How Long Since You Reunioned?

This picture was taken in the summer of 1984. A lot has happened since the five Anderson children with their spouses, if any, were together. The picture was taken by a neighbor, thanks Tim.



Back row: Left to right: Larry Schneider, Shirley Anderson Hagen, and her husband Keith. This was taken at their house in the country by Gatzke, MN

Middle Row: Oliver, the bachelor uncle, Dorothy Anderson Schneider, Bob Anderson, Judy Anderson Arnold, (divorced at the time), Dick Anderson, Judie Canada, (his girl friend at the time and now his wife), and Elodee

Next row: Ella Rye Anderson, (Still a widow in 1984)
Front row: Rachel Anderson,Juanita Hagen, Lisa Arnold, Vince Hagen, Ryen Anderson in front of Vince, Bud Anderson, Nenna Arnold, and Brenda with a bunny.

Grand children who were not there included: Dorothy and Larry Scneider's kids, Gene and Lynelle, and Dick's children Susie and Ritchie.



Dorothy and Larry still live on their farmette by Paola, Kansas.

Shirley and Keith remain on the farm where this picture was taken.

Oliver Rye died in November, 2001

Bob and Elodee divorced in 1995, he moved to New Mexico, Elodee remarried and moved to Fargo, ND

Judy Arnold married Arlen Sorum in 1986, they live in Thief River Falls.



Dick and Judie Canada married and live in New Mexico

Ella Rye Anderson remarried in 1986 and became a widow earlier this month.





Rachel Anderson married Lynn Thomae in 1989, are now divorced. Together they had one child, Jaeme Lynn who will turn 10 in May. They live in a suburb of Salt Lake City, UT.



Juanita is married to Bing Watne. Together they have two children, and one each from other relationships. They live near Grygla, MN



Lisa Arnold married Hamlin Metzger; they live in Minneapolis, MN.



Vince Hagen and his wife Heather live in the Gatzke area with their two children, Kelsie and Jordan.



Ryen Anderson lives in Columbus, Ohio.



Bud Anderson is married to Shilpa Thanawala, they live in San Carlos, CA



Nenna Arnold lives in New Mexico.



Brenda is married to Ralph Friesner, they live in Embarrass, MN

Gene and Lynelle Schneider Dickey live around the Kansas City area.

Susie lives in Arizona and Ritchie is in Minneapolis, MN

How long has it been since all of your family got together? ALL TOGETHER? How do we get so busy that reunions pass us by?

I saw my three children AT THE SAME time in October; it had been ten years. A decade is too long. Let's hope all of you do better!

Happy birthday, Jillian!

e

Roseau Wins AGAIN!

When I was in school big schools and little schools all played for one trophy. It's all split up now and Moorhead (23,000) played Roseau, (2,700) at Thief River Falls yesterday for the Class AA championship. Roseau won, what a game that must have been to see two goals scored in 33 seconds of play. Roseau finished the season with no losses, how proud those kids must be and how honorable for a little city to once again, claim the trophy.

I am offering two pictures today. Pay close attention to how the uniforms have evolved over several decades. Let's hope the sport itself hasn't changed as much.

It's Play off Time!

Daddy was fortunate enough to be in on the peewee hockey program in Thief River Falls. On the weekends in the winter both mother and dad would load up the hockey players in two cars and take them to out-of-town games which were generally played on out door rinks. I had the advantage of watching these boys work to learn the game as well as become sportsman.

Recently I had an opportunity e-mail with a couple of gentlemen who had played hockey for the Prowlers in Thief River Falls. It isn’t that we talked about hockey so much and is much as I remembered my years as a Pee Wee through high school hockey fanwhich extended even to the adult team named the Thieves.


My question is, did their early training and discipline stay with them the rest of their lives? Let’s hope so.


For those of you who are Southern born and have never seen a game of ice hockey, it is a game played by two teams. The object of the game is to get the puck past the other teams goalie and score a point.


What kind of a word is HOCKEY?
French word hoquet, which means "shepherd's crook" or "bent stick


Although there are many pieces of equipment which the players wear, let’s talk about the puck and the stick. The puck is made of vulcanized rubber, one inch thick and three inches in diameter and shall weigh between five and one-half ounces and six ounces and be black in color and kept frozen! The word may come from 1891 when the hockey disk was struck, which became puck.


New York Rangers star Andy Bathgate began experimenting with a curve in hockey stick the late 1950s. During a European tour of Ranger and Blackhawk players, Bathgate showed his innovation to Bobby Hull. In early times in England, the stick was nothing more than a tree branch.


Names of positions on the ice:
Goal (1) Guards the goal
Defensemen (2) Help guard the goal and help wings
Wings (2) Right and left wings assist in/and make goals
Center (1) Is the play maker of the team.

State Championship Winners:

Roseau Population: 2700 est. in 2000
1946, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1990, 1999 (AA), 2007 (AA)

International Falls Population: 6700 est 2000
1957, 1962, 1964-66, 1972, 1995 (A)

Eveleth Population: 3,865 est. in 2000
1945, 1948-51, 1993 (II), 1998 (A)

Thief River Falls Population: 8,400 est in 2000
1954, 1956



As you can see in 1954 and 1956, Thief River Falls took the state title. In 1955 they won the state consolation. At the season’s start the pressure on each individual game was very great for the probably are as had been honored with a 20 game winning streak, the longest in the state, from last year’s state championship team the streak continued through the first three games, but on January 12 Roseau ended it at 23 by defeating the prowlers.

For the fifth time the Lincoln hockey team was a representative in the state tournament that first game against Minneapolis South ended in it disaster after 11 long overtime periods when South’s Jimmy Westby scored a freak goal to defeat the Prowlers three to two. After applying the longest game in high school hockey history the Prowlers came back the next day to surprise Roseau and defeat them scored three. State consolation honors

The 1955 year team was led by two veteran co captains. One of them was two-time all-stater Joe Poole. The 1956 team would have nine promising sophomores and juniors returning and with material coming up from this we’d live in speed team next year’s Prowlers should live up to and hold the server’s reputation as hockey power in 1955Joe Poole had 48 points for the season.

