Northfield – Page 9 – Valerie's Voice

Northfield Shares A Dinner

About six years ago, I was at Kew Gardens in London and there was an outdoor art installment that I have thought about many times over the years. As I remember it…it was a long rectangle table, with sturdy, straight back chairs around it. The table was set with china, bolted down, and edible plants were growing from the teapots and cups and serving bowls. As I stood on one end of the table and looked out beyond it, there was a grassy area lined with tall, leafy trees on each side. Later, as I walked up that grassy area towards the table and between the tree canopy, I was enthralled with the whole scene and it felt very inviting.

That scene came to mind when I first heard of Northfield Shares A Dinner. A dinner: outside, along our town’s main street, with continuous tables set for 1,000 neighbors and friends… wow! The idea was fascinating to me, and I was excited.

The tables were full all along Division Street.

And it happened last weekend…with the help of hundreds of volunteers through Northfield Shares, a non-profit organization in Northfield that promotes volunteerism.

Registration area to pick up your wristband.

I reserved tickets right away. Reserving a spot early was crucial because the 1,000 tickets were quickly dispersed. A wait list began…people wanted to participate. At the registration table a wristband was your ticket and indicated your seat assignment.

The weather during the week prior to the event was almost perfect…cool temperatures, dry air, still days. The day of the event turned cloudy and threatened rain, but only a few drops fell, until after the meal was finished. We were all grateful.

When I arrived downtown the tables and chairs were set up and the tablecloths were on.

I went downtown to Bridge Square on Division Street a few hours before the 5:30 p.m. serve time to help get things ready.

The tables were covered in colored plastic table clothes with a white runner down the middle. Two tables were pushed together and eight chairs were set on each side.

The brown paper bag containing the eating utensils.

A brown paper bag was placed at one end, which contained paper plates, cups, flatware, napkins and name tags, enough for sixteen.

On each table were two tri-fold cards that were menus…one in English and one in Spanish. These had to be taped down due to the slight wind that afternoon.

Beautiful flowers, grown and donated by the local garden club, adorned each table…and not just a few flowers in a vase but a beautiful bouquet in mason jars.

Water pitchers were filled and placed on each table too. The organizers thought of every detail.

Flowers, menus, BBQ sauce, salt, water and tongs on each table.

The food was donated. A cook was hired to smoke turkeys from Ferndale Market and pork from Holden farms. Corn on the cob, donated by Grisms, was grilled and salad greens from local CSA farms in the area were tossed together by Bon Appetit, the food service used by both colleges. There were dinner rolls from the Brick Oven, BBQ sauce from Kahlo restaurant and Johnny Pops was our sweet treat after the meal. It was all served family style by youth in our community. Everything was delicious.

Musician groups at each end of the street.

As I write about this I’m in awe of what a wonderful event this turned out to be.

It was intended to bring community together and it did. Every table was full and everyone seemed to be having a jolly good time. There were music groups playing before dinner and costumed Hispanic dancers on the main stage on Bridge Square. Piped-in dinner music played in the background as we ate.

Another view of the full tables. Photo by TA.

What a great idea. What a great community event. What a great get-together.

Northfield, what a great place to live.

Garden Tour

There were six gardens to visit on Northfield’s garden tour so I donned a flower dress and took off to enjoy the beauty.

Two gardens were in public places but it was fun to get into the yards of four residents in Northfield. There were artists stationed at each place, which adds to the fun.

The garden is a simple rain water garden. Some of the artist’s works were displayed as he was painting another picture, and visiting with the guests.

The theme this year was water so there were a few water gardens. I learned you can apply for a grant from the city of Northfield to cover up to $250 if you plant a water garden in your yard.

I so enjoy flowers and am amazed at the beauty and uniqueness of each one. I like learning of new plants too.

It was hard to capture the enormity of this flower pot. When I asked for the name the gardener said the official name at the store was, “Big Pink Begonia”. I guess sometimes you just call it what it is! This size begonia was new to me.

Someone asked me if I got inspired while looking at the gardens and I said yes… but then I know it’s too hot this time of year to change my garden so I don’t do anything now.

Another new to me flower: a hanging begonia. The white blooming flowers draped over the pot.

But, I do tuck away ideas for next year…

The blue glass tulip shades from an old lamp was used as garden art mixed in with white hydrangea.

It was fun to see the sculptures people use as gardens art, as well as the visiting artist’s creative works.

The last home I visited on the tour was at the top of a high hill.

It’s hard to see the swing hanging from the tree near the gardens in this yard, but it’s easy to see the expansive view.

A watercolor artist was stationed in the screen porch of the house at this garden, so we could peak into the house to see a bit of it’s loveliness. I noticed dinner plates and crystal goblets on the dining table, gathered for what looked like an upcoming party.

I thought this was clever…two arborvitae woven together at the top to form an arch.

