The Bulletin
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Browse The Bulletin archive index
Home About Archive Recipes Stories Galleries Who's Who Where


Photo © Kjirsten Swenson
Mt. Hood at sunset from Washington Park in Portland, Oregon.

Updates -


Red River floodwaters may again rise above record historic levels.

UPDATE -- Fargo-Moorhead waits; Red River regroups
by Wyatt Johnson
Moorhead, MN

We fared well on the first round, coming out of it with only frazzled nerves and a nasty cold. The water came to within a few feet of our dike, barely touching it in just one low spot. It got to that point by Friday night (March 27th), and stayed there until Saturday morning. By Saturday evening, with every passing hour we could see more grass that we hadn't been able to see when the water was at its highest.

As it sits now, the water in the golf course hasn't gone down very much, because they haven't pumped it out yet. I think they're waiting for the potential second crest.

Today (April 3rd) the National Weather Service issued a new prediction for the second crest, saying there is a 75 percent chance of it going higher than 41 feet during the week of April 15-22, which would break the record of 40.82 feet set last week. There is a 25 percent chance of it going to 42.8 feet. At those levels, I think that our dike would still be high enough to hold the water out, but obviously I'll be doing some checking in the next week or two.

I feel very fortunate to have made it through the first crest unscathed. But after weeks of being on edge, not knowing what's going to happen, I'm struggling to keep a good attitude. There are so many who fared worse than us, so I feel a little selfish being worried about our house. But the fact that we're currently trying to sell our house adds a level of stress! I like to feel in control, and this kind of stuff reminds me just how little control I have of some things.

We're currently supposed to go down to the Twin Cities the weekend of April 18th, to watch the Twins play baseball. I've been looking forward to that for months, and if the flood decides to keep me from doing that, I'm going to be even more unhappy!

Wyatt


Photo © Donna Johnson
Deer wait out flooding Red River on Moorhead golf course.
Click here for an outstanding series of area flood photos.



Photo © Kjirsten Swenson
Aerial view of Chicago & Lake Michigan shoreline at sunset.

In Bulletin 350, Kjirsten Swenson mentioned interviewing for her upcoming emergency medicine residency in various cities across the country. In January she revisited Chicago and flew to Northern California, where she took time to view a beautiful sunset from Goat Rock.


Photos © Kjirsten Swenson
View from Goat Rock, Northern California coast.



Danielle, Zachary & Arianna.

FAMILY UPDATE -- introducing Danielle and Arianna
by Zachary Bratten

Hello Grandma, Grandpa, and all the rest,

I want you to meet Danielle and her daughter Arianna, who is now OUR daughter. She is irresistible and precious. You'll just have to see her, Grandma ... I mean, I knew it was supposed to be a great big deal when a baby is born and that the love starts from the minute they arrive but ... wow, my heart has been doing cartwheels.

Now that I think of it, my heart is much like her little body ... so vulnerable at first but growing in its capacity to meet life's challenges. Every movement she makes I can feel the tugging from somewhere inside and so I know God connects people where they need to be connected. Her name is Arianna Marie.

Arianna is 11 lbs. 6 oz. and she is a traveling lady. She will follow you with her eyes and often with her limbs, but she can't quite communicate to us which college she'd like to go to yet. She likes to get dressed up! She is healthy, happy and hilarious.

Love,
Zachary, Danielle, and Arianna

Grandma and Grandpa's note: Zach Bratten is our grandson because his mom married our son Don. Those who have read our paper for a while may remember meeting him several times. We are excited and waiting to see him again and meet "his girls" -- Danielle and Arianna.


Newborn Arianna, left; Arianna, traveling lady, right.


UPDATE -- enjoying a reprieve
by Miss Kitty
Anchorage, AK

Our restless volcano has entered a phase of building a lava dome and hasn't erupted for the past three days. This is a good thing, but it isn't likely to last. The dome could collapse at any time and then the eruptions would begin again. Like the residents of Fargo-Moorhead, breathing more easily as flood waters recede, we've gratefully accepted the reprieve. Nobody thinks it's over. The last time Mt. Redoubt erupted, in the 1980s, intermittent eruptions went on for four months.

