I Love Family

When my folks made the decision to move "North!  To . . . (Minnesota)" back in the late 1960s (finding barely enough employment to finally justify it in 1973), they were also making the unconscious decision to move away from family.  Both sides of the family resided in the suburbs and small towns around Chicago, and, while my dad had always been a solitary kinda guy, Mom was used to having lots of cousins and aunts and uncles around, oftentimes 24/7 when she was growing up.

Dad, Grandma (his mom), and my mom, circa 1966.

As a result of the move to a somewhat remote area of northeastern Minnesota (and me being an only child), I rarely saw The Family.  There would be occasional trips back to Illinois, but I could count the number of those on one hand.  My maternal grandparents came up twice every year, once in the spring and once in the fall, but the most frequent visitor on the paternal side was my cousin K, just 18 months younger than I.

I'm sure that Grandma or K's parents accompanied her on each trip, but I remember her being with me, solo, a lot.  

Uncle M teaching K how to drive on a visit to us.

By that time, too, that side of the family was migrating to California by way of New Mexico and now, the few that remain (only six, sadly enough, if I don't count spouses), are all in sunny CA.

Now, add in the fact that the paternal side of my family is NOT very good at reproducing (?!), and you come up with the fact that K and I (both an "only child") are the very last of the family name.  And, being female . . . and us both having married & taken our husbands' names . . . that branch of the S name ends with us.  

So, my point?  Yes, I do actually have one.  The point is that K and I have always been close . . . despite the miles between and the infrequent visits.  We're the closest thing we'll ever have to biological sisters.  And, I'm pretty sure we both treasure that.

Anywayyyyyy (yes, Chicken Mama, get ON with it!), I am REALLY enjoying the family visit!  K and her husband and their daughter (who, at 5 and "three-quarters", may just decide to stay here and not return to California) and our one other female cousin, C, arrived last Friday, and we've all been go-go-going since.

I met them on Friday at their rental cabins and helped them get settled . . . then we headed to Mom & Dad's to visit and have dinner.

On Saturday, I stayed home to keep some sort of sickness at bay, but they spent a great day w/ Mom & Dad.

On Sunday, following brunch at the lodge where Tom & I had our wedding reception (which was, actually, the last time they'd all been up here although Tom and I had been down to them for K & B's wedding), my folks headed back home to get some things done while the rest of us drove here to Swamp River Ridge and then headed out onto the river for some fishing.

L-R:  Mom, Cousin C, Cousin K & her daughter, me, Dad

 

 Top:  Cousin K helps her daughter pull in a Northern.

Bottom, L does just fine on her own, too!

  

The new header picture is of Cousin C (in the bow) and Cousin B (K's hubby) in the stern.

My beautiful little "niece".

Yesterday, promising we would return earlier than the night before - Mama Pea, waiting a delicious dinner for us, had NOT been happy that we arrived home shortly before 9:00 PM! - Dad took us to an inland lake on a quest for perch & trout.

It was H-O-T, but another wonderful day was had by all.  We must have caught about 40 perch . . . but they were all teeny little fingerlings.  We only kept 2 perch & 1 pretty rainbow (trout) that B (K's hubby) caught.

And, with that, I'll leave you with a couple pictures from yesterday.

(Cousin C "took the day off" with Mom until we all met up for dinner & fish stories last night.)

Feels like Goin' Back to School

Today kinda feels like going back to school in the fall. It's nice to have a somewhat-set schedule again. Tom's started a gig that he'll be at for a while (except it's about 56 miles away!), and so the alarm went off before 6:00 AM this morning. Ugh. But, a pot full of strong, percolated coffee and a big bowl of oatmeal with maple syrup & cream helped. Speaking of that, I need another cup o' java. Hang on.

While I made an unplanned but necessary there-and-back trip to town yesterday (not so "quick" when you live an hour out, but it's all relative, isn't it?), Tom took the dogs down to the international border river for a hike. I urged him to take a digital camera with, and these are some of the pictures he took.

Here, you can see how the path is starting to grow up again.
It's always SO hard trying to stay ahead of Ma Nature!


Even tho it's super shallow, it's great to see that the river
seems to stay so nice and wide where our path empties into it.


Here, Maisy transports a large rock into Canada.
Hope you have your passport, dog!


Tucker's never enjoyed swimming, but, in the last year or so,
he's come to appreciate cool water on a hot day!

Yesterday being Tom's last "free day" before this new work gig began, we definitely sloughed off, but what a day it was to do so! Once I got home, we threw (okay, grunted & groaned) the canoe to the top of the Subaru and zipped down to "our river". It was a HOT day, but there was a strong wind which made it a truly lovely day to be on the water. And, truth be told, it was actually a MASSIVE wind. The highest wind gust was 22 mph, and I challenge you to try shoving a heavy, old Grumman (canoe) upriver against that! Yesterday's paddle was definitely the hardest we've ever had to work out there. BUT, it paid off in spades!


