Sunday, May 26, 2013

Week in Review: May 19-25 ~~ Cloquet, MN

The weather in Minnesota is still rainy and cool -- temperatures for the past few days had barely reached 60 degrees. Where is the sun???

Sunday afternoon we attended the Hamre School of Voice 12th Annual Spring Vocal Recital-2013. Our niece MacKenzie has been taking voice lessons from Gail Hamre for the past two years; this was her classical voice recital.  The 2-hour recital had an international theme broken up into five languages: French, Spanish, German, Italian and English and featured 26 vocalists plus her instructor. MacKenzie had to learn German for her song, which was entitled Bist Du Bei Mir (If You Are Near). What an enjoyable afternoon! I’m a little biased, but MacKenzie did an outstanding job. As I mentioned, MacKenzie has been taking lessons for just two years; she just turned 12. Thought you'd like to hear it. (Please don't forward or distribute this video without approval from her parents. Thanks.)



Here are photos of MacKenzie receiving flowers after the performance, and with Gail (her instructor).


Monday morning we woke to 45 degrees, and pouring rain.  By 10 a.m. the rain had abated slightly, making it easier to get Mom to her hair appointment without too much hassle. That afternoon,  much to the delight of Mom, Dick and my brother Rich, I baked yet another batch of cookies. (They disappear way too quickly around here!)

The rain continued through the rest of the day Monday and on into Tuesday, although thankfully it was not a deluge…just a constant rain. The temperatures didn’t get out of the high 40s but the sun did begin to shine again Thursday morning. That ol’ yellow ball in the sky was a welcome sight after so many gray and gloomy days.

Friday morning was still sunny, but only 39 degrees at 7:30 a.m. Brrr! Dick shuttled my brother Rich to a local garage to have some service done on his snow plowing truck (NO – there’s no longer any snow!). While there, a call came in requesting a flatbed tow truck be dispatched to a local gas station pick up a diesel pick-up (pulling a 5th wheel and a boat and trailer). The driver had inadvertently filled his fuel tank with unleaded gasoline instead of diesel fuel—BUMMER! The pick-up wasn’t running too well…L  The tow truck could get the pick-up but couldn’t do anything about the 5th wheel and boat, so being the ever-helpful guys, Dick and brother Rich offered to pull the 5th wheel and boat to the garage so it could be in the same vicinity as the pick-up while that was being serviced. We are so thankful we’ve not made that mistake, and hope we never do!

Friday evening my other brother Ron and wife Debby arrived from Roseau, Minnesota for Memorial Day weekend.  In preparation for their arrival, Dick and I cleaned Mom’s house from top to bottom: floor scrubbed? Check. Carpets vacuumed: Check. Furniture dusted? Check. Bathrooms cleaned? Check. Plants watered? Check. Laundry done? Check. Whew! We slept well that night!

Ron and Deb arrived safely around 8:30 Friday night, after about a 5½ hour drive. It was so good to see them again.

Saturday morning came way too early. However, I did my part and made French toast with fresh strawberries and sausage. We needed energy to face the day of yard work! Lawn mowing done?  Check. Lawn raked and aerated? Check. Lawn fertilized? Check. Shed and sidewalks swept? Check. Whew! To celebrate, the four of us drove the 18 miles to Duluth to Wild Birds Unlimited (Ron and Debby bought a bird feeder hoping to attract blue birds and orioles) and Hobby Lobby (we all scored there—leather working books for Ron, greenery for Deb, craft strip for Dick, and yarn for me). Yippee!

That night was pizza night followed by another wild game of Pegs and Jokers with Rich, MacKenzie, Ron, Deb, Dick and me. Never having played it before, Ron and Deb quickly got the hang of it. Unfortunately, the guys won yet again. Arrgh!

Hope this finds you well. Will be in touch next week, with another edition of Week in Review! Until then, stay safe, stay well. We love you!

Dick and Gail



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