Grand Rapids Timberline
Volume 48, Issue 4 December, 2023
NEWS FOR AND ABOUT
AAUW GRAND RAPIDS
BRANCH MEMBERS
EDITOR; Myrna Peterson
myrnakay67@gmail.com
218-301-6028
December 11, 2023
Location: Forest Lake Restaurant
Social Time: 4:30 PM Dinner: 5:30 PM
Menu: Choice of one of the following -
Caprese Chicken with baked potato or seasoned rice
Beef Tenderloin Tips with baked potato or seasoned rice
Shrimp Linquine
All choices include -
Ceaser Salad
Bread Loave
Fresh Green Beans
Desert
Price is $30 which includes tax and tip
President's Message
Greetings AAUW Members!
We are now into the swing of the holiday season. Our December dinner is coming up soon and I wanted to give a couple of reminders. First, we will have wonderful entertainment during our dinner. Second, we are not doing baskets to raise money for our scholarship, we will be collecting donations throughout the year for our scholarship fund. Hope to see you all in a couple of weeks.
Laurie Clausen, President
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*** Travel Treasures
Participation in Travel Treasures has been great, from donors to all take a chance on winning something special. in November, $86 was added to the Scholarship Fund.
* Janis Johnson made a road trip and donated a red plaid long scarf from Idaho and huckleberry honey from Montana.
* Linda Lonson toured in Europe. She donated a hand towel from Dubrovnik, Croatia, hub of Game of Thrones as seen on Netflix. She also donated a Sound of Music, music box from Salzburg, Austria, of Mozart's Sound of Music and salt mines. Linda's third donation was an authentic shell bracelet, handmade, hand carved from shells from Naples, Italy, at the base of Pompeii in Mt.Vesuvius.
* Anita Firman donated, Sweet Dreams tea and tea ball purchased at a bazaar.
* Linda Johnson donated trail granola from Bentonville, Arizona.
* Marlys Mestemacher donated huckleberry jellybeans and chocolate from Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
* marj Lavalier donated coffee from North folk School in rand Marais, Minnesota.
There will be no Travel Treasures event in December, so save your contributions for January.
Marlys Mestemacher
Norma Eppinga
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**INTEREST GROUPS**
***LITERATURE
The AAUW Monday Morning Lit Group will meet on December 4th at 9:30 AM in the private dining room at Majestic Pines. Ellen Edvenson will lead a discussion of CHRONICLES OF A RADICAL HAG (WITH RECIPES) by Lorna Landvik. This book is a novel by a Minnesota author that tells the story of Haze through the column she wrote for a small-town Minnesota newspaper. Haze's readers response, through the memories people hold of her, and how her columns reach out and speak to a generation of teenagers. Sometimes, Haze would include a recipe that she renamed to fit with the topic of her column. It is a funny, touching, and thought provoking read.
The AAUW Monday Morning Lit Group will meet on December 4th at 9:30 AM in the private dining room at Majestic Pines. Ellen Edvenson will lead a discussion of CHRONICLES OF A RADICAL HAG (WITH RECIPES) by Lorna Landvik. This book is a novel by a Minnesota author that tells the story of Haze through the column she wrote for a small-town Minnesota newspaper. Haze's readers response, through the memories people hold of her, and how her columns reach out and speak to a generation of teenagers. Sometimes, Haze would include a recipe that she renamed to fit with the topic of her column. It is a funny, touching, and thought provoking read.
Because this is our Christmas meeting, attendees are welcome to make a monetary donation to Second Harvest, and I will deliver them to Second Harvest following the meeting. We will, also, choose our book for the February 2024 meeting. Coffee will be provided. For more information, contact Nancy Salmi at 218-326-3147 or nsalmi@earthlink.com.
***WALKING & TALKING
The wing group walks on Tuesdays at 1 PM. The locations change from week to week, but will be in the Grand Rapids area. The group is open to new members interested in walking. If you would like to join us, send your email and cell number to Karen Karl's at k.karl's@yahoo.com.
The wing group walks on Tuesdays at 1 PM. The locations change from week to week, but will be in the Grand Rapids area. The group is open to new members interested in walking. If you would like to join us, send your email and cell number to Karen Karl's at k.karl's@yahoo.com.
