The young man in the photo is Sasha. I have been praying for him since the invasion of Ukraine from Russia, and Ukraine’s decree that all 18-60 year-old men “cannot leave the country, but be prepared to fight.” That would include Sasha…he’d be in his 30’s now.
I met Sasha in 2004 when I was in the Ukraine on a mission trip, helping with an English Language Camp in Cherkassey, south of Kiev. He was 14 or 15 years old and one of the students in my group. He was a wonderful young man, and we made a special connection. Sasha gave me the pink elephant (pictured above) at the celebration for the completion of the language camp at the end of that week. Over the years, I admit, I did lose touch with him, but he has been on my mind these days, and worked himself back into my heart as I pray for his safety during this conflict.
I’m praying, too, for a miracle, and for peace to come quickly to the Ukraine. And for all the wonderful people I met there.
(My grandchildren now play with this cute elephant which I wrote about in a previous post. )
My interest in flowers did not start when I was a child. Although my mom had indoor plants and some flowers growing outside, it didn’t seem to influence me much. I do remember beautiful window boxes filled with flowers outside the large picture window in front of our house– pretty to look at from the inside as well as the outside. I must have been influenced by that. I have had flower boxes on my decks for 40+ years.
I plant petunias in my flower boxes…this deck gets full afternoon sun and petunias can take the heat! And they are colorful.
I remember my mother’s purple clematis (probably a wonderful, old-fashion Jackmanli) on the side of our house on McKinley Street, along with some other flowers.
This Jackmanli clematis grows along the side of our house in Northfield.
There may have been a small garden plot in the back corner of my parent’s yard, but I don’t remember the kinds of flowers growing there. I did not have to weed flowers, but I did have to weed around the Poplar trees that lined our back yard.
A different clematis climbing the arbor…the lilac bush is behind the hanging blue, glass ball…
My mother did plant a lilac bush and I took a small section from her bush and planted it at our house in Burnsville. When we moved from Burnsville, I took a section from that bush and planted it in our yard here in Northfield. It’s still growing and blooming after 27+ years.
Looking off our deck into our back yard. The lilac bush is near the wagon wheel by the shed.
Such lush green…so amazing to look at right now while outside snow is falling and the ground is white!
I do remember, as a child, picking some tulips from a neighbor’s garden to bring home to my mom…then I had to turn right around and go apologize to Dorothy for not asking permission to cut some of her flowers. Whoops.
Star-gazer Lily, Coral Bells, Rudbeckia
Recently a prompt from a writing session led me to thinking about when my interest in flowers began. I remembered giving a friend an eight-pack of starter begonias as a housewarming gift. I have no idea why I picked begonias or how they would grow …but when I went back to her house later that summer there was pot on her front porch, blooming with beautiful begonias…the ones I had given her earlier that spring. I had no idea they would grow and fill out so much! This was back in high school. I’ve learned a lot since then.
Cone flowers in front of Quick Fire hydrangea.
My Quick Fire Hydrangea, later in the season. When this hydrangea begins blooming it has white flowers (see photo with purple cone flowers above) and changes to mauve by the end of the season.
My interest and knowledge grew when we moved into a new house with a vacant yard, almost twenty-eight years ago. As I mentioned, I have always had flower boxes to fill with colorful annuals, so we included that into our deck plans, but I created a few flower gardens, too, and have been playing in the dirt ever since.
I call these corn lillies.
And now I love flowers…tending to them, admiring them in gardens all over the world, and taking pictures of them…
My favorite…Stargazer Lilies
(These photos were taken in my yard at different times and years.)
A go-to place for us to walk outside in the winter is the Carleton College campus. Their sidewalks are always scraped clean – down to the cement – with no traces of ice. It feels very safe to walk there without worries of falling down. We are grateful for the team that keeps the walks so clear of snow and ice. And grateful for Carelton College to open their campus to the community.
The beautiful Skinner Chapel on Carleton College campus.
We were on campus on Saturday for a winter walk. It was cold, but not windy, which we all know makes a difference, plus the sun was shining and that always brightens the spirits! I took a few photos on this picturesque campus.