In 1957 the Prowlers 16 games and lost 14
In 1958 the Prowlers 17, lost 10, tied three
In 1959 The Prowlers went to state
In 1960 the prowlers 19, tied one, lost three

During the season the team were the victors in the holiday tournament held at International Falls. They defeated Duluth East and International Falls. A hustling Thief River squad succeeded in defeating Roseau for this season’s biggest victory. The Prowlers entered the regional tourney by blasting Red Lake Falls 12 to zero in the sub region tournament. Upon entering the state tournament, the blue and gold were rated the best team in the state but were edged by South St. Paul in two into overtime’s. Dale Wennberg, highest scorer in Prowler history was injured in the first period of that game. Archie Schneider was named to the All-Star team

1961 Prowler is8 wins, 11 losses and one tie. Stymied by the graduation of five of six starters, the Prowler hockey team completed their hectic 20 game season in sub regional Thief River upset in an overtime period of three to two to Roseau, state champion to be, inflicted their first loss in regional play. consolation honors. From this squad nuclear sub scorers will be returning making the prospects very bright for next season.

1962 Prowlers win 13 games and lose nine. The Prowlers finish the season on a grand scale by winning five out of their last six games, the only loss being to Roseau. Tournament prospects for next year are bright with 13 returning Letterman, the highest scorer for the season was Larry Poole.

Please, please, please-- let me do just one set of absurd ads!

I don’t know who influenced mother back in the mid to late 50s . Without announcement, each morning at breakfast, there were two vitamin/mineral tablets in our spoons. Perhaps some one can be convinced that cod liver oil, an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin A. and D. was good for our health along with a hearty breakfast. Fortunately we didn’t have to drink a teaspoon a day to promote our healthy hearts, bowels and brain; nor did we have to drink the cod liver oil to nourish our skin, hair, nails, and ease the pain and joint stiffness. For those of you who would like to buy an 8 ounce bottle, it’s available for $30. The ad states it tastes just like you remember.

What I remember mostly about those two capsules in the spoon, was not the taking of the pills, nor a thank you to mother for being concerned about my brain. What I remember is the parakeet. Mr. Chips, who was let out of his cage in the morning, like to sit and poop on the black topped table and play with the pills. I especially remember when my brother would come to the table, and the bird with squawk at him because he either tried to push him away or take the birds toys away, in this case, the vitamins.

The ritual on the tabletop would be over once Greg took his vitamins and drive the bird away. The parakeet would go back to his cage for a moment before dive bombing into my brother’s Vaseline and water slippery hair. There are two things to consider when you think about this:

1. My brother had fine hair, getting it styled just the way he wanted to a great deal of time, lots of grease in the sink where he mixed it and splatters on the mirror from combing it all forward. I should watch Tom comb his hair sometime, I wonder how he does it.
2. The rest of the family laughing at the scenario. Imagine a 6 foot lanky kid with orangutan long arms trying to stave off a parakeet who weighed only ounces. Shame on me for still giggling about it!

OTHER SALE PITCHES FOR YOU
Some folks call this old-time tonic of apple cider vinegar in 14 herbs and spices the elixir of life. For many it brings relief from arthritis symptoms, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and sinus condition. Others claim this all-natural remedy boosts the immune system so they’re less vulnerable to colds and flu is and helps the body heal faster. Others swear by it as a formula to general good health. Just take 1 ounce a day mixed with water and see for yourself. Giant 25 ounce bottle $25. (Doesn’t last a month, do you see that)?

THAT DIDN’T WORK? TRY THIS:
Do you feel tired all the time? Get energized with all natural herbal liquid iron supplement. One can get 50 servings for $34. Let’s see what it says it can do: If you’re fatigued, have difficulty concentrating, have brittle hair, or persistently cold hands and feet you may have an iron deficiency. One serving of this easy to digest iron supplement contains 100% of the daily requirement of most easily absorbed and non-constipating kind of iron. It quickly brings the iron stores back to normal and has you feeling like yourself
again.

SERUTAN
What was in that concoction that was advertised as nature’s spelled backwards? How do you spell natures backwards anyway? S-E-R-U-T-A-N. Is that it? Serutan. I don’t know if my grandparents took it or not, I do know that it was aimed at the older audience; folks at watched Lawrence Welk and the Ted Mack’s amateur hour. It seems to me that these shows also were sponsored by Geritol, which my grandfather took because he didn’t have any pep.

GERITOL
It’s still available. The name was derived from the root,”geri”, meaning old, the “I” was for iron. The product was promoted as a cure for iron poor tired blood. In the early 20th century, many medical doctors and other health professionals felt that much of the tiredness often associated with old age was due to iron deficiency anemia. This was later discredited, but Geritol was already well known in and continued to be marketed.

Geritol and its advertising were the inspiration for I Love Lucy when she was doing the ad for Vitameatavegamin, and gets drunk. The liquid Geritol contains alcohol.

In the 1970s, Geritol was famous for its series of commercials in which a man boasts of his wife’s seemingly limited energy and her many accomplishments, concluding,” my wife… I think I’ll keep her”. And believe it or not this was the inspiration for Mary Chapin Carpenter’s hit in the early 90s called “He thinks he’ll keep her.”

For those of you who are country music fans, you’ll remember George Jones singing I don’t need your rockin’ chair. The first line of the chorus is” I don’t need your Rockin’ chair, your Geritol or your Medicare.”

Another free advertisement for Geritol comes from the song ”You’re Timeless to Me” from the muscial verison of Hair Spray, when Edna and Wilbur sing about growing old. Edna sings the line, “You’ll wear a wig, while I roast a pig, pass the Geritol.


For the life of me I had no idea why a mother had a douche/enema bag in the cabinet under the sink in the bathroom. I’m not sure which used it for. I can find a lot of ways to spend $25 rather than to buy a latex free two quart vinyl water bottle with a hanging hook and stopper, and 48 inches of tubing with a shut off valve, pipe adapter, enema pipe, and douche pipe. Apparently every drugstore carried them a one time. I wonder if they were in under the counter item? I wonder if Mabel, at Rexall, wrapped them in brown paper like she did feminine napkins. I wonder if she went from wrapping douche bags to serving Little Dicks at the soda fountain? I have sent my concerns about overuse of either pipe to someone who is all-knowing. Let’s hope she can shine some light up what one does with 2 quarts of water and how often.

