For the love of God!  It's snowing AGAIN!  And just yesterday Kasey and Angie and Jayvyn and I were sitting outside drinking coffee at the local Dunn Brothers in the Linden Hills neighborhood in Minneapolis, Minnesota, across the street from the Zumbro Cafe. Jayvyn was running around like a crazy man and ended up in a time-out.

But he apologized and only wound up in time-outs a couple more times before we were finished with our drinks. 

OK.  So my point is, suddenly this ain't looking so pretty!  On my way home from work, the east/west street signs were unreadable because they were plastered with snow.  And the stoplights were so muffled with snow that they were more like a suggestion than a command.  I said a prayer that the travelers would make it to their destinations safely.

I give already, Mother Nature! You win.  I believe I'm ready for a little more of this.

My good friends, Cindy and Bill, invited me to meet Jerry Ostensoe, a local Blues musician from Southwest Minnesota who was performing at Bootleggers, a supper club on the edge of Granite Falls. Jerry has recently released a new CD called Just East of West.

Bootleggers is a former speakeasy nestled in the river valley just outside of Granite Falls, Minnesota.  The word that popped into my head when I walked in was roadhouse.  It is a tribute to the history of the 1920's.

The ambience at Bootleggers was downhome and friendly.  I looked around the restaurant at the local clientel and thought, "Yup.  These are my people."  The food was good and the servings were ample.  I had a helping of Torsk swimming in butter.  My mom and dad used to cook up a big batch of it for us kids and call it "poor man's lobster."

So, the food was good and the company was great.  But it was the music of Jerry Ostensoe and his partner that rounded out the experience.  Jerry joined us on his break and I found him to be an articulate and affable gentleman, if not somewhat reserved.  But heck, that's not his fault, he's Norwegian.  If you want to know his story, then you've got to listen to the lyrics.

Was it worth the two-and-a-half hour drive from the Twin Cities to Granite Falls for dinner and music at Bootleggers?   Absolutely.  But the next time I pull out a toothpick after a satifying meal in Granite Falls, I'll know I need to join Bill outside while he has his after-dinner smoke.  There is to be no picking in public. Cindy has her standards. 

I grew up in rural Minnesota, smack dab in the middle of a pretty big family.  Oh there were larger ones than ours.  I think the Franks begat 16 kids or more and had their own softball team, but still, our family of nine kids was a force to be reckoned with. 

We were blessed with parents who completely appreciated our humble neck of the woods.  Every Sunday my dad loaded up the station wagon with whoever wanted to go on an adventure and we explored the Minnesota River Valley or visited Alexander Ramsey Park and zoo, topping off our day with a picnic of hot dogs and A & W rootbeer.  You couldn't beat it.

Things have changed a lot since then.  Cars have seat belts now, and the drive-in restaurants are few and far between, but the natural resources of Minnesota remain for us to enjoy.  And because of advances in technology,  you can learn about them with the click of a mouse.  Rural Minnesota is no longer isolated from the movers and the shakers.  We have instant information at our fingertips. 

And now we also have a voice.  Rural Voices is an initiative of E-Democracy.Org dedicated to making us part of the decision-making process in Greater Minnesota.  So do your civic duty, and become an agent of change.  You can start by completing this simple survey.   It doesn't take any time at all.

When you grow up in the middle of a pack of kids, you spend  a lot of time yelling "look at me, look at me."  Well, this is our big chance to have a voice.  Woohoo!  Look at me!

One afternoon this winter, after a day of sightseeing west of the Twin Cities, Melanie and I took a detour off Highway 212 near Norwood, Minnesota to pick up some cheese curds at the Bongards' Creamery.

Now, I have to tell you, I am just plain crazy about cheese curds.  I love their mild, rubbery squeakiness when you bite into them just right.  And even though I don't think there is much difference between the two, I tend to believe the white ones taste superior to the yellow ones.

The cooler in the storefront was plumb full of cheese and there was a platter of samples just waiting to be tasted.  We were in cheese heaven.  And of course, I must make mention of the ginormous cow statue we saw keeping watch over the place.  This cow was HUGE.

It jogged my memory back to my high school days when Danny Louwagie used to call me "Bessie the Heifer, the queen of the cows."  In fact, he used to sing it to me!  I thought that silly little monikor made me sound like a fairly large girl. He said it was an affectionate name, but I never quite got comfortable with it. I guess I'm just funny that way.

Kasey and Jayvyn and I headed out to my parent's farm in southwestern Minnesota to celebrate Easter with a bunch of my brothers and my crazy sister Annie.  There were lots of nieces and nephews and . . . snow!  So, after dinner (in farm-talk that means the noon meal), it was outside with the kids where they got cold, wet and creative.

I was in the kitchen playing a game of Scrabble with my mom, marveling at the fact that the word siege had ended up on the board twice, when one of my brothers yelled, "hey, there's a rabbit in the yard."  Generally on the farm, that sort of thing is not worth mentioning.  But this time it was noteworthy.  At least with this rabbit we don't have to worry about my mom getting out her shotgun!  It'll go away soon enough on its own and not eat much in the meantime.

