Bulletin 440 November 21, 2010

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Sunday, November 21, 2010

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Happy Thanksgiving Day!

Photo © Sharon Paul Nault
Turkeys

Photo © Don & Patty Anderson
Snow ends shopping season prematurely at Red Chair Antiques.

UPDATE -- Snow! The last shopping day of 2010
by Don and Patty Anderson
Isanti, MN

Today was the final day of our shop being open for 2010. We had heard it would snow ... some ... but not sure we expected this!

We went ahead and made some fresh batches of blueberry-white chocolate scones, chocolate chip cookies and spiced apple cider so if anyone DID happen to brave the roads they would get the whole Red Chair Antiques experience.

We even found some old records for the Victrola to fit the occasion. "Baby, It's Cold Outside" (Doris Day), "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" (The Mills Brothers) and a slew of Bing Crosby and Perry Como Christmas records.

To our amazement, two brave women in a Grand AM made it up the driveway shortly after we opened. They bought a few old 78 RPM Christamas records and some warm cookies for the road and went on their way.

The snow is not letting up any so I think they will be the last folks we see today. Not sure I would be out shopping on a day like this but we have the comfort of knowing that if those two ladies end up in a ditch they at least won't starve!

Well, the electricity just went out so we had to close. We are up in town getting some lunch. The roads are terrible. Home soon to oil lamps and fireplace for heat. No water till the power is back, though. Hope it isn't long!

Photo © Weston Johnson
Early morning hotel room view of Chicago & Lake Michigan.

UPDATE -- Weston spends a work day in Chicago
by Weston Johnson
Maple Grove, MN

As I have written about in The Bulletin before, my job sends me on the road on a semi-regular basis. Sometimes my destinations are not very exciting. For example, Watertown, South Dakota, and Whitewater, Wisconsin, are perfectly nice towns, but not exactly major tourism draws. However, trips like the one I took this past week more than make up for the more mundane locales.

My company has been working with the Chicago Cubs for a few months, helping them plan for a proposed renovation of Wrigley Field, their nearly 100-year-old ballpark. We have conducted e-mail surveys of Cubs fans and telephone surveys of Chicago-area corporations to test the demand for premium seat products (private suites, club seats, etc.) that could be incorporated into Wrigley Field as part of a renovation. The goal is to bring the stadium more up-to-date in terms of amenities and revenue production while still allowing the park to retain its old-time baseball charm.

To get more in-depth feedback than the surveys can provide, our project also included focus groups with Cubs fans, season ticket holders and sponsors. These focus group sessions were held this past Wednesday and provided the impetus for my trip to Chicago. I had only visited Chicago once before, so I looked forward to seeing more of the city.

I flew from Minneapolis to Chicago early on Tuesday evening, arriving at O'Hare airport, where I met my co-worker who had flown in from our Dallas office. We took a cab to our hotel downtown, where I was assigned a room on the 41st floor. It was dark by the time we checked in, but in the morning my room afforded a birds-eye view of downtown Chicago and the Lake Michigan waterfront.

We had focus groups scheduled for 8 a.m., noon and 6 p.m., so we headed to Wrigley Field early on Wednesday morning to get set up. The room I would be using for the groups I moderated was a club lounge with windows overlooking the playing field. It was fun to have that kind of view from my "office," if only for a day.

Photo © Weston Johnson
Early morning view of Wrigley Field from my office for the day.

The view was unique this week, as Wrigley Field is hosting a college football game this Saturday, the first college football game at the stadium since 1938. Between focus group sessions, I spent some time watching as workers put the finishing touches on painting the field. A crew moved up and down the field with a five-yard long stencil with rectangular holes spaced one yard apart. Two workers would lay the stencil in place, then another would spray paint in the holes to form the hash marks before the stencil was moved another five yards down the field.

Meanwhile, another worker was using purple paint to touch up a couple of Northwestern Wildcats logos on the sideline. I had never watched a football field being painted before. I suppose it's probably not that exciting to most people, but I thought it was cool to see how they do it.

