Last Sunday, our little church family threw a “surprise” anniversary party for us after the service. It was actually a potluck and the cat was out of the bag the Sunday before, so it was not a complete surprise–except that it was. Beth and Tony decorated the fellowship hall with balloons and hearts and Mari Lynn made a candle arrangement for the head table–where we were to sit. There were about 20 people, a whole lot of yummy food, and a gorgeous silvery cake for our “Silver Anniversary.” What a fun way to celebrate our quarter century of marriage! What a kindness from our church family! This is what we looked like way back in 1996.

Memories of that cold February day come flooding back. Everything from the greasy hair I had because the beautician refused to wash it–said that dirty hair is the best to work with for special hairdos. Hmmm. To the phone call I got from Uncle Dick who said he wouldn’t be able to play the piano that day because he hurt his back. My step-sister (a piano teacher) stepped in at the last minute and even played “The Hallelujah Chorus” as our recessional. A few missed notes, but are you kidding? That was a true gift to us to step up in such a pinch! The rest of the music, a duet from Pete and Crystal and prelude and postlude music by Windsong (the “girl band” I was a part of back then) made the ceremony so special. But the best part was repeating our vows. Even though I became very emotional when it was my turn, just having Scott’s strong hands holding mine and his dreamy blue eyes and gentle smile encouraging me, I made it through and we sealed the deal. He hadn’t slept the night before (no doubt from nerves) and I knew that if I lost it, we would both be blubbering up on the platform. We chuckle now, but it was the covenant of marriage we were entering into and pretty serious business before God and our witnesses. So at 34 and 42, we became Mr. & Mrs. Trask. And the angels sang–Hallelujah!

It’s really amazing how fast time has gone by. We remember sitting in our house just three months into our marriage and saying how comfortable and right it felt. Little did we know what was ahead, the countless blessings, the joys, as well as the loss, the hard work, and the struggles of life. But we know it’s all been for our good and God’s glory. We came into the marriage being content singles and best friends. That’s been our secret, I think–contentment, friendship and love. Our love has grown deep and secure. Our friendship has never been stronger. Thanks be to God! We are not sure we will make it to our 50th, since we started this adventure together a little later than most. That’s why celebrating our Silver Anniversary is mighty special. And that’s why we are so thankful for the hoopla that happened last Sunday in our honor. Besides, it was a great excuse for some good fellowship (and to eat some delicious cake!) with our little church family.

Today I’m going to dance!  It is great for improving mood and reducing stress, thanks to the way God made us–all those good chemicals getting released into the brain from aerobic activity.  My body will thank me, too.  And so, in a little while, I will dance–line dancing, of course–alone and with abandon in our garage.  

This is a sad day, when it appears the light of liberty is dimmed.  Fraud is allowed to stand.  Evil is winked at.  Corruption is tolerated.  Communism is cool.  We can’t trust any of our political leaders and aren’t even sure if our Constitution is strong enough to withstand the unrighteousness.  According to John Adams (the second US President), “Our Constitution is designed only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for any other.”  I consider that a prescient warning.  America needs God!

But the good news is that many, MANY Americans, young and old, are waking up to what is reality in today’s world and specifically in our nation.  They understand the critical threat of the CCP (China) and the real danger of a new president that is cozy with communist China.  They are asking what to do and desiring to get it done.  Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (a great man) sent out his final tweet: “Woke-ism, multiculturalism, all the -isms–they are not who America is.  They distort our glorious founding and what this country is all about.  Our enemies stoke these divisions because they know they make us weaker.”  He gets it–and so do more and more of us.

Getting away from Big Tech tyrants and MSM is key, and the people are beginning to understand this.  (Click here for more ways to stand up!) They are calling it “The Great Awakening.”   That is what they called the Christian revivals in 18th century England and America.    In addition to waking up to what is happening in the secular/political world, many are waking up to the spiritual world.  In fact, many Christians are praying for and expecting a great revival to sweep our nation.  American bless God! God bless America!

None of this would be happening without Donald J. Trump having been our President and exposing the real corruption, deception, and evil in our country.  It’s almost too much to bear. But he also pushed us to seek what is right, trustworthy and true. And so today is a day to thank him and honor him.

