Sunday, September 25, 2005
Browse The Bulletin archive index
| Home | About | Archive | Recipes | Stories | Galleries | Who's Who | Where |
Illustration © Virginia McCorkell
Updates -
UPDATE -- Wedding and Moving In
by Lori Anderson
Irvine, CA
I know that it's been far too long since I provided an update on the wedding plans. And with just about a week to go, I thought it would be a good time to give everyone the scoop.
Keith and I are planning to marry, Saturday, October 1, at the family home of one of Mom's friends in the hills of La Habra Heights. We've kept ourselves pretty busy with all of the planning and coordinating, especially this past month. But I have to admit, while some of the planning has been stressful, other parts have been fun -- we had a great time at the dinner and cake tastings!
We also put together a special website for the wedding that we'd like to share: www.LoriAndKeith.com
Our favorite section of the site is the photo gallery we made of photos of us as kids. And we hope to post photos of the wedding on the site after the big event.
But the wedding hasn't been the only focus of our attention. After an exhaustive search, we finally found a place we can call home after the wedding -- a two story, two-bedroom condo rental in Irvine, California. I moved in about a week ago to start getting the place set up. I still have plenty of boxes strewn about, and there's a large hole in the living room where a couch will eventually go (once we find one!). But I'm excited about the new place because it has a big kitchen, a dishwasher, and hookups for a washer and dryer in the unit. And Keith loves the small patio we have because he plans to barbecue a lot. But the best part is, the new place is much closer to work. My hour-long commute is now shortened to about 20 or 30 minutes! :)
Guess I should get back to moving and the planning. Take care.
UPDATE -- Coming Attractions
by Ben and Heather Henderson
Lilydale, MN
Dear Subscribers,
The time to write to you all, and let you know some news has finally arrived; actually, it is far since gone, however, here we are. Heather and I have had some changes this past while. I am almost positive everyone in the upper mid-west and maybe even further than that, has heard already, but I am here to confirm.
Heather and I are expecting a baby next year. The due date is April 12th. We don't know what the gender is yet, being that we are only 10-1/2 weeks into the pregnancy, but we do plan on finding out and letting everyone know.
If that isn't exciting enough, we have bought a town home in Hastings, Minnesota. We close the 28th of this month and plan on moving sometime in October. We are very excited to have something that we can actually put our own LIMITED touches on.
I have been very busy with my new job, already three months into it. I really enjoy what I do because they keep me very busy and they let me do some things in design that have me learning a lot more than I ever imagined I would already.
Heather is lying low, trying to feel somewhat normal. The doctor got her on some medication that has helped tremendously, except she is extremely tired much of the time. We would both much rather have that than the miserable morning sickness.
Other than that, things have been pretty normal around here. Hope everyone is doing great.
Brianna and Oscar, a young Harlequin Macaw.
(See Bulletin 154)
FAMILY UPDATE
by Brianna Anderson-Jordet
St. Cloud, MN
It's about time I write! Fall is approaching and soon the trees will be
exhibiting some magnificant color. Your new eyesight should be making
your experience this season splendid. I'm glad to hear that your cataract surgery
was a success. Maybe, you can convince Don to take the two of you on some
fall drives around lakes.
How has everything else been? I have a pretty good idea thanks to The Bulletin, but it's still nice to hear it from you.
We've been keeping busy here. We've started on our bathroom remodel.
That isn't much fun, but I think the end result will be.
My second niece, Adeline, or "Addie" for short, is growing quickly. I think Stella and she will be perfect playmates, just give them a bit of time!
Oscar has made himself right at home here; it's hard to imagine the time before he came. He's quite the clown and tries to rule over all the others. He even took a swipe at the cat. I can't see having children with him around. He got quite angry and aggressive when Stella was here for a visit.
He considers himself to be the baby and is quite
possessive of his position. His vocabulary is expanding and I suspect
it'll become quite large. He can say "Otto" very clearly now and actually
laughs my laugh. Anyway, I hate to bore you with my baby stories.