You will receive an email with the weekly walk location. Members walk when they can or want to, no need to RSVP. We generally walk for about an hour. If the weather is very dreadful, we may cancel, and will let you know. However, we are a hardy group of women who value the fresh air and exercise, as well as companionship.
We will miss you, Marcia!Hi all!
We made it to Springfield with no mishaps and our busy unpacking mountains of boxes.
I went to the Eugene Lane County AAUW branch meeting on Saturday morning. I went by bike since the meeting place is only 4 miles away and there are bike lanes all the way. It is a small branch of about 30 people, and they were impressed when I said Grand Rapids has about 75 people!
I paid Oregon dues so I can be a dual member for a while. The group is working on some great projects. No walking group, but they do lunch gatherings! Ross and I took a break from unpacking on Sunday and went for a walk around the neighborhood. This could lead to a very bad habit as there is a Mexican bakery about a mile away. They have great pastries.
If anyone is walking on 4th Avenue NW and happens to have an extra book, please consider adding it to the library at 1010. The only books I had were kids' Christmas books, and it was looking bare.
It sounds like the sale of our GR house will close on Friday! Have fun walking!
Here's my new address:
1034 L St., Springfield, OR 97477
My phone number and email address remain the same.
Marcia Anderson
***SUNSHINE & CARING
If any member of AAUW needs a bit of sunshine because of illness or a sympathy card, please let me know and I will send a card from AAUW. You can email me at: cyndy.agle@gmail.com.
If any member of AAUW needs a bit of sunshine because of illness or a sympathy card, please let me know and I will send a card from AAUW. You can email me at: cyndy.agle@gmail.com.
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Would love to restart a Scrabble Group that ended several years back. Anyone interested, please email Juliet Jones at kcjones50@yahoo.com. Thanks so much, Juliet.
Would love to restart a Scrabble Group that ended several years back. Anyone interested, please email Juliet Jones at kcjones50@yahoo.com. Thanks so much, Juliet.
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Meet Anita Firman
Writing a mini biography can be quite a challenge, especially after 76 years of living. I was born in Galveston, Texas, which makes me an elite member of the "Born on the Island Club", which means absolutely nothing. My father was in the Coast Guard and transferred to New Orleans as an air traffic control. So my mom, dad, sister, and I moved to the Big Easy when I was 6 months old. We did return to Galveston in the summers just long enough to visit family, do a little surfing and feed the jellyfish. They love me. One Portuguese man-of-war put me in a coma for 3 days when I was 5 years old!
At that time of my life, New Orleans was a fun place to live. Our home was near Lake Pontchatrain where we spent a lot of time at the beach, and an amusement park, which isn't there anymore. Most of my school years were spent in an all white segregated school system. It would have been easy for me to become extremely biased, as was my father, poor boy from Atlanta, or all the other kids I went to school with. But I was spared the prejudice that surrounded me because of Lilly, my mammy. If you read the book, THE HELP, or saw the movie, you observed my life. Except for the fact that my mother worked, and her parties were in the evening. Lily was a large, black woman who loved me unconditionally. She called me Miss Nita, and gave me my confidence, because she always told me, "There ain't nothin' you can't do, Miss Nita!"
My mother was a fashion buyer for Maison Blanche in New Orleans and Dayton's in Minneapolis. A five foot two blonde sassy lady, her goal was to look like Doris Day. Her sense of style and fashion has plagued me ever since.
My family moved to Bloomington, MN, when I was 15 years old, in the middle of my sophomore year. What a culture shock! Enough said!
My life has revolved around music and leadership. I started singing in church at three years old, and stopped recently when I started sounding like an old lady. My music history would take too long to elaborate, so I will simply state some highlights:
* Lead in many high school musicals.
* Sang with Tom Netherton from Lawrence Welk.
* Sang in a folk group in high school, college and resorts.
* Directed musicals at the Reif for Grand Rapids Players, and high school drama club. Thank you, Darcy Reich.
* Directed church, choir, children, and balance. Thank you, Marvin Harvard.* Sang since the beginning of Itasca community chorus.
Leadership took many twists and turns. Believing anything is possible, I started taking charge of things in elementary school, church groups, junior high class officer, Bloomington High School, leading music groups and church groups, Bemidji State University president of Lyndon Hall Dorm, Student Senate and many other clubs in school committees. Many of the roles got me into "GOOD TROUBLE" (Congressman John Lewis). What was fun and exciting is now exhausting. Leadership and music performance and now it a huge part of my past and void in my future.
