Let Go and Let God

In our house, Captain is the worrier and I am…not.

I came to this philosophy through a long, hard period of time in my life when I questioned every decision I made as well as the decisions--or motives thereof--of every person in my life.

I simply thought that my life should be on a different path than it was, and I felt it was my right to tell God just exactly what needed to happen to make my vision of an ideal world turn into reality.

Yeah...that never works out the way you think it should.  You want to hear God laugh?  Tell him your plans and see what He does.  

After years of anxiety and turmoil, the light bulb went off.  It wasn’t up to me how my life was going to go.  Well, okay, that’s not totally true.  We all have the freedom to make choices that may change the direction of our lives, but the plan, the outline, is already there.  

It was at that point that I really embraced the saying “Let go and let God.”  From that point on, worrying has been only a minuscule factor in my day-to-day life.  Just ask Captain.  He’ll mention worrying about this, that, or the other thing and ask me, “Don’t you ever worry about that?”  Nope, can’t say I do.  I have better things to do.  

Now, let me be clear.  Believing that God will provide does not in any way, shape, or form mean that I think I don’t have to put some effort into the whole process.

I realized, even when I handed the worry over to God, that I needed to have a job to earn a salary so I could pay for three hots and a cot for all of us, clothes to wear, gas in the car, etc.  Those things were not just going to be handed to me due to my unshakable faith that God was watching out for me.  

Has life been all rainbows and unicorns since my epiphany?  Nope, not even close.  There has been some big, bad stuff happen in our lives.  Trusting God does not mean thinking that nothing bad will ever happen to me again.  It does not mean thinking that there won’t be periods in my life when it seems like everything is falling apart.  

It means that I know bone-, gut-, and heart-deep that when the bad stuff happens, God will help me get through it.  Not only help me get through it but have something positive happen because I went through the crap.

Maybe the positive thing doesn’t even impact me personally.  Maybe someone I know watched as I struggled to “make it through,” and that created a greater faith, or even a brand new faith journey, in their own life.  No one has ever said that to me, but that is my secret and personal hope.  That’s how God works through us during difficult times.  Believe it.  

I hope that, in the end, someone somewhere will be better off for having known me.  Maybe someone learned forgiveness; maybe someone learned trust; maybe someone learned love.  Maybe someone learned gratitude.  

I hope that someone is positively affected by knowing each of you.  I know that I am!

Images from:
www.thesavvysistah.com
https://www.pinterest.com/kathrynpotts75/christian-quotes/
http://www.greatmindsthinkfit.com/images/FaithQuotes023.jpg
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSupyc35sYNMgCfD_k7C2cDTM1l-BwVQ5HVZvdSF3jaZdtgVduc6g

Exploring for Free or Cheap

Last week was Rochester Fest, and Captain and I took an evening to drive in to see the hot air balloon Moon Glow.  We’ve wanted to do this for years but it never worked out until this year.  

It’s pretty amazing to watch them unpack/unroll those big balloons and start filling them with air until they are upright.  This year there were four balloons in a grass area between the YMCA and Soldiers Field.  When they simultaneously lit their fires just at dusk...WOW...it takes your breath a little bit!

And this was FREE!  Granted, we spent some money on cheese curds and beer, but the balloon thing was totally free.  

On a side note, did you know that you could learn how to be a hot air balloon crew member through Rochester Community Education? How cool would that be?!

We love finding free or cheap day trips to do.  The is partly because our farming schedule is so unpredictable and partly because Captain just doesn't like to spend much money on recreational stuff. Unless it's fishing gear...then the sky is the limit apparently!  

I seriously had no idea how much stuff there is to do within no more than a two-hour drive. For instance, the weekend of July 15-17 in La Crosse, you can go to the Dragon Boat Festival and Race.

How much fun does that look like to watch?  If you go and are there around a meal time, check out Big Al’s Pizza in the old section of downtown.  Ah-MAZE-ing food and atmosphere. (http://mayoclinichealthsystem.org/locations/la-crosse/about-us/dragon-boat-race).  

