(NOTE:  This blog series is written for the Northfield Historic Society.  I am launching it through my site as well.  Please visit www.NorthfieldHistory.com to get the whole story)

You won't believe what I found in the deepest, darkest corners of the Northfield Historic Society (NHS) archives.  You're going to love my new Blog series if you have a nosy interest in seeing old historical artifacts that make up the fibers of our community.  Do you ever get the goose bumps while standing in a museum, or in the exact location where something "big" or extremely significant happened, like standing on the same wooden floors that the James Gang's boots touched at the NHS museum?  Do you find yourself holding a family heirloom, knowing that others have spent their lifetime's wrapped around this item?  Does history excite you?  Let me explain what's going on here:

We had a potluck at work today.  We were encouraged to wear our best Christmas sweater. I was able to go to Ragstock quick on Monday to have them pick out the gaudiest sweater they could find.  I think they succeeded.  I won the "most holiday cheer" award.  Deb boxed up her admitted re-gifted bell wreath.  It went with my outfit well.   (it's worth clicking the photos to take a close look)

Here's my prize.

But it can't be worse than the creepy Cmas doll that Lori put in our bedroom.

I emailed our friends and family the annual update on 12/21/08.  This is the family year in review that I referenced. 

Tim's 2008 Year in Review.

So...I finally had shoulder surgery. Here's what it was like.

'Families Come Together' View the photo show that I created for Lori and my wedding

There is nothing better than picking up my daughter from school

Rylie's First Play. Stone Soup. Northfield Montessori.

Rylie is the SOW

Kayla Perfects the Twirl-Move

'Health Finders' gala in Faribault Daily News featuring my close-up magic act

2008 Defeat of Jesse James Button Unveiled. Special 60th Anniversary Replica

Freeland Family Calendar

Rylie on cover of the Northfield News Portraits special section

Kayla's 1st grade music concert. Bridgewater Elementary. Northfield Minnesota

Tim and Lori Freeland. June 29th 2007. Al Freeland's speech

Video and Photos from paddle boat outing on Lake Pepin. A great experience.

July event photo galleries

A picture perfect Independence day: 2008

Rylie graduates from Northfield Montessori - Fork in her road (photo and video galleries)

Driving to work this morning on the coldest day in Minnesota in 10 months I took out my camera she shot the drive.  Amazing how packed and "white" the roads are.  Surprisingly, in Minnesota we can get the road to a normal cement or black top look once temps get "up" into the twenties and react with the road salt.  Well...I am driving in my pre-heated car and noticed the signs of extreme cold that I had forgotten about.  The roads drift, sometimes it whites-out, exhaust pipes emit a fog and car windows are frosted over.  It's surreal but real, especially when the DJ shows some humor by playing U2's "In God's Country". The air temp was actually about -10F with winds gusting up to 40 MPH, creating the wind-chill effect of a lifetime. 

An hour later I was driving around for work and saw "Sundogs" around the sun so I took a photo.  Amazing beauty.  I believe that happens when moisture crystallizes in the atmosphere to ask like a prism for the light to pass through, refracting into the color spectrum.  I'm trying to point out the positives when living under these brutal weather conditions. 

Story by VIV SAVAGE

Ernie Eastrom was satisfied with five flag poles for years until he recently decided to pursue a lifelong dream.  Eastrom hopes to raise enough money at Tuesday's stir-fry breakfast to purchase his sixth flag pole so he can raise his flag to see if anyone will salute.  

"I've always wanted to be the guy who raises his own flag to have others salute you out of respect", said Eastrom of his desire to have someone salute his homemade family flag.  Korean War veteran Eastrom had a custom made family flag designed and sewn in the 60's after the last Eastrom family reunion when everyone pitched in with ideas to reflect the family heritage. 

"We ended up having a lion or two, along with your traditional shield, sickle and rice gain to tie in our Latvian-British-Laos heritage. I don't have any Laos blood, but I wanted to include my wife Chen into the project", said Eastrom.

You can stop down to the local Bald Eagles Post on 5th and Grand to help the cause.  The goal is to raise $139 for the new pole.  Breakfast is served at 6am.  Egg rolls and hot tea included.  Family flag to be on display.

For those familiar with my obsession with the shape of the state of Minnesota, I was so thrilled to find a chocolate sucker in the shape of the great state of "sky tinted water" (Souix meaning for Minnesota). Speaking of 'sky tinted', I had to look more into the translation. It directly translates to cloudy in the native language. So, Minnesota really means 'cloudy water'. Isn't that pleasant. Of course, sky-tinted sounds better. In fact, so good, that Hamm's used it as their marketing theme for decades. "From The Land of Sky Blue Waters...Refreshing".

See original 1960's commercial here. 

But I digress.  I found this sucker at the Cooco Bean in downtown Northfield.  Eileen also informed me that her MN cookie cutters were on back order.  I need to get back there. 

From Minnesota Shapes

So, I waited as long as I could and ended up eating it as I drove away.  I took a bite and realized in just a second I took out the Aarowhead region of Minnesota.  Those poor souls up in St Louis County and the BWCA.  (notice the photo while driving....dumb).