Photo © Weston Johnson
Spraying paint through the openings in the stencil.

By mid-afternoon, the field looked flawless. It was amazing to see how they crammed an entire football field into a relatively small ballpark. The quarterbacks will have to be careful not to lead their wide receivers headlong into the brick walls -- a distinct possibility in case of an overthrow in the end zone.

Photo © Weston Johnson
Hazardous corner. I saw a news article this morning, which makes an interesting side note to my update. Apparently, I wasn't the only person who was concerned about the possibility of a player running into the wall immediately behind one of the end zones. According to this article, all offensive plays will be run in the same direction to avoid having to use that end zone entirely. I have never heard of that happening before!

The focus groups went well. It is always fun to hear from sports fans in different cities and understand what they like or don't like about their team and stadium. We also got some very helpful feedback for our renovation feasibility study. By the end of the final session of the day, darkness had descended over the ballpark, except for the faint glow of the lights in the concourses. It was a bit eerie to look out over a dark, deserted stadium that one usually sees only when it is brightly lit and crowded with fans.

Soon, my coworker and I were leaving the stadium. We returned downtown and enjoyed an excellent meal at Japanais, a Japanese restaurant near our hotel. First thing Thursday morning, we were back in a cab and headed back to O'Hare. Although it only lasted a day, it was definitely one of my more memorable business trips. It's always nice when a work trip doesn't feel like work at all!

Photo © Don & Patty Anderson
Little Blessings: gift houseplant blooming under the portrait of Grandma Amy Dake.

Above is a photo of a 30-year-old plant in one of its rare blooming cycles. It looks beautiful blooming under the portrait of Grandma Amy Dake. The plant was given to Kristen and me when Eric was just a baby. We lived in a basement apartment in South Minneapolis and a nice widow who lived above us thought we should have a plant to decorate the place. It was a cutting from her plant and has bloomed only a handful of times over the years.

It seems to bloom in a time of neglect -- it was blooming when I returned from the hospital after the accident. It also bloomed after moving it up to the cabin before we lived here and the heat was not consistently on. It is blooming again now ... I guess we waited a little long to turn on the furnace this year. :-)

Photo © Earl Stahlecker
Serving of the main event (a Cornish game hen conversation piece, said to be Ashley Meyer's contribution).

Thanksgiving is a time to slow down a minute and enjoy a special gathering to enjoy family, friends, and food. We do appreciate these moments in these fast-paced times. It is difficult to arrange for everyone to gather at the same time and place as our families grow and spread out. Enjoy a few clips from a Thanksgiving get-together last year.

Photo © Earl Stahlecker
The hosts, Dee & Trish, & we caught a Printz (Cody) in back on the bench.

You asked that we send in something about being thankful as this season comes around again.

With age, our reasons change. We realize how different life looks now that we are the older generation. I can honestly say that I am very thankful for peace and hope in my heart as number one.

My wonderful loving family, my loyal friends and even for acquaintances! I am thankful for them all because they add so much to life, like condiments to a meal.

I could not wish for one thing more than I enjoy every day in our home right now. I wish everyone could meet Roy, my dear husband.

I am thankful for The Bulletin, my family and for those little Swanson dinners that are only a buck apiece.

I am thankful for the nurses, doctors, caregivers and all involved in the health fields. They work many days and nights, holidays and weekends to care for others, often shorting their own family time together. I have been made more aware of this in the past two and half years since I started dialysis, as it has given me that much more time.

The thing I'm grateful for is my computer (besides someplace nice to live, good family and friends -- too many things to list) ... especially, it is the e-mail. The ability to keep up with and keep better contact with everyone so easily and see their pictures ... and all the interesting things to read and have at your fingertips -- like living by a library. :-)

Every day I am thankful for my family, friends, faith and health.... Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day.

Thanksgiving thoughts... To begin with, Psalms 100 expresses it best. I am thankful for a helpmate who loves me in spite of all my faults and imperfections. I am thankful for those who paid dearly for the freedom that we enjoy today. I am thankful for health, a roof overhead, abundance of provisions. Last, but not least, we are thankful for Dorothy, who had this brainchild of The Bulletin and thankful for all that has been shared in it through the years of our inclusion.

