“It's like the great stories, Mr. Frodo, the ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were, and sometimes you didn't want to know the end because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad has happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing this shadow, even darkness must pass. A new day will come, and when the sun shines, it'll shine out the clearer. I know now folks in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going because they were holding on to something. That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it's worth fighting for.” ― Samwise Gamgee

 

My daughter Christa unexpectedly got into a North House Fold School class in Grand Marais, MN. She asked me if I wanted to go along for the ride, so I said, "Sure, why not?" 

We drove up on Friday and checked into the cutest little cottage one0eight. 

It was so clean and the perfect size for the two of us. 

Once we got settled in, Christa was off for her first night of class. The cottage was just a few blocks from the school, so she walked to it. 

Once her class was done we went to the local brewery for some supper and to sample the beer. 

Saturday, Christa was in class from 9:00-5:00. I spent the day walking around the town, checking out a few shops, taking a 4-mile walk on the Gitchi-Gami Trail, and reading. It was the most relaxing day. 

I walked out to the Grand Marais lighthouse and took this photo of the North House Folk School where Christa was taking her class. It is such a great school, and they teach so many skills. 

I loved sitting on the shores of Lake Superior. It is the best place to just be still and breathe. 

Sunday, Christa had another day of class. I had walked up this huge hill on Saturday, and as I walked, I thought I should try and run up it. On Sunday, I started walking about a quarter of the way up I told myself to run, and that is what I did. It was hard, but I reached the top without stopping to walk. I love a good challenge. Running is really just a mental game. If you think you can do it, you can. 

I forgot to mention that the class Christa was taking was pastry making. She brought all the tasty pastries back for me to try. They were all soooooo good! I probably should have gone back and ran up that hill a few more times 😂

Such beauty on the shoreline. 

 These past two years have been so hard. The weekend away, having alone time to decompress, reflect, and relax, is what I needed for my mental health. It is okay to not always be the strong one. It is okay to feel all those emotions and let it all out. It is okay to be sad about what I have lost. It is okay that learning to live with grief takes time. 

Take a day, week, or year. Do not let anyone tell you that you need to get over it.

Sharon 

"A mile is a mile, regardless of how long it took to get there"

 In May, my daughter Amy texted to say she was signing up to run the Mankato Half Marathon and asked who wanted to join her. I responded that I didn't think I was up for the half but would do the 10K. So, I signed up to run the 5K on Friday evening and the 10K on Saturday morning. 

I love running, but my body doesn't always agree with me. So I speed walk 5-6 days a week and run one day a week. Walking fast makes it easy to take off running when I want to. I also throw in some bike riding and hiking for some cross-training. 

So, this weekend was race weekend!!! 

Amy, Carey, Jese, and I ran the 5K on Friday night. 

Jese and Amy are all ready for the Half Marathon on Saturday. 

Carey and I are all ready for the 10K on Saturday. 

Ready to run the 5K. 

Amy and I are wearing my Dad's bandanas to honor him. 

Amy and I just took it easy on the 5k. We did a slow jog and walked. It was just for fun and to get the jitters out for our big races on Saturday. Jese and Carey ran it fast. They both got their personal record times!! I was so excited for them. 

Sporting our 5K medals. 

Today, Saturday was our big race day! We got up bright and early and made it to the start line. We were all excited and a bit nervous.  

The 10K started at 8:00 and the Half at 8:30, so Carey and I got to take off first. 

I started my running career when I was 40. I have run 5 half marathons, one Twin Cities 10-mile race, and too many 5Ks to count. I have never run a 10K race. In preparation for the race, I ran 3-4 miles weekly, 5 miles a few times, and 6.2 miles once. 

My time in training for the 10K was 1:05:37 at a 10:34 pace. I did that on September 23. 

I was super excited that I got to ring the Personal Record Bell at the end of the race!! 

I finished the race in 1:01:33 at a 9:55 pace. My overall ranking was 188 out of 587, 104 out of 384 females, and 5th out of 13 in my age group (F60-69) I'm so happy with how the race went. I knew I could do better than I had done in September, and I did!

 

Carey also got to ring the Personal Record Bell!!! He finished the race in 1:03:24. 

