Up Up and Away
My mom, Sharon Bloomquist, sister Melissa Smith and I recently went on vacation to see family in Arizona. Can I tell you that three white girls from Northern Minnesota and I mean white (as we haven’t seen sun or been warm in months) have no business embarking on an adventure all over Arizona and Utah in mid- summer. Yi Yi Yi. It was 100 degrees when we landed in Phoenix at 4pm. Once we trekked across forty seven concourses (but who counted) and rode a hot nilly willy tram to the rental car agency some two miles away, my whiter than white attention to detail sister pulls out the flashlight on her phone and gets busy searching vans for scratches and dents while my mom and I are wilting away. Just pick a dang van and start the AC Missy.
Bucket Lists
On my mom’s bucket list is a hot air balloon ride, sky diving and perhaps bungee jumping? I certainly wouldn’t put it past Sharon to jump from a perfectly good plane. I personally have trouble being on the second wrung of a step ladder so no hot air balloon ride for me. I don’t think I would get in the balloon basket even if armies of guerillas were after me. Just shoot me now.
Us obviously white folk visited family in Tucson and of course they had chickens. Lot of chickens. Of course I brought chickens home with me. No I wanted to, but I did bring a dozen hopefully fertile eggs home. These eggs faired photo shoots including lumps and bumps, heat and cold all the way from Tucson to Prescott to Flagstaff to Moab’s Monument Valley and the switchbacks of Arches National Park. On my bucket list was standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona and cute little chicks with puffy cheeks. On Missy’s bucket list was a helicopter ride. My mom and sister did go on a helicopter ride in Moab viewing arches that you can only get to if you hike to them while the fertile eggs and I watched from the safety of the airstrip. We also went to Winslow so I checked that off my list.
According to the Perk in the third century, the Chinese created the first prototype of hot air balloons. It wasn’t until 1783 that manned flight was recorded in Paris. In 1793 Americans launched from Walnut Street Jail in Philadelphia. In the 1800’s balloons were used to identify enemy positions during the Civil War. Did you know prior to humans taking flight, a sheep, a rooster and a duck were hailed as heroes in France after a 10 minute balloon flight 1,600 feet in the air. Poor animals. Maybe this was someone’s inspiration and how Mighty Mouse came about?
Meanwhile back at North Shore Living
We hadn’t been out on an adventure as a group since the pandemic started until recently. We went to the Hub for lunch and enjoyed ourselves. It was good to be out having a bus ride and enjoying a meal at our old stomping grounds.
We are finally enjoying sunny days and drinking lemonade out on our patio. We are busy playing games, eating homemade cookies and muffins, listening to music, playing Bingo and drinking coffee to name a few. We have also been singing to the oldies, attending Bible study, having happy hour and dancing to the Portage Band. Let’s not forget our crafting, beautifying our courtyards and having animal, family and friends visiting. We threw in some Squeezy Miller with his accordion and the Middle/High School choir and took some time telling Memorial Day memories. We had a well- rounded month of activities that’s for sure.
Volunteers & This and That
Thank you so much to all of you who have donated towards our electric bicycle. We now have it here and are looking forward to finally be like a kid again and feel the breeze on our faces while biking.
Thank you to our volunteers for enriching our lives. We wouldn’t have as much fun as we do without you. We are looking for volunteers to come play games with us on Saturday or Sunday afternoons from 2-3:30 or there about. Bring a friend or the whole family to join in. We like to play UNO, Bingo, Lucky 7, Give Me 10, Dice games and trivia to name a few. You could bring a game you enjoy playing or bring some music. The possibilities are endless. Give Lisa a call at 218-387-3518.
Kay Rosenthal is finally retiring retiring and moving nearer to family. Thank you for your time with us Kay. We wish you well on your next adventures. We wonder what is on Kay’s bucket list. What is on yours? Don’t wait. Do it now. Email us something you crossed off your bucket list. We will read them to the residents. Send your adventures to lisa.bloomquist@northshorehealthgm.org
We just may have chicks by the next newsletter, remember what goes up must come down, Old Age Ain’t for Sissies and Missy is an excellent driver even on Sunday’s.
Memorial Day Memories 2023
“My parents took care of us and we didn’t even know a war was on. We had a garden, lived on a farm and we never went without. We got 2nd had cloths from relatives”
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“I remember being in the band and playing for everyone. My dad was a Veteran; he was in the Coast Guard. My Grandpa’s family were in WWII. A brother was a P.O.W., one lost an eye and another did not return from the war.”
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“My aunt and uncle were Vaudeville performers in the 1ST War in France and they entertained the soldiers. They came back on a warship, we kids used to pick wild flowers to put on their graves (violets). School seemed different in the time of WWII very patriotic. At one time, we collected scrap iron for the war effort – huge piles of it. Memorial Day was important in our small town. The High School band marched through town and to the cemetery when taps was played former soldiers marched. Families would lay flowers on graves it was a sad/happy time.”
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“My brother was a P.O.W. in WWII. It was hard on our family, hard times for everyone. We (family) always got together for Memorial Day and had a picnic. Times were tough back then and we did not have a car. Gas was rationed. Families shared (hand-me-downs) clothes and we were grateful. Kids these days have to have brand new. When my brother returned from the war and we went to pick up we wondered what he would look like. He looked the same.”
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“On Memorial Day the honor guard would play at the Courthouse yard, members of the guard would share words of honor and celebration for those lost in war. Veterans and families would have a meal at the American Legion in town. My sister was a WAX – that was the Women’s Army Corp. Her job was office assistant much like her job in the civilian world. A high school friend and I tried to join the service as a WAX but it was after 1949 and we not able to at that time.”
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“My brother was in the Korean War. It was after college and it was a peace keeping mission.”
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“My husband served in the Army. He took his bible with him, as it was important for him to have. During the war, I was in school. You had to save money, use stamps for things like butter and coffee. As a kid, we had to be sure not to waste anything. I still to this day do not like to see people waste food. Memories of Memorial Day as a kid were that the stores were closed. My brothers served in the military. War is just destruction and death. Women can served in the military now and that’s ok by me…if they choose to…it wouldn’t be my choice”
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“Four generations of our family served in WWI, WWII and the Korean War, both drafted and volunteer. It is hard to think of women now carrying guns and being shot at but it is important to have that choice. Hard to think of Russia now in this current war. What it is doing to families. War does not solve anything. We have so much going wrong in this country now it is a scary time”
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“We went on a picnic as a family on this day. We also went to the Courthouse where a Bugle played to honor the veterans who had died in the wars. Some Veterans were there for the honor guard. We put flags on the graves as well.”