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Sunday, December 13, 2009
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Photo by Helen Filatova, FreeFoto.ca
Bright pink Kerststers -- Dutch Christmas Stars -- or poinsettias.
(Scroll down to the Travelogue for the story.)

Updates -


Jim & Kristi Indermark with Tyler, Alex & Jordan.

UPDATE -- taking family pictures
by Kristi Larson Indemark
Litchfield Park, AZ

So, I ask, what is worse than two hours trying to get all three kids to smile at once and make sure the parents don't blink during the one photo that the kids are all looking the same direction? A brilliant idea: after a grueling two hours at the portrait studio, take the kids to Chuck E Cheese -- which, by the way, is conveniently located next door.


Tyler, 4-1/2; Jordan, 6, & Alex, 1-1/2.

So this is what we spent our Thursday afternoon doing. Our 4 p.m. appointment, which they were a half hour late for, lasted until 5:30 p.m., and then our trip to Chuck E Cheese lasted until 7:45 p.m. -- 45 minutes past our normal bedtime on a school night!

All in all, we ended up with some great family pictures and Christmas cards are now ordered and will be ready in a week.

The Indermarks


Cards with Jordan, Tyler & Alex, left; Alex, 1-1/2, right.


FAMILY UPDATE -- Michael and Adriana Brown
by Adriana (Stahlecker) Brown
Granbury, TX

Not much exciting has been going on around the Brown household ... but that's probably a good thing!

Sully is well into his first year of school and is still loving it. He actually enjoys doing his little bits of homework ... so I'm going to appreciate that while I can! Everett is 2-1/2 and is quite the little talker these days. He keeps me entertained during the day with all of his little stories and discoveries of the world around him. Lelan is now 10 months old. My, oh my, how time flies! She is working on crawling. None of my kids have ever been in a big rush to crawl or walk ... so we'll just let her take her time.

Michael is still working in the oil and gas industry as a land surveyor. He has been busy getting his surveying license in Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, and hopefully Colorado. We won't be moving to any of those locations, but his company does work in those areas. So, anything to bring more job security is a plus!

I am still working nights, part-time, as a nurse at a pediatric hospital. I work on a cardiac-kidney floor and love my job! I am so glad that I am fortunate enough to be able to stay home with my kids but also dabble in the work force and do something that I love.

We had a few pictures taken a few weeks ago. And, at the end of October, Michael and I participated in a running-biking race called the Muddy Buddy. At the end of the race, there is a huge mud pit that you have to crawl through. May not sound like much fun to some, but we had a blast! (The shirts that we were wearing ... they were white at the beginning of the race!)

We are now training together to do a half-marathon in December. It will be Michael's first and my third ... so we'll let you know how that goes!


Adriana & Michael get muddy with a buddy.



Photo © Ary Ommert, Jr.
New dining room set.

UPDATE -- homework in Holland
by Ary Ommert, Jr.
Maassluis, The Netherlands

Have done a lot of work in my house lately and now it's time to show it to you. Made a few pictures tonight and here is the result of my work. Have a new dining set and living room set and also new carpets on the floor. Have done a lot of painting.

All is fine and at work it's getting busy. The coming weeks I have to work extra and also on Sunday I have to work.


Photo © Ary Ommert, Jr.
New living room set.


UPDATE -- huge pine tree falls in Oregon forest
by Richard Johnson
Lowell, OR

The biggest tree on our land, a Ponderosa Pine well over 200 years old, has fallen -- after leaning and splitting for several years. I have a story for The Bulletin that is mostly pictures, 19 of them in the current configuration. It's 26MB in Word, so I’m sending it as a downloadable PDF file.

Here’s a link to a video of Roy yarding the pine log that rolled away. Unfortunately, I had just put the camera away when the real fun started.

Photo Editor's Note: I've excerpted a couple of photos and captions below, but click on the first link to download the PDF file to see the rest of the story. You can also click on the second link to see a short movie on YouTube of recapturing the big log that tried to get away.


Photo © Richard Johnson
This log escaped & rolled across the fence twice as Roy was having problems with the winch. Once it took the whole cable off the spool as it rolled across the fence & bounded off into the woods. It plucked a post out of the fence & carried it off, along with the winch cable.