If you are more of a nature kind of person, most state parks have naturalist programs that are open to the public--not just campers.  Like that cemetery tour Captain and I did in Whitewater last year.  There are easily a dozen state parks within an hour or two of here (if you live where I live) where you could have an enjoyable and educational afternoon or evening.  For free!  Go to http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/index.html and click on the Events Calendar on the left hand menu for ideas.  

If you don’t mind navigating in the metro area of the Twin Cities there are a TON of free or cheap activities.  There was a whole list of them in an issue of, I believe, Midwest Living that Diane gave me. Stuff like tours of the historic James Hill house in Saint Paul, a Fort Snelling murder mystery walk, brewery crawls, and so, so much more.  You can find a lot of them here:  http://www.minneapolis.org/things-to-do/tours/historical-tours/

Our day trips tend to lean heavily toward the historic end of the spectrum, but arts and culture events are readily available as well.  Such as the Landscape Arboretum for the horticulture enthusiasts out there.  I have been there in early spring and late summer...both beautiful, but I would love to see everything at it’s peak in mid to late July sometime.  http://www.arboretum.umn.edu/

Do I dream of a grand vacation somewhere?  Sure I do!  I would love to see Ireland someday or take an Alaskan cruise or a New England/Nova Scotia cruise in the fall.  Those are unrealistic in our world, so instead we thoroughly enjoy exploring our own backyard.  It’s the doing something together that is enjoyable and memorable...not so much where we went.  

If you know of a free or cheap event nearby that I did not mention here, please share it so the rest of us can explore new recreational events!  Come on, spread the love!

Images used from:
www.quotesgram.com
www.outofofficereplyon.com (Chiara Travel and Photography)
www.xploras.wordpress.com (Neverland Adventures)
https://www.pinterest.com/hamptoninnmonro/travel-quotes/

Some Assembly Required

Some assembly required.  One of the phrases that strikes fear and trepidation into any parent’s heart and mind.

I remember many Christmases where Captain and I were up long after the kids putting this or that together just so Santa could get all the credit!

But it’s also a danger phrase for married couples.  Some years ago, we needed a new grill, so off we went to Menards to shop around.  Found one that was all we needed and just a bit more but still in our price range.  Now here is where Ms. Spendthrift butts heads with Mr. Skinflint.  

Me...I’d have paid $50 to have the Menards dude assemble it for us and then taken the assembled item home.  Nope, Captain was in fits thinking about spending that kind of money for something “any idiot can do.”

We get the box home and open it up.  First thing I reach for?  The instructions.  First thing Captain reaches for?  The screwdriver.  Dude...you need to look at how it goes together before you start!

He grabbed the instructions to read them--in the most loose form of the word--and went back to his screwdriver with an aside to me:  “It says it only takes 30 minutes to put together.  Piece of cake.”

Friends, it was three hours later, half a dozen extra screws and nuts left over, and divorce attorneys on speed dial before we got the thing put together!  

The next time we needed a grill, I ignored Captain and went and found a Menards dude to ask them to assemble it for us, at the going rate, only to find out that service is no longer offered.  Great…

Wanna hear the funny part?  I can get into an argument with myself when I am assembling something!  Because we do not have cable or satellite TV, we depend on a rooftop antenna.  This is a project I have done a handful of times now.  I have to use the back patio, a 52-by-16 foot slab of cement because that is the only place big enough for the assembly.  

Pals of mine, I read the instructions--out loud no less--and I still get confused!  There are wing nuts, short screws, allen screws, clamps, and who knows what-all spread all over the place.  And I’m out there arguing with myself:  “You are dumb...that clearly said an allen screw and you grab a phillips screw.  What is WRONG with you?  You need a keeper!”  Anyone walking by would have called the nearest psychiatric facility to come and pick me up.  Captain, he walked by and said “Did you read the instructions first?”

This is why he gets my multi-use tool thrown at him occasionally.

Back in the day when we were first married, someone gave Captain a kit to build a small, table-top size windmill.  You want to talk teeny-tiny screws?!  My mom helped me put that one together which went well because my mom is extremely good at that kind of stuff.  Well, except for when I tightened a screw and got her finger pinched between the frame and the screw!  Ooops…

Recently, Mama Bear picked up a used crib for us to have here when Cubby stays overnight.  The pack-and-play just wasn’t cutting it anymore.  Because it was used, there were no instructions, so we had to skip that step in the process, and Mama Bear and I were going to just wait and do it another day...as if the instruction would magically drop from heaven for us!  Captain was having none of it; might as well get it done right now.