While meandering in the gardens the owner said they were having a garden party that evening since they already had spent a lot of time grooming and weeding and getting their gardens ready for the tour.

Beautiful gardens at this beautiful house on the hill where they were planning a lovely garden party.

They had lights wired in the garden and on the lovely patio with a water fountain. I’m sure it would look awesome at night. I wanted to stick around for the party!

Look, the winter is past,
    and the rains are over and gone.
¹²The flowers are springing up,
    the season of singing birds has come,
    and the cooing of turtledoves fills the air. Song of Songs 2:11-12

Another Fun Sighting

One day this week, on my walk, I saw a fox. A friend saw it first and emailed me a photo of it. Apparently the fox has two pups and they are living in a holding pond near our house. I intentionally walked by the area and looked for the fox and was delighted to see it. She appears to be healthy. It’s always fun to see the unusual.

Fairy Gardens

Two cute hedge hogs reading….I think they are my favorites in this fairy garden.

There is a wonderful, rather large, fairy garden along St. Olaf Avenue. On the property there is a large older home, under renovation with scaffolding outside, which detracts a little bit from its elegance…for now. There is a large garage that may have once been a carriage house, and a big yard. The yard has been turned into a garden and it is full of seasonal blooming flowers… I’d like to learn the history of the whole place.

A birdie reading while sitting on the elephant’s trunk.

It is a fun place to walk by and take in all there is to see on this one plot of land along St. Olaf Avenue. I walked by this spring and, although the colorful landscape of spring flowers was wonderful, I really enjoyed seeing is the sweet fairy garden, right along the sidewalk. It is full of miniature animals and most are reading a book.

The squirrel is busy carrying books while the cat is resting.

The first time I walked by the house, the owner was out in the yard. I asked him if I could take photos of the fairy garden. He said yes and told me his wife is a librarian, so that’s the why the fairy garden has a reading theme.

There is a lot in the miniature garden…flowers, mushrooms, rocks to make a pond, tiny ladders to a loft area, many different animals reading books, miniature plants. There is even a miniature “Free Little Library”. It is quite enchanting.

A bunny sitting on the edge of a book, reading.

This miniature frog is practicing yoga. Note the stones with the words love, peace and tranquillity written on them. And I like the blue gazing ball.

A couple years ago I wrote a blog posting about my ONE little fairy that I hid in my flowers one year. And then it went missing. Over a year later my husband was trimming a tree and found the fairy up in the crook of the tree. Apparently a squirrel carried it so far and then gave up on it, and abandoned it. When my husband found the fairy he brought it into the house and set it on the counter. I was so surprised to see it. We laughed and decided the only possible explanation was a squirrel’s folly. But now, my one little fairy is now back, hidden in my garden.

Behind the fairy garden are a few other larger garden figures. This is a cat with glasses, reading.

Another large figure behind the fairy garden…a frog sipping tea and reading.

Children of God Storybook Bible

A couple years ago I bought Children of God Storybook Bible at the annual Hospital Auxiliary book sale in Northfield. The two-piece set included a book that was beautifully illustrated, plus the complete book on two Audio CD’s. I also liked the fact that Jesus was not “white”, a feature I look for in picture book Bibles.

This set sat on our bookshelf for a year or two. When preparing for our son’s move to Colorado, I went through our bookshelves to pass along some books and rediscovered this set. I looked it over and decided to listen to the CD’s on our drive out West. I would be driving alone in our car, the last vehicle in our three-vehicle caravan. It was a great way to start each day.

The author of this children’s Bible is the Nobel Peace Prize Winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa. Desmond Tutu also narrated his book on the CD’s. It was wonderful to hear his voice reading his beloved stories. I felt the love of God through his words, and could only image his simple stories appealing to children all the while bringing the good news about God’s love. And, each story ends with a simple question. I was really impressed.

I left the wonderfully illustrated book in Colorado with our grandchildren, but I brought the CD’s home with me.

A partial quote about the author off the information sheet in the set reads: “Archbishop Desmond Tutu was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his lifelong struggle to bring equality, justice, and peace to his native country of South Africa. In 1986, he was elected Archbishop of Cape Town the highest position in the Anglican Church in South Africa…… He is known for his great love for children, as well as his powerful and profound understanding of the message of Jesus Christ…….”

The book was published in 2010.

Northfield’s 20th Annual Winter Walk

We attended the 20^th annual Winter Walk in Northfield last night. The downtown is festive: all lit up with white lights and Christmas decorations, different groups of carolers singing, and stores offering sweet treats.

One of the decorated trees downtown Northfield. Photo taken right before sunset.

We received a special invitation to stop in at a business in town, which is where we always start our walk, after tasting some wonderful morsels.

Beautiful and creative special invitation for a Winter Walk event.

