Christmas Around the Town

It was fun walking around town today, visiting shops and talking to people. Most of the downtown shops were prepared for this special "Christmas Around the Town" event. There was plenty of hot coffee, cider and treats for shoppers and visitors. Although the weather was rather brisk, lots of hardy North Dakotans were decked out in warm clothes and wandering in and out of the shops that were open. Everyone paused at 6:00 p.m. to watch the Light Parade go down Main Street. Although the parade was short, each float was dazzling! It was well worth the effort to attend this event and support the participants.

As I wandered through the shops, I met lots of people and took lots of pictures. Everyone was exceptionally friendly, and I sincerely want to thank them for letting me take their pictures for CarringtonNews.Com. I especially want to thank the ladies at Lovingly Used who let me borrow a pair of gloves while I filmed the parade. ( I had left my gloves at home and my fingers were too frozen to push the tiny camera buttons!)

I hope you enjoy the following slideshow. As soon as I figure out how to put my film of the parade on this blog, I'll include it, too!

Carrington, North Dakota Blog

If you haven't done so already, I would like to invite you to take a look throughout my website, CarringtonNews.Com. It's basically a guide to Carrington, North Dakota, and the surrounding areas - obviously not a real newspaper, like the Foster County Independent. It's a site that I do just for fun – not money. People are able to place free ads in the classified and real estate sections, and I don’t charge for links to business websites. Since blogs are so "in" nowadays, I guess you could call CarringtonNews.Com Judy Keller's Carrington, North Dakota Blog.

I love to take pictures of the area, and CarringtonNews.Com gives me a place to display my photos and make them available to the community. Just recently I took lots of pictures of the 100th Anniversary of the Foster County Courthouse, so whoever took part in that will most likely find a picture of him/herself online at my website. (Just click on the photo that you like, and it will take you to a larger image which you can download and save or print.)

There are also 2010 pictures of the 4th of July parade, the Foster County Fair, the Youth Rodeo, the Carrington Library opening, the Cabin Fever Quilt Show, as well as LOADS of community photos from the past three years.

CarringtonNews.Com also gives people from across the United States and the world a chance to see what Carrington looks like and to see some of the fun activities that go on in our community. You might be surprised at how many people drop in to my website every day from all over the world. Although a website tracker doesn't tell me who is visiting my site, it does tell me their location in the world, and it's rather exciting to see visitors from faraway places, such as Switzerland, India, the Russian Federation, New Zealand, Japan, Romania, China, Israel, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Vietnam, Singapore, Morocco, Ukraine, Bahamas, Chile, and a multitude of other countries. In fact, I have frequent visitors from the Netherlands, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Mexico, Norway, Germany, France, Sweden, Italy and the Philippines. I sometimes wonder if someone in our community has relatives/friends from those areas in particular - since many of them come back again and again to check out what's happening here.

Many visitors find CarringtonNews.Com by using a search engine, such as Google. They type in words, such as "carrington, nd" - "carrington news" - "carrington events" - "carrington nd obituaries" - "carrington nd class reunion" – “carrington nd movies” ... or, they specifically type in the names of people and/or businesses that are located in Carrington. Since my website links to other informative sites, such as the Carrington Chamber of Commerce, the City of Carrington, the official site for Foster County, the Carrington Health Center, Carrington High School and Elementary School, and many other sites, visitors have a good chance of finding the information they need.

More and more, I receive messages from people (many of them who used to live in this area) who say they really appreciate CarringtonNews.Com. I would like to thank them for their phonecalls and e-mails because it encourages me to continue with something that I love to do.

Memorial Day - Carrington, ND

Carrington's Memorial Day Program starts this year at 11:00 a.m. at the cemetery with Todd Ingegretson (VFW Post #3524) presiding. In the event of rain, the program will be held at Trinity Lutheran Church. The Memorial Day address will be given by Chet Pollert, our State representative. KDAK will broadcast the ceremonies live. This is a program well worth attending in honor of our loved ones. After the ceremony, all participants are invited to a noon luncheon at the CrossRoads Golf Course (courtesy of the VFW Auxiliary).

