Monday, December 25, 2006

Wright News

12/25/2006

Wright News by Jennie K. Hanson December 25, 2006

Mele Kalikimaka - Hau’oli Makahiki Hou!  That’s Merry Christmas and Happy New Year in Hawaiian!  As most of you already know, our youngest Son Curtis is living in Hawaii, so we need and want to learn a little of the Hawaiian language.

Well, it’s official!  I’ve turned into my late Uncle Einar Dahlman.  Years ago, when Einar’s wife Dorothy died, Einar stopped getting a real Christmas Tree and started putting up an artificial tree.  It must have been a gift from his son Carl, but the tree was a 6 to 7 footer with lights and all the usual decorations.  After a few years, Einar would just put up the top half of the tree and later ended up putting a large garbage bag over the tree after Christmas and hauling it up to the attic for the year and bringing it down again every December.  He never even took off the lights or decorations.  I thought that was so weird!  How could anyone do Christmas that way?

Well, guess what?  All I had to do to put up the tree this year was walk out to the “Teacher Shed” find the big garbage bag with our artificial tree inside and haul it into the house.  Yes, you guessed it.  The lights and decorations were still on that 4-foot tree from last year and all I had to do was set it up, straighten the decorations and lights and plug it in.  Oh, I did put up a few strands of lights and garland in the archways of the house, but I buy new strings of lights every year because they usually burn out over the winter for some reason.  It’s also too hard to untangle them anyway.  And since I never unplug them over Christmas, they usually burn out from being on continuously for 30 - 40 days in a row anyway.

So, there you have it.  I’m now a member of the Geezers and Proud of it!

An informal Farewell was given to Lindsay Lally on the last day of school. The staff had purchased a cake and she was given a farewell speech by the Principal, Tom Cawcutt at the special Christmas Dinner at school on her last day, December 22, 2006.  The whole high school and elementary grades and also staff gave her a huge round of applause and a standing ovation.  She will be missed at school, but the 3rd grade is in the capable hands of Christie Eliason.

On Lindsay’s last day, one of her students, Jenna Koenig wrote her a farewell poem called “You Taught Me”.  Here it is:

YOU TAUGHT ME

I did not know how to write in cursive.

You taught me.

I did not know how to measure.

You taught me.

I did not know how to do grammar.

You taught me.

And I did not know many things, but now I do.

One of the most important things you taught me was to miss a dear friend and teacher.

By Jenna Koenig, 3rd Grade

Written on December 22, 2006

The Excess Debt Service Levy Bond Referendum passed by a vote of 121 YES votes to 5O Votes.  This means that any excess money collected in taxes to pay off bonds will stay in the district instead of going back into the state coffers.

The Area Clothing Depot will be CLOSED December 30th and January 2nd. Thank you for all the donations and support over the past year and years and especially all our volunteers and our wonderful manager: Beanie Randa.

Bob and Sandy Howard hosted a wonderful pre-holiday party at their home on Tamarack Lake on December 18th.  Their home is truly lovely and their hospitality is even lovelier.  Everyone who was there enjoyed them selves immensely.

Household Hint: This isn’t really a household hint, but it is something I do every year on January 1st.  I go through my blank checks and write 2007 on the year line for a whole book of checks so I don’t forget and put the wrong year while writing checks later on in the month.  It works for me and after a while it’s easier to remember the new year date.

Bible Verse: Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.  Mark 8: 34.

That’s all the news from Lake Happynewyear and Hello to all my readers! Thanks for all the encouraging remarks about the “Wright News”.  It really makes my day when people appreciate all the work that goes into writing the news.

Monday, December 18, 2006

Wright News

12/18/2006

Wright News by Jennie K. HansonDecember 18, 2006

A beautiful funeral was held for Melvin Lind on Friday, December 15, 2006. Pastor Janeva Stromberg gave a fine tribute to him and the Lind Family.  The Bethlehem Ladies served a delicious lunch and many folks were able to express their sympathy to Eleanor and the family.  Melvin was well known in the area and he lived a long life and was dedicated to helping the area. Our Sympathy to you all.

Kristin Ceccardi Allen has been in the Air Force for the past 8 and 1/2 years and has just signed up for another 4 years.  Her husband Craig is a paramedic for the city swat team and is also a fire investigator.  They have 3 daughters.  Identical twin Daughters Payton and Madison who will be 4 in February and Chelsey who will be one in January.  They are expecting a baby in May of 2007.  Kristin’s parents are Robyn and Boyd Larson.  Sounds like Kristin and Craig are very busy with their family and jobs.

The Cromwell Sno-Gophers will be offering another Youth Snowmobile Safety Class for Saturday, February 3rd, 2007.  It is a one-day class.  7:30 AM to 4:30 PM.  The Class will be held at the Sno-Mobile Clubhouse 1/4 mile north of Cromwell on Hwy 73.  Sign up early as there is a limit of 20 youth.  Call Tina Johnson at 218-644-3903.  You must pre-register to attend! This week, on December 21st, the days will be getting longer. Yes, it is the first day of winter and the hours of daylight will again be lengthening. I hear that this is also Ray Lally’s favorite day of the year.  At least that’s what he always says.

