Green suede…knee-high with pointed toes…high heels… the boots were adorable and the height of 1960’s fashion. It was love at first sight and somehow, I found enough money to pay for these lovely creations. My feet froze when I wore them. The soles were treacherously slippery. I didn’t care. With a mod mini skirt and dark tights, the green suede... READ MORE >
No, I wasn’t whooping and hollering and kissing when the New Year arrived. I was peacefully snoring, snug in my warm bed. I forgot to watch the Rose Parade and the thought of making resolutions never crossed my mind. My new year’s activities wouldn’t win “party girl of the year” awards, but a new year does have meaning for me.... READ MORE >
They are so tiny, two little bundles of human life, swaddled and snuggling next to each other, sleeping peacefully in the silent winter night. They are my newest grandchildren, a boy and a girl, born a week before Thanksgiving. My oldest granddaughter, Natalie, age 4 1/2, tugs at my sleeve. “Can you play Barbies with me, Grandma?” I am the... READ MORE >
When I suggested to my husband that I go along when he and my son picked their whitefish net, he said fine, I could even hold the net if necessary. Having heard their many war stories of ice-covered fingers, freezing waves and frigid winds, I set my mind in “tough woman” mode. I could handle anything. Sunday morning dawned: gray,... READ MORE >
A mix of traditions and changes greeted golfers at this year’s North Shore Health Care Foundation annual golf tournament on Sunday, October 5, at Superior National in Lutsen. The bright red and yellow fall foliage that normally fills the background was subdued by last week’s windstorm, but sufficient color remained to make the day festive. Golfers were delighted with and... READ MORE >
I am desperately searching for a specific recipe to feed to company. They arrive tomorrow. Rummaging through my rag-tag pile of cookbooks, a book title jumps out at me, one I purchased at a yard sale—Farm Journals’ Country Cookbook, Copyright 1959. This is a cookbook chock full of recipes that will put meat on your bones and cellulite on your... READ MORE >
I lifted the lid of the storage box labeled Fourth of July. Mr. Magoo (my pug) poked his nose over the edge to see if any food crumbs might be there. No food—just American flags; red white and blue candles; and a stars and stripes quilt hanging. I was setting out my Independence Day decorations. I understood Mr. Magoo’s lack... READ MORE >
We don’t borrow cups of sugar. We don’t have a “welcome wagon” and backyard gettogethers. But we do share the last stretch of the South Shore Drive, and that makes us a neighborhood. Neighborhoods are interesting phenomena. My childhood neighborhood “gang” consisted of three other girls my age. We played together, walked to school together and fought like sisters. Fifty-First... READ MORE >
Grand Marais Memorial Service: Overcast gray skies and cool temperatures have not stopped people from gathering on the courthouse lawn. Theatmosphere is quiet; some talk and laughter but there is nothing raucous about the occasion. We are here to honor the men and women who have lost their lives serving our country. Approximately 150 people encircle the lawn with its... READ MORE >
In the tradition of the great naturalist, Edwin Way Teale, I kept a short journal in which I documented the South Shore of Devil Track Lake’s journey into spring. Winter has outstayed its welcome in this little microclimate. I’ve lived in northern Minnesota long enough to know that a cold snap in May is not rare, but this is getting... READ MORE >
