Baboon Achievers, Food, Gatherings, News, Stories, The Baboon Congress, Uncategorized

Raspberry Gratitude

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I’ve been picking raspberries every afternoon for the past week.  About a cup each time; the first day they hardly made it into the house.  Now I have a few in the freezer and few in the fridge.  Whipped some cream yesterday.  Yum-O!   Picking raspberries always makes me think about my baboon community.  I’ve told the story before of how Linda brought me two raspberry canes on the day we gathered at PJs to help out with her spring gardening while she was recuperating.  I had always thought having raspberries would be fun, but left on my own, I doubt I would have ever done anything about it without Linda’s encouragement.  The canes have now taken over the south garden with vigor and we really enjoy the berries.

As much as I’m grateful for the raspberries, I’m more grateful for this community.  Spring gardening at PJs, Museum of Russian Art, Rock Bend, Liberty Custard, spring bales and chicken poo, Swedish American Institute, Jim Ed’s memorial service, St. Agnes Bakery, chainsaw party at Steve’s, LJB’s memorial and, of course, Blevin’s book Club.  I’m sure I’m missing some.  I love that we’ve built friendships and support systems in our ten+ years together.

Last week when I ran Dale’s initial Trail offering, I ran his question… but the question I really wanted to ask was:

What fond memories to you have of our ten years on the Trail?

 

35 thoughts on “Raspberry Gratitude”

  2. Rise and Shine Baboons,

    I have now been thinking about my answer for more than a half hour. I probably will be answering all day. In 2011 when my business expanded we had an Open House. A contingent of Baboons attended. I was touched and delighted.

    The fondest memory is the on-going attention to one another. I am also thinking that the passage of time feels so weird, here in the world of #45. This seems so short and yet so long that we have been on the Trail together.

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  3. We picked raspberries this weekend. I have a lot in the freezer from last year, so this week the neighbor children will help us pick berries and then take them home. This weekend I had them come over to pick red currants. I haven’t the patience, and it would take a lot to make jelly. The children were delighted, and ate them out of hand, seeds and all. They put the rest in yogurt and oatmeal.

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  4. I”m truly amazed at how a community with only one thing in common to start with, The Morning Show,” has survived and grown all these years. And now so many of us find we have a lot in common, many have become good friends and meet regularly, and our followers have grown to more than 10,000 (!)

    I’m amazed at the determination and staying power of VerilySherrilee and ReneeinND to crank out daily posts (with the occasional post from another TBer). Blogging is HARD to do consistently! Congratulations to you both for keeping the members engaged.

    Since I don’t live in the Twin Cities, it’s harder for me to personally connect with the active members up there, but I was deeply touched when VS and Tim traveled down to Owatonna for both of my book launches. Tim also made it to Mankato for a book and art festival last fall to say hi. And I remember PJ doing a nice job beta reading for me. Barb in Rivertown and Linda came to a book signing last year in Wabasha, I believe (or was it Red Wing?). I was honored to be invited to the Blevins Book Club to discuss “Castle Danger,” where I met several Baboons not already mentioned (memory fails me regarding their names–that was about 4 years ago!!)

    So my memories are of small acts of kindness and friendship that I’ve read about every day on the blog or experienced firsthand. What more can you ask for from an online community that started out as strangers? Pretty damn cool.

    Chris in Owatonna

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  5. One of the only good things about Covid 19 is that we can still do our near-daily gathering here on the Trail. It’s good to have an anchor to help figure out the day.

    Besides the meet-ups already mentioned, one of my favorites was taking down that half a tree in Steve’s back yard. And I recall Steve’s going away party at his house before he headed out to Portland, lo these (I believe it’s) 6 years ago. Was fun trying out game night a couple of times at tim’s first place… VS’ Pi Day… and I’ve enjoyed how BBC rotates and we’ve gotten to go to several different baboon houses…

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  6. I have many cherished memories of TB friends, yet the peak event has to be July 6, 2012, when a gang of volunteers showed up to attack a monster fallen tree limb. That limb filled my backyard and half of my neighbor’s backyard. My physical and financial health was more perilous than anyone else could have known. While I had been told I might see a few volunteers that day (a Saturday), the number of helpers astounded me. Included was Ben, whom I had never met before, and Catherine’s son, Lucas. I think the crew included at least 12 helpers.

