The beginning of maple syrup season marks the beginning of the end of winter here in northern Minnesota. While much of the United States is enjoying the return of warmth and new green grass, we are still blanketed in snow, waiting patiently (or not so patiently) for springtime. The end of March approaches, the [...]

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I’d been wishing to get together with friends, dress up, bake some special treats, and just indulge in other such girly activities — and an invitation to a ladies’ luncheon from my sister, Audra, provided just such an opportunity! We had a lovely time, all fifteen of us, guests and hostess, packed snugly into Audra’s [...]

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Last Friday, we spent the day downhill skiing at Giant’s Ridge Ski Resort in Biwabik, MN. What a wonderful day, especially as it was spent in the company of family and friends. I (figuratively) dusted off the ol’ Pinnacle Studio Plus movie editing software and created a little music video clip. Click on the play [...]

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A few photos (none taken by me, I admit) of our family gathering for Christmas Eve at Grandma Berge’s house…

The tables are set, ready for everyone to arrive with the food!

Oh, dear, we can’t forget the candy canes! What a disappointment that would be to the little great-grandkids!

Getting out the after-dinner goodies [...]

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While my cousin Krista Fafach and her family were visiting us Minnesota relatives for Thanksgiving, Krista’s sister Karen called with an invitation to a baby shower for little Sabria, the Fafach family’s newest member. The invitation just happened to coincide with a rare “I-Want-to-Make-Something!” mood of mine. Perhaps this mood had been [...]

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The photo above documents the sumptuous spread Mom prepared for our family yesterday. Turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing/dressing, sweet potatoes, whole wheat crescent rolls, corn, cranberry sauce, pickled peppers and olives. We’d made three pies for dessert, but decided they’d better wait a bit.
In the meantime, we dug out our ice skates and drove over [...]

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Two weeks ago, we embarked upon our annual autumn grouse hunt/four-wheeler ride/picnic. It’s become quite the family tradition to load up our four four-wheelers onto Dad’s skid-steer trailer, pack a picnic lunch, and head north to explore the trails around Sixmile Lake. Mid-September found the leaves near their peak of beauty this year, keeping the [...]

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After allowing the honey several days to dry out (with the help of a portable electric heater), Dad decided it was time to begin the extraction process. Neither extraction nor bottling require a bee-tight jumpsuit, so the whole family is able to help out–not just Katelyn. Justin and Audra even came over and lent a [...]

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The original plan was to make good use of the extra-long Labor Day weekend and head over to the North Shore for an exciting weekend of thundering waterfalls, towering rock formations and other sights unfamiliar to us central Minnesota flatlanders. Heh, yeah… Us and every other family within 500 miles. The reservable campsites had all [...]

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Last weekend, we headed south for the second annual Lake Itasca Family Music Festival, hosted by The Berge Family (Relatives of mine! *Proud Grin*). We had such a wonderful time visiting with friends, helping out in the Snack Shack, and, of course, listening to music! Bands came from all across the United States–The Watkins Family [...]

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