December: Winding up the year

 

Go to You Tube and key in Rugby, ND to see the

My Town stories about small towns in rural America.

Pickleball courts in the Rugby Armory

have been busy since we moved indoors.

We met Jimmy's family in Bismarck on the 6th.

George and Mary Kate loved the kiddie pool.

Grace and

Luke went up and down the waterslide!

Later, Andrew came over from the 

Univ. of Mary and we all went to

the steakhouse for a late meal.

Kelly, Grace, Mary Kate, and I

went to the Pride of Dakota 

Showcase and shopped a bit!

 Afterward, Jimmy's family

 went to eat at Noodles and Co,

and we drove to Minot for the 

Medora Christmas concert.

Lydia sang a duet at her 7th grade

Christmas concert on the 11th.

We left ND a day early because

a storm was predicted for the 18th.

The snow arrived at Ana's in MN

the next morning! We had 8" at home.

Cecelia's 7th grade basketball team had a

game on the 19th.

That evening we had "Christmas" in MN

Thanks, everyone for all our gifts! They

actually fit in our suitcases!

On the 20th, we went to a Lebanese

Restaurant before Ana took us to

a motel. Our flight to Cleveland

on the 21st left at 7 a.m.

Trina's family: Jett, Anni, Tom, Trina, Caiden,

and Ari, with German exchange student, Lea

RJ and Julia with their gifts from us! They were

celebrating at the ski home in PA.

Sara, the Grinch, skiing at Whitetail.

I forgot to take pics at the Dec. 24th brunch we had 

for the family at the condo! This was the setup at

Mark and Kira's on Christmas Day.

The dessert table! 

Mary Anne and Katie with Casey, Nolan, Maddie, and Macie

Cousin Bev finally got us to the restaurant in her

condo building on the 26th! Diane, Bob, Donna,

Bev, and Susie.

Christmas lights at the Carlyle

November is still warmer than usual

The "dam road" is passable in a car or pickup.

We spotted these geese on Rush Lake as we drove by.

Anni is 15! Ari came home from college for the party.

The end of harvest on our farm. Cody is 

putting the combine and trucks in the quonset.

Bob spotted this bald eagle in our tree. :-)

After the second period at the UND hockey game,

the band and cheerleaders march around

on the first floor of the arena.

Bob's sunset photo on November 17th.

I took this from inside the house.  Note the dry ground.

November 20th. How quickly the scene changes!

Heading to Grand Forks for a hockey weekend

on Friday morning, the 22nd. Watching the sun rise.

One of my "favorite things" about North Dakota.

Thanksmas #29 at Brad and Maureen's

Guess who came to dinner on Thanksmas

and went skiing in Bottineau the next  day?

Claire's handprint ornament she made

for us ten years ago!

 

Wow! October Already.

Got ambitious and made fatire on the 11th.

Bottineau sunset as we drove up for a concert.

Letters from Home...a great concert of music

from WWII, Vietnam era, and military groups

Signed up for the fitness class at the new

hospital in Rugby because we weren't

playing pickleball very much since

the beginning of harvest.

My entire squash crop. Now the garden is done!

Got up Friday morning at 5:30 a.m. and made 

banana/apple bread. Thanks for

the recipe, Wendy!

Sara said RJ's team won in their division.

RJ is second from left in front.

Bob's new toy: a chain saw that extends,

so he can trim our trees. He did the green

ash trees on Friday. Is heading toward

our flowering crab trees next!

He had fun, anyway! Hoping they will come back

in the spring. He is in the Bobcat now spreading

gravel around the yard.

ND State played SD State for the Dakota Marker game.

Ana and the girls traveled to Fargo for the big clash.

We intercepted a pass with one minute left and won

the game for the first time in five years!

Caiden, Trina, and Jett after a football game.

Luke, Mary Kate, Matthew,, George, Grace

in case you didn't recognize them.

Caiden, Jett, Tom, Eric,

Trina, Annika, Lea, Ariana

at cousin Konrad's wedding.

Remember September

Well, it's the day after Labor Day, so the 

Minnesota kids finally started school!