Except for a light dusting of ash on Saturday, we've mainly been spared ... so far ... though air travel was disrupted for days and some travelers were beginning to feel like permanent residents of the airport in Seattle. Three inches of snow Sunday night helped settle the ash. It made great sweeping compound on our front steps, so Miss Jerrianne swept the snow and the ash away together. Again, the volcano allowed us to get The Bulletin out on time. We appreciate that.


Day to Day R
With Donna Mae
Ashby, MN


Photo © Donna Johnson
One day was not enough for us at Terry Redlin Art Center.

We Enjoyed the Terry Redlin Art Center

Beaver and I visited the Terry Redlin Art Center. More than 150 of Terry Redlin's original oil paintings hang in the impressive building at the junction of U.S. Highway 212 and Interstate 29 in Watertown, South Dakota. There is no fee for admission, which is such a nice surprise. We spent two days, a few hours each day, seeing and reading more about the paintings. With three levels, it became too much to take in, as thoroughly as we do, for just one day.

There is also a web site showing each of his prints.

The descriptions listed are with the prints, which is why it took us a long time to get through the entire center. There are also many newspaper articles, plus other history, to read -- which does wonders for the neck!

We saw our first robin of the season that weekend. With this past week's weather, those poor birds are probably very sorry they came back this soon.


MegaConverter2
http://megaconverter.com/mega2/

Today's feature is a site that will convert just about anything from one unit to a different unit, from angles, area to wire density and wire resistance with lots of units in between. There are links listed in the "Other Sites" on the conversion "that have applicability to the category chosen." Ladies, don't despair. There's a kitchen measure converter that goes beyond the ordinary cookbook -- how about 16 dashes equivalent to one teaspoon. MegaCinverter2 is a site to bookmark. You never know when you might need this type of tool!


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

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. LeRoy Dake supplied last week's mystery photo.


How many can you identify? What's going on?

Answers to last week's mystery pictures (click here to review them):

Editors' Note: Correct guesses appear in bold face type and incorrect guesses in normal type ... generally in the order we receive them, so the first guess received is on top.

Once again, this isn't a guess ... but it was fun to see our "chubby cheeked" son Eric and his cousin Jana Printz in a picture taken in Laramie, Wyoming, at their Grandpa Leslie and Grandma Elizabeth Printz's home. Eric and Jana are about four months apart in age. This picture was probably taken in late 1968 or early 1969.

Carol Dake Printz
Sidney, NE


I am pretty sure that the blond boy is my nephew Eric Printz but not for sure who the little girl would be.

Trish Meyer
Moody, TX


Eric Printz?

Cody Printz
Sidney, NE

Editor's comment: So, your brother you know -- even if he is older and you probably never really knew him at that age. The other one is your cousin. --DMA


The GUESS picture looks like it was a few years ago, with the pattern of carpet and the chair style and the folding table. Such very cute children. I will make a far fetched guess that it is two of Don and Dorothy's children. I hope someone will be making the correct guess.

Betty Weiland Droel
MoundsView, MN


Memory Lane

A new series of recollections, of the five years when Bill and Lois Dake and their family lived in Minnesota, began with the episode in Bulletin 343. It's too soon to tell just how many parts there will be in this series, but we still have a few stories from 1946, just after World War II. Two weeks ago I told more about polio (once called Infantile Paralysis) via two links, Polio and Sister Kenny, to minimize disruption of the narrative flow about Lois and Bill Dake. Both documents are posted as a series of scanned images. We can't edit them or correct typos and they will not respond to font changes or printer settings as regular Bulletin pages do.


Dorothy Dake, 20, hand tinted portrait, 1946.

A Shift In Our Plans To Teach School In Tandem
by Dorothy Dake
Howard Lake, MN

Probably you remember that Blanche and I had career plans for this year. I was supposed to be teaching the 4th-8th grades at the school in Stockholm, Minnesota. Blanche was to teach grades 1-3, serve as the Principal, and have Spring Primary for the preschool children in the spring.

Our plans have been revamped. When it was evident that I would not be able to teach this year, the district school board members approached Blanche with this arrangement: They would have her teach Grades 1-6 and they would send the 7th and 8th grade students to the Cokato Junior High; she will also do the Spring Primary. She signed a contract with them. We will renegotiate next year's contract next spring.