A quick comment for your Thanksgiving issue: I'm thankful for a wonderful family, both immediate and extended. I'm thankful to live in a country with many freedoms, opportunities and privileges. Finally, I'm thankful to you for doing The Bulletin!

Thankfulness... We always seem to take so much of our days for granted, when we should be thankful for just being given another day to enjoy all the beautiful things that surround us.

To me, first, our United States, where we are allowed to worship our Heavenly Father, to have our family and friends close to us, think and do as we want. Thankful to be allowed to smile and laugh when we're happy and cry when we're sad. Even though things can seem bad for us, we should be thankful for our freedom.

Photo © Sarah Steinhauer
Soapy (formerly known as Sophie) is a beautiful cat.

Photo © Sarah Steinhauer
Squeak is a very lucky kitten, with friends like Harry & Soapy.

UPDATE -- drinking is easy -- now let's see you purr
by Miss Kitty
Anchorage, AK

We thought it was pretty cool that four engineers figured out what cats instinctively know about how to drink water (or milk!) out of a bowl. I wonder whether they'll ever figure out how and why cats purr. To tell the truth, even cats aren't entirely sure about purring. But I digress. Kyra liked that article, too, and here's what she said about the grandkitties...

"It's kind of a regular thing these days -- Ken fishes the fuzzy play mouse out of the water dish and leaves it by the sink to dry. The cats aren't allowed up there, but by morning, odds are that the mouse is swimming again. Today I noticed that Tabasco prefers drinking right alongside the mouse rather than from the unobstructed water. I'm thinking this is like dipping her paw in the water and licking it, but without getting her paw wet. Of course, as soon as I mentioned this, she dipped her paw in the water to reposition the mouse. And as soon as I pulled out my phone to take a picture, she decided she was done."

We heard from Gretchen and Chang Pah (indirectly), too. "Chang Pah doesn't stop talking about you ... Jerrianne this, Jerrianne that and Jerrianne ... and wonder if Jerrianne has ever that or did I know that jerrianne this? Quite fascinating ... he's a special one and also knows one when he gets one!" I guess he got pretty lonesome when Gretchen was gone to China for three weeks, but she's home every day now.

Well, we got heaps of snow and then it turned cold and a woodpecker keeps trying to peck a hole in the south wall -- maybe looking for a warm place to spend the winter. Miss Jerrianne put out some sunflower hearts for the birds to eat and with that our winter entertainment has begun. Now is the season of roasting marshmallows in the fireplace and squabbling over who gets to sit in a warm lap. Winter isn't all bad! It's pumpkin pie season and that means whipped cream and I get to taste it. That's what I'm thankful for!

Photo illustration © Virginia McCorkell
Far away in the pages of a book...

Photo © Larry T. Dake
Levi gets an oxcart ride with Scout, the ox, & Grandpa Larry Dake.

Let's play a guessing game: 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.

Last week's Guess picture

Last week's mystery photo was from the LeRoy Dake collection.
Send us some mystery photos; we will line them up in our staging area to take their turn.

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.

I'm able to name a few of the people on the guess who picture. I see Everett and LeRoy and Vonnie. Grandpa and Grandma Mellon. I also believe that's Ervin Wrobbel on the right beside Grandma Dake. The little kiddos in the front could be Carol and Stanley (but then why aren't Billy and Lois there) and maybe Ernie?

Marlene Anderson Johnson
Meridian, Idaho

Editor's comment: Grandpa was married in the early 1950s. Grandpa died in 1958. I think they were married about 6 or 7 years. The picture is more than likely a reception that Mom had to introduce Grandpa and his second wife, LuLu, to the other neighbors and relation. Here is your key -- go straight across, left to right: Judy and Gilbert McCalla, Uncle Everett, and Diana Mellon, LeRoy, Grandma Greer, Vonnie, Lulu and Grandpa Alonzo Mellon (newlyweds), Helen, Roger, and Ervin Wrobbel, and Amy Dake. In front: Stanley, Carol, and I am pretty sure that is Steve with his face hidden. By this time, Uncle Everett was divorced and I think that Rolly and Marcella had moved to California.

