North Dakota Is Changing

Hello from the far north! Not as far north as Alaska, but just as cold, with wide open spaces and few people. One of my favorite billboards along one of the main highways in North Dakota shows a freeway at heavy traffic time. There’s absolutely no one on the highway! Being an immigrant from California eight years ago, that image has always been good for a chuckle… then recently the truth has started to hit home. North Dakota is quickly and drastically changing. That billboard was created years ago – before the Bakken oil boom in the western part of the state and before people started migrating here in droves. Nowadays it’s hard to be on any main road in North Dakota without seeing lines of semis hauling all kinds of humongous equipment to the oil fields.

Carrington, our small town of less than 3000 people, has begun to see the effects of this new influx of people and boost to our economy. Being at the crossroads of two major thoroughfares (HWY 200 and HWY 281), Carrington has become a resting spot for many of the new travelers who are passing through. Our two motels, The Chieftain and Carrington Inn Suites, have parking lots that are always full at night, and the Stop N Go Gas Station which is located at the crossroads, is literally surrounded at night with huge trucks that are taking a break from the road.

People who have been traveling through Carrington on business have begun to take notice of our small town as a prospective place to settle down. More and more new faces are beginning to be recognizable as established in our area. And, not surprisingly, new businesses that cater to population growth are starting to appear on the scene. A new motel, a new apartment building, a new construction business are a few examples that immediately come to mind.

It will be interesting to see how Carrington handles this new growth spurt, to see how the old mixes with the new. As for me, I simply want to record all the interesting facets that I personally find interesting about our community. I’m curious to see if people will start locking their houses at night, if children will start putting chains on their bikes, if people will no longer leave their cars running while they shop at the local supermarket on a cold wintry night…. Those are some of the fascinating factors that helped me decide on settling in Carrington, myself. And, many of those admirable small-town values are what has kept me here.

I Like Ron Paul

I like the following summary of Ron Paul's agenda that I found online:

Ron Paul is the ONLY conservative candidate in this race!

All the others are crony insiders who supported the bailouts to their friends and foreign governments!

Some important facts about Ron Paul's record:

* He has never voted to raise taxes.
* He has never voted for an unbalanced budget.
* He has never voted for a federal restriction on gun ownership.
* He has never voted to raise congressional pay.
* He has never taken a government-paid junket.
* He has never voted to increase the power of the executive branch.
* He does not participate in the lucrative congressional pension program.
* He returns a portion of his annual congressional office budget to the U.S. treasury every year.
* He voted against the Patriot Act.
* He voted against the Iraq war.

As Commander-in-Chief, Dr. Paul will lead the fight to:

* Make securing our borders the top national security priority.

* Avoid long and expensive land wars that bankrupt our country by using constitutional means to capture or kill terrorist leaders who helped attack the
U.S. and continue to plot further attacks.

* Guarantee our intelligence community’s efforts are directed toward legitimate threats and not spying on innocent Americans through unconstitutional power grabs like the Patriot Act.

* End the nation-building that is draining troop morale, increasing our debt, and sacrificing lives with no end in sight.

* Follow the Constitution by asking Congress to declare war before one is waged.

* Only send our military into conflict with a clear mission and all the tools they need to complete the job – and then bring them home.

* Ensure our veterans receive the care, benefits, and honors they have earned when they return.

* Revitalize the military for the 21st century by eliminating waste in a trillion-dollar military budget.

* Prevent the TSA from forcing Americans to either be groped or ogled just to travel on an airplane and ultimately abolish the unconstitutional agency.

* Stop taking money from the middle class and the poor to give to rich dictators through foreign aid.

As President, Ron Paul’s national defense policy will ensure that the greatest nation in human history is strong, secure, and respected.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/ron-paul-finishes-third-in-iowa-caucuses-first-in-ideas-and-influence-2012-1#ixzz1iVvpCSPg

Tree of Lights

Marie Brennan was honored by the CHC Auxiliary as the originator of the "Tree of Lights" ceremony at its 25th anniversary on Tuesday, November 29th. She is pictured in the above slide show with her granddaughter, Erin Schaffer, who will become the new chairperson in charge of this event in the future.

Each light on the "Tree of Lights" represents the memory of a loved one, placed there to honor them during the Christmas season. As you can see, the tree was absolutely filled with lights of all colors.

People looked up in appreciation as the Tree of Lights was lit, and at the same moment a "falling star" shot across the sky. As several of the onlookers exclaimed, it was "Awesome!"

A quilt hanging was presented to Marie Brennan by the CHC Auxiliary for her long years of service and dedication to this popular community event.