Next we visited Content bookstore, then checked out two new stores downtown before heading to the old Model Train exhibits, set up in our library at the end of Division Street.

We strolled back towards Bridge Square, along the closed-off street, full of cheerful folks meandering, a horse-drawn carriage, fire pits, and different music groups. We stopped at a couple other favorite stores: The Rare Pair and an antique store. They were packed with people. Depending on the weather the stores can get very crowded. It was chilly and the stores were full.

Bridge Square during Winter Walk, Northfield.

When we first arrived downtown we caught the beginning of a parade. This is a first for Northfield’s Winter Walk. For me it was too chilly to stand out to watch it go by, but we did see a couple of the entries while walking to our first stop. I enjoyed seeing the tractor decorated in Christmas lights, then we dashed inside.

The lighted tractor to begin the parade at Northfield’s Winter Walk.

Last weekend we planned to go to Faribault’s Winterfest Parade of Lights, including fireworks, but it got postponed due to weather. How ironic, the Winterfest, postponed by winter weather. HA.

That parade has been rescheduled for December 14^th so hopefully it will be “warm” enough to bring our newly arrived grand-children from Africa to see it. “O, what fun…”

The St. Olaf Christmas Festival

The 2018 St. Olaf Christmas Festival, Good News of Great Joy, was performed over the weekend, and we were in attendance for one of the productions. It has become a tradition for us, and ushers in our Christmas season.

The program for 2018 St. Olaf Christmas Festival.

I smile when I think of my first year working as the Christmas Festival ticket coordinator several years ago. Many people told me that same thing, “the St. Olaf Christmas Festival is a tradition to begin their Christmas season”. If something would go wrong in securing their tickets they would get feisty. It’s as though Christmas would not happen if they did not get their tickets to the Festival to start the season!

Years later, I understand the reason behind their thinking. It is a fabulous event and the timing is wonderful…after Thanksgiving and before Advent. I love going to it each year, and it does start our Christmas season out right (but I also remember the reason for the season and it’s not the Christmas Festival.)

Beautiful Christmas ornaments adorn the trees in the student center.

Music was the theme for the decorated Christmas trees in Buntrock Commons (the student center) with fun ribbon, musical instrument ornaments and more. There were four, gorgeous trees flanking the fireplace creating a festive atmosphere for people gathering in the commons area. They are set up and trimmed for the students, faculty, staff, and visitors to enjoy.

I love this musical note ribbon intertwined in the trees.

The set design for the St. Olaf Christmas Festival in the auditorium was beautiful. Wide swaths of fabric criss-crossed the back of the stage and a lighting crew would somehow change the colors on the fabrics during the concert.

The orchestra warming up before the performance. The backdrop for the performance changed colors as different lighting worked its wonders.

This year’s music selection was wonderful and the five choirs and orchestra sang and played their hearts out for two hours, leaving the audience in awe of another amazing performance from the students. A few scripture verses are always read, making it feel more like a service than a concert.

Decorations on the Christmas Trees in Buntrock Commons.

I love and cherish the traditional ending song, Beautiful Savior, and it always brings tears to my eyes.

Even though I am no longer an employee of St. Olaf College, I think I will always feel a part of the Christmas Festival. It is near and dear to my heart and I am grateful to be able to attend this event and begin our Christmas season with fine music, carols and songs of praise. It is a special gift.

Big, Beautiful Birds

They are a sight to see. They come by the hundreds this time of year. They fly overhead about same time each day. If I had to plan an event around their appearance it would be somewhere between 4 and 6 pm. They are loud…so loud that I can hear them honking as they fly overhead even when I’m in my house with the windows closed. When I’m outside, I can also hear the flapping of their wings. It’s a wonderful sound.

They are Canadian Geese. They are beautiful to see in the air and on the water. However, if they are on land, in the yard, or on sidewalks they will leave a horrible mess behind. But at Pond Three, the blacktop path is clear and the hundreds of Canadian Geese land and stay on the water.

Photo taken one fall day of Pond Three, 2018.

Our neighborhood has three ponds (I have affectionately named Pond One, Pond Two and Pond Three) with a walking path around them. A few geese hang out in the ponds all year…in the spring it’s fun to watch the goslings as they swim across the water all lined up in a row, in-between mom and dad.

Ten little goslings all in a row. Photo taken in May, 2018.

The adults can be very protective of their offspring and hiss loudly if you get too close when they are out of the water and on the edge of the pond. It can be a bit intimidating having very large birds walk toward you hissing.

While on a walk last spring I came upon a women using a cane. I smiled and said hi as I passed her by. Soon after, I came upon two adult geese with their young on the edge of the path. As two adult birds started hissing and walking towards me I stopped to wait for my new path companion so we could walk by the geese together using her cane to wave in front of us for a little protection.

Photo taken earlier this fall on Pond Two.

