Paul Bunyan - the mighty lumberjack

Bemidji's Paul Bunyan will be 75 next year.  The legend's statue was erected in 1937. Paul Bunyan is like family to Bemidji residents I grew up reading all the tall tales associated with the tough duo.   I hear by the paper that every event next year with be tied in with the 'year of the legend.'   This postcard is an early one as there are no trees behind Paul and Babe.  Presently, there are trees between him and the lake.  I think my best rememberance of Paul and Babe was when they recently repainted him.  A women wrote a letter to the editor in the Pioneer long after they where done painting him.  Her letter started with  "Hello, doesn't anyone realize the Babe had a black tuft on the end of his tail.  When are you going to finish the job and paint in his tuff."  Several months later a black tuff appears on Babe's tail.  The power of the people triumphs.

Spring ahead, Fall back

Just as sunflowers turn their heads to catch every sunbeam, so too have we discovered a simple way to get more from our sun.

Daylight Saving Time (fast time as it was called in 1957) gives us the opportunity to enjoy sunny summer evenings by moving our clocks an hour forward in the spring. By the way it is Daylight Saving Time and not Savings as most people say.  I call it savings.  Yet, the implementation of Daylight Saving Time has been fraught with controversy since Benjamin Franklin conceived of the idea. Even today, regions and countries routinely change their approaches to Daylight Saving Time.  Minneapolis and St. Paul once didn't have twin perspectives with regard to the clock. These two large cities are adjacent at some points and separated only by the Mississippi River at others, and are considered a single metropolitan area. In 1965, St. Paul decided to begin its Daylight Saving Time period early to conform to most of the nation, while Minneapolis felt it should follow Minnesota's state law, which stipulated a later start date. After intense inter-city negotiations and quarreling, the cities could not agree, and so the one-hour time difference went into effect, bringing a period of great time turmoil to the cities and surrounding areas."The fast time issue was one of the greatest legislative battles in Minnesota history . . .," declared the St. Paul Dispatch, May 20, 1960. The dispute was temporarily resolved with passage of a bill in 1957 that allowed the governor to adopt daylight savings time for the whole state.  And in 1959 in a special session of the Legislature, a permanent
daylight savings time law was approved. But in a compromise, its length was made the shortest in the nation -- extending from the fourth Sunday in May to the Tuesday following Labor Day.
In 1966, the U.S. Congress, tired of the patchwork daylight savings time zones across the country, passed a law that pre-empted state law and made daylight savings, which runs from
the first Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October, uniform.
I remember going with my Dad to informational meeting (fall of 1956) at the Grant Valley Townhall. Daylight Saving Time was put into law in 1957 in Minnesota.   The government official explained what Daylight Saving Time was and then turned it over to the public to ask questions. Charlie Schmidt, our neighbor said and I quote,"It's only another hour for our crops to dry up."  I was about to say you can't change the amount of sun we get, but when we get it when a big hand came over my mouth.  I asked my Dad why he hushed me in the meeting.  He said he knew what I was about to say and it would only embarrass Charlie.  I wish I had learned that life lesson that day.  The only times that I get into trouble to this day is when I open my mouth when I should just keep it closed.

Golf

What a game.  I got new clubs this year.  My last ones were forty years old.  They were Wilson Laura Baugh.  Really nice in their day.  Got to love the hybreds.  I really did not know much about them but I really like them.  My set came with a four and a five hybred.  I noticed that it did not come with a three iron.  I really missed that club.  So I just carry my old three from my other set.  Now the woods aren't made of wood.  They are a metal I am not sure of the spelling.  It starts with a T and ends with an M and the rest you are on your own.  Anyway,  I love the sound they make when you hit the ball.  I think that my driving game has improved thanks to the new driver.  Nothing can really help my putting game.  Maybe hours of practice.  But other then that it is what it is.  My irons game is good.  Mostly straight down the fairway.  I only lost two balls this summer.  My hits are short but controlled.

I text my son after my last game this summer and told him that I was two strokes short of a hole in one this year.  He text back that is probably called a par.  I told him that I prefer to call it a near hole in one.  We got a good laugh over that.

I usually don't improve much, but this summer was different.  Maybe I just concentrated more because of the new clubs. Can you spell titanium?        

Knitting - the knitwits in action

We have a knitting group at church.  We meet every Thursday and talk and knit.  We had 11 there today. The baby sweater is one of my projects.  I have also made an afgan and a prayer shawl.  My Friend Wilda told the story about the church member who got my prayer shawl.  She was so touch by the gesture.  We have learned later that the women's husband died this week.  She will need that shawl even more as the weeks go on.  I am even more motivated to knit another shawl.

Appliances

I have often wondered about appliances breaking.  Tell me, how can an appliance work one day and be broken the next.  It is like they were programed to break on a certain date.  Nothing seems to be made to last.  Its like nylons.  I remember that my mom and grandmother were able to sew up a hole in their hose.  Now we can't even get to the event we put the nylons on before they run.  I solved that problem by buying liquid nylons.  I just spray them on when needed and off I go.  At lunch my friends thought that the regular nylons still had a purpose.  How could a robber just spray your liquid nylons on his face and hope that they would disguise his face.  I just shake my head.  But we did get a good laugh talking about all the possibilities.

Anyway my ice maker broke.  Two of the plastic paddles snapped off and one landed in the freezer and the other is wedged in the machine itself.  Each revolution that the ice maker does it hits that wedged plastic and strains until it finally snaps on by.  Well, I have ordered a new one.  Parts and labor $275.  He assures me that he will be here early next week.  No don't count on it.  Until then I am making ice cubes in a tray.  What a novel idea.

The repairman was here on Monday and put in my new unit.  I find that it is slowest ice maker I have ever seen.  This is Thursday and I have 1/2 of a bucket full. After reading this blog I had Aunt Sonja text me and tell me to stop using so much ice. 

Cleaning

Can you see how the wall behind us just shines?

My friend Linda is moving to a different house.  All three of us went to school together.  The picture shows the determination that we felt.  We could move mountains if we set our minds to it.  We spent four hours deep cleaning two of her rooms.  We got the livingroom and the bedroom.  It is fun cleaning someone elses house. Well, maybe fun is not exactly is the correct word.  Wilda and I clean the same way.  I was explaining that I take about 6 to 8 passes on the same spot with the vac until I think it is clean.  She told me about her vac which has a clean indicator light with signals her when her carpet is clean.  What will they think of next.   I love older homes.  They seem to have more character then our cookie cutter homes.

Helping others makes you feel so good.      

Halloween party

Decorating Sunday night

I am a member of the Hubbard Mothers homemakers group.  Each year we put on a Halloween party for the community.  Anywhere from 60 to 75 people show up.  I did the fish pond.  There are not many homemaker groups left in the county.  I think there is 13.  Enough to have a council.  In the 50's and 60's everyone belong to a club.  The sense of community has changed.  People have just gotten too busy.  But not in Fern township.  This homemakers group is active.  Each month there is a planned activity with a hostess and a business meeting. November is making a craft - I think a Christmas ornament.   I have enjoyed being a member.