Wood Clogs and Recreating a Painting

This week has been frustrating for an unusual reason. Clutter. My office at work is filled with projects that I need to do. There is hardly any floor or counter space due to the volume of tasks to be done. 

One of the tasks was finding this pair of child-size wooden clogs that I used as part of a Christmas display. A co-worker had uploaded the information about them into CollectiveAccess and the next step was for me to photograph them so they could be added to the digital record. The challenge: I couldn't find the shoes. 

I searched everywhere in the collections storage area and throughout my office (or so I thought). I finally found them on Saturday afternoon - tucked in a box with the note: Ready to be Photographed. 

Working in such a chaotic-appearing environment has to change. It is known that clutter has a detrimental effect on mental well-being and can lead to feelings of anxiety and overwhelm. Studies have linked office clutter to increased emotional exhaustion, heightened stress, and reduced job satisfaction.

Equally important is that having a disorganized office can create a negative impression on visitors, volunteers, and other staff members. I just need a block of time - uninterrupted - to get things done. 

Anyway...on a more positive note, there was a location scout and film crew who came to the museum this past week with the goal of wanting to recreate a Carl Larsson painting (see below).

Although the building color is different in the back, we did have a birch tree and building from the 1800s that they liked. Hopefully, it works out, and they will return in Spring 2026 to film the scene.

Other than that, it has been raining for the past two days and is smoky due to the Canadian wildfires. Things should dry out by tomorrow and the smoke should dissipate by tomorrow afternoon. 

The irises are blooming - lots of purple irises and two-colored ones (white and purple, and yellow and purple). The yellow irises that my parents had at their home are blooming, and the bleeding hearts are still going strong.

A mother deer and her fawn walked down the driveway yesterday. They disappeared into the pasture before I had a chance to take their photo. Hopefully, they will be back.

Saw a wren and cedar waxwing today. The waxwing was in the crabapple tree, eating the little red apples. 

One of the big rabbits was in the driveway and front lawn. 

I love seeing all the wildlife here. It is one of the highlights of the day for me. 

If My Life was Made Into a Movie

There's a swap on Swap-Bot called If My Life Was Made Into a Movie. I thought it would be fun to imagine what a movie about my life would look like.

The Synopsis

Experiencing the Harvest Moon is a film about Ann's discoveries, new experiences, and moments of awe throughout her 55 year old life. She was born in Minneapolis and spent the first six weeks of her life on the shores of Mille Lacs Lake where her father was a director at a boys camp. These first days of her life foreshadowed one that would be connected to nature and working with children. 

After living in Minneapolis for seven years, her family moved to Bass Lake in Plymouth, Minnesota, and she enjoyed the outdoors with her sister and brother. After college and getting married, she moved back home and then to Charlotte (NC), San Francisco (CA), Minneapolis (MN), and finally to a ten-acre hobby farm in Scandia, Minnesota, where she has lived since 1995...26 of her 55 years. 

Life at the farm has been a series of learning experiences - running a Community Supported Agriculture farm; founding and operating a children's camp focused on the arts, nature, and agriculture; and taking care of a host of animals - dogs, cats, horses, sheep, chickens, turkeys, fish, and even a hedgehog. 

Hosting exchange students from Brazil and Japan laid the foundation for starting the adoption process. During 2001 and 2003, two daughters who were born in China were adopted and have been the highlight of Ann's life. 

The farm became another place of discovery for the girls, as homeschooling became a way of living and learning for the family. With one daughter now a junior in college and heading for Thailand for a semester of college and teaching children how to speak English; and another daughter a senior in high school doing three college courses each semester, 2021-22 will be a year of transition, challenges, and excitement for Ann and her family.

The Cast

Who would play you? I would want Meryl Streep to play me in the movie. In every movie she has been in, I have been impressed with her creative talent and versatility in playing diverse roles. I also read a book in August 2020 called The Good Among the Great by Donald Van de Mark. He pointed out many different qualities that great people tend to possess. One person who embodies all of the qualities is Meryl Streep. So, because she exemplifies a great person - someone who has qualities that I would like to have - I would want her to represent my life.  

What other actors and actresses would be in the movie, and what roles would they play? Paige would be played by Albert Brooks. He was in a movie with Meryl Streep called Defending Your Life. It's an excellent movie that focuses on fears and how they hold back people from completely enjoying and living one's life to the fullest. Albert is a very funny actor - both in words and actions - and he makes me laugh. He would be a good representative of Paige. 

