Bulletin 403 March 7, 2010

UPDATE -- Steve and Marion Miller visit Texas
by Earl Stahlecker
Gatesville, TX

Steve and Marian Miller made a quick trip to central Texas this past week. We enjoyed having them with us Friday evening and overnight. Stan and I entertained them with a short trip to Valley Mills to the cemetery and a tour through the country out by the Dake farm for Steve to see the area some 50 years after living there there a couple of years.

We fit them into our busy schedule. I had gone to our local high school play-off basketball game Thursday night and Kathleen and I went Fort Worth early Saturday morning to be cheerleaders for Michael and Adriana running in a half marathon. They did very well.

Photo © Steve Miller
Sisters: Jean Holman, Marian Miller, Betty Huisman, Carol Turner.

UPDATE -- visiting Marian's sisters in Texas
by Steve and Marian Miller
Coral Springs, FL

We decided that since two of Marian's sisters were in South Texas and the third one was due to arrive, we would make a quick trip to see them while Marian is still able.

We flew from Fort Lauderdale to Austin, Texas, on Sunday, February 21st. After arriving more than six hours late, due to mechanical problems, we then drove all night Sunday and into Monday morning to "The Valley" and got to Betty and Jims Huisman's in time for breakfast.

Monday afternoon, we took the last operating hand-powered ferry across the Rio Grande River to Mexico. It costs the outrageous sum of 50 cents each way to cross.

Photo © Steve Miller
Hand-powered ferry across the Rio Grande River to Mexico costs 50 cents.

We had a nice visit with Betty and Jim and Marian's two other sisters (Carol and Larry Turner and Jean and Chuck Holman). We also met Glenda and Alvin Baker and Ralph and Louise Hartsuiker (from Hutchinson). We met several other snowbirds, commonly referred to in that area as "winter Texans."

On Friday, we traveled north to our Dake relatives. First we got to Earl and Kathleen's. Earl took us to McGregor, where we picked up Stan, and they took us on the grand tour.

We went by former President Bush's ranch at Crawford, but he didn't come out to greet us!

We then went to Valley Mills and looked at the various points of interest. Some of you may remember that at one point (when I was in third grade) we moved to Valley Mills with the intent to stay permanently. We rented a small apartment above a garage right across the highway from the school. (That building has been replaced by a gas station.)

Uncle Bill's feed store has been remodeled and looks very nice but looked empty.

We went to the cemetery where Uncle Bill and Aunt Lois, as well as the Gandys, are buried.

Photo © Earl Stahlecker
William "Stan" Dake & Steve Miller at Bill & Lois Dake graves.

Then we went out by the farm and, of course, Hog Creek! I hadn't been back to Valley Mills (or by the farm) since the mid-1960's, when Uncle Bill and Aunt Lois were still living there.

Photo © Steve Miller
This was Bill & Lois Dake's family home on the farm. The only other building still standing from when they lived there is the "wash house."

Then it was back to Earl and Kathleen's, where Earl had fixed a HUGE BBQ (Yummy :) feast and, of course, lots more conversation. Stan and I had not been together since Grandma Dake's birthday reunion in, I believe, 1994, so we had lots of catching up to do. We stayed at Kathleen and Earl's and flew back to Florida on Saturday.

Photo © Jerrianne Lowther
Snow Sculpture: The intrepid Aleut kayaker has hooked a gigantic halibut.

UPDATE -- Fur Rendezvous ends as Iditarod begins
by Miss Kitty
Anchorage, AK

The last days of February and the first days of March bring Fur Rendezvous to Anchorage and Miss Jerrianne and Miss Barbara have been out gallivanting again. (Miss Kathlyn, she misses you!) They didn't make it out to the North American Championship Sled Dog Races, but they went to see the snow sculptures. You can view a gallery of snow sculpture pictures here. We had lots of fresh snow last week and temperatures were perfect for making really detailed sculptures. (Unfortunately, the weather warmed up later and the snow got all melty.)

The ladies seriously considered trying to make their way downtown to watch the running of the reindeer, which is just as ridiculous as it sounds, as you can see from the picture gallery. They were not tempted to race the reindeer themselves, nor were they tempted by the sizzling reindeer sausages this year, having just come from a delicious brunch. They did recall how tasty those "reindeer dogs" were last year, though. In the end, they went looking for the model railroad display and somehow ended up at the greenhouse instead. I guess they needed a breath of spring after seeing all that snow.

