Old Bible Tract

This old tract was fun and talked about different personalities in a imaginary family. Grandpa Tate had two very different sons–
One was Mr. Dick Tate. He was bossy and got “miffed” if he didn’t get his way. He had a brother Ro Tate who kept changing everything. The family also had cousins Hesi Tate and Vege Tate who squashed any of the new proposals. Imi Tate just wanted worldly, expensive things and was a high maintenance socialite. A real negative family member was Devas Tate.
Two of the worst members were the twins. One, Irri Tate bugged, teased, and ridiculed everyone. The other, caused trouble by gossiping and back-biting, spreading untruths which caused unretractable damage. Also, she spread some true stories which were harmful, and unkind. Her name; Agi Tate.
The other side of the family was great! They were lead by Mr. Facili Tate. He and his side of the family were always pitching in. A very wise uncle Cogni Tate had good words to heal the situations the other family stirred up. He was able to calm the wild rapids in a stream and dowse the flames of the fires.
The best group members in the family were the Medi Tates who were very kind, thoughtful, patient, and faith-driven. They were “Blessings” to everyone in the family and the community.
The tract had words which I updated here, yet, the names remain the same in order to identify their traits. They were church members, yet I see people like them in families, schools and in workplace settings. Who are you?

From Grand Rapids, MI

Misunderstandings

There are so many more means of communication out there now. It is rare to have face-to-face conversation anymore, unless you consider “Skype” to be that. Yet people are so quick to repond, react, mistrust, and misunderstand.
Whatever happened to the well thought out letter or verse? Forgiveness?
Everything is so disposable, have friendships also become disposable? What do we value in today’s world when it comes to friends? Some people only value family. To them friendship is a priveledge one has to earn and prove to be worthwhile or worthy of the gift of time. Some other people are so desparate for a listening ear through tough times. They are not asking for advice. They will figure things out on their own. They just need to vent or bounce off ideas for a while. Family and friends are gifts and are blessings. Can’t we just spare a little bit of our time to show someone that they have worth?
Here’s a favorite poem my Aunt Muriel kept.
LIFE
Life is like a journey
Taken on a train
With a pair of travelors
At each windowpane
I may sit beside you
All the journey through
Or I may sit elsewhere
Never knowing you.
But if fate should mark me
To sit by your side
Let’s be pleasant travelors
It’s so short a ride!
Anonymous

Wonderful World

I love the song Louis Armstrong sings,”It’s a Wonderful World.”
Today, I believe it to be true. I have a best friend who “gets” me like no one has ever before. It is a friendship so rare, a once in a lifetime friend. The only people who have come close are my childhood sweetheart, Jeff (Jeffy), and Stephen from 9th grade who moved away to Santa Rosa, California.
We are both like the “square pegs” who have spent our entire lives trying to fit into the round holes of the world.
Together, we make sense, apart we don’t make sense anywhere.
We had fun, sharing an appetizer, onion rings and a couple cold ones at the Wild Rice watering hole. Then, after a nice drive, we stopped at the Moorhead JL Beers, for a burger and home-made cajun potato chips. We watched some of the NFL drafts picks as they received their jerseys, caps & multi-million dollar contracts, agreeing that they’re all way over-paid. With the sun-roof open as we drove back home, I spied the crescent moon, and decided that I wished to name a star after the two of us someday. Sounds like a plan to me!
Well, my classes are all complete, just an internship left to go this fall. All I have to do now is work, till my trip then that. Life is great!

Vintage Framed Poster

I love this on my wall.
John Steinbeck movie with James Dean from 1958.

HD 95th Anniversary

In 1998, I became a HOG (Harley Owners Group) member. I rode on the back of a Harley. This was one of the rare times up to that point in time of riding on motorcycles. We joined Willie G’s family in South Dakota. Riders were converging on Milwaukee from all corners of the United States and Canada. We started in North Dakota riding south on I29 until we met up with I90, which skims eastward into Minnesota then Wisconsin, all the way to Milwaukee. Towns, Biker Bars, and Harley Dealerships along the way bore signs of the celebration, and provided beverages and feeds to the riders.
The Fargo HOG Chapter all in their blue shirts met at a hotel in Milwaukee where a panorama photo was taken of the group. My Harley-riding companion and I were the two main standouts in the crowd–him in overalls and me in my first leather HD jacket. The fairgrounds where the celebration took place had concerts, Marty Stewart, Pam Tillis, and many various artists. The parking lot was a vast sea of perfectly aligned motorcycles as far as you could view. There were police demonstrating stunts on bikes, races, vintage Harleys from all of the decades, food and souvenirs. There were demo rides with new Buell bikes one could take, plus we toured a plant where the newest v-twins were being built by robotics in a shop with a floor clean enough to eat off of. We headed up to Osh Kosh to see the airplane museum. Heading back to Milwaukee, we dealt with a down-poor, waiting it out under a bridge, so glad to have brought rain-gear.
The parade took place from downtown Milwaukee to the Lake Michigan shoreline. A huge sand sculpture commemorating the event was artistically created, and a HD style show. We missed the Jay Leno celebrity showing at the Rally, as we prepared for the long ride home.

