Minnesota – Valerie's Voice

All in the Family

We are moving one mile south of where we currently live. When we moved to Northfield in 1994, we moved into a house on the edge of town, with a cornfield in the backyard. The community grew and houses were built up all around us. Thirty years later we decided it was time to downsize and move into a smaller place. We are having a twin home built one mile south of us, and the backyard is the same cornfield view that was behind us 30 years ago. Only smaller.

So, moving into a smaller, one level space is exciting, but challenging. It is bittersweet to be leaving this beautiful green house on the corner, which I love. We have so many wonderful memories here. We were a happy family in this house. But now it’s time for a change, and to downsize.

In doing so there are many decisions to be made. It was easy to sell some stuff, donate some stuff, toss some stuff, but what about family heirlooms? Thankfully, family members wanted them. I cherish these items, but have no room for them in our new house. That they remain in the family brings me comfort!

My grandma’s desk: When my mother was given this wooden drop-front desk, she painted it. When she handed down the desk to me years later, I stripped off the paint and brought it back to its natural wood beauty (that was many years ago).

My grandmother’s china: My grandma’s beautiful, Noritake china set included more pieces than the average china set. The dishes were given to me by my beloved aunt because she knew I loved dishes. I thought of keeping part of the set, but when I knew it was to stay in the family, I gave it all away.

A military flag: The Department of Veterans Affairs provides a US flag to honor a deceased veteran’s military service. We framed this military flag that was given to my mother at my father’s funeral.

A cedar chest: My mother bought this cedar chest in 1947, the year she and my father were married. It cost $54.95 and included a 2-year moth insurance policy! Imagine that. It’s all recorded on papers inside the sweet-smelling chest.

A Norwegian painting: A 28”X38” print of the famous Bridal Procession on the Hardangerfjord is a framed print that my mother and father brought home from their trip to Norway in 1969. My mother had it hanging in her house for many years. It’s beautiful, but it’s large and we have no place for it.

A roasting pan: My mother made the best roast ever! Of course, when I asked for the recipe, she told me how she made it without any measurements. I tried to recreate it, but never got it right. So, when I brought her roasting pan home after her funeral, I thought roasting in that pan would be the secret…but it was not. My roast never did turn out the way hers did.

It would have been hard to part with these items, but it was much easier to keep them all in the family. I am grateful.

The Honor System

Since we have been downsizing, we have been selling our more useful items on Marketplace and Craig’s list. It has been interesting to see what sells and what doesn’t sell, and for how much it sells. Our experience has been positive. With smaller items we usually meet the buyer at a public parking lot in town, but for larger items people do have to come to our house. We always ask for cash.

Sometimes, if we can’t figure out a mutual meeting time I’ll take a chance and use the honor system. I tell folks I’ll leave the item outside our front door and they can pick it up. I tell them to leave the cash under the front mat. So far, it’s worked every time. And that makes me happy.

When one party asked if I’d send a small item through the mail, I decided to go with the honor system again. I packaged it for mailing, took it to the post office and sent it off. I let the person how much the shipping cost and she said she would send me the money for the item, plus shipping. She did send the cash. And she included a few extra dollars for my time. And that makes me happy.

I’ve come to the place where I am not too worried if someone doesn’t honor the honor system. My experience is most people are honest and I am willing to trust them. And that makes me happy.

Family Concert at St. Olaf

St. Olaf College’s annual family orchestra concert’s program is put together with children in mind, using fun and unusual antics.

The concert was held in St. Olaf’s beautiful Boe Chapel.

During the opening piece by Bach, Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme (Glory unto Thee be Given) the students played their instruments while walking up and down the aisles. That was different, and very engaging. I liked the idea.

Students playing their violins while walking the aisles.

And when I heard the very first notes of the concert I immediately was jolted to a place of enjoyment and contentment, and I said to myself, it’s been too long since I’ve had the pleasure of listening to this beautiful music. What a gift it is.

Louis & Dan and the Invisible Band, with the St. Olaf orchestra.

This year’s concert featured a guest appearance by Louis & Dan and the Invisible Band. Their catchy music and lyrics may work with an invisible band (as indicated in their name), but the St. Olaf orchestra was too loud for them and drowned out the two male vocal artists.

Dr. Chung Park, the St. Olaf orchestra conductor.

The traditional highlight of choosing a child conductor (this year three) from the audience is a favorite. Dr. Chung Park, the orchestra conductor, chose three kids from the audience who came forward to “try out” to be a conductor. As the students played Rossini’s famous William Tell Overture the three young kids started to conduct, however, Dr. Fang had to tell them to turn around and face the orchestra. It was comical.

The three young children conducting the William Tell Overture (facing the right direction.)