Fur Rendezvous ends this weekend with the start of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race from Anchorage to Nome. For the next week and a half, everybody will be focused on dogs and by the time they get to Nome, spring will be just around the corner ... on the calendar, anyway.

UPDATE -- a new member of the Henderson family
by Heidi Johnson Henderson
Albuquerque, NM

I don't know how many have read the children's book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, but I'll catch you up if you haven't. Basically, the story says that if you give a mouse a cookie, he'll ask for a glass of milk, and if you give him a glass of milk he'll ask for a napkin and on and on ... one thing leading to another. Well, that seems to be how 2010 is going here at the Henderson household.

The first Sunday after returning from Boise, we were broken into. Nothing of any huge importance was stolen, except for our peace of mind. Anyhow, when your house gets broken into, the logical thing to do is get a dog, right?

We thought so. We acquired Astraea in early February. She is a 7-1/2 month old Belgian Malinois. They are similar to a German Shepherd but without the hip problems and slightly smaller. She's been learning very quickly all the important stuff like sit, stay, come and go get your ball.

Since we didn't plan on having a dog when we landscaped, we had to do some work on the back yard to make it dog ready. We had to take out some plants that are deadly to dogs and put in a large kennel and dog house.

We quickly learned that if you have to re-landscape your yard, a sports car and a fuel efficient Honda Civic aren't going to cut it. So we decided that we needed a truck, and off to the Toyota dealership we went. Ryan traded in his car for a Toyota Tacoma that is much better equipped to transport dogs and yard stuff. He was sad to see the car go but the truck is pretty handy to have.

So the moral to this long-winded story: if you get broken into, you're going to need a dog. If you get a dog, you're going to need to re-do your yard. If you need to re-do your yard, you're going to need a truck ... see the similarity?

Anyway, we've had a busy and eventful year, so far, and still managed to get in a few days' skiing. New Mexico is having a very snowy year, which is always great for us powder hounds. Even with all the snow, my crocuses are still blooming and the tulips are popping out of the dirt ... spring may be just around the corner. I guess I'll let this be all for now.

Photo © Donna Johnson
Beaver Johnson, Eric, Leona, Donnie & Patty Anderson.

We were invited to attend Eric's 30th birthday celebration last weekend. We jumped at the chance, even going the night before ... as going to Don and Patty's is like a mini-vacation! One does not turn that type of invitation down! Don and Patty took Eric, Leona, Beaver and me to a very nice local restaurant. Very enjoyable time and delicious food.

Photos © Donna Johnson
Beaver and his friends, Hannah & kitty Lucy, left; 19-year-old Bennie wasn't hanging out with them at this time, although he did like to check in for a bit, now and then. Most of the time he liked to reside on the heating vent or his own heating pad, keeping the old bones warm. Wyatt & Jolene stopped in for a visit, right, but after running into some problems with the GPS (ask Wyatt), they didn't end up staying very long. The girls were ready to move on. (Note the coats staying on. :-)

Photos © Donna Johnson
Patty showed Leona how to pipe the edges of the cake and Leona finished by doing the writing, left. It was a yummy cake; every last piece was gone by the end of the evening. Music provided by Patty, right, was not quite current, but lots of fun!

Photos © Donna Johnson
Eric and his cake, left, makes me want another piece, just seeing it in the picture. (Red velvet with cream cheese frosting, in case anyone wonders ... smile.) Eric opening gifts from his folks, right, a little earlier in the day.

Photo © Donna Johnson
Patty & Curt brought Abby & Logan, much to McKenna & Kierra's enjoyment.

Photos © Donna Johnson
McKenna making friends with Abby, left; Eric & Leona at brunch at Maynard's, in Rogers, where we met Wyatt & Jolene & girls, Lori & Shawn & girls & Weston, along with Don & Patty & Beaver & me. He had a three-day celebration with us; not bad!

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. The Matriarch and Donna Mae supplied last week's mystery photos.

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.