Peggy Smith, President of the Carrington Health Center Auxiliary, and Dorothy Fenske (the CHC Auxiliary Volunteer Coordinator) wish to thank everyone for supporting this worthy community tradition. (All contributions to the Tree of Lights go toward hospital and community serviceprojects.)

Carrington Health Center's Annual Christmas Dinner

The Carrington Health Center Auxiliary recently honored its volunteers at their annual Christmas dinner on Thursday, December 1st. The Holy Family Villa Activity Room was beautifully decorated, and a delicious dinner was prepared and served by ladies from the CHC Dietary Department.

Laurie Struxness and Joyce Pepple presented special Christmas music along with the historical significance of each song.

Peggy Smith, CHC Auxiliary President, and Dorothy Fenske, Volunteer Coordinator, reported on the many service projects, donations, and additions to the hospital and community that they were responsible for in the year 2011. They also expressed thanks to the community businesses who were outstanding in their support.

Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer with the CHC Auxiliary can contact Dorothy at 652-7194.

Carrington Senior Citizens Center

Attention, Seniors (That means members of the older generation, like myself!): If you haven't been to the Senior Citizens Center lately, you're missing out on the great activities that take place there. Just this last month I attended two meetings which were tremendously informative and interesting.

The first meeting took place at their monthly potluck where they had two special guest speakers who served in World War II. Sad to say, we don't often get a chance to be around veterans like these nowadays. It was a great honor to listen to these vets talk about the trip that they took to Washington, DC, and to view their perspective of our capitol.

The second meeting that I attended (Monday, August 29th) was a special presentation by one of our local pharmacists, Matt Paulson. He has been going to the Senior Center once a month, talking to seniors about diabetes. You come away from his "Sweet Spot" talks with lots of valuable information about how to prevent or live with diabetes. At this last meeting, I learned how important it is to count and keep track of carbs (carbohydrates), not only for diabetes control but also for weight control.

There is one more meeting in this series on September 26th at 10:30 a.m. The topic will be "Diabetes and Immunizations." Hope to see you there!

Love Those Red Hat Ladies!

What a delightful group of ladies! I was having lunch at the Prairie Inn today when I noticed all the spunky women with colorful red hats and purple outfits. I thought to myself, "I would love to be a part of that group!" So, I took out my handy camera, went over to introduce myself and was immediately thrilled and impressed with the fact that they didn't run away from my camera, and didn't mind taking a minute to pose for me. They were all very gracious, and I found out lots of fascinating facts about them and the Red Hat Society.

Information That I Found Online...

One of the premier women's social organizations in the world, the Red Hat Society® based in Fullerton, CA, began with the gift of a red hat and has grown into a universal symbol for women around the globe as they victoriously celebrate turning 50 and entering into the next phase of their lives. The social message behind the first red hat has resonated with millions of women around the globe regardless of race, creed, occupation, age or socio-economic status. Today, it is commonplace to see Red Hat Society® members out frolicking and embracing life to the fullest in their now famous symbol, the "red hat."

How It Started

In the fall of 1997, on a trip to Tucson, AZ, Sue Ellen Cooper impulsively paid $7.50 for an old red fedora in a thrift shop. When a good friend was nearing a "fifty-ish" birthday, Sue Ellen cast about for an idea for an original gift. Inspired by a well-known poem, Warning, which begins "When I am an old woman, I shall wear purple, with a red hat which doesn't go and doesn't suit me. " She wanted to encourage her friend to grow older in a playful manner. She gave her friend a red hat of her own suggesting that she keep it as a reminder to grow older playfully - on her terms.

The symbolism behind the red hat had a profound impact on women Sue Ellen encountered. Those women responded by donning their own red hats and entering a new women's movement embracing a renewed outlook on life filled with fun and friendship, fulfilling lifelong dreams.

The Red Hat Society® was born. More....

NOTE: The ladies that I met today at the Prairie Inn were from Harvey, Fessenden, Bowdon and New Rockford, but no one from Carrington. Does this mean that there is not a Red Hat Society in our town? I would be interested to know, so if anyone has that information, please comment below.

By the way, if you haven't read Jenny Joseph's poem , which was the catalyst for creating the Red Hat Society, take a look:

Warning

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me. And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter. I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells And run my stick along the public railings And make up for the sobriety of my youth. I shall go out in my slippers in the rain And pick flowers in other people's gardens And learn to spit. You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat And eat three pounds of sausages at a go Or only bread and pickle for a week And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes. But now we must have clothes that keep us dry And pay our rent and not swear in the street And set a good example for the children. We must have friends to dinner and read the papers. But maybe I ought to practice a little now? So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple. Jenny Joseph

2nd Annual Apple Pie Contest: "My, Oh My! Love That Pie!"

