Ohhhhh noooooooo... !  I should NEVER type when I'm "off," 'cause I don't
THINK well in that state...... <deep sigh>  And I WAS "off" when I was
online late last nite....

I mentioned to my mom today that I'd had a chance to actually quote from
memory a bit of Wordsworth's poem "Hiawatha,"  repeating that fragment of
poetry as we spoke.

Mom, 82 years old and suffering from TIA-caused dementia with literally no
short term memory recall at all, instantly began to recite the CORRECT words
of the poem - all thousand verses of it - which I HAD to listen to 'cause
she wouldn't stop her recital! <smile>

Anyway... make that "By the bid sea's SHINING water."

THERE, mom!  I did it!  NOW, is any of the 1600 List members wanna repeat
the first verse of "Hiawatha," <grin> they'll do it RIGHT!

Barb Mallut (Honorary North Country citizen)
[log in to unmask]

-----Original Message-----
From: john bjork <[log in to unmask]>
To: Barb_MSN <[log in to unmask]>; [log in to unmask]
<[log in to unmask]>
Date: Monday, March 15, 1999 4:50 AM
Subject: Re: Re NON-PD. Parkinsaw MI, St Olaf, MN & Lake Woebegone, MN


>Barb:  You really should be working for the Minnesota Department of
Tourism;
>you're a true lover of the North Country like I am, about that there is no
>doubt.   In fact, although I'm partial to the Upper Peninsula, I have great
>affection for both of our other two northern neighbors--MN and WI. (Of
course,
>never one to make a total committment,  I must admit to a deep affection
for
>South Florida and Spain--oley!)   Not only do you deserve to be an honorary
>citizen of the great Northern mid-west, especially MN, you also deserve to
be an
>honorary citizen of Parkinsaw---and I'm going to personally speak to Mayor
>Svensen about it this morning as soon as my drugs kick in.  (Only a
half-hour to
>go before cocktail #1).
>
>John Bjork
>A View from the Lighter Side
>PD Humor from Parkinsaw, MI
>(An Imaginary Place for PWP)
>
>Barb_MSN wrote:
>
>> John.....
>>
>> As the daughter of a Minnesotan mother who STILL refers to that state as
>> "home," even tho she's lived in Los Angeles for almost 60 years, I'm well
>> aware of the virtues and superiority of all persons and things born in
and
>> derived from the state of Minnesota, and it's neighboring states..
>> <grinning>
>>
>> I was nurtured on tales Lake Woebegone throughout my childhood and youth,
as
>> well as having all the verses of Wordsworth's "Hiawatha" ..... "By the
>> shores of Gitshegume, by the deep sea's running water, lived Nakomas and
his
>> daughter" ...... and on and on and on.... drummed into my wee little
>> California-born-brain by mom, who figured that made her two daughters
ALMOST
>> Minnasotans!
>>
>> I've been dragged to see Minnehaha Falls more times than I could count by
>> mom's brother, Uncle Ray, and have heard many other uncle's endless
stories
>> about their ice fishing adventures.  I've fished for sunfish from a
pontoon
>> boats on what seemed at the time to have been on at LEAST 9 thousand of
>> Minnesota's 10 thousand lakes (and never caught a thing!) <LOL>, and
always
>> returned home after my summer vacations in the Twin Cities (actually, in
>> St.. Paul) saying   "Yaaaaaah" just like my cousins and mom.
>>
>> At the very least, I'd say I deserve to be an honorary citizen of the
great
>> Northwest, yaaaaaah? <giggle>
>>
>> Barb Mallut (honorary Minnesotan)
>> [log in to unmask]
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: john bjork <[log in to unmask]>
>> To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
>> Date: Sunday, March 14, 1999 1:57 PM
>> Subject: Re: Re NON-PD. Parkinsaw MI, St Olaf, MN & Lake Woebegone, MN
>>
>> >Hi Barb (s):  Well, you're speaking of the citadel of imaginary places
in
>> the
>> >world, the wonderful and very much loved Lake Wobegone.  I grew up
>> listening to
>> >Garrison Keeler (sp) in a small town in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.  We
>> always
>> >thought he was talking about us, as did a thousand other towns, which
>> reflected the
>> >genius of the author.  No doubt that Lake Wobegone provided some grist
for
>> the
>> >mills of Parkinsaw, MI.  In spite of that influence, I'd like to think
>> Parkinsaw is
>> >a special and unique place, especially given the reality that 80% of the
>> residents
>> >there are PWP, and have a lot more problems to comfront than other, more
>> >conventional communities.  But it is the commonality with Lake Wobegone
>> residents
>> >that is important:  they're good people from a strong and proud
heritage.
>> Fiercely
>> >independent, they'll fight PD until the last Sinemet tablet.  They make
>> wonderful
>> >neighbors, and are great fun to enjoy a brew with over at the Northern
>> Lights.
>> >They're Lake Woebegone (and St. Olaf) kind of people.
>> >
>> >John Bjork
>> >
>> >[log in to unmask] wrote:
>> >
>> >> Hi John and Barb,
>> >>         Not to  worry John, Rose Nyland who's from St. Olaf doesn't
have
>> a clue
>> >> either!  But what about that other great Minnesota town, Lake
Woebegone.
>> which
>> >> Garrison Keeler (sp?) reports on every Saturday night on public radio,
>> where
>> >> the women are strong, the men are good looking and the children are
all
>> above
>> >> average!
>> >>
>> >>         Barb B-K
>> >>         a former Minnesotan
>> >>
>> >> In a message dated 3/14/99 2:11:46 PM, [log in to unmask] wrote:
>> >>
>> >> <<Barb:   Never have seen the Golden Girls sitcom, except for some
brief
>> >> glances; and
>> >> know not a clue about St Olaf.  However, seeing as though St Olaf, MN
>> >> and Parkinsaw, MI are both in the north country, we share the same
>> >> Scandavian heritage, deep blue
>> >> lakes, love of nature and the outdoors, brats and cold beer.  We've
been
>> >>
>> >> looking for a sister city to get together with, so maybe we'll check
>> >> this out.  Of course, Parkinsaw is about 80% PWP, so I don't know how
>> >> that would work out. We take a little getting used to if you know what
I
>> >> mean.   I bet they'd love our "promote the pig" program, our Palmetto
>> >> Bug research (they have similar problems with Zebra Mussels), and our
>> >> emerging nightlife with the Dopaminos and Carl and Porcine, though, so
>> >> stay tuned sports fans, we may just have a joint venture celebration.
>> >> In the final analysis, however, any resemblance bewteen Parkinsaw, MI
>> >> and  St Olaf is, as they say, purely coincidental.
>> >>
>> >> John Bjork
>> >> >>
>> >
>
>
>