I guess, my Mom and Dad [Jim and Blanche Dake Miller] at their wedding and my Mom and Dad with [my son] Kurt [Larson] when he was 5 years old.

Both pictures are of Aunt Blanche and Uncle Jim. One on their wedding day with their cake and the other with Sharon's son, Kurt.

My guesses on the mystery pictures are Jim Miller and Blanche Dake on their wedding day with their weddding cake and the second one is Jim and Blanche, perhaps a few years later, with their cute son Steven as he was growing up.

That is Mr. and Mrs. James A. Miller on their wedding day! And the second picture is Jim and Blanche with their grandson, Kurtis. I Hope I am getting through and you are doing well.

We don't have a hard time with the GUESS picture this time as it is Jim and Blanche with their married life beginning, and the second one of many years later when I knew them best. I do not know who the cowboy is, though. Maybe their grandson.

So that was Virginia last week in the mystery picture! I know she was so cute, and she still is a lovely lady.

Memory Lane

A 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, just after World War II. In Bulletin 349, I told more about polio (once called Infantile Paralysis) via two links, Polio and Sister Kenny, to minimize disruption of the narrative flow. 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.

Winter In Bemidji
by Dorothy Dake
Howard Lake, MN

Boredom On The Homefront

The ladies are complaining. There is nothing to do. I do my part -- cart home the daily paper and magazines, and visit them when I have the time. But still they complain. Visiting them is twice the trouble it used to be, what with the need to travel from upstairs to downstairs, then downstairs to upstairs, all the time carrying stuff up and down with me. There have been a lot of changes made around here ... but a lot more need doing!

The laundry methods have changed. We no longer mangle ... we now have a GE laundry dryer. Great improvement, our Belle says. She reminds me of my Grandpa Mellon. They are both extremely interested in anything new and modern. Which reminds me...

This afternoon Belle commented, "I sure wish I had one of those TV gadgets they have been talking about in our paper. Last year there was a man called -- of all things -- JACK HORNER. He put on a half hour TV program. I guess he has his own studio and a pole sticking up in the air with a sort of aerial on it. My, I would have liked to have seen that -- imagine sending pictures through the air!"

I told her she needs to live near Minneapolis, as Grandpa says there is a regular station there. He and Mr. Johnson, who has the Chevrolet garage there, are each shopping for a TV set. They plan on being the first people in Waverly to have one. Belle wants me to find out about the details.

I long ago started to let the ladies take turns reading my journal ... and by the way, Belle says I never did tell what the other business letters were that I wrote before Ken re-did one for me, so I promised to write about them.

You see, I started out by writing to Albert A. Anderson, Wright County Superintendent of Schools, to ask him if I could get an extension on my expired teaching certificate to do emergency teaching (as was common during the war). Well, that turned out to be a disappointment!

He said that many of the rural schools were consolidating with the towns or cities near them. The only ones left open were too unimproved for me to teach. I would not be able to do the janitor work and the physical education activities required. So I gave up that idea.

And I really do not have enough money saved up to take me through the year of school it would take to make it possible to find a job in town schools, where janitor work (and often physical education classes) are taken care of by specially trained personnel.

As I told Belle, the other letters I wrote got written soon after she made me catch up on the current events. I had found in one of the papers she sent for me to read a report about a new law that is meant to educate more people into good jobs. It is meant to help people with disabilities. It is called The Rehabilitation Education Law. It is a means to fit polio victims and other victims of accidents or disease to jobs more suited to their present physical or mental conditions.

I decided to look into the chances of me coming under the "umbrella." I needed help and found it from two people who knew me and could (and did) vouch for me. It required the help of Doctor Roholt and Superintendent Anderson to help me fill out the needed forms and explanations to establish my eligibility to receive some of the funding available.

It was well worth the effort. I received an award from the office of Rehabilitation. It promises to pay the tuition and book fees for one semester of work at St. Cloud Teacher's College. I must complete that semester with at least a B average for all English, Writing, and Speaking classes and I must maintain average grades in all other courses for assistance to continue the following semester. I am going to work to earn a teaching degree that is known as Associate in Education. This particular degree earns a teaching certificate in the elementary grades of one through eight in the Minnesota school system.