For the girls, Sophia would be played by Ziyi Zhang who is a Chinese actress best known for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Memoirs of a Geisha. She has an impressive background in the arts and reminded me of Sophia and her talents in the arts as well (especially piano and harp).

Olivia would be played by Ming Na Wen. She is best known as the voice of Fa Mulan in the Mulan animated film series. She was also Melinda May in the series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Since Olivia loves to do Tang Soo Do and she regularly watched Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Ming Na Wen seems like a logical choice.

The Soundtrack (including links to YouTube)

What would be the main theme song? Make Me a Channel of Your Peace. I love this version of the song with a full orchestra and chorus singing it. The lyrics are: 

Make me a channel of your peace

Where there is hatred let me bring your love

Where there is injury, your pardon Lord

And where there is doubt true faith in You

Make me a channel of your peace

Where there is despair in life let me bring hope

Where there is darkness only light

And where there's sadness ever joy

Oh, Master grant that I may never seek

So much to be consoled as to console

To be understood as to understand

To be loved as to love with all my soul

Make me a channel of your peace

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned

It is in giving to all men that we receive

And in dying that we are born to eternal life

What song would be played as you started school as a child? I looked up popular songs in 1971 - when I would have been 5 years old. Morning Has Broken by Cat Stevens was on the list. I do remember hearing that song. However, I heard more as a teenager when my dad would listen to WAYL - The Big Whale (easy listening music) - in his home office which was next to my bedroom. The lyrics are:

Morning has broken like the first morning

Blackbird has spoken like the first bird

Praise for the singing, praise for the morning

Praise for them springing fresh from the world

Sweet the rains new fall, sunlit from Heaven

Like the first dewfall on the first grass

Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden

Sprung in completeness where His feet pass

Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning

Born of the one light, Eden saw play

Praise with elation, praise every morning

God's recreation of the new day

What song would we hear when you fell in love for the first time? In college, I loved seeing The Wallets at nightclubs in the Twin Cities. I happened to come across a video of The Wallets at First Avenue. It was taped in 1987 - so either my Spring semester of my junior year or Fall semester of my senior year. Also found a live recording of a performance in Moorhead. There are a lot of songs on the almost two-hour recording. At the 1:10:46 mark is Body Talk and at 1:17:10 is Totally Nude which both were very popular. 

What song would be played when we're seeing how you handle a stressful situation? Under Pressure comes to mind immediately. I listened to the Queen/David Bowie Remix version SO many times as I drove to visit my parents as they were aging and their health was declining. I would play it very loud as I drove to the nursing home to see my dad.

I also would play it when I went to the geriatric psychiatric unit when he was placed there because of Alzheimer's Disease. It was a horrible place and he should not have been there. Thankfully, it was only for 11 days, but, nonetheless, it was not the place for someone with a cognitive decline (vs. someone with a mental illness - it's two completely different issues). He came out of there unable to feed himself because they had him so doped up on pills. So, yeah....Under Pressure is what immediately comes to mind.

What song would we hear when you're sad? Young@Heart Chorus singing Fix You. This song was sung in the movie that documents the true story of the final weeks of rehearsal for the Young@Heart Chorus in Northampton, MA. The chorus members average age was 81, and many of them had to overcome health adversities to participate. 

This song, Fix You, was sung by Fred after the death of his friend, Bob. This song was supposed to be a duet with Bob. He tributed the song to Bob and Bob's family was in the audience so there were lots of shots of his family reacting to the song. When I first heard this song, my father was in the middle- to late-stage of Alzheimer's Disease. It captured exactly how I felt at the time of wanting to fix my dad...to take away all the struggles he was experiencing due to Alzheimer's, but realizing I couldn't. 

The lyrics are:

When you try your best, but you don't succeed

When you get what you want but not what you need

When you feel so tired, but you can't sleep

Stuck in reverse

And the tears come streaming down your face

When you lose something, you can't replace

When you love someone, but it goes to waste

Could it be worse?

Lights will guide you home

And ignite your bones

And I will try to fix you

And high up above or down below

When you're too in love to let it go

But if you never try, you'll never know

Just what you're worth

Lights will guide you home

And ignite your bones

And I will try to fix you

Tears stream down your face

When you lose something, you cannot replace

Tears stream down your face and I

Tears stream down your face

I promise you, I will learn from my mistakes

Tears stream down your face and I

Lights will guide you home

And ignite your bones

And I will try to fix you

And finally, what song would we hear as the movie ends and the credits are rolling? Another song from Young@Heart Chorus and movie that I like - especially for the lyrics - is Forever Young. 

