Northfield – Page 2 – Valerie's Voice

Hiking

The grandkids have gone home and the Christmas decorations and beautiful Christmas tree have been taken down, and it feels too quiet in the house.

A brochure with a map was at one entrance to the trail.

Nature always offers healing energy and is good for the soul, so we have done some hiking to help move on and to take advantage of this mild December/January weather (and no ice).

Over the past few days, we have hiked at Big Woods Nerstrand State Park, walked the Dundas Trail and on paved paths in the north section of town, and hiked in the lower Carleton arb with the Faribo Flyers bike club. There is a lot of evidence of beaver activity along the river in the lower arb…well over 50 trees taken down.

Swirls of white snow and ice make pretty pattern on Heath Creek.

We also hiked on a trail in the St. Olaf College Natural lands. There is a well-defined, wooded trail that meanders along Heath Creek, and it is a hidden gem. The winter landscape is pretty for this time of year; there is light snow and ice forming patterns around the rocks in the creek, the forest floor is full of brown oak leaves. The water is flowing strong and you can hear the sound of the babbling brook as you walk along side it.

There are many mature oak trees on the trail, and some with unusual characteristics that is noticeable without its foliage. One has a branch growing straight out from the trunk, another tree has six sturdy trunks coming from one lone trunk. A very huge oak tree has fallen over the river…the enormous root system upended on one side of the creek, the trunk laying across the creek, and the upper part of the tree with its large branches on the other side of the creek…it almost could be a bridge across. (I couldn’t capture it on photo).

This oak tree has a branch growing out at a perpendicular level.

We had hiked this trail before, maybe a year ago, but now that we’ve rediscovered it, I think we will be hiking it more often.

I didn’t recognize this reddish tree. My app told me it was a red cedar.

It’s nice to have so many green spaces (natural spaces – as they are not so green in the winter) to access within such a short distance of Northfield. Each hike this week was enjoyable in its own way, and rejuvenating.

Good medicine for the soul.

Steensland Hall

The St. Olaf College campus is a beautiful place to walk. It has lots of sidewalks, mature trees and magnificent buildings to look at. I took a walk up there last week, planning to stop in at a holiday open house in the newly renovated (well, two years ago now) Steensland Hall.

Steensland Library (now Hall) was built on St. Olaf Campus in 1902. It was the third building to be built on campus. Old Main was the first in 1877, then the Ytterboe Dorm (originally called Men’s Dormitory) was built in 1901. Ytterboe was torn down to make room for the student center, Buntrock Commons, which opened in 1999. Both Old Main and the Steensland Hall are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Old Main, the first building built on St. Olaf campus – built in 1877.

Steensland Hall, a smaller, quaint, Neoclassical Revival-style building was built close to Old Main. It began as a library then morphed into several purposes over the years, after a new, larger library was built. Then, the Steensland library sat vacant from 2001 until its renovation in 2021.

An old card catalog sits in the lower level. It has the original library cards in it, but is no longer used.

It was renovated to house the Hong Kirekegaard Library…the largest collection of books (outside of Denmark) by and about the Danish philosopher Søren Kirekegaard. Scholars come to St. Olaf to do their research here, since the books cannot be checked out. The lower level provides cubicles for visiting scholars.

When I walked through the door, I was greeted by a former acquaintance from when I worked up on the hill. Her first words were, “There’s a blast from the past.” I smiled, and she took me on a tour.

Upstairs, which is the entry level, there are a couple of offices, many bookshelves, and a big round oak table in the middle, welcoming people to come and sit a spell, and enjoy the charming and inviting space.

The building has lots of windows, so it’s very light and bright inside. There is a beautiful glass dome in the ceiling which was damaged in the infamous 2006 hailstorm, but the restorer was able to find the original glass provider and acquire more glass to repair the dome.

The classroom in the lower level of Steensland Hall.

Of course, the building is now all up to code. There is an elevator, and a handicap assessable bathroom on the lower level, in addition to the work area cubicles, a classroom, and a small kitchen.

Student workers put together this creative tree from books, for the holiday open house.

I was glad to finally have a chance to go inside and see this small, little building that has so much character.

And I enjoyed a Christmas cookie too.

Grape Nuts

I’m reading a historical fiction novel, The Magnificent lives of Marjorie Merriweather Post (1887-1973). She was an American businesswomen, socialite, and philanthropist. She was the only child of C. W. Post who invented Grape Nuts cereal (in 1897) and Postum, a supposedly healthy, decaffeinated hot-powdered drink, intended to replace coffee (in 1895). Postum Cereal Company (now Post Consumer Brands, shortened to Post) was the original name of her father’s company, located in Battle Creek, Michigan, where Marjorie grew up. After his death, Marjorie inherited the company at age 27. For much of her life, Marjorie was known as the wealthiest woman in the United States.

Fast forward 125 years and Post bought out Northfield’s beloved Malt-O-Meal cereal company. Although Grape Nuts is still made, it is not made in the Northfield plant. (But the hot Malt-O-Meal cereal still is.)