Celebrating the selfless service of a good and honorable man who gave up a fortune (billions of dollars!) and took abuse for over four years is the right thing to do today.  Love him or hate him, we will never forget him.  Nor should we. Farewell, Mr. President.  God bless you.  Your accomplishments while in office were amazing! (Here is the list!) I certainly look forward to what our Lord has in store for your future and ours.   And now, it’s time for me to dance!  (Farewell address by President Trump)

Today is gloomy and foggy, as we await the few inches of wet snow that’s predicted later on.  But this afternoon brought some excitement to my little kitchen, when I lifted the lid off of my brown ceramic crock.  And there it was–Liberty Cabbage!   If you guessed sauerkraut, you’d be right.  The Boleslawiec crock (Poland) was this year’s Christmas gift that my husband and I bought for each other, after doing a little bit of research and finding one for sale on eBay, since it is no longer available elsewhere.  

Three weeks ago, Christmas Day, I was eager to use this lovely, new (to me) crock and make some sauerkraut.  The recipe told me how much salt was needed and how to use the stones to weigh down the cabbage once it was processed and inside the crock.  The neat thing about this pretty piece of pottery is its water seal around the opening–the small trough just needed to be filled before the lid was placed on it.  Water needed to be added about once a week, to make up for evaporation and maintain the seal.  Very clever, whoever came up with that idea!  

I’ve anticipated today for the last week (actually the last three weeks!) and fought the urge to peek into the crock while the fermentation was taking place.  Some recipes I read online said that you can peek and even taste the kraut to see if it’s done fermenting, or done enough to your taste.  But I held out and that made today’s unveiling all the more special.  I’m pleased with the first small trial batch, although I think a few more weeks of fermentation might be better.  I’ll probably start the next batch TOMORROW!  

I like that it’s called Liberty Cabbage–a term from the WWI era.  In a book I recently read which was set in that time, they used the term liberty cabbage instead of sauerkraut because anything German was suspect, especially German immigrants themselves.  Unfortunately, there was a lot of anti-German prejudice and even hatred back then.  To show their patriotism, people scrubbed any references to German in the language and replaced it with “liberty.”  Even German measles were called “Liberty measles”!

I think about the contentious society we live in right now–the left’s censorship and cancel culture, the attempt to make patriotic people look like domestic terrorists, the frightening loss of liberties coming with this new socialist administration. Because of this, I like calling my sauerkraut Liberty Cabbage.  For me, it’s not about disrespecting the Germans (their culture or their food).  I suppose it’s my personal protest and a way to affirm my love of God-given liberty.  Americans are liberty loving people, for the most part.  We treasure our freedoms and should rise up against anyone who will take them. I will continue to speak up for liberty.  I will continue to support President Trump’s successful, righteous MAGA policies.  And, of course, I will continue to make and eat my Liberty Cabbage!  

Yummy sauerkraut recipe here! (hint: double the amount of liberty cabbage–2 bags!)

My husband and I had planned to be in Washington, DC this past Wednesday, traveling a total of 32 hours roundtrip by car and tour bus out of Petoskey.  We had to cancel for personal reasons, but we wanted to support our President and to stand with others who love our country and just want free and fair elections (considering this one stolen). I’ve been nauseated for the past two days as I view the disintegration of our nation.  The cowardice of our elected representatives who overlook obvious fraud, plug their ears, don’t want to deal with the messy details, and bend and break rules to achieve their desired outcome means they have failed the nation, all of them, from Mike Pence down both sides of the aisle.  They are the elites and you’d better not mess with them . . . or else.  You just might get shot.  And that would be justified, you filthy, unarmed Trump-supporter.  

We are asked to pretend that a demented Joe Biden won more votes than any candidate in history.  I won’t rehash the details, but there is so much about the 2020 election that makes little sense. So let’s just pretend Biden isn’t corrupt, and that all is well.  Let’s just slouch along into the sublime socialist society we’ve all been promised, forgetting that Lenin explained that the goal of socialism is communism.  And communism has killed over 100 million people in the last 100 years.  

Besides that, let’s turn our sights on President Trump and let’s pretend he is an evil, rotten man who has ruined our country.  And his supporters are domestic terrorists.  Let’s quickly forget his amazing accomplishments. Let’s pretend the mainstream media is our trustworthy source of absolute truth.  As I see it, the Trump presidency has been the best in my lifetime.  Many say Trump is the best and most effective President we have ever had.  I think George Washington still gets that title.  But the Trump era, with his America First policy, has brought peace and prosperity to our nation.  He made promises and kept them, not realizing a politician isn’t supposed to do that.  

