"IT" has happened AGAIN

Considered VINGAGE!

I woke this morning after a perfectly glorious week which started with a heavy APRIL snowfall followed by sunshine, warming temperatures and the disappearance of the snow that this year threatened to become a 12 month a year phenomena.

Yesterday I had the great pleasure of appearing as "Auntie Lena, the Old Norwegian Woman" at the 50th Wedding Anniversary of dear friends.  The party was on the farm where the "bride" grew up.  I visited there often as a child. I drove there almost on auto pilot.  The roads had changed some, Minnesota 52 is now four lanes, the access to the county road now has a curve carved into it to "slow" traffic lest drivers think the road goes straight through. The farm?  Well the old barn remains with new siding and porch-like addition on one side.  All the other buildings are new, the "old Thompson Place" is now clearly the "Olson Place" and still in the family!  Where fields of corn, beans and alfalfa once grew undisturbed and cattle once grazed an enormous cell phone tower signals the 21st Century is fully present.

As one son-in-law of the honored couple said, "This is so amazing.  Who is married 50 years anymore? I tried to explain to my daughter (six years old) what it means to be married 50 years. All she knows is that her daddy is not yet 50 years old!"

"Auntie Lena" brought a deesh to pass: Made from scratch decadent chocolate cake with from scratch chocolate frosting complete with a used candle which she lite with a farmers match; homemade egg coffee in a Ball canning jar wrapped in newspapers to keep it hot "yust like ve used to do ven ve took it to da fields ven pa vas plantin' in da spring;" an antique portable Victrola on which she played polka music when it was all cranked up to handle 78 RPM records and ... ...  it was a grand time!  I wouldn't give it back for a million dollars.

Then the sun came up this morning.  Yes, I woke to a sun-filled morning with the sun steaming in ALL the windows in ALL the rooms of my home.  Struck by nostalgia, I made another pot of old fashioned egg coffee in the same "vintage" pot I used yesterday.  It really is the best coffee in the world whether made in the kitchen or over a camp fire.

While sipping my coffee and reading the paper I noticed a herd of dust buffaloes hiding under the newly recovered "vintage" chair in my den. My eyes then wandered over to the "vintage" unfinished bead-board cabinet that serves as a stand for the television.  Yup, another herd was lurking under the open edge.  As I returned to the kitchen to fill my cup, I noticed that herds were present in corners, under the china hutch, dining room and kitchen tables and ... ... ...

For about 10 seconds I lamented that I had let the house reach this point of disarray.  Well, I got over that real quickly!  I remembered visiting the home of a woman whom I admired greatly in the late 1970s.  There were piles of papers, stacks of books, projects in process and some dishes in the sink.  It was at that moment that I realized that she clearly made choices that fed her life and the lives of countless others; that her home reflected the richness of her life rather than her failure to keep the "perfect house."

It was also about that time that I made a commitment to myself and have stated that commitment often over the years to others: "If on the day I die all they can write on my tombstone is that 'she kept a perfect house' that would be proof that I missed out on a lot of life!"

So, in the past five weeks I:
~Spent time with family and friends
~Recovered from bi-lateral foot surgery on March 15
~Spent eight days with 11 amazing women near Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, Yucatan
~Attended and celebrated Brooke's (grand-daughter) confirmation (Marissa, her big sister was her sponsor)
~Returned to full time work
~Attended the opera Turnadot with a dear friend
~Coordinated the Just Immigration Reform: 2013 Window of Opportunity (click on survey shows)
   event at work featuring local and national presenters
~Attended the wedding of dear friends
~Attended the Cantus benefit honoring the 30th Anniversary of the Advocates for Human Rights
~Had dinner with friends at the newly opened Daily Diner on the corner of University & Dale in St.
  Paul (great food, atmosphere, staff and MISSION)
~Volunteered at the HISTORY THEATRE in their development department (now showing This Side of Paradise)
~Shared "Auntie Lena" with dear friends

About the herds of dust buffaloes...I think they can live happily at least one more day.  After I finish the last drop of my egg coffee I am going to enjoy spring by spending the day OUTSIDE!

Sometimes I forget that every choice I make determines how I spend MY life.  I have to make a pot of egg coffee in my "vintage" pot more often and smile at those buffaloes as I pass by!