We headed to Ana's in Minnesota on Monday, the 9th.

Bob had two slate blackboards from the church

that had a message and the names of three kids.

We took one board to Ana and one to Trina.

Stayed at Ana's the night of the 9th

These shirts from Aunt Donna arrived on Monday, too.

Corey had bought the three girls these shirts. Ana

borrowed one to send to irk her sisters. :-)

On Tuesday, the 10th, drove to Iowa.

Had a flat tire on the trailer

just north of Waterloo. I guess

we "met our Waterloo."

Bob put the spare on and

then we headed to Tom and Trina's

most recent "project".

We took them our B International with the belly mower

that I used to mow the lawn until I ran it up the 

side of a grain bin a couple years ago. Bob had fixed

it and our old Monkey Ward 23 cu. ft. deep freeze,

and Trina said she wanted it.

Tom and Trina bought this house, gutted it, and are

in the process of adding on some rooms and bathrooms.

Yes, they have a contractor doing the major work!

They will have 4.6 acres and are only five minutes

from Jett, Caiden, and Annika's high school.

I snapped a pic before we unloaded. They have three

out-buildings on the property that seem to be 

in better shape that the house was.

On Wednesday, the 11th, we went to a car

museum in Iowa City. I liked this "Caddy".

The white thing in the back is a fold-out camp kitchen.

On the right is a camp bed that folds into the trunk.

Tom took a picture of us

with Trina and Annika.

I wanted a head shot of Anni for my wall

because the one I have is from 4th grade.

She is a freshman this year!

The Iowa sky was beautiful when we left on the 13th.

That night we ate at the Mill Creek Inn. The guy

in the booth behind us was wearing the Katrina shirt!

Claire had a soccer game on Saturday morning.

Sunday was Claire's Confirmation. (I am standing

on the step so I don't look so short!)

Afterwards we went back to Ana's for crepes!

We took pics before the service: Lydia, Claire, Cecelia.

More realistic height view. :-)

Yes, Claire is taller than Ana. :-)

Ana and her girls.  After brunch at the house,

we drove home to North Dakota.

Monday evening was the first concert of the year in Rugby

for the Heart of America Concert Series. We drove

home in a thunder and lightning storm.

Corey's mom and the kids had picked plums

and were more than happy to get rid of a bunch.

So, I brought them home.

Canned plums (in the back) on Monday

and made jelly on Tuesday. The towel is

the one Claire made for me when she

was 5. She's 15 now!  Lydia and Cecelia's

towels wore out last year!

Bob brought 70 apples from our yard

in town. I made applesauce, 

pie filling (frozen in ziploc bags), 

and a gallon of apple/plum/compote. (juice)

Big day for Annika on the 17th--she got her learner's permit!

Last visit to the camper on the Canadian border.

Closed it up on Sunday, the 22nd.'

On Monday I made six pints of bread and butter pickles.

We went to town on Tuesday and picked apples.

I bought a dehydrator on Wednesday....

and dried two big bags of apples on Thursday!

While I was dehydrating (apples, not me),

Bob went to the Hostfest in Minot

and saw Trace Adkins, Mollie B, 

Crazy fingers Lindquist, and 

enjoyed a Lutefisk dinner.

Tom and Trina's house is for sale.  Any takers?

Ari came home from college to see all her

siblings dressed up for Homecoming and

celebrate Jett's 18th birthday on the 29th.

Apple Day at friend Ed's...the family stayed 

for the potluck after church to welcome

our new priest. Ed said he got more apples

off our tree in town than he ever got off

his four trees at the farm.

The last apple...the slicer/corer will get a break...

hopefully until next year. I have 14  quart bags 

of dehydrated apples now, and a bunch ready

to make apple cobbler later today. A good way

to end the month and the apple craze!

Rugby's homecoming parade and pep rally

was on the 27th.  The king was a kid from our 

church named Cole. I called him 

"Young King Cole". The band played 

the Rugby fight song (to the tune of the 

Ohio State Fight song), so I sang along.