Lorlee's Texas freeway garden in bloom

The photo above was taken by Lorlee Bartos a couple weeks ago. It is her famed Dallas freeway garden she cultivates in the public right of way, but nobody objects, for obvious reasons. She has 25 roses on about 150 feet of the fence. Also, the iris and the May flowers were in full bloom, along with some poppies and larkspur and the hollyhocks are in bud. Please note the very tastefully painted lavender building. That is her garage. It matches the house, the only lavender one in the neighborhood. Imagine that!

Huge hassle ended as a blessing

Hi Stan,
Reading the blog today caused the following rambling thoughts.
After my father's death in December of '99, my brother Jim and I spent Saturday mornings, for three months, cleaning out our house in the Heights.
We would take off from Plymouth/Minnetonka early Saturday -- work for a few hours, then off to lunch in Osakis and back home late that afternoon. We didn't plan to take so long but we finally agreed it was difficult to break our tie to Alex. It gave us time to get to know each other again, to go through all the "stuff" and all the memories. When we finished, we left with a few treasures, lots of wonderful memories and the house was just a house.
What started as a huge hassle ended as a wonderful blessing!
And the point to this: My hair braids from third grade were in the cedar chest! Anyone want hair extensions? ...it's the rage!
There must be many basement/attic stories out there in blog land.

Thanks for keeping the blog!
Kath

(Kathy Sherry Skadsberg)

Misty memories of the way we were

Stan,

When we were cleaning out my mom and dad's house we found my tonsils in a jar. I had those removed in kindergarten. Totally disgusting!

John Herdan

Tips for sorting through a parent's things....

After spending 3 days helping sort through my Mom's things when she moved out of her house…
1. If the parent is alive and doing this with you, your job is to keep them focused on the task at hand. Starting at one end and methodically moving through, continually asking: (a) Does this go with you, (b) does this go to someone, (c) is this trash or (d) does this go to the auction (see below for further clarification on this option). It is very easy to get distracted by memories and memorabilia and if you hop from room to room, you never seem to get anywhere. It was clear that several haphazard attempts had been made before I arrived. I was like a drill sergeant… starting in one room and staying with it until we finished that room and moved to the next.
2. If there is anything (other than a verifiable valuable antique) that someone in the family wants -- Just give it to them. It is not worth the hassle of having an auction sale. The time and the trouble one goes through on that is generally not worth what you recoup.
Lorlee Bartos

I feel your pain

In response to the story about uncluttering relatives' homes, Bonita Gilbertson, county recycling chief, offered these observations:

Hi Stan and Kathleen,

In my job we have people who are in the same situation that you have been in almost WEEKLY! The stuff is too good to throw but no one wants it.
When Mom died she had a blue wingback chair in her room. No takers so far. My in-laws lived in the same house where my father-in-law had moved when he was two. NOTHING was thrown. They even saved the material from his pants when they were hemmed (shortened).
My Dad lives in a one-bedroom assisted living apartment and he has a 3 foot tall tool chest in a closet. I swear he could plumb a house or build an apartment building with his tools. He refuses to give them up and to top it off, he loves to shop so adds to the inventory weekly!!! I dread the day something happens. I have four siblings but for some reason, I seem to be an only child when it comes to dealing with my parents. Part of it is Dad's fault, of course, as he doesn't want the rest of them "getting their noses in his business." The other part is "Bonita is in town, she will handle it."
Well, good for you two for taking care of the house and goods. At least it wasn't an old farm where there were rusted, leaking, 55-gallon drums filled with unidentified liquids that the relatives have to deal with. That happens all of the time here in farm country. Hang in there. A lot of us are or will be doing the same thing, as our parents pass into the next stages of their lives.

Oh, by the way, I saw your Mom at Shalom Church on Sunday. I was asked to give a presentation to the adult forum and she was in attendance. I spoke to her briefly. She looks great!

