Updates -

Snowmobiling at the Johnson farm, Ashby, MN
Snowmobiling: Beaver with Caity and Jayce
 Kids of all ages enjoy our new snow!


UPDATE -- Tsunami Disaster Relief Mission

As reported in previous Bulletins, Kurt Larson's ship, the USS Bonhomme Richard, left San Diego without Kurt on board. Last we heard he was flying to catch up with the ship, diverted to Sumatra to provide food, fresh water and medical care for tsunami victims. While awaiting an update on Kurt we're keeping an eye on the ship via this official Navy web site's news section:

http://www.news.navy.mil/local/lhd6/


UPDATE -- Introductory Sketch -- Dan Mellon
by Dan Mellon
Alta Loma, CA

My name is Dan Mellon. I became a newsletter subscriber after being re-introduced to Dorothy by my dear Aunt Diana Martin. I am the middle child of Rolly and Marcella Mellon, both of whom have passed in the last ten years. Rolly was the son of Everett and Daisy Mellon, and was Dorothy's first cousin.

I was born in Cokato, Minnesota, in 1949, but have been a California resident (for the most part) since 1960. My older brother is Tom, and our younger sister is Colleen, both residing in California.

I married my high school sweetheart Nancy in 1969 and am happy to report that the best part of my day has always been seeing her smiling face when we return home from work in the evening. I have spent my entire career in the printing industry and am the Safety Manager for one of the country's largest commercial printers. Having returned to college, I received my B.S. from the University of Redlands in 2004. My student loans should be paid off about a week before I retire.

Nancy single-handedly manages the office of a public works construction company, and constantly amazes me with her knowledge and ability. Our dogs, Moca and Molly (both mutts), are very dear to us and some might say they are over-indulged, and they would be correct.

Our son Sam is 32 years-old and lives in a really neat apartment-turned-condominium in (Old Town) Pasadena, a short block from the route of the Rose Parade. Sam's degree is in Studio Art and Photography and he is the Director, Products and Services for a company providing a variety of services to museums and art galleries (http://www.curatorial.com/). Sam's dog Nora (chocolate lab) is loved by one and all and accompanies him most everywhere. Sam's passion is his music and he excels as a song writer and performer (guitar, drums, harmonica). He is currently putting the finishing touches on a demo CD.

Our daughter Anne Marie is 30 years-old, married to Julian Montford, and they have a 1-1/2 year-old son named Aiden. I'm at a loss for words to express how wonderful it is to have this child in our lives. They have a beautiful home in Yucaipa, California, about 70 miles east of Los Angeles. Julian has found success selling swimming pools in the Palm Springs area, while Anne (B.S. Nursing) is a registered nurse and works as a supervisor of nurses in a Kaiser hospital in Riverside. She notified us in December that Aiden can expect a sibling in August. I guess I'll close with that, because anything I might add would pale by comparison.

To Dorothy and all of you that produce the newsletter, thanks for your dedication and hard work. I'm certain that you are providing the seed for future generations to maintain a connection to their roots.

Dan

Dan Mellon Family Aiden Montford
Dan Mellon family, left; first grandson, Aiden Montford, age 1-1/2, right.
L-R: Julian Montford, Aiden Montford, Anne Montford, Nancy Mellon, Dan Mellon.


UPDATE -- Introductory Sketch -- Mitzi & Sheldon Swenson
by Mitzi (Johnson) Swenson
Dickenson, ND

Well-known Bulletin staff members are my relatives -- Beaver is my big brother and Jerrianne is my older sister. Kjirsten is my daughter. My brother Richard and sister Kathlyn (Johnson) Anderson and their families have also contributed.

Sheldon and I met at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks the first week of my freshman year, and as they say, "the rest is history." We married the next summer. I completed BS and MS degrees in Industrial Technology while he completed medical school.

Shane was born while we were UND students. After Sheldon completed a flex internship in Fargo, he accepted an emergency department position in Dickinson, North Dakota, for one year. We always planned to live in the mountains.... Four more kids (Kjirsten, Derek, Tyler and Aunika) and almost 22 years later, we are still in Dickinson!

We share many interests, including traveling, backpacking, reading, racquetball, gardening, hockey and photography... Sheldon loves hunting, especially pheasants. I'm currently auditing Spanish in college to expand our travel options and keep my brain from molding, along with serving on the school board and working half time at the hospital managing the volunteers, gift shop and medical library.