In later years, Marjorie bought smaller food companies and combined them into one business called General Foods. It’s an interesting read.

We have these two antiques: an Instant Postum tin (5″tall), and a Malt-O-Meal sample box (3″tall)

As I was reading, I remembered my mother use to make a quick bread using Grape Nuts. They are hard, nutty kernels, but tasty. I decided I wanted to make that bread again. I remembered I liked it, especially toasted. I could not find my mom’s hand-written recipe in my collection, so I looked online and found a different recipe for a quick bread made with Grape Nuts. I made one loaf. It turned out OK, but it was not as good as I remembered my mom’s to be.

A loaf of Grape Nuts bread using a recipe off the internet.

I reached out to my brother and he found my mom’s Grape Nuts bread recipe in their recipe box. So, I made her recipe and it was yummy. I’ve included the recipe below.

Two mini-loaves of Grape Nuts bread, using my mother’s recipe.

Now, I have to decide if I want to try Postum. 😉

**********

Ruby’s Grape Nuts Bread Recipe

1 Cup Grape Nuts
2 Cups Buttermilk
1 ½ Cup Sugar (originally 2 cups sugar...I reduced it)
2 eggs, beaten
½ tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda in 2 tsp. warm water
4 Cups flour
1 tsp baking powder

Soak grape nuts in buttermilk for 15 minutes.
Add sugar, eggs, soda and salt.
Stir in flour and baking powder.
Put in greased loaf pans and let stand 10 minutes.
2 large pans or 4 mini loaf pans.
Bake 350* for 1 hour for larger loaves.
Bake 350* for 30-35 minutes for mini loaves
.

Sunset

We went out last night for the first time in a week. We’ve been sick at home. We were greeted with a spectacular sky and sunset.

Praise God for this amazing evening greeting.

The Upper Arb

On these glorious mornings, Gary and I are walking on trails we’ve recently re-discovered.

We park outside the Oaklawn Cemetery and pass through the gate to Carleton College’s Cowling Arboretum…the upper arb. (The lower arb has nice trails too…it goes along the Cannon River and through the woods. The entry point is at a different section of campus.)

From the entrance we use for the upper arb, you can choose to go to the right or left. The right leads down to the prairie, the left takes you through an heavily wooded area of oak trees, and all the trails connect.

Amber tips of prairie grass and yellow goldenrod. — The beautiful landscape with amber tips of prairie grass and golden rod…

A posted sign offers information on how the different sports have worked-out on the upper arb over the years.

An interesting and informative sign about the upper arb and sports activities.

Carleton’s cross-country teams (men’s began in 1938 – women’s in 1970), practice on the trails and hold track meets. In the early 1990’s, Runner’s Magazine voted the upper arb the best place in Minnesota to run.

Carleton College started grooming the trails for cross-country skiing in 1978, and continues to open the trails to all skiers. We have skied and snow-shoed in the upper-arb during winter.

Juniper trees were abundantly full of berries.

I enjoyed learning that in the 1930’s there was a Saddle Club, and horse and riders were permitted to jaunt on the trails. An equestrian center was also built on the upper arb, but was shut down in 1964. It would be fun to ride horseback on the trails, although it is no longer permitted.

This photo added for fun…this is Abigail, one of the animals I help care for once in a while (not at the arb).

We have done a bit of walking on the trails in the upper arb in previous years, but not during this time of year when the prairie is in bloom. It is so pretty!

It feels like we’ve discovered a whole new trail. We pass very few folks out on our morning hike. We have the trails mostly to ourselves.

The striated lines on this boulder stood out.

A beautifully, landscaped boulder rest area.

The sun shines on our path. The sky is blue. It is so peaceful.

A beautifully mowed path, with Carleton College’s water tower in the background.

We’re grateful Carleton Colleges maintains the trails, and opens them up to the public.

Northfield’s Popcorn Wagon

Northfield’s beloved popcorn wagon has been in Northfield since 1979. It sits on Bridge Square every summer and is run by 27 “kernels” (volunteers) who make popcorn and sell it. I recently attended a history talk about the popcorn wagon by Susan Hvistendahl, at FiftyNorth, Northfield’s Senior Center.

The popcorn wagon was built in 1918 at C. Cretors & Company in Wood Dale, IL. C. Cretors & Co. is a five-generation family-run business that is still in business today. They have a museum in Wood Dale, IL, which would be fun to see. The popcorn wagons were first introduced at Chicago’s World’s fair in 1893, along with many famous inventions that year: the Ferris Wheel, and Cracker Jack’s, even Hershey Chocolate had its beginnings at that fair.

Northfield’s popcorn wagon is a Model C and there are fewer than 22 remaining. The Model C’s were “designed for success”, and advertised to be “an ornament to any town”. Indeed, Northfield’s popcorn wagon is a town icon.

Northfield’s Tosty Rosty, needs some repair work.

Initially there was a doll figure called Tosty Rosty, that manually turned the tumbler inside the wagon, making the popcorn pop, of course. Northfield’s Tosty Rosty has stopped working, but there are hopes it will be revived.