Later...Bonita

P.S. Thanks for letting me unload :-(

Please don't do this to YOUR children

Grandma died in January at the age of 99.
She left a legacy of fond memories and a house at 568 Pelham Blvd. in St. Paul, occupied by her 68-year-old retired bachelor son, who is recovering from a heart operation and dealing with a bad hip. He wants to move out of the family home to a more suitable situation in South Minneapolis.

We laughed
We said we'd help. We listed the property with ReMax and called the dumpster company. They said the smallest unit was 20 feet long by 8 feet wide by 4 feet deep. We laughed and said we didn't have near enough to fill it, but send it anyway.
Now, Grandma Florence lived simply in a modest Cape Cod with a garage out back and a full basement. The realtor lists it at a bit more than 1100 square feet. Grandpa Leonard died over 30 years ago (Incidentally, he used to fish sunfish a lot in Forada) and nobody wanted to throw his stuff out; then Auntie Bubbles died at a different location 15 years ago and, before her estate sale, the good stuff was "saved" in grandma's attic. Brother Jim died tragically 13 years ago and nobody felt like throwing his stuff away, too painful. You start to get the picture.

Then, on the Seventh Day, we rested
We started last Wednesday. (You may have noticed not much has been posted here recently.) Seven days later, we can breathlessly report that we're done. See photo at left, you might spot Katie. The dumpster may be full, but, even so, the house is still completely staged and furnished. (You can't sell an empty house, we're told). No appliances or yard waste were put in the dumpster, that's illegal. Knick-knacks, kitsch, and dust catchers have been boxed and stacked three-high in the garage for personal review and claiming by any relative with emotional attachments.

Antiques? Three beat-up mini-van loads of vintage wooden chairs, tables and dressers were sold, cash on the barrel, to Roy from Mendota Heights. Roy's a striking Northwest Airlines mechanic who fancies himself to be a stripper, now intending to reveal gorgeous original walnut hidden beneath copious layers of grandpa's finishes. You go Roy.
The stuff that wasn't antique, but still useable -- like lawn chairs, Christmas ornaments, garden tools, flower pots, beds, chicken wire, gas cans, hazardous waste, old batteries, and tons of other items, was set out on the boulevard with a "free" sign on it. We marveled as it disappeared like pizza pie from a freshman dorm.

So, seven days later, the material in the dumpster is, well, picked over, authenticated, certified junk.

Start now
So please, my friends, the moral of this story: Don't do this to your children. Start now. Recycle, give it away, sell it, junk it, toss it out, burn, simplify, reduce. Let your legacy be fond memories and not the detrius of misbegotten intentions.


By the way. If you know anybody who would like a very nice Cape Cod on Pelham Blvd. in St. Paul, it is listed for just $197,500. Nice neighborhood. All appliances included. Lots of storage space.
Email the trailboss@swpub.com

Teeing it up at the 1997 Resorters

The only boys in the Class of 1965 to study French formed a threesome in 1997. It is known, thanks to Sharon Bartholomew, that their French teacher Anne Riggs can curse in French. While we don't know how Greg Johnson, Tom Obert and Tom Kiehne golfed that day, or how many putts were missed, we do wonder if those special language skills were ever put to work. 

Sara Smith Sevey celebrates grandson's second!

Hi,

We just celebrated Tyler's second birthday. This little guy has a long list of serious ailments which includes a brain condition that may be affecting his eating patterns as he has zero interest in eating and needs to be hooked up to a feeding tube at night. The ends of the tube are taped to his face and back of his shirt during the day and doesn't seem to bother him at all. He goes full speed and talks constantly, which makes him appear to be completely normal except that he only weighs twenty pounds . . . and we're thrilled that he weighs that much.

I've been in contact with Harland Hoffland and Joyce Angus as all three of us have grandchildren we're worried about and thought I'd give an update on Master Tyler.

By the way, Tyler's dad is my son, Mike, just in case you didn't see a family resemblance. For those of you who knew my dad, Mike is his clone. Anyway, thanks for any and all thoughts and prayers for Taylor, Nolan, Nolan and Tyler.