Mitzi, Sheldon Swenson
Mitzi & Sheldon Swenson at New Year's Eve dinner.

On New Year's Eve we dined at La Baita, a fantastic Italian Restaurant in Buenos Aires. We were there four hours and had five courses that included 16 selections. Kjirsten thought we would choose one course, but our plate came with all of them every time! We were also offered four kinds of wine. By the time we left, well after midnight, we were so full we could hardly walk.

Photo Editor's Note: Mitzi and Sheldon spent a week in Argentina over the New Year's holiday with their daughter Kjirsten, Bolivian Beat columnist for The Bulletin. See The Bolivian Beat, where Mitzi is filling in for Kjirsten for a few weeks, for more details on their trip. Mitzi earlier visited Kjirsten in Bolivia with sons Shane and Derek and reported on that trip in other Bulletins. There's more on the family in the searchable archives, including Tyler's "Dutch Babies" recipe.


UPDATE -- Student Introductory Sketch -- Leona Anderson
by Leona Anderson
Brooklyn Park, MN

I haven't been up to much now that I've graduated from the University, in December. I applied this past week to the initial licensure program there. If I'm accepted, I'll train for another year, starting in May, to become an English teacher.

In the meantime, I'm planning on finding a temporary job, probably through ProStaff. Eric only has one class to finish up this semester; then he'll have his two-year accounting degree. I'm so proud of him for sticking to it; his classes have been very demanding.

Other than that, I've been doing the good housewife duty of cleaning, cooking, doing laundry, and tending our two cats. Luckily, the job is easy, since we still live in our apartment, but this summer we're thinking of moving somewhere better. Tending the cats is the hardest job since Myca is still a "teenager." She's 7 months old and loves to chew on everything, run and jump on everything, and pester poor old cranky Casper.

The Buick is running nicely right now. It actually likes the cold and has started the last few days, when even we didn't want to crawl out of bed. Luckily the Buick started, because my Intrepid has always been cold-blooded. I think it would rather have us living in Texas.

Eric, Leona Anderson
Eric & Leona Anderson


FAMILY UPDATE -- Jim & Kristi Indermark
by Kristi (Larson) Indermark
Parrish, Florida

I haven't written in a long time, so I will try to catch everyone up quickly. Jim and I are planning on moving to Wisconsin by June 15th. (It will depend on when the baby arrives.) The town we are moving to is Portage, Wisconsin. Jim's parents and sister live there, along with several other relatives of Jim's. Minnesota is only a 3-1/2 hour drive from there. We are flying up in February to buy a house. Keep your fingers crossed that we can find something we like!

We are also expecting our second child ... we just found out it is a boy. We picked the name Tyler James, but who knows if it will stick? I am just over half way done with this pregnancy. My due date is May 29th (my birthday). We plan on moving two weeks after the baby is born.

I will be running a day care out of our house in Wisconsin, so for right now I am in the process of taking the required classes and getting together all the paperwork that I can. Jim will not have a job when we move up, so cross your fingers that he finds a job quickly.

I think that is all that is going on down here.

Jim, Kristi and Jordan


FAMILY UPDATE -- Dwight & Janie Anderson
by Janie Anderson
Dwight, ND

The Anderson Girls Xmas
The Anderson girls came home for Christmas 2004.
From left: Tami (Anderson) Hunt -Wisconsin; Barb Anderson - Oregon; Melanie (Anderson) Shockey - Minnesota, and Brenda (Anderson) Hill - North Dakota.

Nathan Hill Family The Hill Children
The Brenda and Nathan Hill family, left; the Hill children, right.
Summer, Brenda holding Baby Jonathan, Nathan holding Jazmine, left.
Jonathan - 6 days old; Jazmine - 19 months old; Summer - 5 years old, right.


UPDATE --Florida Trip
by JoAnne Sigman
South Haven, MN

Wes and I had a wonderful trip to Florida! We spent time with family and even spent a few days alone in the Keys. We also brought along my 10 year old nephew Robin and my cousin Carol, (who is handicapped now, due to an accident at work; she broke her neck.)

One of the big highlights of our trip, was Blue Springs State Park. The manatees were migrating to warmer waters inland. We were lucky to get into the park. They only have so many parking spots, and when they fill up, they close the park for three hours. Luckily, I thought to have everyone bring swimming stuff. Wes and my nephew went swimming with the manatees! I opted to stay "ashore" with my cousin and take pictures.

