Happy Birthday Willie Boy!

My darling boy Will turns 17 today! It really is shocking to see how fast they grow up! Will has always been a sweet boy. He is motivated and productive. He loves to dance and he is creative! His current favorites are flannel shirts and hanging with his friends! I love you Will...have a Happy Day!

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween! I just learned how to make some really cool digital buttons! You can click on the image to take a closer look! Have a fun night trick or treating this year!

50 years and a wonderful life!

Today is Kay and Mary's 50th wedding anniversary! We placed a sweet add in the local paper.

Mary and Kay Francis, 50 years of marriage, Oct. 24, 1959 to Oct. 24, 2009


The children, in-laws and grandchildren of Kay and Mary Francis would like to congratulate them on 50 years of marriage! Thank you for giving us a true example of a strong, loving union. We look forward to making memories with you for another 50 years! We all love you. Hubba Hubba!

Kay and Mary September 24, 1959

The First 50 from Mike Francis on Vimeo.

Hootenanny

Main Entry: hoo·te·nan·ny Pronunciation: \ˈhü-tə-ˌna-nē\

Function: noun

Inflected Form(s): plural hoo·te·nan·nies

Etymology: origin unknown

Date: 1929

1 chiefly dialect : gadget

2 : a gathering at which folksingers entertain often with the audience joining in

I am not sure about the folksinger part, but over MEA weekend we attended a "Hootenanny" in Grantsburg Wisconsin! Our Hootenanny consisted of: Cousins, Bonfires, S'mores, Camping, Food on the Grill, and a "Bubblefest"....onion rings and french frys cooked in the fryer! We had a blast!

Jack Elliott Eagle Scout!

Wow, after 9 years of scouting, Jack Elliott has been awarded the Eagle Rank (10-14-09). We are so proud of him and all of his accomplishements.

A scout is:

Trustworthy

Loyal

Helpful

Friendly

Courteous

Kind

Obedient

Cheerful

Thrifty

Brave

Clean

Reverent

During his board of review Jack was asked to recite the Scout Law...then he was asked if he could add one trait, what would it be? He added "fun". Then he was asked to take one trait away and he selected "clean"! Congratulations Jack!

Here is Jack with the members of his Eagle Board, Sue Stone Northstar Council, Cathy Hanson Troop 358 Committe Chair, Jack Elliott Eagle Scout!, F Michael Miller Troop 358 advancement chair,Rick Hermes Former Troop 358 Scoutmaster,  David Wherry Scoutmaster Troop 358 Buffalo Minnesota.

We would also like to thank Ray Schneider and John Conway of Troop 595 in Redondo Beach...you guys are the ones that got all of this started!

Snow on October 13th?

NO, it cannot be... We woke this morning to a blanket of white all over the orange of fall. The leaves have not even completely changed color yet and now we've got 3+ inches of snow covering everything. I can't remember ever having snow this early in the season! That is Minnesota for you!

Going to the apple orchard

Deer Lake Orchard is nice and close to our house. We had a nice visit yesterday with Jimmy and Juliette, Josephina and Sweet Baby James. We fed the animals at the childrens petting zoo, slid down the slide, went on a hay ride, picked some apples, ate some apples, drank some apple cider. The temps were very cold, but we had a nice time!

Buffalo Minnesota shops are in the news!

Our little ole' Buffalo Minnesota had a really nice write up in the recent Spaces magazine. It is great fun to have visitors to our town on the first weekend of the month to look for treasures at some of these great little shops. I am especially fond of the porch and atelier. Teresa always has some great finds at reasonable prices! You should be able to click on the photos below to bring up a larger view so you can read about my fair town!

Fall colors are spectacular here!

This the the little galvanized chicken feeder that I picked up from the junk bonanza filled with pumpkins on my kitchen table...all ready for fun fall dinners!

Buffalo Farmers Market

Our sweet little downtown Buffalo Farmer's Market is still going strong every Saturday morning. This Saturday I picked up the last of some really delicious corn, some beautiful zuchinni squash (for the tortilla soup) and a few small pumpkins. The temps are starting to drop and I am afraid the only vegetables we'll be eating in the near future are frozen ones! The planters around town look so fallish with lots of yellow, gold and orange mums and tall grasses. Fall is such a wonderful time of year here in the midwest.