Minnesota – Page 3 – Valerie's Voice

Painted Rocks

I like to find small, painted rocks (especially with encouraging messages) in unexpected places. On a recent day trip, we found one, big painted rock!

It’s amazing how the artist captures the folds in the flag…it looks three dementional.

I didn’t know there was a The Freedom Rock project but according to its website: the project has a “goal of at least one Freedom Rock in every state in the union”, to honor America’s Veterans.

A Freedom Rock is a painted boulder depicting “unique to the state” military scenes, painted by Ray “Bubba” Sorensen II. Minnesota has seven Freedom Rocks in seven different areas throughout the state.

A photo of a photo of the original boulder for this Freedom Rock.

When we arrived in Kasson, Minnesota I noticed a huge, painted boulder across the street from the Clock Shop, at the American Legion on Main Street. It caught my eye because on our way to Kasson we had to take a road detour…and on that detour we noticed this stout, old limestone building on the side of the road, with a plaque and flag flying high. We stopped to check it out and discovered it was an old military recruitment station for the Civil War.

Civil War Recruiting Station in Wasioja, Minnesota.

We didn’t know such buildings existed. I also had forgotten the important role Minnesota played in the Civil War.

The plaque states that Minnesota was the first state to offer and send troops to aid the Union cause. Recruits from this station in Wasioja, MN totaled 200. The building, built in 1855, has been beautifully restored, and is there for all to see and remember.

One scene on the Freedom Rock, of the Wasioja Recruiting Station.

So, I was surprised when I stepped out of the car in Kasson and noticed the building we had just seen an hour earlier painted on a huge rock! We walked over to explore some more!

I liked this depiction of a soldier holding the SPAM can. The SPAM museum is a great place to visit too.

On another side of the rock was a painting of a WWII veteran holding a can of SPAM. Good old Minnesota SPAM. There were 100 million pounds of Hormel SPAM shipped to our troops during WWII.

A painting of the world famous Minnesota artist, LeRoy Neiman.

Another side of the rock was dedicated to a St. Paul man who was a cook in WWII and became a world-famous artist, LeRoy Neiman, when he got out of the service (although I had never heard of him.)

One more scene depicted “Kiddy Car Airlift” which was organized by Minnesota US Air Force Chaplain Colonel Russell L. Blaisdell. He rescued orphans and staff from Seoul during the Korean War. This was another mission I had not heard about.

“Doc Kelly” My father’s army picture, 1943.

And amidst this day of military blitz I thought of my own father. A few days before this day trip, while talking with family, I learned my father, who served in WWII, had the nickname of Doc Kelly. Apparently, the troops usually choose nicknames from last names, therefore “Kelly”, and my dad was a medic, assisting doctors, therefore “Doc”. I had not heard this before.

It was a great morning of discoveries and learning.

Summertime

Yesterday was the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, a time that marks the beginning of summer. Unfortunately, it rained the whole long day. Again.

A non-rainy day in summer, on Daggett Lake, Minnesota.

But here’s a fun children’s poem by Robert Louis Stevenson (published in 1915) to help celebrate summertime.

Bed In Summer

In winter I get up at night
And dress by yellow candle-light.
In summer, quite the other way,
I have to go to bed by day.

I have to go to bed and see
The birds still hopping on the tree,
Or hear the grown-up people's feet
Still going past me in the street.

And does it not seem hard to you,
When all the sky is clear and blue,
And I should like so much to play,
To have to go to bed by day?

And then there were none…

Sad news…two days ago I was out in the yard and found the second baby robin (two of three – last week I found the first one) dead in the grass. I’m not sure what is taking them from their nest…someone suggested a Blue Jay.

On May 12 I noticed these three, beautiful blue eggs in a nest outside our window. Mama Robin has been caring for her young since then, and now all three have died.

Last night I took a photo of the last baby robin sitting contently in its nest.

And then I found it dead, this morning, under the tree where the nest is. I’m sad.

Now, I wonder if I’ll see Mama Robin anymore? I’ll miss her.

Tweets

This is an update on our resident robin and her chicks.

I noticed her nest in the tree outside our bedroom window a few weeks ago. Three beautiful eggs and a dedicated mama, sitting on the nest day and night. I kept checking in on her, and talking to Mama Robin throughout the day, and she got used to me.

