Month: February 2011

Stonemill Farm Houses

In a previous, I wrote about Hastings, Minnesota and the neighborhood that I drove through in looking at a house we wanted to see.  Most of those houses were cookie-cutter type houses.

I drove back again with a different “eye” to see what the town looked like.  The town itself sits on the banks of the Mississippi River and has approximately 23,000 residents.

Hastings, Minnesota Water Tower

There are a lot of homes that are different than what I saw before.  More colorful.

Hastings, Minnesota house

Hastings, Minnesota house

Hastings, Minnesota House

There is a lot of architectural detail in some of the buildings.  The house below has been converted into condos.

Old Hastings, Minnesota house

The picture below is of the Hastings Public Square City Hall and Police.

Hastings, Minnesota Public Square City Hall and Police

The downtown area reminds me of the town in the Andy Griffith Show.

Downtown Hastings, Minnesota

And, of course, every older town has to have large church buildings.  This one is the Berean Bible Baptist Church.

Berean Bible Baptist Church in Hastings, Mn

An old railroad bridge sits unused.

Hastings, Minnesota

The Hastings High Bridge, built in 1951, is scheduled to be torn down and replaced with a new bridge according to Wikipedia.

Hastings High Bridget in Hastings, Mn

A nice little quaint town.

Afton, Minnesota House

A house we previewed recently is in Afton, Minnesota and sits on 6 acres.  It has a really long driveway with trees on both sides.

Afton, Minnesota

The houses in this neighborhood are all on acreage.  The closest neighbor is to the right of the driveway when you enter.  A play area sits to the right of the house.

The house itself is pretty on the outside and when you enter a wall of windows invites you in.

Afton, Minnesota house

Looking through the windows, you can see trees — lots and lots of trees on this property.  A red river birch tress sits right outside the front door.

Red River Birch, Afton, Minnesota

The house also has a separate garage with a loft.

But, the house has its flaws.  It has not been updated in many years and does not “flow.”  I don’t believe in feng shui but when I walk into a house, I do get a “feel” as to whether I would enjoy living in it.  I didn’t get the “feel” for this house.

The Saliva Miracle

Imagine being born blind.  Everything is dark.

Those of us with eyes that can see can’t really fathom what blindness is like.  Even on a dark night when I can’t sleep and I open my eyes, it is not totally dark.  My eyes adjust to the darkness and I can make out little things.  But that is not true of someone who is blind.

I remember as a child pretending to be blind by putting a scarf over my eyes.  One of the differences is that I could take my scarf off and see.

So when I read the story of a man who was blind from birth, it is not easy for me to fully understand.

Long Beach, Washington

John 9:1 As He went along, He saw a man blind from birth.

The disciples who were with Jesus wanted to know who was responsible for the blindness.  Was it because of the man’s sin or the parents sin?  It seems odd to ask the question because if the man was born blind what sin would he have committed?

Jesus affirms that neither the man nor his parents sinned.  Sometimes things happen and it’s nobody’s fault.  They just happen.  Especially in this sinful world we live in.

But Jesus didn’t let it go at that.

John 9:6 After saying this, He spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva and put it on the man’s eyes.

What happens next is nothing short of a miracle.  John 9:7  Go, He told him, wash in the Pool of Siloam.  So the man went and washed and came home seeing.

The man is blind.  Jesus uses His saliva and dirt from the ground to make mud and put it on the man’s eyes.  Then, the man sees.

There are many different analogies one can make from this story.  My initial inclination is to see how Jesus can take something as common as spit and use it to change a man’s life.  He was blind but not he sees.  And he is able to see because he did what Jesus asked him to do — go and wash.  Get the dirt out of your eyes.

Nothing would have happened had the man chosen not to do as Jesus asks.  He would have remained blind with mud in his eyes.

And later He sees Jesus — His healer — and he worships Him.

I too was blind, but now I see.  So I can only worship Him.

Mi Familia Restaurante y Cantina

We’re still searching for a good Mexican restaurant to eat at and decided to try Mi Familia Restaurante y Cantina.  A cantina in Spanish means bar.

Mi Familia Restaurante y Cantina in Woodbury, Mn

Normally, the restaurant’s that have bars have separate eating areas. Not so with this one.  When we entered, there was a sign that said “Our credit card machine is down.  Cash only.  ATM in … ”  Since we had cash we continued to enter.

To the left of entering, is the bar area, directly ahead is the above, uh, let’s call it a  sculpture.  From the tables directly past the sculpture are tables and booths.  We were seated immediately.

We were served chips with guacamole dip and hot salsa.  The chips were not very good.  I’ve bought better ones at the store.

I had the super burrito (it’s hidden under the lettuce).  The burrito was served with whole cooked pinto beans and rice.  The rice was cooked a little too long but the burrito tasted good.  The beans lacked flavor.

Super Burrito at La Familia Restaurante y Cantina

My husband had the enchilada verdes with rice and beans.  His response was “it was okay.”

Enchiladas Verdes

We probably won’t be going back to this restaurant.  It was too bar-like for me and the food was not worth the money spent.  Although, our waitress was very good.

Minnesota Blizzard

After having 40 degree temperatures last week, we got hit with a blizzard this week.

The locals all say that this is a strange phenomenon.  Anything over 4 inches is not common.  And, March is supposed to be the snowiest month.  Huh.  If that’s true we’re in for a lot of snow in March.

The pictures below were taken right outside our front door.  The wind was blowing so hard and the 27 degree temperature felt like it was under 0 degrees.  I came in quickly after taking a few pictures.

