I’m used to celebrating spring on March 20 so I was surprised to learn that today, March 19, 2020, is the first day of spring this year. The spring equinox begins tonight at 10:49 pm.
The COVID-19 pandemic is on all of our minds these days…the uncertainty of it and the bigger picture of the fallout…is scary. I will not be posting much about it…it’s too overwhelming…but I am grateful for my faith to see me through.
The clouds have been particularly beautiful and unusual in the past two weeks and I’ve captured a few photos.
Psalm 147: 7 & 8 Sing to the Lord with grateful praise; make music to our God on the harp. He covers the sky with clouds; he supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills.
Here’s to spring! May it lift our spirits a bit during these difficult days.
A gigantic snowman is fun for any age to see. And this huge snowman, Faribo Frosty, appears each winter in Faribault, MN. It is an annual tradition for this Faribault family to create an enormous snowman with a hat and mittens and scarf, and all other snowman trimmings, including a bucket for his pipe.
We thought it might have melted a little before we got to take the grandchildren to see it this week because of the unusually warm temperatures, but if it did melt any we couldn’t tell…it was still huge, and a big hit with the kids.
The family encourages people to stop by to see FariboFrosty, and to take pictures, and to enjoy their wonderful gift to their community. We are joyful recipients of their labor of love and are thankful for it.
Once upon a time there was a young man and a young woman who met and fell in love. A few months after they met the young man was transferred out of state with his job. He offered his dieffenbachia plant to the young maiden, which she kept, and it continued to grow.
The tall plant on the left – the dieffenbachia plant – is over 40 years old (1976).
Their long distance relationship continued to grow and they got married. But his job took both of them to another state so she left the dieffenbachia behind with her mother to care for it. Her mother was very good with houseplants. And it continued to grow. It eventually reached the ceiling, so her mother cut a branch and rooted it and it started to grow again.
Two years later the couple moved back to Minnesota and once again took the dieffenbachia back into their care. It continued to grow and when it reached a certain height they cut it back and it continued to grow. The young family grew too…the couple raised two sons and lived in Burnsville for fourteen years. The dieffenbachia grew right along with the family.
Then the family moved to Northfield and they took the plant with them…and it continued to grow. After many years the middle-aged woman decided she didn’t have room for the plant any longer, so she brought it to her church and placed it in the fellowship hall between two large windows. Some mystery person watered it and tended to it and it continued to grow.
And someone has watered the dieffenbachia and cared for it for many, many years now and it continues to grow (the couple has attended this church in Northfield for 25 years, the plant has been in the church about 10 years, or more). The plant has been moved to various spots around the church building but it continues to grow.
Nobody at church knows the story behind this beautiful, faithful, dieffenbachia plant that continues to grow and bloom where it is planted… a lesson for us all.
As I looked through my kitchen window over the weekend I noticed a flutter of bird activity on our crabapple tree out front. On closer look I noticed the birds were robins. I was able to capture a photo of two as several flitted in and out of the tree, enjoying the berries still hanging on the branches. Robins and winter…I’d fly south if I were them.
Nerstrand-Big Woods State Park held their annual Candlelight Ski/Snowshoe/Walk over the weekend. We enjoy this event. This year all conditions were just right for cross-country skiing…the trail was well-groomed, the temperatures were above average, and there was no wind.
The beautiful twilight when we started skiing.
It was a delight to be out there in the woods, lit by luminaries. It was calm and peaceful which made for an enchanting evening.
On of the larger luminaries, made of ice. A lot of the lights on the trails were white plastic buckets illuminated with candles, interspersed with balloon ice luminaries and big bucket luminaries. This event requires a lot of volunteers. I’m grateful for the people who set this up for others to enjoy.
There were a lot of visitors to the park…walking, snowshoeing and skiing. Thankfully out on the ski trail it was not crowded.
As it grew darker, sometimes it was hard to see the track in front of us between luminaries, which made it dicey at times. We chose to not use headlamps. The moon was shining through the trees, casting shadows.