Speaking of Lally’s, be sure to sign up at the school for Lindsay Lally’s Retirement Party on Sunday, December 31st.  The party will be held at the Cromwell Park Pavilion at 12:30 PM.  There will be a Turkey Dinner with all the trimmings, a program at 1:30 PM and music to follow.  Cost is $10.00 per person.  If you are unable to attend and would like your name on the gift card, please stop in and make a donation at the school.  Thanks, the party committee.

Bob May, author of the song, “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer”, was teased as a child for being frail.  He wrote the song because he wanted his daughter to understand that being different didn’t mean you had to be ashamed.  Rudolph was teased and shunned because of his red nose, but later became the “shining light” for Santa on a dark and foggy night.  Let that be a lesson to all of us.  If someone is different, they still have potential and can make a difference in the world.  Can you still name all Santa’s Reindeer?* Try it. Now can you name the 12 Days of Christmas?**

It was 25 years ago this week that my dad, Wallace W. Dahlman, died on December 21st, 1981 at the age of 65.  I thought he was old at the time, but now that I’m almost his age, I realize he was too young to die.

So to all you who have lost loved ones in the past year or before take this time to remember the wonderful memories of them.  Make a luminary for each of them and line them up outside around your home on Christmas Eve.  You could have your kids or grandkids decorate the bags to help them remember their late relatives or friends.

The Spanish Club at school is again holding their annual Milk Caps Collection Contest.  The class what collects the most milk caps with the 5-Cent label will win a prize.  Help them out by donating these caps to your favorite kid at school.  If you don’t have a kids to donate to, drop them off at the Co-op Store in Wright and I’ll make sure they get turned in. This contest will go on till Homecoming.

The 4th, 5th, and 6th Grade girls will be playing their first Basketball Game on January 13th at home vs. Aitkin.  Watch the bus Bulletin for times. There will be NO SCHOOL from December 25th - January 1st for Winter Break. School Resumes January 2nd, 2007.  School gets out early on Friday the 23rd at 12:30 PM.

There will be NO SUNDAY SCHOOL at Bethany and Bethlehem Churches on December 24th and 31st.  Sunday School will resume on January 7th at the regular times.

The AREA CLOTHING DEPOT will be CLOSED on December 23rd, 26th, 30th, and January 2nd for the holidays.  Please hold all donations until after January 5th, 2007. They will reopen on January 6th.  Remember that it’s $1.50 a bag on the 1st Saturday and 1st Tuesday of the month.

A huge “Thank You” goes out to Marlene Waseen and Ray Broker from Barnum who donated a hand made Christmas gift to every resident at the Villa Vista in Cromwell for Christmas.  There was a big article about them in the last Pine Journal by Wendy Johnson if you’d like to learn more about them.  Since they use yarn for their projects, donations of yarn are really appreciated.  You can give me the yarn, and I will get it to them.

Christmas Eve Services will be held at Bethany Lutheran in Cromwell at 8 PM and at Bethlehem in Wright at 10 PM.  They will also hold their regular services on the 24th in the mornings.  Everyone is welcome to attend even if you have never gone to church before.  Now is the time to reconnect with God.

Household Hint: Hate to pack lunches?  Simplify your job by making up a big batch of sandwiches at once, freezing as much as a week’s supply ahead of time.

Sayings:  “Life is not a dress rehearsal.  Stop practicing what you’re going to do and just go do it.  In one bold stroke you can transform today.” Marilyn Grey.

If you drop your child off at church, he will go for a while.  If you bring him to church, he will go for a lifetime.

Bible Verse: Pray without ceasing.  In every thing give thanks.  I Thessalonians 5:17-18.

*They were Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixon, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen.

**"The 12 Days of Christmas” was really a secret code for Catholics in England. From 1558 until 1829 Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly.  Someone during that era wrote this Carol as a Catechism Song.  It had 2 levels of meanings.  The surface meaning plus a hidden meaning only members of the church knew. Each element in the carol had a code word for a religious reality, which the children would remember. For example: A Partridge in a Pear Tree was Christ Jesus; Two Turtle Doves were the Old and New Testament; Three French Hens stood for Faith, Hope and Love; The Four Calling Birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John; the Five Gold Rings were the Torah or Law, the first five Books of the Old Testament; the Six Geese - A - Laying stood for the six days of creation; Seven Swans - Swimming represented the seven fold gifts of the Holy Spirit: Prosperity, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy; The Eight Maids - Milking were the Eight Beatitudes:

The Nine Ladies Dancing were the Nine Fruits of The Holy Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control; The 10 Lords-a-Leaping were the 10 Commandments; Eleven Pipers Piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples; and the Twelve Drummers Drumming symbolized for the twelve points of belief of the Apostle’s Creed. So there you have it.  The meanings behind the “12 Days of Christmas.

That’s all the news from Lake Rememberthereasonfortheseason and Hello to all the Linds.  Have a Merry and Blessed Christmas!