They have strict rules concerning the wildlife. You must stay 50 feet away from them, and not touch them. There is a $125 fine for touching or harassing them. And the sign says you will be "ejected" from the park. The manatees seemed to like Wes; they kept swimming right up to him and checking him! Wes said they were HUGE, about 8 feet long with huge tails. One almost nudged him with its snout!

The pool they were in was 150 feet deep, with what looked like a gigantic black rock on the bottom, where the springs were located. It turned out there are caves down there and we got to see some divers go down in. The most amazing thing is at 150 feet deep, you can SEE the bottom! It was a beautiful park!

My sis from California, her daughter and boyfriend, along with my brother and his daughter, all opted to go to Kennedy Space center. At $47 a person and not really our thing, we thought the manatees would be more fun. And to our delight it was WAY more fun, and LOTS cheaper. A whopping $6 for the whole carful of us! So with dinner at Mcy D's on the way home ... I think the whole day cost us less than one of their tickets to the space center!

The weather there couldn't have been any better. It was cold and rainy the first couple of days, but then we got into some nice mid to upper 70s during the day and probably 40-50 at night. The weekend we headed home they were predicting 80s. BOO HOO ... I want to go back where it's WARM!

We went for drives on the beach almost every day! It was too cold for me to go swimming, but we did walk the beach some, too. Not much for shells on that side, unless you catch the tide just right. We did pick up a few shells when we were over in Cape Coral, where my eldest nephew lives. We drove around Sanibel Island and saw lots of hurricane damage still there. Must have looked funny ... we had two cars with Minnesota plates and two with Florida. It took four cars for all of us.

We were surprised to see so much damage still around. We saw garbage piles as big as two-story houses! Even in Daytona, a lot of the oceanside hotels are still closed for repairs. Most of the fishing piers are gone or damaged, at least every place we went.

Well, Wes managed to sneak some fishing gear along. So, when we were in the Keys he did some late night fishing from shore and under bridges. He actually DID catch some fish. One was called a croaker, which is a rough fish, not good for eating. And he caught some snapper, which he gave to my nephew in the cities who went to school for culinary arts. Great cook!

We really hated to come back here to the deep freeze!!! I didn't get warm for the first week we were home!!!!


UPDATE -- Juried Show, Industrial Design, Atlanta
by Jason Quick
Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA

My fellow Industrial Designers and I created some decent furniture last semester over at the Advanced Wood Products Laboratory and we will have our pieces exhibited at the Museum of Design in Atlanta. The exhibit runs from January 13th through February 5th.

Photo Editor's Note: Two furniture projects by Jason Quick were accepted for the juried show Behind the Big Green Button: Digital Furniture Design Revealed, at the Museum of Design in Atlanta, Georgia. The show is in collaboration with the Advanced Wood Products Laboratory, a research unit of the College of Architecture at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Industrial design students in the course learn techniques and methods used in the production of furniture in conjunction with sophisticated technology for mass production. "Each of the works displayed at the Museum of Design is expressive and innovative -- and once designed on [these] machines, can be reproduced rapidly."

Click here for Jason's Knock Down Nightstand photo.

Click here for Jason's Blue Retro Magazine Rack photo.


The Matriarch Speaks W
by Dorothy (Dake) Anderson
Alexandria, MN

Starting with Bulletin 124, I planned to run biographical sketches of the members of our staff. Now that this has been done, I want to run sketches and pictures of the readers and subscribers who have not already done introductions. Please tell us about yourself. What is your work and what else do you do with your time? How are you related or what friend introduced you into the family? I am hoping that you can share family photos and background sketches. Send all manuscripts and pictures to me at dma49261@juno.com


This is a collection of vignettes of my Grandma Mellon, as seen through the long ago eyes of her 12 year old granddaughter, Dorothy...

Angie Mellon, 1946 Dake, Miller kids
Grandma Angie Mellon, 1946, left; Dake kids & Miller pals, right.

The three younger Dake children (the ones still living) and their two Miller pals. Dorothy Dake (Anderson), age 12, at top. Dick Miller, middle left, has been gone for years; LeRoy Dake, center, then Tom Miller, the one who has written for The Bulletin. Gert Dake (Pettit), is center, front.