Doug has been busy with work, but we look forward to every moment that
he's here to spend with us.
I started volunteering at the humane society, so if you know of anyone
looking for a dog or cat, I may be a good source to go through. I certainly will try.
Brianna
Patty & Donnie Anderson
The wedding portraits they took of one another while staying at a Bed and Breakfast in Kennebunkport, Maine.
The Story of Don & Patty
"We all like sunsets -- but can you tolerate medical anecdotes over
dinner? If you're kind, intelligent, passionate and funny then this
thirty-four year old DWPF is for you."
That was how the ad in the Star & Tribune read, but it certainly wasn't the beginning of the story....
It was late October 1996. Don wasn't looking for another woman when he saw this ad. He'd already had the most beautiful and loving wife a man could ever want. Her name was Kristen. She was the mother of his children, Eric and Lexie, and they had 17 wonderful years together. But tragically, he'd lost her and his beautiful daughter, Lexie, in an accident several months before. His close friends told him it would get easier and that he just needed to get out of the house. He didn't think so. He tried support groups and his sister Donna stayed with him and Eric for quite a while to help.
His family was a great comfort to him, but still, the days and nights were so empty and long. Maybe getting out of the house would help ... and maybe it would stop his well meaning friends from trying to get him to go out to places he'd rather not go. So, he left a message on the Star & Tribune Get Acquainted line: "I'm a recent widower and I've never done this kind of thing before..."
As for the author of the ad, Patty had never done this kind of thing before, either. She had been a single mom for the last six years, had a 12 year old son, Zachary, and a home of her own in Maple Grove. She was not looking for another relationship, just a companion to see a movie with or have dinner with once in a while. She was uncomfortable with having an ad in the paper and had already decided to cancel it when she listened to the last message left -- Don's.
As a registered nurse, working in oncology for many years, Patty wondered if Don had lost his young wife to breast cancer. She knew he obviously wouldn't need or want a relationship at this time, but rather a friend who was comfortable with grief and loss, someone to get him out of the house, too...
And so it was that they met, in the entry way of an Applebee's restaurant. They had never talked about what they looked like; it just wasn't important for a friendship. But as they stood there in the entry way, Patty couldn't help but take note of the laugh lines at the corners of his gray green eyes, the colors of red, gold and auburn in his neatly trimmed beard, his gentle smile and strong, calloused hands. Why did he have to be so darn good looking? After a long pause, he spoke, "How come you never told me you were so pretty?" Uh oh ... remember, just friends.
They talked easily, as if they had always been friends. At some point in the evening, a well worn packet of pictures of Don's family found its way out of his breast pocket and he told Patty the story of his family and of his loss. It was a story that would be told and retold many, many more times over the next several years. Patty went home that evening and looked at her own sleeping son and wondered how Don could cope with such a loss. She realized that the healing would be a long, slow process...
A few days later, Don took Patty to dinner at Santorini, a Greek restaurant in Minnetonka. They discovered they both had a passion for good food -- as it turned out, a blessing and a curse! Between mouthfuls and entreaties, "mmm ... here, try this ... yumm..." they discovered many other common passions -- gardening, antiquing, camping, skiing, and snowmobiling. Their homes were strangely similar -- down to the light wood floors, blue gray counters and not yet popular white painted cabinetry. They had the same beehive blenders and white café ware dishes -- even the same model of off brand watch. It seemed at times they even had the same thought patterns, often finishing each other's sentences or blurting out an observation at the same moment.
Several weeks later, when Patty drove Don by her favorite house -- a yellow dormered cottage with white trim and a porch wrapping around three sides -- his jaw dropped open in astonishment. He said, "You won't believe this, but I have a picture of a house identical to this one hanging on my fridge at home -- my dream house." His picture was a gray and white, but otherwise identical, version of the house in front of them, taken somewhere in Missouri some years before. Creepy ... but comfortable.
