2026, Art, Baboon Achievers, Food, gardening, Gatherings

PJ

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PJ / Margaret brought something special to the Trail.  Wicked sense of humor, acerbic wit, thoughtful comments and great stories.  What a life she lived.  I thought we needed a full day to remember her.  Bill commented earlier that we all probably had our own special connection with her, so hopefully today, we can all share.  I have many memories but will just share a few that really stand out to me.  The rest will be up to you all.

The Garden Restoration.  When PJ got hit by a car and couldn’t do her spring gardening, it was amazing how many baboons came together on a Saturday to lend a hand.  Even Lisa showed up in her green cocktail dress (she didn’t garden in the dress).  Everybody picked a patch and went to work.  And, like magic, food showed up.  Amazing how that happens when baboons show up.  PJ sat on the patio and cheered us on.  She mentioned it to me more than once over the years; I know she was profoundly moved and grateful.

Paper Cutting.  Danish paper artist, Karen Bit Vejle brought her to show to the Swedish American Institute and the Twin Cities folks met for a field trip.  It was amazing to hear PJ translate some of the informational blurbs in all the Scandinavian languages – Danish, Swedish, Norwegian.  I don’t remember Finnish or Icelandic, but I’m pretty sure she could have handled those if they were there.  Amazing.

Don Panchos.  I delivered Ben’s farm fresh eggs to PJ several times and on our first egg visit, she clued me into a great Mexican bakery just a few blocks from her house – Don Panchos.  It got to be a ritual for me to stop there after every trip to take eggs. 

Advice.  PJ was a thoughtful woman and she gave me some excellent advice once about letting other people give of themselves without trying to make everything fair or even.  Wonderful advice that I think of often.

I could go on, but I’m going to let other baboons tell their stories.  Margaret, I already miss you terribly.

Tell me about your connection to PJ / Margaret.

31 thoughts on “PJ”

  1. Margaret asked me if Hans could stay at our house in ND when he drove out to see friends near Minot. He wanted to see the oil boom first hand, and our town was the place to start on an oil field tour. I hadn’t had much interaction with her on the Trail at that point, but said of course he could. He planned to pitch a tent in our front yard and sleep there, but I insisted he sleep in the guest room. Margaret was so grateful. I also made her pebbernodder every year at Christmas time. We visited them and ate dinner at their home once. It was delightful.

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  2. O.K., I can start.
    First of all, my recollection of the circumstances that led to our garden clean-up is that Margaret had fallen, in her kitchen I believe, in the night and broken her leg—not that she had been hit by a car. That recollection would be based, if it is accurate, on an account in the Trail, so It could be confirmed if I knew the date. I also recall that it was Robin, who was still active on the Trail at that time, who first suggested the clean-up party.

    We had people in common outside of the Trail. Margaret and Hans were friends with and had vacationed with a potter from Northfield, Chuck Halling. We also had known Chuck and had collected his pottery. Margaret and Hans were friends with the Eddies, the musical group that held an annual picnic concert on Harriet Island. We could count on PJ and Hans being at the picnic. Robin was friends with the wife of one of the Eddies and we had come to know the couple socially.

    From the beginning of my tenure on the Trail, PJ’s response to my comments was one I particularly sought and appreciated— one might even say cultivated. It was always thoughtful and sharp.

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    1. Sherrilee’s mention of Margaret’s advice about letting people give of themselves reminds me that some time after the garden clean-up Margaret asked me if we would be willing to host their dog while she and Hans were out of town. I was happy to agree. Daisy was an elderly retriever-ish dog with a delicate stomach. PJ cooked all her meals, which consisted mainly of rice and sweet potato, for her. We were warned that deviation from that diet would bring consequences. I think there was one incident with a food scrap that demonstrated that. Daisy was a sweet dog and we enjoyed having her. As much as Margaret likely appreciated our willingness to take on Daisy, I appreciated more that Margaret felt comfortable enough with us to ask. It meant a lot.

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    2. Bill, your memory, as always, is better than mine. She fell on Wednesday, February 22, 2012. I am not sure why I thought she had been sideswiped by a car but considering how long it took me to track down when she fell, I don’t know if I’m going to go looking for if there was some other incident with a car.

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  3. I remember having coffee once with PJ on the corner where Micawbers Bookstore was – it was not long after a Blevens meeting at VS’ house, I think, when I had talked some about our son Joel (who died in 2007). I remember she wanted to know more about him. We got to sit at an outdoor table…

    And I was at their house once, besides yard clean-up, to pick up the round oak table they were replacing with something more practical – got to meet Hans, the cats… Hans had retooled some of the inlay – it is still beautiful.

    Loved her sense of humor, sense of outrage at times, and the worldliness of her stories. And how she didn’t flinch from speaking her mind. I miss her so much already.