I went through Blanche's file that Ginny sent me. I found another picture of the mystery picture group. It is obviously the same group at a sort of reception for Grandpa and Lulu, but with lots more people on it. And I now see Loren holding Steve by the hand (yes, it is Steve) ... then right in the front of Aunty is Judy, Carol, and Stan. Blanche is on the end to the left, holding something that looks like it could be Duane, and right in the middle by LuLu stands Lois. Oh, and next to my Dad is Emma Wrobbel and in the back is Daisy Mellon. It isn't nice and sharp but I recognize everyone and Don and I aren't there. --DMA

I had some help from Kathleen to identify some people in this week's mystery picture. It looks like Uncle LeRoy and Aunt Vonnie are standing behind Grandma Greer. The children in front are Stanley, Carol, and possibly Steve Miller. I believe Grandma Amy Dake is on far right.

P.S. I must have been asleep last week. I sure failed to comment on the picture of the Millers and their grandchilren.

I am thinking that the GUESS picture would be the Mellon family, but that is only a guess. So much was mentioned about the Mellons, that I was sure it would be them. I do recognize LeRoy and Amy.

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.

The first three months of school have gone by in a blur. We have kept so busy. Don's dad, Don and the rest of the boys have been harvesting. It was a cool, dry summer. (The only really hot day was August 15th!) The harvest turned out to be really quite heavy, despite there being so little rain.

The Mooreton people turned out in force for our fall harvest-themed program. I was pleased with how well the students had worked, and with the enthusiasm of the crowd. I have found that most rural school patrons and children love a good program with lots of music and recitations, and then a nice lunch afterwards -- so that is what we had.

And then, soon after that, we all made our contribution for the Thanksgiving meal at Grandpa and Grandma Berndt's, which is right near the downtown of Great Bend. (I chuckle thinking about the name, as there are fewer than 100 people that have retired from their farms to there.) I loved it, though, as it is so much like Smith Lake, Minnesota, where I went to elementary school. I like these tiny towns with their cute, country-style houses. They make me right at home.

So now, we have downsized. It is so nice and cozy to move into our little rented trailer house that is now parked here right south of the schoolhouse. We had to bring our most treasured knickknacks, some dishware to eat with and do light entertaining, bedding, clothes and whatever we needed along with us -- but we may get other things we find we need from week to week. As long as the roads stay open, we can run up to the Wold house and pick up whatever that may turn out to be. We left most of our stuff there, waiting to be used when we move in to start farming next spring.

Don thought he might get awfully bored while I was teaching. He was, for the first week, but now he keeps busy. For one thing, he teaches a wordworking class for the boys every Friday afternoon from 2 o'clock to 3:30. The kids had mentioned that the teacher last year had given them some classes like that.

When I mentioned it to Don, he thought that would be fun. So I checked with the board director for our school (he lives right next to the school so it didn't take long to get permission) and Herman gave the OK for paying for the supplies. Right now, they have cut out garden markers in the shapes of vegetables -- they are ready to be painted next. They are planning birdhouses (wren, I think) as soon as this project is done.

I am teaching the girls how to cross-stitch and do lazy daisies. We practiced doing them on a little design they each drew on a square of muslin. Next they get a stamped pattern and hoops to work with. It should be lovely.

Don's school job doesn't take long ... but he has a "real job," too. His friend Tony works at the elevator in Dwight, running the dryer. He needs some help at various odd hours. Lots of times while I am doing my school work in the evening, Don is in Dwight giving Tony a break. The wages aren't great -- but the job is light work, and there is lots of free time available. And after all, a little spending money is pretty enjoyable (especially, since I send a pretty big slice of my check to get my school loan paid off).