As the months went by, it became increasingly clear that they were destined to be more than just friends. And so it was, they eventually could no longer deny the strangely symbiotic relationship they shared. But what to do about two homes in Maple Grove, and two boys equally attached to those homes? As it turned out, stopping for a cup of coffee on the way to the farmers' market would solve that dilemma. On a bulletin board at the Caribou Coffee House was a flyer that read: "Storybook log home on 8 acres..."
Unable to resist, they drove out to the country with Eric to take a look. As they walked through the quaint little cabin in the woods, Eric trailed behind, saying, "Buy it! Buy it!" And so they did...
A few months later, Don and Patty, together with their sons and family, stood in the back yard of that cabin and made their vows to one another. Six years later, Eric would stand in that same yard and repeat those vows to his betrothed, Leona. Both homes in Maple Grove were eventually sold, as the boys have moved on with their own lives, and the cabin has become Don and Patty's home.
Photos © Dorothy Anderson
Kristin's Garden Memorial
Kristin and Lexie share a peaceful grove called "Kristen's Garden" on the southwest side of the property. Many of the plants Kristen raised in her garden in Maple Grove have been moved there, as well as some new ones she would have loved. A statue of a little girl faces across the valley to a horse farm ... and a bench sits in the shade, inviting visitors to stay and rest a while.
Don and Patty will share their eighth anniversary this October and consider themselves to be among the most fortunate and blessed for this time they have been given together.
Day to Day R
With Donna Mae
Ashby, MN
Tate Enjoys A Vacation On The Farm
We've been dogsitting for Lori this week, watching Jake and Tate. Her younger dog, Tate, has gotten much bigger, as you can see. He LOVES the kids and has been having an absolute blast playing with them, inside and outside. Plus his other favorite pastime: harassing the other dogs.
His favorite game is to run behind crabby old Mindy and bite her tail. First she just grouches at him, but if he continues long enough, he can get her to chase him. She pretends she doesn't like it ... but, I can see she loves the chase as much as he does. (well almost :-)
Mindy used to be the fastest dog around here, but she's lost her place to the young whippersnapper, Tate. He can run circles around any of them. He gets going so fast I'm afraid he'll run into a tree or toy in the play yard and knock himself out!
Tate with Drew House, Katie Hoffman and Torin Olson, left. At a quieter moment, Tate copying Mindy, enjoying a window view, right.
Jayce Meets A Spider
Last week Jayce was outside playing. As he approached the door to come in, he exclaimed, "Oh, ***!"
I called out the window, "Jayce, don't say that!"
He said, "But, there's a HUGE spider on the deck!"
I told him, "Well, kill it with your shoe."
There was a long pause and he hollered, "Grandma, my shoe's not that BIG!"
The Matriarch Speaks W
by Dorothy (Dake) Anderson
Alexandria, MN
The first digital camera Donna's and Beaver's kids gave me didn't work out, so I had Wyatt trade it in on a Kodak "Easy Share." The first camera included an Epson Printer as a bonus for buyng the camera. Since Don and I and none of the rest wanted it, Don found a place for it down in his storage cabinets in the garage.
Well, today he was pricing the ink cartridges for the Lexmark he owns and when he understood they would be at least $75 for the two, he decided he would look at the brand new Epson Printer, still in the box, and loaded with the four or so little ink cartridges it comes with. So he decided to delete the Lexmark program on his computer and install the Epson.
He says he had "fools' luck" -- everything went fairly smoothly and now he has a printer to use again. (For the last month he would send print jobs to me and I would print them for him.) Who would have thought that we of the older generation would get so tricky at this computer business!
Who Is This?
Let's Play a Guessing Game: Whenever it is handy to do so we will run a picture of someone of the subscribers or staff members of our e-magazine. Tell us who you think it is -- we will let you know who was the first to guess it right -- and the correct guess -- in the following week's Bulletin.
(Send us some to run; we will line them up in our staging area to take their turn.)
How many can you identify?
Answers to last week's mystery pictures (click here to review them):
Those handsome young men are: Zach Bratten, Chris Chap and Eric Anderson. Two nephews and my son -- can't beat that combination!
