Minnesota friends and family!

Good Morning!!!  It's a beautiful morning in Minnesota ... I am basking in it's beauty and feasting my eyes on places I want to photograph!

I can't believe my visit to Minnesota is coming to an end.  I am waiting on a call from the Volkswagen dealership in Fargo, North Dakota to tell me that Lily has recovered and is set to make the trip!  The Jeep Liberty I have been driving is nice BUT I will be so glad to get back into my "bug."

I have had the privilege and honor of spending a few weeks here with old friends and family.  It had been 15+ years since I've been here ... wayyy too long!  I can't go back and redo; however, I can revel in my adventures here and vow to make another trip next year.

My brother and his wife have been so gracious to provide me with a room and  fresh veggies from the garden.  I will be grilling up zucchini when I get back home to Texas for sure!!  Nancy is a big Sci Fi fan and has gotten me hooked on the series Primeval.  It's a time when we can chat between scenes and look forward to gripping the chair arms when the creatures come out from the anomalies!!  I am a big fan of NCIS, Criminal Minds, etc. so the Sci Fi has been a nice change.   Nancy loves doing crafts and has made me some microwave mitts ... yea!  I will have some treats to bring back to family and friends in Texas.


Roger is a quiet man ... I just love him to pieces.  He and Nancy are such kind, loving people.  Roger works as a truck driver during the day and then works on the farm in the evenings.  With all the damage of the storm, he will be busy for months and months!  I know he and Nancy will have it looking beautiful here by my next visit!!

Growing up, I was so fortunate to have made some pretty awesome friends ... the kind of friends who accept me as I am and encourage me to be better!  They have been making bucket lists of things they would like to do before heading on to Heaven.  Elaine, Lynda, and Pam are all taking a bus trip in October to see the Fall foliage in the Northeast (on their bucket list).  Wish I could tag along ... it sounds like they are going to have a blast!!  Never a dull moment when two or more of us get together!  Their bucket list idea sounds pretty good to me so I've been thinking about what to put in mine.  I know I do want to get my books published about Hamilton Elf and take some oil painting lessons.  Have you, my Readers, thought about your own bucket lists??  I think it's important because all too soon life passes by and we're left thinking, "Oh, I wish I would have..."   It's important to take time to smell those proverbial roses and make dreams come true.

When I lived in the Women's Shelter for thirty days, we made boards about ourselves.  It couldn't be about our families, friends...  At first I thought that it would be hard ... then, I started clipping and filled the whole poster board up!!  I learned so much about myself and it went a long way in building my self esteem.  I'm very much a free spirited person who thinks out of the box.  I pick and choose my battles and can focus on the big picture of life.  I love deeply and would do anything for family and friends ... maybe a little too much sometimes!  When I visited Pam in Perham, we went to a little boutique where I found a wonderful funky dress to wear with boots and leggings.  Whattttt?  Should I remember I am going on 65??  Well, anyway, I tried it on and Pam said it definitely was me!  I like it so I will wear it lots this Fall and Winter.  Maybe that is in my bucket ... to continue to wear the clothes I love and smile while doing so!!

My friend, Elaine K, has been so much fun to get together with while I've been here.  She loves Asian decor sprinkled with antiques.  She puts everything together in such an interesting beautiful way.  It just seems surreal that she is living in a condo that was my first and second grade classrooms.  I'm so glad that the town found a way to keep most of the elementary and high school complete ... history IS important!  As I would enter the doors to go see her, the smell was still the same as when I was little.  I could remember playing jacks on the walls of the building next to the front door.  Ah yes...  Elaine lost her husband, Stan, after 43 years of marriage last year.  It has been a tough adjustment for her losing Stan, moving from the home they built when they were first married, and reinventing her life as a widow.  She keeps a positive attitude and I know we will be spending more time together in the future.  Her little dog, Maggie, keeps her company!




Which locker was mine?!



My friend, Pam, and I were only able to get together a few times before she had to head back to her California home.  What a character she is ...  Pam has a great sense of humor and our ways of decorating are similar.  Maybe I lean a little more towards English Country where she likes light oak and primitives!  Pam fished a painting Elaine had done out of the thrift store and hung it in her office.  Lookin' good!  I think most of my school classmates enjoy interior design...  It is fun to see how our different personalities come out in our surroundings in our homes!  I talked to Pam on Monday and look forward to doing a better job of keeping up with her!

Pam's find ... Elaine's Painting!!

As I have walked around town, I have had the biggest smile on my face.  The 60's era is gone; however, our spirits are still here just like the spirits of my parents, grandparents, great grandparents and great great grandparents.  How about that?  I wonder if those that have gone before me are looking down knowing that I so appreciate them and what they did in the development of Pope County!  I hope so...



Hosea & Gomer 

 My daily walk in the Bible has taken me to Hosea.  Have you ever thought about what love really is?  I know that love, in the English language, takes on many meanings.  "I just love Nutella."  "I love the way you sing."  "I love your hair."  "I just love the way you talk."  "I love you if __________."  Familiar with any of those?  Well, then there is God's love.  He doesn't love us if or because.  With the Lord, love just is ... no conditions or timetable.  Hosea married Gomer, a prostitute, and God told him to love her period.  Hmmm, I wonder if we could be as forgiving as Hosea?  It's an interesting read!

Last night, I took my brother and his wife to Water's Edge ... a restaurant in Starbuck.  Lake Minnewaska is so high ... it truly is on the water's edge!  We had a nice time of togetherness ... the last things I am doing here is a little bitter sweet.  I will be sad to leave my family and friends here but am fortunate to have a family and friends in Texas to return to.

While I am here, I decided to serve my brother ... I've hauled tree branches and assigned the laundry and doing the dishes to moi!  It's been a blessing to me to be able to do this!  I've gotten lots of exercise walking up and down the basement stairs and tossing the branches ... it's helped to keep the pounds under control that I've gained here munching on all the delicacies of this area!  After my chores are done today, I am going out to visit my parents' graves and take some additional photos around town.

May all of you have a blessed day!  Always remember you are loved and prayed for ... YA YOU!!

The Beauty of Lake Minnewaska!