So he starts asking for this screw or that screw and this piece or that piece.  It all came together nicely, I must say!  Problem?  Captain ended up on the inside of the assembled crib!  He was like Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel, Mary Ann...which, ironically, is one of Captain’s favorite children’s stories!

We were going to leave him in there but took pity and lifted the crib frame up so he could crawl out from underneath of it.  We got the mattress in and put Cubby in, where she proceeded immediately to start jumping.  Since nothing collapsed or broke, it was a job well done by Captain!

We have all put those Ikea computer desks together or a Sauder bookshelf from Wal-Mart.  Those are hard enough for me--I don’t know about you--that I am thankful there are smarter people than me who put “real stuff” together, like buildings and bridges and cars and houses.  

Maybe this is a good place to announce my newest “some assembly required” project.  I am working on assembling some blog posts into a book.  Because the publishing company platform didn’t mesh with my vision for a book, I am doing the self-publishing thing instead.  This truly falls into the some assembly required slot.  You have to do the manuscript, do a front cover, do a back cover, and then put it all together inside the magic of a website with user-friendly tools and voila...out the other end comes a book!

Wish me luck!  I’ll let you know when the finished product comes off my assembly line, I promise.

Duluth Girls' Trip

Hello again, friends!  I know it’s been awhile, but gosh, I’ve been busy the last week or so.

I had last week off from work, so on Monday I ran same errands to get ready for the big Girls’ Trip to Duluth with Diane and Molly.  I finally decided around 10 p.m. Monday night I should probably pack a suitcase as we were leaving at 9:00 Tuesday morning.

Tuesday morning--a beautiful day for a drive, I might add--we were off and running just after 9 a.m.  I had considered asking Molly to drive until we were north of the Cities since she is used to that metro traffic, but I decided to tough it out.  It went fine, and I don’t care what Molly says, that little incident in the construction zone was not a near death experience!

Shortly after that, Captain called because he needed some calibration numbers for his sprayer which I have stored on my phone.  We pulled off at the next rest area--which is a usual stopping point for Captain and I when we head north--and I called to give him the numbers so he could start spraying corn while we were gone.  

We had timed our departure from home so that we would hit Toby’s for lunch.  Diane had never been there and was quite impressed with the food.  Molly passed on the frosted sugar cookie from the bakery given her sugar high reaction during the state bowling trip a couple of years ago...she was literally bouncing off the walls by the time we got from Toby’s to Duluth that time!

Anyway, we rolled into Duluth mid afternoon; too early to check into our hotel, so we stopped at the Visitor Center on the south end of town and then drove along the Skyline Drive/scenic byway overlooking Duluth.  Highlight there was Enger Park, including climbing all five flights of steps to the top of the tower to see nearly endless vistas of Duluth, Canal Park, and Lake Superior.  We walked through the garden areas which looked completely different from when Captain and I stopped there in September...obviously.  

By then it was nearly time to check into our hotel.  I had managed to snag reservations at Comfort Suites right in Canal Park with windows facing the lake!  Before we checked in, we walked right next door to the museum and canal pier to watch a boat come in off the lake.  Awesome!

After checking in and resting (don’t judge, traveling is hard work!) for an hour or so, we went out to check out the little shops in Canal Park before heading to Little Angie’s Cantina to meet Molly’s high school friend--who now lives in Duluth--for supper.  The food was just as good as we remembered from state bowling, and this time Molly was legal age to get the fish bowl margarita!  Molly and Kelly stayed at Little Angie’s to have another drink and catch up, so Diane and I headed back to the hotel to sit out on the back patio and enjoy the lake view and cool breezes.

We had the funnest time watching a man and his 5-year-old grandson feed the seagulls.  The little boy would throw his bread cubes up in the air, and the gulls would snatch them mid-air, while the grandpa stood very still holding the bread cube in his hand (kind of looked like the Statue of Liberty) and the gulls would fly in, hover a second, and take it right out of his fingers!!  They had the best time, so we couldn’t help but smile watching them.