Donna Anderson Johnson
Ashby, MN
LTD Storybrooke 
Photo © Suzanne McCorkell
In case of emergency -- 911*BED.
Photo Editor's Note: We asked Larry Dake about this photo by his niece, Suzanne McCorkell, of the mailbox beside the driveway to Storybrooke Farm. Here's what he said: "The license plate was from a Jeep Cherokee we bought when we moved from Langlois, Oregon, to New Germany, Minnesota, in 1991. It just happened to read 911-BED. I used it to strengthen the somewhat temporary mailbox I put up here at Storybrooke Farm. It serves double duty as a reflector. We haven't had anyone stop by looking for an emergency bed yet, although we do occasionally have a few overnight visitors." Larry also said, "There's not a chance I'll get a story in to The Bulletin this week. It's been way too busy. Sorry. --LTD."
The Miss Kitty Letters*
By Miss Kitty
Photo Editor's Note: As we were wrapping up this issue, all of the links below were suddenly redirected by MSNBC and in the process, some photos, etc. were lost. The video links are still valid but you will have to get them directly from the pages, as I don't know how to redirect those links for you. I have watched the video of searching for Miss Kitty in the ruined condo, which was shattered, and the reunion link. It was worth the trouble of downloading the links and installing Windows Media Player, which you probably already have on your PC. It's quite a story!
Another Miss Kitty Weathers Hurricane Katrina
As you know, The Miss Kitty Web Log is all about ME! Well, not this time. This one is about another Miss Kitty from Slidell, Louisiana. She's a "blue cream tortie," like me; that is, her speckled brown and gray fur coat is called "tortoiseshell dilute." The other Miss Kitty is 17 years old, with medium long hair. She looks just like me, only 15 years older -- with hair extensions. And her housemate, "Wild Bill" Harris, loves her very much, just as Miss Jerrianne loves me.
This story is all about the other Miss Kitty's hair raising experience during Hurricane Katrina -- how she and "Wild Bill" got trapped inside their flooded condo, how she led him to a chair where they clung to each other for the better part of three days, how they got separated and what happened to them after that. Click the links to read, hear and watch the other Miss Kitty's gripping story. There is a picture of "Wild Bill's" Miss Kitty in the last link.
THE AMAZING STORY OF BILL HARRIS OF SLIDELL, LA.
[ AUDIO LINK ] Don't miss the audio -- it's an amazing account of a frightening experience.
The above link is where the story begins, but not where it ends. To follow the story, read to the end and then click the next link in the list below. The series includes a short video of a joyful -- and tearful -- reunion. Everybody cried but Miss Kitty. She just purred.
LOOKING FOR MISS KITTY
SAVING THE PETS, ONE BY ONE (optional pet rescue link)
MISS KITTY, ARE YOU THERE?
A 'MIRACLE,' BUT IS IT TOO LATE?
JOY FOR ONE HURRICANE SURVIVOR
REUNION AND RELIEF
HELLO, MISS KITTY!
MISS KITTY'S CELEBRITY TOUR
FINALLY, MISS KITTY
A HITCH IN THE MISS KITTY SAGA
For more Miss Kitty adventures visit my web log:
http://www.jlowther.com/Pages/kitty/index.html
Miss Kitty
Anchorage, AK
This and That
6
by Elaine Wold
Wahpeton, ND
Where Y'all From? Let Me Guess!
Our speech tells where we come from.
When I was on a trip with the Matriarch and hubby, Don, he said to us that he would "run home and get the package and then meet us at this spot."
The clerk overheard it, and laughed, "Run home? Where did you folks come from?"
Have you noticed that different expressions in use come from various parts of the country? Also names ... in the south land, we noticed lots of girls with two part names. It's Billy Joe, Liza Jane, Pansy May, Willy Jon, Bella Rose, or Honey Bee.