Presently, I play mah-jongg and bridge and usher at The Reif Center. I enjoy making jewelry, cooking and spending time with friends and family.
I don't want to forget my family, husband Curt, son and daughter-in-law, Scott and Katie, grandsons, Jack and Max and sister, Bennie. A small family with lots of love.
My teaching career includes 2 years in 5th grade in Sauk Rapids, 1 year in 6th grade in Finlayson, 7 years at Grand Rapids Middle School, peer tutoring and Special Ed. 7 years at Warba Elementary Special Ed. and 12 years at Grand Rapids Senior High Special Ed. Teaching was a great ride full of adventure, constant changes and amazing students, parents and staff.
My life so far has had many ups and downs, as has everyone's in AAUW. The beauty of the group is, we all have a story to share.
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Interesting Facts:
Our members have degrees in higher education from 17 states
and 1 foreign country!
Those states include MN, ND, WI, IL, CO, WA, TX, MD, MI, IA, FL,
SD, NM, CT, VA, GA, MA and Australia.
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Treasurer'ss Report
December is the month we start thinking about the tax return. We will be filing out starting in January. $78 of the $90 you pay for dues is tax deductible as a charitable contribution.
Return member, Barb Duffy, got an email from National last Spring, reminding her to pay her dues. Being a good member, she went online and paid them directly. We have asked them NOT to send these reminders to our branch but somehow Barb was a lucky recipient.
National does not inform the branch that they have received the funds and the person is a member in good standing. Because I got no notice from them, I dropped Barb from our roster, and she no longer got any communications from us. She spoke up after missing all summer activities, and the September and October meetings, and we got her added back. She attended the November meeting with a smile on her face and a $9 check for local dues.
Please add Barb Duffy to your directory:
Barb Duffy
210 SE 3rd Ave.
Grand Rapids, MN 55744
218-244-2331
bandgduffy@gmail.com
PLEASE if you get a reminder from National to pay your dues, ignore it! We will announce the collection of dues starting in May with the due date of July one. All registrations will be processed by me on your behalf. You really don't want to try to use their system, the new and improved version is not user-friendly, and they don't share the information with the Branch officers.
Julie Skal, Marn - Treasurer
julie.skallman@gmai,com
651-308-5866
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AAUW currently has 170,000 members!
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Grand Rapids AAUW Board Meeting Minutes
Monday, November 13, 2023 - United Methodist Church
Laurie Clausen, president, opened the meeting. Attendees included Karen Karls, Norma Eppinega, Diane Anderson, Julie Skallman, Janis Johnson, Helen Albrecht, Terri Friesen, Laurie Clausen, Marlys Mestemacher, Kathleen Spencer, and Linda Johnson.
Secretary's Report: Minutes were read. Janis Johnson moved approval of the minutes and Helen Albrecht seconded the motion. Minutes were approved as read.
Treasurer's Report: The balance as of November 13, 2023. The actual available balance for expenses is $4405. Scholarship donations of $2507 and $2200 for ST EM FY22-23 may not be used for general operations. Currently there are 81 paid members. Our scholarship fund drive has secured $1725 from 22 members. Discussion was held regarding the number of scholarships we might offer given an available funds. Dean Skallman has pledged another $1000 this year for a scholarship and is requesting the recipient have an interest in the arts. Linda Monson has also expressed interest in donating to the scholarship fund. She is still considering her options. Currently six scholarships are being considered. The treasurers report was filed for audit.
Membership: Janis Johnson reported one new member.
New Business: Promoting personal or private messages to AAUW. Board members agree to support community activities. This does not include personal or private messages, nor does it include sales. Karen Karls moved we adapt this policy, and Janis Johnson seconded the measure. The board passed the motion. Board members requested a possible time change for board meetings. Meeting just prior to the monthly meeting accommodates out of town board members with time and travel savings. Laurie agreed to assess the possibility.
Newsletter: the inclusion of a report on Travel Treasures has been well received. A suggestion was made to include photos of items and winners.