Before the China virus hit our shores, think of how our economy was humming, wages were high, unemployment was at an all-time low, citizen satisfaction at an all-time high, no foreign wars.  Look at the peace in the Middle East, via the Abraham Accord.  See what he has done to protect life in the womb, defunding Planned Parenthood and speaking up for the pre-born.  His accomplishments are many in these past four years.  But let’s pretend he’s the devil incarnate and impeach, investigate, vilify, perpetually harass . . . and impeach again!  

I echo what Eric Metaxas says: Along w/millions of my fellow Americans I am convinced this election was illegitimate, so yes we have a problem. As a Christian I’m obliged to love my enemies & to praise God in all circumstances. So, we pray now to the Lord of glory that He do what man cannot & save our Republic.

When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when the wicked rule, the people groan. (Proverbs 29:2)   Most of the Trump administration’s policies are righteous. Most of them have caused people to rejoice.  I’m afraid we must now be prepared to moan and groan, but let’s just pretend to be singing.  

Happy New Year–2021! I woke up this morning with the strong impression that this coming year is going to be–GLORIOUS. Isn’t that a neat word to have pop into your head first thing on the first day of a new year? Last year’s word was UNPRECEDENTED. Frankly, I don’t care if I ever hear that word again, although I did journal of our adventures returning from Arizona last spring when there was such uncertainty and confusion in the world. I titled that travelogue “Unprecedented” because that’s all we were hearing back then. But now I swap that oppressive word with the thrill and expectation of what I believe will be a much better and truly glorious year.

Prayer for Blessings in the Year Ahead

Father, Thank you for your great love and blessing over our lives. Thank you that your favor has no end, but it lasts for our entire lifetime. Forgive us for sometimes forgetting that you are intimately acquainted with all of our ways, that you know what concerns us, and you cover us as with a shield. We ask that we would walk in your blessing and goodness today. That your face would shine on us. That you would open the right doors for our lives and for our loved ones, that you would close the wrong doors and protect us from those we need to walk away from. Establish the work of our hands and bring to fulfillment all that you have given us to do in these days. We pray that you would make our way purposeful and our footsteps firm out of your goodness and love. Give us a heart of wisdom to hear your voice, and make us strong by your huge favor and grace. In Jesus’ name, Amen. (Prayer from this wonderful site!)

When I married Scott 25 years ago, I didn’t quite realize that I was marrying into The Hansen Clan. His mom was 100% Norwegian and loved traditions. She and her five siblings were made to promise their immigrant parents that they would keep the family together and keep the traditions going.

It lasted for many decades, until the children’s children started having children and the memories faded and the promise was broken. But I give my husband credit. He has strong and good memories of all the family gatherings 50 and even 60 years ago. Scott really enjoys keeping as many of the traditions alive as possible–and he truly loves his family. And I love my husband, so I go along for the ride and claim to be Norwegian by default.

When all the aunties were alive, they would plan gatherings for every holiday together. My husband and I began hosting the family Christmas parties in our hangar (attached to our house) a few years after we were married and that lasted for 15 years. The biggest Hansen Clan gathering was with 70 family members and was the best fun, food and fellowship ever. All that to say that we still try to keep some of those Norwegian traditions alive, even if it’s just the two of us.

Well, tonight is Little Christmas Eve–the eve before Christmas eve. Early on in our marriage, we decided that on this night we would eat the traditional lutefisk and then hop in the car and check out the Christmas lights in town. Many folks would call a meal like this “disgusting.” There are lots of jokes about stinky lutefisk and the Scandinavian people who love it. Seriously, eating slimy jellied cod doesn’t sound appetizing, but it’s not that bad, unless the texture makes you squeamish. We searched all over town this year (I guess with Covid-19 disruptions, it’s hard to get) and finally found some frozen lutefisk at Econo Foods. I peeled and boiled small potatoes, melted a stick of salted sweet butter, and threw the lutefisk into a pot of boiling water for 10 minutes. Perfect! A little salt and pepper on the mound of potatoes, jellied snot-like fish, drenched with melted butter and we had a meal fit for King Olaf himself!

Since there is only a little wet snow on the ground right now, we had no trouble getting into town for a look at the Christmas lights. We found clumps of well-lit and beautifully decorated houses on West A Street and in the Heights. It was especially beautiful seeing one home that had the Nativity scene fill the entire front porch. Oh, how we appreciate the efforts of those folks to make Christmas “merry & bright.” I’d say our 2020 Little Christmas Eve was a success!