Grandma Mellon
by Dorothy Dake Anderson

My dad is fond of my grandma; I know it for a fact. I can tell by the way he teases her. I know it when he looks at her with laughing eyes ... and I know it because lots of times he takes us all to go and visit her, even though Mom hasn't asked. But one thing about her bothers him -- so often after they go home, or we come home, he says to Mom, "Why does your mother wear high heeled shoes? Someday she is going to fall and get hurt when she turns an ankle?" Well I know why ... she has trim ankles and doesn't want to look dowdy -- THAT'S WHY!

~

My mom tells us lots of good stories about the fun Grandma Mellon had with her best friend, Emma Wrobbel. The Wrobbels lived just across one field from the Mellons. (Now it is our farm since Grandpa and Grandma moved to Waverly.) One of their "high jinks" was the time the women decided to have a mock wedding, to entertain the men when they got in from the field. So that is just what they did.

Grandma was the bride. Emma was the groom. (I guess she looked pretty cute dressed in grandpa's suit with the legs rolled up.) And then Mom was the preacher with the catalogue for a Bible -- and she used a very funny service the ladies had dreamed up. It seems Uncle Everett was the ring bearer -- though pretty big to be one. I guess the men thought it was funny, but I doubt they had as much fun as the ladies did planning it!

~

We love to go to Waverly for a visit. Our grandparents don't have any special toys for us to play with, but we have the whole town of Waverly to explore, with nobody to tell us we should behave -- because I don't think we ever really want to misbehave when we are at Grandma's! We can go to the playgrounds and swing, we can walk down to the lake and toss rocks, or we have beautiful games of pretend "who knows what all" -- just whatever came to mind.

But the best part is, when we get tired of that, we just walk back to Grandma's house and up the back steps into the kitchen and go to the sink to get a drink. You have to go with a little noise, because Grandma is "hard of hearing," but we know that then will always come that nice, warm invitation: "Why don't you just take the lid off the cookie jar and have one?" I know just the one I will choose from Grandma's "boughten cookies" ... the one that has PINK marshmallow topping with coconut sprinkled on the top! Oh, Yum! And if LeRoy gets that one, I will take the white one with the jelly center, or if Gert gets that, there are still those nice chocolate covered ones -- YUM!

~

Grandma has two favorite holidays: well, not exactly holidays -- more like special days... One is the night before the first day of school. I remember this fall, who should come driving into the yard in the evening? Yes, it was Grandpa and Grandma. We all ran out to greet them. They had a nickel tablet for each of us and two pencils -- not sharpened yet.

They sat and watched the hustle and bustle of our preparation for the FIRST DAY of school... Where's my lunch box? Who put their stuff on my good dress? Now it is wrinkled. Well, Grandma will iron it for me! I want peanut butter, not JAM! Oh, well ... just the common behavior of five kids getting ready for the exciting first day of school, and it tickled the heart of my grandma.

And the other holiday she loves is Valentine's day. That is when we grandkids sit down with the seed catalogue to cut out pictures of flowers -- then fold pink or red construction paper and paste the flower on the inside of the valentine we make for her.

Next we make a little valentine heart in the front and carefully cut part way around to make a window through which Grandma can peek and see a cut out rose. When she opens it to the message -- Roses are red/ Violets are blue/ Sugar is sweet/ And so are you -- she should know we love her. But how about one with a paper doily for lace, or maybe one where you make smaller and smaller hearts with pop up strips? Once she showed me that she was saving all the valentines in a shoe box up on the closet shelf!

~

Now these are some of the things I remember about my grandma. I do hope I will make good memories for my grandkids, too, someday...


LTD Storybrooke

Hauling Gravel
By Larry Dake

I vividly remember standing at my shoe-repair-last repairing shoes, and looking out at the trucks on Main Street going by our shop windows. I yearned for the freedom of the open road. After four-and-a-half-years cooped up in our shoe repair shop, it seemed a change was in order.

We were always busy at the shop. I remember one occasion when I did half-soles and heels for more than twenty-four hours straight. But we never seemed to make enough profit to pay ourselves our wages. We were living very lean.

We put the shop up for sale and I applied for a job driving gravel truck for one of my best shoe repair customers. We sold the shop and I was soon behind the wheel of a shiny, dark blue Mack dump truck with a Maxidyne 5-speed transmission. My job was to keep a pre-stressed concrete manufacturing company, in a neighboring town, supplied with two kinds of gravel.