Photo © Richard Johnson
Some of the logs are being sawed into slabs with a five-foot chain saw mill for table tops, door panels, and planks. The sawing was started where the tree fell, but it got too muddy to get the wood out with the Kubota loader.


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

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. Roxane Henderson supplied last week's mystery photo.


How many can you identify? What's going on?

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 ... generally in the order we receive them, so the first guess received is on top.

For the guess -- what could be cuter? Rachel and Damon Olson are pictured with all the little precious nieces and nephews. Left to right, are Mason and his sister Brienna and their cousin Abby and then Logan, a brother to Mason and Brienna. All bear a last name of Henderson. The Olsons can get the feel quickly of what it is like to have four cute little ones. Lots of fun...

Mavis Anderson Morgan
Hope, ND


The GUESS picture must be Rachel and Damon, and the children would be the nieces and nephews. I will take a far fetched guess to say that they are Logan and Mason, Abby and Brienna. And, of course, it was taken at the wedding.

The last guess picture of the "trike" got a lot of attention, and we even have another elated and careful driver of that private possession of James's. He looks very official with his cap on backwards.

Betty Weiland Droel
MoundsView, MN


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.

The Day After Thanksgiving
by Dorothy Dake
Howard Lake, MN

This is Friday morning and I just finished making a call to Louella from here at work, as I wanted so badly to hear how it turned out. I had to know if the injured young man had made it through the night. Last night it looked so bad for him. Louella is still shivery and shook up about the experience -- and she is astonished to think that he did indeed make it. It will be a long road to recovery, but he seems determined to walk again ... so perhaps?

Tonight I will tell you about the finish to this year's Thanksgiving Day.

Our Thanksgiving Meal

We could tell, by what was being said, that the telephone call was not for Marge, and as she let the ear piece fall down beside the box part, she turned and said, "Louella, it is for you from the hospital. It is an emergency." She headed for the pantry and came running back to the table with two of her covered cake pans in her hands. She grabbed a serving spoon as she gave these orders:

"Dorothy, you had better get dressed, ready to head out with Louella..."

"Spencer, bring the car up to the door where the girls can get in as quickly as possible."

"Carol, be a big girl and run and get me three big brown paper bags that the grocery store man gives us."

And as I left the room for their bedroom to get my coat, I could see Marge had started filling the cake pans.

We could tell by what Louella was saying that there had been an accident and injuries. She assured them that she would be there as soon as she possibly could. And then she turned and I could see she was extremely emotionally upset ... after all, she knew what she was headed for...

As I came out and started putting on my boots, Marge told me to go ahead and climb into the back seat of the car, as she wanted me to hold our Thanksgiving dinner so it didn't get spilled. When Spencer pulled up, I hustled out and climbed into the back. Marge came out, with Jim and Carol following. She told me to hold the one sack carefully with the top upward the whole way. Then she put in a couple more sacks. Only then did she tell me to be sure and come again, as she likes company and the kids loved to play with me.

Louella came running out and jumped in the front seat and ran down the window to tell them all good-bye ... and we could all see how nervous she was.

Spencer drove ... yes, he is a very careful person, in my estimation, but he drove just as fast as was safe and kept his mind completely on getting us to the hospital quickly and safely. Louella kept saying over some formula that she has to have as to the order to proceed in her job. So we didn't, any of us, speak to one another -- we just tended to our assigned jobs ... mine being the least important. But I was determined to get our Thanksgiving dinner with us the whole way.

It was a breath-holding ride, that return trip to Bemidji. Spence swung around the block so he would be closest to the door where Louella could get to her office, which was attached to the X-ray section. Lolly grabbed the door handle before he had hardly stopped. She raced up the sidewalk, up the steps and through the door at a dead run. Spencer took the bag I was holding and then I grabbed the two light ones in the back. We toted our Thanksgiving meal to Miss Smith's office.

"Thanks for having us, and for rescuing us, and I am hoping you are not starved to death by the time you get back to your own meal," I said to him.

"Oh, that is the life of a farmer ... you take your meals when and where you can!" was his answer ... and then he added, "Do come again so I can get in that game of Monopoly." He waved as he went on his way back to his family. I will guess that by the time he got home his kids had eaten but that Marge was waiting to have her meal with him!

