's nice that they can. I know it must be a fabulous environment with the best of food and accommodations, and from the Hellevangs' pictures, they had a wonderful time. Hopefully, no one got seasick.

Our son Darrel and his wife, Jo, went to Hawaii and Darrel missed most of the cruise events by being seasick. It was exceptionally rough waters, he said.

Thanks for the links for us to click on to learn more about what you saw and what you did, Merna.

The group picture was a grand souvenir. Thank you for sharing that experience with us in The Bulletin. Memory making days with friends.

Oh, oh, there it is! Capt'n Jack and Rufus deck the pages again, at last. And with a guitar, no less. Too bad we don't have sound along with The Bulletin pages. Or maybe, according to Rufus, it's a good thing we don't.

Yes, Jack, we are included among the readers who are wondering what you have been doing And now we know. My question is, "What is Virginia doing when all those Jack Clones begin strumming all those guitars?" Our door is always open, Ginny.

Finally, another news item about Storybrooke Farm.

The blogspot took us so many other places, and I found some great artistry of Bitzi's, too. It is almost more than my little mind can comprehend to be reading all that is included in both LTD's and Bitzi's blogs. That would be a good project for a blizzard day -- to take advantage of all the links and stories listed in their world.

I had left a comment, but I didn't see it had gotten included.

A Girls' Weekend At the Farm ... now that was original, and Beaver was king for the whole time, it sounds like. I see Kathlyn was there, too. I have been wondering what her thoughts were of being in her childhood home and farm again so many years later with so many changes. With Beaver being the man in charge now, rather than Donald B. Johnson and Twila.

Thanks to the Matriarch for giving us details of her new computer and installation, and about the window treatment -- that was brand new to me. I didn't realize they had remote window treatments, but Verlaine (and Rich) have been in that business for so many years that they would find anything new and different and make use of it.

It seems all went well with your sending out The Bulletin. I got mine fine, and being I wanted larger fonts, I just printed it off the web.

The Memory Lane was written so enthusiastically that we could hardly wait for the phone call information, and what great news about the expected baby AND the new job with the new doctor.

Rest up now, Dorothy, so you can give us the rest of the story.

The Travelogue hasn't lost any of its appeal so far, and we were glad for all you had written about the area of that famous temple, and fun for you to remember the thrill of being a pretty woman. 1,000 vertical meters on a bike. My imagination just quit on me.

I even read my own story about our anniversary dinner being catered. I forgot to mention that the great nieces, Shalana and Krista, did the table and clearing it, even to turning on the dishwasher. Now THAT was a wonderful day off for us.

Yes, I hope folks will write in if they have one of Grandma Dake's fern plants. I was so amazed at the huge plant that developed from the single frond being transferred across the states that Carol Printz sent the photo of.

I wonder how Janie likes her front loader washing machine? It is one of the most used appliances, so I hope she does.

The Quotation for the day was quite easily understood this time. Worry is inevitable when we borrow trouble, and I am a worrier by nature. I still hear my dad saying to my mother, "You'll worry those kids into measles!"

Thank you, Editor and Photo Editor, for another varied and well written Bulletin. To each one who sends in a story or picture, we really appreciate it, as we read it eagerly every Saturday morning. If there were no submissions there would be no Bulletin.

Betty Droel

FUNNNIES

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Quotation for the day: March is a month of considerable frustration -- it is so near spring and yet across a great deal of the country the weather is still so violent and changeable that outdoor activity in our yards seems light years away. --Thalassa Crusoe