About a month ago, my brother Bill got an offer of a position in Abilene, Texas. He was offered a parts department job in the Cadillac garage. (He has told me that he hopes not to stay in an office much longer. I think he wants to go ranching, and he has totally been in love with Texas since he was in the army there.)

He took the job, and then came the part about telling Grandma Mellon! Now that was hard! After all, the most fun great-grandma available wasn't going to be very happy about the planned move. (Grandpa Mellon told Mom that Grandma cried the whole time she planned and made a meal for the family before they took to the road.) Well, they are gone now and Grandma still has Tom and Dan, even if Carol and Stanley are now living in the "Wild West."

I really do believe the first thing that had to be done when they arrived in Texas was fitting and purchasing a pair of boots for each of the "men" of the Dake family! Oh, I imagine Carol will have a pair, too -- but not Lois -- she thinks boots are rather silly. Anyway, they are there, employed -- and we are glad that Lois keeps in contact!

You know, I am sure, that President Truman has ordered the forces in South Korea increased. The North Korean communistic government has invaded the South Korean democracy to try and put them under subjection -- they need their industry, I guess. They are succeeding in pushing them farther and farther into South Korean territory. The American troops are needed. There is need of heavy reinforcement against the Chinese-reinforced Northern forces. So the Americans are headed to help.

There is a real problem, though. Lots of the soldiers are still sorting things out in Europe. And most of the servicemen here in our county have just recently come back from several months or even years in the European conflict. So now, what about the replacements? Where are they to come from?

The news in the Richland County Farmer mentioned that the enlistment board here has been given a quota of men to fill -- it also says they are looking and wondering where to find them. I am very nervous about that article. Surely they won't call anyone who was in the service and has a medical discharge ... will they? I guess time will tell.

Great Grandma took care of me one day a week when my mother worked in the store. One day Mom came to pick me up in the afternoon and walked in to find Grandma tied in a chair, with me wearing a feather and headband and doing an Indian war dance around her.

Great Grandma's answer was to the point: "We're just playing cowboys and Indians!"

I also remember that she always ate her dessert before her meal, just in case she was too full to eat it last.

I'm afraid I don't recall much else as I must have been 2 or 3 when she died. I do remember living in my grandparents' (Everett and Daisy Mellon's) basement for a while on Noble Avenue.

Don McKenzie and I exchanged letters about my theory that our two pictures (above and below) were taken the same day. At the end, he names the unnamed kids that I didn't know when I wrote the captions for last week's Bulletin. --DMA

I do believe I am correct.. and so I did copies of both pictures in 8x11 and then compared ... person by person. Now, if you want the names, I am giving them to you. I am only going to match the ones that are on the second, smaller group, in the above picture.

1. From the rocking chair on the lawn, clockwise (and I do remember them all well enough to believe I can speak with certainty): Grandpa Mellon; his hat and suit match what he is wearing in the center of the other photo.

2. Curtis Doyle from Washington, visiting his sister. I remember the occasion. He is wearing a hat with a dark band; he is the second man from the left in the picture of the full group. Same dark suit and hat with a darker band.

3. My dad, Bill Dake, wearing a cap; he did not wear it in the other picture but there he and my mom are next to each other. He only dressed in a suit on very special occasions, so I believe that is the same outfit (sans cap).

4. Amy Dake, wearing long-sleeved, flowered dress, the same as she had on as she stood between her husband and her dad in your picture.

5. Uncle Everett with white shirt and tie; he didn't like fancy clothes, either. He is standing behind his mom in the big photo you have -- with tie and white shirt showing.

6. Aunt Daisy; she is shown in your picture with a fancy suit, which she would like in the big picture. It was too hot so she brought along the little lightweight outfit she has on in this picture, taken later in the day as they relaxed and the kids all went exploring.

7. Grandma Mellon, with her dark Sunday dress covered with her big white apron, was dressed exactly that way on your picture, too. Makes me think she had us all for a meal.

8. I know this is the same man as is shown standing the farthest to the left on your picture and I took him to be Ollace. I seem to remember that Ollace did smoke a pipe. If so, notice that he is sucking on one in my photo.