And one might say, "Ah live in Dulles and A'hm an Angineer. Ah'l have grits in an are fer lunch and ah am hungry. Chili has lots of banes. Meet me riot at the korna."
When things went wrong, my German grandmother often said, "Ach!" while my Scandanavian grandfather said, "Oof Dah!"
On our farm in the midwest, we ate "dinner" at noon, "lunch" in the afternoon, and "supper" in the evening. But in many places they have "lunch" at noon and "dinner" in the evening.
You can buy a "soda" in some areas, "pop" in others, or if you don't want that, go to a "bubbler" for a drink of water.
Farmers are those who "till the soil" and are not to be confused with a rancher who "raises cattle."
Midwest farmers tend to dwell on the weather. It's "raining cats and dogs," or there is "a fog so thick you can cut it with a knife," or "the cold weather keeps out the riff-raff," or "close the door. Were you born in a barn?" It can be "colder than molasses in January" or "so hot you can fry an egg on the sidewalk."
One needs to be stoic in the Midwest. You have to "take the bull by the horns" and "quit yer bellyachin'!"
If you live beyond your means, you are "living too high on the hog" or are "high-falutin'." Or you might be "as poor as a church-mouse."
Midwesterners like to give advice. "You can't run with the turkeys at night and soar with the eagles in the morning." We get "too soon oldt and too late schmart." The "hurrier we go, the behinder we get." A dishonest person "lies like a rug." A person can be "madder than a wet hen" or can "run around like a chicken with its head cut off."
All in all, one can still have "more fun than a barrel of monkeys."
Norwegians may answer your comments with, "Yah, sure, you betcha." They have been saying this "since Tag was a pup."
The "sandman is coming," I am "dog tired," so I will "hit the hay" and have my "40 winks."
LeRoy & Ethan, left; Mark & Santiago, right, keep it green with John Deere.
Notice: Save $$$ On A Green Machine
I can get someone a couple hundred bucks off on a John Deere riding lawn tractor. Just let me know if you know someone who's interested, and I'll be happy to help them put a little green in their backyard!
Wyatt Johnson
wjohnson@phoeintl.com
Below is a special offer for Deere employees, families and friends. If you're interested in riding lawn tractors -- this is for you!
This exclusive $200 savings certificate can be used by you, your friends and your family to purchase select John Deere riding lawn tractors — even those already on sale — through 28 October 2005. However, this program is only available while supplies last. High demand may cause this program to end sooner than 28 October!
You can share this limited time savings with your friends and family by simply providing them a copy of the PDF certificate and signing your name as the referral employee. Recipients must complete the requested information on the certificate and take it to an official John Deere dealer to receive their special $200 savings. It is our expectation that each employee will have no more then five coupons redeemed on their behalf during this program.
I greatly appreciate you sharing this unique offer with your friends & family and support the growth of the John Deere network. Enjoy your fall!
Robert Barbour
Group Director, Customer Marketing
Worldwide Commercial & Consumer Equipment Division
John Deere Company
Celebrations & Observances
From the Files of 5
Hetty Hooper
%
This Week's Wedding
October 1---Lori Anderson weds Keith Mason
Best Wishes!
This Week's Birthdays:
September 28---Donald L. "Donnie" Anderson
September 30---Sheldon Swenson
October 1---Brooklynn Ann Johnson (1 year)
Happy Birthday!
More October Birthdays:
'
October 4---Wesley Sigman
October 5---Leona Anderson
October 5---Steven Miller
October 7---Steven Anderson
October 10---Hannah Aydelotte (4 years)
October 10---Cody Printz
October 12---Muriel Wold Rodriguez
October 12--- Tami Anderson Hunt
October 14---Douglas Anderson-Jordet
October 18---Lori Anderson
October 18--- Adriana Stahlecker Brown
October 18---Diana Mellon Martin
October 18---Dan Mellon
October 20---Wade Morgan Printz
October 22---Rich Johnson (from MN)
October 24---Eric Shockey
October 26---Ardis Sigman Quick
October 27---Marlene Anderson Johnson
October 28---Derrick McNeill
October 29---Sami Larson (11 years)
October 29---Tom Miller
October 30---Anne Mellon Montford
October Anniversaries
Z
October 4---Don and Patty Bratten Anderson (8 years)
October 5---Tom and Lou Miller (32 years)
October 17---Troy and Marlee Morgan Freesemann (11 years)
October 27---Don and Gert Dake Pettit (15 years)
October Special Days
October 10---Columbus Day (observed)
October 31---Hallowe'en
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?