Two beautiful white birch trees stood out against the red brick science building.
My favorite gnarly tree on Carleton’s campus…a favorite in winter and summer.
Another gnarly tree on campus,
The amazing Goodwill Observatory.
Even the dorms on campus are lovely with the red brick and red roofs.
The following day however, was not so cold. It was 46* and it felt balmy! We decided to go to a park we know that maintains a clear trail in the winter… Whitetail Woods, in Rosemount, MN.
Rosemount, Minnesota
When we drove into the parking area it was full! It seems everyone wanted to take advantage of this unusually warm day in February. This park has a nice 2-mile paved trail, along with multiple trails throughout the woods for more hiking and cross-country skiing.
The loop trail is not all paved…there are wooden slats,…
and there is metal grating over a swampy area.
There were a lot of people and dogs, walking on this trail, free of ice (except two small spots), getting a dose of fresh air before the snow and cold make its way back to Minnesota in the coming week.
Looking through the trees, to the lake in Whitetail Woods.
And another winter-type walk… Once in a while, I’ll go to Menard’s (a big box home improvement store) to walk indoors, on especially cold and/or icy days. Last week I had a little shopping to do there, and I thought I’d add a couple circles around the perimeter of the store to get in an indoor walk, on a very cold day. After shopping and some walking, I checked the pedometer on my phone and was surprised it hadn’t calculated many steps. I thought maybe it needed to recalculate so I continued around the store a few more times and checked in again and the number of steps still hadn’t changed. I decided something was not working, so I put my phone back in my purse which was in the cart. I left Menard’s after an hour and went home. Later it dawned on me that the step counter on my phone didn’t count my steps because it was merrily rolling along in the cart!!!
Over a year ago, in November 2020, the Archer House River Inn in Northfield was destroyed by fire.
Going… (photo by cb)
This month, it has finally been taken down. It took over a year to set things in motion to dissemble this historic inn that was on the National Register of Historic Places. It took a few weeks for the demolition to be complete.
Going…
It was a sad sight to see on a daily basis in Northfield’s downtown. The area is now cleared out, but a “hole” remains on Division Street (the main street), and in resident’s hearts. What will replace the beloved hotel remains to be determined.
My Christmas Cactus is blooming. It doesn’t bloom often, and it doesn’t bloom at Christmas, so I wonder about the name!
This beautiful plant was a slip given to me from a friend’s cactus, and there is a story.
My Christmas Cactus in bloom.
My friend’s grandmother brought the “mother plant” along with her, when she immigrated from Alesund, Sweden in the late 1800’s.
She traveled to the United States, by herself, from Sweden to meet up with her future husband who had settled in Friberg Township, in northern Minnesota. Several other Swedish immigrants settled in the area and they built a Baptist Church, which is still standing. My friend’s grandparents had 10 children and gathered together for a family photo on their 50th wedding anniversary, in 1936.
My friend, Kay, holding a photo taken in 1936, of her extended family. Her grandparents, their ten children and their children’s children.
Kay’s mother is holding Kay in her lap…Kay was the baby at the time of the photo.
Just like this Swedish immigrant family, my Christmas cactus has many family members because many slips have been cut and replanted from the mother cactus…
I’m happy to have this succulent. Even when it’s not in bloom it has interesting foliage and is a pleasant green all year long.
We walked along the Atlanta Ocean in January, and five weeks later we walked along the Pacific Ocean. We spent some time with our older son and his wife and two children on the California Coast. It was lovely, sunny, and in the 60-70’s. Here are some photos from our time there.
We grabbed a blanket, with coffee in hand, to watch the sunrise every morning.
Sunrise, our first morning.
We walked to the playground with an ocean view to let the grandchildren play.
The playground.
We would see dolphins swimming off shore, and picturesque sailboats sailing by.
A mosaic tile art piece mounted on a cement fence.
A lone sailboat.
A sailboat race.
We went on a sunset cruise and saw sea lions, and another beautiful sunset.
