"Are you sisters?"

We had another heartwarming and bellylaughing girls weekend and this time in Bemidji.  Thanks to Beth and Jer we had a lovely room, great food and wine.  Even though Beth just had a little knee problem requiring cortisone a couple days before we were able to hit the road and roam the city most of the day.  We all come from tough stock!

I really did enjoy Mr. Deer looking over us.  I grew up in a deer hunting family and even in the big city where I live deer herds have to be culled to save them from dying from starvation.  I understand that.  Overpopulation in either animals or humans is not a good thing.

No - we did not get arrested even though my daughter the 911 dispatcher said it looks like it must have been for felony giggling.  She has a great sense of humor too.  Really it was because there is a rash of mailbox thefts where many mailboxes and rummaged overnight and financial info pulled out and the rest thrown on the street.  A neighbor lady pulled up with her husband as I was parking on Beth's street and I first thought "What the heck, I'm not parked on the grass" - that is against the rules.  She had a pile of mail in her hand for Beth.  There were quite a few police all over the area.  What do I tell them - "Need to move to the large metropolis?" - kidding!  But that is the reason I asked for a locking mailbox for my birthday a couple years ago.  This policewoman was a great sport with us.

Just for fun Beth works in this fantastic olive oil and specialty vinegar shop so we got to taste nearly every one and it's so hard to decide I bought 7 bottles of various kinds.  It is delicious and maybe better than ones from Italy!

I accidentally misrepresented this photo on Facebook and was corrected!  It is NOT Babe and the Blue Ox but I was politely told it was Paul and Babe (aka Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox).  I grew up visiting these so I did know that!

On the way home at a brief stop - hmmmm we ask "What are they?"  Peggy says "Maybe egret?".  I get home and then have this miracle brain start that said "Ostrich" - Correct according to Google who knows everything of course.  They did hiss at us but I think they wanted my DQ cone.

The clerk asked us if we were sisters.  This is at least the 3rd time this has happened and I look at the picture of the 3 of us and I see similarities.  Same height and stature, gray hair, glasses, laughing and talking all the time.  Peggy says if she ever has to protect me she has the means and I believe her!

1966 - The 3 of us are in this picture with other high school friends.  Peg has now been married 50 years in May.

I always love this picture of the 3 of us.  Do you think the yearbook photographer told us how to cross our legs and hands.  I do note theirs are a different direction than mine.  They went to a Catholic parochial school and I was Lutheran - is that why?  Or am I just always a bit obstinate???

1962 - Beth and I are on the right and I'm wearing the muu-muu that my mom made for me and we were dancing to music at my farmhouse.  

And going on 55 years later - still having sleepovers and giggling and given the opportunity we will dance!!!

2009 - overlooking the Stone Arch bridge - downtown Minneapolis.

Other fun:  Our friends Beth and Jim are good sports with my trial and error recipe testing and we had a lovely evening to sit outside.  Ross has a plugged ear duct on one side and it's quite challenging so I'm not sure if he was listening for my camera timer to click or a bear in the woods behind our house!!!

Beth's new little granddaughter and I got to hold her for a long time while her big brother Eddie brought me lots of books to read.  Soon he will be 2.

Alex and Lucy Day - I ask them what they want to do and it's "Bike to Bush Lake Beach to make sand castles and make homemade noodles and jam" - both of which they love to do.  But for timing we had to choose one and noodles won.

My mom always made homemade egg noodles and dried them like this or spread out on the table and we would sneak them raw.  Not sure that's a good idea since it's raw eggs!

So moving on to the next event - in two days we go to my great-nephew's wedding on a farm "up nort".  We all agree that to keep busy all the time is much better than being bored or isolated and lonely!  However I think we all crashed with exhaustion after we got home last night!!!