Birthday bouquet
A Birthday Surprise.
(original composition by Miss Kitty)

UPDATE -- birthday celebrations
by Jerrianne Lowther & Miss Kitty
Anchorage, AK

Miss Kitty and I weren't planning any special observance of my birthday last week, but it turned out that a few people had other ideas about that... I received many delightful birthday greetings, including a truly outstanding card created by Betty Droel on her computer. On Saturday, my sister Kathlyn asked if I'd like to go out for tea and cake, which we did. She then told me we were celebrating HER birthday ... and saving mine for a later outing!

The postman delivered a box of birthday cookies from my daughter in California. Then Kathy called and said she would be stopping by in a few minutes with a "delivery." I met her at the door. She was holding a big bouquet of coral and cream colored roses and white Alstroemeria (Peruvian lilies) ... and Argyle was bearing a gift basket of tea and chocolate and other fun items ... all from Beaver and Donna. I invited them to return for tea and Kyra's cookies on Sunday.

On Sunday, Argyle and Kathlyn arrived near suppertime, wondering whether they should have stopped at Kentucky Fried ... but I quickly suggested an alternative. We retrieved a peperoni pizza from my freezer and added more sauce, chopped scallions, ripe olives, green peppers and extra mozzarella cheese. It baked on a preheated pizza stone while we prepared fresh asparagus and a side dish of fresh grape tomatoes.

For dessert, we opened Kyra's box of "California Mudslides" ... a new variation on a family favorite cookie recipe that Doug Anderson added to The Family Cookbook under the name Jerrianne's Marvelous Mudpies. Kyra had bought an industrial sized bar of sweet baker's chocolate before Christmas and discovered it was "the wrong kind of chocolate" (what a concept!) for her chocolate tempering machine. She has been finding creative uses for it ... such as hiding wafers of pure chocolate in the middle of the "Mudpies." After a few seconds in the microwave, the modified "Mudpies" have molten centers ... delicious but somewhat unstable, hence the name "Mudslides."

On Monday, I set the beautiful bouquet of roses on a glass plate in a rattan chair, thinking to make a nice photo to show Beaver and Donna their lovely gift, illuminated by the last rays of the setting sun. As I composed and focused, a gray shadow moved into my field of view ... I envisioned roses cascading out of the chair and onto the floor in a watery torrent ... but I pressed the shutter quickly before attempting to shoo Miss Kitty away. When I looked up, she was reclining quietly behind the vase. Usually, camera shy, she willingly posed there for a few more photos.

Until I downloaded the memory card to the computer, I had no idea that she had created the highly original, one of a kind, composition above. Another delightful birthday surprise, from Miss Kitty!

Many thanks to all who helped make the observation of yet another birthday extra special!


UPDATE -- Dad's birthday celebrations
by Donna Johnson
Ashby, MN

We had a beautiful, sunny Minnesota day to celebrate Dad's birthday. Lori treated Mom and Dad to a lovely meal at the Traveler's Inn, downtown Alexandria. I brought along Caity, Jayce and their two little friends, Meredith and Jenna. We had a nice little get together! Lori gave Dad a very neat gift. (Scroll down to the Observations column to see a picture of Lori's gift.)

Being I had planned on buying today, I still owe Dad a birthday meal... So he's still not done celebrating!

Don's birthday celebration #2
Don Anderson celebrates 78 years, hosted by Lori Chap
Left to right: Jayce Chap, Don Anderson, Meredith, Jenna, Caity Chap, Donna Johnson, Dorothy Anderson, Lori Chap. (See Observations, below, for celebration with siblings.)

Birthday dinner with Chris Chap
Another birthday celebration for Don, hosted by Chris Chap
The guests (L-R) Jayce Chap, Linda Knutson, Donna Johnson, Caity Chap, Grandma Dorothy Anderson, Chris Chap, and Grandpa Don Anderson


UPDATE -- Letter from Iraq
by Jim Pachan
Camp Speicher, Iraq

Hello everyone,

Just thought I would check in and let everyone know I am OK. I am done with the convoy missions and am now back on Camp Speicher, presumably for good. The last mission was pretty uneventful, except for the camel thing. Temps are starting to feel like a "normal" summer ... meaning the hot stuff is just around the corner.

Will update soon, just wanted to say hello.