A segment called the “audience orchestra” was interesting. A student stood up front and turned to face the audience, and without words directed our hands and feet to make sounds/music. It was very well done…and during this time Dr. Fang went back stage and changed into a Lord of the Rings costume. He came out as Gandalf and conducted the final piece of the concert, “Symphonic Suite” from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

Gandalf conducting the St. Olaf orchestra.

This concert was a unique opportunity for the St. Olaf students to reach out to the children of the Northfield community. It was well attended, by the young, and the young-at-heart.

Desk Transformation

Over twenty years ago now…yikes…our oldest son was in college. At one point he moved out of the dorms into college apartments and he needed a desk. We went to the local big box store and picked out a desk that he and Gary assembled.

The best photo of my desk before I began to paint it. I forgot to take a “before” picture.

Who knew that when we bought that inexpensive desk so long ago, it would be with us today and be so functional. I have been using that desk for many years. It is a nice size. I’ve grown accustomed to it, and I like it. When I went looking for a new desk, I couldn’t find one quite like it, so I gave up looking and decided to transform the desk I had.

I used chalk paint, a product that has been around for a few years, and has good ratings. There are a lot of color choices too. I was hoping it would work as well as the reviews said. The only prep work is to clean the surface with a degreaser, let it dry, and paint it. And usually one coat works, it said in the instructions.

So I gave it the “old college try”…and it did work well, although I did have to put a second coat on the top. But I’m sure that is user error…I’m not the best painter in the world.

The color I chose is Silverado Sage. I like it.

I was happy with the results of this paint job. I was happy for the low-cost transformation and the easy process of painting the desk.

Color and Light, Morning to Night

This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.  
                                                                                                Psalm 118:24

7:03 am on 10/1/24… the moment of sunrise.

A couple hours later we trekked up Oberg Mountain and saw more beautiful colors of a different kind. Once again, I was grateful to be able to hike this trail, and was thankful to have the opportunity to do so.

10:15 am on 10/1/24…a view out to Lake Superior on the Oberg Trail.

10:30 am on 10/1/24… one of seven outlooks on the Oberg Trail.

And back at the cabin…the lovely, wispy clouds.

The sky was constantly changing, but the waves continue to roll in, year after year, reminding me of God’s faithfulness.

7:43 pm on 10/1/24… the cabin backlit by the early evening light.

8:30 pm on 10/1/24 …the end of our day, fire light on the rocks and a stunning display of stars overhead in the night sky.

Amen.

The Rice County Flea Market

While driving south into Faribault last week, I noticed a sign advertising a flea market for the upcoming Saturday. I mentioned to Gary that maybe we could host a stand at the flea market as a way to sell some of our stuff. We stopped in and found that a $20 donation to the History Center was all that was needed to reserve a spot. We thought we could recover our $20 and maybe make some money, while recycling our useable, but unwanted goods.

The flea market started in front parking lot of the historical society. We were in the back section.

So, we signed up and had two days to gather and mark our stuff. That worked out well… since we didn’t have weeks to think about it…just a day to gather, and a day to mark.

We didn’t know we would end up with an ideal spot for our tables. We were under a shade tree the whole time, from 8 am -2pm. We had a money belt, coffee, and donuts …we were settled in for an adventure.

We did sell our things at a good price…cheap. We did get rid of a lot of our stuff. It was fun to people watch, and we had a several good interactions with people.

There were some interesting characters…one guy admitted to buying our stuff for cheap and told us he will sell it for a profit next spring! Good for him.

Enjoying the people watching, and interactions.

One guy was enthralled with an unusual buoy off a fishing net that my mother brought back from Norway in 1969. He said he’s never seen anything like it, and he bought it.

I printed up a story for the glass canister I had for sale. After an older woman from my church passed away years ago, her son gave me her one remaining painted-glass canister jar, which he knew I liked. She had told me she wanted metal canisters when she set up housekeeping in the 1940’s, but because of the war she had to settle for glass. A customer at the flee market saw that story and said she had to have the canister.

The Rice County Historical Society’s old church and school in the background.

It made me feel good that some of our items were really appreciated, and going to good homes.

This new adventure for us, selling our wares at a flea market, was fun. We hope to do it again sometime.

A New Day

This morning I went for a walk with a friend in Carleton’s lower arb. As we walked near the river, an eagle flew out of a tree in front of us and flew across the river to the other side. It was amazing to see it up close…the wing span was large.

The eagle flew from one side of the river to the other

I thought of the verse in Isaiah 40:31 “…but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

It was a majestic sight and a wonderful reminder that as I am hoping in the Lord these days, He will renew my strength.

And…my friend surprised me with a bunch of beautiful radishes.

What a way to start the day.

Up North

Northern Minnesota is a special place.