After we were done running, we went to cheer on the rest of the runners in the 10K, Half Marathon, and Marathon. One of the things I love about running is everyone is happy for the other people running. Whether you are first, last, or somewhere in between. Everyone cheers for everyone!

Jese finished the half marathon in 2:32:03. 

Amy finished in 2:32:18.

I am so proud of Amy, Jese, and Carey! 

Amy was the driving force for all 4 of us to get running. She had not been doing much running for a while when she decided it was time to get back in shape. She trained so hard for this race. I was so happy for her. 

Jese had not run for 8 years when he decided to sign up and train for the half marathon. He had to train through some injuries, but he did it! This was only his second half-marathon. 

Carey had never run any races until this summer! So it was really a big thing for him to run this race. Until today, the furthest he had ever run was 5.5 miles. What a great accomplishment. It was fun for me to run the race with him. 

I am also proud of myself. At 62 years old, I can still run a race and do good at it. 

Today was also a very bittersweet day for me. It was one year ago today that my Mom died. And it has only been 9 days since my Dad died. Since Dad died, every time I would go for a walk, I would find myself crying. Dad is my inspiration with his walking and running. I cannot go for a walk or run without thinking of him. And to not get that phone call from Mom last night telling me good luck on your race was hard. I miss them so much. 

My Dad had Alzheimer's. One thing I have learned about Alzheimer's is that exercise is key to keeping your brain healthy as you age. So, I am going to keep walking, biking, hiking, and running until my body gives out. I am running away from the awful disease,  Alzheimer's. I honor my Dad every time I take my 62-year-old body out for a walk. 

I miss them both so much, but I am carrying them with me every day and trying to make them proud. 

Get out and move.....

Sharon

"We will remember your name forever. Forever your memory will burn as a light inside us all " -Ojibwa Song

 

On October 10th, my Dad decided it was time to reunite with Mom. The picture above was my last photo of the two of us together.  

When asked to describe Dad, the first word that came to my mind was humble. He has so many talents that he never thought they were good enough when he was younger. It wasn't until the last few years that he would talk about what a good job he did at things. 

Dad was a very talented mason. His brickwork is in so many homes in and around Faribault. He was such a perfectionist in everything he did. I remember in our French Lake home, he built a beautiful fireplace. After we moved into the house, he tore it all out and made it over again because it wasn't up to his standards. 

With only an 8th-grade Country School education and a GED he earned while serving in the Army, he went on to build two very successful masonry businesses. 

When he retired, he taught himself woodworking. He started making birdhouses, birdfeeders, trellis, and even doll houses for his great-granddaughters. All of us have them in our yards. 

I have so many great memories of what a great Dad he was. Every winter, he would take the fence down for the cow pasture and flood the little pond we had to make a huge ice rink for us. After every snow, he would be out there making sure it was cleared off so we could go ice skate. We had a huge hill that we spent many hours sliding on. Dad used to take a few rides down that hill on the toboggan. He was always ready to play with us. 

His gardens are famously weedless. He took such pride in them. Not only did he have gardens, but he also put in a small apple orchard. He would plant an acre of sweet corn, and when it was harvested, he would put it in the back of his truck, park it at the end of the road, and we would sell the corn. Dad taught me how to drive the tractor to work the field. 

When Dad was 66, he decided to start walking for exercise. I was also very into exercise, so we really bonded on it. He started walking more and more every day and started to keep track of how many miles he had gone. He set a goal to walk the same amount of miles that it would take to walk the distance around the earth, 24,901.55 miles. At the age of 76, he achieved his goal. I talked him into doing a 5K with me and my daughter Amy when he was 70.  I told him it was a run/walk, so he could just walk it. Unbeknownst to me, he decided that he was going to start running. So when it was race day, he ran the whole race. I was so proud of him. Nothing can top watching him running across the finish line. 

Dad went on to run two more races with us. At age 71, he ran a 5K in 29 minutes. At age 75, he ran a 5K in 35 minutes. 

He is my inspiration. I hope to continue to walk and run as he did into his 80s. 