This version of the song was sung to prisoners at Hampshire County Jail, and is a very powerful and touching scene in the movie. The chorus learned that one of its members died that morning, and they went ahead with the performance. I'm sure the death of their beloved friend was on their mind. 

The main reason I like this song is that the message is one that I would want to impart to others, especially my daughters as they go through their lives.

May God bless and keep you always
May your wishes all come true
May you always do for others
And let others do for you

May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung
May you stay
Forever young

Forever young
Forever young
May you stay
Forever young

May you grow up to be righteous
May you grow up to be true

May you always know the truth
And see the lights surrounding you

May you always be courageous
Stand upright and be strong
And may you stay
Forever young

Forever young
Forever young
May you stay
Forever young

May your hands always be busy
May your feet always be swift
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift

May your heart always be joyful
May your song always be sung
And may you stay
Forever young

Forever young
Forever young
May you stay
Forever young

My Last Vacation - A Staycation

From July 21st-25th, Olivia and I went to Grand Marais to take a photography workshop with Layne Kennedy. We both received scholarships from North House Folk School which enabled us to take the workshop. I posted 11 photos from the workshop in another post HERE.

More recently, I've changed my vacation focus from going somewhere to simply enjoying places and doing things that are within easy driving distance from my home...a Staycation. Below are some of the things I did for my two-week Staycation.  

4-H Dog Show 

On Saturday, July 31st, I didn't go to the 4-H Dog Show since Olivia was getting her 4-H projects judged at the county fair. However, after the show was over, I got to enjoy petting and talking with the owners about their dogs who were in the Dog Show. 

Some were happy with how their dogs did while others were disappointed that their dogs didn't quite stay as focused as they should have been while in the show ring. Even if they were a little distracted, they made up for being super friendly and happy dogs...like the one below.

Noerenberg Memorial Gardens

The next day, on August 1st, we went to Noerenberg Memorial Gardens in Wayzata on the shores of Lake Minnetonka. Minnesota is in the middle of a drought, yet the gardens were still colorful, varied, and beautiful. There were a lot of purple flowers, like these Nodding Onions.

One of my favorite flowers, foxgloves, was found throughout the garden.

There were mounds of grasses with striking colorful tops in shades of pink. On iNaturalist it is identified as Natal Grass. 

From a distance, the Globe Amaranth looked purple. It wasn't until I got up close that I noticed the tiny yellow parts on them.

Washington County Fair

On Wednesday, August 4th, we went to the Washington County Fair. It was the 150th year of the fair so there were special historical exhibits throughout the fairgrounds. 

This was the first year that I didn't have something in the Needlework category. However, we went in the building and enjoyed seeing all the quilts and needlecraft projects. 

The girls stopped at one booth and designed buttons that were made for them on the spot. 

I liked seeing the fresh herbs. This one caught my eye because the flowers are all purple and they are not your typical herbs. This person has exhibited before doing a similar concept and always places well.

This year there were some cute entries in the "Dress a Potato" contest. Sophia noticed this little potato-cat.

We all laughed at the Bob Ross potato. It was really a clever entry.

Olivia and I entered six photos each in the fair. In this part of the Photography exhibit pictured below, it shows Olivia's rose covered with dewdrops getting 4th prize and my catkin caught on the barbed wire fence as getting 1st place.

My photos had a range of ribbons - from 1st (the bottom image of Rattlesnake Master in sepia tone) to 4th (the image above it of two pine trees on an island).

Olivia also entered projects and did well. She got a blue ribbon (1st prize) for her two canisters.

This year I entered ten pre-printed pictures that I colored with Prismacolor colored pencils. This landscape image took me a while, but it was worth it. It's my favorite one out of the ones I did.

After looking at exhibits, we headed to the poultry barn. I always enjoy seeing the variety of chickens. It reminds me of ones we used to have back in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

There was a tom turkey who was putting on quite the show for the girls.

Out for Lunch 

On Thursday, August 5th, after Sophia donated platelets at the American Red Cross, we went to El Burrito Mercado in St. Paul. There's a restaurant, bakery, and grocery store.  

We each had a platter of food...way more than we could eat in one sitting. So, we had another meal with our leftovers. 

After lunch, we went to the bakery section and picked out four pastries to bring home to share with Olivia and Paige. 

Dog Walk 

On Friday, August 6th, I took the dogs on a walk one morning from 6-7 a.m. The weather has been hot and humid, so it is best to take them early in the day.