Photo © Dorothy Dake Anderson
The house where I lived in Bemidji, Minnesota, in 1949.

Travelogue t

Photo © Kjirsten Swenson
Kjirsten looks a fabulous dragon in the eye, Doi Suthep, Thailand.

Southeast Asia Extravaganza 2009
by Kjirsten Swenson
Albuquerque, NM

Enthusiastic about the surrounding scenery, we wandered up and down every street in town trying to rent mountain bikes. Motorbikes were dirt cheap, as little as $3 per day for a rental(!). But we wanted to pedal; with no luck finding mountain bikes, we settled for single-speed cruisers instead. After lunch, we chose a loop on a map and hoped we'd be able to manage the hills without shifting.

Photo © Kjirsten Swenson
Our route took us out of town through small Shan villages. Wooden houses, rice paddies, and elaborate wats made for very pleasant scenery. The landscapes were beautiful; smokey green hills provided a distant backdrop.

Photo © Kjirsten Swenson
Closer to the road, I was amazed by the trees. Some were flowering magnificently, heavily laden with brilliant orange blossoms. Others were thick with mangoes, papaya, or unidentifiable fruit.

It was neat to catch a glimpse of authentic, rural Thailand from our bikes. We watched people cooking outside, next to the street; dogs lazing in the shade; farmers working in the fields, and everyone seemed delighted to see us passing through.

Photo © Kjirsten Swenson
We shared the road with motorbikes, a few cars, and even a pair of elephants!

Every now and then we'd happen upon an ornately decorated wat. We found hot springs too, but found them not so appealing, given the outside temperature of 90+ degrees and dripping humidity.

Photos © Kjirsten Swenson
"Mom," left; there MUST be a story there! Emerald Buddha in wat at right.

Celebrations & Observances
From the Files of 5
Hetty Hooper

This Week's Birthdays
March 9---Kylie Grace McNeill (3 years)
March 11---Kjirsten Swenson
March 12---Jolene Johnson
Happy Birthday!

More March Birthdays
'
March 1---Betty Weiland Droel
March 2---Tom Miller (Doctor)
March 3---Donald Anderson
March 6---Jerrianne Lowther
March 6---Gwen Stucker

March 16---Samuel Alexander Cannon
March 17---Ruth Weiland Kitto
March 18---Janie Anderson
March 21---Rachel (Henderson) Olson
March 23---Colette Huseby
March 23---Capt. Jack Adair
March 28---Donna (Anderson) Johnson
March 30---Mason Henderson (4 years)
March 30---Michael Steinhauer
March 31---Linda Knutson

March Anniversaries
Z
March 3---Mike and Kelley Seaman (9 years)
March 3---Greg and Sonja Dake (4 years)

March 14---Brian and Melanie Birkholz Lehtola (8 years)
March 15---Dan and Gina Henderson (5 years)
March 22---Ken and Ruth Weiland Swanson Kitto (8 years)
March 26---Stanley and Janice Dake (40 years)
March 31---Frans and Rian de Been (32 years)

March Special Days
March 14---Daylight Saving Time Begins
March 17---St. Patrick's Day
March 20---First Day of Spring

Miss Hetty's Mailbox:

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

I LOVE the return of the comic strip! The GI JOE with kung fu grip ... only Doug could come up with that one! It made me laugh out loud. It's like a walk down memory lane, maybe not exactly how I would remember it, but a reminder of how awkward we all felt at that age! Thanks for all the work, Doug!

Patty Henderson
Minnetrista, MN

I don't know what's up with all the pandemonium ... my copy of The Bulletin looks great! The print is different ... but I think it looks better!

Loved your Memory Lane article this time ... sounds like you had some pretty nice bosses! We all know you got accepted to SCSU, so maybe not so suspenseful, but a nicely constructed piece of writing, nevertheless.

Keep the faith, Mother Dear; it is a far, far better thing you do!

Douglas Anderson-Jordet
St. Cloud, MN

Changes, changes ... what life is all about ... but I think I can handle it ... made it a bookmark to the archive page. :-) As long as you keep putting it in print ... I can find it. :-) Don't you just love this promise of spring warmer week of weather? Thanks for all you do ... love that Bulletin!

