Valerie – Page 59 – Valerie's Voice

Flags and Playgrounds

Flag Day, June 14th, is a day I don’t usually think about much, but it seems many small towns do. Our annual biking trip took us to the Glacier Lakes Trail, in Willmar, Minnesota. We also spent time riding around part of beautiful Green Lake in Spicer. The days were sunny and warm, with one day being very windy but we managed to pedal through.

We had great dinner on an outdoor patio in Spicer Thursday night, and we were reminded that it was Flag Day.

One couldn’t help notice all the American flags (and one from the Ivory Coast). There were flags flying everywhere: downtown main street, in flowerpots on the sidewalks, on poles along the lake…and of course, there was the trio of flags usually seen at memorials: the American, Minnesota and POW flags.

I researched the flag I didn’t recognize – it’s represents the Ivory Coast. I learned the significance of the colors: the orange represents the splendor of nation blossoming, white represents peace, and green represents hope.

I looked up the Minnesota Flag (blue background) and learned there are nineteen stars on it because it was the 19^th state to enter the union after the original thirteen states. The flag’s emblem is the state seal which includes the state flower (Showy Lady Slipper) among other symbols. There are three dates on the Minnesota flag: 1858 the year Minnesota became a state, 1819 when Fort Snelling was established, and 1893 when the flag was adopted as the official state flag.

The POW-MIA (Prisoner Of War-Missing In Action) flag was adopted in 1972. On the flag it is written: You are not forgotten.

Our first United States flag was adopted in 1777 and it had thirteen stars. The flag with fifty stars was adopted in 1960.

Also, along the main street in Spicer, on the shores of Green Lake, is a wonderful children’s play area…a destination play area I’d say. It is large, well-made and well-maintained, unique and inviting, and has a bike rack for kids. We also discovered another impressive children’s play area the next day in Willmar, in a park near the city bike trail. What great spaces for children to play in, outdoors.

We, too, enjoyed playing outdoors in the Willmar area, surrounded by flags and bike trails (playgrounds).

Father’s Day

Father’s day has been bittersweet for me since I was a young adult. My father died from an aneurysm when I was twenty – he was way too young. I still miss him and I wish my husband and sons could have met him.

But when I had my own children, Father’s Day became a sweet celebration. It is special to celebrate my husband, who is a good, kind and loving father to our children.

Photo of our two sons when they were little boys.

And now, our two sons are fathers and we celebrate them!

Happy Father’s Day!

Sing praises to God and to his name!
Sing loud praises to him who rides the clouds.
His name is the Lord—
rejoice in his presence!

Father to the fatherless, defender of widows—
this is God, whose dwelling is holy. Psalm 68: 4-5

A Rare Sighting

Last week while riding our on the new trail from Northfield to Dundas we stopped for a large turtle on the path.

We got off our bikes to get a closer look and found it was an unusual turtle…one none of us had seen before. We enjoyed looking at it, and wanted to touch it but decided not to. All the while it just stood there (do turtles stand?) waiting for us to leave.

We took in the wonder of it all, then got back on our bikes and continued on our ride. On our way back the turtle was gone.

The next day my friend did some research and found this turtle is called a Trionyx muticus. Click here for a link for more information. It is a soft-shelled turtle with and interesting snout and apparently considered a “special concern species in Minnesota”, which I think makes for a rare sighting.

It was fun to see this creature on the trail and hopefully it will find a safe place along the riverbank to make it’s home.

Aspelund Peony Garden

Even though it was cool, cloudy and windy we decided to drive to Aspelund Peony Garden on the last day of their June open houses. As soon as we got out of the car I was glad we were there. The colorful array of peonies were so inviting they made me smile.

It was difficult to take photos with the peonies swaying in the wind. There are great photos on Minnesota Prairie Roots blog where I learned about this farm. Click here.

According to the proprietor of the peony garden, the wind and storms the day before, on Saturday, wreaked havoc with the peonies, but that didn’t stop several folks finding their way to the farm to decide which peony bush they wanted to order…order now, pick up in the fall (a good time for transplanting peonies we’re told.) The farm has 150 varieties of peonies. We do not have any more space for sun-loving flowers so we just enjoyed looking.

The proprietor was friendly and out in the field talking with everyone. You could tell he loved his peonies. He told us peonies are hardy. He said if you go to any abandoned farm in Minnesota, you are likely to find lilacs, rhubarb, peonies, day lilies and iris’. Interesting!

He told us the oldest peony in Minnesota is 150 years old and is at the governor’s mansion. He said the oldest peony in the world is in the Emperor’s Garden in China and is 600 years old. I could not find any confirmation of these facts on the Internet (a very reliable source! ha).

The farm also includes the Aspelund Winery…grapes and apple trees and pear trees are grown on this farm. It’s in a beautiful setting in Aspelund, Minnesota. The winery only had outdoor seating and it was too cool to sit outdoors, but we peeked our heads inside to check out the tasting room…we’ll save that for another time.