I watched the sun rise over one of the hills and open land.

Jungle Cruise Movie

On Friday, August 6th, we went to see Jungle Cruise at Lake 5 Theatre. It is an adventure-packed movie with the corny jokes that are typical on the Jungle Cruise ride at Disneyland. We all enjoyed seeing the movie and liked the storyline.

Fort Snelling National Cemetery

On August 8th, after dropping off Sophia at the airport, I went to Fort Snelling National Cemetery. My parents are buried there. At 8 a.m. on a Sunday morning, I was the only one there. Needless to say, it was very quiet and peaceful.

Barn Quilt & Visiting with Neighbors/Friends

On Monday, August 9th, Olivia finished her barn quilt for a customer.

They came over to pick up their barn quilt and we spent some time talking with them. They are such a nice couple.

Scandia Farmers Market

On Wednesday, August 11th, the Lions Club I'm a member of was at the Scandia Farmers Market. 

We had 200 free milkweed plants to give to people to plant at their homes to help monarchs. 

There were four different types of milkweed plants: whorled milkweed, spider milkweed, butterfly weed, and swamp milkweed. Whorled and spider have white blooms; butterfly has orange blooms; and swamp has pink blooms.

We also collected eyeglasses for the Recycle for Sight program, pop tabs for the Ronald McDonald House, and cash donations for the food shelf.

Carver County Fair

The last activity of my Staycation was going to the Carver County Fair on Saturday, August 14th. We enjoyed seeing the animals, especially the sheep. This one was sleeping.

Olivia enjoyed petting the goats. This one was very inquisitive and wanted to play with a latch on the wall.

We went a parakeet exhibit. In a large trailer, there were quite a few parakeets. To enter, you had to buy a stick covered with birdseed. The parakeets flew around the trailer, with some landing on our hands.

There was an exotic animal area and Olivia fed the animals some seed. This camel was super friendly.

We went to the llama barn. Some were resting, some wanted corn husks (provided at the door), and others liked to be pet.

In the vendor area, there was a Tesla that Olivia was able to sit in. I've never seen what a Tesla is like up close. There were lots of new features. Made me feel like I was driving a car from the 1910s.

We went through the exhibit buildings. In the hobby and craft area, there was an exhibitor who entered quite a few of these collage pieces. She took jewelry and create collages with them. In addition to this Halloween scene, there was a bunny (for Easter) and a snowman.

In another area, there were some barn quilts on the walls and this succulent horse topiary. I've wanted to do a succulent topiary and this has piqued my interest.

Outside the 4-H building, there was a big chalkboard heart that people could write words or names, or decorate in some way. 

I've never been to this fair before and it was a fun one to visit. It's located in Waconia - about 1 hour and 15 minutes from where we live. It was well worth the time to get there. We all agreed that next year we will go back.

20 Random Facts About Me

On Swap-Bot, I'm participating in a 20 Random Facts About Me swap. Below are the answers to the questions:

Do you make your bed every day? No. I am still homeschooling Olivia and I do a lot of my computer work for volunteering laying down - especially after the car accident in November 2018. I have found a way to put minimal stress on my neck (I had whiplash and then spinal surgery in October 2019) which has been such a relief. So, I am in and out of bed throughout the day...even though I am teaching and volunteering. Combine that with having pets who like to be on the bed, and it seems like a lost cause.

The bed with Eenie, Cooper, Scooby, and Aspen on it.

What's your favorite number? 9. In China, the number nine is an auspicious number. When the number nine is pronounced, it sounds like the word for “long lasting.”

When we visited China in 2001 and 2003 to adopt Sophia and Olivia respectively, I could see nine and multiples of it represented in many places. For example, on doors, there might be nine decorative elements or 81 elements.

What's your regular job? At this point in time, it is being a stay-at-home mom who educates her daughters. I also volunteer quite a bit for the Lions and have multiple roles within the club. My favorite one is coordinating service events where the Lions, their families, and community come together to do hands-on service projects.

Sophia and Olivia measuring a tree in the front yard.

This was on our nature hike in the winter.

If you could, would you go back to school? Not in the traditional sense. I consider myself to be a life-long learner so I'm always learning new things. That part I enjoy. What I don't enjoy about school are the tests and pressure to have things done by a deadline. It takes the joy out of learning.

A SAORI weaving and some leather items I made in 2019.

Can you parallel park? I lived in San Francisco for a couple of years (1989-1991). It was there that I learned to parallel park in the tightest of spaces since I worked at a private school that didn't have a parking lot. Although there isn't the need to parallel park as often in Minnesota, I still can do it...just not with the skill I did back in San Francisco.