So now I was on my own and I was on a mission. I walked out of Louella's office that she shares with the other X-ray technician. Just as I thought, at the end of the hall, I found an empty kitchen. I returned to the X-ray department and opened the door across from the office -- it says NURSES on the door. You see, I have visited it before when I have been with Louella. It is the nurses' snack room.

I walked in and looked around. Yes, just as I remembered, there was indeed a hot plate and a small refrigerator in the next room. And in a cupboard there were some paper plates, and in the pull out drawer there were plastic-ware utensils. Somehow or another, I planned that we would get fed, in spite of the closed master kitchen that I knew was off limits now. That wouldn't stop me, as we were in possession of a lovely pre-cooked meal that I had hand delivered (with Marge and Spence's help)! So now, bag by bag, I delivered the dinner to "my kitchen."

I made and ate my own meal and then put what was left into the refrigerator. I returned to the office and there I waited. Several times, some of the hospital personnel came by and stopped and I was kept updated on the happenings in the emergency area.

Louella was in time to give her help and she kept busy, indeed ... taking a series of pictures of the victims of a nasty accident that had claimed one life, left several others with minor injuries and one with very serious ones.

Sometime, I will tell you more about this story, but right now I will just close with this thought: I think that when Max took us home last night I really wondered how Louella could stand all of the blood and pain that she sees so often. She is brave. There are so many things to be thankful for on this day, and not the least is the service that such wonderful, caring people give to the people who are in need of aid and comfort. I do know how it feels to be comforted!


Travelogue t

Where In The World Is Weston? S


Photo © Weston Johnson
Planes await passengers at the snowy Salt Lake City Airport.

Flying In A Winter Wonderland
by Weston Johnson
Maple Grove, MN

As I have documented in The Bulletin before, my job often requires me to travel to various corners of the country to meet with clients and present the results of the sports facility feasibility studies my company conducts. Business travel can be both enjoyable and aggravating, often alternating from one to the other several times in a given day.

Winter, specifically snow's effects on roads and airports, has a tendency to cause the pendulum to swing in the direction of aggravating much more frequently. For this reason, I was a bit apprehensive when the Town of Apple Valley, California, a client for whom my company was conducting a minor league ballpark feasibility study, invited me to present the results of our study at the Town Council meeting on the evening of Tuesday, December 8th.

I had been to Apple Valley once before -- in September, when we kicked off our study. I had flown into the airport in Ontario, California, which is northeast of Los Angeles near San Bernardino. From Ontario, Apple Valley is about an hour's drive straight up. And I say "straight up" not because one must drive north on Interstate 15, but also because this particular stretch of I-15 climbs up to a mountain pass at an elevation exceeding 4,000 feet above sea level.

The highway clings to the mountainside, climbing steeply and steadily, and offers spectacular views. I found myself struggling to take in the scenery while still paying enough attention to the road to avoid becoming part of the scenery. I would come to learn that many Apple Valley residents commute down the mountain to San Bernardino in the morning and back up at night. It was amazing to think that these people have the opportunity to enjoy those views every day. Kind of beats the scenery on my commute through suburbia.

After reaching the top of the pass, the terrain flattens, although small mountains are still visible in the distance. The area is known as the High Desert for its altitude and dryness. The weather is truly desert-like, with hot days and cold nights. Temperatures can exceed 100 degrees during the summer, yet snow is typical during the winter months. But perhaps the most noticeable feature of the local climate is the incessant wind. During my September visit, as I toured the town with the client, I asked if the wind always blew as hard as it was that day.

"Oh this is nothing," she replied with a hint of boastfulness, like a Minnesotan informing a southern visitor that "this ain't cold!"


Photos © Weston Johnson
Mountains & desert vegetation in Apple Valley, left; high desert winds whip through the flags at Apple Valley Town Hall, right.

In preparation for my return to Apple Valley, I booked a flight departing from Minneapolis at 7 a.m., stopping over in Salt Lake City, and arriving in Ontario around 1:30 p.m., giving me plenty of time to make the drive up the hill in time for my meeting. My return flight would leave Ontario at 6:00 the following morning.