Sara

Bonita's mother, Rose Olson, 82

Rose (Mrs. Arthur) Olson, 82, Alexandria, died April 7, at Bethany Home. She is the mother of Bonita Gilbertson.
Funeral services will be held Wednesday, April 12 at 11 a.m. at Calvary Lutheran Church.
Visitation was yesterday at Anderson Funeral Home in Alexandria and one hour prior to the service at the church on Wednesday.
Arrangements are with Anderson Funeral Home in Alexandria.

Rumors of sex scandals abound. . .

Rumors of sex scandals abound in the town known for Grumpy Old Men, where the cub reporter found our classmate Tom Ellis and Eleanor in their Wabasha kitchen. Later the couple posed for revealing photographs at an eagle overlook a block away at the southern end of Lake Pepin. Wabasha is not only the home of "Grumpy Old Men," but also the National Eagle Center. The southern end of Lake Pepin (a wide area of the Mississippi and the birthplace of water skiing) is the winter home for many bald eagles. More on the sex scandal later.

Five grandchildren!

Photo courtesy Kathy Skadsberg
Here are Lynn Dietz Jorgenson's five grandchildren.

Obituary for Barbara Ann Muyres

Here is the obituary of our classmate that appeared in the EchoPress.
Barbara Ann Muyres, 59, Westminster, Colorado, died March 28, 2006.
Barbara grew up in Carlos and graduated from Jefferson High School in Alexandria. She lived in Des Moines, Iowa for the majority of her adult life, where she will be greatly missed by many. She had recently moved to Colorado to be close to her daughter and had spent priceless time with her granddaughters. She enjoyed her hockey season ticket to the Des Moines Buccaneers. She also loved playing the piano and doting on her granddaughters.
She is survived by her daughter, Lori (John) Springer; granddaughters, Emma, Ela and Annie, all of Westminster; son, Eric (Catherine) Drexler of Clive, Iowa; father, Merl Muyres of Carlos; brother, Doug (Joyce) Muyres of Carlos; sisters, Nancy (Jerry) Steidl of Bloomington, Patricia
(Pete) Serie of Maple Grove; many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her daughter, Kimberly Ann Drexler; mother, Iona Muyres; and granddaughter, Lily E. Springer.
A Funeral Mass was held April 3 at St. Nicholas Catholic Church in Belle River with the Rev. Eugene Lemm officiating. Music was provided by the St. Nicholas guitar choir. Interment was at the church cemetery.
Casket bearers were Ryan Steidl, Zachariah Serie, Michael Diedrich, Rick Dailey, Tom Feda and John Feda Jr.
A memorial service will be held in Des Moines, Iowa later in the spring. Due to Barbara's love of music, in lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to the Minnesota Orchestra, specifying children's programs.
Arrangements were with Anderson Funeral Home in Alexandria;

Bud Bruzek and daughter Brittney

Bob Annen took this picture at the Cardinal Girl's Hockey banquet. It is our classmate Bud Bruzek with his daughter Brittney -- she'll be attending St. Thomas College in St. Paul next year. 

Remembering Barb

Hi Stan,

I am still in shock about Barb Muyres.

I just got home from a week in Monterey, Ca. While looking at my mail, one of the letters was from Barb with her new address in Colorado( postmarked 3/24/06). I have been in touch with her via email, but she had not said anything about moving. Email has allowed us to "talk" on a more frequent basis. We had not been in touch with each other until about 4 years ago. It surprised me to get the address change. THEN I read my emails. That just kind of blows you away to read that a classmate has passed away.

Barb and I used to spend lots of time together while in high school.
We roomed together in 1966 at St. Cloud State. Pat Kuhl, Barb and Marlene Zimmel and I were always doing things together, goofing off and chasing boys, going to dances, all the things teenage girls do. Summers were spent on the lake skiing and going to the "gangplank" roller skating. I remember several times going horseback riding with Tom Toenjes. There were lots of good times together including parties at each other's houses and classes together.

Betty Pederson Putzka