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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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,
the chapel is stunning,
and there are a variety of trees and ponds and bridges.
The sidewalks meander all over campus…some tucked away and fun to follow.
And if one gets too cold you can always duck into a building to warm up for a few minutes.
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 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.
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).
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.
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.
I found the main floor the most impressive, with gorgeous and elaborately carved oak and mahogany woodwork and marble fireplaces.
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 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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
We enjoy touring historic houses, especially at Christmastime when they decorate for the holidays. I also like mysteries, so when I read about the Hubbard House in Mankato, I was enticed because the attraction included a mystery to solve while on tour in the historic home. We decided to go.
The house was built in 1871. R.D. Hubbard not only founded Hubbard Milling Company, one of the largest flower mills in Minnesota, but also the Mankato Linseed Oil Company, and more. We met his “character” in his office in the house and he was interesting.
The Hubbard house is a modest house, in comparison to other historic homes we’ve visited, but it was charming. There were stunning marble fireplaces in several rooms, magnificent woodwork throughout, some stained-glass windows, interesting wallpaper, and wall lamps (after electricity was installed). The Christmas bouquets that adorned the rooms were green and natural and lovely.
There were volunteers dressed in period costumes, representing the Hubbard family members and their staff. There was someone in each room and they were engaging. Guests were encouraged to talk with them and ask questions to try to solve the mystery. So we did, and it was quite fun.
In the end we didn’t guess “who done it” (unraveled a knitted scarf – no murder here) correctly…but a maid did do it. This extra touch added a new layer of interest to this Blue Earth County Historical Society’s attraction, and made it’s history more memorable.
Our two grandchildren are visiting from Colorado. We raked up a big pile of leaves and they had fun jumping into them, over and over again.
What joy! What fun!
The other day as we drove by Memorial Park in Northfield we noticed the city snowploughs sitting in the swimming pool’s parking lot. And then we noticed the blades were painted with vibrant colors and wonderful pictures.
We stopped to look at the interesting paint jobs. Later, I returned to take photos and to read the signs posted next to each machine, but they did not tell me what I wanted to know.
But what I assume is this was an art project done by the students at St. Dominic’s School…in different grade levels. It seems a student created their own work of art by re-creating another artist’s painting. Then the student, or group of students, painted their rendition on the snowplough blades.
The ploughs were on display for a short while at Memorial Park. The signs next to each plough showed a photo of the original painting and told about the original artist. The student’s grade level were on the blades, but no recognition for the student artist(s).
It must have been a fun, new and creative way to paint.
I’m glad I was able to take pictures to show off the beautiful machines that will be clearing our streets in Northfield this winter.