She and I also agreed that I would come and help her, when I could, with some of the extra things: the winter program, the spelling bee, and the Spring Primary, and I would, when I could, help out when she might be feeling swamped.

Mom and Dad had plans for me, too. They wondered if I could help Mom with some redecorating. She would do the things that required use of the step ladder and I could do the rest. They both made it clear that they felt I should also do whatever things I wanted to with other family members and should never work more than a few hours a day. I am supposed to avoid exhaustion but I am to continue my regular scheduled exercises ... and I plan to do that.

I also planned to help Grandma Mellon a bit more. She needed someone to help her get out her "thank yous" for all the different special activities and gifts that people had showered on her and Grandpa for their 50th wedding anniversary.

And talking about gifts that Grandpa and Grandma had showered on them reminds me that they aren't the only "gifted" ones. Mom and Dad had a nice surprise this last week. Gilbert and Jean dropped in for a visit. They were on their way to visit his mom (my aunt). They didn't stay long. Gilbert says he thinks he will start looking for a different job. He is getting a bit tired of being a truck driver. But getting back to the gift ... they have their wedding pictures back and had one for the folks. It is nice and Mom has set it on the piano top in a place of honor. Wonder whose will be the next one to find a spot there? Doesn't look like it will be me -- at least not for a while.

Lois is getting bored with waiting and is wanting the baby to arrive. She has a little house cleaning and such she would like done before the Texas relatives come, so she has asked if I could help her a bit, too.

Her mom, dad, and Coy Nell are coming after the baby arrives ... but as Coy Nell is taking nurse's training, the question is when will it work out best with her class schedules. Anyway, they will get here some way or another to greet their FIRST grandchild.

The Bill Dake family is also looking forward to being first time grandparents. And for sure, all of the aunts and uncles are looking for the arrival of that little baby. It should not be very long now. And that child had better know we all have great love and excitement in our hearts! This event will be another milestone to a year filled with change and excitement!


Jean & Gilbert McCalla, wedding photo.


Homesteading Days at Effie, Minnesota, as toldby Bruce McCorkell

Larry McCorkell sent us a manuscript he transcribed from his father's tape recorded memories and made it available to The Bulletin for a series of excerpts. These stories were originally tape recorded by Bruce McCorkell of his growing up days on the homestead near Effie in northern Minnesota. They were recorded from a period of the mid 1980's until the early 2000's. These are Bruce's words of happy, sad, funny, good, and hard times.


Bruce with a truckload of logs.

WORKING

I worked in local logging camps during my 10th and 11th year of high school. Dad worked part of a winter in the Westvick Camp in the 30's. This camp was about one half mile east and one mile northeast of the homestead. I worked there one spring vacation, peeling bark off sawed ties. After I graduated from high school in June of 1941, I drove logging truck from Effie to International Falls to the summer of 1942. I worked for Al Anderson in a logging camp east of our place, skidding pine logs with a cat.

Then I hauled lumber. I worked for a fellow by the name of Sam Solmonson. The summer of 1942 to August of 1942 I drove cat and truck on the Holstrum Spur north of Craigville for S. L. Solmonson from Camp #2, which was Milepost 17 on the Holstrum spur to Camp 29 for eighty five cents per hour and hauled cedar and lagging to the range mines. I stayed in Solmonson's logging camp. My Uncle Jim Guthrie was the cook.

There were lots of bedbugs. The lumberjack I bought a watch from told me about "Oil of Cedar Leaf." An old druggist gave me half a bottle of this in Bemidji. I put a drop on each corner and a couple in the center of the bed and a couple on the pillow. I never was bothered with them again.

I hauled pulpwood and hauled some mining timber from the Loftgren Truck Trail to Highway 1 and south on Highway 65 over to the Range there to Nashwauk and those places. It was seven-foot long cedar and it was split. It couldn't be much larger than fence post size, say, like a 10-inch diameter and seven feet long. It was split into three or four pieces. They used it for mining cribbing so the dirt didn't cave in. I never was down in a mine to see how they used it, but that's what it was used for. At the place on the right going north, just after turning on Highway 65 from Highway 22, I used to blow my horn for a little girl.



Photos © Ary Ommert, Jr.
All kinds of garden furniture, left; chairs made from tropical trees, right.

