Magnus' 1st Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving 2010 at Great-Grandma Arleen's house. Magnus Lee showing off his bottom chompers; a second top tooth is making its way through, so he wants to chew on everything. We had a nice meal and visit and stayed with Arleen one night. Saturday, Jason, Marta and Magnus came to our house for the night, picked up their 1/4 beef we had ordered together and headed for home Sunday evening.

Bruce of Oakport

This is "Kitty," who first arrived at our door on 10 Nov 2008, the day I euthanized our German Shorthaired Pointer, Stryker. From inside the house, I heard a motor running, and finally discovered it was a white, tailless cat on our front porch, purring loudly. He was very friendly, and looked hungry despite his overabundance of fur. I opened a package of tuna for him, which he gulped down with delight. We parted ways and I didn't see him again.

From time to time in the summer, I would see him in the neighborhood, and I would give him some attention (and maybe more tuna). I don't know who owns him or where he lives/sleeps, but he is not afraid of me and actually enjoys the attention.

Heather and Garett returned home from Sheppard AFB,TX, in December and by 3 Jan Garett had flown to IL for four months more of USAF training at Scott AFB. He completed his phase two of training and got back home 1 May. He had been home for awhile, and one night Heather and I were outside and heard a cat fight in the woods across the road. I had a hunch it might be that white cat, so we walked to the edge of the road, and I called, "Kitty." Sure enough, out of the woods bounded the white cat, and another cat (long tail, brown striped markings) stood looking at us when I shone a flashlight in his direction. I told Heather I see the white cat occasionally, and he is very friendly. He followed us to our yard and up on the porch, so she checked him over, and discovered that he is a neutered male. Someone must have owned him! Heather and Garett started calling him "Bruce," and I put food out for him on our porch - morning and evening - and he comes to eat. (to be continued)

Minnesota's state flower in bloom!

The pink and white lady's slipper (Cypripedium reginae), also knows as the showy lady’s slipper, was adopted as Minnesota's state flower in 1902. Found living in open fens, bogs, swamps, and damp woods where there is plenty of light, lady's slippers grow slowly, taking up to 16 years to produce their first flowers. They bloom in late June or early July. The plants live for up to 50 years and grow four feet tall.

A century ago, the showy lady’s slipper was a favorite adornment in rural church altars during the summer. Since 1925 this rare wildflower has been protected by state law (it is illegal to pick the flowers or to uproot or unearth the plants).

I took these photos Sunday afternoon, 13 June 2010, on the Johnson family farm in Clearwater County, near Clearwater Lake. I had never noticed them growing in this area before, but the colorful blooms couldn't be missed Sunday - wow! I was so excited because I absolutely love the lady's slipper - gorgeous blooms!

We made the trip north for Burton's cousin's funeral on Saturday. His cousin, Dale TeHennepe, age 69, was diagnosed with cancer about a year ago. We also helped Burton's mom, Arleen, celebrate her 82nd birthday Sunday, 13 June. We made her several good meals, brownies and angelfood cake with fresh strawberries and whipped cream.

It was a cloudy, rainy weekend over a wide area. Burton hoped to clean out our boat, but didn't want to work out in the drizzle, so found another clean-up project in the shed.

Magnus' 1st trip to the Johnson farm

Pictured are Grandpa Burton with a wide-awake Magnus and Grandma Paula with a sleeping Magnus.

Little Magnus made his first trip to the Johnson family farm in northern Minnesota last week! Although he didn't go 4-wheeling, swim, canoe or explore the wooded banks of the Clearwater River, or meet any creatures (fox, deer, beaver or birds), we know that in a few short years he will do exactly that. His Grandpa Burton, Daddy Jason, Uncles Brian and Garett and their friends have all experienced the beauty and excitement of "The Farm," and the river that winds through it. Jason, Brian and Garett will show Magnus where they pitched tents, built campfires and camped overnight on the river's edge.

