Valerie's Voice – Page 39 – Musings on Life

Dane County Farmer’s Market

Madison Wisconsin’s Dane County hosts a large farmer’s market every summer. Vendors set up on the edge of the tree-lined sidewalks along the circumference of the Wisconsin’s State Capitol building, known as “the Square.” Its wide sidewalks accommodate the many shoppers that support this great farmer’s market.

Online descriptions of the market: “All of the items for sale are grown, raised, and produced in Wisconsin by the person behind the stand.”, and “As a producer-only farmers’ market, our vendors are limited by their production and harvest yields. This means that they may sell out before the (posted time) close of Market.”

The capital building is a beautiful setting for this market. In 2021, the market opened on June 17^th and runs through November 13th. My friend from Indiana and I met for a couple of days in Madison, and we happened to be there on a Saturday, so we took advantage of exploring this bountiful market.

On our first walk around, we decided just look and consider all that was for sale: local honey, yummy looking baked goods, fresh harvested vegetables, beautiful flowers and flower bouquets, many flavors of jams and jellies and a wide variety of cheeses. We thought on our second time around we would purchase what we had decided to buy.

Gorgeous bouquets of flowers for sale. photo by FR.

One special treat we had decided on was a savory danish, but much to our dismay and surprise, when we got back to the stand, she had sold out all the savory treats. Lesson learned. However, we did buy other bakery items and some fresh carrots, including purple carrots. In place of the savory danish, we bought a cashew croissant.

The Dane County farmer’s market, on The Square, in Madison, Wisconsin.

The most unique item we bought was homemade graham crackers. I have never seen homemade graham crackers before, and was intrigued. It reminded me of homemade marshmallows I made years ago, after a friend gave me her homemade marshmallows along with a gift of hot chocolate mix. Another friend and I decided to try making marshmallows and they turned out well. But, I’m not so sure about making graham crackers. They seem to need extra special care. If I lived in the Madison area I would go back and buy more homemade graham crackers. They were delicious.

The Madison skyline from the shores of Lake Monona.

We wanted to sit outside on the capitol steps with coffee and watch all the shoppers and browsers pass by, but the three coffee shops near the Square had extra-long lines so we decided to take our tasty treats and find coffee nearby Lake Monona. We found a comfortable spot outside to enjoy our coffee and treats with a beautiful view of the Madison skyline along the water’s edge on this glorious fall, but summer-like, day. It was a great way to end our time together, our mini get-away, before each driving our separate ways back home: me to Minnesota and she to Indiana.

Old Frontenac

Glorious fall days…blue skies, sunshine and colorful landscapes… continue to linger on and on. We like to take advantage of them…so not much gets done on the home-front…but those things will wait…we have winter ahead of us.

We headed east in the morning towards Frontenac State park, through beautiful farm country. Along the way, close to the fence, were the unique Dutch Belted cows laying in a field, soaking up the sun. What a pretty sight. I discovered these striking and unusual looking cows (and special breed), on a farm along County Road 9 a few years ago. I look for them whenever we pass their way. When I got out to take a photo, the girls became alarmed and most stood up…I was sorry to disturb them. They were all laying down again as we passed them on our way home several hours later.

Overlooking the Mississippi River from Frontenac State Park.

We continued to the state park and drove up to the Mississippi River overlook in the park. The river was lovely and calm. We hiked along the river for a while,

then we found the recently acquired section of the park and hiked hilly trails. The fall temperatures were climbing and we soon shed our jackets.

A newly acquired section to Frontenac State Park.

After hiking, we wanted to find a place near the water to eat our picnic lunch. We found a beach and boat landing in Old Frontenac, with a picnic table close to the water’s edge.

Perfect. We sat on one side overlooking the river and saw a couple of eagles, lots of gulls and swans, and a few boats. The water was calm and the sun was bright and I wanted to stay there all afternoon, but we had more to explore.

A beautiful mansion overlooking the Mississippi River in Old Frontenac.

An old stone fence surrounding the mansion.

A few years ago, when we camped at Frontenac State Park, we drove through Old Frontenac near-by. It’s a small village along the river….no stores, only unique houses on packed, dirt roads, an old cemetery, and a church.

One of several gated sections in the Frontenac Cemetery, established in 1867.

I have always wanted to walk through this town, or ride a bike, since you can see more than from a car. So we brought our bikes to ride through this quiet town, off the beaten trail. It was fun to ride around and look at unique houses…no cookie cutter houses here. And, riding through the old cemetery garnered thoughts of spooky stories, so close to Halloween.