Sponsored by Dick and Gail Paulsen, their 2nd Annual Apple Pie Contest took place on the evening of August 26, 2011.

Contestants and friends arrived and enjoyed the pleasant summer evening while getting ready for the contest.

Everyone talked excitedly about their recipes, while they visited and enjoyed a barbeque/potluck supper which preceded the event.

The Paulsen's daughter, Leslie, had fun setting the stage for the contest, artistically arranging all the entries on a picnic table with voting materials close at hand.

Next, everyone lined up to get their first glimpse of the apple pie entries, and proceded to vote on the presentation aspect of each entry.

As you can see from the photos, the apple pie for this contest did not consist of your traditional, flaky-crusted pie, but instead consisted of a liquid version that supposedly "tasted" like apple pie.

Naturally, in order to judge the flavor of each entry, everyone proceded to enjoy the next step of the contest which was the tasting of each concoction.

Since everyone at the event became a judge, there was quite a bit of circling the table, tasting-tasting-tasting, chatting and voting.

After this quite-festive part of the evening, everyone went back to settle around the fire, talk about the flavors of the entries, and wonder which apple pie would be the grand winner.

The Paulsen's son, Robert, built and carefully tended a wonderful fire which provided warmth and beauty as night descended around the group.

After a short while, Leslie appeared with award certificates and prizes and proceded to announce the winners.

Everyone was presented with a Certificate of Participation with the two main prizes going to Jody for the "best presentation award" and to Tami for the "best taste award." Tami also received the most points overall, so she received a special "Award of Excellence."

Believe it or not, I won a special award and prize, too - the booby prize! I think they felt sorry for because I didn't know about the presentation aspect of the contest, and it was my first time to make apple pie. Anyway, I won a cute little yellow chicken that goes "clickety-click" as it walks across the floor. (I think I'm supposed to bring it back next year for the next booby prize winner!)

Now, if you haven't had liquid apple pie before, I'm going to give you an average recipe which you can play around with until it satisfies your taste and you make it your own. It goes something like this: 1 gallon of apple cider, 1 gallon of apple juice, 4 cups sugar, 8 cinnamon sticks, 1 (750 milliliter) bottle of 190 proof Everclear alcohol. Mix together all ingredients except the alcohol, bring to a boil and simmer for as long as you like. Then when the mixture cools completely, add the alcohol. If you're interested in making apple pie, you can find all kind of variations of this recipe at AllRecipes.Com http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/apple-pie-2/detail.aspx.

All in all, we had such a great time at the 2nd Annual Apple Pie Smack Down that the Paulsen's are thinking of opening up the contest to the whole community next year! So... if you're interested in coming to the festivities, start working on your own apple pie recipe for the 3rd Annual Apple Pie Contest!

2nd Annual Apple Pie Contest Slideshow - August, 2011

Raptors Growing Up in Carrington, ND

Our visiting raptor babies went from white fuzzy balls of fluff to streamlined flyers in barely over a month's time. Now they're streaking through our neighborhood, testing out their flying and hunting skills. Mama and Papa are still watching over them.

I wonder if/when they will fly away together.

Falcons/Hawks Are Growing Up

Since I'm still not sure exactly what these youngsters are, I'm just going to call them raptors - since falcons and hawks are both raptors. Anyway, it is absolutely fascinating watching them get ready to fly. So far, they haven't left their nesting tree; however they are moving all around the top limbs, stretching out their wings and moving fairly rapidly from branch to branch. During the last storm with fierce winds, thunder and lightning, their mama and papa tucked them tightly back into their nest and stood guard on either side. Since the four youngsters are getting to be quite large, I'm amazed at how they all managed to fit into such a small space. Today they spent most of their time fluttering around the tree top branches, as well as eating the fresh meat that their parents brought to them continuously.

Raptor Babies Are Getting Ready To Fly

Publish Post

Today when the wind came up, I was afraid that the falcon/hawk babies were going to blow out of their nest. They kept raising their wings and flapping them like they wanted to take off. However, their mother was watching them closely, so I don't think she would let them get very far.

The youngsters still look like big fluff-balls, with dark spots and streaks beginning to appear on their front feathers. They are starting to look more like adults, but their tails are little short stubby things.

Sometimes when the youngsters start moving around I can't tell their heads from their tails. Also, it's hard to see exactly how many babies there are. There are at least two, maybe three. Soon, there will not be room for mother and offspring to occupy the nest together.