When we moved from our house of 30 years into a one-level (no basement) twin home we had to downsize. It was a good exercise, but it’s hard to do unless you are actually going to move. You need to ask yourself about everything you own, “Do I really want to move this item?” When we came to our old sled we decided “Yes, we would take it with us. We do use it occasionally, for sledding with the grandkids, or pulling our winter picnic supplies.”
When our grandkids came down a couple weeks ago, we decided it would be a great day to go sledding. We went to out to the garage to get our sled, but couldn’t find it. “It must be hidden behind storage boxes on the high shelf in the garage.”
Since we were all excited to take on this sledding adventure, I was happy I remembered seeing a Little Free Sled Library at the hill where we were going to go. The sled library works like Little Free (book) Libraries. You borrow one or two sleds and put them back when you are done using them, for the next person who may need a sled.
We bundled up and crawled into the car and went to check out the Little Free Sled Library in hopes there were some sleds available. I was grateful when I saw there were three of them in the box for us to use. An added benefit was we had the hill to ourselves. We had a lot of fun sledding down the hill…even this old grandma went down a few times (the hardest part is getting back up the hill!)
I’m delighted the Little Free Sled Library has been set up here in Northfield…Isn’t this what community is all about? Sharing our resources? I’m so happy others shared their sleds for us to use this day so we could create memories with our grandchildren.
My heritage is Norwegian, and I’m proud of it. 😉 I have relatives in Norway that I know personally. We’ve been together multiple times over the years, either us in Norway or them in Minnesota. We enjoy each other, and our common ancestry.
The train passes through a section of the gingerbread village.
That said, I have never been to the Norway House, a Norwegian cultural center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was remodeled in 2014. At that time they started a tradition that has its roots in Bergen, Norway; a beautiful Gingerbread Wonderland.
A large gingerbread barn with nice detail.
Using shredded wheat for the horses feed and hay bales was a clever idea.
I heard about Gingerbread Wonderland for the first time this Christmas season, 2025, so we went to the Norway House to check it out. There were creations of all kinds on display and open to the public, for a small entrance fee. We hesitantly paid and entered. Was it worth it?
A Victorian house.
Clever snowshoes, syrup buckets, campfires and a camper.
Another clever camp chair design.
It felt like we were entering a fairyland. Some constructions were elaborate, and others not so much, but all were fun and amazing to see!
A torvtak, which translates to “turf roof” or “sod roof” hut.
It was interesting to see all the food items people thought up to use for the creations. My understanding is that all things gingerbread has to be edible.
A McDonalds??? Not too Norwegian!
At the beginning of the line they handed out a Treasure Hunt game, a sheet listing individual items to look for among the vast exhibit. It was a clever way to get people to look more closely at each design.
I like “the sweet tooth express train that stops at candy stores and grandma’s house.”
In the end you were rewarded with a candy cane if you found all the items. We did (with one hint).
Putting together the gingerbread manger scene in 2023.
I have always enjoyed creating gingerbread houses with our kids when they were little. We made gingerbread houses, and a gingerbread manger scene, usually every year when they were growing up. We were able to make houses and a manger with our grandchildren once or twice, and loved doing it. But, I never knew this gingerbread decorating was in my “genes”. HA
Our own creation, 2022.
My second cousin’s wife, in Norway, has sent me photos of gingerbread creations she and her daughter have made…
Eiffel Tower made by Kari and her daughter, in 2020.
Their creations are not your ordinary, simple gingerbread houses. They are works of art.
Arc De Triomphe (France) made by Kari and her daughter Lisa, in 2024.
Both the Norway House and the designs of my cousin are wonderful pieces of art.
A carousel.
One of my favorites; a stone house.
The two model trains were a fun size.
There were two model trains running on tracks throughout the village. That added a special touch. It was fun to watch them wind around, in and out of tunnels.
Bird houses.
Twelve Days of Christmas Castle.
An arctic bar.
It was a delightful display enjoyed by both children and adults. And definitely worth the entrance fee.
Home sweet home, with a red truck in the driveway.
It was a crisp, sunny morning, a few days before Christmas. We took off with friends for a drive in the country, to a small town destination. Our first stop was a Mennonite bakery where we bought some tasty treats. Our next stop was a restored train depot. We ordered breakfast and sat down at a table near the gift shop area. This space was between the room with the order counter and a larger room with bigger tables. Soon after we sat down, women started filing into the larger room, heading to a Christmas party. We surmised this, because each one carried a wrapped gift.
I have always enjoyed wrapped gifts. Gift bags are great…they are practical, reusable, bio- friendly and beautiful, and I use them a lot, but a perfectly wrapped gift in splendid paper all tied up with a ribbon is special!