I raced back and forth between the pit and the manufacturer, always keeping a supply of gravel in their hoppers. Occasionally, I also made deliveries to farmyards, or spread gravel on a county road. There was enough variety to keep it interesting, and rarely enough time to get it all done.

Speed was of the essence.

One day I was coming up the steep grade out of the pit. It was pouring rain. I had the pedal to the metal. When I cleared the rim of the pit, I was headed straight for the scale house -- with the lady dispatcher inside!

I cranked my wheels hard to the right, but they only skidded in the wet gravel. At the last heart stopping moment the tires took hold. The truck narrowly missed flattening the scale house and its occupant. She must have been looking the other way, as I never heard a word about our brush with fate.

The owner of the company was a sharp dresser. I had learned from the shoe repair shop that he liked to keep his expensive cowboy boots in excellent repair, and with a high shine. He was the same way about his fleet of trucks. The truck I drove was actually quite old, but appeared almost new.

At night when we parked the trucks we had to park them all in a perfectly straight row. Every morning we all had to wash the truck windows til they were sparkling clean. Every Friday night we power washed every inch of our trucks including the engine and engine compartment. Also, every Friday night we changed our own engine oil.

The Maxidyne transmission, in conjunction with the engine, was a masterpiece of engineering. The engine had a lot of torque at a low RPM.

Because there were only five speeds we started out at a very low RPM (relative to other trucks), and didn't shift gears again until we reached a very high RPM. It wasn't long and I was going through the five gears -- up and down -- without touching the clutch. The smokestack roared just outside the cab.

The snub nosed old Mack was a joy to drive. The chrome bulldog hood ornament always led the way.

Most days were relatively mundane, but some near misses come to mind. The owner of the trucks often stressed the need for safety at the railroad crossing on the driveway out to the highway. The railroad was in a grade-cut. Where the driveway crossed the railroad there were dirt embankments on either side that blocked the view of oncoming trains -- until you were almost on top of the tracks. We were always supposed to have the window rolled down to listen for the train's whistle. And stopping and looking wasn't a bad idea either!

But, under the pressure of keeping up with the pace of the job, we drivers frequently rolled through the crossing. Stopping meant losing momentum -- and losing momentum required getting into granny gear to start things moving again.

With my window down, and my ears pricked, I rolled up to the crossing one hot dusty afternoon. I looked to my left and to my surprise a train was almost on top of me. I hit the brakes and stopped just short of the tracks. The locomotive roared by so close it almost made the bulldog hood ornament blink!

The engineer was sitting with his head in his hands. He appeared to be sleeping! He had failed to blow his whistle, and like the scale house dispatcher, he never knew about his brush with fate.

I remember a third brush with fate. I had been radioed at the end of the day to make a delivery that was some distance from the pit. On my return trip it became evident that I was too low on fuel and I might not make it back to base. When the engine began to sputter I immediately shut it down, in hopes it would start again after refueling, without priming or bleeding lines.

I couldn't reach base on the two-way radio, as it was now after office hours and the dispatcher was gone. But there was a small house less than a quarter mile away, to which I walked in hopes of using their phone. I walked up their driveway and stepped up onto their porch. It appeared no one was at home. There were no cars in the driveway.

But -- the front door was partly open and I could see a phone on the wall inside. I raised my hand to knock on the wood casing, but before I did, I looked to my right. There, not more than 25 feet away, were two very large Doberman Pinscher dogs sleeping on the lawn.

I backed away very quietly -- and retreated to my truck! Back at the truck I was able to reach another trucker on the radio, and soon fuel was on the way.

As summer turned into fall, the gravel business slowed down, and my dump truck driving adventures came to an end.


Travelogue t

The Bolivian Beat
By Kjirsten Swenson

Editor's Note: Kjirsten has returned to Bolivia for a second year of independent study in Morochata, prior to enrollment in medical school at Baylor University in Houston, fall semester 2005. She went trekking in Argentina with her parents, Sheldon and Mitzi (Johnson) Swenson, the first week of January. Her mom is guest reporter this week.

Eating mangoes Add your own fizz
Kjirsten taught us how to peel mangoes with our teeth to eat them without a knife, left. We added our own carbonation to lemonade with that blue contraption, right. The chocolate caliente came in a nice copper container.

New Year's Day, Buenos Aires, Argentina

We celebrated in style last night. Kjirsten had put on a few miles reading menus before making us a reservation at an Italian restaurant. Five courses and three hours later, we were stuffed with some of the best food we've eaten. There was live music -- Italian, of course, too. We returned to our hotel after 2 a.m., latest I've been up in years!