Then we left town for a week. I thought of her when we were gone…wondering how she survived all the rain we heard we had, and wondering if her chicks had hatched. When I arrived home, I immediately went up to see her. I believe Mama Robin remembered me.

She was still sitting in her nest and all seemed well, but I couldn’t see any chicks.

However, the next day, when mama flew away for some food, I saw the eggs were hatched. I think I saw all three chicks, but then the next day there were only two. I found the dead chick under the tree, when I was out doing yard work.

The nest is right outside our bedroom window, and with the zoom on my camera I was able to get an unclose picture when the mama flew away for a few minutes.

When I am outside and approach Mama Robin’s nest, I warn her I’m coming. She doesn’t fly away.

It’s been a fun nature show to watch.

Bonus: Early this morning I looked out into our backyard and saw a deer.
I was surprised. By the time I got my camera she had wandered into the neighbor’s yard.

Nerstrand Big Woods State Park

On my drive out to Nerstrand state park, I was thinking about our Minnesota State Parks. They are definitely a valuable resource and I’m thankful they have been established so that I/everyone can get outside in nature, and explore.

I haven’t been to all 65 of the state parks, but we have visited many of them over the years. We did a lot of camping in earlier days.

There are seven state parks along the north shore of Lake Superior that are scenic and connect to the “big lake” somehow. The others, scattered throughout the state, are inviting too. Nerstrand Big Woods State Park is about a 20-minute drive from our house. Maybe because I frequent it so often all year long, it has become one of my favorite state parks. A place to hike, to picnic, to camp…a place of beauty and rejuvenation… and so close to home.

As I starting walking down a familiar trail and saw the lime, spring-green leaves overhead (unique to this season), breathed in the fresh air, and heard birds singing, I sighed; this is exactly what I needed. I was happy to be here.

I was a little late to see some of the more familiar spring ephermals in bloom…the dwarf trout lily (found only in a few places in the world) being one of them…but there were other spring flowers blooming and it was fun to walk along and identify them.

Many of the parks, especially along the north shore, have water falls, as does Nerstrand. Hidden Falls is smaller, but still lovely. The recent rains made for a full spilling over. I sat and watched the mesmerizing water flow.

This beautiful bloom hangs under the large leaf of the mayapple plant. You need to look for it.

There were many mayapples with hidden blooms underneath their umbrella leaves.

I always feel safe walking the trails by myself in this park.

It was a great way to start my day.

Litter

The Faribault Flyers Bike and Ski Club picked up trash last week. The club adopted a portion of highway 60, out of Faribault. This means the club has committed to pick up litter along both sides of the highway section, at least twice a year.

Gary and I are members of this bike club and were available to help. It was a windy day, and that was challenging…keeping the plastic garbage bag from blowing away, or its twisting and dumping all the contents out. But, the sun was out and it was a mild temperature.

We were all given fluorescent vests to wear. The traffic on this particular highway is heavy, and a little dauting at first, being so close to the road with the cars whizzing by. We were given garbage bags to fill, then instructed to leave them on the side of the road to be picked up.

We divided into four groups of four or five.

We were told mark with a bag… and do not touch… drug paraphernalia or firearms, if we came upon any. I found what looked like a small firearm. I did pick it up because I was fairly certain it was too small to be real. It ended up being a large cigarette lighter in the shape of a gun. Sigh.

This small, heavy, metal gun that was a lighter.

It felt good to be outdoors on this spring day, while picking up the discarded pop and beer cans, liquor bottles, miscellaneous paper, fast food bags and cups and utensils, cigarette lighters and cigarette butts (the worse). I think there is a mentality that cigarette butts are not litter, so smokers just throw them out the window. There are a lot of them!

Full trash bags set along side the road for pick-up. We filled 35-40 bags, in two hours.

It felt good to participate in this community service. There were several of us from the bike club that showed up to help. Many hands make light work, although it was still hard work. We had a handy, dandy picker-upper which worked well. It reduced the amount of bending over a little bit, during our two-hour shift.

Six months from now, the club will set apart another afternoon to collect trash from the same section of the highway. It’s one of those jobs that is never ending, but I think we make a difference.

Square Dancers

My childhood friend, Diane, called me a couple weeks ago, to wish me a happy birthday. We have exchanged the same birthday card since 1979. It has become a treasure. Diane called to say I would be getting the birthday card late this year, because she was “snow birding” in Florida and forgot to bring the card along to send to me from there.

