The air turns chilly as I unpack in the late afternoon. I manage to ignite a small fire in the wood stove and turn on the small heater. I set up my newest camping gadget, a CO2 detector. At one point in my life I became paranoid about CO2 poisoning but only recently figured out…
A few days ago, I drove through the Sheyenne River valley. Trees stood fully naked, the last leaves blowing down valley on an icy thermal. Birds are long gone, although it seems like yesterday a few stragglers remained. I wait for the first flakes of sn, sn, sn, SNOW, which could fall any moment. The early…
She who eats sauerkraut on Wednesday shall find a rich and rewarding life… The wonderful people in my little town are descendants of Germans who migrated first to Russia for a generation or two, then to the US. Many towns in this area of North Dakota have the same lineage: the people here are proud of their…
We avoid slamming into the trees and debris that block our path. We paddle back upstream to a place where we should be able to exit the boat. I am shaking from exhaustion and maybe nerves. Don is in the front of the boat so he gets out first. Problem is, this bank is also…
Last winter: We are discovering that we like the same things: camping, hiking, fishing. Rivers, lakes! I have an inflatable kayak, he has a small boat that fits in the back of his pickup. We both love floating rivers. Hey, why not do a trip down the James River on his boat next summer? We…
The minister meeting in Minot, ND is over and I head east in my van, pulling Half Moon, my popup camper. I am off to the Turtle Mountains up on the border between Canada and ND. I have been forewarned not to expect real mountains—nothing like the Rocky Mountains, where I lived for 14…
Finally, my camera, camera data card, batteries, and battery charger are all in one place. I took a few photos on Christmas Eve day, while getting ready for two Christmas services today: Kitchen and part of living room: Merry Christmas to All and May You Overflow with Special Blessings
So many people were surprised when I left the nice church and great people in Wheatland. Yet, I had a nagging feeling that would not go away, a feeling that I recognize as a God thing. The message was: time to move on, I have something else for you. I have learned not to run…
Woke up to a light frosting of snow today, so I knew all things would go well. Church was awesome and right after, the congregation voted to call me as their new minister. I am jubilant. In the short time I have been here I realized this is a great place to hang my hat.…
Several people have warned me about the Williston, ND area and suggest that I do not drive through there on my upcoming trip. At first I wondered, how can a place be so bad in this country that a woman shouldn’t travel there alone? Besides, I am a tough gal, not afraid of much :…