I did go to the drug store to research. I did buy a bottle of Geritol as a spirit marker. I know it has too much iron in it for me to drink on a daily basis. I am wondering how bad it tastes. I wonder if it will give me pep, like my grandfather said it would.

PROCEED TO CHECK OUT

Some of us fall for the simplest of things, this might be due to exhausting all of our resources to fix a broken item. I had left one of the catalogs laying on the couch yesterday and Tom picked it up. There is a little leak in our bathroom after we put in a surround in the tub and a new shower door. You know we live in an old house and although it’s been straightened it is still crooked so we don’t know where this little bitty leak is coming from . We seemingly have exhausted our resources to fix the leak until………….

……………… in this catalog he found something called a Teflon-based spray which instantly seals cracks in metal, lead, cement, brick, plastic, fiberglass, and more. One can use it indoors or outdoors. It repairs leaky pipes, gutters, roofs, ducts, walls, and more! Will this be the panacea for his dilemma? Just keep it away from my leaky bladder!

The shipping charges are as much as the sealer! Of course we all know about shipping and handling charges, or do we? Obviously, I do because I leafed through the catalog myself and found myself lured to items I have not seen in my shopping quests. After all, if the shipping is a flat rate, I could just as well look.

Look, see the black circle around the item called detox foot pads? These are supposed to help improve immune systems. It states they are all natural, premium foot patches containing vegetable, menthol, and other natural ingredients to promote natural detoxification and to enhance your body’s health. They work overnight to help increase circulation, improving immunity, reduce stress, and pain and relieve tired, and swollen feet. It’s an apparatus that wraps around your foot and the pad is anchored on the bottom of your foot. After one night, the pad looks like it’s nicotine stained. My question and is are five nights for $17 enough or shall I for $40, have the advantage of 15 nights of detox? When the pads arrive and have been tried, a report will follow.

Who could pass up a pair of Norwegian slippers, advertised as warm and comfy even on the coldest nights, especially because they’re on sale? They reminded me of when the Brownie Scouts were studying Lapland. At Christmas, the children of that country stuffed their shoes with straw. The slippers look like something the children would wear. No straw for sale in this catalog.


The kitchen timer which is used for everything including signaling us when the dryer is done has been dropped numerous times. It is at the point that if you don’t go past five minutes it will not tick off. That timer is probably 25 years old. As long as I’m ordering from the catalog, why not get two? After all, it’s easy to read, hear, and locate. We are getting older, we may need this size for failing vision or that loud ring for impaired hearing.

I did not order the next product. It is called a safe alternative to Botox. It says that once a day one puts this on age lines around the fore head, lips, and other. We are to apply a small amount to target areas to help decrease muscle contractions that caused those furrows and lines. It states in three to four weeks we will look younger. It comes with a before and after picture.

Another item that I did not order is called the toe flexor. One can get stronger, healthier, more beautiful feet. It helps improve flexibility, stretch tendons, increase circulation, and strength in feet and ankles. If you have fatigue and pain from bunions and hammer toes it will melt away. One uses this anywhere -- -- in the tub, while watching TV, or reading a book. Perhaps I didn’t want to buy this item because it doesn’t say you can use it well on the computer. Alas, they have lost me as a customer.


Another item I did not add to my list was an item called a toe straightener. This is a comfortable, professionally designed, easy to use toe straightener which aligns crooked, overlapping, and hammer toes. One can get a single told straightener for left or right for $6.oo or for $8.00 double toe straightener which fits the left or right foot. If you have three crooked toes per foot, the cost is $7.00. I’m not sure how that’s supposed to work most of the people I know with hammer toes and had to have them surgically repaired. If my friend from Wisconsin knew about this magic product, she could have saved herself a lot of time on crutches!



Let’s hope the spray concoction does work. Let’s hope the foot pads really do have the ability to pull toxins out through our soles in the middle of the night when no one is looking. Let’s hope the slippers are made as well as the picture looks, and the kitchen timers will tick off 3 minutes.

E-nee-meanie-miney-moe

COLD HANDS?
Having cold hands is one thing but having a syndrome like Raynaud's is something else. This ad says it will warm up chronically cold hands and feet in minutes with a natural cream; let's hope your condition is helped. It says to rub this cream into your hands and feet and within 30 minutes you will feel precious heat coursing your fingers and toes to last for hours. It says it’s safe for diabetics. 4 ounces costs $40. It should be so simple.

CATARACT CARE

The ad says if you’ve been diagnosed with cataracts but your condition doesn’t warrant surgery yet, or if age is affecting the quality of your vision, this product can clearly make a difference, (no pun intended). This product effectively stimulates the eyes natural ability to temporarily relieve cloudy/blurry vision. It is also the advertised to take care excessive tearing, sensitivity to light, and the appearance of floaters. It goes on to say that it’s also great for improving poor night vision. We are to apply two or three drops, four or five times a day. Price of this product $20. We would be so busy putting drops in our eyes we would forget about how we were seeing!?

THROBBING SWOLLEN JOINTS
A formula to relieve throbbing swollen joints caused by gout. This is an all-natural remedy that brings immediate relief for red, stiff, inflamed joints in the toe, heal, and foot caused by gout and associated burning, itching, tingling, cramps, and shooting pain. It says to spray on affected area or into mouth. Cost of bottle $20. Yes, spray into mouth. It is a long way from my mouth to my toe. Is this a case of putting your foot in your mouth, you ask.

No, not at all, it isn't like asking a fat lady if she is pregnant followed by phrases to cover up the damage.

What I mean is...............

What I meant was.............

Let me put it another way...

What I'm saying is...............

What I'm trying to say is...

Don't get me wrong................

Please don't misunderstand...

Excuse me, if I said that I didn't really mean to............

Let me rephrase what I just said. ...........