When it started getting chilly on the patio, we headed in to change into swim suits and hit the hot tub.  We met a nice mother-daughter duo who were in Duluth for their annual girls’ trip and had a nice conversation with them before we headed back to the room...pretty much exhausted!  

Molly got back to the room a bit later, so we visited a bit and went to bed.  I must say, I don’t normally sleep well in hotels, but either the bed or the pillows (or both) were so comfortable, I had the best night’s sleep ever in a hotel room!

Wednesday was for exploring.  We stopped in Two Harbors to walk out on the pier to the harbor light and spent some time watching a family of ducks in the harbor.  Then it was on to Gooseberry Falls for a couple of hours before heading back to Two Harbors for lunch at The Pub, a little place Captain and I had been to last fall.  We had a relaxing hour there and then hit the road again, this time to Split Rock Lighthouse.  

Except for last fall’s Edmund Fitzgerald ceremony, it has been at least a decade since I have been to Split Rock...nope, I bet it’s been two decades because Young Man was just 5 years old when we took him and our nephew there.  At any rate, it was fun to do the tour again and see all the stuff.  I have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that a six-ton lens spins around like it’s on a cloud.  Amazing!

Baby Brother's friend from high school is now the maintenance foreman at Split Rock Lighthouse, so I took a minute to say hi to him before we left.

We debated going further north to Tettegouche State Park, but we were all pretty tired and we still wanted to stop in Two Harbors (again) at Castle Danger Brewery.  By the time we got back to the hotel, we pretty much just collapsed in various beds, couches, and chairs for an hour or so!

Supper that night was at Grandma’s...another place I had never been until now.  The food was amazing and the portions were HUGE!  After all the hiking and eating, a trip to the hot tub was in order before turning in for another night of restful sleep, but not before we walked out to the back patio and got a night photo of the lift bridge. Back in the room (it was too chilly to stay outside), we watched a boat come in off the lake, which was new for me since Captain and I are never in Duluth after dark. That was pretty impressive to see as it was lit up like a small town...which I guess it is when you come right down to it.

Thursday morning we got packed up and checked out in good time.  We headed to Glensheen for the tour there--another first for me.  It reminded me a lot of the Plummer House here in Rochester.  Well, except for that murder business.  Still, a very beautiful home with a lot of interesting tidbits about the decor and social customs of the times (early 1900s).  

Our last order of business in Duluth was to drive the north end of Skyline Drive along what is called Seven Bridges Road because--hey--there are seven stone bridges on this narrow gravel road.  

When we stopped at the first bridge, Molly suggested a game of Pooh Sticks.  For you non-Winnie The Pooh fans, this involves each person tossing a stick off the up-current side of the bridge and running to the down-current side to see whose stick makes it under the bridge first.

My stick came through first, but once it hit the still waters past the bridge, it just kept circling because Molly had given me a curved twig.  I call cheating because HER stick--straight as an arrow, mind you--shot right past mine.  However, karma is always at the ready with a comeuppance lesson, and her stick got hung up on some rocks in the rapids.  But, it was still ahead of mine, so I had to concede the race to her.  

We waved one last goodbye to Canal Park on our way out of town and headed home.  

I have always enjoyed my trips to Duluth and the North Shore with Captain, but it was awfully fun to do a trip with just “us girls” for a different perspective.

Happy travels to you!

Supporting Local Businesses

When it's time for an oil change in my truck--as it was recently--I make an appointment with Jason Andrist at Bird’s Auto.  I usually ask for the oil change along with a general checkup of tires, fluids, and all that stuff under the hood (see why I have a mechanic?) so I know the truck is in good shape for a long haul.  

I’ve taken my vehicles to Jason for almost ten years now.  I completely trust his advice and workmanship.  If Jason tells me something needs to be fixed right now, I know that it’s a true thing.  Often when I take my truck/car in to him, he’ll give it a once-over and then call me is we can prioritize:  what needs to be fixed right now because it’s a safety issue, what will need attention in the intermediate future, and what can really wait for quite a while.

Taking my car to Bird’s goes back to a philosophy that my Daddy told me, and my husband reiterated:  patronize your local small businesses, particularly the plumber, the electrician, and the mechanic.  Maybe it’s because, as farmers, Dad--and now Captain--are sole proprietors trying to make a living so they get it about owning your own business and the fluctuations thereof as well as the pride of building a solid reputation among your neighbors.