Wrapped gifts were mostly what we saw as women paraded into the big room.
Then one woman came through with a gift bag. Gary called out in jest, “oh, you shouldn’t have”…and she immediately pulled out a shiny, red apple from her bag and set it in front of him and said “Merry Christmas”.
It was delightful. We thanked her, and appreciated her spontaneity.
One single apple conveyed a lot of Christmas Spirit.
*Forgive me if this comes to your email twice. I tried publishing this at 6:30 am but it hasn’t gone through so I recreated the post and am trying it again.*
Continuing a photo journal of our adventures from week two, visiting family, in Arlington, Virginia (showing one to three…photos a day).
The impressive nave and chancel of the National Cathedral. It filled up for the advent service.
Sunday, November 30, was the first Sunday of Advent, and it was a special one. We went to an advent service in the Washington National Cathedral.
Heavenly voice and Bible readings filled the spectacular cathedral, and made for a memorable event.
Zoey and I made banana bread on Sunday.
Gary and I decided to take an overnight trip up to Pennsylvania to visit Gary’s family. His hometown is only about three hours away from where we were staying in Virginia, so we got up early Monday morning and drove to Pennsylvania for an over night visit.
One perspective of the farm where Gary grew up, in Pennsylvania.
We stopped at his younger sister’s farm for a visit. Then, we drove to the farm where Gary grew up. The friendly Mennonite folks who live there invited us in for a chat. They are lovely people.
Another perspective of the farm…this is the field where one of my favorite pictures was taken of our two young boys running in the field.
Later that evening, a lot of family members joined us for a dinner out, even though it was last minute.
An impromptu family gathering.
We decided to drive back Tuesday morning, forgoing another farm visit to Gary’s other sister’s farm, simply because it was snowing and slick driving conditions. But we were grateful to be able to take this time to reconnect…our short stay was very enjoyable.
On Wednesday we ran errands and did some laundry and just hung out. Zoey and I made enchiladas for dinner.
We were ready again on Thursday to take the Metro into the city. The Metro is such a great system. We stopped at the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial, honoring the 34th U.S. President, on our way to the United States Botanic Garden.
The Lincoln Memorial model made of plant parts.
There was plenty to see indoors with special December exhibits: models of DC landmarks made from plant parts, and thousands of poinsettias were placed in groups all around the gardens.
A lovely display of pink/white poinsettias…I don’t think I’ve seen this sweet color of poinsettias before.
Next, we walked to the White House to check out the new ballroom construction, but we couldn’t see a thing.
The closest we got to the White House.
After school the kids helped us count the miscellaneous coins the family had accumulated over the year. The bank said the coins had to be counted and put in wrappers. It turned out to be a fun project…and profitable.
Fun looking at and counting all the coins, and finding several foreign coins in the mix.
We went up to the rooftop to observe December’s full moon, Thursday December 4.
December 4, 2025
Lunch on Friday was in DuPont Circle. We met friends who were former neighbors in Northfield for many years. They moved to the DC area a few years ago.
We had a lovely lunch with our friends from Minnesota.
We arranged to meet at a restaurant along the Metro line so both parties could just hop on the Metro. We had a great time. As we walked back to the Metro station we stopped at a pop-up Christmas Market which was fun to peruse. There was leftover dusting of snow on trees and roses… it felt “Christmassy.”
Still swinging on the playground. The previous dusting of snow melted.
Zoey had Portuguese lessons again on Saturday. We went on another pleasurable walk with Ezra. Mid-afternoon we walked to a park near their apartment. The kids still enjoy play grounds. We stopped for an ice cream cone on the way home. It’s never too cold for ice cream.
Morning sunrise at 6:36 am on November 2, 2025 in Northfield.
It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to the Most High. It is good to proclaim His unfailing love in the morning, His faithfulness in the evening...
Psalm 92:1-2
Runaway wild turkey on the streets of Minneapolis…November 8, 2025
Evening sunset at 6:05 pm on October 30, 2025 in Northfield.
Charles Dicken’s “The Christmas Carol”, is one of my favorite stories. Over the years I have gone to many different live performances, watched a video annually, and collected books with this title. A fun fact: ““The Christmas Carol” has never been out of print since its first publication in 1843.”
“The Christmas Carol” is truly a transformation story. Sometimes I need a reminder to be of good cheer and be generous with my time and money.
The program for “The Sherlock Carol”, where I used the quotes for this blog.
I have seen the traditional play many times. I have seen the play which incorporates the gospel message in the production “The Gospel According to Scrooge” (although the original already has a good news message). And now I’ve seen the play with twists and turns in “The Sherlock Carol”, a melding of two Christmas stories…”The Christmas Carol” written by Charles Dickens and “The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle” written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It’s billed as a “fun holiday mystery” as the play blends aspects of both stories together in surprising ways. “A merry & mysterious mash-up” for sure! The writer was so creative and clever to combine these two stories. It is well written.