It was fun to chat with her awhile, and catch up on our kids. She told me this story.

In 1953, my father built this house that I grew up in.

When Diane’s mother passed away, several years after her father died, Diane’s son bought his grandparent’s house. So, he now lives in the house where Diane grew up, and across the street from the house where I grew up, in Northeast Minneapolis. It’s wonderful to know the house is still in her family. Her parents built their house in the early 1950’s, as did mine.

A special wall painting discovered under the paneling.

Diane told me her son has done a lot of updating and remodeling of the McKinley Street house, and currently he’s working in the basement. He began tearing the old paneling off the walls. Underneath he found the typical cement blocks, but also a surprise.

Taking care to preserve this special painting.

Back in the late 50’s, Diane’s father painted two life-size square dancers on the cement block wall. I had forgotten about them, but remembered them as soon as Diane mentioned it. A few years later, when her dad finished off their basement, he covered up the square dancers with paneling. Diane recalls that when her dad covered up the painting with paneling…he said, “it will be interesting for someone to discover these dancers someday.”

A moisture control was brushed over the wall painting, to help persevere the painting.

As Diane’s son was tearing down the paneling, lo and behold, he exposed the painting of the square dancers.

Little did Diane’s father know at the time, it would be his own grandson who would discover his special treasure on the wall, under the paneling!

Into The Deep

The Galleria’s spring flower show, Into The Deep, opened last week.

An annual flower exhibition is created every spring by Bachman’s, and it’s a delight to walk around indoors, and see all the beautiful and colorful representations of the theme, made with flowers.

This year’s theme, Into The Deep, included a great variety of sea floor images…

It’s easy to use your imagination while viewing these wonderful, artistic displays.

Hidden in the flowers are terrariums with tiny “mermaid gardens” inside a clear, acrylic globe. I liked this idea.

The challenge is to find all eight of them among the different scenes. I think mermaids are becoming as popular as fairies.

There were also sea creatures: jelly fish, a school of yellow fish, lobster claws, sea horses, octopus limbs, o my…

On a weekday morning, we arrived about 10 am and it was comfortable viewing the displays. An hour later the crowds had begun to grow (no pun intended-ha!).

Then, it was fun to people watch, and see so many enjoying this amazing exposition. But, we could only image it would get busier and busier as the day went on. We left to make room for others.

For me, the flower show builds excitement as I anticipate seeing spring flowers out-of-doors soon.

The show goes through April 7.

An Alien Has Landed

In addition to cleaning up my flower gardens in the fall, I also clean up my fairy garden. I remove the fairies and paraphernalia, wash them up, then store everything away until spring.

Then I place a winter scene in the garden, with a single component; a fairy sitting next to a snowy tree. Even though, in “normal” winters, snow covers it up for most of the season, it’s fun to place this ornament outside to have a winter fairy scene too.

Of course, this non-snowy winter the garden has not been covered in snow, and you can see the fairy and tree easily.

However, it has been invaded by an alien.

The other day as I was walking by, I noticed a small figure next to some glass mushrooms I forgot to put away last fall. When I picked it up, it looked like an alien. I trust it’s a friendly one.

I will add him to my ever-changing and expanding fairy garden this spring.

It’s fun to know others notice this whimsical little world, tucked away under a rose bush in my back yard.

On a walk recently, I noticed these yellow crocuses already popping out of the ground these early days of March (3/7/24).

Home Again

We have arrived safely home from our 4,690 miles road trip, through eleven states in southeastern US. We saw a lot of beauty in nature, and beauty in the many friends and family we were able to visit. We are grateful all went well, and we had a great time!

There have been unusual weather patterns all across the country. It was warm here in Minnesota during February, with little snow fall. And it was cooler than normal in the southeast, where we were.

In Iowa Monday night, February 26, it was 72* and we ate dinner outside on a restaurant patio.

But our welcome home present was a cold snap. As we drove closer to Northfield the next day, the temperature kept dropping. When we arrived home we unloaded our car in 25* temperatures. It also started snowing. Sigh. We woke up to 5*!

It is predicted to remain cold for one day and then the temperatures will start climbing back up again. What a roller coaster. I wonder what kind of weather March will bring?