Toward the end of the week before the trip, Twin Cities meteorologists began hinting at the possibility of snow around the same time I would be trying to fly in and out of the local airport. By the end of the weekend, the hints had given way to full-blown hysteria, with several inches of snow predicted to be whipped into a frenzy by blizzard force winds. Fortunately, the storm was not anticipated to hit until Tuesday afternoon. Although my Wednesday return seemed questionable, it appeared I'd have no trouble getting to California in time for my meeting.

Then on Monday, the day before my departure, I got a call from the client. Snow was predicted along the mountain pass that night, followed by near freezing weather on Tuesday. She warned that the State Patrol would not hesitate to close down the Interstate in the event of snow or ice on the mountain pass, and recommended that I book a room on top of the hill just in case I would be unable to make it back down to Ontario after my presentation. It appeared that an additional degree would be added to the trip.

* * * * *

I woke to my alarm at 4:30 on Tuesday morning in order to make it to the airport in time for the 7:00 departure. It had snowed in Salt Lake City overnight, but fortunately not enough to disrupt air travel. During my two hour layover, I enjoyed the sights of the freshly blanketed mountains surrounding the city.

I arrived in Ontario and picked up my rental car, a Pontiac with a fresh new car smell and an odometer reading "000003." For frequent car renters, this is like hitting the lottery! I felt sort of bad for that car, knowing that its first highway experience was going to be spent climbing then descending a few thousand feet of mountain. Still, it was fun to be able to break in a brand new car!

As it turned out, reports of poor condition on the mountain pass had been greatly exaggerated. Apparently, the snow had not materialized, which meant I would have no trouble getting back to my hotel near the airport that night, and would be able to catch that 6 a.m. flight home the next day.


Photo © Weston Johnson
Mountain scenery along Interstate 15.

I arrived in Apple Valley in time for a 4:30 briefing with the client, which was followed by the Town Council meeting at 6:30. I have only attended a few City/Town/County council meetings in my lifetime, but each one has reinforced the wisdom of my decision not to pursue a career in politics. After nearly three hours of rote discussion and parliamentary procedures, punctuated by nonsensical public comments by local residents whose idea of a good Tuesday night apparently involves ranting at small town government officials, it was finally my turn to present.

The presentation went fine, although the results of our study (specifically the part indicating how much it would cost to build and operate a ballpark) caused the Council to immediately vote to end the Town's pursuit of minor league baseball. OK, so our study wasn't the only reason. I think the fact that their State government is insolvent, their unemployment rate exceeds 10 percent and the Councilors would like to continue hold a seat in the Town government after the next election also weighed into their decision.

I finally left the meeting at about 10 o'clock. By the time I drove to the hotel in Ontario, checked into the hotel and showered, it was nearing midnight, which made me dread my second straight 4:30 wake-up call even more than I had before (if that's possible).

After a quick cat nap, I checked back out of the hotel (easiest $150 that place has ever made), dropped off my rental car, and was soon en route back to Minneapolis, by way of Salt Lake City.

It is easy to complain about the annoyances and inconveniences sometimes foisted upon commercial airline travelers, but once in a while, even a somewhat frequent flier like me can find myself in awe of the experience. Soon after the plane lifted off from Ontario and climbed over the mountains to the north and west, I was treated to one of those moments, as the perfect combination of time and season conspired to paint a breathtaking scene through the airplane window. Freshly fallen snow had blanketed the mountain range, leaving a moonscape of white snow, gray rock and black shadows. The first stages of sunrise provided a burst of color, like a bright flame burning over ashen logs.

During moments like this, it occurs to me that this view would have been impossible 100 years ago, and even today, few people have the opportunity to experience these sights. My heavy eyelids begged me to nap, but I couldn't take my eyes off the view.

Eventually, the mountains receded into the vast deserts and salt flats of Utah and napping took priority. Soon, we were touching down in Salt Lake City, which was still blanketed in snow. The "Departures" monitor in the airport indicated that, miraculously, my flight to Minneapolis would leave pretty much on time. Apparently the winter apocalypse had not materialized in Minnesota, despite the fears of the Chicken Littles delivering the local weather forecasts.


Photo © Weston Johnson
Mountains provide a backdrop as a plane departs from Salt Lake City.

