Fellow travelers
Or: The simple pleasures
Kathy S. of St. Paul: “Subject: Watching joy.
“My first trip to the West Coast, to celebrate a lost loved one, was over MEA weekend. We came home with many precious grandbabies, all of whom did as well as they could on the plane.
“A favorite memory of the trip was watching a smaller-statured family of five — including three kids — as they rushed past me in an airport. The youngest was a tiny girl who fell behind as she skipped and spun like a fairy while following her family. I waved and smiled as the dad turned back to grab her hand and keep her in the pack.
“Sometimes joy is right in front of you.”
Our community of . . . strangers?
Triple-The-Fun of Lakeville reports: “Subject: Simple pleasures.
“Today a friend and I had breakfast at a local restaurant. At some point, a single diner was seated at a table right next to ours. Eventually she joined in our conversation, and the three of us had a nice chat.
“After a while, she mentioned something about Bulletin Board and said she was a contributor. Me, too! So I just wanted to give a shout out to Kathy S. of St. Paul. It was very nice to meet you.
“What a wonderful place to live when, of all the people at all the tables in all the restaurants, it turns out two strangers randomly seated next to each other aren’t strangers at all.”
Then & Now
John in Highland: “Subject: Bad Money.
“When I was growing up in the 1950s, it was common practice to find well-worn coins in your pocket change. ‘Standing Liberty’ silver quarters, produced from 1916 through 1930, were so worn that on many of the coins, the date was illegible.
“As the value of silver increased above the face value of the coins, the Coinage Act of 1965 was passed to eliminate the silver content of dimes, quarters, and half-dollars. A clad composition of copper and nickel was substituted. My dad, Ed, warned me that ‘Bad money always drives out good!’
“There was a jingle that Ed used to sing that went: ‘Shave and a haircut, two bits!’ Even with the higher value of silver, I don’t think that a silver quarter (two bits) would pay for a haircut today.”
Our friends, our statues, ourselves
Or: Where we live (and why)
Grandma Paula writes: “Three years ago, I sold my house and moved from five miles south of Hudson, Wisconsin, to Osceola, Wisconsin.
“I had been looking for a townhouse and just couldn’t find what I wanted. I looked in several towns north and also east of Hudson.
“Just by a stroke of luck, I saw an ad in the local paper for a twin home in Osceola. I called the Realtor, made an appointment and drove there. I looked at the house, liked it, and made an offer after I drove to downtown Osceola and saw the Indian statue still standing on the sidewalk where I had taken a photo of him with my best friend, Arlene, years ago.
“We had many laughs that day, and the good memory of my sweet friend convinced me that I should move to Osceola.
“Arlene passed away when we were both just 50 years old. I was 75 when I decided to buy that townhouse and move to Osceola. It was a very good decision for me. I have been very happy in this lovely little town.
“Recently the statue had to be removed so that it would not be damaged while a nearby building was torn down — and while that was happening, some people started to voice their opposition to bringing the statue back. Much debate went on, but fortunately the ‘powers that be’ prevailed, and the statue is back for now. That statue means a lot to me, and I am so happy to see it standing back where I believe it should be!”
The sign on the road to the cemetery said ‘Dead End’
Non-Electronic Board of the Church Not on Lexington in Shoreview Division
Dennis from Eagan reports: “Subject: OMG, another funny church sign . . .
“If you take Highway 77 south about seven miles from the Mall of America, you can’t help but catch a humorous church sign if you exit at Palomino Drive in Apple Valley and stop at the ramp’s end.
“The message ‘changes outside’ periodically at Christus Victor Lutheran Church.
“A previous message there read ‘Give to God what is right, not what’s left’ — which hopefully suggested to drivers on the ramp that they turn right into the church’s parking lot on Pennock Avenue.”
Not exactly what he had in mind
B. Dazzled of South St. Paul: “Subject: The lady doth protest too much, methinks.
“While reading the Sunday paper this morning, I hollered out: ‘Jeezuz! Do you ever stop eating!?’
“My wife, who was emptying the dishwasher, got so defensive! ‘I barely had a couple pancakes for breakfast, and yadda-yadda-yadda . . . .’
“She didn’t realize I was talking to the cat.”
Not exactly what they had in mind (Headline Division)
Leading to: The great comebacks
Red’s Offspring, north of St. Paul, reports: “Subject: That’s an easy one.
“‘Where do the Loons go next?’ asked the headline in the STrib.
“My immediate response: ‘Congress.’
“Oh — back that up a bit.
“The article was on the front page of ‘SPORTS,’ and was a reference to the soccer team.”
Everyone’s a (copy editor) critic!
The Retired Pedagogue of Arden Hills: “Subject: Clever headline.
“On the front page of SPORTS in the October 22 Pioneer Press was a large picture of Gopher football players celebrating and holding up the ‘Floyd of
Rosedale’ trophy, which they had recaptured from the Hawkeyes with a 12-10 victory. Iowa had retained the porcine prize for eight years.
“The headline above the photo was: ‘ONE SWINE DAY.'”
BULLETIN BOARD MUSES: Just coincidentally, “swine” (among other, less printable descriptions) was just what the Hawkeyes’ fans were calling the officiating crew at the end of that game.
But, hey, a win’s a win!
Keeping your eyes open
Leading to: The vision thing
Bill of the river lake: “Subject: Such a sky sight.
“Last week while driving on I-35 down to Des Moines/Altoona on our last RV trip of ’23, we were amazed at the high-altitude air traffic on a wonderful and sunny day.
“The very high-flying jets were criss-crossing, some from the southwest and others from the northwest, just above us, leaving their contrails clearly visible as if the sky were playing a giant game of Tic-Tac-Toe.
“Sometimes nature and machines combine for an amazing picture experience!”
Band Name of the Day: The Floyds of Rosedale
Website of the Day, recommended by Kathy S. of St. Paul: “The news around the world seems so awful, right now. I don’t think I sent this to you lately. I know I sent it to some family members:
“Elders of my family recently went to California to take the ashes of an older cousin out to sea. It was good.”
Bulletin Board 