    I hoped the gang could make progress with that monster limb. I was stunned when Linda said the limb was mostly gone from my yard, so could she start on the part in my neighbor’s yard? How do you eat a whole elephant? One bite at a time. Soon that huge limb was cut up and packed off to the recycling center, leaving only a few wood chips and many warm memories.

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    1. I have a photo from that chainsaw party (that I did not attend). The crew consisted of: Catherine and her son Lucas, Sherrilee and her YA, BiR and her husband Michael, Robin and Bill, Lisa, Linda, tim, and Ben.

      Some of those baboons also participated in my garden cleanup: Bill and Robin, BiR, LJB, Krista, Sherrilee, Linda, Steve, and Lisa who showed up in a priceless long green dress. What a crew. Thanks again, everyone, it meant so much to me.

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      1. Thanks for the listing of the chainsaw gang. It seems possible someone showed up but wasn’t still around when we did the photo,but I think the list you offer is accurate. Edith also showed up for your garden party. I got some nice photos of her that day.

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        1. Yes, that was the first time I met her. In fact, of those at my garden “party” I believe I had met only you and Linda previously.

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        2. Steve was the first baboon I actually met when he gifted me with his wolf book. We did figure out later that I sat right behind Donna at the last LGMS at the Fitzgerald but we didn’t actually meet that day.

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        3. I take that back, I had actually met quite a few of the baboons previously, now that I think about it. Joanne and her husband, Linda, Sherrilee, Catherine and Lucas, Anna and tim were all at the memorial service for Jim Ed Poole, as was the guy in the hat. Linda, Joanne and her husband, Hans and I all went to Babani’s afterwards for dinner. Wonder how Catherine and Lucas are doing? Is anyone in contact with them?

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  9. I am always pleased with how polite we all are. Online chats get so nasty sometimes. Course it helps some of us have met and we know each other. Steve’s Chainsaw party was my introduction to most of you.
    Straw and chicken poo, well, what a fun thing that’s turned out to be!

    Black raspberries are doing well here. Started picking just a few on July 4th. My brother and his wife picked quite a bunch after that; maybe a quart or more. I picked a half quart. Last night I picked another half quart and took to my mom. There’s still a lot out there. Seems like usually they all ripen quicker and they’re gone so this year having them for a couple weeks is nice.

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    1. I have to laugh at Robin doing yard work in white pants. And I still cringe when I see tim on a ladder in his Birkies, shorts, and no hearing protection with a chainsaw in hand. What a crew.

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  12. My fondest funny memory of TB is distinct. I was stunned by the turnout at my farewell party. There was one fellow there whom I had never seen before. Somewhat tactlessly, I asked the stranger, “Are you somehow connected with Trail Baboon?” If you serve up a fat straight line to a witty guy, you get the kind of answer I got. “I AM Trail Baboon,” said Dale!

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  13. OT – Rock Bend has just announced that they have canceled this year’s folk festival. This would have been their 30th anniversary, which is now scheduled for next year on September 11 & 12, 2021.

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    2. Rock Bend is high on my list of favorite baboon gatherings. Loved meeting Krista there and sharing in all that great music. I have many CD’s of the performers there – Chris Smither, Erik Koskinen, Cahalen Morrison & Eli West, the Divers.

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  14. Love the header photo of the raspberries.

    I loved the state fair show at the MPR booth in August of 2009. I met some TBer’s there and there was a nice photo of the group.

    I also remember the first book club meeting in Minnehaha Park. And I think the second was at the lovely home of VS. I also remember the time, I think it was at tim’s place, that Renee and Chris were able to join us.

    But when we are unable to come within the mandated six feet of each other, the daily checking in on the blog rises to the greatest importance.I don’t always check in early in the day, but I look forward to seeing what everyone has had to say when I sit down in the evening. There is always a new perspective.

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  15. Back to yesterday’s topic – I just read through some of the comments on the two links above. In the “Art & Eat” one, and found this comment from Edith that I think reveals so much of how we knew her:
    “Not feeling like an art experience today, so I would go to the source of a lot of art: nature. Depending on how energetic I’m feeling: if energetic, a hike up Kadunce River with picnic food somewhere along the way. If not energetic, sit by The Lake somewhere between GMM and Grand Portage, look for agates, and stare at the lake. Smoked fish and fruit are required for a picnic by the lake – unless it’s cold, then maybe soup in a thermos or a sandwich. And fruit.”

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