We spent the day (It was warm, probably near 90 degrees.) walking many miles, maybe around 10 to 12, seeing different neighborhoods, markets, and eating fruit and yogurt for lunch in a plaza. She taught us to peel a mango with our teeth and eat it, because we didn't have a knife or plate, a handy life skill to be sure. There were many antique shops, even a couple of things I would like but won't acquire. The architecture is fascinating.

The cafes are interesting and serve great hot chocolate. I had lemonade at a famous cafe and the fizz came in a pressurized bottle. I added it myself.

Today, we're walking to new neighborhoods. Buenos Aires is different from any city where I've been before; a bit like New York but with many more trees.

Kjirsten says every 10 miles we walk is worth 1,000 calories; therefore we can eat without guilt or gain!

Mitzi Swenson
(Kjirsten's Mom)

Argentine barbeque Jet Lag
This barbeque restaurant, left, was next to our hotel. Sheldon was sure we should eat there, but Kjirsten held firm on going to places recommended in her trusted guidebook, even if it meant walking a few miles for a meal. Sheldon had jet lag and tried to sleep on benches every time we stopped -- even in the cemetery, right.


This and That
6
by Elaine Wold
Wahpeton, ND

It was interesting to read in The Bulletin about the foods and traditions in other countries. The other day was "flatbread day" at my house. Flatbread is traditional Scandinavian food, and reminds one of dried up lefse, or thin crisp crackers. I served some at my home last week; one person suggested it would be good with cinnamon and sugar on it, like pie crust pieces. For those who like it, it's hard to quit eating once one starts.

In the Abercrombie museum is a chest which my husband's grandparents filled with flatbread to bring on the ship on their journey to America. It does not mold like bread, so it helped sustain them on the journey.

It can be made with cornmeal, Malt-o-meal, or whole wheat flour for variation. Pioneers used whatever they had available. I liked the way my mother made it with cornmeal and lard, but I have learned to make it with corn muffin mix. I usually make three batches of it at a time, since it is messy with flour around the kitchen, so I only make it once each winter. My recipe follows:

Flatbread

3/4 cup white flour
3/4 cup wheat flour
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon soda
1 pkg. Jiffy or Betty Crocker corn muffin mix.

Stir well by hand. Using a cloth covered board and stockinette on rolling pin, sprinkle both with flour. Roll out dough the size of a small egg VERY thin. Roll until it does not stretch anymore. Then transfer to cookie sheet with a lefse stick, cut into pieces with a pastry cutter, then bake in 375 degree oven until lightly browned. I use one pan on bottom rack and one on top to dry it out well. Watch for burning. Served buttered. Store in tightly covered container. Enjoy!!!!!!


FIRESIDE CHATS
Donald Anderson
Alexandria, MN

January 17th. Just one year ago we arrived in Alexandria to make our home. As you all know, this move came on so quickly that it is still hard to realize!

A lot has happened in one year's time. There were adjustments to be made.

Obtaining a driver's license proved to be the most difficult one. Changing our license plates and renewing insurance to here, it was rather painful to take off the Missouri plates. We loved every minute we lived there. Changing our accounts to here went better. We have the same bank that we had 50 years ago.

We have met with the clinic and hospital to choose our medical providers. I had my first cataract surgery in March, the other in September. Both were very successful, thanks to an excellent eye clinic.

In the past year we have met many new friends and greeted our old friends who we have known over 50 years.

Yes, we love living here. Alexandria always had a place in our hearts and both Dorothy and I agree this is where we want to call home.

I have taken up a hobby: ice skating. (We won't go into that right now!)

We are glad to be near family; however we felt we had family in Springfield, as they were dear folks that were so good to us.

I was afraid winter here might bypass us; we had a beautiful fall and now we have a small amount of snow, so it at least looks like Minnesota. I like cooler weather and 24 below is just about right.

I feel for the warm climate living folks who cannot have this feeling of snow cracking beneath their feet. It really gives a person the "get up and go"!

The year has gone by very rapidly. Every day a new adventure. We look forward to 2005 for more of the same.