9. I think this is Hazel, but know that Ollace's wife was very prim and proper, pretty, well dressed, hair just graying but beautifully set. Notice the little leather belt, the high-heeled shoes, and the prim way of sitting. She matches the picture of her on the far right (second from the end).

10. The only child here is my brother LeRoy; I do not think you will argue that he isn't the same fellow as is on the ground to the far left in your picture.

11. Now then, as to the missing people: Roland is peeking out from the back of your picture, I am there between the two ladies, Blanche is on the end, and in the front is my sister Gert. The little girl is Diana and the other two are some of the young members of the family (probably related to Ollace, as Curtis didn't have his family along). I suggest they were off getting acquainted with each other and with the town; we were always free to wander wherever we wanted ... just so we were home at a given time, and the
big kids were expected to take care of the little ones.

I feel very sure this is the same Sunday afternoon, after a really nice meal served by Grandma ... probably 1:30 or 2 o'clock before we got to sit down to eat. Then, off we kids went. As you say, one can't prove it, but I present my case. :-) Dorothy

OK, OK. Now I see Ollace. To me it looked like the guy had a beard. Now that you pointed out it is a pipe, I can readily see that it is indeed a pipe and not a beard. So it is Ollace and Hazel.

P.S. The bit about Daisy bringing a change of clothes is a stitch. Who does that?

Hey, Friend, you haven't spent a whole afternoon in a suit with no air-conditioning. Why do you think they carried the rocking chairs outside? My aunt had sweltered enough to know she wasn't wearing any suit all Sunday afternoon. The men made what adjustments they could to keep up appearances, but that didn't mean she had to. Daisy would have thought of that.

I don't know who took the pictures but my brother Bill was the oldest of us cousins, and he isn't in either picture, so it might have been Bill who did it.

Actually, I think I have sweltered in a suit a few times. (I never thought of bringing a change of clothes ... maybe that would have been a good idea, though.) Still, I got a good chuckle out of the idea of Daisy bringing a change of clothes for that afternoon.

Not sure what the temperature was that day, but you were there and if you say it was hot, I'll buy that! However, my observation from afar is that it probably was not so hot, based on the way most were dressed (suits, ties, vests, hats, apron, etc.) As to the chairs on the porch, with that many visitors, they needed room for all to gather and there was plenty of room outside on a nice, sunny and temperate day. They also probably could keep a good eye and ear on the children that way, too. Inside, it may have been warmer, with dinner being fixed, no air conditioning, etc.

I have seen Ollace in several photos with his pipe. His smoking habit may have contributed his early death from throat cancer.

I cannot take any credit for the one photo as I think I got it from Gert. I did not realize the photo would become such a fun topic of discussion.

The little girl standing on right in the front row is June (McKenzie) Francisco. She is Ollace and Hazel's daughter. The older girl with her arm around June is Glennis (Hatcher) Williams. She is Hazel (Dorothy McKenzie) Hatcher's daughter, but raised from age 3 by Ollace and Hazel McKenzie (her aunt and uncle). Based on June looking to be about age 2-3, the photo date would be 1936-1937, give or take. I will tell you more about these two girls once we get settled again in Arizona.

This picture was also in LeRoy's file, but it was also sent to me by Don McKenzie. It shows many of the same people, but more of them. Start with the kids: that is LeRoy again and then? And then Gert, Glennis (Hatcher) Williams holding June (McKenzie) Francisco, then just take them all straight across: Ollace, Curtis, Bill, Amy, Alonzo with Roland peeking over his shoulder, Grandma, Uncle Everett, Aunt Daisy, Ollace's wife Hazel, & last is Blanche. I think I am one of the two in the back row, but I really can't tell.