Last evening the rising, full moon was huge as we walked around Pond Three. It was stunning. The pond was already full of geese but more geese kept coming, flying over our heads and landing in the pond…their silhouette in the dusk-colored sky was breathtaking. We stopped in awe for several minutes just to watch the magnificent sight. (I didn’t have my iPhone along for a photo,)

My husband asked the question…do the geese stop at Pond Three because it has open water, or does Pond Three have open water because it attracts hundreds of geese? I don’t know the answer but I do know they are beautiful and strong and noisy…we wondered if they make noise all night long?

Soon the Canadian Geese will be on their way again, flying to southern parts of the United States. They do seem to enjoy this stopover in Northfield and I’m glad.

Passover and FiftyNorth

Last spring, we took a three week road trip to the east coast. One stop was in Washington DC to visit neighbors that used to live next door to us in Northfield. We happen to be in DC during Passover, and they happen to be Jewish, so they invited us to stay in their home and to partake in the Passover meal with them, along with five other people from their synagogue. We were delighted, and excited, to sit down and experience this Seder meal with our Jewish friends.

The cherry blossoms were in bloom in Washington DC.

We were offered Kippahs (caps) to wear, and spent the next five hours at the dinner table with our friends and five wonderful folks we had never met. We ate large amounts of food – most with symbolism attached. We read through prayers and texts, and sang songs that go along with the story of Passover in the Torah (and Old Testament). We enjoyed sweet fellowship while participating in a completely different religious experience than our own. It was wonderful.

Two friends participating in the Passover meal.

So, when the newsletter for FiftyNorth (previously Northfield Retirement Center) came out with its November offerings, one class in particular caught my attention: Jewish Holidays: Backgrounds and Traditions. Stacy Beckwith, a Professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies, and the Director of the Judaic Studies Program at Carleton College presented it. The class filled, with 25 people attending. The course was a general overview, and well done.

One of the slides from presentation… a picture of a Haggadah from the 14th century. Haggadah is the text book for the Seder meal.

This is the Haggadah we used at our friend’s house.

Another slide from her presentation showing a Seder plate for six symbolic foods.

Our hostess compiled a Seder plate – 6 symbolic foods which include shank bone of lamb, egg, vegetables, two types of bitter herbs and a sweet paste called haroset.

I have attended classes at FiftyNorth but was surprised when I drove into the parking lot for my class on a weekday afternoon, that the main parking lot was full. When I entered the FiftyNorth lobby it, too, was full of people, and there was a rather long line to check-in for all the different activities going on in the center.

FiftyNorth is a very vibrant place for Northfield seniors (seniors defined as age 50 and older, and North as in north – or in, higher than, age 50). It has a lot to offer including informational and fitness classes, a pool, workout equipment, rooms for bridge players or ping pong tournaments etc. In the lobby coffee is always available and tables are set up for puzzles, reading the newspaper, or just visiting. It is stimulating and invigorating place and a real gem for our small town, Northfield.

I was pleased to be in the bustling center this week, learning about Jewish traditions. I was among many others…there for so many different reasons. And that is a good thing.

Severe Storms, Beautiful Concert

A few days ago a storm passed through Southeastern Minnesota, near our town…or should I say through our town. There were straight-line winds that may have been a tornado, but not confirmed as of yet. There were other tornado touchdowns in towns near-by.

Thousands of branches blocking sidewalks, roads and driveways.

It wreaked havoc as though it was a tornado. Thankfully our house, and trees survived. We had a lot of debris in our yard, several branches from our neighbor’s trees, and two large branches from our own back yard that had to be sawed off.

A neighbor’s tree fell over the driveway…not on the house thankfully.

When the winds came up that night I could tell it was different than any other storm I’ve experienced. We went to our lower level when the sirens went off.

In a very few minutes a lot of trees were uprooted, snapped in half and fallen over creating one big mess. Several farm buildings were either flattened or significantly damaged within one or two miles from our house. Thankfully no lives were lost.

On our way to friends…a farm in ruins. Notice the the Harvestore silo blown over.

During the next two days we cleaned up our yard and offered help to others who had severe damage to their properties.

Saturday evening we were tired but I decided I still wanted to go to the St. Olaf Orchestra Homecoming concert and I was glad I did. It was energizing.

Classes at St. Olaf started a couple weeks ago so that meant the students had only two weeks to prepare and practice for this concert. We all sat in awe after the conductor reminded us of that, because the pieces were difficult and the orchestra sounded really good.

Of course, the beloved conductor, who has been at St. Olaf for many years, has a lot to do with the success. He’s kind, fun, and animated. You can tell he’s enjoying his job very much and you know you’ll hear a good concert if he’s conducting.

When the concert was over I walked out into a clear, night sky with an almost full moon (9/25). What a striking and beautiful culmination to a tough couple of days in the after math of severe storms. I was blessed.