The Inca Dove has orange on its wings and is common in the southwestern parts of the United States. They favor warm climates, but have previously been seen as far North as Ohio and Colorado. No one can say why this bird is in Minnesota - not only in Minnesota, but Up-North Minnesota.  The dove was seen in a  Two Harbors neighborhood  by Jim Lind. Lind snapped photos of the bird while it was eating birdseed at his neighbor's and dashed back into his home.  Promptly posting the bird photos on the Internet. "I was shaking, I knew it was a very big deal," said Lind, an avid birder. The morning after posting the photos , birders started showing up in Two Harbors to see the Inca Dove. Brainerd has a very active birding group  and many are planning to seek out this rare find. An Ash-throat... 11/15/2007

  3-year-old Reese: "Our Father, Who does art in heaven,Harold is His name. Amen." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A little boy was overheard praying: "Lord, if you can't make me a better boy, don't worry about it. I'm having a real good time like I am." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After the christening of his baby brother in church, Jason sobbed all the way home in the back seat of the car. His father asked him three times what was wrong. Finally, the boy replied, "That preacher said he wanted us brought up in a Christian home, and I wanted to stay with you guys."                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  One particular four-year-old prayed, "And forgive us our trash basketsas we forgive those who put trash in our baskets." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~... 11/15/2007

       As an event planner as well as a stager, I like to make the entire holiday season  into a planned event. So many things come along that are unexpected, you really do need an action plan to pull this off with the least amount of stress. Many stagers are branching out and may find this helpful for their clients. Everyone needs a plan for their "home for the holidays".What Is the 5 Week Plan? The 5 Week Holiday Plan breaks down all of the tasks that you have to do during the holiday season into weekly focus areas with specific tasks to complete during a week. Instead of trying to cram all of your decorating, cleaning, organizing, buying, and planning into the two weeks before a large holiday event, try doing a little at a time to truly transform your holiday season.There is still pl... 11/10/2007

      photo by phrenophile - Flickr     Here in the Brainerd Lakes Area of Minnesota , we had a cold windy Halloween evening, but it was nothing compared to the Halloween Blizzard of 1991 dubbed "The Perfect Storm".  If you don't believe me, you can look it up in Wikepedia and see that it was judged a full all-out blizzard. It is a legend of no equal for ice and snow.  We had ice first ,always a good way to start and then came the snow and kept coming for three days.  There were accumulations of one to three feet of snow - a little early even for Minnesota.     Did that stop Cinderella, the Power Rangers and Barney from going door - to- door and accumulating one to three feet of candy?  Of course not, but unless they told you what their costumes were you wouldn't know under the winter w... 11/09/2007

Some of you are already aware and praying - thank you. It has long been on my heart to bring Teen Challenge to Brainerd, Minnesota establishing a faith based drug treatment center in the city. I  started my association with their ministry back in 1970. A couple from my area, Dave and Patty Batty, are the directors of the Teen Challenge in New York and my family has been involved with supporting the center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  They yearly visit our church doing a concert and service, as well as other churches in the area that support their ministry.We have secured a former church building  and an anonymous donor will pay off the mortgage of over $1.25 Million for the church, if they will donate the land and building to Teen Challenge.  The church has voted and it passed unanimousl... 11/05/2007

 Since some of you are super crafty, I thought we should have a contest on pumpkin carving.  Enter your photos or the kids  pumpkin photos, and after the October 31st date, the team at Re$ale Design will pick the winner and list them in a blog update.  Remember like Drew Carey, the points don't count - it is strictly for fun.  Here is our non-competing entry and one from Peggy Trowbridge Fillippone from About.com and her instructions on pumpkin carving . Our entry was carved by my daughter, Ashley Bast, local Brainerd Lakes Area artist  and a member of the team at Re$ale Design and Home Staging. We are starting on our season of Holiday decorating and event planning.  If you would like something out of the ordinary for your home or parties this year - contact Re$ale Design and Home Stagi... 10/25/2007