ARTHRITIC HANDS FEEL NIMBLE
Make arthritic hands feel nimble again. Rub this product into your hands and you will feel the pain of arthritis, overwork, or fatigue began to fade away as the natural topical anesthetic analgesic, creates a warming sensation. The formula has remained unchanged for 121 years. Cost of 4 ounce bottle $15. Botanical: Capsicum annuum Family: Solanaceae (nightshade) Other common names: Cayenne, Red Pepper, Bell Pepper, Bird Pepper, African Bird Pepper, Chili Pepper Of course you won’t feel the pain; instead of pain in your hands will be numb ! Product like this available at drugstore with does not hint of it being pepper but is called Capsicum is priced at $12.00.

RESTLESS LEG SYNDROME
For many, the urge to move and constant uncomfortable sensations of RLS means another sleepless night. Get the rest you need by applying the soothingly cream before turning in. It’s clinically tested. It’s specially infused with vitamin E, lavender oil, minerals, central oils, and other, all of which combine to calm and relax your legs so you can finally get a restful nights sleep. Cost of 4 ounce jar $17.

ECZEMA OR PSORIASIS

For years people have been requesting a specific soap and cream, proclaiming them the best for relieving the itching and scaling associated with eczema, psoriasis, and minor skin irritations. Coal tar, an old time remedy, is the secret to its effectiveness. If you use just the soap or cream alone, you will see results, but when used together they are even more powerful! Soap is 3 ounces, cream is 3 ½ ounces. Together, they sell for $35.

E-nee-meanie-miney-moe

Grab that jar and let it flow!

Making Sense of Scents

SNUGGIES
These soft rib combed cotton garments come in a variety of pieces. My grandmother wore a camisole and the knee length snuggies. At that time they came in a sort of the salmon colored which was pretty ugly when it washed out. Now you can buy them in white or natural. It came to be the knee length garment was something I would wear while playing outdoors, ice skating, and horseback riding on a cold saddle.

These garments are available today in sizes medium to 3X. The camisole sells for $27; and the knee length sells for $22. Perhaps, after seeing this advertisement I should invest in some and put aside my long silk underwear.

NIGHTSHIRTS
Would your husband where a nightshirt ? They are available for $50. You may buy plaid flannel or solid broadcloth. It says: You can be assured of comfort in these 100% cotton night shirts. This traditional style has maintained its popularity all these years because of its loose and non- confining fit. The nightshirt has tails and a button placket. The price of the sleep cap or night cap which matches it, is $10. The only time I’ve ever seen anybody in sort of garment is Fred from the I Love Lucy show.

TRUNK STYLE PANTS
Moving right along I am looking ads women’s underwear. We know all about the regular kind but did anyone in your household ever have the old fashioned trunks style which are advertised as softer, roomier , and nonbinding? Trunks were like boxer shorts and were about mid-thigh length. I never saw my grandmother in her underwear I only saw her trunks in the drawer. She wore a corset; at night, she would place it across the back of the chair. She must’ve had her corset for a long time because it had numerous patches on it. I don’t know why she wore a corset with bones and laces, people didn’t talk about things like that. Although I did wonder if she had worn the garment as a young woman and continued to wear it. Price of trunks: $25 a pair. Size 6 -- 14.

SHOULDER PADS
How many of you still wear shoulder pads? Would you consider a camisole with built in shoulder pads? It’ll add instant shape to your favorite dress, blouse, or sweater for more tapered silhouette. The silky, non--cleaning fabric assures it will drape gracefully and is static free! Price: $19.00, sizes 6-3X.

BLADDER SPILLAGE
Oh good grief! Are you having Oops! moments more often? Here are our briefs to the rescue! The ad goes on to say when a sudden cough, sneeze, or laugh can cause enough pressure on your bladder to be in embarrassing, these briefs make you switch from being self-conscious to self-confident. Now we all know, the secret to self-confidence is in OOPS CONTROL! Price: $15 a pair, size 6-10.

PERFUMES AND TOILET WATERS
I am smiling because I am reading about a product called Tweed. Tweed is advertised as an exotic, woody British scent. I suppose that someone gave my grandmother a bottle of toilet water and powder as a gift. After my grandmother died, my grandfather started wearing the Tweed toilet water and dusting himself with her powder. Mother told him, purely in kindness, that the scent was very much a lady’s, and offered him some of daddy’s Old Spice, which he took. Imagine daddy’s query when he couldn’t find his pre-shave!

Can you make cents of scents? Has Wind Song stayed on your mind? Will Heaven Scent please your senses? Are you wild enough to wear Tigress? Is sultry honeysuckle scent the way you pamper yourself as women have done since 1932? Or does Woodhue await you? Do you remember “promise or anything, but give her Arpege”. How about Emeraude which is an exotic blend of jasmine, orange blossoms, and bergamot. Did you buy Evening in Paris for your mother from the dimestore for seventeen cents a bottle? Evening in Paris, considered the most famous fragrance of the world, was the perfume of the daring decade of the 1920s.. By the 1950s, it was toted as the fragrance more women wear any other in the world. It sells for $49 a bottle. Or was it Blue Waltz?

Old trunks is searching for the availability of a spray cologne called 20 Karat. It was a favorite of mine while I was in high school, yet it fell into disfavor when the bottle got trapped underneath the seat of the car and sprayed out over skip weekend. The car reeked of what once was a nice, light scent. For those of us who spent the weekend in a car called Rag Doll, we will never forget the aroma. Soozi, If I can find it, would you like a gallon or so for your birthday!?

Absurd.

e

Neither a Flap Nor a Hanky

Pick a flower and blow!

Today, let’s talk about some of the advertisements for some of the products available for us to ensure better health.

The first one I want to talk about is so absurd that if it didn’t cost $70 I would try it. The claim is such: If mother nature had her way, we’d all be squatting rather than sitting when having a bowel movement because it’s the best position for the human body to completely eliminate in all ways. But the modern toilet makes this impossible. That’s why we all should use this gadget. It’s angled footpads elevate the feet and allow the pelvis, digestive track, Colon, legs, and hips to support a thorough evacuation of waste, preventing such common conditions as hemorrhoids , bladder incontinence, constipation, diverticulosis, and IBS. Price: $70

I fell for this one. Remove hairs on your face or in delicate areas for smooth skin in the privacy of your home. Used to remove hair by the ruts for up to six weeks on your upper lip, chin, cheeks, or bikini line as soon as it appears -- -- even hairs as short as 11 hundredths of an inch -- -- and never wait for a salon appointment. This is a perfect way to touch up any area, including under arms. Let me tell you this, that any time you pull hairs with an electric/battery-operated “plucker” on your upper lip it is going to make a pucker. Price: $30-70.