Halloween decorations on a front porch in Old Frontenac.

Later that afternoon, as we drove back home into Northfield, we commented on how our town was still the most colorful place of all…with a lot of maples still full of red leaves hanging on.

Our neighbor’s tree outside our bedroom window.

An Assignment

I’ve posted some short essays from my writing sessions before. I’m amazed where writing prompts lead, and I’m often surprised. For this assignment, the question was: “What object in your home have you been surprised to love more and more over the years?”

It took a little while before something shimmered to the top for me. And then it did. It is a photo of my two boys running through a farm field when they were younger. I had to look up date the photo was taken. It was 1988, and the boys would have been 6 and 4. I framed this photo back then, and have had it hanging in my house since. A few years ago, I went up to St. Olaf’s print center and had another color copy (8”x10”) made of the original because the first picture I had in the frame started to fade over the years.

I have the photo hanging in a hallway and I see it often. To me it represents some of the best years of my life, when my two wonderful young sons were little boys, healthy and happy, and growing and loving. I’m nostalgic for those times, those hugs, those gone-by-too-fast days when we were all together. I’m so thankful for the memories we made together as a family, and for photos I have of those times.

This picture was taken on the family farm in Pennsylvania. The boys are full of energy, runny and healthy, carefree, and so happy together. I think that best describes their childhood.

The photo is precious and makes me smile, time after time, and has become a treasured belonging in my home.

How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity. Psalm 133:1 (NASB)

Queen Esther

“For such a time as this” is, to me, the mantra of the book of Esther, in the Bible. The phrase means we are in this moment, at this time, for a reason…for such a time as this. I have stated this phrase several times over the years, in different situations.

I was excited to have the opportunity to go see the play Queen Esther at the magnificent Sight & Sound Theater, near Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

In front of the Sight & Sound Theatre in Pennsylvania,.

This theater performs Biblical plays in an amazing venue using extensive set designs and costumes, and professional actors/actresses, with wonderful music and singing. We always plan to attend a production at this 2,000 seat theater when we visit Pennsylvania. They opened another theatre in Branson, Missouri in 2008, and we have seen a few productions there also.

The theater was started by Glen Esheleman, a former member of the church where Gary grew up in Lancaster County. He initially started out by showing nature photographs set to beautiful music in a surround-sound setting. I remember going to one of these first productions called, The Living Waters, back in the 70’s. The theater is still in the family, and has grown into the successful and grand venue it is today.

Although Glen has retired, his family is still involved in the theater.

We enjoyed the tale of Queen Esther, along with our brother and sister-in law, and our friends from New Hampshire. It lived up to the theater’s reputation…a grand production of one story from the Bible. Afterwards, we went out for dinner at a small Amish-run diner for a delicious meal. It was a delightful afternoon/evening.

Confused Crocuses?

As I was on a walk this week I noticed something out of the ordinary…

beautiful, blooming purple crocuses. It was a surprise to see, what I thought were, confused crocuses because they were blooming in the fall.

After taking a picture of theses perky blooms, I looked on Google and learned there are some crocuses that do bloom in the fall…only they have no leaves.

Autumn blooming crocuses with no leaves.

This was a pleasant sight to see while walking on a beautiful, unusually warm, fall day.

A Polo Match

The area we visit in Pennsylvania has a lot of dairy farms, therefore we see a lot of cows grazing in the meadows. We see horses pulling buggies, but not many in the fields, so I was surprised to see a sign posted along the road stating, “Polo Match Today 2:30 pm” with an arrow showing which direction to go. I said out loud, “I want to go to that”. When I told the others, we all (4 of us) decided to go to watch the polo match that Saturday afternoon.

Daryl (Gary’s brother) and Gary knew about “Forney Field” where the polo match was to be held. The land was donated by their great uncle…their grandmother’s brother, Benjamin Forney. Since the game of polo is usually played on Sunday afternoons, Ben Forney was considered a “black sheep” of the family for promoting the sport (Sunday is a day of rest). It was fun to learn a little about Ben and know the polo club he started back in the 1930’s is still going strong today.

We arrived at “Forney Field” and my brother-in-law mentioned we were family so they let us in for free. We sat in the general admission section, at a front row table under a tent. It was great viewing.

The announcer was nearby so Gary and Daryl went to talk with him and he was interested to hear a bit more about Ben Forney. Then he announced to the audience that the nephews of Ben Forney were in the audience. It was quite comical, but we had a lot of fun.