A sunrise over Daggett Lake, August 2024

While driving up north you leave the busyness of the city and daily routines behind, and life slows down. The scattered lakes among evergreen trees, blue skies, fresh air, loon calls and the full, super moon reflecting on the water…

Morning has broken…offering an easy, peaceful feeling.

…all its natural beauty reenergizes and restores…and it feels a little closer to heaven.

So, when I saw a coaster with the saying “Heaven feels a little closer at the lake” I immediately purchased it for my friend. Every year she invites me to her cabin on Daggett Lake, near Crosslake, Minnesota, and every year it does seem we are a little closer to heaven while we are there.

And so it was again, this past week, up at the lake.

Unusual Sightings

There were several sheep along the shore of the lake on Carleton College campus.

While walking at Carleton College I saw about twenty-four sheep penned in along the lakeshore. I have seen goats there, knowing they “rent them” to eat all the unwanted brush. I assume sheep do the same thing, but I had not heard of that before.

A few days later we were up with our grandchildren and as we walked out the front door our grandson spotted this beautiful dragonfly clinging to the stucco of the house. It looked like its body was made of green glass marbles. It was glistening.

The largest of several frogs in the pond.

And while walking around Pond Number Two near our house, we noticed several frogs. Frogs are a good thing to have in our ponds. We counted at least a dozen, and then spotted this large bullfrog! He was maybe 6-8 inches long…a whopper!.

Lakewood Memorial Chapel

It never ceases to amaze me…the chapel at Lakewood Cemetery, on Lake Bde Maka Ska (previously Lake Calhoun). My paternal grandparents, and a beloved aunt, are buried in this picturesque cemetery. That is how I discovered the chapel. I didn’t know about it before I went to the cemetery to see the family graves. Since my discovery, I do visit the chapel occasionally, and often bring friends or out-of-town guests there, if they have not seen the stunning chapel.

The cemetery itself seems like an extra special place. Two Hundred and Fifty acres of mature trees, lush grass, and rolling hills with magnificent tombstones and monuments. I learned on my last visit, the grounds of the cemetery are an accredited arboretum. I would assume my grandparents chose to lie in rest at this cemetery because of its beauty and proximity to a city lake. I know my grandmother loved the water, as do I. And as did Auntie Ag.

The Memorial Chapel was completed in 1910. It is the centerpiece of the cemetery. It is on the National Register of Historic Places, and it is a work of art; an excellent example of Byzantine mosaic art. I’m not sure why more attention isn’t given to this edifice. It is said, if this chapel were in Europe, thousands would visit it.

“The dome is 40 feet high and ringed with 24 stained glass windows, set in copper and serves as a sundial. Twelve angels adorn the door, relating to the Old Testament’s 12 sons of Jacob, 12 tribes of Israel, 12 gates to the Holy City and the 12 disciples of Christ in the New Testament.” There is a lot of symbolism within the artwork, explained in the brochure.

A zoomed-in image of one of twelve angels in the dome…all small mosaic tiles.

The chapel at Lakewood Cemetery is open to the public daily, when not reserved for special events, such as weddings or funerals. When we were there with our son and his family recently, there was a sound check going on so it was closed to the public, however a woman came over to us and said if we kept silent, she would open the doors so we could peak into the chapel to see the magnificent dome, its amazing walls, and its beautiful mosaic.

From the brochure:

"In 1906, Lakewood’s trustees formed a committee to guide the chapel development and solicit design concepts from leading architects.

In 1908 the Lakewood Building committee hired Harry Wild Jones, a prominent Minneapolis architect.

In 1909 the Lakewood Board of Trustees commissioned New York interior designer Charles Lamb to design the interior. He suggested a Byzantine mosaic design based on the interior of the San Marco Cathedral in Venice.

Lamb traveled to Rome to enlist six of Italy’s most accomplished mosaic artists, who had just completed a project at the Vatican. In Venice they created more than 10 million mosaic pieces, from marble, stone and glass fused with gold and silver [for the Lakewood Memorial Chapel].

The tiles, no larger than a fingernail, were attached to gummed cloth and shipped to Minneapolis. The artist themselves arrived in the summer of 1909 and painstakingly assembled the masterpiece inside the chapel."

The chapel was completed in 1910.

“The alcove at the front of the chapel is lined with entwined mosaic olive trees, whose fruit is known for healing properties.”

Today the chapel stands virtually unchanged in appearance from the day it was completed.

One of four large mosaic figures that represent the virtues of Love, Hope, Memory and Faith. They adorn the side walls below the dome. This particular figure is “Hope”.

If I lived close to this impressive – dazzling – spectacular chapel, I’m confident I would find myself visiting more frequently, just sitting inside and being still.

Copper doors and mosaic tiles and lots of detail are in this architectural masterpiece.

Be still and know that I am God.  
Psalm 46:10