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  5. I felt intimidated by PJ at first. She spoke out, and would argue points sharply. She was out-going, candid, direct, forthright, and unpretentious. She seemed to know everyone, even people that I was astonished she would know. I grew to appreciate her many corrections, and the way she’d keep me in line on some of my social media posts. I didn’t know her as well as many Baboons, but recently I was getting to know her better. The last time I saw her, last summer, she seemed well though it was hard for her to get around. I will miss her too.

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    2. PJ was also a stickler for using “Hard Mode” rules for Wordle. Personally I’m more of a throw-the-spaghetti=against-the-wall guesser, but I hold deep respect for her purism.

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      1. I was always amazed at how quickly she could get Wordle answers. Way better than I ever can, and I never use hard mode and English is first language.!!!

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        1. Well, say for instance, on your first guess, you got an O and an E, both in the right position so they are green, no other correct letters. The O is in the third spot and and E is in the fifth spot. You think about possibilities, and there’s a lot of them. Chose, Chore, Slope, Probe, Prove, Elope, Ozone, Shore, Score, Broke, Grove, Grope, Scone, Scope, Drove, Those, Wrote, Adore…etc. You know you don’t have nearly enough guesses left to try them all.

          In Hard Mode, each of your subsequent guesses must have the O in the third place, and the E in the final one.

          In Easy Mode, you are not bound to use the O and the E in those positions, or at all. You could guess Shard, so you can test five letters on your second guess, instead of just three.

          PJ was a champion Hard Mode Wordler.

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  6. Here is what Hans has posted on Margaret’s FB page, via a friend (Danish, I’d guess):
    “Message from Hans:
    Margaret Mazzaferro passed away October 11, 2026 at the age of 83. She was a mercilessly principled woman with a wonderful sense of humor.
    Margaret was a marvelous cook who excelled in simple, but tasty dishes. She was insightful and was widely respected in the positions she held. A memorial service will be held at a later date.”

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    1. Good Grief, WP is giving me trouble this morning. It better not eat my comment today.

      PJ/Margaret and I would intermittently email back and forth about various topics, king felon, being one of them. I know there were many people who felt disgust for the guy, but ours seemed purer together. I hope she voted even if it will not count at this point

      I was unable to come to the garden rescue event because I was deep into running my psychotherapy practice at that point, and it took everything I had to keep that going. But I envied being at the event. Barbara, what are you holding in the picture? It looks like a baseball?

      I so appreciated PJ’s honestly about her parents treatment of her, as well as the way her family struggled as she grew up. I know she felt scarred by that experience, both physically and emotionally. Our parent stories were similar. I admired her ability to pick up and move on without malice.

      It feels as if another angel has left us. I hope she and Steve, on the other side, can make peace. LJB (Edith) and I have little talks from time to time. I hope she and PJ have some chats, as well.

      OK, WP, post or else.

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  8. In reviewing my old emails, it was December 9th of 2023 that she emailed several of us telling us the news she had decided not to undergo further treatment. Almost 3 years more she got. Not bad considering…

    I had responded saying I thought I had only met her once. And she admitted speaking only briefly with me too.
    I’m still glad I got to know her at all.

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  9. Husband giggles when he recalls Margaret relating about hitchhiking in her bikini when she was a student at Southern Illinois University in Cairo, Il.

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  10. I really wish there were a quick way to search comments on the blog….I’d like to find the story about PJ going home with a mink coat after an event, at the Ordway, I think. That was a hoot.

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  12. i was amazed ar how opinionated pj was from the start and how she was able to slide right in out of the blue as if she had been there forever. i remember marveling at how she popped in one day and was never an outsider or the new kid at all.
    i think i remember a time or two when steve would say something and she would just nail him. she got me once or twice too.
    we talked at one time about starting a side business with coffee cups that had a message that was meaningful to the person who ordered it to make a point at work. i think it was her breaking her leg that derailed it.
    we had lunch and dinner a few times at her chosen resteraunts , she suggested concerts at ginko and cedar and when i broke my leg 3 years ago she offered to help me out with a loan. we set up a repayment schedule and it was really a godsend. about 6 months ago she emailed and was really pissed that i hadnt ever sent the last payment and laid into me for being that guy. i told her i remembered sending her the check and that pissed her off even more. how could someone not know if a check had cleared their account or not. i told her i could understand but believe me that with my financial loosey goosey record keeping ways it has happened more than once.
    when she broke her leg this time i offered to check at my moms place for a wheel chair, walker, camode etc and she was very appreciative, she ended up finding it elsewhere but it was nice to be able to offer help to a friend and be so appreciated.
    i loved her stories and her core principles that guided her life. the story of the origin of pj’s trail moniker kind of told it all. plain jane could not have been more exceptional if she tried.
    i sure am glad she stuck her head in and decided to stick around. i think we are all a bit better for it.
    i am gonna miss her something awful

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