After figuring out the correct lure (Tom knew what to use right off the bat, but we only had one of those; it took more trial-and-error for me to find something suitable), we could not keep the fish out of the boat! Oftentimes, we both had one on our lines at once! But . . . riddle me this: in northeastern Minnesota, the prized fish is walleye. A fish no one fishes for (but us) because of the hugely massive amount of bones is the northern pike. Why is it, then, that the limit for northern (which, I repeat, FEW fish for) is only three . . . while the limit for walleye (which EVERYONE fishes for) is six???? Shouldn't it be just the opposite: that the over-fished species has a LOWER limit? Please, someone explain this one to me.

The wild rice is beginning to hang from the stalk
in readiness for the fall harvest.

Anyway, we had a GREAT day on the water and didn't pull in until just after 8:00 when the sun was down and we were getting chilled. And, after some truly unpleasant hot, hot, HOT days this past week, the mercury dipped into the 40s last night for sleeping. Ahhhh, heaven!

Okay, on with my day. Dirty dishes are screaming at me from the kitchen sink.

P.S. Oh! Do you know fireweed?


Each blossom opens from the bottom of the flower up in succession,
and woods lore says that the day the top bloom opens, so, too, will arrive the first frost!


Yikes!

Down-Home Goodness

Tom just returned home with some NICE Northern for dinner!

The wild rice is cooking, the slivered almonds are browning, and the peas are simmering as I write!

Saturday Morning

Well, so much for sleeping in on a Saturday morning (like I'd been hoping for and looking forward to)! Tom came home last night with the exciting news that he'd been invited on an annual "before the Pow Wow" morning fishing trip on the Big Lake, so the alarm went off at 5:30 AM for his 6:15 departure. I got the coffee made and in the thermos while he packed himself up. A couple of sandwiches made and two containers of homemade creme fraiche with raspberries from my mom's garden for their breakfast, and he was off!

Now I have raw milk heating on the stove to make cottage cheese, and the day has started! And it's not even 7:00 yet - ouch!

This weekend is the big pow wow and rendezvous that attracts many drums and dancers from bands across the (and in surrounding) state(s) and provinces. I'll meet Tom later today for a moose burger and fry bread! (After what I hope will be a SUCCESSFUL morning of fishing!)

And, I have to mention this following story because I'm SO proud of Tom for what it means (that he was asked). Yesterday, one of Tom's co-workers - another of the administrators - celebrated his mother's life in a memorial service at the old church in the original Chippewa settlement here in the county. Tom attended to pay his respects - quietly sitting in the back row. When Tom got there, the co-worker gave Tom some tobacco and asked if he would make an offering with it in honor of Mii-Ki-Na-Kwe (who was only 10 years older than Tom when she passed away but grandmother to 36 and great-grandmother to fourteen). Tom was shocked, but, obviously, agreed - tucking it away in his pocket for the burial ceremony.

The service then began in the tiny church - Tom's co-worker and his brother standing to speak. Then, his eyes cast down - thinking about the tough time he's going through with his own dad - Tom hears, "And now, we'd like to ask a family friend, Thomas, to come up and say a few words." (Thomas is what he goes by up on the Rez.) What?! Huh?! Ack!

But, of course, my wonderful, impressive, speaks-so-well husband collected himself and walked to the front of the church. He spoke about the love for Mii-Ki-Na-Kwe that was obvious in the faces of the people there to honor her. He referenced the inter-personal struggles that the family had obviously experienced (based on what was said by the speakers who had gone before him). He spoke about the sadness of anticipating his own dad's passing and cried. He thanked them for giving him the honor of speaking.

Then, at the burial ceremony where the ashes were placed in a bag Mii-Ki-Na-Kwe had beaded for her own eternal journey (my words, not theirs), and at the base of a massive tree, Tom shared the tobacco with the gathered family and friends who offered it in honor of this woman.

Back at work that afternoon when Tom was down at the lodge, he felt a tap on his shoulder. It was Mii-Ki-Na-Kwe's husband who was on his way to the traditional feast (which Tom was invited to but did not attend). He - who Tom had never met before - just wanted to thank Tom for his words and support to the family.

Wow.

Deep breath.

So now, the cottage cheese has entered its second phase of processing and needs to "sit and stew" for two hours. I need more coffee, I'll put in a load of laundry, and then I'll be back for more updating.

28 May 2007

We got out in the canoe and on the river for the first time at the end of last month. We've never been skunked on that river, but, after the 1st hour or so of NOTHIN', we were getting a little worried! But, once we put down our morning coffee and finished our fresh Jam Dandy Muffins and really got down to it, we had success . . . and fresh Northern for dinner! :)