Scandinavian Heritage Tour Begins With Search For Lefse
by Mitzi Johnson Swenson
Dickinson, ND

The trees were spectacular, the weather cool, the food delicious, the coffee strong, and the fellow travelers delightful. We stayed in hostels, often with a shared bathroom down the hallway. Days were filled walking around cities, visiting museums, admiring the architecture, sculptures and art, noticing all the varieties of boats, window shopping (because everything was very expensive and we had to be able to carry it in our backpacks), searching for lefse, and eating typical foods like meatballs served with potatoes, pickles and lingonberry sauce. The soft serve ice cream was creamy and delicious and the bakeries were full of tempting breads, cupcakes and treats. Sushi was not very good; however the cooked fish, herring, salmon and seafood were spectacular.

After a few days we started asking about where to get lefse. They laughed at us and suggested we try the grocery store. Expecting to find lefse vendors was unrealistic. We finally found some in the grocery store, bought butter and cinnamon and sugar and enjoyed it, though it would have been better warmed up. Apparently we eat a lot more lefse than they do! At the Norwegian Heritage Museum they were demonstrating making Hardanger lefse -- which doesn't contain potatoes. We each had a piece that was freshly made over a wood fire -- it was delicious, dripping with butter.

I was surprised by the amount of public art -- sculptures, fountains, museums -- and the amount of nakedness in the art. I always thought the Scandinavians were well covered because of the cold climate but maybe it was just that people who immigrated to the USA were more conservative in their views about such things.

This Week's Birthdays
November 21---Alex Jo Marie Sigman (6 years)
November 21---Amy Elaine Printz (6 years)
November 21---Judy Riesenberg
November 23---Jessy Chap
November 26---DeLoris Anderson
November 27---Shalana Kay Weiland
Happy Birthday!

This Week's Anniversaries
November 26---Ben and Heather Henderson (6 years)
Congratulations!

More November Birthdays
'
November 2---Gert Dake Pettit
November 2---Brianna Susan Lehtola (9 years)
November 3---Art Mitzel
November 7---Thomas Roland Mellon
November 7---Sandra Kay Miller Smith
November 10---Argyle Anderson
November 11---Allison Aydelotte (12 years)
November 12---Patty Anderson Henderson
November 14---Cara Swenson
November 17---Zachary Myron
November 17---Mark Andrew Johnson
November 19---Tyler Swenson
November 19---Nancy Mellon
November 20---Jeff Gauderman

November 30---Aaron Stahlecker

More November Anniversaries
Z
November 3---Rich and Verlaine Weiland (48 years)
November 16---Argyle and Kathlyn Johnson Anderson (47 years)

November 29---Kurtis and Jeni Larson (6 years)

November Special Days
O
November 2---Election Day
November 7---Daylight Saving Time Ends
November 11---Veterans Day
November 25---Thanksgiving Day

Dear Miss Hetty, Dorothy, Don, Old Friends, and New Friends through The Bulletin,

A thanks to all of you for wishing me a "happy birthday." The card I received was great! The birds in the card looked a lot like some that I stand at my kitchen window and watch.

Today, there were Sparrows, Chickadees, Snowbirds (Juncos), Downy Woodpeckers, Doves, Momma and Daddy Red Cardinal, and a Pileated Woodpecker said "hello" to me, as they came to have their fill of sunflower seeds.

My birthday wasn't celebrated in any special way; in fact I was at work that day. But the phone calls I got from my kids were very special.

November, our wedding anniversary month, is nearing the end. Thank you to all of The Bulletin staff, readers, for the precious anniversary wishes. We appreciated being remembered ... even if we've been married 48 precious years. Thank you, thank you. It means more than you know!

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?

It is nearing Thanksgiving and it is as good a time as any to be reminded to be thankful for one's many gifts of living.

The Bulletin -- one of my favorite things -- and this week's special with Kjirsten and Weston back "on the road" (in the air) to tell of the places they visited. Love seeing and hearing about their travel experiences.

And the pieces of history in your life story, Dorothy, and the story of the Mellons living in Waverly.

Then, of course, the Alaskan reporter kitty. A piece of Americana -- "the good old days" -- details of how it was to live in that era and the adventures of now. Love it all.

THANK YOU, thank you, thank you for your diligence to bring us the news each week.