Motion to adjourn was made by Linda Johnson, and seconded by Kathleen Spencer. The motion was approved. The next board meeting will be held Monday, January 8, 2024, the time to be determined. The meeting was closed by President Laurie Clausen.
Minutes respectfully submitted by
Diane Anderson, Secretary
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Quote: you must learn from the mistakes of others. You can't possibly live long enough to make them all yourself!
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AAUW, Grand Rapids, MN, Branch General Meeting Minutes
November 13, 2023
The Grand Rapids Branch met at the United Methodist Church on Monday, November 13, 2023, for a social hour, dinner and program. There were 38 attendees.
Laurie Clausen opened the business meeting with the reading of the AAUW Mission Statement. Several announcements were made including an upcoming pop-up book sale at the library on December 20 and a reminder that the holiday dinner will be held at the Forest Lake Steakhouse on December 11. Cost will be $30 per person.
The evening's program was on the goMARTI Transportation Project being conducted in Grand Rapids. Myrna Peterson and Lisa Arnold spearheaded the project and provided the program which included a detailed history of the projects development as well as its current availability. A discussion of the project's next phases was shared. The program was well received.
Minutes respectfully submitted,
Diane Anderson, Secretary
A goMARTI Overview
It's been just over a year since the lunch of goMARTI in the Grand Rapids community, and we are excited to share a few statistics from the first year of operations:
* goMARTI has provided over 5000 rides to the community!
* over 440 of those rides were for wheelchair riders.
* October was our highest month with over 700 rides provided.
If you are interested in joining the thousands of riders who trust goMARTI for easy, accessible transportation, rides can be booked by calling First Call 211, or through the May Mobility App. Detailed instructions for booking are included in the attached flyer, including a list of stops.
You know, constant effort to listen to feedback and make improvements, we are proud to announce that we have heard your request, and have made the following improvements:
* Door service (meeting you will be picked up and dropped off right at the front door) is now available for the following communities:
* Majestic Pines
* The Pillars
* Lakeshore Place
* Lakewood Heights
* Door Service is also now available at the following healthcare facilities. (added earlier this year)
* Essentia Clinic
* Grand Itasca Clinic and Hospital
* Door service is now available for several grocery and shopping centers.
* Target
* Super One North
We are also thrilled to announce that goMARTI was recently awarded a Federal Grant to extend and expand operations for three more years of no cost transportation! With that, we are collecting feedback from the community on route expansions to better service everyone's needs. There are several ways to provide feedback and suggestions:
* Take A Ride! - The best way to provide feedback is to take a ride and complete the post ride survey either through the app or your email. Indicate any new stops or areas you would like to see added to the coverage area.
* Attend a Community Listening Session - The project team is hosting community listening sessions again starting early next year to engage locally with the ridership and continue to improve goMARTI.
* Check us out online! - Visit goMARTI.com for more information to contact the team or provide feedback. We would love to hear from you!
Thank you very much for your continued support. Please share this information with your clients, friends and family so they can give goMARTI a try nation point.
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I received this recipe from my girlfriend in Chicago where her father owned three restaurants. This is his award winning Bloody Mary recipe..
For a 12 ounce glass add:
6 ounces of Clamato juice
3 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
2 dashes of Tabasco
3/4 teaspoon ground horseradish (not creamy)
3 dashes garlic salt
4 dashes course black pepper
1 squeeze of fresh lemon
To a 32 ounce bottle of Clamato juice add:
24 dashes Worcestershire sauce
8 dashes of Tabasco
3 tablespoons ground horseradish
12 dashes garlic salt
16 dashes coarse black pepper
Juice 23,000 of half a lemon
To a 64 ounce bottle of Clamato juice add:
24 Dashes of Worcestershire sauce
16 dashes of Tabasco
6 tablespoons ground horseradish
24 dashes garlic salt
32 dashes coarse black pepper
Juice of whole lemon
Refrigerate overnight or longer to allow flavors to meld. (My sons loved the juice as teens, and I would often make it for them.) shake well before serving. Can be refrigerated for a week or longer (if it lasts that long).
Put desired amount of vodka into a glass with ice and fill with Bloody Mary mix. Add desired garnishes. Enjoy.....Lynette Eck.
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Linda Johnson - December 12
Susan Lynch - December 12
Gayle Coyer - December 27
Bev Griffin - December 28
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