I Love It Here!

Sunday, May 13, 2012. Once again, for reasons I may never learn, Mother's Day and the first weekend of Minnesota's fishing season are synchronized.

This is another week where 'all I know is what I read in the papers.' Or paper, in this case: the Sauk Centre Herald. There's a pretty good op-ed titled "Heroes and role models," discussion of parking restrictions at a city council meeting made above-the-fold front page, and so did concerns about Sauk Centre's evolving downtown: that last is the "Downtown bar owners express..." item.

Sauk Centre Herald: Another week in small town America. May 13, 2012.

Charlie Company is still home, for which we're all grateful. And this week there weren't any tornado warnings: which I don't mind a bit.

Saturday afternoon. May 12, 2012.

Things at my household haven't been as uneventfully serene as that photo of Saturday afternoon might suggest. #2 daughter and son-in-law and #1 daughter were here for the weekend - and Mother's Day. I've re-arranged my schedule to make room for a new project or two: more about that will be in tomorrow's post on Apathetic Lemming of the North. Nothing spectacular: but by life hasn't been dull, either.

Sunday, May 6, 2012. Apart from a tornado warning, and the sirens going off at about 5:00 Tuesday afternoon, I don't have much to write about this week. But, boy: do I have pictures

Those clouds were still rumbling when we left the basement. It's a bit faint on the left side: but that's a full rainbow. May 1, 2012.

Same rainbow, a closer look. May 1, 2012.

Rain, sunlight, a little time, and we've got lilac flowers. Almost. May 2, 2012.

Same bush, same day, different angle. May 2, 2012.

Field, Interstate, and Sauk Centre's water tower. May 3, 2012.

"Welcome Home, Troops" on Main Street Theatre's marquee. May 3, 2012.

"Charlie Company Thank You," although you can't see it too well in this photo. May 3, 2012.

"Charlie Company Thank You," a closer look: and you can see the little flags, too. May 3, 2012.

Yellow ribbons, lots of them, downtown. May 3, 2012.

A detail from the same photo. May 3, 2012.

Lilacs: after more rain, still more rain, even more rain, and a few days. May 6, 2012.

An enthusiastic cluster of flowers. May 6, 2012.

That's it for me this week. Next week, I'll probably have more.

Sunday, April 29, 2012. If I paid more attention to the Sauk Centre Herald, I'd have known that the flags were welcoming Charlie Company home. This time around, they had a fairly low-key 'welcome home' that focused on getting the soldiers and their families back together with a minimum of fuss.

Welcome Home, Charlie Company. April 23, 2012.

Monday, I noticed that the storefront where Gold 'N More was is still available. I've mentioned that store a few times over the years. (February 26, 2012, June 12, 2011, April 3, 2004, November 14, 2003, October 16, 2003, October 5, 2003, September 19, 2003)

Still available: a decent-size storefront on Main. April 23, 2012.

I spent a couple of hours just inside the door at Coborn's, handing out Tootsie Rolls and collecting money for the Knights of Columbus. We'll be passing it on: most likely to Camphill Village, and other outfits that help folks with intellectual disabilities.

Candy and fundraising by the Knights of Columbus. April 29, 2012.

The local Knights of Columbus gave folks at Mass this weekend a chance to get some candy - and pitch in for a worthy cause.

Sunday, April 22, 2012. Today is Earth Day. That might explain the flags downtown. I remember the first E.D., back in 1970, and told what I think about environmental awareness in one of my blogs. ("Earth Day, 2012: This Catholic's View") Or maybe the flags are out in anticipation of Administrative Professionals Day which comes Wednesday. Or National Jelly Bean Day, which is today.

Sinclair Lewis Avenue, overcast, and flags. April 21, 2012.

Unger's liquidation sale is in its final week (extended). April 21, 2012.

Even on a gray day, these birdhouses stand out. April 21, 2012.

Let's see: holidays; damp streets; stock liquidation sale; really colorful birdhouses. Yep, that's pretty much what I have this week.