Pachan

Jim rides a camel
Jim Pachan rides an opinionated camel in Iraq.


UPDATE -- a sailor's valentine
by Shari (Miller) Schweiger
Bradenton, FL

Kurt (Larson) called a few days ago ... our first phone call since they left for the Persian Gulf. They had dropped the Marines that were on their ship off at Kuwait and are staying a few miles offshore, currently. He said the lines for the phone while the Marines were onboard could be 2-4 hours long ... so it is a relief to have some space on the ship again.

All is well onboard the ship. Kurt is busy with his job and with taking classes. He has more then enough credits for his bachelor's degree, but still has some gaps. Onboard, they don't have much choice of classes, so he takes what they offer, whether they fit what he needs or not.

We had sent him a "care" package in late January. Everything in it had to be in crush proof packages, and had to be items that could withstand being in transit for 6-8 weeks. I had included one of those big packages of cookies that is in a hard, clear plastic container, with pinwheel sections of many different kinds of cookies, all visible through the container. Ray laughed at me, because they were pink and white valentine cookies. He thought those tough Navy guys would tease Kurt for getting "pink" cookies.

By the time I received the call from Kurt two months later, I had forgotten all about the valentine cookies, so I was suprised when Kurt said, "By the way, Mom, I took the valentine cookies to the tower and they were gone in a minute."

Hmmmmmm ... I guess those tough Navy guys are never too old to enjoy valentine cookies from Mom!

Shari


Photo Editor's Note: In late January, when Mitzi (Johnson) Swenson "went to market" to the New York City Gift Show, she volunteered to photograph the site of the Dutch West Indies Company's Fort Amsterdam, where our 9th great-grandparents lived, beginning in 1626. (By 9th great grandparents, I mean grandparents with nine "greats" in front ... or 12 generations back from Mitzi, Richard, Beaver, Kathlyn and me.) I wrote some of what I've learned about them in Bulletin 134, in "It Began With The Poffertjes." Mitzi uploaded some photos and sent text that will work into about a three-part article, which got sidetracked during The Bulletin's Valentine's Day extravaganza. Though it's slightly off topic, this is a start on an update. -- Jerrianne

Mitzi visits Wall Street Bull
Mitzi visits "The Bull on Wall Street."

The building in the background is the "old customs house," now the home of the American Indian Museum. It stands on the site of old Fort Amsterdam, built by the Dutch West Indies Company in 1626. Joris Rapalje and his wife, Catalyntie Trico, built a hotel/restaurant/tavern on what is now Pearl Street, a few steps from the fort. Both the fort and the tavern were on the waterfront at the very tip of Manhattan Island, until landfills extended the borders of the once swampy island. The settlers built a palisade, or wall, on what is now Wall Street, to guard against invasion by British soldiers from the New England colonies. Stock trading came to Wall Street about 150 years later. Livestock trading flourished from the start at Bowling Green, now a tiny park next to the museum.

UPDATE -- Mitzi visits our NYC roots
by Mitzi (Johnson) Swenson
Dickinson, ND

It was so fun to read Beaver's account of riding the metro while listening to Charlie on the MTA! (Bulletin 139) I wish I didn't understand, but I do! It is so simple to travel with Kjirsten when she reads the maps, in New York City, London, Madrid, Buenos Aires ... but sometimes I have to be the tour guide, like when I take someone to New York City.

This year, on our last day, Mary and I went back to market to buy one more thing, and then we planned to spend an hour or two at a museum before leaving for the airport. We decided on the Museum of Natural History because it is so spectacular. One could easily spend a couple of days there. So we hopped on a subway train going the right direction on the correct side of central park ... and watched the station where we needed to get off the train whiz by real fast.

Hmmm... I told Mary, if the train ever stops, we'll get off and try going the opposite direction. After a few more whizzing stations, that happened and we got off. Looking at a poster in that station, we realized we had been on the right track but the wrong train, because only a "local" train stopped there. Too bad the station where we initially got on didn't have that poster! Apparently there had been a fire a few days prior, which changed the trains, and it wasn't reflected on the map.

So we went up the stairs and over to the other tracks to wait for the correct train. Finally, one came and we got to the museum, having wasted at least half an hour of our precious time.