Woodbury, Minnesota Blizzard 2011

Woodbury, Minnesota Blizzard 2011

Woodbury, Minnesota Blizzard 2011

Woodbury, Minnesota Blizzard 2011

Lastly, footprints in the sand, oops, snow.

Woodbury, Minnesota Blizzard 2011

 

Ultimo Day Spa

I went to the Ultimo Day Spa in Woodbury, Minnesota the other day to see if they could help with the back pain that I was having. I’ve gone to Gene Juarez salons in the Seattle area and, although a wee bit expensive, they were very good so I expected similar service at the Ultimo.

Ultimo Day Spa, Woodbury, Minnesota

I was greeted warmly and was told to fill out a 2 page questionnaire on my health.  The masseuse was waiting for me when I arrived.

I had requested, and received, a masseuse that had many years of service.  I didn’t want a fru-fru type of massage.  I needed one that took the kinks out of my back.

The masseuse used hot stones on my back prior to the massage and left them there during the times she worked on my arms and legs.  One has to like heat if they are going to have the hot stone massage.

I was so relaxed that I fell in and out of sleep during the massage.  When it was over, my back felt pretty good along with other parts of my body.

This was a very good place to go.  The one thing that seemed odd was that I was given a gift bag for seeing them for the first time.  It had an exfoliating lotion, a list of their services with prices and an address book.  The address book was so out of place in this technological world we live in.

New visitor gift at Ultimo Salon

Very few people use address books any more, although I still have mine as a back-up — in case technology shuts down one day.

J C Penney, Woodbury, Minnesota

I was helping my husband look for a new pair of work shoes at J C Penney.  The salesman asked if he could help us and we gave him two different types of shoes that my husband wanted to try on.

A few minutes later, a young lady came out with the shoes with 4 boxes of shoes.  Different sizes, in case one size didn’t fit. She asked my husband if he needed a shoe horn and he said no.  She then walked away.

So, there we were — my husband taking the shoes out of the box and trying them on.  When we got to the second pair there was paper jammed inside the shoe and we couldn’t get it out.  I went to the customer service desk and no one was there so I said “hello?”  No answer.  The salesman and young lady both must have been in the back.  So — I yelled nice and loud “Hello?”

The young lady came out and I asked her if she could take the paper out of the shoe.  With a little difficulty, she was able to do what we needed.  Then she disappeared again.

My husband found the shoes he wanted and we went to the counter to pay for them.

Whatever happened to customer service?  This is the first time I’ve gone to a shoe department where they haven’t taken care of you by removing all the plastic and paper from the shoes and putting the shoes on your feet.

Maybe my expectations are too high.  Perhaps if we want to get customer service we should shop at Nordstrom’s from now on.  At least there I know people will take care of us.

Back Pain

After seeing a doctor for back pain and ruling our appendicitis, gall bladder and kidney problems, he sent me home with a prescription for extra strength ibuprofen and an anti-inflammatory.

This is the 3rd day taking the medications and although they seem to help, it’s hard to determine for sure.  The anti-inflammatory makes me sleepy.  The morning pill is fine but the 2nd pill I take not just relaxes the muscle but every other part of me also.  Nodding off, waking, nodding off, waking.  Yesterday I did not take the 3rd pill as I didn’t feel like the 1st and 2nd pill had worn off yet.

I wonder if the doctors take into affect one’s weight when doling out the many times one has to take the pills.

For now, I’m comfortable with the occasional dull ache.

Joel Northrup and Wrestling

Reading the story of Joel Northrup, I had to applaud him for making a decision that was very hard for him.  Joel, because of his religious convictions not to wrestle a girl due to inappropriate contact, decided to default the match.

Sometimes we read stories of “older” people making decisions like this.  To have a young person stick to his convictions is admirable.

Joel said “As a matter of conscience and my faith I do not believe that it is appropriate for a boy to engage a girl in this manner.  It is unfortunate that I have been placed in a situation not seen in most other high school sports in Iowa.”

People may not agree with his decision, but we have to give him credit for sticking with his convictions.

Read the whole story by clicking here.

What About the Children?

While watching TV, I came across a show called The Talk.

They were interviewing a woman by the name of Cady Coleman who is a NASA astronaut and is currently at the International Space Station for approximately 3-6 months.
Mrs. Coleman has 10 and 17 year old sons.
It probably doesn’t bother anyone but me, but I had to ask myself “When did our priorities get flip-flopped?  When do our jobs take priority over our children?”
Perhaps it has to do with getting older.  I look at things a little differently than when I was growing up. 
My mother raised 6 children alone.  We would wear hand-me-down clothes.  There was no such thing as leftover food.  And oatmeal (which I still love) was sometimes served for breakfast and dinner.  There were no graduation photos as we couldn’t afford them.  The Catholic church was very gracious to our family by giving us food and clothing.
My mother didn’t work.  She felt it was important for her to be home when we arrived home.  She wasn’t perfect.  We missed socials with other children because she was very protective of her little flock.
Most importantly to me, she never would have been gone from our lives for 6 months.  Her children were her priority.
I know some will say “that’s Mrs. Coleman’s job.”  Yes, it is.  But she chose it.  And it’s not just mothers that I have concerns about.  I have the same concerns about fathers.  We have too many children with parents who put work or other priorities in place of their children.  
We can’t recover any time we miss with our children.  Not one second.  “But this is better for the world — a woman in space.  How much it will inspire other females.”  Etc. Etc. Etc.  I’ve heard it all.
It’s not about “other” people.  It’s about those we brought into this world that we should be placing first in our lives.
Old-fashioned?  Perhaps.  But I know too many adults who are screwed up because they had no mother or father at home to love them.  Too many.  All they wanted was the love of their mother and father.
Is it really too much to ask for?  Really?
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