Northfield – Valerie's Voice

Visitors from Norge

For five days my second cousin and his wife, Heine and Kari, from Norway, came to Northfield. We had a nice visit, and we were able to, once again, show off our town and southern Minnesota.

First we took them to a small town 4^th of July celebration – the oldest ongoing celebration in Minnesota. North Morristown has put on a 4^th of July celebration for 131 years, serving homemade pie, food offerings at concessions stands and live music. We enjoyed listening to the blue grass band Monroe Crossing, and traipsing over muddy paths for food, in-between rain storms.

Fireworks in Northfield were delayed until the next evening due to the rain. We walked down the street from our house to watch them on Friday, July 5^th .

We visited other relatives in the area…our grandfathers are the link. They were brothers…one went to America, the other stayed in Norway.

Me, Kari, Heine, my cousin Cindy and my aunt (in front).

Scheel’s, in the Eden Prairie Center, was a fun place to look around, especially for a hunter, which Heine is. But the home décor portion of the store is lovely to peruse too.

A beautiful field of coneflowers in the gardens outside the Marine Art Museum.

Eating outside, when possible, either on our deck or at a restaurant is always nice in the summertime and it was possible much of the time Heine and Kari were with us.

Lunch along the Mississippi River in Winona.

We went on a day trip to Winona. We stopped at Lark Toys in Kellogg for fun, and had a picnic lunch on the banks of the flooded Mississippi River.

We enjoyed the gardens around the Minnesota Marine Art Museum and went inside for a look around.

We stopped at Lock & Dam #5 north of Winona, and meandered around Lake City’s marina on our way back to Northfield.

We showed off the Norwegian immigrants historic Valley Grove churches and cemetery.

We hiked to Hidden Falls in Big Woods Nerstrand State Park.

Heine & Kari celebrating their 45th anniversary in Northfield, Minnesota.

We shopped downtown Northfield and celebrated Heine and Kari’s 45^th wedding anniversary at the Reunion in downtown Northfield.

The last stop was at Lakewood Cemetery to visit the graves of my grandmother and grandfather and beloved Auntie Ag.

My grandfathers gravestone at Lakewood Cemetery. He was the brother to Heine’s grandfather, Johannes.

We were able to get in to view the beautiful Lakewood Chapel, with 10 million 3/8 inch tile mosaics throughout.

One of the many angel mosaics in Lakewood Chapel.

Time flew, conversation and laugher abounded, family ties entwined.

Voilá

Several years ago I found a painting of red geraniums on a framed, window screen in a thrift store. I thought it was a clever idea and it would look good on our front porch, so I bought it. It has hung on our front porch many times over several summers, and it started to lose its pizazz.

Instead of throwing it out I decided to try touching it up myself, with my acrylic paints.

I put on an old t-shirt, squeezed paint onto a paint palette, and did my best. I filled in the reds, and mixed red and yellow paint for orange, and blue and yellow for green, and repainted the pot and added a bit of color here, and a bit there. It was a fun, creative endeavor!

And I think it turned out very well. The painting has found new life and is hanging on my front porch once again.

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.

Trees

I noticed the other day, we have tree images in every room in our house. We never planned it that way.

This canvas print of the Sycamore Gap tree, that was felled by vandals last year in Scotland, hangs in our foyer.

I do love trees. And I do love nature.

A water color by local artist Kathy Miller…of trails on St. Olaf campus. This painting hangs in our dining room.

I love birds and critters, sky and clouds, flowers and trees, sunrises and sunsets.

My own artwork, while creating art with my granddaughter. I hung it on the refrigerator! 😉

I try to be out in nature whenever possible, and I try to bring some of it indoors.

These three metal trees hang in our sunroom.

I took photos of my tree images to share. They are as varied as live trees themselves.

Another metal sculpture that hangs in our living room area.

Also in our living room – an old piece of folk art – a jewel tree made by my late Auntie Doll.

And I am reminded of the “tree poem” by Ilan Shamir that “gives advice from a tree.” The poem is often abbreviated, and seen on bookmarks or plaques.

And this photo of the Lake Superior shoreline hangs in our bathroom.

Advice from a Tree

Stand tall and proud.
Go out on a limb.
Remember your roots.
Drink plenty of water.
Be content with your natural beauty.
Enjoy the view.

The entire, beautiful Advice from a Tree poem gives even more advice. You can read it here.

This back-lit tree plaque hangs above the fireplace during winter months.

A print of an illustration from a children’s book, hanging in our bedroom.