On the way to get the photos of Battery Park, we got on the correct train, went a couple of stops and then someone started having a seizure on the train. This is not an everyday occurrence, in my experience. The train waited in the station and they called for medical personnel. I thought it would be only a couple of minutes, but we waited at least 10-15 minutes before they announced people should get off the train, walk to a station about 4-6 blocks away and get on a different train going to the same destination. (Medical help had still not arrived.)

So we did, after consulting the map and figuring out where we were, where we were going, and what direction to walk. Of course it was really cold and windy outside, which just added to our misery. It's not always easy to regain a sense of direction when exiting the subway, because you wind around coming up the stairs and there are often entrances on all four corners of the intersection. Many of the stations in NYC have really long stairways. Escalators sound pretty luxurious. I can't imagine being old, sick, injured, etc. and negotiating all those steps. At least when you ride the bus you can watch the street signs, but often you can walk nearly as fast, with all of their stops.

Mitzi

Bowling Green park
Bowling Green park, from the entrance to the American Indian Museum.

The first Dutch agricultural settlers arrived in New Netherlands in 1624 without farm animals. A year later, three ships, The Cow, The Sheep and The Horse, arrived and animal husbandry could begin. Bowling Green, inside the fence, was where livestock trading took place, just outside the western wall of Fort Amsterdam, situated approximately where Mitzi stood to make this picture.


Day to Day R
With Donna Mae
Ashby, MN

Jayce in Tate's cage Shawn and Tate take a nap
Scenes from Donna's Day Care.

Lori is off to the Dominican Republic this week, so her dogs are having their "vacation," too, visiting us at the farm. Jayce is enjoying having them around ... as you can see. I'm not sure why Jayce wanted to try out Tate's cage, left, but they seemed to be enjoying themselves! Caity's kitten, Midnight Black, seems to be thinking about joining the party in the new space. Shawn, the new daycare boy, and Tate, Lori's dog, right photo, both had a tiring day at day care, evidently! :-)


Caity in T-shirt Caity's
THANK YOU!

Caity would like to say thank you to those who ordered Girl Scout Cookies from her.

She sold enough to win this
Make Forever Memories
T-shirt
and three badges
AND go on their trip!

THANKS so much!

Hope you enjoy your cookies!

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

Starting with Bulletin 124, I planned to run biographical sketches of the members of our staff. Now that this has been done, I want to run sketches and pictures of the readers and subscribers who have not already done introductions. Please tell us about yourself. What is your work and what else do you do with your time? How are you related or what friend introduced you into the family? I am hoping that you can share family photos and background sketches. Send all manuscripts and pictures to me at dma49261@juno.com


It is a pleasure and a privilege to be the Matriarch of such a superb group of contributors! I am so thrilled with the delightfully eclectic nature of the columns, the manuscripts, the letters so nicely to the point and fun to read, and let us not forget the marvelous art work and photography. I think they add a wonderful completeness to The Bulletin.

This week, alone, we have stories from the past, two current events reports from The Netherlands, one from Argentina, dispatches from Iraq, the Persian Gulf and New York City. We have news of family celebrations and daily life in Minnesota, North Dakota and Alaska ... and letters from all over. We have a story about hauling cattle and photos of two cats, a dog, a camel and a bronze bull. And this is not particularly unusual ... what continues to amaze your editors is that, after two and a half years of publishing The Bulletin, such things continue to happen, somehow, every week!

I have enjoyed all of the sketches of introduction. (I have one waiting for illustrations and two more being worked upon.) For those of you who are in the thinking and planning stage, just sit down to the computer and start putting your thoughts in a form we can all enjoy! Thanks to the wonderful cooperation of all of our subscribers, we continue to produce a heartwarming weekly news magazine!

Please keep up the good work, everybody! Your enthusiastic participation in this family news publishing adventure is more appreciated than you know ... and not just by the editors, either!

LTD Storybrooke

Keeping It Between The Lines
Part Three of Three
By Larry Dake

The owner of a big livestock hauling company, in another town, called me one afternoon to see if I would drive one of his big, pot-bellied livestock trucks. It would be on a run to a ranch in North Dakota, to pick up a load of yearling cattle.

It didn't conflict with my schedule, so I said, "Sure!"

When I got to the livestock auction barn, where I was to pick up my empty truck, it was sitting in the yard, ready to go. I went inside the auction house and learned there were four of the aluminum pot bellies, all going to the same place. They had come up short one driver, so reluctantly they had to call me.

