my fingers and hands are sore from all the work I've been doing outside, and I just punished my fingers for another hour on the mando---

kept playing phone tag with a friend... I get a text... sorry missed your call, I'm boarding a plane, got center court seats for Wimbledon... nice...

just got a request to go for ice cream from the queen herself... will do.

Hi, all,

So this is the weekend of my little "field trip." If your eyes glaze over at stuff like this, best go to the next post. :)

I'm leaving bright and early tomorrow to visit Minnesota's Iron Range. It's a place that's always interested me but, like many places in my adopted state, I've never visited. A few things that fascinate me:

- We needed the Range: It produced a staggering amount of iron, without which the Allies could not have built the planes, ships and tanks to win WWII. The good people of the Range worked round the clock to almost single-handedly mine the needed iron, which prematurely led to the depletion of minerals. It later relied upon a lower grade product called taconite, but that had its limits, too, and by the '80s, mine closures and unemployment were irreversible. The Range has lost about 40 percent of its population in the last 40 years. Various efforts under the "economic development" heading have come and gone, some so cockamamie that they'd be funny if the consequences weren't so dire.

- Melting pots within melting pots: Miners came from 43 ethnic groups, mainly Italian, various East Europeans and Finns. At one point, at least 25 different languages/dialects were spoken on the Range. (Note: the country survived this quite well.) There was once a thriving Jewish population of about 1,200, with four synagogues, who came to the Range to mainly open retail shops. Baby Boomer Jews left the Range in large numbers -- including Bobby Zimmerman, aka Bob Dylan, who has never given a fig about his home -- and only a tiny, very aged handful remain.

- Reds! There was a fairly active Communist/Socialist presence on the Range, including Young Pioneer camps. McCarthyism pretty much took care of that. A little-known chapter of American history, and a sad one at that, is that an estimated 6,000 Finn Americans, many from the Range, went to Karelia, a former part of Finland claimed by the USSR, to pursue the Soviet ideal in the 1920s and 1930s. Half of them returned to the States, quickly and bitterly disillusioned, within a year. Those who stayed saw their fates worsen and an unknown number of Americans, including Iron Rangers and idealists from Michigan's Upper Peninsula and the very northernmost stretches of Wisconsin, were killed by Stalin's purges.

So it's an intriguing place that holds a well-earned place in history. It's also supposed to be quite pretty so I'm looking forward to my quick jaunt. I've got a hotel room tomorrow night and will share a tidbit or two when I get home.

Fascinating Ven!!!

Thanks for track Trach!

I just keep screwing up on this thread! And nobody really seems that interested in anything I post so I'm just going to stick to the 24's.
It seems like this group is pretty tight and know each other pretty well- as much as you can online anyway!

I wish you all well and I'm going to stay sober. I just don't feel welcome here.

Jane, please stay.

I'm sorry that you're hurt and don't feel welcome or valued here because you are both.

I know this thread seems to be rather populated by folks who know each other well. I was a stranger here once, but just plunged in.

And you are right: Mothers never, ever stop caring.

I hope you'll reconsider. You certainly didn't screw up anything here. I know you're in a tough time in your life and my heart goes out to you.

Yeah don't go Jane.
This is a very supportive community and I'm sorry that you felt unwelcome here :grouphug:

I'm just back from a late night drive with a friend of mine. Actually I'm finding all of this very very odd. Ok my mom calls me a couple of times a day to "check in" but that doesn't bug me so much anymore. I know my parents like to talk to me and I enjoy chatting with my dad as well and getting his advice.
It's just odd that I can do anything I want whenever I want. I can go out and stay out if I wish. I can eat what I want anytime. I was concerned about my first weekend in this house but it will be ok I think. I actually cannot remember the last time I had all this time to myself. It's been years anyway. If I was at home my mom would be like "do this and do that".

I could get used to this freedom.

Jane, please don't go. You didn't screw anything up here. I made that comment because tetra's mom can be a bit overbearing. I may have come across wrong too.

You are definitely welcome here.

I can vouch for these guys Jane - you (and everyone else) is very welcome here :)

D

Yes, Jane, stick around. You didn't screw up. You haven't seen all of the history with Tetra and her mom.
We do know each other, but we like getting to know new folks very much! We were all new here once.

Cool history stuff, Ven. I've been up there once but the weather was dreadful so we didn't get to do much. But it is quite beautiful and interesting.

Actually I feel bad now too. I should probably stop posting about my mother. But we all need a safe place to vent, don't we?

I figured since I made a special ice cream run, bananas, whipped cream and chocolate syrup couldn't hurt either... :)
cut up strawberries, cherries, crushed peanuts and walnuts... use your imagination... but it was guuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuud!



p.s. Trach, do you have all of the Go-Gos and Runaways albums?

Don't feel bad venting about your mom tetra. If it was anyone, it was probably me.

.
Some Iron Range History...

- Mesabi Iron Range History -

Looking forward to your 'Trip Report', Ven.

I've been following your Story, Jane. Thinking 'Man, what a fn drag'. I don't comment on those Life Situations I've not undergone personally, so I tend to pipe down. This does not indicate disinterest. It indicates being Gobsmacked. Your situation made me wonder what I would do if I suddenly got the same Marital News as you. I'd soldier on somehow after 39 Years, but I have watched Pals struggle with your kinda-same Dilemma.

About anything goes here in Weekenders; one of the beauties of this unique part of SR. Plug away and post because we care.

And now, some Mandolin Music...

- 'Long Time Gone' ~ Tim O'Brien & Darrell Scott ~ Live -
.

Neither tetra or SU did anything wrong.
Stop feeling bad you guys- I mean it.

People can come and go as they please- this group is more than welcoming to everyone at anytime and it's always been this way.
Never once have I seen anyone on weekenders be anything but nice.

What's a good horror movie to watch?

I'm home after a longish afternoon. A meeting at work announcing changes and me being moved from one slot to a different slot in two weeks. Then traffic while driving home. Then ran son to his therapy appointment. The "talking doctor." then home with little Miss while my mother in law brings son to her place overnight. Mr. Ruby not home and it's payday. He's done well all week but I'm not hopeful.

Jane, stick around. I came around this thread a couple years ago just by inserting myself into the action like you've been doing. Your contributions are valuable.

Little Miss is trying to drag me inside. It's bedtime.

I don't like horror movies, but The Shining is really good.

thanks Bodhi...
and thanks for that Mesa, I wouldn't pay to see Billy Joel, but I'd pay to see those guys... good stuff...

went out and measured my final area for stone -- my estimate before I started was almost smack on. But I really needed to measure it to be sure...
I look forward to compacting and moving stone in the hot July sun...
my new solar batteries arrived today for the lighting... fountain is probably near Illinois or somewhere' in between... need to start looking at plants. Low maintenance plants! And I gots to get rid of about a yard of clay soil. I can do it like they did in the Great Escape. Take a bucket or two at a time down to the park where I fish and spread it around ;) Plus I need more rocks...

Have a good night all. Hope you'll stay with us Jane.

My last wedding video :lmao