Stories – Yarns from the Lake

Good things about Winter

I enjoy the change of seasons in Minnesota. There is a rhythm to the year and variety that keeps life interesting. There are things to complain about in every season, but there is always the next season to look forward to. OK not everyone looks forward to Minnesota winter, but there are some good thingsContinue reading “Good things about Winter”

Happy Holidays

Holiday greetings to all my blog friends. I hope you are able to spend quality time with family or friends during this time. I have been thinking about how my experience of Christmas has evolved over the years. As a child we always spent Christmas Eve with my mother’s large family. There were many auntsContinue reading “Happy Holidays”

Family Reunion at the Lake

I live in the retirement home my parents built down the road from our extended family cabin. The cabin is known by family and friends as the Red Cabin, the Red Cottage, or simply the cabin. It was built in 1923 by my great grandfather and is still in use today. Currently the cabin isContinue reading “Family Reunion at the Lake”

Memoir

My mom abandoned her ceramic studio and started her writing career when she realized that my sister did not know where our mother had been born. Clay projects were left partially completed, with tools scattered on her work table. The kiln was never used again. From that day on all my mom’s energy was focusedContinue reading “Memoir”

Mittens

I had a friend from elementary school, Elissa, who I had lost track of and reconnected with several times throughout our lives. I changed schools when my family moved to a different community during junior high, later she lived away from Minnesota. Elissa looked me up after she had moved back to Minneapolis and wasContinue reading “Mittens”

Eriksson Maple Syrup

My grandfather, James Shonts Eriksson, became a lawyer in Fergus Falls, MN, after graduating number one in his law school class at the University of Minnesota in 1933. Shortly before WWII he was settling an estate involving 32 heirs to 120 acres of woods near his lake cottage north of Fergus Falls. None ofContinue reading “Eriksson Maple Syrup”

Sedona Knit Wits

One of our day trips while in the Phoenix area was a 150 mile drive to Sedona for some hiking, and to see a former coworker. It is beautiful in Sedona with it’s dramatic landscapes and famous red rock formations. We arrived there around noon, pulling into a commercial center to get some lunch. WhileContinue reading “Sedona Knit Wits”

Craft Fair

When preparing for snowbirding in Arizona this winter, I had to decide what to do about my ETSY shop. I don’t have a huge inventory or tons of traffic, but I decided to put everything in a plastic box and bring it with us. If an order happened, I could fulfill it from the road.Continue reading “Craft Fair”

Frostline Kits

Does anyone remember Frostline Kits from the 1970’s and 1980’s? That was a company selling kits with fabric, 100% goose down filling, and accessories for sewing outdoor clothing and equipment, including down vests and jackets, backpacks and tents. Frostline Kits was started in 1966 in Colorado by a former employee of Gerry Mountaineering. At theContinue reading “Frostline Kits”

Happy Holidays

I have written before about my mom’s extraordinary creative abilities. In today’s post, to celebrate Christmas and honor my mother, I am sharing photos of Christmas decorations and other things she made over the years. The yellow angel has been around for as long as I can remember. My mom must have made that inContinue reading “Happy Holidays”