Barb Dewey
Ashby, MN

Got the other Bulletin, under the title "Funnnies." But no funnies. Seems everything is working well. Except Rufus! He hardly works at all.

Capt Jack Adair
Blaine, MN

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

There is something in the heart of every woman that gets a warm special feeling to see a picture of a child, or just anything regarding children. We are just created that way.

So, to see the first pictures we have had lately in The Bulletin of babies and children has been keenly precious. This time we are having an update on Hunter Holman. It is hard to believe he has grown so much, and he's been a Bulletin star ever since he was born. We are almost related in a shirttail kind of way. His grandmother is a sister of my niece-in-law who is married to my nephew Steve Weiland.

I was so touched at the update on the Mellons. The story of the rings hidden on the tree sounded like a unique and fun thing to do, and can't you just imagine the feelings for Dan as she found them? Congratulations on 40 wonderful years! We have had 17 and it has gone in a flash.

The update on Alex having a second birthday sounded like some mommy (and daddy) had gone to a lot of work to make it a memory occasion. The bounce house, and the chocolate fountain would be such a dream come true for those children. You can about see the frosting that was being bathed off.

Then, we have an update of Weston again. At long last. So nice of Eric and Leona to make it a great occasion, and it was a familiar sight to see Weston with a background of a sports arena. I wonder if Weston knows how many of The Bulletin readers are thinking of him, having followed his experiences for a few years now through The Bulletin.

We are always glad when Miss Kitty can get a chance at the keyboard, and this time she wrote what only an Alaskan could write, about the World Championship Sled Dog race. Just let Mai Tai nap and miss it all, but when a robin shows up he will be the first one to the window. We are hoping for robins someday again, but it hardly looks like it now.

I am wondering if Penny (Miller) Pesta is related to the Millers that are related to my sister-in-law, Anita Weiland? I think it would take a very special person to work with adults with disabilities. Would be interesting to hear about how some of them respond to their job skill training.

I always enjoy the Day to Day with Donna Mae. The stories and pictures tell about happenings and people I actually know. This time I see my friend Kathlyn pictured. Her daughter Colette was just a little girl when I first met them. Now she has her own children. That was quite a table for the computer that Arg made. He will likely be getting orders for that one. I am wondering what a caption would be for Kathlyn and Diego's cute cozy pose? That could be a contest. By the way, Kathy, thank you for the birthday greetings!

Memory Lane was next, which we were anxious for again. To read this chapter of the "Winter in Bemidji," and see that even the simple story of typing a letter was made so interesting. It is something our Editor could do, the Matriarch. She does have a special writing gift so I can't wait to see "the rest of the story."

I wonder if anyone could take a picture of the Bemidji house, as it is today? Or is it not even there anymore?

The Travelogue continues to thrive in that land of the unusual. That would take some clever photography to get that close-up of the dragon eye. A great camera to capture the vivid color, and then photo editor to pass on such color to us in The Bulletin. Thanks to you both.

I loved seeing the pose of this busy "doctor-to-be" enjoying a rest in the hammock, and reading casually. Not often she will be able to have such a backdrop of a thatched roof. Soon it will be back to the books.

Kjirsten, we need an update on your schooling and your area in New Mexico where you are now. How is that going?

Doug, I wonder just how long it takes you to draw those detailed FUNNNIES? Probably all week. I love the expression the characters have, and the humor.

The Quotation for the day is appropriate. We wonder if we should be looking for daffodils or to be content with the still huge snowbanks, being this is March already.

My brother Rich and Verlaine Weiland are on their way to Arizona. My sister, Ruth Kitto, had a stroke so they are going to see if they can help in any way. Also, Kenny Kitto had the carotid surgery, so they will be happy to have them. AND who wouldn't like to be out of the Minnesota winter for a few weeks?

I was so disappointed to have this all written, and then it disappeared into cyberspace. So this is a second attempt, and usually doesn't have much fizz then. But, thank you for letting me comment on another great Bulletin, and we are thankful your computers are back in working order.

Betty Droel

FUNNNIES

See the "Stories" link for The Amazing Duddo collection -- or click here.

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Quotation for the day: Appreciation is like an insurance policy. It has to be renewed every now and then. --Dave McIntyre