Northfield – Valerie's Voice

There’s a new trail in town…

The new trail is another section of the Mill Towns State Trail that eventually will extend from Faribault to Cannon Falls. They are slowly working on one section at a time, only as funding allows. It has been years in the making…and there is a lot more sections yet to be completed.

We’re already enjoying this new section that starts near our home. It’s very convenient for us to hop on the bikes and get to the new trail. Currently, it’s about a 10-mile ride, out and back from our place. To extend the ride we can go to the nearby Dundas Trail and add more miles to our trip.

Other cyclists are already using the trail, although they are still working on parts of the trail. We passed runners and walkers too.

The new section runs along the Northfield Golf Course, then along Carleton’s upper arb. There is a long tunnel under the busy Highway 19, and then a nice, hilly trail through the woods that ends at an old abandoned, steel bridge, near Highway 47.

This is the beginning of the new section. It goes along the golf course (left side of street).

The straight concrete and stone tunnel offers safety to avoid the busy road overhead.

The curve in the trail that goes under the new bridge, ends up at the old steel bridge (built in 1909).

Thankfully there is a barricade at the end of the trail, since there is about an 8-foot gap between the trail and the bridge, and one could miss it and end up in the Cannon River.

Eventually the trail will cross the 1909 bridge.

They are continuing to work on a section of the trail, along Jefferson Parkway, which has created many vehicle detours that are inconvenient for our side of town…but, it will be worth it in the end.

There is grass seed planted along many parts of the trail. The trail will be even more beautiful when the grass grows.

A Field of Corn

Gary, who is 6’3″, is standing out in the cornfield behind our house.

In reference to corn growing, the saying used to be “knee high by the fourth of July”. Today with modern fertilizers, herbicides, and modified seeds, corn grows faster and taller than ever before, and is much taller than knee high by the 4th.

Now they say you can hear the corn growing, or you can see it grow… and we felt that. We watched the corn grow in the cornfield behind our house and it seemed like we actually witnessed it growing…it grew so fast and so tall. It’s already tasseled. I will not like to see the field harvested…I love the view.

The corn is taller than Gary with his hand held high!

It is a beautiful sight, and we’re happy to wake up to this refreshing country view each morning.

Our beautiful backyard view from the window.

A Backyard Visitor

The other night, about 9 pm, I looked out the window to see if there were any fireflies and saw a different visitor. A beautiful sight. A deer was eating brush behind our house at the edge of our yard, as the sun was setting, which made for great lighting for a photo.

The deer stayed for a while… such a joy to watch…then walked off through our neighbors, into the sunset.

Sweet dreams Bambi.

The End of the Rainbow…

…was in our backyard.

Maybe I need to walk through the cornfield in search of the pot of gold. However, seeing the colors of the rainbow so vibrant was a gift in itself.

It was amazing to see this vibrant rainbow in the sky during a rainstorm the other night. It hung around for a while.

All photos were taken from our back patio during the rainstorm Tuesday evening.


"I (God) have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth"
Genesis 9:13

It’s Only Paper

It is said, trying new things actively rewires your brain cells. It is healthy for us. I decided to try something I haven’t done before. When I arrived at the art class the first thing I read in the info pack was, “you don’t have to be the best (or even good) to enjoy doing something”. So, I was hopeful I would enjoy my new adventure, along with rewiring some brain cells!

I took a beginner’s watercolor class. We have bought several watercolor paintings from a local artist in town and when she offered a beginner’s watercolor class I thought “why not?” Actually, she started classes a few years ago, but the dates never worked out for me until this year, so I was excited to finally get to try this new endeavor.

A few things stood out from the instructions, for instance: relax and let it flow (water is boss anyways), don’t compare your work with others, and it’s only paper. That became my mantra because I felt I could try this technique and if it doesn’t work out it’s not a huge investment…it’s only paper…I can try to correct a mistake or throw the whole thing out and start over because it’s only paper, and I can experiment a lot since it’s only paper.

Different cards to make…examples made by the instructor/artist, Kathy Miller.

I didn’t know what to expect from this class. It was very interesting and I feel I learned a lot (one thing I learned is I have to practice! ha). Kathy told us a student from a previous beginner’s class had expectations of taking home a piece for above her mantle. I didn’t have that kind of expectation; I didn’t even bring home a completed greeting card.

The hours flew by. There were six of us in the class. I learned where to begin with watercolors and that is enough. I now need to practice…which is always the tricky part (out of sight, out of mind) …but I have had one practice session and I plan to practice more. My goal is to make some greeting cards that look nice enough to send out.

The instructor held up her good ol’ color wheel (in this case triangle).

I hope my brain cooperated and rewired some cells because of this new adventure. I can say, I did enjoy myself very much, even though I’m not very good at it.

WINGS

WINGS (Women in Northfield Giving Support) held its 2026 annual grants celebration this week. Twenty-one grant recipients set up displays to show off their organizations, and members of WINGS and the community came to look and see, and to celebrate them. We heard from two of the grantees during the short program.

WINGS is an organization that offers grants to non-profit organizations that aims specifically to improve lives of women and youth in the Northfield area. It also “champions the growth of women in philanthropy, strengthens community bonds through collective investments, and profoundly improves the lives of women and youth in the Northfield area through strategic, focused grants funding basic needs including programs which support housing and food stability, physical and mental health and education.”

Last year WINGS celebrated its 25th anniversary. In the beginning (in 2000), a small group of women pooled their money together thinking they could make more of an impact together. This proved to be successful and WINGS began… and continues to grow and grow. This year $111,000 was given out in grants, giving support to organizations that help support women and youth. A total of $1,756,087 has been awarded to date!