The other three drivers were swashbuckling Cowboy types. It was written all over their faces that this kid Bullhauler was from an inferior lot.

Settling into the air cushioned leather seat, I took the wheel of the swanky conventional Kenworth tractor. It had a powerful Caterpillar diesel engine, a thirteen-speed transmission, and more gauges than an Apollo space craft. This was a huge step up from my single axle, gas powered, International Harvester with its cracked vinyl seat and faded red paint.

I didn't have much time to get comfortable with the truck. The other "pots" were pulling out and I had to follow them because I had no clue where in North Dakota we were going. I was scrambling to find my gears and to keep up with the Cowboys in the other three trucks.

We had us a convoy!

The three Cowboys were on the CB radio, yakking away as if they were out for a drive in the park. Their vocabulary was so peppered with four letter words that they must have been scraping them up off the floors of their pots.

"Breaker, Breaker 1 - 9"

"Come back, Bubba."

"You got your hammer down?"

"That's a negatory."

"Do it to it! I'm at your back door."

"10 - 4, good buddy!"

"Hey, kid. You got your ears on?"

I had my ears on but I couldn't find the mike in the dark. After a long search I found the mike.

"Yup."

"Where you been?"

"Here."

"What's your 20?"

"What?"

"What's your 20? Where are you?"

"I can see your taillights."

"Well, gouge on it! We wan'na finish our flip-flop in time for breakfast."

"OK."

When we got west of Huron, North Dakota, it was "darktime." We were on a narrow two lane highway and there was very little traffic. For many miles our speed was pegged at 80 mph.

"Just got a bear report on my scanner," the first Cowboy broke in, "Someone's reported a rig wandering all over the road; thought it might be a willy weaver."

"Must be the juvenile delinquent," the second Cowboy said.

"Hope he's got lots of green stamps for the boy scouts," the third cowboy snickered.

We loaded the yearlings at the ranch, under floodlights, and were soon on our "flip- flop" with the "hammer down"! We were home in time for breakfast.

Summer turned into Fall and Fall into Winter. I found myself washing out my Bullhauling truck in freezing weather -- sometimes well below zero. Steam from the water filled the air, so I could hardly see to do the job. My wet pant legs froze up to resemble some kind of body armor. When the water came in contact with the iron on the trailer, everything iced up. The trailer was covered with icicles.

On my way home with a load of freight one night, I was less than a quarter mile behind two other semis. The pavement was dry and we were all rolling down the Interstate at highway speed. One of the semis was passing the other when simultaneously they did the twist. They slid 180 degrees around, still side-by-side. When I whizzed by, they were diagonally parked in the median snowbank, with their headlights facing me.

It was black ice.

I had experienced black ice like this once before in my lifetime. I had been hurrying to a gospel meeting at North-Hennepin Community College on a Sunday afternoon in my dad's green 65 Chevy Bel-Air. There had just been a rain shower up ahead. I was traveling 60 mph on dry pavement when I hit the ice. There were deep drainage ditches on both sides of the narrow two-lane. The car began to drift around.

I had spent hours fooling around in icy parking lots, and even on a few lakes, so I was familiar with the feel of going into a spin. The car spun around 360 degrees, and, miraculously, I was able to straighten it out and continue nonstop down the road to gospel meeting.

Back in my truck, as I passed the two semis in the median I didn't let up on the gas, touch the brakes, or turn the steering wheel. Momentum would keep me going straight -- I hoped. Very gradually then, I began to slow up, until I was down to a safe traveling speed.

After unhooking my trailer one day, I noticed the kingpin was crooked. I reached under and wiggled it. Upon further inspection, it was clear that the floor of the trailer was so rusted out that the kingpin was nearly falling off. It was a wonder a trailer load of livestock hadn't come unhooked while traveling down the highway.

We got the floor reinforced and everything welded up, but it wasn't long after that, that the Bullhauling business failed. My boss was no longer able to make payroll.

I was laid off, and my Bullhauling days were over.


Travelogue t

The Bolivian Beat
By Kjirsten Swenson

Editor's Note: Kjirsten has returned to Bolivia for a second year of independent study, prior to enrollment in medical school at Baylor University in Houston, fall semester 2005. In January, she went trekking in Argentina with her parents, Sheldon and Mitzi Swenson, then continued on her own, into the Argentine Lake District.