As the last leg of my trip flew me over the great plains of the Midwest, the ground was white as far as the eye could see. Yes, winter was here. Winter was everywhere! When I had left Minneapolis the previous morning, a light dusting of snow only partially covered the ground. As the plane descended below the clouds on its way to touchdown, it was clear that Mother Nature had applied a liberal second coat of white.

Soon, I had deplaned, found my car secure in the parking ramp and driven home on a pre-rush hour freeway that was in good condition despite the fresh snow. For all of my fears of delayed flights and closed highways, the trip had gone off without a hitch, and had even provided some memorable moments. I guess maybe this whole travel thing is not so bad after all!



Photo © Ary Ommert, Jr.
Kerststers
(Christmas Stars or Poinsettias) all sizes & colors.

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

Seasonal Impressions From The Garden Center

This time I made pictures from typical plants for this time of year and the presentations we make with them. The month of December is a very busy time for selling plants with flowers such as Azalea (Rhododendron), Cyclamen, Orchids and, of course, the Euphorbia pulcherrima -- Poinsettias.

In the Netherlands, this Poinsettia plant is called Kerstster (Christmas Star). The coming weeks we sell about 40,000 of them in all sizes and different colors. The smallest is the mini and has a price of Euro 1,49 ($2.18); then the midi, Euro 2,49 ($3.65); the normal size, Euro 3,99 ($5.84) and then you get the bigger ones, with prices up to Euro 40,00 ($58.50).


Photos © Ary Ommert, Jr.
Red Mini-Poinsettias, left; cart carries lots of plants, right.

The Euphorbia pulcherrima (Poinsettia) is a bit difficult to handle and many people have problems with that. What they can't stand is temperatures below 15 degrees C. (59 degrees F.) and last weekend we had problems with that. On Friday, we got a delivery during the night and inside the trailer the temperature was below 15 C.

We filled the tables with plants from that delivery and the first day you don't see anything. When I got to work on Saturday, I noticed there were small black spots on the red leaves and that the edges of the leaves began to fold up. At the end of the day, most plants looked bad. The next day, we removed all the plants from that delivery from the tables but the problem was there were no other plants to replace them so that Sunday we didn't have much variety of this plant for the customers to choose from. Other garden centers had the same problem and the plants were replaced the next day.

Now everything looks fresh again. This morning I made some pictures of the seasonal plants. You see the Euphorbia pulcherrima (Poinsettia) in different sizes and colors. Also the carts we use for transporting plants. These carts can load 15 trays with six Poinsettias in the Euro 3,99 size. These carts are narrow and easy to handle between the tables.


Photos © Ary Ommert, Jr.
Pink Azaleas & Pink Cyclamen, left; white Cyclamen, right.

On the pictures you can see a new type of Orchid; it has hanging flowers. We planted one in a golden pot on the edge of our counter and the customers often wonder what it is. The price of this Orchid is Euro 45,00 ($65.82). Also a picture of a table with white Azaleas and a table with Cyclamen in purple and pink.


Photos © Ary Ommert, Jr.
White Azaleas, left; hanging Orchids, right.

This week will be very busy and thousands of our plants will decorate the houses of many people in the Netherlands.

I hope this gives you an impression of our typical season plants.

Greetings from the Netherlands,

Ary Ommert, Jr.



Photo © Kjirsten Swenson
Red Hibiscus for breakfast
Khao Sok National Park, Thailand.


Celebrations & Observances
From the Files of
5
Hetty Hooper

This Week's Birthdays
December 13---Larry Dake
December 13---Derek Swenson
December 14---Kathleen Dake Stahlecker
December 16---Avery Hope McNeill (1 year)
December 17---Char Morgan Myron
December 17---Austin Printz
December 19---Barb Anderson
December 19---Lisa Boltz
Happy Birthday!