Note: Did you know that the "National Moment of Remembrance" was created in 1997? 'Taps' is at 3 p.m. throughout America to honor the contributions of our dead soldiers. All Americans are encouraged to pay respect to them by keeping silent for one minute in their memory at 3:00 p.m.

Here are some of my favorite quotes:

"And I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free, and I won't forget the men who died, who gave that right to me and I'll proudly stand next to him to defend her still today, 'cuz there ain't no doubt I love this land, god bless the USA." -Lee Greenwood

I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones. -Albert Einstein

Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty. -John F. Kennedy

“Four things support the world: the learning of the wise, the justice of the great, the prayers of the good, and the valor of the brave” - Muhammad

“That's what it takes to be a hero, a little gem of innocence inside you that makes you want to believe that there still exists a right and wrong, that decency will somehow triumph in the end” - Lise Hand

"When You Go Home, Tell Them Of Us And Say, For Their Tomorrow, We Gave Our Today." - The Kohima Epitaph

The belief in the possibility of a short decisive war appears to be one of the most ancient and dangerous of human illusions.
- Robert Lynd

Carrington Calendar Contest

Here's your chance to have one of your Carrington photos in a 2011 Carrington Calendar. Sounds like a great idea from the Chamber of Commerce! Just adhere to the following rules:
1. The photo must be taken in the Carrington (Foster County) area.
2. It must depict something related to Carrington.
3. It must be at least 300 dpi quality and can be submitted electronically.
If you have questions, please contact Laurie Dietz at the Chamber office by phone (652-2524) or e-mail.

Here's an example of a photo that might go on a Carrington calendar: one of my own favorite Carrington pictures. Although, I think a more likely picture to be chosen would be one where you show children with Santa on a hayride at the Putnam House. YOU just might have that perfect December picture in your own collection!

Flooding Nashville (My Hometown)

Unlike the Fargo, Valley City and Jamestown floods last year, there was no chance for the people around Nashville to prepare for the torrents of rain that came down in just two days. Imagine being caught sitting in heavy work traffic while flood waters are rushing by and covering your car! We in Carrington may have problems with snow and freezing weather at times, but we are lucky not to be living in a flood zone or in the midst of tornado country or on a shaky earthquake fault.

If you have time, take a look at the pictures of my hometown in the video below... It's hard to look at these pictures because I've been to all these places and can't imagine the extent of the damage, even though I'm looking at it with my own eyes! For some reason, the news on TV didn't hit me as hard as this little video did. My brother Bill who still lives in the country outside Nashville said they had over 17 inches of rain in 48 hours. The bank behind his house turned into mud and slid down into his back yard. His wife was afraid that their house was going to slide off the hill where my father built it over 50 years ago. Thank goodness the house itself was built on solid ground! Even so, many of their newly planted flowers and young trees were washed away, and for the last week they have been working to clean up the damage.

While I'm feeling disgruntled with the hills of snow outside my door next winter, I want to pause for a moment, count my blessings, and thank God for allowing me to shovel snow off my sidewalk instead of having to shovel mud out of my house!

Arizona's Saguaro Cacti (Phoenix Trip - March/2010)

No matter how many times my husband and I drive back from Phoenix, I never tire of the scenic beauty. Nature is ever-changing, and there are always new and beautiful images along the way. During our last trip (March, 2010), I was fascinated with Arizona's cactus plants. So... I took out my handy camera and while Ted was driving 70-80 miles per hour, I snapped shots all along the way until they disappeared.



When I got home, I decided to find out more about the Saguaro cactus, so I went to one of my favorite sites (Wikipedia) where I found lots of informative details - along with great photos. Did you know that the Saguaro cactus blossom is the state flower of Arizona? The title of this article links to their website. Just click on the title to enjoy the photos and information.