Keeping skis in the track. My flash went off when I took this photo.
This was our second time out skiing that day…we skied at Riverbend Nature Center in the morning and that, too, was beautiful. It also gave us reason to believe skiing conditions would be favorable to venture out again in the evening for the much anticipated Candlelight Ski.
Skiing along the Straight River at Riverbend Nature Center.
This little guy greeted us the other day when we drove into our garage. We watched him make his way to the opened garage door and fly away. I’m sure he was anxiously waiting for us to come home.
I like to get outside and walk when I can. However, in Minnesota it can be challenging. The winter weather is not always conducive to walking outdoors.
Since I was a previous employee at St. Olaf College I have access to their indoor track. It’s a retirement benefit and I’m thankful for it…but walking outside is my preference. Even in the cold. It’s the ice that is the problem. And this year the ice seems to be especially bad…early on we had an ice storm and many public sidewalks were never cleared properly, leaving icy spots in several places and making it unsafe to walk, probably for the whole winter.
Behind my favorite tree on campus is the 1887 Goodwill Observatory (listed on the National Register of Historic Places).
Fortunately there are two colleges in town and both keep their sidewalks cleared of snow and ice for the many students walking across campus all day long. Carleton College is a little over a mile from our house so I tend to go there often to walk outdoors.
I thanked these two custodians for their hard work, as they walked by carrying shovels.
I can count on Carleton’s sidewalks to be cleared down to the cement with not many traces of ice anywhere…and pretty much within a few hours of a snowstorm…or at least it’s always cleared when I’m ready to get out for a walk.
Carleton College is a beautiful and interesting place to walk: the academic and administration buildings are impressive,
I believe this is the newest building on campus…still being worked on, Anderson Hall which houses Chemistry, Biology, Physics and Astronomy.
The curved elevated seating is an outdoor classroom space.
Another view of the outdoor classroom…in winter. I can only image how lovely it is in fall and spring.
the chapel is stunning,
Marvelous Skinner Chapel. It is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
and there are a variety of trees and ponds and bridges.
Beautiful winter-laden trees.
Interesting branches.
The sidewalks meander all over campus…some tucked away and fun to follow.
An inviting but obscure passageway.
And if one gets too cold you can always duck into a building to warm up for a few minutes.
It’s great to see the occasional bicycle…not a fat tire. It can ride on the sidewalks because they are clear.
Carleton College campus offers me, and the community, a safe place to walk outdoors and I am grateful.
We went to visit a special friend of the family…she is like a dear aunt…and she celebrated her 99thbirthday on December 26th. We went to offer her congratulations and wish her many happy birthday blessings for the year ahead.
Florence (99) and me. I purposely wore the Norwegian sweater that Florence and my aunt brought back for me from their 1984 trip to Norway.
Florence has a caretaker that comes to help her in the mornings but otherwise she lives on her own in a beautiful house she and my aunt (best friends for 70 years) bought together in 1968. I’ve written about their house before…it’s like stepping back in time…the house has the original gold, wool carpet…gold, heavy draperies…most of the olive green appliances(!)… and a worn linoleum floor in the kitchen. They bought the house by assuming the mortgage…it was only 2 years old when they moved in fifty years ago.
Florence talks about her various jobs she had, with wages that ranged from 33 cents an hour to her favorite job as a bookkeeper for 20 years, starting at $1.00 an hour. We wanted to ask her how she could survive financially after all these years and no pension but we didn’t. We just listened to her wonderful stories. We always enjoy our visits with her, and we always wonder how much longer she will be with us. She told us that her grandmother lived to be over 100 years old. We hope Florence will too.
Uncle Bob.
Another family member in his 90’s is my Uncle Bob. Last month, during the Christmas season we spent time with my uncle, my dad’s brother. He is 92 years old and in good health and is still driving. We also enjoy visiting with him. I asked him his favorite Christmas memory and he told us this story:
As a child his parents (my grandparents) had very little money, and no money for Christmas presents. One Christmas, Bob’s brothers, Herb (my father) and Earl, who were several years older than Bob, found a beat-up old tricycle in the trash with a missing wheel. They repaired the trike, painted it and gave it to Bob. It was a very special gift – one that Bob has always remembered.
