Bass Opener

 Cory and John met up in Alexandria area for the annual Bass opener!!  It's something that Cory hooked onto when he was a little guy!  I think Grandpa Don "set that hook"!  Cory is good at it!

 Grandma and Grandpa!!

 

 

 The fisherman in these parts are handsome!!

What's Blooming

 Siberian Iris are blooming and I think of Dorothy.  She had the most beautiful Iris gardens in her back yard.  Sigh.  I would love to have her kind of gardens.

 

 

 

Isn't She Beautiful!!

 Elizabeth showed up to the Bride and Groom shower in my Mom's wedding dress!!  A couple years ago we pulled them out of the cedar chest for Elizabeth to try on.  She took them home thinking just maybe something could be worked into her final wedding gown.  We even suggested that Grandma Elizabeths gown could be worn for a shower.  I didn't even think [here a couple years later], hope or wonder if Elizabeth was going to wear one of those dresses today.  It caught me in a moment that I couldn't even predict.  Yes, I cry easily but I'm not the mother of the bride and I had to cry!  I had no choice!!  She's so pretty, all grown up and I'm melting.  Did it make sense to share in the moment?  Of course!!  She is the lovely daughter of my dear dear cousin, Heidi, and there are moments we hold nothing back and we cherish our families and their celebrations.

 

 Elizabeth and Josh

 

I Love Juustalepia

I’m lost in my Swedish heritage!!!  Wandering around asking the ever so often HUH? HOO what? Never heard or seen such a thing!

Shamefully I think we have to be kept a secret!!  I grew up asking a lot of questions or interrupting good conversations to only be told , I’ll tell you when you  grow up!
As a genealogist  this barricade of shame has kept me in the dark.  It only eludes to deep dark family secrets. When us story tellers come quizzing  don’t tilt your radar and think I know your secrets!!   Only if you tell me!!  Oh and that blushing cheek is a dead give away!  Our heritage in Swedish ways are lost in acculturation.  The immigrant parents didn’t adjust always and their children being brought up in the new world learned quickly and sometimes left their swedish heritage for American ways.  As we say now, Live in America speak, act and abide as an American.  But that’s not to say you can’t be who you are!
I see it in my own state, Minnesota!!  We have festivals for all kinds of nations and we celebrate in these festivals!!  We love our heritage!!  We are proud of our home countries but you can’t make America anything other then what it is.  Oh beautiful for spacious skies and amber waves of grain!!  For purple mountains majesty above the fruited plains!!  AMERICA, AMERICA, God shed his grace on thee! 
OOps! The Juustalepia!  Pronounced HOO-stah-lee-pah!!!  The best kept or forgotten secret in Swedish central Minnesota!!  It's bread cheese or baked cheese!  I bought a slab of it out of curiosity!  Never seen or heard of such cheese!  I read you slice off a hunk and drop it in your
coffee!  You put cloudberry jam on it or maple syrup!  This slab of yummy cheese has literally piqued my desire to know how come I know so little of the heritage of my family?   C’mon my swedish ancestors and children of those immigrants!  Open up the swedish flood gates and share all that you know and it’s beginning with Juustalepia for me this Memorial Weekend!  I’m contacting everyone of my relatives in hot pursuit of best kept secrets or in other words, forgotten heritage!!  Call me, write me, invite me, scan me photos, share your recipes, Give me a story to write about.
For Faith, Home and Heritage our story is made.

Knit Night

  A few of us met at Karen's for Knit Night!  She made us gourmet supper of Turkey Provencal Soup and Curry Cashew and Pear Grape Salad! 

 Peggy got her first start tonight!!  She is a natural!!  I expect to see hats and mittens and slippers coming out of her work bag!!

 

 Bella kept an eye on us girls.  Just in case one of us got tired of knitting Bella would be ready for some petting or fetch or some other attention.

 Joella working on her blanket stitches.

 The pro... she's stitching up a little norwegian sweater!!  We ooh and aahhh at her work!!  Beautiful and inspiring!!

 K1, P2

Up Down Touch the Ground | Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree

This just fluffs my stuff!!  Why do I relate?

Wild Wooly

 A gift she be... to hang in my tree! Come twitter, come tweet... this home so sweet!!

Handmade and Fair Trade from Nepal she came.  With heart she was captured and packaged with care.  The giver so kind and sweet as can be, for me this birdy I'll hang in my tree!  ...Carla!

Thank God for the Country!!

 I'm blogging backwards with my photos.  I don't know how to make a string of photos and one blog title.  First entry of our visit is down further... check them out.  Here are the last of the Amboy photos I'll post.  I love this country!!  This big open farm country.  It just seems so sad these buildings don't have pigs and cows in them.  Paul has three hens and a rooster though!!

 

 

 Here's Dad and Paul.  I know John has a heart for this type of living.  We pray you'll be in love with the land and content out in Amboy Paul.  It'll be an adventure for the next year!!

Amboy Boys

 

 

 

 Chung, Ben and Paul

Visiting Paul

 John and I took off work 1/2 day to drive to southern Minnesota to see Paul's new home in Amboy.  Wow what a drive!!  Beautiful farm country! The first photo if of Ben.  This is his mother's farm. 

 Paul is breaking ground for the garden.

 Luke the dog!!

 

Entertainment

 My coop is not designed to access the hens easily.  So I put on a paper jump suit and crawled in!!!  Paul needs a few hens for his home.  As I am writing this I wonder if William the new rooster is crowing in the van as Paul drives home!!  The thought makes me chuckle!

 Poor girls... hate to upset the flock but they will adjust.

 Hmmmm...chicken napper for hire!!

 Showing Paul what a prize she is!!

Picking out a Rooster

 Pat and Paul foraged the coop for a handsome rooster for Paul to adopt!!  Paul is going to raise chickens.  He is going for the Animal, Vegetable, Miracle set up!! 

 

 

 Paul loves this cat, George.  He is just handsome!!!