Carrington, ND Home For Sale By Owner - Owners.com Real Estate

Carrington, ND Home For Sale By Owner - Owners.com Real Estate

This house has quite a history. It was built in the early 1900's and was built to last! The foundation, wood and overall structure are amazing. To begin with, it was used as a carriage house and servants' quarters for the mansion that was removed (due to a fire and lack of care). The owner (before us) was Aldo Lee, who completely remodeled the main floor and turned it into two complete, very nice 3bedroom/2bath units with over 1200 square feet each. Yes, the house is BIG!!

Interestingly enough, the second story used to have four fully functioning apartments. Somewhere along the line, perhaps when Aldo Lee remodeled the main floor, the plumbing was dismantled, and they became used as storage. The apartment structure is still totally there with each apartment having a bedroom, bath, kitchen and living room - all ready for some handy person to fix up and rent out!

At the moment my husband and I are in the mood to sell, but that may change, as we may sell our main house and move into one of the units ourselves, so don't be surprised if this house doesn't stay on the market much longer. We are in one of those big decision making periods of life when one makes rather big changes. You know what that's like! We are older and traveling a lot due to my husband's business, so we are consolidating our responsibilites so we don't have as much to worry about when we're away. We want to sell either this duplex or the beautiful Victorian that we now live in. Which one... the duplex... or the Victorian... Mmmm...... Have you ever been in a situation like this when it's hard to make up your mind? I'm sure you have! At the moment, if someone buys the duplex, we will stay in the Victorian. Otherwise, as I said, we will sell the Victorian and move into one of the duplex units. We've decided that we just don't need two big houses to maintain!

If we move into the duplex, that will make one less rental unit for Carrington. As you must know, it's very difficult to get a rental here nowadays. We have been able to rent our units consistently since we bought the house. In fact, we usually have a waiting list, with people calling quite often to ask about their availability. We rent the units out for $450, but we could get $500/550 if we needed to (information for someone who wants to make more money on them!).

This house has actually been a good investment for us... and could be even better if we had the time and energy to fix up the second floor of apartments. We could pull in around $2,000 a month if we wanted to work on it. But, that may be a project for some other person who has more energy/skills and wants to take it off our hands. We are in the mood to wait a little longer and see if that special person shows up.

So far, we haven't advertised our house in the newspaper or given it to a realtor. I thought I would give Foster County locals a chance to think about it first. Then later, if we still really want to sell it, we will seriously advertise it. At that point, I don't think it will last very long on the market, since it is truly a great investment for the right person.

Judge Rules in Favor of Plaintiffs Ted Keller and Leo Straley

The following article was published in the Foster County Independent on February 2, 2008. Since their newspaper is not online, I've copied it here for the convenience of Internet readers.

Judge Rule Favors Plaintiff--Court Case sought Copies of Letters in Support of Dairy by Leasa A. Lura for the Foster County Independent

In a hearing of Ted Keller and Leo Straley vs. Foster County Commission, Judge Greenwood ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, but the damages they were seeking will not be paid.

During the hearing on Wednesday, January 28, attorney for the commission, Scott Porsberg attended the hearing by phone.

The hearing was for a summary judgment filed by Keller and Straley with a motion for summary judgment also filed by the commission.

Keller began by telling Judge Greenwood that he sent two letters to the county commission on June 9, 2008, requesting copies of the 346 letters that commissioner Jim Carr received from supporters of the Van Bedaf dairy.

After receiving no response, Keller said he sent another request on August 19, 2008, accompanied by an$86 certified check for the copies.

Keller stated that he still hasn't received copies of the letters and quoted the attorney general as saying that every person has the right to access records of government entities.

Porsberg said that he didn't receive copies of the letters because the request wasn't sent to the acting attorney.

He also said that Ellen Sherman sent a request to him for copies of the letters and received those copies.

Porsberg said he assumed that Sherman was acting as an agent for Keller and Straley and assumed that they would receive the letters from Sherman. Keller and Straley both testified that they had not received the letters from Sherman.