Since Magnus is only a month old, he won't be camping for a few years, but it will most likely be an event he will look forward to and also remember fondly. Uncle Garett brought several of his buddies to the farm for snowmobiling, 4-wheeling, swimming and exploring the river, but we blinked our eyes and Garett grew up. Since December 2008, he's been training with the USAF, so has not been to the farm for a long time. Garett will be home in less than three weeks, and will finally get to meet his nephew; plus it's nearly the start of summer, so no doubt there will be some activity just below the Johnson farm home... in and around the river.

Pilates Workout Benefits

Pilates has evolved from the original principles and rehabilitation techniques developed in the 1920s by German-born Joseph Pilates (1880-1967). According to Balanced Body® Pilates, this time-tested workout is a safe, sensible exercise using a floor mat or equipment, which will help a person look and feel their best, no matter what their age or condition.

Pilates work originates from the “powerhouse,” or abdominal strength, and requires core principles of control, concentration, centering, precision, breathing, and flow of movement. Joseph Pilates’ original therapy work for bedridden patients (during World War I) used machines to help those whose bodies were not strong enough to support the exercises. Today, simply using a mat and band – no intricate apparatus – is the ultimate Pilates’ challenge (Siler, p 48). Fitness needs to become a way of life, and exercise is beneficial in many ways, including a strong body, flexibility, and a positive outlook.

A 50-minute advanced Pilates workout can help a person burn between 255 and 375 calories. Comparatively, jogging for 50 minutes burns about 550 calories (Barr). Pilates can also strengthen abdominal and oblique muscles, improve overall flexibility of the back, hips and hamstrings, and give you an aerobic workout.

Following six weeks of United State Air Force Basic Military Training in Texas, I returned in great physical shape and started high-impact aerobics workouts to maintain my fitness level. Over time, my workouts changed, and I incorporated low-impact aerobics, speed walking, and yoga. Currently, my exercise routine consists of advanced Pilates and walking. Pilates is all about the mind-body-spirit connection, and I realize that staying active has helped me eliminate back and joint pain, heart disease, obesity, and despair. Another great benefit of Pilates is that the whole-body toning and strength you maintain make activities of daily living easier: carrying groceries, house cleaning, gardening, self-care, and leisure.

The resistance band is a useful addition to the Pilates workout; it provides greater resistance for the exercises, allowing muscles to be worked deeper. Explaining resistance band use, Winsor Pilates president Mari Winsor says, “Move slowly through the exercises, really feeling the resistance of the band. The more resistance you provide, the greater the challenge” (Dvorak, p. 48). I would never invest in a costly Pilates Reformer, so I found the inexpensive resistance bands, coupled with Pilates DVDs, to be an extremely portable and economical alternative. For those who do not want to go to a health club or fitness center and pay a membership, a great option is to purchase a mat, resistance bands and workout DVDs. The caveat here however, is that a person must have the inner motivation, desire and discipline to workout at their home or apartment.

Incorporating Pilates in one’s life will strengthen major muscles; improve flexibility; sculpt a strong, streamlined physique; work the core abdominals; enhance joint mobility; target the upper and lower body, and focus the mind and body. All these benefits for a small expenditure make this a priceless investment in one’s life and well-being.


References

Balanced Body® Pilates. Retrieved March 26, 2010, from http://www.pilates.com/

Barr, N. (September 2009) Yoga vs. Pilates: Stretching the truth. O, The Oprah Magazine. Retrieved March 26, 2010, from http://www.oprah.com/omagazine/Is-Yoga-or-Pilates-Better-for-You

Dvorak, M. (2007, July/August). Let Mari and Daisy bust your butt. PilatesStyle. 4, 47-54.

Siler, B. (January/February 2010). Apparatus not required: Take the Pilates mat challenge. American Fitness. 28, 48-50.