In May 1979 Vera Johansen bought the wagon and started the business of making popcorn. Apparently she became known as the unofficial hostess of Northfield. It is told that at one time ducks came up from the river to eat dropped popcorn. I wonder if that still happens? Another time, a fan was purchased to blow the aroma of freshly popped popcorn out into the air, drawing people to come purchase the delicious treat.

In 1988 Vera Johansen sold the popcorn wagon to the Sherwin family. It became available again in 1994, and Northfield collected contributions for its senior citizens to buy the wagon. It was brought up to code and returned to Bridge Square in May 1995, when the Senior Center volunteers took over the care of the wagon. Believe it or not, this little popcorn wagon is a money maker for our FiftyNorth Senior Center.

Recently a new door, new window frames and window panes, and interior shelving have been restored to the wagon. Currently there is a fundraiser to raise enough money to finish renovating the outside by stripping, sandblasting and repainting it, and adding new wheels. (Originally it was horse-drawn.) The goal is $50,000. They have raised $5,000, and a family foundation recently gave a generous gift of $25,000.

Everyone’s enjoying the song “Buttered Popcorn”.

At the end of Susan’s talk, a singing duo and a guitarist sang a lively rendition called “Buttered Popcorn.” It was a delightful evening at FiftyNorth.

Tour de SAVE

On Saturday Gary and I rode a 25-mile bike loop for Tour de SAVE. SAVE is an acronym for Suicide Awareness Voices of Education. The ride was a fundraiser for this organization.

SAVE: Suicide Awareness Voices of Education

After you registered, you could fill out a pennant to wear, naming a person or persons you were riding in memory of. Both Gary and I have personal connections to people who have taken their own lives, but there were a lot of folks riding for the sake of bringing awareness to suicide.

Gary has ridden this event in previous years. This is a jersey from a different year.

SAVE hosts several types of events, including 5K walk/runs, throughout Minnesota and the US. Click here for a link to their website.

Information signs were posted at the registration area.

We had a beautiful morning to ride. The hot and humid weather moved out and cool, dry air moved in. The rural route took us on backroads, past fields and farms. The blue sky boasted white wispy clouds.

Fields of corn and soy beans, and beautiful blue skies and clouds.

After the ride we met friends for lunch, and then walked to Bridge Square in Northfield to listen to some good band music, put on by the Vintage Band Festival, an annual outdoor music event in Northfield.

Minnesota Pipes and Drums, a musical ensemble consisting of bagpipers and drummers, marching up to the bandshell for their allotted time to play for the crowd.

And, of course, we had a dish of ice cream to wrap up a delightful, summer day.

A great place for ice cream in Northfield.

We were grateful for these wonderful organized events; yet we continue to mourn the loss of loved ones lost to suicide.

The last leg of the 25-mile ride was on the Dundas Trail.

A Hedgehog and A Firefly

A flicker of light~
Twinkling and twirling around...
Fireflies at night.

While in Minnesota, our Ukrainian friends saw fireflies for the first time. They were excited. We were with them one evening, and the fireflies were dancing all around us. We all enjoyed seeing the fireflies, as well as our friend’s excitement.

A hedgehog I saw in the wild in Ukraine, 2008.

I told them the one and only time I saw a hedgehog was in Ukraine, and it was exciting to see it. We walked to a village after class one day, to an interpreter’s home, and we saw a cute, little hedgehog tucked away on the side of the path.

God is creative!

“God made the animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the crates that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.” Genesis 1:24

Log Jam

On a warm, summer’s evening in Northfield, Bridge Square and the Riverwalk draw a lot of people. It is a nice place to stroll along the Cannon River, to look at the water falling over the dam, to see people fishing off the bridge, or just sitting and visiting or eating ice cream.

The other night we took our ice cream treat down to Bridge Square and looked out on the river. To our surprise there was a log jam.

A couple big tree trunks were stuck in the dam and hundreds of branches and sticks have accumulated at the blockage. We’ve never seen it backed up so much.

There are always many folks fishing along Bridge Square.

It was a sight to see. Hopefully it will be cleaned up soon.

A Conflict of Interest

Squirrels are cute little critters, with comical antics and amazing flexibility. They are fun to watch.

Two cute squirrels playing in our birch tree.

But they can also be destructive in gardens, and they can scare away the birds from the feeders. We have many squirrels in our yard, so we started trapping them a few years ago. We use a live-trap and once caught we deliver them to, what we’ve dubbed the “Squirrel Resort”, a land flowing with trees and water. We escorted many squirrels there. It has all the comforts of a happy place for the critters, out in the country.

Releasing a squirrel from the live-trap.

Our neighbors across the street however, feel differently. She feeds the squirrels. In fact, she has trained a young squirrel to jump up on her lap and eat from her hand! She demonstrated the act one morning. I was amused. She offered to send me a picture to use for my blog.

He is cute.

A young squirrel eating from our neighbor’s knee.

I didn’t tell her we’ll be setting up a trap in our back yard…

Hopefully this young one will stay in my neighbor’s yard where the food is…