    Red Ribbon Week is this week in the Brainerd Lakes Area of Minnesota and will culminate with a community forum from 6:30 - 8:30 pm on October 25 at the Heritage Assembly of God Church in Baxter.  The forum is sponsored by the Operations ARMMS,  which stands for Addressing, Responding, Managing Meth and other Substances.  This was formerly know as the Meth Coalition.     Rose Hauge, Crow Wing County substance abuse prevention specialist said that in a 2004 survey of Crow Wing County high school seniors 15 percent of males and 9.6 percent of females had used marijuana in the past 30 days, 39.9 percent of males and 40.6 percent of females had used alcohol in the last 30 days and 6 percent of males and 1 percent of females had used methamphetamine in the past 12 months.  Hauge said thos... 10/23/2007

         Congratulations to Koreann on her selection as 2007 Youth Volunteer of the Year for the Brainerd Lakes Area. Koreann will be honored at the annual Distinguished Service Awards Banquet on November 1, 2007 at he Cragun's Resort Legacy Pavilion on the Legacy Golf Course. this award is sponsored by Brainerd Community Actions. the Brainerd Jaycees and the Brainerd Daily Dispatch.      Koreann lives quite a busy life as she is a member of the A Cappella Choir, Windfall ( a select singing group), and the symphonic and jazz bands.  She also accompanies the Concert Chorale  on piano for rehearsals and performances. Her youth group is blessed by her services as well as the Salvation Army, Soup Kitchen and the Lakes Area Senior Activity Center.   Miss Martin is also involved with the Brai... 10/23/2007

    photo by lauralemur - Flickr It is time once again for our annual outerwear drive.  For the past sixteen years Crystal Cleaners, Kinship Partners, and BL Broadcasting have partnered to obtain winter outerwear for families in need.  This year they are estimating that  it will take 1200 coats  to fill the need.  They especially are looking for boys coats for ages 7-12.  Adult coats also will be distributed and will be received at Crystal Cleaners.     Donations may be dropped off at Crystal Cleaners in Brainerd, where they will be cleaned.      Coats will be distributed 1-6 PM on November 2 and again  9 AM-1 PM on November 3 at the former home of World on Wheels.  This is located near the Brainerd Area Civic Center, Grab-A-Java and the old entrance to the Arboretum in Brainerd.     Fo... 10/19/2007

              photo by daju Social capital is a hard term to describe, but when Mike Burton gave it a try, he came up with the "web of relationships that gives us a sense of connection, belonging, and community".     How do people in your community interact?  Are they friendly, helpful, and how do they deal with strangers?  Do you volunteer for anything?  What do you do in your free time?     These are the types of questions that 500 Lakes Area residents will be answering by telephone survey calls.  Answers will take about 12 minutes and are anonymous, confidential and will be measuring  our social connectedness.     Robert Putnam, Harvard professor and author of "Bowling Alone" says Americans are becoming increasingly more isolated.  That means less clubs, dinner parties, blood donated... 10/18/2007

     OK - this is not a blog about staging , but I just want to give you a heads up on this recall because I already ate my pie.  That is right, the whole pot pie all by myself and then I find the recall article after lunch.  The colors on the box are very trendy although don't you think?  They lured me in for the buy.      Minnesota officials are advising consumers to avoid eating all varieties of frozen pot pies produces by ConAgra Foods, because of a possible salmonella contamination.  Earlier they advised that only certain types of Banquet brand pie pies should be avoided.     The USDA says that ConAgra is voluntarily recalling an undetermined amount of pot pies that may be contaminated with salmonella bacteria.     So far six Minnesotan who ate Banquet pot pies developed Salmonella... 10/16/2007

        Randy, a computer science professor, has pancreatic cancer and was giving his last lecture to his  400 students and colleagues. They had come to see him give what was billed as his “last lecture.” This is a common title for talks on college campuses. Top professors are asked to think deeply about what matters to them and to give hypothetical final talks. In Randy's case - doctors predict that he has only a few more months to live. For the audience, the question to be mulled is this: What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance?  His lecture, using images on a giant screen, turned out to be a"rollicking and riveting journey through the lessons of his life".                                              photo by Jacksen Although he has great things to ... 10/13/2007