A view of southern Minnesota countryside.

The drive home was lovely…we love driving in the country…and I love this time of year when the green plants are popping through the soil a couple of inches, forming neatly, defined rows in the field.

As we approached our house we could see our three peony bushes from the road. They looked so insignificant in comparison to what we just witnessed – we laughed.

But they are beautiful and cheerful flowers…and they are blooming…and they are hardy! And I love cutting one stem at at time and having them show off their beauty for me in our house.

Memorable Hikes – Nerstrand-Big Woods State Park

Continuing my series on memorable hikes…

Nerstrand, as we affectionately call the Nerstrand-Big Woods State Park, is one of my favorite local state parks and I think it’s because I go there often. It’s only 20 minutes from our house where we currently live, and we used to drive down to the park from Burnsville where we lived years ago.

Nerstrand-Big Woods State Park, Spring 2018

There is no date for this memorable hike because I do not remember the year. We have gone on numerous hikes in Nerstrand-Big Woods over the years – too many to count or keep track of: wild flower hikes in the spring, long hikes in the summer, fall leaf hikes in the fall, cross-country skiing in the winter.

But the hike I’m writing about for my Memorable Hike series is when our two boys were young. We drove down to the park from Burnsville for the day. Gary had picked up a couple candy bars (which was, and still is, an infrequent treat) to put in his pocket for our hike. While hiking on one of the longer trails at Nerstrand Gary got the idea to go on ahead and place the candy bars near a tree. He wasn’t that far ahead of us to notice he was missing, and he did it quickly. Then when we were all together again, he mentioned to the boys that he thought there was a candy stand somewhere up ahead. The boys were young enough to get excited about that. We continued hiking and, lo and behold, there were candy bars on the ground under a tree. The boys were thrilled. It was silly but was quite fun, and to this day we talk about finding that candy at Nerstrand.

Who knew?

Morning Stroll

“Make a morning ritual of strolling through your garden. No weeding allowed – do it for the pure and simple joy of observation.” Jane Austin Miller

Every year, about this time, I think of this quote. I like it.

When I do stroll, I like carrying a cup of coffee in my hands.

It’s not a long stroll, and not daily, but it is an early morning stroll, and I do not pull any weeds…just enjoy.

It’s fun to watch the garden grow.

Memories of Dancing

This piece, Memories of Dancing, was an exercise assigned by a group I participate in. I had fun writing it. The criteria for the piece are written into the last line.

Memories of dancing…a black and white photograph helps me to remember. Running my finger over the photo, over the X that my mom marked above a little girl in her tutu. Unfortunately I do not remember the dance lessons but I do remember the tutu and dancing with my childhood friend, Diane. Etched in my mind is the recital depicted in the photograph. How I remember the song we danced to at that recital so many years ago is amazing. Glow Little Glowworm, Glow. Wondering if Diane remembers?

The photo where “X” marks my position in this dance line. The date on the photo says 1960.

So the picture sparks memories of the beginning of my dancing gig. Glow Little Glowworm, Glow. Wow, it’s so fun to think about, especially since my little granddaughter has a Glow Worm toy. You press a button and the glowworm lights up. Perhaps I should order one because I really like it, and when I saw it for the first time it brought back such fun memories.

Several thoughts of dancing come to mind. Dancing was a part of my childhood, dancing is fun, dancing is good exercise, and dancing is a social event. To think about all the good times makes me smile. Every time I hear a polka I think back to my dad especially, and then both my mom and dad’s friends dancing the night away up north, or at weddings. Several times I think of Mr. Ken asking me as a young woman where I learned to dance so well, as he was dancing with me. Even though that happened such a long time ago I remember. Reminds me to be to be careful of the words I use.

Early in life I took dance lessons as a little girl, a few anyhow, since I remember the song we danced to and I have my recital picture to prove it.

Then it was off to junior high and senior high school where I danced modern dance, whatever that was at the time. Enjoying the dances in junior and senior high school was a part of my schooling. Girls stood on one side of the gym and guys on the other. Rooms were dark and bands were playing – we actually had live bands back then. Now a days I think it’s all DJ’s playing records, or I mean cd’s.

Sub Club was another a hot spot for dancing during high school for me. Every Saturday night when we were up at Farm Island Lake, in northern Minnesota, all the folks in my parents friend group went to the Sub Club to dance. Eventually us high school kids would all end up there too, and join our parents in the festivities and dance with our elders. Sub Club music was mainly polkas and waltzes, my favorites.

Sub Club was not the only dance hall I danced at. The Bel Rae Ballroom was another hot spot in the peak of my dancing days. Several nights in high school, and beyond, were spent at the Bel Rae Ballroom, dancing the night away.

Years have gone by and I don’t dance much anymore but I have good memories of dancing, and a recent good memory of dancing is with my son at his wedding.