Do you believe that if you mix rosemary, eucalyptus, and vetiver together you will have a revitalizing mineral bath which treats exhaustion and washes away the years of abuse your body has taken? Do you believe that this sell perks you up again in a way that is no joke? According to the claim, rosemary refreshes and stimulates sore, stiff, overworked muscles. Eucalyptus eases aches and pains in muscles and joints. And vetiver is considered the oil of tranquility as it soothes and relaxes your body. Price $20.

How many of you still use hankies? Then here is a deal for you! Creative and practical, 100% cotton floral embroidered hankies are machine washable. The picture shows 12 hankies neatly pressed in a stack. I only remember my grandmother pulling a rumpled one out of her “pocketbook” and wiping her dripping nose. Women’s hankies are $20 a dozen; men’s are $30 a dozen. Women’s are 11 inches square, men’s all our 16 inches square. Does that mean men’s noses run more? I think man should carry handkerchiefs so that when their wives or sweethearts want cry at movies they have something to offer. I am happy to say that I have such a gentleman in my life!

I want to talk about handkerchiefs as I have photographic images of my grandfather and he is bandanna/railroad handkerchiefs which were faded navy blue. He wore it in his back pocket of his bib overalls, which, because of numerous washings, were also soft and faded, as was the chambray shirt he wore.

I want to talk about daddy who took a clean handkerchief every morning. The first thing he did with it was wash his classes. He did not fold his handkerchief, rather he stuffed it into his back pocket with the points of it sticking out. He left it stick out so it was easier to get when he had to sneeze. I can still see him walking to the garage or to the barn with the telltale tail of his handkerchief sticking out of the pocket of his khaki pants.
When mother was ill and in the San, some of our family was reconditioned to use tissue. The most common brand at the time was Kleenex. It was a way of blowing your nose and discarding the germs. When people at the San answered the telephone which was in the parlor, they would first put a tissue in their hand and then pick up the phone. After the conversation they would discard the tissue. This was the way back in the late 40s to help keep germs from spreading. Now there’s a commercial on where you’re supposed to spray you phone with Lysol.

Mother took the education of using tissue rather than handkerchiefs, to a new level. In early grade school when they checked your hands in the morning to be sure they were clean and asked you to show your hanky, I did not have one. Instead I had several Kleenex neatly folded in a stack. Imagine a first grader getting her fingers wrapped with a ruler because tissue was not, in the teacher’s opinion, satisfactory.

Mother always had tissue in her purse. It may have lips ticked blots or it may have a wad of chewed gum but she always had a tissue.

When my children started school among the necessities was a box of tissue. As I have said before the boxes were collected and used as needed. As I have said before the boxes on the teacher’s desk and you were supposed to be able to know when your sneeze was coming so you could get to her desk get your tissue ahead of the achew! Although I questioned the school’s motives it fell on deaf ears. Remembering my own childhood and the deaf ears of my teachers it just seems easier to send tissue to school with them in a plastic bag if they have had a cold.

When Mrs. Shaw, a teacher with decades of teaching, retired, she had a yard sale. She had enough hankies to make a Perkins size flag. She also had a table of mini toilet water bottles.

Just one more absurd item and we’ll call it a day. This is for men’s long underwear -- -- the Union suit or long johns advertises as light weight 100% cotton underwear which fits comfortably under clothes, even under everyday business attire, making it perfect for all activities. You will feel warm and dry indoors and out. Our full-length Union suit, available in white or red, button front and vertical seats flat in the back with one button. I will have to ask my sweet Thomas if he wants me to order him a pair or two for just $30.00 a pair.

Flapless in Fargo,

e

Pin Cushions

This is from a friend in Arizona.

I was reading a quilting magazine this afternoon and thought of you. You write so much about things from our past. I found this article on pin cushions.

Have you ever wondered why so many pin cusions are shaped like tomatoes? Well, superstition once held that placing a ripe tomato on the mantel the first time you entered a new home would guarantee future prosperity and ward off evil spirits -- and while they were easy to come by in the summer, they were few and far between in the winter months...

So when tomatoes weren't in season, a round, red pinchusion would be used and to this day, many of them are made in that shape and color.

Make do pincushions are a classic example of country thrift...most prevalent in the 18th and 19th centuries. Women used the materials they had on hand. Like broken candlestick holder or oil lamp...they would
use the base and make a pincushion on top of it.

Kudos to Soozi for sharing!

e

Where's the Chocolate?

I do not remember Grandma making anything with chocolate. She was more of a molasses person; Grandma Mae was a divinty diva. I wondered if chocolate was even available during that era. Why didn't my grandmother's bake or offer chocolate?

In 1893, Milton Hershey attended the Chicago International Exposition where he bought German chocolate-making machinery and began making chocolate-coated caramels. In 1894, Milton started the Hershey Chocolate Company and produced Hershey chocolate caramels, breakfast cocoa, sweet chocolate and baking chocolate. It WAS available!

It has been a cold winter in North Dakota. Comfort foods have been high on the market list. To make a real chocolate pie I needed cocoa. Much to my surprise, the Hershey can advertised as filled with antitoxidants. "You have probably heard the good news about the natural antioxidants found in tea and certain fruits like berries and grapes. Similar natural antioxidants can be found inHersheys cocoa".

It is a paper like can now, with a full plastic lid, unlike the cans we remember which where metal with a circular metal lid in the center. The product, however, remains the same bitter dark powder.

On cold nights in Minnesota, much like last night, the family watched television on the black and white floor model RCA Victor. At some point in the evening Daddy would ask if there was any chocolate. Of course, there was no box of candy or candy bars in the drawer. He would go to the kitchen and mix up cocoa, sugar, butter, a little milk and cook it hard. Of course it was not melted slowly nor was the sugar allowed to desolve. The mixture would be turned out unto a greased oval platter and placed outside on the snow bank to harden. It froze therefore it was hardened. Then, our family each with a spoon would eat away from the edges until the platter was empty, or we were full of sugar and cocoa. It was a community time for us, all huddled around Daddy who held the plate. OH FUDGE!