Celebrations & Observances
From the Files of
5
Hetty Hooper

This Week's Anniversaries
January 24---David "Beaver" and Donna (Anderson) Johnson (11 Years)
Congratulations

January Birthdays:
'
January 3---Brandon Hellevang
January 3---Virginia (Dake) McCorkell
January 4---Nathan Hill
January 4---Harry "Junior" Anderson
January 5---Jayce Michael Chap (6 years old)
January 11---Brandon Harvey Lehtola (2 years old)
January 15---Shea Ashley Birkholz
January 20---Lois Dake
January 22---Timothy Mellon

January 30---Whitney Johnson

January Anniversaries
Z
January 24---David "Beaver" and Donna (Anderson) Johnson (11 Years)

January Holidays
January 1---New Year's Day
January 17---Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (Observed)
~~~~~~~~~~~~

Miss Hetty Says

We heard from Ary this week -- got his camera fixed (apparently) and sent us the promised picture to go with his Introductory Sketch in Bulletin 128. I like having it here a lot better than down below with the Letters to the editors. Thanks, Ary -- you're my kinda guy!

Ary Ommert, Jr
Ary Ommert, Jr.
Maassluis, The Netherlands

Keep Us Posted!

Please drop Miss Hetty a line and tell us who, and what, we've missed. And how about a report (photos welcome) of YOUR special celebration?

'Many Thankse
Everyone!

Miss Hetty


+ LETTERS TO THE EDITORS?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Received Bulletin no. 135 yesterday and it is fun to read every week. This week will not be so busy so you will get some pictures and perhaps another article about the Netherlands. Sorry I couldn't send you pictures sooner, you know the reason. Will do my best this week!!!!!

Last night we had frost and today sunny and cold. Rain tomorrow and the days after that winter is gone again. Today you could see the days are getting a bit longer. Look forward for the spring to come.

Here you find a picture from me just made working at the computer. Still very busy at work and not much time to take a picture there. Will take my camera with me tomorrow and hope to make a few pictures there. Perhaps for the next week edition of The Bulletin.

Will be glad that my colleague is coming again on Monday.

All fine here, greetings from the Netherlands,

Ary Ommert, Jr.
Maassluis, The Netherlands


I have not been getting the news letter. Can you please add me back to your list?
Kristi Indermark
KKLJGI@aol.com
Thank you!!

Editor's comment: I have placed your name back on the mailing list.

For anybody else that has been dropped-
Be sure to let us know it has happened -- it is not intentional, but sometimes names just disappear from our lists.


Good to hear from you, but please don't shoot me. I'm having too much fun with this thing called retirement!!

I feel very guilty about not corresponding more often, so I promise to make it up to you and all the others by providing what you have asked for. I'll go to work on the update and will try to get Earl and Kathleen to provide you with the family photo, since Janice and I don't do the e-photo stuff. They (Earl and Kathleen) just got a digital camera, so I think they can get something to you.

How soon do you need a final, so to speak?

Stan Dake
McGregor, TX

Editor's Note: Stan, it almost sounds like you have been threatened! Surely, Not So!! How soon, you ask -- how about yesterday! Aunt Editor.


CHUCKLES

Sent to us by Bridget Larson, Ashby, MN

Opportunities always look bigger going than coming.

Junk is something you've kept for years and throw away three weeks before you need it.

Experience is a wonderful thing. It enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.

By the time you can make ends meet, they move the ends.

Learn from the mistakes of others. Trust me ... you can't live long enough to make them all yourself.

Click here to find out Who's Where in The Bulletin l

To search a name in Who's Who or Who's Where: click on the link to open the page, then use CONTROL F on a PC or COMMAND F on a Mac. To search for a second occurrence of the name, use CONTROL G on a PC or COMMAND G on a Mac. (This works on ANY web page with text, unless the text is converted to an image. Chances are, it works in your e-mail, too.) HINT: Search by first name only, as most entries list the family name once but do not repeat the last name for each family member. In Who's Where you can search on state or city names, too.

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THE STAFF OF THE BULLETIN

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QUOTATION FOR THE DAY: Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which, in prosperous circumstances, would have lain dormant. --Horace

EDITOR'S POLICY: If you wish to subscribe to The Bulletin, simply send me a statement of that fact. If you wish to keep receiving it I hope you will contribute to one of the columns that are running in this family epistle (at least occasionally!). My e-mail address is dma49261@juno.com


This Bulletin is copyright Dorothy M. Anderson; the contents are also copyrighted by the authors and photographers and used with their permission, and the contents are not to be used for any commercial purposes without the explicit consent of the creators.