This sounds like it might be a very profound post, but it’s really not. Being new to this “blogosphere”–I heard that word several years ago and it sounded a bit sci-fi–I suppose I should give a quick glimpse into why I’m doing this. It’s very frustrating to see what’s happening to Facebook and Twitter. They are censoring, intimidating, fact-checking, selling user data, and targeting users with advertising. I’m frankly sick of it. So, instead, I wanted a place to express myself, post photos, and have a little fun. That’s it. Nothing earth shattering, but that’s what brought me to this website. I feel a bit overwhelmed and not yet completely impressed with WordPress (the hosting site), so I’ll give it a year and see what happens. Hold on tight–it might be a bumpy ride for the first few weeks or months.

Ten years ago, I was getting ready to retire. I had taught for 26 years in the Forest Park School District. I loved my career, teaching French and English at the high school level. Most of my memories are good and I have been blessed to have a very selective memory. If there were disrespectful students (yes, truthfully, there are three or four that pop right into my mind), I hardly recall. It is so good to reflect on my past profession and know that I did my absolutely best and have fond memories. I’m a teacher at heart. When I was in grade school even, I would “play school” with my younger brothers. I was the teacher, using the teacher’s edition of a 2nd or 3rd grade math or English book. Grandma was an elementary school secretary and had given me discarded or unused materials. So, I suppose I should credit her with my love of teaching. My dad had a lot to do with that, too. Teaching and learning . . . always in the Slater home.

I found this poem I wrote in 2010, the year I retired. It’s fun to re-read and confirm how satisfying my time as a Forest Park Trojan really was.

There’s some nerves in my belly, but there’s joy in my heart. 
After 26 years here, it’s time to depart.

More than half of my life spent within these walls.
I’ve always said YES, when duty calls.

I thank God for his plan that brought me right here,
With terrific young students and colleagues so dear.

I wish you the best and think highly of you all.
If you ever need a sub . . . don’t give me a call!

I’ll come for a visit, but then . . . maybe not.
I may be in France, or flying with Scott.

I love you, I’ll miss you, can’t say it enough!
We’ve been through the good times, and now it’s a bit tough.

But Forest Park Trojans are known to be strong.
You’ll be back in the black before very long.

We’ve had lots of laughs and shed a few tears.
All in all it’s been some mighty fine years.

Sure there’s nerves in my belly, but there’s joy in my heart.
Forever a Trojan, but it’s time to depart!

Oregon trip–RV Homecoming 2010

Back in June, Scott told me that we would be flying to Independence, OR at the end of August for their annual “RV Homecoming.”  So as the date approached, we were very focused on the weather and found that leaving on Tuesday, Aug. 24, was the best day.  Sure we would be there a few days early, but being “flatlanders” we wanted to be safe and fly over the mountains on a calm, cool morning.  

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We flew from Iron Mountain (through a bit of rain to get through the front line), had a fuel stop in Brainerd, MN and then in Mandan, ND (near Bismark).  Our first evening was spent in Forsyth, MT when we landed just before sunset at Tillet–just west of Miles City.  There was a courtesy car waiting for us and we treated ourselves to a Dairy Queen blizzard before checking into our motel.

Arriving in Forsyth, MT for our first night. The moon (above Scott’s head) was more beautiful than this picture shows it.

The next morning (at 7 a.m.) we fueled the plane and hopped on over some mountains to Butte, MT for fuel and advice on flying over the mountains between Montana and Oregon.  If we stayed above 10,500 ft we should have no problems.  Of course, I wanted to fly the I-90 highway, which would have taken us about 100 miles longer, but hey if we went down, someone would find us pretty soon. How’s that for positive thinking?

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Well, over the mountains we went, landing in the valley where Hermiston, OR is–known for growing watermelons.  We took the courtesy car and went to the Farmer’s Kitchen for lunch.  The last set of mountains was beautiful, but there were TFRs (temporary flight restrictions) everywhere to our south because of forest fires.  As we neared Independence (and Salem, OR), we had some uncomfortable moments as visibility worsened and we started to smell forest fire smoke.  We tuned into the Salem AWOS which still confirmed 10 mile visibility, so we veered north just a bit before turning south into Independence.  We landed at around 3 p.m. on Wednesday and fueled up at Nustch Aviation.  Wayne and Debra pointed us to their courtesy car, which we were able to use during our entire stay.  What a great deal!  We took it and headed into Manmouth (a twin city to Independence) to the Courtesy Inn.  

That evening, during a walk to the park, we came upon a concert in the park with a great little bluegrass band.  It was the perfect evening, weather-wise and ambiance-wise.  