Mother never made fudge, yet she patiently made frosting for chocolate cakes and chocolate drop cookies. The frosting was creamy and lacked the granules of Daddy's snow fudge. In my youth, one got to lick the spoon, (beaters) or the bowl. You didn't get both. WHAT A TREAT! I am hopeful all of us still are lickers and scrapers. My children where; I am hopeful my grand daughter is too.

Lloyd and Ella Anderson went to Thief River Falls from Rosewood on Saturday mornings to buy groceries. Before they went home, they would stop at the apartment where we lived. I had learned early that Lloyd had a sweet tooth and was especially fond of brownies. Everything I made during that era was a recipe out of a cook book including the brownie recipe and frosting method. Lloyd would come upstairs and have a gooey brownie and coffee and we would bring 'lunch' to Ella in the car, as she was not able to do stairs at the time. It may have happened once or a dozen times, I just remember him saying, "Oh this is good".

My favorite story about chocolate, is also my most frustrating one. I had made pinatas for the children in the neighborhood one Christmas. I filled them with wrapped chocolate and hung them in the closet so the tissue paper on the pinata wouldn't crush. Bud, who was sensitive to any chocolate seemed to be looking bluer under his eyes and did a lot of nose saluting. I did not put chocolate+Bud= symptoms until I cleaned his room and found dozens upon dozens of candy wrappers under his bed. I would also discover the pinatas were nearly empty. Later, he would eat all the chocolate out of his sister's advent calendar. Was he after the antioxidants? (Tongue in cheek).

I have just learned a new purpose for cocoa. Shirley's grand daughter was in a half time program during a basketball game. The children played the part of orphans. Cocoa was used to 'dirty them up'.

Tell you what I will do. I will clean the bathtub and make a huge vat of fudge and all of you can come and help stir. What are we using for heat, you ask. Warm thoughts, of course.

e

COME ROCK WITH US

1910 Hickory Rocking Chair
1920 Rocking Chair
1930 Rocking Chair

1950 Rocking Chair
1970 Rocking Chair
1990 Rocking Chair

The Subject is Rocking Chairs….

Think about it, did you have one in your house? Did you rock your kids? Do you have a rocker NOW? Does anyone sit in it? How about you?

Do any of the pictures help you remember?

In the mid forties, Mother and Daddy remodeled a house which they had purchased from Olaf Opseth in Rosewood. After the house was finished, they bought furniture. Included in the furniture was an overstuffed rocker. It was rose colored.

It occurred to me that when my grandparents came to be caretakers of Greg and I that another rocker appeared. Was this her rocker? Did she take it from her home because it was her chair? Regardless of the origin, it was the chair that she sat in to crochet. It was the place I would find her crocheting and crawl into her nap. It would be the perfect image of a safety zone for decades. Her lap had all the comforts a child could wish for:

Lap

The aroma of fresh bread

Humming

Movement

Snoozing sounds

Rachel and I rocked for hours in her grandparent's glider. Bud would be soothed in a rocker which matched the sofa and Ryen would be rocked in a big, overstuffed leather chair.

Jaeme, the next generation, had her lullabies in a glider.

Are the three rocking chairs we have in the house symbolic of years gone by? Or are they the best for company? Are we offering a message of comfort to visitors? (Except of course when a big guy went back too far and dislocated a spring in the chair!--We moved the huge rocker in for him to sit in for the rest of the week long visit). Repairing the chair took just a minute to fix.

Come, sit, and let us offer you the comfort of a rocking chair.

e

Grandpa's Grey Lady

I am thinking about my grandparents 1949 Plymouth. The picture is it a 1950 Plymouth.I know that car manufacturers changed body styles in the middle of the year, that's maybe why it was in 1949/1950, just as my 1953 Chevy was a 1952/1953 model. But that's not the story.

This would be the car that my grandparents would own from the time they bought it new until it was sold when my grandfather was in his 90s.

They had a car before the Plymouth. It was a coupe, it was black, and it had one windshield wiper which was on the driver's side. I remember coming into town from Rosewood and standing up in the back watching grandpa wipe the windshield off with a handkerchief because the motor on the wiper had quit. I would stand on the hump on the floor and view the world of washboard roads. What ever happened to those humps, anyway? There is a picture of the car in shed, taken on Thanksgiving of 1941. We just can't quite make it out. I remember it looking a lot like a 1936 Chevy Coupe in shape.

The gray Plymouthwas truly an up grade! This was the car they would take on Sunday afternoons to go visit. It would be at their service for almost a and a quarter of a century.

What I am thinking about on this cold day in February, is how grandpa took the battery into the house during the cold winter days and how they would cover it up with quilt.s I am thinking about how the paint faded and grandma waxed it with floor wax I am thinking about howwhen the flooring started to wear, they used pieces of linoleum as floor mats.

The Plymouth was rarely in a garage. At the last house they lived in on Horace Avenue it sat in the snowbank during the cold winter months. There was a philosophy about cars, especially old cars, and when they did not start they should be left to sit until warmer weather. Daddy called it. "Tying it up".

No one drove grandpa's car. No one knew what kind of shape was in. No one knew that on that clear sunny day when he was coming back from building a fireplace in the country, his clutch, which had long since worn out, would slip, causing the car to die. He would restart it, not look--and pull onto the highway in front of a car coming from the west. The oncoming car took the ditch rather than to hit grandpa. To understand grandpa is to know it was the other guy's fault.

Imagine my dad's horror. He was following grandpa and saw the nearly fatal accident. Daddy checked on the guy in the Oldsmobile in the ditch first, then took him and Grandpa to town. Once it was certain no one was injured, the Oldsmobile was replaced and grandpa's driving days were over. The Plymouth's clutch was fixed and the vehicle was sold.