I love hearing stories of my father since he died so young (age 55 in 1974).
Gary and me, Uncle Bob and Aunt Joyce.
I relish and appreciate visiting with these two special people, Florence and Uncle Bob. Along with Bob’s wife, Auntie Joyce, they are the only people in the world who have known me all my life – since I was born. That is significant.
It had been years since we’ve toured the James J. Hill House on Summit Avenue in St. Paul, so we thought it would be fun to take our out-of-town guests there and see it again.
The main entrance to the James J.Hill House on Summit Avenue.
On weekends the house is open for self-guided tours. There are volunteers throughout, happy to answer questions.
The house was built in 1891 by James J. Hill, a railroad tycoon of the Great Northern Railroad fame. The house has 36,000 square feet and five levels. That’s one big house.
Extensive 100′ reception hall on the main level.
I found the main floor the most impressive, with gorgeous and elaborately carved oak and mahogany woodwork and marble fireplaces.
The drawing room on the main floor.
The art gallery, music room, drawing room, formal dining room, a small eating area, and the library/den were all on the first floor.
The library with a walk-in vault.
A formal place setting displayed in the formal dining room.
The beautiful expansive staircase to the second floor was my favorite place in the whole house. It had stain-glass windows above the landing to let in natural light. Otherwise I found the house to be dark throughout, even though they had electric lights installed when it was built.
The second floor landing…picture taken on the gorgeous stairway.
One of the stained-glass windows.
The second and third floors housed bedrooms and female servant quarters and a schoolroom for the eight children who lived there. James and Mary Hill had ten children. One died young and another was married by the time they moved into this mansion.
Several of these light fixtures were located throughout the house. The top is an oil lamp, the bottom is electric.
The kitchen was in the basement along with the male servants living quarters. The attic was the top floor of course, and a playroom. We were not allowed to go down to the basement, or up into the attic.
Poster for the James. J. Hill House.
Compared to the Hubbard House in Mankato, the historic house we toured earlier this month (see previous post), I was much more impressed with the Hubbard House, which is a mere 4,800+ square feet. However, I am glad we went to see the James J. Hill House – it is worthwhile to see, and a part of Minnesota’s history.
We had family visiting from Pennsylvania during Northfield’s annual Winter Walk last week. It was a fun way to showcase our beautiful downtown.
A favorite winter scene of mine: the lit tree on top of the Ames Mill building in Northfield.
Even though the air was cold, Gary’s brother and his wife were willing to participate in the festivities. The streets were full – with shoppers, carolers and folks just out enjoying the ambiance of this holiday tradition. Fresh snow had fallen earlier in the day.
Warming up at one of the many fire pits along closed-off Division street.
For the Winter Walk I always don a Santa hat – one I bought at Jacobsen’s Department Store at Northfield’s first Winter Walk, years ago. The beloved department store is no longer in business. I had an extra Santa hat and encouraged my sister-in-law to join me in the venture.
Santa’s elves?
It is always fun to look in the shops and taste a delicious treat or two. Many store windows are decked out for Christmas and offer wonderful viewing: Quality Bakery and The Rare Pair to name two.
One of the window displays at Quality Bakery.
The Rare Pair in Northfield has interesting and creative window displays all year long.
In the yarn shop window a young woman was sitting in a chair, showing off her knitting skills as she knit a sweater using huge needles. Apparently her goal (or challenge) was to knit a sweater in four hours or less. The clock was ticking down beside her. She was well along on the project and probably reached her goal by the end of the evening.
This woman seemed to be enjoying herself, sitting in the window of the yarn shop in Northfield. The knitting needles were very large creating large stitches.
It was a delight to once again enjoy Northfield’s Winter Walk, and it was especially nice to share it with our out-of-town guests who experienced it for the first time, and liked it!