More December Birthdays
' 
December 3---Twila Aydelotte
December 4---Sonja Dake
December 4---Carol Dake Printz
December 4---Elaine Anderson Wold
December 7---Aunika Swenson
December 10---Ryan Henderson
December 11---Makaila Belle Gordon (2 years)
December 11---Wyatt Wm. Meyer (10 years)
December 12---Sarah Lynn Dake Steinhauer

December 20---Jay Pierre Miller
December 21---Melanie Anderson Shockey
December 21---Jonathan Glen Hill (5 years)
December 24---Ken Hellevang
December 24---Arbor Johnson
December 24---Beaver Johnson
December 25---Angela Stahlecker Roberson
December 26---Koen de Been
December 29---Mitzi Johnson Swenson
December 30---Travis Quick

December Anniversaries
Z
December 20---Eric and Melanie Anderson Shockey (7 years)
December 23---Harold and Carol Dake Printz (42 years)
December 27---Earl and Kathleen Dake Stahlecker (35 years)

December Special Days
December 7---Pearl Harbor Day
December 21---First Day of Winter
December 25---Christmas Day
December 31---New Year's Eve


Miss Hetty's Mailbox:


Photos © Rorke Murphy, left; © Kimberly Johnson, right.
A bridal bouquet for the longest married couple: Don & Dorothy, 59 years, pictured with Rachel & Damon Olson & Rachel's paternal grandmother, Emma Henderson.

Dear Miss Hetty & The Bulletin Staff,

You did "over the top" coverage of the wedding. I loved how the pictures followed the story line! You and Doug certainly work well together!

Actually, as far as the "bouquet toss" you asked about, we opted to recognize those for marriage longevity: Rachel started at 25 years and then 30 and so on. The last standing were the Matriarch and her husband! They received the "toss" bouquet.

Patty Anderson Henderson
Minnetrista, MN


Photos © Rorke Murphy
Newlyweds Damon & Rachel Olson unwrap gifts after brunch on Saturday.


Thank you for the cute birthday card. My birthday attendance has gotten thinned out, just like the number of my peers. I was so glad to read Doug's outstanding account of the wedding, as well as seeing the photos; all was appreciated by those of us who couldn't attend.

Elaine Anderson Wold
Wahpeton, ND

Miss Hetty Says:

These last weeks, Muriel and Melinda have been baking up a storm. Their Mom, Elaine Anderson Wold, had her 80th birthday on the 4th of December. She has had visitors from little kids (who sang a very nice Happy Birthday to her), to college kids, to neighbors, and to relatives. It seems the treats got all used up and then there had to be a second baking fest. I don't really know how long this is going to last -- but it has been a great occasion and we from The Bulletin crew all want her to have a grand time! She really should get a card per year of age -- don't you think?


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

Doug's write-up of the wedding was as beautiful and thoughtful as the wedding was. It was nice to re-live the wedding as I read his words. Thanks, Doug.

Also thanks to you for your story, Mom. Now, we wonder just who is calling.

Marlene Anderson Johnson
Meridian, ID


I must say, there was a lot of work that happened behind The Bulletin scenes in order to get this marvelous issue ready for the press! Thanks to all the marvelous photographers who captured this event for the rest of us! Thanks to my brother Doug for his awesome way of putting together words from our English language to paint us a picture of the day! (And, yes ... Google comes in handy when searching for sunset times in Chaska!) Thanks to the Editor AND a special thanks to Jerrianne for putting it all together! Hats off to all of you!

Thanks for all you do to keep us all connected! So fun to read the variety of news that we get each week! This is a huge job! Thank you!

Patty Anderson Henderson
Minnetrista, MN


We had another interesting Bulletin and I especially enjoyed reading about the wedding, not only what went on, but the descriptions of everything made a picture before our eyes. A very nice writing.

The adventures of the Swensons enable us to get to where we never would ever get otherwise to see the beautiful creation far from us here in the homeland.

Keep up the good work, you editors, writers, submitters, reviewers and anyone else who parts with some of their "goodies" to share with us homebounders and thank you a million!

Mavis Anderson Morgan
Hope, ND


Just thought I'd mention again, how much I enjoy your Memory Lane. I've always thought living on those hilly streets in a Minnesota winter would prove to be a true challenge. I thought I'd also mention how much I enjoyed Jerrianne's using the "Left hanging" picture, right after you'd left us "hanging." Clever! Her layouts are always so well thought out and appropriate, definitely shows the love and time she puts into making each Bulletin special!

I also really enjoyed Doug's eloquent and beautifully written article of Rachel and Damon's wedding. He did a most fabulous job of creating the elegance and beauty of their special day, and there again, Jerrianne fitted the pictures into his telling of the day so beautifully. Turned out lovely.