When I can, I make it a point to buy local.  I take my car to Bird’s Auto.  I buy (most of) my landscaping plants from Joel’s Greenhouse in Pine Island or Houstons in Kasson.  My plumber is Zumbro Valley Plumbing in Mantorville.  My well repair guy lives down the road from me.  If I needed a new well, I’d be calling Thein Well Company.  And let me just say that Troy at Hardware Hank in Pine Island has been my savior more than once when Captain has sent me in to get new nuts, bolts, or screws.  I can take the old item in with me and find Troy and tell him, “I need this.”  It saves me from bumbling about back in the nuts and bolts section making a mess.  Plus I get to find out how Troy’s family is doing and how business is for him, and most likely I will find something to buy for myself.  

I used to buy all my floral arrangements from Arel’s in Pine Island, but Ken and Barb retired about a year ago.  For awhile, I used Hy-Vee floral and was never disappointed.  Now Pine Island has a new florist called Tulips and Truffles which is my go-to place for floral deliveries.

When you support your local, family-owned businesses, you are supporting your community because those businesses pay taxes that are used to pay for streets, schools, and law enforcement.  I hope I'm not repeating some political campaign tag line, but when the businesses on main street are thriving, pretty much everybody is thriving.  When those businesses make money, they build houses and buy new cars and go out to eat in your town.  Everybody wins, so it only makes sense.

I’m not saying there isn’t a time and a place to patronize the big box stores because, make no mistake about it, I have made plenty of middle-of-the-night trips to Walmart for this, that, or the other thing.  However, when you can, please join me in making buying local a priority.

Images from:

http://www.independentwestand.org/

http://thewowstyle.com/30-inspiring-and-successful-business-quotes/

www.pinstamatic.com

Never Forget

If you are like a large percentage of Americans, your Memorial Day weekend likely involves a grill, adult beverages, and a cluster of friends or family or both.  This is important because sharing good times with those we love is what makes life fun.

If you are like a smaller percentage of Americans, your weekend also includes a visit to a cemetery where you pay respects to loved ones who have passed.  

This is important because it’s respectful to remember those who came before us.

As a kid, I remember making those trips to the cemetery.  We made a day of it.  After chores were done in the morning and we all got cleaned up, Mom would cut some irises from her flower beds, and we would head out to the Oronoco cemetery where my mom’s dad, Emil Prokasky, was buried.  From there, we would head to Grandview Cemetery on Marion Road in Rochester where my dad’s parents were buried.  They, and now my dad, are in the section right along Marion Road by the praying hands monument.  Further into the cemetery to the south and west, there are a half a dozen or so of my dad’s aunts and uncles.  I remember searching that section with dad when we were kids and finding all of them, almost like a treasure hunt.  

Captain and I tried to find them again one year when we stopped to visit Dad, and I couldn’t find a one of them. I know darn good and well they are there, but I couldn’t find them.  I’m sure Aunt Donna or Aunt Linda knows where they are.  I should have them meet me there sometime and show me again.

If you are like a smaller yet percentage of Americans, you visit the cemetery during the Memorial Day services that honor our fallen soldiers.

In Brogan World, we combine these things and do a picnic at his mom's after we do the cemetery services. First we go to St. Michael’s cemetery where we pay our respects to Captain’s brother, Pat, who was killed in a farm accident in 1984, and Captain’s dad, Jim, who drowned on a fishing trip to Canada in 2007. After that, we go to Evergreen cemetery in Mantorville where we pay respect to our niece, Angie, and to Leah's dad, Max, who are buried there.  

The whole cemetery service thing was a new experience for me when I got married.  I didn’t even know they did this sort of thing at cemeteries.  We haven’t missed one in 28 years, and it gets me right in the heart every time.  The VFW representatives honor the fallen veterans, then the auxiliary ladies honor their members who have passed, and then a local priest or minister blesses those present and those passed.

Then it’s Taps and the 21-gun salute.  This is where I bawl every time.    

Because remembering our fallen military people isn’t just important.  It’s a duty.

Let me say that again.