We learned a little about the game too, from the announcer who was an ex-polo player and enthusiastic promoter of the sport. He filled us in on a few details of the game…like the time periods are called “chukkers” and the team’s goal post changes after each score, to allow fairness with wind and sun distractions.

We were watching a tournament game. All the payers in this game were women, ages 13-47. The players are amazing to watch…galloping with the horses while reins in one hand and a long handled, mallet in the other, trying to hit the “ball”. There are four players on each team.

We had been to a polo match in Minnesota, years and years ago, and I have always wanted to go watch the majestic game again. Never did I think I would go to one in Pennsylvania, a couple miles from my brother-in-law’s house.

The horses after the game, behind the scenes.

Autumn

Warm, autumn days in southern Minnesota have lingered longer than normal it seems, and we continue to enjoy the sunny days outside. We are grateful for them!

Part of the Spring Lake Park to Hastings trail.

Over the weekend Gary and I biked on another “new-to-us” trail…we went over the Mississippi River and through the woods, along the river to Prescott, Wisconsin.

The bridge over the river, includes a pedestrian/bike lane.

It is a paved trail. We started in Spring Lake Park in Hastings, Minnesota, a lovely park on a bluff, with a great overlooks of the mighty Mississippi River.

We rode from Schaar’s Bluff, down, down, down into Hastings. We have riden our bikes on this part of the trail before. It’s a fun ride. Next we rode across the beautiful bridge over the Mississippi River in Hastings.

From the middle of the bridge, looking south to the railroad bridge.

We crossed the bridge using the pedestrian/bike lane on the east side of the busy traffic lanes. It was exciting to be on our bikes looking over the railing to the wide river. Once across the bridge we continued riding into Prescott, Wisconsin, on an established bike/walking trail that follows the river, and goes through the woods.

It was a awesome, autumn day…blue sky and cool crisp air. When we arrived near Prescott, we rested along the river and watched the river traffic.

A while later we turned around, rode back to Hastings and then went up, up, up to Schaar’s Bluff. We saw a great blue heron, an eagle, three white swans, many ducks and geese…and lots of people. Many folks were out enjoying the last few days of this unusually, warm weather in Minnesota.

There were some beautiful fall colors in different places. I was reminded of a saying I read on a sign I saw in Pennsylvania this month…

“Autumn shows us how beautiful change can be.”

Boot’s & Lu’s

A new coffee shop opened up in the very small town of Nerstrand, Minnesota.

We watched it take shape over several months, anxiously awaiting its opening. It finally opened on October 6th. We were out of town, but we went there soon after we got back into town.

A planter of tea cups…a clever, front entrance decoration.

The coffee/sandwich/ice cream shop is nicely decorated and full of natural light. A hall connects the coffee shop to the well-established Nerstrand Meats and Catering.

We opted for ice cream when we stopped to check it out.

A counter and tables and chairs for dining pleasure.

Amy was friendly and said business was good so far. I forgot to ask her where the name “Boots & Lu’s” came from.

We will go back. We are rooting for its success!

Lancaster County

Lancaster County Pennsylvania is a unique spot in the US. My husband grew up on a small dairy farm in the rolling hills of this southeastern county of Pennsylvania, surrounded by more small dairy farms. It is very picturesque. There are a lot of Amish, Mennonites and Brethren that have farms and businesses and add to the uniqueness of this county in Pennsylvania.

Beautiful small (and large) farm markets are everywhere and we saw teams of mules in the fields, and horse and buggy’s on the streets. There are covered bridges, immaculate gardens, and narrow roads. And many, many beautiful old buildings and barns and houses.

Erb’s historic covered bridge (1887), on the backroads of Lancaster Co., PA.

One of the many farmer’s markets we saw on our drives.

A hard way of doing farm work, but looks charming.

On Sunday the family gathered at Gary’s sister’s farm. It was fun to be together and visit with one another (and I love all food at a potluck). Gary’s sister and her husband are dairy farmers, and they live in the house her husband grew up in. It is a lovely, old limestone house, well maintained, and the engraved wall plaque dates it to 1788.

Wall plate imbedded into the limestone wall…1788.

Each time we visit Pennsylvania we go see the farm where my husband grew up. A Mennonite family bought it thirty years ago. They have electricity, but are not allowed to drive cars…so they get around with the horse and buggy.

