December 2025

We went to the Medora Christmas show in Devils Lake

on the 7th, and two of the performing couples

showed off their new babies.

I took Mary Kate to dance class

when we visited, but we didn't

get to her recital.

 

November already?!

I am pretty sure the flax is from

our first crop. Palms are pretty

old, too! Pewter was a wedding

gift from friends Carl and Janet

fifty-five years ago!

Ana took Claire to Moorhead, MN, to play her violin

with the Concordia College orchestra. Claire is in the

first circle on the left. The second circle, playing the bass,

is Lydia, the daughter of friends Chuck and Jan, 

who is a student at the college.

Sunset at Killdeer on November 21st

Grace's Confirmation on the 23rd

After breakfast at the church, we 

went to the farm to have cake and 

ice cream.  George attacked the

cake before we got to it.

Grace and her cake...with a little fingerprint 

from George who couldn't resist! :-)

The family with Grace. Andrew was away at college.

Nephew Doug and Jill welcomed 25

family members 

for our 30th annual Thanksmas! 

Another milestone: Not our age. :-)

The prime rib was delicious.

And so was the crème brulee

 

October Still Feels Like Summer

On Wednesday, October 1st, George and I

kept busy while the other kids were

in school (and pre-school). He is pretty

good at pairing up and lining up shoes!

We played outside for a while, then went

into the machinery building and found

the trampoline.

Time for a rest after all that bouncing...

but he got up and jumped around again!

We picked up Mary Kate at preschool, had lunch

at Mama Lil's, and then went to dance class.

The UPS driver left some packages for Kelly,

and she found a surprise inside!

We headed home on Thursday, and Trina sent

these pictures from Homecoming Week at Alburnett.

Recognize anyone?

Caiden was in the Homecoming Court!

And he was crowned King on Friday night.

Oct. 4th..First hockey game of the season: UND 7-Manitoba-0

Tailgating, music, and food before the game. I signed up

at the Buffalo Wild Wings booth...

and won a year's worth of wings!!!!!

Back home to reality...I picked my acorn squash,

baked them all on the 6th, and froze the baked

squash for future use.

My dehydrator has been working full-time

for the past month...taking care 

of some of the 600 apples I processed. We now have

a year's worth of apple juice, applesauce, apple pie mix,

apple cider, frozen sliced apples, and dehydrated apple

 snacks. I hope all those apples keep the doctor away!

Hockey season in Virginia! RJ plays; Julia watches.

Iowa gang is ready for Halloween. There's that

stupid 67 again attacking the pumpkins.

Donna sent these pics from her barge cruise

somewhere in Alsace on the Rhine river.

Sunset en route to the concert on the 21st in Rugby

This Aria Nouveau couple sang music

from operas and pop songs using

their operatic voices.

I painted the old vanity we had in the basement,

and Bob found a sink top. We plan to put

it in the laundry room in townhouse #2.

Made it to the Alburnett football game on the 24th 

to watch Annika in her poms group.

No game score at halftime, so we stayed

for the nail-biter second half. Alburnett

won 13-6 in their first playoff round!

Everyone was home for Annika's

Confirmation on Sunday, the 26th.

On our way to Ana's, we stopped in Clear Lake.

Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper

are memorialized in a new interactive museum

in Clear Lake, Iowa, site of their last show.

Guitars displayed in every room, many of which

were donated by performers and fans.

A creative artist donated this History of Rock and Roll.

The original ballroom is next door to the museum.

We did a little dance

just to say that we were there. We stayed with

Ana and the girls that night and got

back to the farm on the 28th.

Never too old for Halloween..Matthew,

Kelly, Luke, Mary Kate, and George

RJ

and Julia loaded up with candy...

Cecelia and Lydia

and Santa who got his 

holidays mixed up! (Caiden)

 

A September to Remember

 

L to R: Lydia, Claire, and Cecelia finally started

school after Labor Day!

My apple gizmo has seen almost 300 apples so far

this year. The tree in the duplex we are trying to sell

has gone wild again! We have apple pies, applesauce,

apple juice, and dehydrated apples...and the tree

is not done yet, but I am " done in"  :-)
Before some wise person invented this machine,

Bob's mother would come to the farm 

with a bushel of apples and peel, slice,

and core them using a paring knife!

She had unlimited patience!

Bob found these wild plums west of the yard!

Sunset on September 6th.

After a couple of cool nights, Bob decided

to close up the camper on September 7th.

September 11th in Devils Lake:

The Sidekicks did all 80's music. I took cousin Renee

and we met Brenda S. for the first 

Concert of the season. They knew every song..

said it was their high school music. 

September 12th, I hopped on Amtrak in Rugby

and Ana picked me up in St. Cloud the next morning.

We drove to Iowa to surprise Trina for an

early birthday party.

Trina thought Bob and I were coming, 

but she figured it out when she saw

Ana's vehicle drive into the yard!

Surprise! (sort of) Ana even baked

her a gluten-free cake.

On the way back from Trina's, Ana dropped me off

at the airport and I flew to Cleveland for a week!

The view from the Pier W deck the day after I got there.

Sky view from the Pier W deck on the 17th

after Bud and I ate at Sittoo's restaurant. Had

supper with cousins every night, a few lunches, too,

and a family picnic at Leanne's. 

On Saturday, the 20th, I drove to Texas friend Jane's

in Chagrin Falls for a fun day! I visited her home

and learned about all her flowerbeds! 

 Then we went to the falls,

and had a late lunch at the restaurant above the falls.

I forgot to take a pic of the famous Popcorn Shop in town!

I flew back to Minot on the 23rd and

after Bob picked me up at the airport, 

we drove to Bottineau for The Originals concert.

They did a variety of oldies and goodies. :-)

Sunday, the 28th, we went to Towner 

for their annual church supper. The sun

was setting as we arrived back home at 7 p.m.

Jerry and Doug flew to DC on the 

Vets Honor Flight on the 28th.  

Sara and kids met them at the Veterans' 

Memorial on the 29th. Sara wanted to surprise them,

but Jerry saw Sara sitting on the bench 

before they got off the bus!

On Tuesday, the 30th, we drove to Jimmy's

to get our pickup and camper. This video

is of his bin site and mobile homes where

his South African workers live near

Dodge, North Dakota.