Truthfully, there are even more tree images (and flowers and birds and…) around our house. We were surprised when we realize how many we had hanging around, or should I say, standing tall.

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?

Urness Recital Hall

Urness Recital Hall on the St. Olaf College campus is a wonderful venue all year long, but it is especially cozy this time of year with its intimate setting and attractive lighting.

The light shining through the windows of Urness Hall, lighting up a dark space.

We bundled up and went out into the cold night for a 7:00 performance at Urness Hall, knowing it didn’t take long to get to campus, it would be easy to park, it would be a free concert with a reasonable time commitment, and we’d hear some exceptional music.

Along one wall in Urness Hall is floor to ceiling windows. Sound boards help create fine acoustics.

The venue was maybe half full with students and community members. We sat on an aisle, behind a St. Olaf conductor of a different ensemble, who was in the audience. I’m sure she couldn’t help herself…she was covertly conducting the performance from her seat. She was fun to watch.

There were three musical scores on the program. The first two were composed by Johann Sebastian Bach 1685-1750, a German composer, and they both included the harpsichord. The third piece was composed by Pyotr Lylich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893), a Russian composer.

Apparently during the 16th-18^th centuries, the harpsichord became an important European instrument, which may be why Bach’s compositions included the harpsichord.

The harpsichord and music score, on stage, ready to be played.

I don’t know the history of St. Olaf’s harpsichord, but I overheard this was the first time it was played in Urness Recital Hall. James E. Bobb, the conductor of a choral ensemble at St. Olaf, and an organ/harpsichord professor, played the harpsichord during the performance.

St. Olaf’s harpsichord, moved to the side after the first two pieces were finished (the top was removed before I was able to take a picture.)

The third piece by Tchaikosky was performed by 21 students from the St. Olaf orchestra. They were student-lead by the first chair violin (or viola), and included four string instruments: violin, viola, cello and bass cello. It was a lively, spirited performance. The students really do put a lot into their playing. Not only is it wonderful to hear them play, it’s fun to watch them play.

The 21 orchestra members playing beautiful music.

And so, an hour and 15 minutes later, we were putting our jackets back on and heading home, glad that we took the time to venture out for some high-quality music, being uplifted on this dark, cold January evening.

Below Zero Temperatures

Not only are the outside temperatures below freezing, but they are below zero degrees Fahrenheit…with wind chills about -27 degrees, according to Alexa.

Looking out on our back yard from our living room window.

So what does one do in these subzero temperatures?

It would be a great time to go through the closets, or files, or piles of paper on desks…or to clean out the kitchen cupboards, or do some deep cleaning in the basement…

Did I do any of those?

Nope…

On this gray, cloudy, bitterly cold day we stayed inside. I turned on the oven and made some peanut butter cookies (using my mom’s recipe),

It’s been a long time since I made peanut butter cookies.

then curled up by the fireplace and read all afternoon.

And it was good.

Now, what will the coming week bring…it is supposed to be below zero all week…

FiftyNorth

We took a CPR class this week. It was offered at the senior center in Northfield. Although I hope to never have to use what we learned, it’s good to be refreshed on what to do, just in case. Our instructor was engaging and knowledgeable and the three hours went by quickly. We were able to practice on a mannequin to get the feel of just how much pressure you need to use when applying compressions. Little green lights lit up when you were doing it right. These features were not in place years ago…many years ago…when I last took a CPR class.

The electronic sign off the street, near Jefferson Avenue.

The senior center in Northfield, called FiftyNorth, is a vibrant one. There are numerous activities and classes to choose from, and many members.

The smell of coffee brewing and popcorn popping in the lobby is alluring. A jig saw puzzle on the table by the window was inviting, people were chatting in the lobby while sitting on comfortable sofas and chairs, a receptionist was there ready to greet you and answer questions. There are rotating art exhibits by local artists on the walls. I’m glad to be a member of this senior center, although I could make much more use of the facilities – I was more active prior to Covid.

The parking lot is usually full at this busy senior center.

After our CPR class, as we were walking out, we noticed Little Frida Café & Taco Shop, a small café in the dining room of FiftyNorth. It has limited hours – only open for breakfast and lunch, on weekdays, serving authentic Mexican fare. I had always wanted to try it, so we took this opportunity to order the lunch special. It was tasty! And so reasonable. Another hidden gem in Northfield.

The sign near the entrance of FiftyNorth.

I did have to get used the senior center’s name change to FiftyNorth a couple years ago, but now I like it and think it’s catchy, and a good fit.