A very busy stage. Different stage settings were made by adjusting a table and shifting the lights.
Commonweal Theatre is in the small town of Lanesoboro, Minnesota. The theatre is starting its 37th year of providing the community with amazing productions on stage. And they are all professional actors (this is not community theatre…although I think community theatre is wonderful too!)
“The Sherlock Carol’s” main characters are, of course, Mr. Scrooge and Sherlock Holmes. The remaining four actors (total of six actors in the play) are acting out the remaining 22 characters in the show! And they do an excellent job accomplishing that feat. It is witty, and funny, and very entertaining.
The stage of Commonweal Theatre, with patrons filling up the seats.
Theatre capacity was filled on this third performance, with many more performances scheduled through December. The stage was full of props, yet it jumps from different locations by “shifting the lights and adjusting a single piece of furniture”. Another feat accomplished well.
Although Lanesboro is a rather long drive from Northfield, stopping for breakfast on the way down and for a lite supper on the way home and seeing an excellent play in-between, made for a delightful day.
It’s “elementary (my dear Watson)” to highly recommend this uplifting production of “The Sherlock Carol”.
Tuesday, November 11, 2025 (Ford Street, Northfield)
It’s not often one gets to see the northern lights, especially in town, and in southern Minnesota, but the last two nights there were wonderful displays right outside our front door. A neighbor sent a photo in a text alerting me to check out the spectacular show on Tuesday evening.
Tuesday, November 11, 2025 (Ford Street, Northfield)
I have seen the northern lights a couple times in my life. Once with the naked eye from a parking lot at our church. That was many years ago – at that time I did not have an ever-ready camera (cell phone) to look at them through the lens that illuminates them. I remember faintly seeing green streaks in the northern sky.
May 2024, outside Northfield.
However, in May 2024, having heard on the news the northern lights may be visible, I drove a mile out-of-town to watch for them. There were several of us folks who had driven away from the city lights to look for them. There was excitement in the air as we did witness a spectacular light show.
May 2024, outside Northfield.
In May 2024 the colors were purple and green, with some yellow and red.
Tuesday, November 11, 2025 (Ford Street, Northfield)
Tuesday night the colors were dramatic reds and greens…(maybe because Christmas is coming? HA)
Wednesday, 11/12/25 Ford Street, Northfield.
We didn’t see as much activity on Wednesday night…at least the times when we checked, but we did catch on fabulous green streak with purple hues.
What an awesome, glorious, “free event”, put on by the Father of Lights.
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17
I had a short time between appointments last week, so I decided to tuck into a gift shop in downtown Northfield. There were fall items on sale, but a large part of the store was already decked out for Christmas. I wasn’t planning to buy anything.
A 5″ x 6″ Wooden Plaque: Primitives by Kathy ~ Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
But, the moment I saw this painting on a wooden block, I knew I wanted it. It was a totally impromptu purchase, which I rarely do, but I loved the image and the joy it brought to me. Maybe it’s because I had been out to helping on the farm earlier this week; feeding two horses, two donkeys, two goats, two Nigerian Dwarf goats, two sheep (they’re new), eight chickens and four cats. I have grown fond of these beautiful creatures.
Most of the farm animals I work with are represented on this picture plaque. The horse, donkey, sheep, goats, and rooster are so familiar to me. The picture made me feel happy and joyful, and worshipful even. I loved to see the animals gathered around the manger, worshiping baby Jesus. Although it is a Christmas scene, I plan to keep it up all year long.
And on that a farm…ee-i-ee-i-o
Later that same day I was driving to an art exhibit and passed a farm. “And on that farm” was a row of sheep that caught my attention. Several sheep were all lined up along a long wooden fence, with their heads hanging through the first horizontal rail. All their heads were lowered…they looked to be eating something off the ground. And then I noticed one, big brown (black?) sheep (or possibly a goat) facing the others – outside the fence. The whole scene made me smile and I turned the car around to go back and take a picture.
Artist: Julie Fakler – Pet Portraits in acrylic paint & clay.
I went to the art gallery to see one exhibit, and afterward was lured in to another studio with a special exhibit of animals painted on clay, and other mediums. Farm animals seemed to be the theme of my day, so I took more photos.
Artist: Jule Fakler – Pet Portraits in acrylic paint & clay.
Artist Julie Fakler offers a variety of pictures to choose from on her ‘Pet Portraits” business cards. She is a local artist in Faribault, MN.
I do love animals. It was a good day.
All things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small, All things wise and wonderful, The Lord God made them all. Stanza 1 by Cecil Frances Alexander