So much for my prediction about the weather.  I could easily have avoided embarrassing myself with my suggestion that we had seen the last real snowfall of the season by simply listening to the weather reports, but that's not my style.  It occurs to me that my prognostications  are typically nothing more than wishing out loud.  I'm not objective enough to give a real prediction.

But enough about that.  I have a ticket granting me free admission to the Bakken Museum which I intend to use in the near future.  Kasey and I happened to eat lunch at the Whole Foods Store on Excelsior Boulevard in Saint Louis Park, Minnesota earlier this week, and we got in on the promotion.  We also got to see Joan Steffend, the host of Decorating Cents.  I could tell she wanted to talk to me, but chose instead to give me my privacy.  Those celebrities are so thoughtful.

OK.  I know I go on about my drive to work and how much I love it, but honestly,  this morning's snowfall created a winter wonderland for me.  As if getting to work for Sarah, the greatest boss around  (who happens to read my blog) wasn't enough Mother Nature gave me this awesome treat as well.

It's a good thing a stretch of the parkway near Lake Harriet is one-way, because I couldn't pay attention to the road.  It was just so darned beautiful!

All winter I've been meaning to photograph my favorite tree, and today was my big opportunity.  So I grabbed it. 

Of course my drive home this evening was a slushy mess and held none of the charm of my morning drive.  But I think this is it.  I think this is the last significant snowfall of the season and I'm getting ready for those two weeks in spring that are perfect before I start complaining about the heat and the insects of summer.

When Kasey said she was taking two-year-old Jayvyn to the Children's Museum in Saint Paul, I thought she was nuts.  I mean, that whole church thing didn't work out so well, so why would a museum be any different?

Silly me.  I think the photos (courtesy of Kasey) tell the whole story.  Jayvyn made new friends when he visited Sesame Street.

It was like "career day."  Little kids get to try on all different kinds of hats.  Literally.

Next time, I don't think I would be afraid to go along.  It looks like he had an amazing time.

Talk about using your imagination.

The child turned out to be a rock star!

If you can't get enough of Minnesota, then log onto the new Minnesota Moments blog from the publishers of Minnesota Moments magazine.  Minnesota Moments concentrates on the lives of rural Minnesotans.  It is a tribute to the creativity, history, architecture and values of rural Minnesota.  It will introduce you to individuals with character, compassion and stories to tell. 

Sign up for a no-strings attached, telemarketers free trial issue.

It's no secret that I love architecture.  The older the better.  While Melanie and I were driving along Old HWY 169 near Jordan, Minnesota, we came across this wonderful fixer-upper, and if I'm not mistaken, fixing up is exactly what's happening there.  I expect this dignified old house will be restored to a place of grandeur shortly.

We followed the signs to the Minnesota Harvest Orchard and I was surprised to find apples still on the trees, looking beautiful in a whole new way.

We drove into the city of Jordan, itself, where we saw a lot  more historic, if not quaint, architecture, antique shops and dining.

I ended up embarrassing myself at Grandma's Attic antique shop where Melanie watched me with mild surprise as I started getting into a strange car next to hers after snapping the above photo, and wondering where she had gone.  Oops. I'm sure there are times when Melanie wonders just what I'm going to do next.  I'm sorry to say, not even I know the answer to that question.

Melanie and I discovered Dreamy Hill Trails near Jordan, Minnesota, south of the Twin Cites on Old Hwy 169 when we were out for a drive last Sunday.  We were tooling along, minding our own business, and she thought maybe I'd like to take some pictures.  I'm naturally drawn to the Minnesota River Valley so she didn't have to twist my arm.

We took a left at Apple Lover's Lane, past a tidy apple orchard and soon found ourselves  in a rustic farmyard.  We were first spotted by the trail guide who greeted us and introduced us to the owners, Tom and Jennifer Williams.

The Williams were in the petting zoo tending to the animals and they let us come in for a look.  There were deer and goats, ducks, an irascible goose and a llama.  It was a treat to see the animals, but it was also a treat to see what a good time the Williams family was having taking care of them.

They told us they have trail rides all year round, depending on the weather, and in the winter the trail is lit by Christmas lights.  And if you like, you can enjoy a buffet afterwards.  Talk about the perfect date!  Well.  I guess that remark has country mouse written all over it.

When Melanie suggested we eat our Sunday brunch at the OK Corral near Jordan, Minnesota, south of the Twin Cities.  I was a little disappointed.  I had preconceived ideas of what we might find there.  Needless to say, I will never hesitate when invited again.  The experience was amazing.  The price was $13.95 and well worth it. 

I wasn't surprised when I saw the rustic decor, but I got a kick out of how light-hearted it was.  I was surprised by the sheer scale of the restaurant with its bar and different levels for dining.

We could have had the usual Sunday fare of waffles and muffins and such, but what we had to choose from in addition to those predictable delights was so extensive, I barely knew where to begin!  We had the option of everything from turkey and dressing to beautifully seasoned tilapia. 

There were desserts and custom made omelets and yards of salads.  It was unbelievable.  We stayed quite a while and I still didn't get to try everything I wanted to, because even the most seasoned diner has to give up eventually.

The next time I'm invited to the OK Corral, I'll be a willing podner!