Cerro Catedral
Mt. Tronador, Volcán Osorno, Volcán Puntiagudo; Lago Nahuel Huapi.

Cerro Catedral; the other side.

My three-day hiking trip to the other side of Cerro Catedral was fantastic. The first day was a relatively short, but steep, climb to reach Refugio Lopez, 2.5 miles and around 2,600 feet higher than the trailhead. The refuge is located just above the tree line and had fantastic views of Lago Nahuel Huapi and Bariloche far below.

The next day was supposed to be tricky, and the people working at the refuge recommended that everyone (two Israelis, three Argentines, and me) hike together. Almost the entire route was above the treeline, traversing rocky ridges and climbing two steep passes to reach Refugio Italia, a wooden shack tucked beside a lake. Most of the day we had beautiful views of Mt. Tronador, Volcán Osorno (the white cone we saw from the high Tronodor Refugio. Remember?), and Volcán Puntiagudo. So the unstable slopes and captivating scenery slowed our progress.

But just as well, because in the evening when we finally reached the refuge, we found it bursting with hikers who had accessed it by an easier trail through the forest. There were bodies and backpacks everywhere; people slept in all of the upstairs bunk area aisles, and when I stumbled down to breakfast the next morning I found half of the kitchen floor covered, as well!

During the night, gale-force winds brought clouds and rain. Thoroughly atmospheric. So I tried to pack without stepping on anyone and left quickly ... unfortunately, once I was 10 miles away and 2,500 vertical feet below the refuge, I realized I had left my camp stove. :( Argh! But time and energy were both lacking, so I didn't return. Today I bought the same kind of stove in Bariloche ... so sorry.

So today I've just been recovering, and preparing for the next trip, buying Chilean pesos, bread, and lots of tasty dried things. Like tomatoes and mushrooms!

Later,

Kjirsten

Kjirsten and MT Tronador Argentine wildflowers
Kjirsten's "sweet seat" & Mt. Tronador, left; wildflowers, right.

More photos: http://community.webshots.com/user/kjswenson

Photo Editor's Note:

In last week's Bolivian Beat we failed to explain what churros are and why churros and pomelos (grapefruit) don't usually go together on the breakfast menu... Here's the scoop:

Spanish style churros are short, fluted sticks of deep fried dough. Native to Spain, they came to the New World with the conquistadores and have evolved new traditions in new lands, including Mexico and Argentina. They are often eaten for breakfast with a cup of hot chocolate.

Churros are made by extruding the soft wheat dough through a 3/8 inch star-shaped disk with a churro maker, cake decorator or pastry bag. The fluted star shape is essential -- otherwise the pastries will turn out hard and doughy.

Mexican style churros may be dusted with cinnamon as well as sugar and newer versions may be filled with custard. Churros con chocolate are dunked in a warm, sweet pudding-like chocolate dip before each bite. It is safe to say that churros are not traditionally eaten with grapefruit juice!

These links lead to interesting churros history, traditions, recipes, photos, etc.

http://www.churros.com/churros.htm

http://www.xmission.com/~dderhak/recipe/churros.htm
(A recipe for churros con chocolate is here.)


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

Last week we had a week of winter here and that also gave us much snow. In the northern part there was over 50 cm. (20 inches) of snow and traffic was almost impossible for that day.

In my area we had 15-20 cm. (6-8 inches) of snow and that also gave much problems. We had to drive very slow and some trains and buses came to a stop.

Also the airport, Schiphol, was closed that day and thousands of passengers had to stay overnight at the airport. Such a heavy snowfall is unusual for us. There was also a shortage of salt in some parts of the Netherlands. The day after the snowfall the sky cleared and that night we had heavy frost, some parts almost -20 Celsius (-8 F.). Today all the snow is gone again. At work, not many people came shopping because of the dangerous roads.

Have my new kitchen; on Monday the old one was removed and the new kitchen installed. Next day the tiles on the wall. Now I have to do some finishing work. When everything is ready, I'll send a picture. Had a big mess in my house and dust everywhere. Now it's clean again.

No signs of spring here, still cold, and in the weekend we can expect hail or snow again.

Greetings from the Netherlands,

Ary


Marloes with snow doll Snow Doll
Marloes with the "Snow Doll" she made.

by Frans de Been
Oosterhout, The Netherlands

Hello, people in the USA,

Ary mentioned that there is winter season here in Holland, but we have not had any winter like snow and frost. Well we have had this week enough of that.

