The library, one of my favorite places As a child, I always thought of the library as a magical place. The building itself was rather spare, set apart from any town, pretty much in the middle of nowhere. But, once I entered the Glen Lake Library, the shelves held books full of mystery, magic, and exotic places I could visit with just the turn of a page. Today, I love the … [Read more...]
A little of this, A little of that.
CONFESSION! I am an addict. I got hooked early on. My grandmother was my first supplier. While eating homemade donuts with a side of chocolate kisses and a glass of milk, grandma showed me a McCall’s magazine. I was not interested. Then she turned to the page with Betsy McCall, the paper doll with great clothes. We cut out the doll and clothes and I was hooked! My … [Read more...]
A View From the Woods
Ancient loons haunt the lake Word comes to us in early June from family members visiting our extended-family cabin. A loon is nesting at Hammock Point! At our three-acre island, we often listen to the loons calling their hysterical laughing call or the haunting wail that sends shivers down your spine. The sleek black bird sparkled with white spots on its back swims and dives … [Read more...]
Recycling 101
During the 10 years that I have been the Recycling Educator of Fillmore County, a lot of recycling and environmental information has appeared on the computer as well as printed material on my desk. In the next several 101 articles, I will share some of the information I have collected. A lot has been compiled by Oberlin College of Ohio and the MPCA. Other environmental … [Read more...]
The Working Mom
Seriously Mom — Are You Crying? Probably. A state of calm is something generally not associated with a child’s high school graduation and, since we only have one child, the inner crazy mom in me was getting ready for a breakdown this past May. It was the craziest chain of events though. Having made it through our only son’s graduation on just one Kleenex (yes, folks, … [Read more...]
Sue’s Muse
Gilbert’s photo shoot Gilbert took part in a photo shoot the Monday before the 4th of July. Gilbert is a photogenic lad, with his large and caring brown eyes. However, it is tricky to get a good shot of a black dog. In fact, I once read that people avoid taking black dogs as a pet for this very reason. In my last article, I discussed the fact that Lions Club International was … [Read more...]
Recycling 101
This is the second article dealing with recycling habits and possibly how we can improve the way we recycle to protect the environment. I hope you found the first one somewhat interesting, informative, and helpful. Do you recycle all your steel/tin cans? Cans that once held condensed soup, sardines, vegetables, spaghetti sauce, olives, pumpkin, sauerkraut, and all kinds of … [Read more...]
A little of this, A little of that
Another wedding invitation arrived in the mail today. Summer is the season of love, obviously. The invitation inspired a trip down memory lane. I recalled my own wedding. I always think of the wedding as mine since I paid for it and planned it. Jim was not one bit interested in the colors of the bridesmaids dresses or the type of flowers or the wedding cake design or the … [Read more...]
A View From the Woods
A cool family reunion Folks are converging from all over the nation for our 17th biennual reunion, which alternates every two years between Colorado and Minnesota. This year we are the hosts, so we are prepared with room assignments, designated food buyers, and sign-up sheets for meal preparation and cleanup. We head over to Cedar Valley Resort in Whalan, which hosted us four … [Read more...]
Recycling 101
A recycling review now and then is probably a good thing. This article and the next one are going to cover many of the recycling habits the residents of Fillmore County should have. Each paragraph is in the form of a question and then comments and information concerning the question. Do you recycle junk mail? The plastic window on the envelope does not have to be removed. … [Read more...]