Gosh, to think back on dancing is fun and maybe I could write more about it another time when I don’t have to start each new sentence with the letter the previous sentence ended in.

1,000 Crèches

Definition of Crèche according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary: a representation of the Nativity scene.

Last December I read an article about a church in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, that permanently displays one woman’s collection of 1,000 crèches. It immediately piqued my interest and I told my friend about it. We decided right then that we would meet in Oshkosh for our next annual get-away.

This was a beautiful hand-painted porcelain crèche from Ireland.

We were not disappointed. The Algoma Boulevard United Methodist Church indeed was open and welcoming. The church office administrator brought us downstairs and unlocked the door to three rooms for us to peruse 1,000 chèches from around the world. She turned on the lights, and turned on Christmas music to set the mood, then left us alone to take it all in.

Mildred Turner started collecting nativities in 1988 to help her overcome some set backs in her life. We wanted to know more about her but couldn’t find much information. Was she married? If so, what did her husband think of all these crèches? Where did she find room to display them as she was collecting them?

Sizes ranged from a miniature crèche, about the size of the tip of my index finger, to large public outdoor display pieces. There were crèches made from just about any art medium you can think of…colored crystal bells, Lladró’s fine porcelain, metals, stone, pottery, shells, clay, wood, fabric, ivory, yarn…the list goes on. We didn’t know what to expect but this was a wonderful display of quality crèches. Even the two crèches made of Popsicle sticks were well done.

Popsicle sticks and cloths pins and felt. This could possibly be a future project for grandchildren…

Although there were many unique crèches I think the story behind the wood-carved crèche deserves extra attention. German prisoners of war carved it during WW II. They were housed at Green Lake, about 30 miles from Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Several of the men whittled this set during their free time. It is not known why this nativity set was left behind when the prisoners were transferred to another camp a few months later. It’s wonderful that this nativity scene is a part of this collection.

Part 1 of the German Prisoner’s wood-carving.

Part 2 of the German prisoner’s wood carving.

All the crèches were cataloged and we could look up individual pieces if we wanted to, but that felt overwhelming. Thankfully a lot of the crèches were labeled as to where they were from and/or the medium, although I didn’t capture the info in my photos. We spent a couple hours enjoying all the pieces, pointing out the unusual, taking pictures of our favorites.

The stars lit up on this ceramic crèche light.

This was our first morning in Oshkosh. Our trip was off to a good start.

Additional photos:

A unique porcelain music box nativity, that plays “O, Little Town of Bethlehem” apparently Mildred Turner’s favorite.

Counted Cross-stitch. This piece has the date 1988, the year Mildred Turner started her collection.

Whitewater State Park

A change in plans for family members opened up an opportunity for Gary & I to go camping over the weekend at Whitewater State Park, in one of their camper cabins.

This is Rainbow Trout, the name of the camper cabin we stayed in.

The camper cabins are cute…there isn’t a better word…just like baby animals…baby cabins are cute! The one we stayed in was only a year old. The cabins are like children’s playhouses. Inside are two bunk beds, a small picnic table with two benches, large, screened windows, electric lights and a ceiling fan and extra outlets. Each cabin has a small screen porch attached. Everything is built with knotty pine. The cabins are simple but functional and are a lot of fun to stay in.

Inside the camper cabin, from the porch.

Growing up in a kid-friendly neighborhood we had a shack in our backyard. It was a great place to play with the neighborhood gang. This camper cabin, which of course, is larger and much nicer than our backyard shack, brought back some fun memories of playing in, and on top of, the shack.

It doesn’t take long to get settled in to a camper cabin. Soon we were enjoying the great Minnesota outdoors. Whitewater State Park is in southeastern Minnesota, in a valley. The Whitewater River runs through the park, and beautiful, rocky bluffs surround the river and park.

One morning our hike took us up the bluffs with vistas at the top overlooking the valley. As we ascended so did our body temperatures, and at the same time the outside temperatures were climbing… into the 90’s, very unusual for our spring season.

Gary hiking on the trail. An interesting cavity in the tree.

Needless to say, we were very hot at the end of our hike so we quickly changed into our bathing suits and jumped into the spring-fed swimming hole in the river. It felt wonderful. This is something I rarely do anymore, but our bodies needed to cool down. I believe there is something very healing having your body surrounded completely by cool water. We could almost feel our body temperatures lowering to normal as we lingered in the water. Of course, many others in the park were also enjoying the swimming hole, but surprisingly it wasn’t crowded. It seems people stayed in the water just long enough to cool their bodies down.

Looking down on the park from our hike up the bluff. The swimming hole is the opening in the river with a sandy beach.

After we got out of the water we took showers in the shower house and then went out for an ice cream treat.

We found some fun ways to beat this unseasonable heat.

Memorial Day 2018

Today we honor all our veterans, my dad and brother and nephew being among them.