Donna Anderson Johnson
Ashby, MN


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

The first picture, "Snowflakes on stalks," sounded like a State Fair novelty, but come to find out it really was a real flower, and of course Sarah found it, and took that unique angle picture of it so it would qualify for a most striking first picture for our Bulletin #390. Yes, number three hundred and ninety!

We were not disappointed in the lovely coverage of the wedding we have been anticipating a review of for some time now. I was thrilled to see that Douglas Anderson, St. Cloud Correspondent, did the honors this time. It was very well written. It covered all the important and most interesting parts of the event, even to the feelings one would have to be there. The aura, both elegant and cozy, was an apt description, I'm sure, as we look at the pictures and see the background with all the little details so carefully and completely thought out. What a glorious sunset, and it would have set a mood for a happy, serene and lasting deep love.

That was no small affair, and the photography was excellent. We wish them well in the future steps and decisions and changes as years pass.

Now, that was a treasure to have a picture of Sheldon and Mitzi's whole family together. Thinking of the miles and experiences of each one individually, and now sitting all together with big smiles, was incredible. Each one heading back into their niche in life, but with the memory of family inspiring them all the way.

I remember George Larson when he had black hair. Where do the years go, and what do they do to us? I had dark hair at that time, too. How he would value the short time he would have to spend with his family in Arizona.

When I was peeling a potato last night, I was thinking of this picture of Alyssa and Angel having peeled an apple, all in one long peeling. That would have taken some coordination, and careful paring not to get too fast or cut too crooked. That was quite a feat, girls. Leave it to Tom and Mavis to have some out-of-the-ordinary, fun thing planned for family.

Mavis, you never did answer my question about where you got that hot water pot you have on your cupboard behind the girls. It was on another picture one time, and it is what I am trying to find. Maybe that is telling me that my LTTE's are too long and complicated and seldom read.

Are you sure that picture of Aaron Blackstone on the Dirt Bike Racer wasn't an advertisement? It is a great photo, and even better yet when you know the fellow riding it. Looks like future racers are soon coming along behind. Better make a room for trophies.

MEMORY LANE. For some reason, I just got lost in thought and memories of my own as I read about the dinner at the Sorensons'. I could just see and hear dear little Carol talking so adult and sweetly to Dorothy. Like she was entertaining Dorothy, rather than vice versa.

I remember a time when that kitchen didn't smell that good. Marge was rendering lard. I was from the city, so that was a new experience for me. Most interesting! Marge made cookies and pie crust out of that beautiful white lard. They were so delicious. So, when I came home the first time after that, I bought some lard from the store, and tried to recreate Marge's delicious goodies. Not a one was even a close likeness. So, from then on, that was the end of the lard story.

Oh, this is what I mean about being disappointed! Right when the phone rings, and we can hardly wait to find out who it is, those words, To be continued...

Did you notice that the very next item in The Bulletin was that picture of "Left Hanging"? Sort of like the phone that was ringing, and no one lifted it up until after this issue. I miss the correlation sometimes of the article and the pictures, but this one was quite deliberate.

A most beautiful, colorful flower, Kjirsten, taken in Thailand. Only our photo editor, Jerrianne, would be another one able to name it properly, and Red Protea is what it is. Thanks for sharing that blossom.

I had timed myself here so I could get a nap in before we leave, so will just end this. Will send it later after re-reading it.

I am home again, and before I send this I will comment on a couple things I missed. Like the WITH LOVE, which was such darling pictures of those boys. All too soon they will be grown past such cute stages, but we look forward to watching them grow, too.

I am still trying to figure out the exact meaning of the Quotation for the day. Love is a flower -- that I can understand. Anyway, it is fitting for our Bulletin about the wedding.

May I just say thank you again from all of us subscribers who can hardly wait for Saturday morning to arrive for our next issue? I was thinking of the wild, last minute rush to finalize and tweak it all, and then to finally hit SEND and it arrives innocently in our in-box.

Betty Droel


WITH  LOVE


Photo © Rorke Murphy
A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step. --Lao Tzu.


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: God gave us memory so that we might have roses in December. --James Matthew Barrie

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.


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