It is our duty to respectfully remember those who have served because all gave some, but some gave all.

We all need to get down on our knees this weekend and thank God that we live in this country where there are good jobs that provide a federal holiday when you can gather with friends and family to celebrate and to remember the ones who are no longer here.  And while we are down on our knees, do not forget.  Do not EVER forget that we can do those things because there were young men and women throughout our history who answered the call of duty to serve and protect our freedoms.

God bless you.

God bless America

God bless our military personnel and keep them safe in their duty.

Image from: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/13/a7/14/13a7144e2ebba0ffb71665aa44375722.jpg

I Speak Fluent Sarcasm

In the course of my life, I have sometimes been described as rude, abrasive, and bitchy.  Sometimes those were accurate statements.  Sometimes, I was just excessively sarcastic and got mislabeled.

The sarcasm must be an inherent trait, because neither one of my parents had it.  In my recent tip-toeings around Pinterest, I found several posts that said the Aquarius zodiac sign was notoriously sarcastic, so I'll blame it on that.

Most of the time, I am sarcastic when adding side comments to a  story that I am telling.  

So this idiot passed me in a no-passing zone and I was like "So you think that five seconds you just risked your life and mine for is going to what...make you famous?"

If we are watching Big Bang Theory or Friends, I laugh more at the sarcasm than anything else because my theory is:

I don't recommend sarcasm as a means of deliberating hurting someone's feelings; that's just mean.  If I were going to liken it to cooking, I would say sarcasm shouldn't be the salt that you splash on every aspect of your food.  It should be your cayenne pepper that you use with judicious caution because some spice is good, but too much gives you indigestion.  

Most times I keep it in my head because, well, you can't go around blasting everyone.  F'rinstance...one day not long after Young Man got married and started his new life, we were talking and he said, "Mom, you have no idea how expensive laundry soap is!"

Bite your tongue...bite your tongue...say it in your head:  You're right, I have no idea because in 25 years of marriage and motherhood, I have never once done a load of laundry.  The laundry elves always magically had that taken care of for me while I slept. I am so sorry that you have to deal with the nasty realities of life, my child.

I keep my sarcasm skills honed sharply just by interacting with Captain.  He makes it so stinking easy!

Captain is hard-wired to think the worst about any scenario.  If you want to know the absolute worst outcome on anything...ask Captain; he'll be able to tell you.

Me, I am eternally optimistic.  This creates some friction.

Early in our marriage--and remembering those comments about my personality--I would try to be Mrs. Warm Fuzzy when Captain was on a negative kick, and our conversation might go like this:

Captain:  The corn is planted.  It probably won't grow.
Me:  You can't think like that.  Of course it will grow.  You took all the right steps to make sure that there are as few weeds as possible, as much fertilizer as possible, asked questions of all the right experts, and did it as cost effectively as anyone else could have!

Didn't make a dent in his perceptions.  I tried, failed, and went back to my default so that our current conversations go more like this:

Captain:  The corn is planted.  It probably won't grow.
Me:  I'm sure you're right.  You have never planted corn in your life and have absolutely no clue what you're doing.  I'm sure there will be hail, fire, pestilence, and earthquakes...possibly a small civil war.  You'll be lucky to get one bushel off 300 acres.
Captain:  Your're mocking me aren't you?
Me:  Who me?  I would never do such a thing.

Even Captain's mom, who is in the top two of my favorite people, gets blasted sometimes.

Captain's mom:  I'm sure you guys are tired of helping me with [insert chore] all the time.
Me:  You're right, we can't stand you.  Helping you because we love you and it's the right thing to do has absolutely nothing to do with it.  

Maybe the only person who isn't persecuted by my sarcasm is Molly, and that's only because she inherited the art from me and gives as good as she gets.  If we ever did get into it, I'm not sure who I would put my money on!

Images from:
http://www.lovethispic.com/image/243882/heavy-sarcasm-may-be-present
https://instagr.in/p/1070198738259643091_1943090609
https://www.pinterest.com/source/minionsonly.com
http://ww4.soulmatelifequotes.com/kwrf=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinterest.com%2F#sthash.iqXWdPIC.qjtu
https://www.pinterest.com/source/minionsonly.com