Lil’ Toot: our boat, and captain, for our sunset cruse.
Sea lions.
Sunset, our third evening, from Lil’ Toot.
My granddaughter and I made fresh lemonade from the lemons off a lemon tree.
Fresh lemons!
Beautiful Bird-of-Paradise in bloom.
Gary and I walked along the beach, in my fancy boot (for my injured foot)!
150 concrete steps down to the beach (and back up!)
The beach and rocky shoreline – low tide rising.
The waves.
We sat by the firepit and watched the sun set every night.
Sunset, our first evening.
Lingering light from a sunset.
Sunset, the second evening.
The colors of the sunset reflecting in the east.
We enjoyed our time together, and making memories.
And once again, it was hard to come back to Minnesota’s cold weather, but spring is coming.
Last week I was helping a friend with farm chores and while pulling apart a horse’s allotment of hay and spreading it in her little shed, she came up behind me and started to eat, but then got spooked and bolted, knocking me over and stepping on my foot!
My friend helped me up and into a sled and took me back to the house. We immediately elevated my foot and put ice on it. It was my left foot so I could drive home thankfully. That evening I continued the routine of elevating and icing it.
My fashionable boot.
The next morning, I went to get x-rays and they sent me home with a CAM (Control Ankle Movement) boot. I was grateful I didn’t need surgery.
After a follow-up with the orthopedic doctor he concluded I had a bad contusion on my foot and ankle, with a possible hair-line fracture on my foot (not clearly shown on an x-ray) and I can proceed with all activities when I’m able and it’s comfortable. I’m grateful for that good news.
My favorite comment came from an acquaintance who asked me about my foot. She told me she’s had horses all her life and asked me not to hold this incident against the horse. I laughed, and said I won’t.
After my foot heals, I’ll go back to helping with chores. I love the animals and I like being out in the country and helping with farm chores.
Jones Street is touted to be the “prettiest street” in Savannah (in America, some say). We learned it was within walking distance of our hotel. The Crystal Beer Parlor, a recommended restaurant we wanted to try, was also on one end of Jones Street.
Cobblestone walk…
Jones Street
So late one afternoon we took off to walk along Jones Street, all the while the song “On the street where you live” from the movie My Fair Lady kept playing in my mind. That, too, was a pretty street, if I recall.
Quaint, antique looking light fixtures on front porches.
Live oaks on Jones Street.
Jones Street was lined with colorful row houses and beautiful architecture, attractive stairways, cobblestone sidewalks, inviting rod-iron gates to gaze into patio gardens, live oak trees with branches hanging over the sidewalks and streets, dripping with Spanish moss…it was very picturesque.
Lots of rod iron…
A peek into a patio garden….
Color…
We walked up and down Jones Street before going to eat at the Crystal Beer Parlor, another gem in Savannah. The beer parlor has history in Savannah. It originally was a corner grocery store. Then, during prohibition, it made moonshine in the cellar and became a “speakeasy”. When prohibition ended it became one of the first restaurants in Savannah to serve liquor, and has been doing so ever since, along with delicious food.
The Crystal Beer Parlor.
We had a wonderful time at the Crystal Beer Parlor. We had a fun and competent waiter, we split the night’s special of shrimp and grits, which was unbelievably tasty, and we shared a yummy peach cobbler for dessert.
It seemed apropos that we end our time in Savannah on the prettiest street and with a great dining experience.
A beautiful building, not a home, near Jones Street. Maybe apartments?
The morning of our second day in Savannah, Georgia, Gary and I were the only two people in line for a tour of the historic Davenport House.
The Davenport House.
The Davenport House was built in 1820 by Isaiah Davenport, and is a beautiful example of Federal-Style architecture. He built the house for his large family, but also to demonstrate and promote his carpentry skills.
I took this photo in the Davenport House because it reminded me of the canopy bed my dad made for me when I was a little girl.
Our docent was knowledgeable and happy to share information on the house and family with just the two of us.
A lovely staircase in the Davenport House.