From Minnesota Shapes

BTW, it's not just 10,000 lakes.  It's 15,761.  Nice job counting early-Minnesotan's.

Today is December 8th, 2008 and its been snowing since around 1pm here in Northfield Minnesota.  It's currently....8:33pm and it's still snowing.  Its supposed to snow until morning.   Just coming home, there are dozens of men out snowblowing their driveways.  They know the weather report.  They can see it with their own eyes.  It's still friggin' snowing.  Why are you doing your business now? 

This has been a personal dilemma since I was a child.  I see it all the time and is just one of those things in life that I don't understand.  Am I missing something?  Did my father not teach me something?  The BEST guess that I have is that they fear it will get higher than their blower and will not be able to get the job done if they let it snow anymore.  Following are other possible scenarios that I would consider:

• Guy wants to get out of the house
• Guy wants to use his new blower....bad!
• Other guys are doing it
• Guy doesn't have a truck or SUV to "power backup" through the snow in the morning
• Guy wants to get a head start on the job (which doesn't seem to jive with the manly way.  That is....letting it all build up, plowing out of one major storm using a power tool...doing it all in one shot....flexing his gas-powered muscles while cutting drifts)
• Guy is a wimp
• Guy thinks the snow is almost done (check the weather report dude)
• Guy is a little slow

Me using my new blower last week (notice how the snow has quit....sun is out)

From NHS Locker room Dec 2008

In 1990 I was a junior in high school and played football for the Northfield Raiders during head coach Bob (Bubba) Sullivan's very first year coaching. We went 2-6. My senior year I didn't play and they went 1-7. He quickly turned the program around.

The Raiders lost to Mankato West on Nov 29th 2008 during the final championship game of the year. My colleague Jeff Wald, whom was covering sports from the field was able to visually compare the Northfield attendance to that of Mankato's. He estimated that we had them beat 2-1.

Check out the video clips. Missing a lot of great plays, I shot the big screen reply. It's worth a look.

Click here to view the video gallery.

Photo Gallery:

The first time I saw these 2 pop-up books in Lori's Christmas collection, I couldn't believe it.  It just seems impossible that paper can be altered in such a way as to work together like this, let alone be able to fold up neatly into a book over and over. So, I just had to film it for ya-all to watch. Sorry in advance about the music.   Check it out.

This is my first video with a webcam from my desk. Forgive the expressionless face, boring subject-matter, quirky mannerisms, poor lighting and bad mix.  I had to convert the file format once and lost some quality in the transfer.

I found the following three Northfield High School Homecoming pride buttons in my old collection.  Now I really want to know what the other years themes were.  Can you even imagine the controversy now-a-days having the 2008 Raider chopping off the head of the opponent?  They don't even allow the new raider mascot to have a sword on his hands anymore.  I really think we've come a long way.

Last week I found a pinback button on ebay from the 1941 Northfield Winter Carnival.  Being a collector of St Paul Winter Carnival buttons, I wanted to confirm whether or not my own town of Northfield MN had their own version in the past.  So, working at the Newspaper, I waited until the stroke of noon to punch my time card and adjourn to the old newspaper morgue, where a copy of every paper is stored.  Looking through January of 1941, I found the headline announcing the Winter Carnival.  (I didn't check 1942 to see if it continued, but I don't believe it did). I saw a photo on the front page of a familiar face.  It was of Joe DeMaggio, shaking hand with the WC King.  Wow, talk about a celebrity attraction.  I was impressed.  I read the blurb under the photo and was amazed at the corny non-sense attempting to connect courtship royalty to baseball, only to conclude with a line referencing some current event of the time. 

I've re-typed exactly how the story read.  I found it fascinating how different the language was in a time not so long ago.  How do we morph our English language like this?  When does it happen?  Slowly, or in sudden trends.  How does this blurb grab ya?

Royalty Meets  Jan 21st 1941

When William E. "Bill" Revier who has been selected to rule as King North I during Northfield's Winter Carnival, extended a firm and friendly royal handclasp Monday to a king of the baseball diamond.  His excellency Joe MeGaggio, home run swatter deluxe for the  New York "Yankees".  Erling Larsen swung into action with his camera and made the above "shot" of the royal meeting.  If he had a "talkie" it would no doubt reveal King North (I) as greeting Joe with the remarks, "Here's hoping I make a home run as King, but look what's happening to King's over in Europe, - they're all refugees!"

I have been teaching piano on and off since 1990.  I have recently been carrying a load of 6-12 students and have a few openings at the moment.  If you'd be interested in talking, please send me an email (contact Tim) and we can discuss my program.  I prefer 5th grade and up, but will consider motivated younger students.  I also teach adults. 

I have attached information on my program that I give out the first day.  

Thanks!

Tim Freeland

Click here to watch me play one of my favorite piano songs.

Have you ever wondered if there is an easier way to grow out your sideburns?  Really, unless you slowly let them grow out over a long period of time, there is no easy way to accomplish longer sideburns without having a transition period of odd-looking, dual-length burns.  Well, I am going to give up a secret, one that I have kept to myself for years, for obvious reasons. 

It's really quite simple, and I'm going to let the photos speak for themselves.