They are kind folks, and always welcome us into their home and invite us to look at all the changes they’ve made around the farm. They have a modern milking parlor, but do not make use of the data collection feature because they do not have a computer.

A previous photo of Gary’s childhood farm. photo by gb

Another farm we visited this year was a farm that had four generations of Bollinger’s living on it, from 1855 to 1998. The farm house and buildings were bought by a local man who restored the home and barn to its original appearance, and it is stunning.

The restored barn that once was owned by four generations of the Bollinger family. We know the barn was built prior to 1830.

It was wonderful to see all he had done. For example, the brick house had been painted with three layers of white paint and it was stripped to the original brick, and repointed (grout redone).

The beautifully, restored house next to a creek.

Another example is the inside of the barn. It was refurbished and they added a restroom and have family gatherings and church events in it. We are grateful he and his wife are enjoying this historic place, and at times with their 41 grandchildren!

Inside the old, restored barn…a wonderful event space for the family,.

Repainted barn door with original, iron hardware.

The barn is also re-landscaped on the outside.

There is so much history in the area. Gary likes researching his genealogy, and has traced his roots back to Rudolph Bollinger who arrived in Pennsylvania from Switzerland around 1720.

Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery, founded in 1861, is the first commercial pretzel bakery in America, in Lititz, PA.

The Lititz Inn and Spa, built in 1764, an historic inn in Lititz, PA.

An old church near Linden Hall, an all girl’s school, founded in 1746, in Lititz, PA.

We enjoyed seeing friends who drove down from New Hampshire and joined us for a couple of days. It was fun showing them around.

It’s always proper to eat some local fare when visiting this area, such as shoo-fly pie, tomato pie, and lots and lots of ice cream from the local dairies. Not too hard to do!

Another restored door on the old Bollinger barn.

50th Class Reunions

We’ve been busy traveling the last few weeks…to the north shore and then to Pennsylvania. My husband grew up in Pennsylvania and it’s always fun to go to visit. Our last visit was in 2018 to attend a nephew’s wedding.

This year the big draw was his 50^th high school class reunion…actually his 50+1 since it was scheduled for last year (class of 1970) but was canceled due to the pandemic. It was rescheduled for October 2, near Ephrata, PA. He graduated from Ephrata High School – EHS.

My 1971 high school class reunion was scheduled for October 9, 2021 so we made sure we were back to Minnesota in time to attend my reunion. I graduated from Edison High School – EHS.

We were both reluctant to sign up for our reunions. It was the first time attending a high school reunion for both of us. As we looked at our year books we both had trouble remembering the many folks we knew so well fifty years ago. We both wondered why we were going. But we both followed through, and were glad we went.

Ephrata High School 1970 classmates at the 50th reunion.

Gary’s class was about 220 and 46 had died. He had about 60 classmates come to the reunion.

Someone from Gary’s class put together a nice display of all those who had passed away from the class of 1970.

Ephrata’s event went well…a good social hour and dinner, and then a two-piece band that played oldies from those high school years. People were dancing …including us (for a couple of songs). Unfortunately, there were no nametags at his reunion…I did not understand that decision!

My nametag. Nametags helped a lot when greeting people.

My class was about 480 and 60 had died. There were about 120 classmates that came to my reunion. The nametags for our event featured our senior class picture.

This was a display with the names and photos of the classmates who have passed away from Edison’s High School class of 1971.

The Edison class reunion also had a nice social hour and a good dinner. The alumni marching band marched in and played a few tunes. There was a short program, and there was a roll call; we stood up when our name was called. I appreciated that – it was a good way to know who was in attendance.

The Edison High School Alumni Marching Band.

The funniest thing for me was we were reminded of “Weiner Winks” a food we had in the lunch line back in the day. It was a hotdog wrapped in bread and cheese and baked in the oven.

I reconnected with several people and was surprised how many I knew (after looking at their nametag!)

There was a DJ (a classmate) playing oldies and taking requests, and some people danced.

There was a raffle…I bought one ticket, and won a beautiful hand-made travel bag.

Both of us commented on how the folks at the reunions looked old…as do we. HA!

I had decided if ever I was going to attend a reunion the 50th would be the one…I’m glad I did. I learned this will be the last organized reunion of my class.

I am reminded of a quote by Walt Whitman that seems applicable to our reunion stories….“We were together. I forget the rest.”

A small group of some classmates together, all through Kindergarten to 12th grade.

We were both glad we showed up at our reunions, and we were together again with folks who were once a big part of our lives. We’ll forget the rest.