Greetings from the Netherlands
by Ary Ommert, Jr.
Maassluis, The Netherlands

In this update I will tell you something about the garden center. In January and February we changed the garden center for the spring. All kinds of garden furniture in different materials and colors. Since a few years we have lounge sets to be used outside. It's almost like an indoors couch and very comfortable. You also see large tables with sometimes 8 or 10 chairs made of teak and other tropical trees.

We changed the presentations for the plants in pots. We use now one sort of pots in one color for each display. The most popular color of blooming plants is white and the tables behind the display are in the same color. Last year we had the blooming plants mixed on eight tables in four rows of two tables. Now we have one row for white, one for blue and white, one row for purple and pink and one for red and yellow. I have enclosed a picture of a display and tables in the color white.


Photos © Ary Ommert, Jr.
Plants in white pots, left; tables of plants grouped by color, right.

For the orchids we have two separate tables, one for white and the other for purple and pink orchids. A new orchid this year is called Vanda. This orchid doesn't grow in soil but only has roots and a glass vase is the best for letting it grow. Twice a week you fill the glass with water so that the roots are under water. Let it stay for 15 minutes and then empty the vase again. In this way the Vanda gets enough moisture to grow. A Vanda makes new flowers very fast and is blooming year round. The prices, including vase, are from $25 to $40. You can see some Vandas on the enclosed picture.


Photos © Ary Ommert, Jr.
Most popular color is white, left; Vanda orchids in purple, right.

I have also worked inside my house and my hall has a new look. There was wallpaper on the walls. Took a day to get the wallpaper off and now there is structure paint on the wall in a light brown color. Also a picture from the living room with a Ficus bonsai tree above the TV.


Photos © Ary Ommert, Jr.
My hall has a new look, left; living room with a Ficus bonsai tree, right.

Last weekend we changed into summertime. The previous week was too cold for the time of year and also for this week there will not be spring in the air in the Netherlands.

Greetings from the Netherlands to all the readers of The Bulletin.

Ary Ommert Jr.


Travelogue t


Photo © Kjirsten Swenson
Women fetching water at well on Ibo.

Mozambique
by Kjirsten Swenson
Houston, TX

As the sultry heat of the afternoon lifted and evening approached, the streets seemed to come alive. Children chattered and chased each other as they walked home at the end of the school day. Women congregated at the municipal wells, pumping buckets of water to carry home for cooking and washing. Men with stringers of fresh fish were heading home from the port. Groups of goats walked with more purpose than anyone; perhaps they were anticipating a meal too.

Everyone seemed to have something to do or somewhere to go before the sinking sun would disappear and leave the streets dark and difficult to navigate. We had no particular agenda, but were content to return to the port in time to watch the evening sky turn brilliant shades of orange.

To be continued...


Photos © Kjirsten Swenson
Sunset and dhows (sailboats) near Ibo's port.


Celebrations & Observances
From the Files of
5
Hetty Hooper

This Week's Birthdays
April 6---Dusty Meyers
April 9---Richard Johnson (from Oregon)
April 9---Dorothy Dake Anderson
April 10---Brenda Anderson Hill
April 10---Lisa Kae Anderson
April 10---Shawn Ostendorf
Happy Birthday!

More April Birthdays
' 
April 2---Duane Miller
April 2---Jess Cloyd
April 4---Meryl Hansey
April 4---Barb Dewey

April 15---Melinda Miranowski
April 19---Levi Owen Steinhauer (4 years old)
April 23---Alyssa Lynn Freesemann (12 years old)
April 23---Miss Kitty (6 years old)
April 23---Mai Tai (2 years old)
April 25---Troy LaRon Freesemann
April 25---Mia Nelson
April 26---Heidi Johnson Henderson
April 27---Steve Rodriguez
April 27---Peggy McNeill
April 28---Justin Blackstone
April 29---Kelly Kay Larson Seaman
April 30---Kurtis James Larson

April Special Days
O
April 1---April Fools' Day
April 10---Good Friday
April 12---Easter Sunday

Miss Hetty's Mailbox:

Dear Miss Hetty,

HELLO! Thank you for such beautiful remembrances of "our" days. Had birthday dinner at Bob and Norma DenHerders' and our anniversary "party" at the Organ Stop Pizza. Had a lovely evening!