That was the best Bulletin ever! I'm so glad you printed all of those old pictures. I enjoyed Tom's entertaining story about his dog Sport and the Wheaties box.

I could not imagine what the first picture would be this week, except maybe some first snow pictures, but there was that cute, homey picture with the snowman peeking in the window.

What would we have done without Bitzi this week? She saved the day for The Bulletin with her varied creations of artistic design. Several just fit the different departments as we read the updates and stories and letters.

We were so happy to have Jeff and Evelyn and CaraLee Swenson for dinner just before Jeff left to go hunting with his brother, Sheldon, in North Dakota. So, seeing the update of Mitzi having gone on this great trip to Denmark, I realized she was enjoying herself while Sheldon was busy doing his man thing with Jeff and others.

Incidentally, I really missed a great opportunity. I should have had a birthday cake for CaraLee, from what I see in the birthday list by Hetty Hooper.

It was nice to see a picture of Kjirsten again. We got attached to her in her many weeks of travel in the east ... or was it the west? It seems so long since we saw Jayna and Shane in The Bulletin, and didn't that bakery make you hungry? I loved the close up picture of all those genuine Danish pastries.

All those bicycles on the street would cause a different kind of traffic jam. Shane walking a rail shows that you never really get over the challenge stage.

Weston, thank you for the update on your travels. It is always great and interesting to see just what all you have done, and it is usually out of the ordinary, except for some sports recaps. We just knew we would read about the Vikings, etc.

Thanks, Photo Editor, for not missing that picture of the race story that had come in after deadline. Proof for sure of how the runners ended up.

We can always take a story by Miss Kitty. She tells it like it is. What a fantastic link to a newspaper write up about cats "drinking"! I hope everyone took time to click on those links. You will get a smile for sure.

I can't imagine these scientists taking time and energy figuring out all the details of how cats drink. I am going to look at those links again when I have a lot of time to look into the other videos offered.

Thanks, Miss Kitty, for letting us in on the fact that you outsmarted Miss Jerrianne in not letting her take pictures of you to illustrate the story. I was trying to imagine the episode as it happened.

Sarah, we never know what you will have an illustration of next. This time the excellent, clear, sharp pictures of beans. Not just any bean, but heirloom beans. I hate to say they are all alike to me. Now tomato heirlooms, that's different.

I looked further into the Bitzidoodles blog and found a favorite called Happiness is: Serendipity. What a beautiful picture of a sweet cute little girl! I am wondering if Bitzi arranged those faces or if they were that way when she found them?

Oh my goodness ... Scout, the ox, had a birthday! What next? Levi was pretty brave feeding him birthday cake.

Then, Donna Mae, you suggested the video on how to peel a banana. Most interesting. I had to resist clicking on all the other ones available to watch.

The Memory Lane was so well written, and to include the story by Tom Mellon, who was just a little boy in the grandpa's arms, made it all very valued to the family, I am sure. Not knowing these people didn't matter as it was such a special story of part of Dorothy's family that it meant something to all of us.

I was very glad to see a letter to the editor from my sis, Ruth, and Ken Kitto. Kenny is recovering from a fractured hip, which is a concern to all of us at his age. Ruthy is trying to adjust to the effects of her stroke. We think of them, and are glad they can be in sunny Arizona rather than here in Minnesota in the snow that is falling at this moment.

And Nancy Hardy. We like to imagine you are slowly getting back to normal, and Arg Anderson writing was to be appreciated. Soon he and Kathlyn will celebrate an anniversary, I see. And Weston -- I think we all really enjoy Memory Lane with the true accounts of the Good Old Days.

Thank you again for another Bulletin that was full and different and the kind you can't leave until the last word was read. That takes some doing each week, but so far we have never been disappointed.

CHUCKLES

Photo illustration © Virginia McCorkell
The man in the moon at sunset.... (more fun stuff from Bitzidoodles blog).

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: Gratitude helps you to grow and expand; gratitude brings joy and laughter into your life and into the lives of all those around you. --Eileen Caddy

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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