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Thursday we had coffee with EAA chapter 292 and were invited to stay with one of the members at his airpark home.  Let me tell you, this airpark is amazing and makes it so very tempting to sell it all and buy a home there.  Each home has a hangar attached and a taxiway which leads right to the state-owned airport.  And, to top it all off, the hospitality of these pilots is remarkable.  In fact, we had several offers to stay in homes there during and after the actual fly-in.  But with home prices between $329,000 to $700,000 (yep, we checked!), we thought we would just visit and enjoy the kindness of these fellow pilots rather than move there permanently.

Later that day (our first full day in Oregon) we headed to the Oregon Coast for a coastal flight and maybe some lunch.  We landed in Siletz Bay and walked to the ocean.  While there we saw a fog bank slowly creeping toward shore and canceled our lunch plans.  Scott wisely decided we had better get back to the airport since we were both unfamiliar with Pacific Ocean fog behavior.  So we returned early and decided to go to one of the famous Oregon wineries–Eola Vineyard–to sample their pinot noir (regional specialty).  But perhaps the most exciting find for us was the abundant blackberry plants.  We gorged ourselves on them, despite the vicious pickers that reached out to grab us with every grab.

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Friday was the official opening of the fly-in and we enjoyed meeting the other pilots and seeing all the RVs fly in.  There were probably a total of 60 planes that flew in.  Saturday we ended up finding a couple of other pilots to fly with us up to the blimp hangar in Tillamook, OR museum.  Later that evening was the banquet with Vans aircraft owner and workers discussing a new teen building program using the RV-12 (sport ready) airplane as the project.  There  were door prizes given and I won a tee-shirt.  Yippee!  

Sunday morning, we were picked up by some friends from Michigan who now make their home in Oregon.  We spent a lovely day with them and ended up hiking along the coast and spending the next couple of days with them.

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The weather turned a bit sour on Tuesday and Wednesday so we were grounded.  But we were invited to stay with another airpark resident during the layover.  Finally, Thursday morning came with bright sunshine and clear skies to get us over the mountains toward the east.  We took off and landed in Butte, MT at around noon, met by another friend formerly from Michigan.  We hiked that evening along the continental divide and slept well that night.  The next day, we flew into Yellowstone and saw Canyon Falls and Old Faithful.  Nope, we didn’t time it correctly to see the eruption, but there was certainly some geyser activity, gurgling and steaming.  It was a lovely flight and later, after we landed and checked the weather for a Saturday morning departure, our friends drove us to Bozeman for a short hike and a glimpse at a great waterfall.  

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Saturday (10 days after we began our adventure) we departed BTM airport and flew up and over the mountains of Montana into North Dakota through Minnesota and finally landed in Iron Mountain at 5:30 p.m. after 8 1/2 hours (6 of that was flying time).  

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As we got into our car at the Ford Airport in Iron Mountain, Scott said he had just fulfilled one of his life’s dreams–to build an airplane and fly it across the country.  Yes, I too flew the plane–keeping “Wild Thing” straight and level at 9,500.  But most of this time I was the videographer and photographer.  I have a couple of hours of tape to edit now and put to music.  The trip was amazing and, although I was a nervous Nelly thinking about flying over the mountains, we had a very pleasant trip.  Of course, we had many friends and family members keeping us in prayer and we were comforted daily by that. God is good and answered those prayers and got us home safely.  Ah, the western U.S. is spectacular . . . but there’s no place like home!

Back in 2014, I decided to keep a journal of my trip over the pond. Lest I forget, I will upload it here.

JUNE 3, 2014

Iceland & Beyond

My dad said that I should “blog” about my travels which begin today.  Sounded like a good idea, except that I won’t be taking my computer with me.  I will have my Kindle Fire, however, so I will make every attempt to keep updating this blog.

Barb and I will fly out of Iron Mountain, Lord willing, at 11:30 today.  There are thunderstorms in the area, but we are hopeful that we can easily catch the 7:30 p.m. flight on IcelandAir.  We will meet up with two ladies, Fran (75) and Mary Lou (80), who were so eager to travel to Iceland and the Faroes that we just didn’t have the heart to cancel our “Knitters’ Trip” this year.  Besides, Barb and I absolutely love this part of the world and look for every excuse to return.  It’s safe, other-worldly, mystical, magical, and . . . full of sheep.  That means there is lots of great wool to inspire those of us who love to knit.

The flight will take 6 hours from Minneapolis and we arrive at 6:30 a.m. (GMT) ready and raring to go.  First stop is the Fosshotel Lind, maybe a 30 minute repose, and we are off to find breakfast and explore Reykjavik.  

At Þingvellir (2011)