Alzheimer's took Dad away from us in the end. It was so hard for him as he lost his memory. He was aware it was going away, and he hated it. It robbed him of so many things. It is an awful disease. 

When Mom died last year, it was so hard on Dad. They had been married for 64 years. They had been friends since they were teenagers. He was lost without her. She was his life. 

I look at this picture and I imagine that Dad was writing a love letter to Mom. 

Dad told us all over and over again that he was ready to go. He did not understand why he was still alive when Mom was not with him.  His only wish was to be with Mom. 

This has always been my favorite photo of Mom and Dad. They were young and in love, sitting under the willow tree in my Dad's family home. Because of this picture and my memory of that tree, I have always wanted a willow tree. 

So when we moved into our latest house, it came with a willow tree. The day that Dad died, the northern lights were so bright. 

I looked towards my willow tree and saw this. I believe Mom and Dad were sending me a sign that they were happily reunited again. 

It has only been a year since Mom died. Even though I know that Dad is happy now, I selfishly want him back. I am still learning to live without my Mom, and now I have to learn to live without my Dad...

Sharon 

During World War II, soldiers famously claimed they were fighting for “mom and apple pie.” Since then, apple pie has become a symbol of family and home for many Americans.

 

My mom was so proud that when she was 16 years old, she won the silent pie demonstration contest at the MN State Fair. 

After Mom died last year, I had to go through all of her papers. It was not a fun job as she liked to keep everything. But to my surprise and delight, I came across a folder all about her pie-making. 

It was cool to come across this letter from then-Senator Hubert H. Humphrey. She must have been excited to get it. 

I remember Mom baking all the time. And as she baked, she taught us all of her techniques. She passed her love of baking onto me, and I have passed it on to my children, who have now passed it on to their children! 

We got together for our annual apple pie-baking day a few weeks ago. I am way behind on getting this posted 😂 Some years, we have more people than we know what to do with, and some years, like this year, we only have three. 

We had three generations working in my kitchen to produce 23 apple pies!

Amy is always the peeler of the apples. 

Christa is usually the person who mixes ingredients with the apples. Since she was unable to come this year, Eli took over her job. Eli was a master of getting the apple cut and mixed with the spices and sugar. He told me he had so much fun that he would come back next year. He said he was demoting Christa to wrapping the pies 😂

I am always assigned the job of making the crust and filling the pies up. 

When we have the pies all made up we wrap them in tin foil and freeze them. There is nothing better than baking an apple pie in the middle of winter. 

It is always a great day for me to be with the kids and grandkids doing something that is not only fun but produces something delicious! 

    Making the pies this year was also bittersweet because Mom is no longer with us. If not for her teaching me we would not have this tradition....

I believe she was with us as we made those apple pies, watching over us and making sure we did everything right. 

Happy baking

Sharon 

“Vacations with family are like a musical symphony – they’re a harmony of laughter, love and memories.” – Zig Ziglar

 

I need to catch up on my blog posting.  Who knew retirement life would be so busy. 

We took a family vacation to Lebanon Hills Regional Park a few weeks ago. We stayed in the campgrounds right in the park. CJ, my nephew, is one of the campground hosts at Lebanon Hills. He is the reason we decided to check out the park. I cannot tell you how happy we all were with the facility. The staff were all so helpful. The campgrounds were very clean and quiet. The hiking trails were very well-marked. We all know that Rick and I need well-marked trails 😂. The swimming beach was a blast for the kids. 

We stayed in the East loop of the campgrounds. The sites are huge, very wooded, and private. We had originally planned on coming up on Thursday, but at the last minute, we decided to come up on Wednesday. The staff made it so easy to change our reservations! 

Rick made pizza for everyone. 

Jeff and CJ guided us on several bike trails. 

It rained on and off the whole weekend, but we did not let it stop our fun. 

CJ guided everyone to the bike trail from the West campgrounds. 

Cassie and Larina rented some paddle boards. Everyone took turns on them and had so much fun. 

Nana's hair braiding station was open for the weekend. 

We had lots of campfires 

We had so much fun exploring the area that we booked another weekend this Fall. Lebanon Hills is a gem in the middle of the city. 

Sharon