After a review of the case and the testimonies, Judge Greenwood said that Porsberg had no reason to believe that Sherman was acting as an agent of Keller and Straley.

Judge Greenwood ultimately denied the commission's motion for summary judgment and granted Keller and Straley's motion for summary judgment.

He said that the commission must provide copies of the letters to Keller and Straley in a reasonable amount of time.

Keller and Straley were also seeking at least $1,000 in damages, but Judge Greenwood denied that request, except for the filing fees to the county amounting to $80.

Judge Greenwood also said that he believes that the violation was not intentional.

Porn Shops Next to Churches and Homes?!

I just received an e-mail from someone who is very concerned about a bill that is being sponsored by Rep. Wrangham with the backing of Farm Bureau, LAND, and ND Policy Council. This bill would change zoning as we know it.

The goal of the above mentioned groups is to leave it up to the landowner to decide what is the best use for his land with no consideration for neighbors' quality of life or property values. This would potentially do away with any applications and public hearings for land uses such as landfills, concentrated animal feed operations, and other land uses that would bring down property values and harm the environment.

The following is an excerpt from the e-mail which I received:

"Today I talked to some of the lobbyists at the capitol about HB 1522. Most of them do not like the bill, but they seem to think that since there is only one sponsor it will probably not pass. This is dangerous thinking - I have seen this backfire in the past. Because people thought a bill would not pass and did not stand up to oppose the bill, the bill passed with no votes against it.

I am sure that Farm Bureau, LAND and ND Policy Council will have people to testify for the bill. Therefore, it is important that there is major opposition to this bill.

As one lobbyist (for the Catholic church) pointed out to me today - if it is left up to the landowner to decide what will make the most money on his piece of land, what is to keep Adult entertainment stores from popping up next door to schools or churches? How will we keep landfills and CAFOs from being built next to nursing homes, hospitals, churches, or subdivisions?

Remember that the Health Department does the EPA regulation stuff but does not deal with neighbor well-being or property values.

Comprehensive planning and zoning was started because industrial buildings were being built right next to apartments, neighborhoods and schools, causing health problems for children. This unregulated building of industry caused property values to fall, where one landowner could take money out the neighbor's pocket. Lawmakers decided that the health and welfare of the children and citizens was important and needed to be protected.They also decided that all landowners needed to have their property values protected.

Now Farm Bureau and ND Policy Council want to move backwards and make it possible for neighborhood, urban and rural, to become unhealthy again so that greedy landowners do not have to be concerned about their neighbors."

What do you think about this new bill? Would you like your neighbor to have no restrictions whatsoever on the use of his/her land?

Volunteering Is Prevalent in Carrington

"Down in their hearts, wise men know this truth: the only way to help yourself is to help others." -Elbert Hubbard, American Writer & Publisher

I was just reading a recent article in the Foster County Independent about the Carrington Health Center Auxiliary, the fact that they had honored their volunteers for 2008. I talked to Dorothy Fenske, who coordinates the volunteers at CHC, and discovered that she had a long list of people who help out all around the Carrington community.

Virginia March received Volunteer of the Year Award from CHC Auxiliary's Dorothy Fenske.

The two members who received top honors for 2008 from the CHC Auxiliary were Virginia March and Illa Zink. Not only have these two ladies volunteered countless hours at the Carrington Health Center, but they have also dedicated much time to their churches and other organizations in the community.

Illa Zink also received the Volunteer of the Year award - honoring her exceptional service to the Auxiliary and the Carrington community.

Take a look at the CHC Auxiliary web site, and you will see many other familiar faces, people who constantly spend time nurturing this community and endeavoring to make it a better place.All around our community, you can see people helping others in a true spirit of giving - not expecting anything in return, other than perhaps the pleasant feeling of doing a good deed. If you know someone who you think should be honored for their volunteer work and their helping others, this might be a good place to mention their names and give them a public pat on the back. Just click on the comment section below, and enter your thoughts.