My Harley jacket

A beautiful day, joined a friend on a ride on his ’06 Harley. “Hopped on” the best that a 55 year old Grandma could do, and rode for about 3 hours up and down the local roads and highways. Wonderful feeling, fresh spring air, 60+ degrees F, sunny. He “showed off” revving up his loud pipes under the bridges. Great fun conversation! Another great day, life is good!
I had learned at age 42 to “ride my own” 1100 Yamaha Verago, and caught the “bug” to ride back then, riding over 8 1/2 years. Still hope to get a Harley… it’s on my list!

Val

Not a bad photo for 55 years old! Just had a new haircut. Norwegian publisher stated that I looked part Celtic, not just the 100% Norwegian I claim to be. Perhaps one of my Viking ancestors did steal a red-headed, green-eyed Celtic maiden during one of many countless voyages with pillaging throughout the other regions of their time.

A New World

I purchased a little globe for my boss’ office for while I’m gone. My vintage 1958 poster print of East of Eden was ready at the framing shop. The colors are teal, muted red and yellow. The inner mat is the muted red and the outer mat; teal. The frame is cherry-wood. I love original items for my walls. This print was on Amazon and came from a shop in London.

I’m finishing my last two classes in my school counseling masters before my internship this fall. Lots of assignments yet to complete in the culmination of this course. Because of this I have only begun to read my new Steinbeck book on Vietnam. There was a paragraph which I will quote which describes some feelings I can validate. His son was stationed in Vietnam and another was soon to be sent there when Steinbeck in his ’60’s and his wife when on the journey. Here is a quote:

“There is always a kind of breathless lost feeling when you take off for a completely new world. It is like a mixture of anxiety and anticipation, an under the skin excitement. As you know, a small, last minute reluctance, a what the hell am I doing here when I could be living in a quietly desperate comfort at home, bitching about taxes and foreign policy, fighting city hall and the subway, sweetly torn to pieces by traffic and martinis for lunch. And we are turning our backs on that heavenly existence for heat and bugs and occasional gunfire. But now the boundaries of decision are passed, and we are gone before we leave.”

One of the Best Days Ever!

I traveled with my best friend to Pequot Lakes, MN. The town has a round water tower painted red and white like a giant fishing bobber. Cute!

Did some browsing at some secondhand stores. My prize purchases, a bright lime-green American Tourister suitcase with swivel wheels, a Dream-catcher, and a plaid wool Pendelton shirt. The suitcase will really stand out among the river of black suitcases at the airports. It is so ugly no one will want to steal it!

Next, an “Oregon Chai” at a local coffee shop. A few more stops through pine, birch and lake country. Spring! The pale green leaves of the birch trees were just opening up from their buds. There were random snow-drifts, remnants from a last minute blizzard the previous week. The leaves, the color of my new suitcase contrasted beautifully with the obscure dark green of the pine.

Next, we stopped at Zorbas, a popular Greek chain of local pizza places in Minnesota lake country. The one on Gull Lake is perfectly situated on a hill extending to the shore of the lake. We sat on the deck and shared a few cold beverages, a mini Thai pizza, and a pan piled high with some nachos topped with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, peppers, salsa, sour cream, burger and guac.Delicious! The sun was shining, a few fluffy clouds, no bugs, perfect temp, a couple boats skimming by. Excellent service! The best place on this planet to share the evening of a wonderful day with the enjoyable company of my best friend!

We ventured the streets of downtown Brainerd, where we discovered a lovely Irish pub. We watched MN Twins baseball. They were in NY playing against the Yankees. Some locals playing darts. There were about 6 other establishments in a few blocks radius, including one referring to Paul Bunyon’s Babe, “The Blue Ox.” A local band entertained and some pool players shot some pool. Lastly, we ventured to a “Buffalo Wild Wings” before retiring for the night.

One of the Best Days Ever!

New Job

I’m officially an Administrative Assistant for a financial planning firm, as a part-time job. The hours are flexible and it is totally stress-free. I do filing, shredding, cleaning, and I may learn the “ropes” in the field.
Didn’t get much studying done today, studying the last few nights and tonight, preparing assignments tomorrow for my evening School Counseling class. The prep work is done…just have to create the rest. I really wish to succeed in this class. I “shadow” a school counselor out of town Thursday 9:30am to 1:00pm. It might be a potential site to intern this fall following my journey.
I “spoiled” myself today, with a new hair style, a mani. and a pedi. As a Mom, I treated my kids and rarely myself. As a newly “empty-nested” person, I’m beginning to treat myself.
Oh my, the journey has begun! No telling where it will lead. I have a “best friend” who “gets me” and loves me for who I am, and the World is Great!!