I remember hearing a Rosewood story about a man with a car. He pulled the car with his tractor to get it started. Another person put a BBQ under the engine to warm it up. At a motel in Thief River Falls, there are hook ups for engine heaters. It is the same for some older office buildings in Fargo.

Perhaps you are spoiled. Perhaps your car is in the garage. Perhaps you have a engine heater plugged in so it warms quicker. Perhaps you have an automatic garage door opener AND a car starter which not only starts the vehicle but warms the seats as well. Perhaps, in this frigid part of the world, you leave your car running in the parking lot.

For those of you who live in sunny climate now, I am certain you remember those ice cold cars which appeared to have flattened tires as you drove away from your house. Perhaps you remember scraping inches of ice and snow off the windows so you could see. Perhaps it was your job to shovel the drive way to even get the car out! And if you stalled and had a clutch, just get a few strong guys to push at 4 mph, pop that clutch and get it started again!

Come back to the snowbank! We have snowblowers to clean the driveway and 4 x 4 vehicles to buck the snow banks if you don't want to shovel! Just remember you will need mittens and a few choice words to remind you of why you don't live here.

e.

Beam Me UP!

In my Grandmother's day, letters were written to only people one knew.

In my youth, one might have a pen pal from 'across the pond'. Or, one might write to a boyfriend in the service or in college, or grandparents, or if you moved away, your parents. You may have had a friend with whom you exchanged Christmas and birthday cards.

I will always be amazed at the Internet. Where else can you meet people that become the best of friends even if you may never meet them?

Such is the case with someone I know from Michigan. I am going to perserve her identity and simple call her simply Fabulous.

I met her through someone else in my early on line days. Frank, who introduced us, has since died, yet Fabulous and I have kept in touch. She had a scanner long before I did and I would send pictures to her to have her scan them for me. (That's before I learned I could go to Kinko's and they would put them on a 3 1/2inch floppy).

For several years, she was one of a chosen few who had a special communication style. It is especially important to mention this because she is of the old school when letters are statements of mind thoughts and perhaps interchanges of information. Most communication ended with LOVE, but in the body of the letter, LOVE was not mentioned, unless of course, it was a syrupy letter written to one's sugarlump, and yes, most of us have written a few drippies in long hand.

Her emails will find you doubling over in laughter because when she explains situations, you can see it happening. For example: Her friend came over and cleaned up her yard and trimmed the pine tree. She did not want the tree trimmed and told him to stick the branches back in. He did. Obviously the dead branches would fall out in a wind but at the time of the trimming, she wanted them back in. I can see her standing on the front step with her walker hollering and I hope you can too! In our frequent emails she tells of experiences, pain, and concern. She talks of highlights, frustrations, and fears. She does all this as if she were sitting at your table talking. And when you need a hug, a virtual hug is as genunine as the physical one. Is it her spirit or is it her soul?

All of us who are cyber people know what I am talking about. We also know when a 'newbie' comes on and we can almost tell their age. Recently, I received a few emails from someone in their sixties, obviously a newbie making statements. Monologue. What was interesting was when I replied to the statements, I didn't get an answer. Now, if you write to someone and make a statement, isn't the idea to be ready to answer it? Isn't that a fair exchange?

Yet, another person I met on line was one of those Fabulous people. It was knock three times and your in. You know her soul and spirit. She communicates. Communication is not a game and it isn't available to be a guessing game. Try it.

Write in the spirit of expression and make that picture happen. Be teleported to someone's virtual porch to sit in lawn chairs on a nice day and drink ice tea and talk and laugh and allow friendships to grow and be nurtured.



Specialize your communication. Share. "Beam me up, Scottie"

e

Ode to 600 Film

Polaroid land film will only be available through 2009! Does that affect you personally?

The first land camera that we had in our house was roll film. Mother had a garage sale and made enough money to buy the camera for daddy for Father's Day. She sold a $150 fox collared coat for $5.00 and a never worn dress up red taffeta dress with a black lace overlay for $2.50, obviously to make enough money for a camera, she needed to clean out her over full closet!! But that is another blog or another day.

I have no idea how much the prints cost, I just know it was really fun to see the picture shortly after it was taken. For those of us who remember that old land camera, we remember the little tube of goop that came with it. We remember we had to put that coating on in order to preserve the picture. Last fall, in an old trunk, I found some of those early Polaroid pictures. The images were lost in the uncoated images and curled as if in full rigor. The only picture I took with that camera which is still preserved is only preserved because it was published in the 1960 Lincoln High School Prowler yearbook. It is a picture of Larry, Tim, and Jack, who would, in the 1961 yearbook be the three top scorers in hockey.

Sometime after Daddy got that first camera, an apparatus came out made by Polaroid, where you could copy the pictures. The original was put on the glass. A full roll of film was placed into the machine.


As Polaroid developed new improved cameras, daddy was probably first in line. Many of the pictures that he took were of construction jobs, pets, and outdoor winter scenes. Most of those photographs which were taken outside in the winter, did not process well. They are underdeveloped and dark. With technology of today, we can adjust these pictures making them worthy to tell the story of which they were first intended. If you have some of these pictures, work with them and surprise yourself.

Mother and Daddy traveled. Rather than buy postcards of where they were, they would take pictures of the landscape with one of them in the picture. The pictures they took in Hawaii and mailed the prints. During this era, the images came with a hard backing one applied to the picture.


When I first moved to Fargo, Tom had a Polaroid which he used to take pictures of fish. No person-just fish! :-) he was my teacher for fishing at the end of the first fishing season I presented him with the new Polaroid camera. These pictures didn't have the hard back use for mounting, like the postcards my parents sent. However they took the pictures and retain their color. The camera also had light settings.

The first digital camera seemed a grand solution for taking pictures of fish, taking pictures of fish and people, and all other sorts of photography. Mr. Johnson held back and use the Polaroid until nearly the last packet of film was gone. Yet, even a couple of summers ago, he was rooting in the boat bag looking for a Polaroid camera to take pictures. He made his conversion last summer. The coat closet here at the house, acts as a resting place for cameras we no longer use. Not only does this include Polaroid camera's but 35mm cameras as well. All the trendy equipment, meaning digital, are stored in a suitcase along with a mini printer used to print digital pictures well at the lake.