As you maybe know, we do have a maritime climate. That has no very low temperatures, like you in North America.

Now this week it was a little bit different. Lots of snow, 50 centimeters (20 inches) in the North of the Netherlands (don't laugh -- that's for us a big height) and very cold nights -- temperatures like 22 below 0 Celsius (-8 F.).

There are children here in Holland that are around 4 or 5 years old and see for the first time snow.

I send you with this mail a picture of my daughter Marloes (16) of her own made Snowdoll!!!

Have a great time,
Frans de Been


Observations
By Don Anderson
Alexandria, MN

calling card by Lori
Don & Dorothy Anderson calling cards.
(a gift from Lori Chap, enlarged to show detail)


Don Anderson Celebrates 78th Birthday With Siblings

If someone would have told me 50 years ago that I would live to mark my 78th birthday, I would have said, "You're a dreamer!" In 1955 a person aged 78 was considered "over the hill." Maybe I am over the hill, but I have found it is far easier going down the slope than struggling to climb the grade.

I got the idea that on March 3 I would drive over to Wahpeton to visit my siblings and take them for lunch. It didn't turn out that way! They treated me to a meal, which I enjoyed, at the Frying Pan, a restaurant on Dakota Avenue.

It was a bright, sunny morning and I thought I would like to see some country I used to travel through when I hauled farm machinery from North Dakota to Howard Lake, Minnesota, back in the 60s.

This would be my first time in 40 years! I didn't recognize any of the smaller towns, as they have changed the towns by building new elevators and business places.

Some of the towns are Tintah, Campbell, Doran, and Herman. Even Breckenridge, Minnesota, the outskirts of which I knew very well, had changed considerably.

It is unlikely I would meet any folks that I knew on the streets. We visited a large grocery store and didn't see a single soul I knew. Sad to say, I know (or knew) more people in Memorial Gardens (the cemetery) than I can meet in Wahpeton.

Many of the Dakota Avenue businesses have changed. I knew just about where each place was, but had to think because of changes over the years.

I visited with an old school chum, Gerald Johnson, at St. Mary's Care Center. He is disabled and more recently suffered a stroke. I was glad he knew me and we talked over "old times."

I want to go back this summer and spend the day looking over the town and country and find more old friends that are still around.

We drove home by way of Fergus Falls and arrived home at 5 p.m., very tired, but glad I was able to see some of "my old stamping grounds"!

I plan to, (Lord willing) make this an annual event. I certainly enjoyed it.


This and That
6
by Elaine Wold
Wahpeton, ND

Winter Pastimes

About this time of year we all start getting anxious for spring, as the winter seems to want to drag on with one more snowfall or storm. I have often thought of how we in earlier years spent our winters, which were so different then.

Now, with modern conveniences, heated cars and modern highways, people have numerous activities to keep them occupied in the winter time. Years ago, there was no television, few had electricity even for radios, and even fewer had telephones. If the mail was able to be delivered, there were newspapers or a few magazines to read.

The farmer was often busy doing the animal chores, plus repairing harnesses, repairing and half-soling shoes and boots, or cutting the boy's hair with the towel wrapped around his neck. Even a nap could be enjoyed!

Games were popular then ... Rummy, Whist, Checkers, Flinch, Rook, Dominoes, Chess, and board games. I remember my brother cutting up a broomstick; we colored the pieces red and black, and made a board from a cardboard box to make a checkers game!

Winter time was also time for popcorn, making taffy, apples from the cellar; we sometimes had peanuts to eat in the evenings, also. Mom sometimes made "snow cream" ... a fresh bowl of clean snow, topped with some milk and sugar and a bit of vanilla added. A "Frosty"!

I used to find time in the winter a good time of "family togetherness" ... We got out the family photo albums, tied a quilt in one storm, put jigsaws together, learned handwork. It was a time to bake cookies or to try some new recipes. After many years, I still enjoy hearing my girls tell about the good memories they enjoyed of the times on the farm in those cold and stormy days! These were times that have made for such special memories.

So, if we get another storm, make it a special time for memory making for your family!


Celebrations & Observances
From the Files of
5
Hetty Hooper

This Week's Birthdays:
March 15---Russell Martin
March 18---Janie Anderson
Happy Birthday!

