Survivor of the Lions Den

The other day I got a phone call from Daniel. Apparently he witnessed some animal abuse at the hands of an unfortunate dog and its owner. I gave him some advice, told him to pray for the man and his anger problem and moved on to other items of the day even though his concerns and what he could do about it for the sake of the dog were the reasons he called. That in a nutshell is Daniel. Always rooting for the underdog and what he can do to remedy the situation. The eternal caregiver. The eternal peacemaker. I told him once he would make a great nurse, however the issue of blood and something about needles squelched that option. Instead he works on large inanimate objects. Unlike his brother, Daniel always has had to weigh all the options before venturing out which is a good thing in itself. Needless to say risk-taking is not one of his strong suits. In spite of that he has grown into a gentle soul surrounded by numerous friends of various backgrounds, beliefs and ways of life. He may have been my youngest child and my smallest baby weighing in at just 5lb but he stands tall in the eyes of Jesus as he invites his friends to church with him, worries about little dogs at the hands of their abusive owners and quotes some of his favorite lines from Casting Crowns on his Facebook page. May Jesus bless you this day, Daniel on your 23rd birthday!!

Noerenberg Gardens

This past weekend Michael and I did our weekend biking up at Lake Minnetonka area including Wayzata and Orono. WOW, how some people live! I try to keep it in perspective while asking God to show me once again how blessed I am and to be thankful for all He has given me, esp. not in material ways. Anyway we were to meet our biking friends at the Noerenberg Gardens. They were running alittle late so we walked through some of the garden areas. They are located on the north shore of Lake Minnetonka's Crystal Bay in Orono. Noerenberg Gardens are among the most beautiful and prestigious gardens in the state. This former Lake Minnetonka estate of Grain Belt Brewery founder Frederick Noerenberg, was donated by the family to the Park District in 1972.

"Noerenberg is a reminder of the quiet elegance and grace of days gone by." The gardens include a wide variety of unusual annuals and perennials, an assortment of grasses and a large daylily collection.

The park features accessible brick pathways and an ornamental boathouse/gazebo overlooking the lake." After walking through the garden I was not disappointed and was once again reminded that He created all the color and beauty just for us and it doesn't cost us a single dime! Enjoy!

Fiddle-de-de

Went to Lanesboro, Mn.(about a two hour drive)for the weekend. Every year the town hosts an old-time music festival complete with a barn dance on Saturday night and tons of fiddle and banjo groups that come from all over the midwest to share their talents on a Friday night concert experience. Michael and I have some friends from our church who camp there each year and bike the Root River State Bike Trail and attend the festival.

The group that led the barn dance on Saturday night also taught us some square dance numbers. They were from North Carolina (can't remember the name) and they were incredible. There even was an elderly gentleman who played Danish folk songs on his concertina and also did some fiddle music as well Very talented man!

We also biked with our friends covering approximately 18 miles overall. I ran into a gentleman who said he had lived there for 78 years and always looks forward to the campers and bikers coming into town. They describe their 788 population town as a quiet place with no stoplights or franchises which is very true. The Amish come in from Harmony and sell their wares on Saturday afternoon along with a small Farmers Market group from around the area. I bought some pineapple honey from them and a small plant. All in all we had a wonderful time and plan to return next year for more of the same.

Gateway to the Nordeast!

Michael and I spent Saturday at an art show where one of our friends is taking classes in art. We enjoyed seeing his work and the joy he receives from it. Then we went over to the Polonaise Room in northeast Minneapolis and enjoyed a nice quiet dinner before the rush. I had never been there before but Michael knew about the place. A little history: the building was built in the late 1880s and it was a working man's bar called Hefron's. Al Nye bought it in the late 40s. It has a curved piano bar, curved paneling and gold flecked booths.
Oh and I almost forgot, the Worlds Most Dangerous Polka Band in a separate bar off of the dining room area. They play on Friday and Saturday nights. Quite a place! The food was "to die for" including the prime rib sandwiches we had.

Thanks For The Memories My Dear Boy

28 years ago today after 25 hours of labor I became a mom for the first time. No other pregnancy was as long or as hard but the benefit was the miracle of David. All our children are special in their own way. David was no exception. Being my first born child was his gift to me. He came with more colic, ear infections and busy-ness than any other child that came after him. He also brought out of me songs like "All Night, All Day, Angels Watching Over Me, My Lord" which I also sang to his subsequent brother and sister. I learned all the names of the dinosaurs, trucks and trains in the world. I read "The Little Engine that Could" about 1,000 times. As he grew I then learned where every baseball field and basketball court was located in the entire Twin City area. I experienced being a Cub Scout den leader and overdrew the bank account, finally replenishing it again with the Christmas wreath sales (what a year THAT was). One day he put the sports aside and picked up a guitar and the rest is "Between Two Skies". After baseball and basketball, homework and tons of his buddies "crashing" overnight on my living room floor he decided to grow up, marry a lovely girl named Venessa and continue to warm my heart with just being himself. Happy birthday, my dear David.

Birds and Squirrels

I got this new camera a week or two ago. It has bells and whistles so I have to take a class on how to use it. Figured I'd get my moneys worth. Anyway they told us to use it alot to get comfortable with it before class so I went out in the back yard to take some pictures and decided to lure some of the pretty birds to our feeder. Guess who chased off all the birds and hogged the 7 pieces of bread I had out. I really detest squirrels!! Maybe I'll borrow Ka*thy's sprinkler end piece and take one out!

Easter Fun at Fiedlers

Easter was a nice quiet time. I dyed eggs and made Easter cookies the day before which was enjoyable even though I did it alone while my better half watched TV and wondered why. I just can't get enough fun in my life I guess besides Easter isn't complete without bunny cookies and colored eggs. Karen usually does it with me but she said she was dyeing eggs with her group at the nursing home so I figured she would get her "fix" there. Michael and I decided to go to early Sunday mass instead of the Saturday Easter vigil since neither of us was participating in the service. Karen and Daniel came over which was different since they now live in Hopkins (David and Venessa went north). They brought a new dice game they had learned to play called Farkle. Very fun! My mom seemed to enjoy the time more than she has in the past. Sometimes she doesn't want to make the effort but with the snow gone, the sun out, and no one playing cards at the "home" she was more than willing to make the trip. She even joined in on the game after dinner. All in all it was a very good time. Btw, the pics were taken with my new camera!