Mid-December Collage

My next youngest brother and I had children young. My eldest and his eldest are probably at least ten years older than the next niece. My parents had four boys and no girls. I have the utmost respect for my mother, as my Dad was a career soldier and served in Korea during the war. He was gone for 18 months.  I was 8 and my youngest brother was born while Dad was in the far east. Mothers out there, can you imagine? Dad got no purple heart -   fortunately, but Mom sure should have.

But my folks had about a dozen granddaughters. They never had a grandson until one brother adopted a boy from the former USSR. My dad alway used to say it took the fall of communism for him to get a grandson.

So we haven't seen much of the second oldest granddaughter, my niece Carey. She'd call once in awhile, but we haven't seen much of her. Well, now she lives not that far away and came for a visit with her beau Jeremy. Never met Jeremy before.

The rest are some nice photos of Barb I think, and an annual Christmas party we go to annually. Duh. 

Act 1, Scene 1. Niece Carey Ann.


You've always been something special to me.
Quite independent, always caring.


Hey Carrie Anne, what's your game now
can anybody play? ~The Hollies

Scene 2. Carey Ann shows Barbara Ann some photos from home and grand niece Haley. Ooo, says Barb.


You got me rockin' and a rollin' 
Rockin' and a reelin' Barbara Ann 
Ba ba ba ba Barbara Ann ~ The Beach Boys

Scene 3. Digital photography, aint it grand?

Scene 4. Makwa (Bear in Ojibwe) the Tom Cat, goes and has a visit with Carey and her left foot. I see washing instructions are printed on the bottom, how convenient. Makwa likes to be scratched behind his ears...so do I.

Scene 5. Jeremy and Carey pose, I suppose.

Scene 6. Boys, don't ya just hate that look. I don't know what it means, but I always tread lightly when i see it, and I've seen it over and over. I think it means, "you think I can't whip you?" "Try me". Makes my shutter shudder, brudder.

Scene 7. Whatever it was, it looks like he got by with it - for now.

Scene 8. Bye for now. A very nice visit, just the same, just like we saw each other recently rather than years. Barbara apparently Carey's apparel, is admiring. 

Scene #9, #9, #9.* It's always nice to say goodbye with a good laugh. Notice how no pix of me with the niece? I guess Barb only takes photos of landscapes and nature. Sigh.
*With apologies to John Lennon and the White Album

Act 2, Scene 1. Here Barbara apparently is oooing and ahhhing over a bowl she made for youngest daughter at a place called Glazed and Amused. An old friend owns the place name of Sandy.  Looks like Barb has a camera in her hand, guess she takes photos of bowls too, just not husbands. Oh well. Oh, that's our young friend Ashley painting a cup for one of her Grandmas.

Act 3, Scene 1. Here we are at an annual Christmas party hosted by our long time friend, Lorraine. That's her sitting with another long time friend Don.

Scene 2. The place is always so crowded, that some people have to stand, and some sit on the stairs eating cheesy potatoes, ham and turkey on dark or light buns. Here Barb is with Mike and Rita, and Rachelle. Barb at this point has about three weeks left on the city council, only the 4th woman to serve on the seven person body in 115 years. Rita was just elected as the 5th woman. Jeesh.

Scene 3. The HELM Coalition. (Former Campaign Consultants and Political Pundits) These guys were legends in politics - in our own minds - back in '96. They actually engineered the election of the guy with the long hair and a woman to the state senate and house respectively. Quite a feat as the former two office holders crashed and burned really baaaaaad. We were good, just ask any of us.  Left to right, Steve. Michael, David, Patrick, and David. 

Scene 4. That photo of these legends of the mind kind, bears repeating for sure. "Hold on", the photographer said, "let's do two, of this crew".

Scene 5. Four of the wives of the HELM Coalition, and someone sitting, er standing in for the 5th. Left to right Rachelle sitting in for Lori (Patrick), Sue (Steve), Lisa (David) Barbara (Michael), and Kristine (David). Now I can't remember which David belongs to which lovely lady, so I'll let you guess.

Act 4, Scene 1. Wondering why I'm calling these photos like a thespian? 'Cause I was in a Christmas play appropriately called A Christmas Carol, that I will blog about soon. I will also blog about Act 3, Scene 2 soon. So you won't have to look back, it is about the 4th and 5th woman Bemidji City Councilor. (Man, typing all these numbers...I never learned to do that very well in typing class.)



I take my card and I stand in line 
To make a buck I work overtime 
Dear Sir letters keep coming in the mail 
I work my back till it's racked with pain 
The boss can't even recall my name 
I show up late and I'm docked 
It never fails 
I feel like a number, feel like a number. ~Bob Seger

Scene 2. My attempt to get a little creative. Actually, the oval shade is probably hiding something. I took several shots of Barb for her facebook page, and I like them all, so here they are.

Scene 3.

Scene 4.

Scene 5. Hey, what the heck, close with another laugh.

Act 5, Scene 1 and Last. I don't know if I'm supposed to tell this or not, but this is the extent of our Christmas holiday decorations, pretty much. We had no children or relatives of any kind home for Christmas, actually had no company at all. 

We imposed on friends for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Eve - and it was the same family.  (Blogged about New Years already, so I'll do one or two more for Turkey and Christmas, eventually.) Hard to believe they could put up with us three times in six weeks, but they did, which makes them pretty special...and maybe us too?