Ruth Kitto
Apache Junction, AZ


I loved the mini-vacation! Nice e-card that I finally got far enough into my e-mail to find! It surely would be nice to have a real vacation about now!

Thanks for the card!

Donna Johnson
Ashby, MN


Miss Hetty Says:


Richard Johnson & Bravo Black, one of his goat guardian dogs.
Happy birthday, Richard!

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?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Click here to review last week's Bulletin

Again, thank you for your kindnesses through the years! We love The Bulletin! We're not very good contributors lately but will try to do better.

Ruth Kitto
Apache Junction, AZ


Last Week's Bulletin Review JKL
by Betty Droel
MoundsView, MN

We were expecting to find pictures of the flood in this Bulletin, and we were very pleased so many were included. Our thoughts have been all taken up with news from there as we have learned to know so many through The Bulletin. It would be such a disaster. Thank you so much, Wyatt, for taking energy and time to write that most interesting Update.

I can't even imagine what a mess it will be to clean up after a flood, and to find the basement soggy and smelling damp for a long time. We never know what is in store, as nature is unpredictable, and the force of it can be indescribable. What will happen to all that sand and all those bags once the water has receded?

We had an e-mail from Sherlene Sorenson regarding the flood at their home, saying her co-worker JOLEEN was this or that ... I am curious as to whether or not that is Joleen Johnson, Wyatt's wife? I don't know where Sherlene works.

On a much more pleasant note, we were anxious for the Update about Kjirsten's acceptance location, and were just thrilled to see it was right where she really wanted to be: Albuquerque. Part of her success will stem from happiness and contentment of being in the chosen area now, at the end era of her training.

Thanks, too, to Indermarks for the recent pictures of their three! Usually we can hope for an Update when a birthday happens.

We were very fascinated by the links Miss Kitty had in her story this time. The volcano would be scary when it's so close to blowing its top. The ash is truly a serious matter. The texture of Comet cleanser that scratched the paint finish if you wiped it off. We will be looking for the news from Miss Jerrianne as she gets a chance to include it week to week.

Rachel arriving home again would be a major excitement in that family. She looks happy, but probably will never be the same again after that experience, with all she saw and heard and felt and learned, and the impressions that would be life-long.

I love it when I come to Memory Lane and find that lovely picture of Dorothy at the beginning of it. It makes it so much more meaningful, to me anyway, seeing that picture from 1946 and to see how at peace her expression is. Good we don't see the future, and then we can have strength for one step at a time.

That was interesting about Hubert Humphrey. When my mother had her drapery business, she made draperies for their home. I was glad you had pictures to include of Grandma and Grandpa Mellon.

What a lot of hard manual labor to ever have a truckload of logs like the one Bruce was standing in front of. I would think that is a dangerous occupation, running a sawmill, especially if there was a curious young boy close by. No wounds were reported, I see.

I can see where that tree on Ibo would interest Kjirsten. I can see a very artistic pose with its bare limbs and sprawly shape.

That was a very nice picture of Rian and Frans de Been on their 31st anniversary. I am sure those years just flew by, before they knew it. Joy and sorrow interwoven, but there they stand, looking so together and so happy.

We have the high speed Internet so almost have forgotten how slow the dial up was. I can't even imagine how long it would take to download The Bulletin on dial up, but it would be so worth it.

Now THAT was a very unusual picture of the man flying through the air in the CHUCKLES. When you are only 30, you can do those kind of things. Enjoy it! Youth passes all too quickly.

The Quotation for the day was quite timely and appropriate this time, about the dikes holding back the flood of fear. Dikes of courage.

It hardly seems like our Fargo area Bulletin subscribers would even have time to use the computer these days, but anything we hear and any pictures they can include will be welcomed.

Thank you again, Editors, for Bulletin #354. That is a lot of Bulletins, and the best part is that they are all in the Archives, to be read anytime.

Betty Droel


CHUCKLES


Photo illustration © Virginia McCorkell; photo by Susie Holman
Hunter reads newspapers! Who would have guessed?


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.



Quotation for the day: No Winter lasts forever, no Spring skips its turn. April is a promise that May is bound to keep, and we know it. --Hal Borland

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.


Home About Archive Recipes Stories Galleries Who's Who Where