More March Birthdays:
'
March 3---Donald Anderson
March 6---Jerrianne Lowther
March11---Kjirsten Swenson
March 12---Jolene Johnson

March 21---Rachel Henderson
March 23---Colette Huseby
March 28---Donna Johnson

March Anniversaries
Z
March 3---Mike and Kelley Seaman (4 years)
March 20---Stanley and Janice Dake (35 years)

March Special Days
March 27---Easter
~~~~~~~~~~~~

Miss Hetty Says

To Our Readers:

The newly indexed "About" and "Archives" pages are again fully searchable. (Click on the "sitemap" link by the search window to see a list of the 250 searchable pages.)

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?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I really enjoyed The Bulletin this afternoon. I read every word of it in one sitting. I am glad I had the time to do it. It is so fun to see what comes up next as we scroll down. Pictures are so great as it says a lot in a little space. Right? Keep up the good work.

Mavis (Anderson) Morgan
Estero, FL


Melanie and Peggy both said how much they enjoyed LeRoy's piece, when Mel was up this weekend. I enjoyed it a lot, too; we all loved it!

Donna (Anderson) Johnson
Ashby, MN


The Editor's answer to Douglas Anderson-Jordet's note:

Yes, I felt a fondness for this issue, too. It was a bit less showy but the hominess is very fun! Glad to see another cat that is feisty getting headlines!

I loved LeRoy's piece; it had an interesting perspective. Did you notice that he described the car to the last detail? I even had to ask him the make -- just knew it was big and showy. Tell me, is that the difference between male and female of the human species, or just the difference between the siblings?

Those Swensons sure do get around. I agree, they are pretty adventure prone, but they really do make good copy -- and take lovely National Geographic quality pictures -- which I am glad they are willing to share!

Douglas Anderson-Jordet
St. Cloud, MN


It's safe to say that I don't remember anything of the winter storm Elaine wrote about last week, though I heard about it many times. My mother was in the hospital after the birth of her firstborn when the blizzard hit. Long hospital stays after a birth were the norm in those days, but hers was even longer, as she was ill with something unrelated to giving birth. My grandmother said it was "scarlet fever," which the hospital staff denied, but whatever the reason, she had to stay a few extra days ... and then the storm hit. She (and I) couldn't go home in a blizzard, so we stayed even longer. "Beware the ides of March" took on a whole new meaning that year, but we survived!

Jerrianne (Johnson) Lowther
Anchorage, AK


Just received and read, with enthusiasm, The Bulletin. I would like to address a question that Dan Mellon, my nephew, had in his letter to you.

Dan, I was thrilled to read that you had the opportunity to see the Crystal house once again. I, too, have very fond memories of it, and have wondered if it had changed, much.

To answer your question, I lived in Bryn Mawr, a section of south Minneapolis, and attended school ... kindergarten through third grade there, until my folks and I moved to Robbinsdale, in 1947, I believe. (Talk about bad memory!) I'm not at all sure which school Rolly attended, but South High and Roosevelt both come to mind for some reason. I wonder if either were the case. Does either ring a bell?

Diana (Mellon) Martin
Brook Park, MN


When I was young, we had a neighbor who expressed his view that it was the DUTY of young men to live a life of adventure, so they would have interesting stories to tell their grandchildren. His gender prejudices meant nothing to me, and I took his advice to heart. I see that others, including many who never knew our neighbor, are following his advice.

Like many other readers, I cherish the stories that flow from the memories of a young man into a column called "LTD Storybrooke" and the wonderful mind trips from Doug and Brianna Anderson-Jordet. All of the "Seven Swensons" are an inspiration, and Beaver and Richard Johnson and their families have contributed a wonderful body of adventure stories, along with Don and Patty and many others. I'm pleased and proud to be able to bring some of these stories and photos to a wider audience through The Bulletin. Please don't stop! Grandchildren are waiting!

Jerrianne (Johnson) Lowther
Anchorage, AK


CHUCKLES

More Things To Ponder

Q. What do Alexander the Great and Winnie the Pooh have in common?

A. Their middle name.

Click here to find out Who's Where in The Bulletin l

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.

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QUOTATION FOR THE DAY: The highest reward for a person's toil is not what they get for it but what they become by it. --John Ruskin

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.