Johnson name perpetuated

This week, Jason became a daddy, and named his first-born son Magnus Lee Johnson. Magnus, although arriving after some difficulties and delays, is a healthy 9.5 pound (21" long) boy! Mommy, Marta, is glad he is finally delivered, because not only did her back ache, but Magnus had very sturdy kicks too!

Jason and Marta met in Norway, where Jason attended a forestry school. Marta came to the United States on a work visa in June 2002, but when it was time to return to Poland, they decided to get married: Anoka (MN) County Courthouse, (Oct 2002).

There are several "Lee" Johnsons in our family, starting with Alfred Lee Johnson who was born in Stillwater, MN, in Mar 1924. Al's son, Burton Lee Johnson, was born in Bemidji, MN, in Apr 1950. Burton's eldest son, Jason Lee Johnson, was born in Moorhead, MN, in Mar 1972, and now Magnus, who shares a middle and last name with his Daddy, Grandpa Burton and Great-Grandpa Al.

When searching for a name for their son, Jason and Marta decided to continue with the "Lee Johnson" and include a Norwegian first name. Seven of Norway's kings were Magnus (magn-hús) "house of might/power," and they chose Magnus.

We are anxious to meet Magnus in person, so between school, work, Guard drill, teaching, and a banquet Saturday night, we may try to make the trip to St. Paul on Sunday. The Johnson name and legacy continues with a little boy who will no doubt grow up speaking English, Polish and Norwegian. In addition to his two uncles, two aunts and grandparents in the United States, Magnus has an aunt, uncle, grandparents and two cousins in Poland. He is a lucky guy, because he has a family and a very special mommy and daddy who love him a bunch!

I want spring ...but not another flood!

It is February 2010. Last year at this time we had just flown back home after attending our son's U.S.A.F Basic Military Training (BMT) graduation at Lackland AFB, TX, (San Antonio) and he was on his way to his technical training base, Sheppard AFB, TX, (Wichita Falls) for 10-months of Air Force Specialty (AFS) training.

February 2009 in Minnesota it was still winter, and spring flooding wasn't on our radar, since we thought our new home was high and dry. Oh yeah, I live in Oakport Township, north of Moorhead, ever hear of it?

On Good Friday of 1997, we had a a clay dike built around our house (plus 600 sandbags), which kept the flooded Red River from inside our home, but the structure was damaged beyond repair. That spring, the crest was 39', and at that point, water was flowing over the street in front of our house and lapping at our dike and sandbags.

In November 1997, our old house was torn down, hauled away in dump trucks, and we rebuilt on our acre lot, elevating 4 feet higher, so we were pretty confident if there ever was a "next time."

We had no idea next time would be 12 short years later, and the crest would be a record-breaking 42.8'. Although we rebuilt higher, it wasn't high enough.

March 19, 2009, we drove to Sheppard AFB, TX, to visit our son (spring break for us), and when we returned on March 23 at 1 a.m., University Drive North in Fargo was bustling with dump trucks hauling clay dirt from an alfalfa field just south of County Road 20. There were backhoes, dozens of trucks, banks of lights illuminating the work, and we thought... "holy crap!" It was one in the morning, what was going on?! We realized at that moment that there was big "Trouble in River City," and we had to get home to find out where the Red River elevation was and what predictions had been announced.

Looking back, we had five days to get a sandbag dike around our new house and elevate it to a possible 43' which was the first crest prediction. Five days! We had friends from our church, an NDSU fraternity, NDSU Plant Science co-workers, and relatives at our house for a day and a half. It was devastating and Burton stayed with the house 24/7 to insure pumps didn't freeze, malfunction or the power went out. The day of the crest, March 28, I got more pumps to Burton in a MN DNR airboat and my brother, Breck, and nephews, Curt & Taylor, came to help and give Burton some rest.

We saved our home, but of nine houses on our side of the street, within about four blocks, only three were saved, and our's was one of those... so sad. Water came too fast and too high and inundated dikes, filled basements, power was turned off and the rest is history...

I don't want to go through this again. It makes my stomach hurt to think of it.