Everyone!
Miss Hetty
+ LETTERS TO THE EDITORS?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Click here to review last week's Bulletin
I tried to send an e-mail to Patty to let her know I have the quarters she is looking for, but my letter came back so I probably have an old or incorrect address for her. Could you send me her correct address, please!
Steve Miller
Coral Springs, FL
Editor's Note: Glad to do that. cphenderson1982@yahoo.com
I am writing in regards to LeRoy Dake's old email address: bubsy1@juno.com
Please remove that address from your email address book if you still have it.
Only use this address: ledake@worldnet.att.net to email LeRoy and Vonnie.
Thank You
Ginny McCorkell
Blaine, MN
Roy thought I needed a new coat, so today was the day to go shopping. This is Saturday. So, we did, but found nothing at all. We ate at Good Earth Restaurant, and then came home very tired. The FIRST thing I did was to pick up The Bulletin and re-read it, so I could send this Letter to the Editors before I forget my reactions -- as that is what the LTTE is all about.
First off, the beautiful blue picture on the cover is so outstanding. We would never, ever see that kite, that's for sure, and it was interesting how Miss Kitty could describe in detail all about Miss Sharon and her old acquaintance being renewed, and the launching of the kite, just as she watched from her limited view back there in the van. She is one smart kitty, I'd say.
Of course Miss Jerrianne probably prompted her, and corrected her spelling, etc., but she does that with mine, too, so that's not hard to figure out how she could write like she does then. I loved the mountains in the background of the pictures. They are gigantic majestic and awesome as they rise into the sky for miles. Is the lady in the red jacket Miss Sharon?
There were two blonde ladies in red jackets -- the one standing next to John, looking up at the kite above him, is Miss Sharon. The other one is Amy, an interested passer by.
These people that have gotten married always makes for an interesting UPDATE, and nice to know how it goes for Dan and Gina.
That ottoman that Jayce is sleeping on must have been the that Brooklynn tried to jump to the couch from. Just climbing onto it would be a feat for a little one.
I haven't a clue who the Guessing Game pictures are of this week.
The LTD Storybrooke brought back memories to me of when I had worked for my dad in the office of his Island Tin Shop on Nicollet Island after I graduated. He had a shop there -- HH Weiland Sheet Metal -- for over 30 years, until he died in 1951. It was definitely in the slum area of town, and the doorways and street were the only places drunks had to use for shelter. He also had a hotel above the shop, and that was run by a nice lady. She ruled with an iron hand, but my dad had to go up often to restore order. The Island has been totally re-done and made into quite a nice area now. DeLaSalle High School is about all that's left.
Beaver's Basic Training, part 2, was great, but too short. Thank goodness it will be continued. They must toughen in the recruits in a hurry. That was so very interesting and well written.
That Hawaiian picture was spectacular. You would have quite a time choosing one for the front cover with so many excellent pictures to choose from. Was Kurt Gertie's son? Very handsome couple.
You would remember Kurt's mom as Sharon Miller -- now Shari Schweiger.
Wish I had time to click on all the blue words in the potato festival story, but not yet.
I see some special names in the special days section for September. I want to be sure to congratulate Ernie and Carolyn, also Tim and Colette -- as well as others.
This is gettting too long and I'm not finished yet, but I will quit.
Betty Droel
MoundsView, MN
CHUCKLES
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.
Click here for past editions of The Bulletin in the web archive
Home
About
Archive
Recipes
Stories
Galleries
Who's Who
Where
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.