A job you had which would surprise people? I was a house cleaner for families when I was in high school and college. My last job as a house cleaner was for a family who was Jewish. It was interesting learning about their religion as it pertained to cleaning - especially in the kitchen.

There were two separate sinks - one for dishes that were used for dairy products and one for dishes that were used to prepare and/or serve meat. I didn't know this initially and put a dish in the wrong sink. Thereafter, they said they would handle the dishes.

In the early 2000s, I was a massage therapist for a while. I thought it would be a good way to use my office at home and earn money while my daughters were young. It didn't work out. Without an actual stand-alone building, the atmosphere wasn't as relaxing and "spa like" as you would get if you went to an actual spa. So much for that financial investment in learning a new skill.

Do you think aliens are real? No. I haven't seen consistent and provable evidence to prove there are aliens.

Can you drive a manual car? Yes, I learned to drive on a manual car - a little white Honda Civic. I haven't driven one for years (since college in the late-1980s). In my mind, I still know how to drive one. It would be interesting to see if that is still the case.

A Honda Civic similar to the one I drove. 

This is a 1978 model - about the year 

that my dad got a car like this one. 

Ours only had an AM radio and heat.

Nothing frivolous. 

What’s your guilty pleasure? Sweets - ice cream and hot chocolate are two of my favorite sweet things.

Homemade ice cream that Sophia made one summer.

Have any Tattoos? No. I have no interest in having tattoos on my body. I can't imagine that they would look nice as my skin ages and changes.

Favorite color? Purple is my favorite color. However, green is the one that I like the most in terms of decorating.

A bee on a purple chive blossom in our garden.

Things people do that drive you crazy? People who use their phones while you are having a meal together. People who chew with their mouths open. People who put their blinker on when they are driving way before they need to turn - especially if they do it as they pass multiple places to turn. People who talk on their phones in loud voices in waiting areas or in stores. People who lie right to your face.

Phobias? None are diagnosed. However, I'd say I have a general aversion and anxiety in very crowded places or around a significant number of people (e.g., large fairs, conferences). As much as I like them and will go to them, I am anxious for much of the time at them. This is called Agoraphobia or Demophobia.

Another one that has been on my mind is the fear of getting Alzheimer's Disease. I saw my dad, grandpa, and uncle all have it. I found out there is actually a phobia - Nosophobia (or Pathophobia) - that describes this. Nosophobia is the fear of contracting a specific disease.

Last, is a mild - yet persistent - fear of someone breaking into the home. It started in San Francisco where many of the homes in the neighborhood we lived in had decorative iron bars on their doors and windows to prevent break-ins. Ever since there - plus combined with the increasing violent crime in the United States in recent years - there's that underlying fear and anxiety. Found out that Scelerophobia is the fear of crime in general and more specifically the fear of bad men and burglars.

Favorite childhood sport? I enjoyed biking and gymnastics. Biking was done on my own around the neighborhood and gymnastics was done in phy ed class in school. I never took lessons in either like kids do nowadays.

Do you talk to yourself? Sometimes, especially if I'm trying to figure out something or am frustrated with myself for losing or misplacing something. I talk a lot to the dogs and cats. Obviously, they don't respond in words...so perhaps I am talking to myself more than I think I am.

Baby Aspen on her adoption day - May 12, 2014.

What movie do you adore? I'm not sure "adore" is the right word. However, one of my favorite movies of all time is Defending Your Life. Excellent movie. I could watch it repeatedly and find new things about it that I enjoy or learn from it. Meryl Streep and Albert Brooks played the main characters in it.

Do you like doing puzzles? Sometimes. I don't have a puzzle out that I'm working on because of the pets. However, our family has done puzzle competitions a couple times which has been fun.

Olivia, Sophia, Mary, and I participating in 

a puzzle competition on March 31, 2019.

Favorite kind of music? When I think of the stations in the car that I listen to, it is contemporary/pop music, music from the 1980s and 1990s, and relaxing music.

Tea or coffee? Neither. I would prefer to drink hot chocolate, water (room temperature/ambient), or pop (sometimes...not often).

The first thing you remember you wanted to be when you grew up? A beautician. I liked going to Jackie Ann's (a hair salon) with my mom. By sixth grade, I had changed my mind: I wanted to become an archeologist. I didn't pursue either of those careers, but I still enjoy thinking of them and how diverse they were in terms of interests and skills.