Polaroid introduced its first camera on April 21, 1948. What does the company offered today? Enjoy the article:

LAS VEGAS, Nevada (AP) -- Once celebrated for cameras that made their own prints, Polaroid Corp. plans to update the concept this year by selling a portable printer for images on cell phones and digital cameras.
Polaroid's new printer is a little bigger than a deck of cards and connects to phones by USB or Bluetooth.

And like those old Polaroid instant-film cameras, the new printers should have a wow factor: they require no ink, because they employ a thermal printing technology from startup Zink Imaging Inc.
The 8-ounce printers, are due to go on sale around back-to-school time for about $150, Polaroid and Zink announced Monday at the International Consumer Electronics Show.

Once connected to a phone or camera by Bluetooth wireless or the USB port, the printers need less than a minute to churn out 2-inch-by-3-inch pictures, which can be peeled off a backing and used as stickers. Sheets of paper for the device will cost about 40 cents each, less if bought in bulk.

Pretty nifty, don't you think?
e.

Diary of a Demented Snow Shoveler

The lady in the black coat and white scarf is Grandma Mae. This picture was taken the winter of 1955-56. She shoveled the path from the back door to the right of your screen to the 'road' so she would have a place to walk.

Diary of a Demented Snow Shoveler

December 8

It started to snow. The first snow of the season and the wife and I took our cocktails and sat for hours by the window watching the huge soft flakes drift down from heaven. It looked like a Grandma Moses print. So romantic we felt like newlyweds again. I love snow!

December 9

We woke to a beautiful blanket of crystal white snow covering every inch of the landscape. What a fantastic sight! Can there be a more lovely place in the whole world? Moving here was the best idea I've ever had! Shoveled for the first time in years and felt like a boy again. I did both our driveway and the sidewalks. This afternoon the snowplow came along and covered up the sidewalks and closed in the driveway, so I got to shovel again. What a perfect life!

December 12

The sun has melted all our lovely snow. Such a disappointment! My neighbor tells me not to worry-we'll definitely have a white Christmas. No snow on Christmas would be awful! Bob says we'll have so much snow by the end of winter, that I'll never want to see snow again. I don't think that's possible. Bob is such a nice man, I'm glad he's our neighbor.

December 14

Snow, lovely snow! 8 inches last night. The temperature dropped to -20. The cold makes everything sparkle so. The wind took my breath away, but I warmed up by shoveling the driveway and sidewalks. This is the life! The snowplow came back this afternoon and buried everything again. I didn't realize I would have to do quite this much shoveling, but I'll certainly get back in shape this way. I wishI wouldn't huff and puff so.

December 15

20 inches in the forecast. Sold my van and bought a 4x4Blazer. Bought snow tires for the wife's car and 2 extra shovels. Stocked the freezer. The wife wants a wood stove in case the electricity goes out. I think that's silly. We aren't in Alaska, after all.

December 16

Ice storm this morning. Fell on my butt on the ice in the driveway putting down salt.. The wife laughed for an hour, which I think was very cruel.

December 17

Still way below freezing. Roads are too icy to go anywhere. Electricity was off for 5 hours. I had to pile the blankets on to stay warm. Nothing to do but stare at the wife and try not to irritate her. Guess I should've bought a wood stove, but won't admit it to her. I hate it when she's right. I can't believe I'm freezing to death in my own living room.

December 20

Electricity is back on, but had another 14 inches of the stuff last night. More shoveling! Took all day. The snowplow came by twice. Tried to find a neighbor kid to shovel, but they said they're too busy playing hockey. I think they're lying .Called the only hardware store around to see about buying a snow blower and they're out. Might have another shipment in March. I think they're lying. Bob says I have to shovel or the city will have it done and bill me. I think he's lying.

December 22

Bob was right about a white Christmas because 13 more inches of the white fell today, and it's so cold , it probably won't melt till August. Took me 45 minutesto get all dressed up to go out to shovel and then I had to pee. By the time I got undressed, peed and dressed again. I was too tired to shovel. Tried to hire Bob who has a plow on his truck for the rest of the winter, but he says he's too busy. I think he is lying.

December 23

Only 2 inches of snow today. And it warmed up to zero. The wife wanted me to decorate the front of the house this morning. What is she, nuts?!! Why didn't she tell me to do that a month ago? She says she did but I think she's lying.

December 24

6 inches - Snow packed so hard by snowplow, I broke the shovel. Thought I was having a heart attack. If Iever catch the the man who drives that snowplow, I'll drag him through the snow beat him to death with my broken shovel. I know he hides around the corner and waits for me to finish shoveling and then he comes down the street at a 100 miles an hour and throws snow all over where I've just been! Tonight the wife wanted me to sing Christmas carols with her and open our presents, but I was too busy watching for the snowplow.

December 25

Merry Christmas! 20 more inches of the slop tonight -- Snowed in . The idea of shoveling makes my blood boil. I hate the snow! Then the snowplow driver came by asking for a donation and I hit him over the head with my shovel. The wifes ays I have a bad attitude. I think she's a fricking idiot. If I have to watch "It's A Wonderful Life" one more time, I'm going to stuff her into the microwave.

December 26

Still snowed in. Why the hell did I ever move here? It was all HER idea. She's really getting on my nerves.

December 27

Temperature dropped to -30 and the pipes froze; plumber came after 14 hours of waiting for him, he only charged me $1,400 to replace all my pipes.

December 28

Warmed up to above -20. Still snowed in.

December 29

10 more inches. Bob says I have to shovel the roof or it could cave in. That's the silliest thing I ever heard. How dumb does he think I am?

December 30

Roof caved in. I beat up the snow plow driver, and now he is suing me for a million dollars for the beating I gave him. The wife went home to her mother. Nine more inches predicted.

December 31

I set fire to what's left of the house. No more shoveling.

January 8

Feel so good. I just love those little white pills they keep giving me. Why am I tied to the bed?

Last night, the construction neighbor across the street brought home a Bobcat and shoveled his entire yard. His driveway had gotten so bad he had to back into our driveway and make a run at his. He dumped all of his snow on the west property line, shall we go sledding; there is a hill!