More history off the WINGS website: “The enthusiasm we generated in the first year really sparked the success of WINGS. Having both an annual fund and an endowment fund made a huge impact because we gave grants the first year and we became a major player in town quickly. The goal was to collaborate, not compete, with existing nonprofits, and members were encouraged to expand, not divert, their giving. WINGS funds are invested with the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation, which shares expertise and operational efficiency…”

A proverb: “A bird sitting on a tree is never afraid of the branch breaking because its trust is not in the branch, but in its own wings.” The above quote, author unknown, was on display at each table.

I became a member of WINGS last year and am now serving on the board. I am excited to be a part of this worthy, nonprofit organization.

Interested in becoming a member? Click here.

The Lock and The Key

Before we went to Greece, I was involved in gathering donations to help furnish a flex room for a new addition to The Key.

The Key, in Northfield, is a youth-run drop-in center, run by the Northfield Union of Youth. According to their website (click here) it was founded in 1993 by a Youth Board and a Board of Directors. “Its first major goal was to open a substance-free youth center as a safe place for all youth to feel welcome and encouraged.” We moved to Northfield in 1994 and I do remember hearing about it.

The Key is the nation’s longest-running youth-led center, providing a safe and judgment-free space for ages 12–20. The newest executive director is Kelli Podracky (for 3+ years) has contributed a lot in growing the center. And part of that growth was buying the building right next door to where The Key is housed, allowing the organization to expand services for young people.

The old pharmacy building, now houses The Lock.

The building, formerly Northfield Pharmacy, was a small but successful pharmacy in Northfield. Many of us were sad the day our beloved pharmacist, Rob Anderson, retired a few years ago. The building had been vacant and then used for other businesses, until The Key bought the building this year, to expand its operations. It’s perfect…located right next door to The Key. What a great use of this building.

And it’s been named The Lock. A fun play on words…The Lock and The Key. And The Lock is an acronym: Life skills, Opportunities, Counseling, and Knowledge. It’s a wonderful resource center with counseling and learning labs.

I was out of the country when the remodel of The Lock was completed, and I missed helping on move-in day with multiple volunteers to furnish the inside: foyer, two offices, learning lab, flex room, kitchenette and bath/shower. I was not there for the ribbon cutting ceremony, but many were. But I did go take a look when I returned and it was fun to see this vision come together. It’s an inviting space with a lot to offer.

Another view of the flex room in The Lock.

It is a great place to be celebrated. May it serve the Northfield youth for years to come.

The Necklace

As an outreach to the community our church puts on annual Bike Rally. This is the fourth year. We have bicycle technicians to help make small repairs to bikes, a bicycle washing station, free food, an obstacle course for kids, and more. It’s a big draw to the Hispanic community that lives near by the church, but it’s open to anyone in the community, and word is getting out. It’s always a great event and Gary and I planned to help again this year.

I usually like to be at the food table…grillers are grilling hamburgers and hot dogs, and I, along with others, are helping keep the buns and condiments, chips and cookies, lemonade and water all refreshed. (I was busy so very few photos..)

This year a women donated a huge double layer cake that we needed to help serve. While doing this I noticed a woman in line with a beautiful necklace and I complimented her on it. She spoke some English. I learned she is from Mexico and is visitng family here. She comes to Northfield a few times a year. Almost immediately, after I told her I liked her necklace, she took it off and gave it to me. She wanted me to have the necklace since I liked it. She said, “that is what we do.”

We continued our conversation for another 30-40 minutes, exchanging emails at the end. Our pastor’s wife speaks fluent Spanish and was standing nearby so I asked her to do a little interpreting to make sure I understood this woman wanted to gift me her necklace. All was good…that was her intent, and she wants to continue to communicate via email.

What a fun serendipity.

What a kind gesture.

What a good lesson.

What a delightful new friend.

BrainDance

Cannon Valley Elder Collegium (CVEC), in Northfield, oﬀers learning experiences for learners aged 50+, and has done so for nearly 30 years. Classes are are taught by retired professors or anyone with knowledge on a certain subject, and are usually eight weeks in length. It’s a wonderful offering.

For the second time, I signed up for a class called BrainDance through CVEC. The instructor is a professional dance artist and educator who lives in New York, but grew up in Minnesota and comes back to teach dance classes occasionally.

The BrainDance, is an “official” dance, created by Anne Green Gilbert. It is a sequence of eight developmental movement patterns (adopted from infant/toddler development) that reorganizes the brain, improves focus, and reduces stress.

It is a fun class! We practice the brain dance to music, before moving onto other movements and dances, using our creative minds plus exercising our bodies. I wish this class continued all year.

This picture makes me smile. Each week I put my mat and water bottle under this picture in the dance hall. It brings joy to my heart every time I see it. I remember it from last year too. Sometimes I’d mimic her movement in our free dance.

Each week we took time to practice a choreographed piece to the song “Imagine” by John Lennon. A fitting song for these days. At the end of our eight weeks, we put on a recital! We invited family and friends to watch our “production” and then the instructor invited the audience to join us in a circle dance…which my husband did! He couldn’t say no! Everyone enjoyed themselves.

BrainDance is described as “cultivating joy and enriching your mind, body, and spirit through the power of dance… it improves balance, strength and flexibility…” In addition to all that, I found it to be a delightful and energizing experience.

Sunrise, Sunset Quote

“What would you pay to see the sunrise or sunset if it were not free entertainment?”

I heard this question/quote years ago, but I don’t remember where, and I can’t find a source (but I’ve always remembered it).

We saw this sunset out our back window the other night. Amazing! It lasted only a few minutes…

The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship.
                                                              Psalm 19:1