Villagers have been enjoying the fruits of the harvest. Fresh vegetables have been shared with us from abundant lush looking gardens. We’ve been given yellow beans from the Wayne Beyenhof’s that we added to our own green beans. Cucumbers, too, have arrived. The first were from Joan in St. Paul. We ate them every way we know how to make them. Alice made their cukes with vinegar, sugar and onions. Ione’s were equal parts of mayo and sugar. Then Rita brought two huge grocery sacks that Carolyn, Ione and friend Coleen Martens cut up to eat at the table and to make refrigerator pickles. Sarah’s Judy is supplying the recipe for pickles to be kept in the refrigerator. Sweet corn, too, has been on the menu. Berdella’s daughter Mary and our nurse Mary brought corn for meals. Arnold T. makes corn to be eaten before bedtime in the microwave. I tried it and it works.When Arnold T. came to the Village to live he sold his home to a young mother. Kelli Hellerud. Kelly has a beautiful garden. She prepared a huge basket of vegetables and took them to the county fair. There she became the grand champion. The basket was beautiful and she brought it over for Arnold to see. That gal had purple, bell and banana peppers, red onions, plum, orange and red plum tomatoes. Everything needed to make salsa. She included a jar of her homemade salsa in the basket. Arnold told her how he noticed her bountiful garden of unusual plants every time he went by. "I really don’t know why it grows so well," Kelly said. "Well" Arnold replied, "that’s the area where the outhouse sat years ago." Now Kelly didn’t want me to tell you that for she thought people wouldn’t eat her tomatoes that she shared. No problem, I investigated.Alice is sharing Colorado peaches she buys each year from Ace Hardware in Sioux Falls. They are so juicy and delicious, the way we remember lug peaches to be in our canning days. Her daughter-in-law, Peggy, made a rhubarb cake with raisins, nuts and coconut that was so good. So you see, we do eat well with such generous friends.Gardens have also produced flowers. Palma went to visit friends where she once lived and returned with a bouquet of huge, full snowballs. Gladys Eitreim and Arla Bakken brought white and yellow gladiolas. We talked how these blooms were so much work. Planting bulbs in the spring and digging up the roots in the fall. Audrey Heidenson shares many of the blooms of her garden. The rose bushes in the patio are unusually beautiful this year. Jim Bush sent roses from the market as well. Karen Soehl and Laura Hoogeveen were the delivery persons. We were glad about that for Laura played the piano for us while here. It was Christmas in August at our Wednesday sing-along with Glenda. We didn’t sound too bad singing the hymns of the season.Deb wanted each of us to put a centerpiece of our own choosing on the dining table. Along with the plants and flowers Arnold S. was a statue of a man with the paper in front of his face while at breakfast — entitled "World’s best husband." Prior to that he had a row of nuts with eyes saying, "We’re all a little nuts." Marie is still sharing flowers from her birthday party.Earl’s been gone on a trip with his daughter. Visitors have been from Texas and Arizona to see Arnold S., Roger and Carol Torkelson from Coon Rapids to see Martha as well as her granddaughter Sara and her husband Eric Lee from Austin, and Corney Verhey from Sioux Falls to renew friendships with Bud and Arnold T. Emil’s family was here this past weekend. The Helgeson’s swung through the parking lot in their camper entitled "The Griswold’s" on their way to Newton Hills for the weekend. Carolyn went to the county fair with her son Clair, returning after 11 p.m. Imagine. We extend our deepest sympathy to Caroline D. on the death of a brother, living in Morris.That’s plenty for now. I’ll keep you posted.