We only toured this one historic house while in Savannah, although there are many others. I do enjoy touring houses.
The JW Marriott hotel in Savannah, Georgia.
After our tour, we told our docent that we were going to the Riverwalk next. It was a beautiful, sunny day. We asked her if there was anything in particular we should look for, and she suggested the lobby of the JW Marriott Hotel. She informed us the manager/owner of the JW was a collector and had some of his collections on display. But she didn’t tell us what the collections were.
“OK, thanks, we’ll look for it.” And so we did.
One, of several, geodes on display at the JW in Savanna.
The JW Marriott’s are luxury hotels. The JW Marriot in Savannah was built on the site of an old electric power plant. You could see part of the electric plant’s antique workings exposed on one wall. The modern hotel covers a lot of ground, using the space for conference rooms, ballrooms, restaurants, hotel rooms, etc.
A hanging light fixture made of amethyst in a conference room off the lobby.
It was difficult finding the right door. Of course, lobbies of hotels should be not hard to find, but we found we were coming from the opposite side of a very big complex. It took us several attempts, going through different doors, to find the lobby. But we persisted, and we were glad we did.
A perspective as to the size of the geode on display.
We found the collections the docent was talking about. Among other antique artifacts, there was a large collection of geodes…stunning geodes…from all over the world.
Another perspective showing the size of this amethyst, found in Brazil.
We enjoyed oohing and ahhing over the splendor and sizes of the geodes, all the while hearing a pianist in the background, playing a grand piano in the lobby of this luxury hotel.
An overview of the piano player and display cases in the lobby of the JW.
I’m so glad we found this display on the Riverwalk. We would have never gone inside this hotel if we had not asked a “local” for suggestions of things to see. We did not find this lobby listed in any tour guide book.
A citrine geode. The sign said this is one of the largest in existence and took years to prepare for display. It was found in Brazil.
A side view of the citrine geode…ordinary gray rock on the outside, surrounding stunning crystals on the inside.
We often do that… ask a local… and we find hidden treasures, in unexpected places.
Our first full day in Savannah we took off on a self-guided walking tour and were determined to walk to every “square” in Savannah’s historic district. There are 24 squares…a square is a large block of green-space in the middle of neighborhoods, all with trees, some with fountains or statues, benches or gardens.
Oglethorpe Square. James E. Oglethorpe was the founder of the Georgia colony, and a champion of the oppressed.
They are laid out very orderly and each one a few blocks from the other. After eight miles of walking, we accomplished our goal.
Another Square in Savannah.
We took a photo of each sign at each square. We’d stop to rest at times, read history plaques, drink a cup of coffee, enjoy a picnic lunch. It was a beautiful, sunny day and a nice temperature for walking. It gave us a great overview of the historic district in Savannah.
The John Mercer house. John Mercer was a popular figure from Savannah. He was an American lyricist, songwriter, and singer. He was also a record label executive who co-founded Capitol Records. His house was featured in the movie Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.
Warren Square sign with a lime green lizard (Green Anole).
In the afternoon we stopped for ice cream (of course!) at a wonderful little shop we walked past, and found it to be a long standing, well-known ice cream parlor, with wonderful treats.
A delicious Southern Socialite flavor at Leopold’s Ice Cream.
As we were waiting for the walk sign to change so we could cross the street to Leopold’s Ice Cream, I read a plaque on the building we were next to. It happened to be the old department store where, in 1960, black students led by the NAACP Council staged sit-ins at white-only lunch counters in eight downtown stores. Three students, were arrested in the Azalea Room at this Levy’s Department Store – now a SCAD’s (Savannah’s College of Art and Design) library. We didn’t remember sit-ins took place in Savannah. It was interesting to see the building where one took place.
The previous Levy Department Store, now a library for SCAD (Savannah College of Arts and Design).
We returned to our hotel, happy and exhausted. Each day I loved climbing the stairs to the second floor where our room was located. It was an older hotel and it had a lovely wooden staircase. Each time I climbed it I imagined myself in an old southern mansion. It added amusemnt to our stay.