     Congratulations to  1993 Brainerd High School graduate, Turena Johnson Lane,  who will be inducted into the Luther College Athletic Hall of Fame . The inductees are honored for their achievements in college sports, professional careers and community leadership.  Turena hit the athletic scene in Brainerd after I was done coaching Boys and Girls Cross-County, but I have followed her career since she had and has proven her potential.      Among other successes she has been a nine-time All-American, five time National Champion, won the USA Track and Field 20K National Championship in 2005 and the 25K in 2006.  She qualified for 2 Olympic marathon trials and in 2005 the IIAF World Championships in Helsinki, Finland where she was the first American finisher, placing 26th with a time of 2... 10/12/2007

     This project is a total community organization in Crow Wing County.  The purpose is to bring together juveniles, who have by their bad choices caused harm,  the people they have harmed, and other community members.  Juveniles are held accountable for their actions and efforts are made to help them turn their lives around.  Victims are provided restoration and a means to promote healing.      Volunteers need to undergo a training program along with 4 on-going training sessions per year.  They will work in pairs and be mentored, as well.      Up coming training sessions will be held at the Brainerd Public Library.      October 26th  3:30 - 8:30 PM       October 27th 9 AM - 5:30 PM        ~ For more information call or E-mail Stephanie Haider - Director~2 18-562-4926       stephaider@... 10/08/2007

     It was so nice to go out to eat on Sunday and not have to ask to sit in the non-smoking section of one of our favorite restaurants.  They are all smoke free sections now.  I passed through the bar area on the way to the restroom and did not have to hold my breath.  I came out smelling like I did when I went in (hopefully good). No migraine headache and the food just seemed to taste better.      A young couple sat in the bar area watching the TV and eating .  They had their infant daughter in a carrier next to them in their booth.  Her lungs were breathing in smoke free air.       I know everyone is not going to be happy about the smoking ban in Minnesota, but I am not one of them.  It is  about time and is it all good. Smoking is bad for smokers and second hand smoke is bad for any... 10/02/2007

       For anyone interesting in obtaining their Minnesota Real Estate License, the next real estate course at the Business and Industry Center of Central Lakes College in Brainerd has been changed to Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays October 11-29.     The course is a series of three, with the first being Real Estate 1: covering listings, contracts, agencies, purchase agreements and financing. One book will cover all three courses.     Bob Welch will be the instructor for all 3 classes, to be held from 6-10 P.M..  Payment is required at the time of registration, which must be completed by October 4th.  For information or to register call 800-933-0346, ext. 8142, or 218 -855-8142.                                                                                        photo by fragileheart 09/27/2007

  The Central Lakes College in Brainerd, Minnesota will focus on Spain as their next topic for Cultural Thursday. The program  starts at noon, October 4th in the Chalberg Theatre.     Admission is free.      There will be a variety of presenters, including instructor Victoria Montes and CLC students who participated in the 3-week Study Abroad course at the Universidad de Sevilla.     Dave Kobilka, a student in the course said, "Sevilla and its surroundings are layer upon layer of human history.  One could spend months touring and studying the history or art, culture, religion and architecture all in a radius of 100 miles of the city.  People have been   living there thousands of years."photo by mnjeurope       The students spent time with the people of Sevilla practicing their Spanish s... 09/27/2007

        It all has to do with sugar and temperatures, basically.  On days when it is warm and sunny the leaves produce sugar.  Bright sunlight generates a reaction between the sugars in the leaves and anthocyanins, the compound that produces red tint.                                                                         Different tree varieties produce more or less sugar.  Hence, the sugar maple is capable of brilliant scarlet.     The cooler temperatures we experience in Minnesota in the Fall season, cause the veins in the tree leaves to gradually close, which prevents the sugars from moving and preserves the red tones.  For the most spectacular colors - we must have a succession of warm, sunny days and cool, crisp nights.      There that was relatively easy, right?     Here is a pho... 09/23/2007

     Many homes built in the past 20-30 years did not put  central lighting fixtures in many rooms , such as the living-room, bedrooms, and dens or studios (now called "the home office).  Unless homeowners are willing to have wires threaded through ceilings and new switches installed,  home stagers are going to have to work with what you have.   That means floor lamps, table lamps, buffet lamps, plug-in night lights with decorative shades, up-lights and the like.  Most of these come with cords.  Cords are ugly.  Not only ugly, but potentially dangerous and you can not put them in a walk path over or under a rug.  NO, NO!!!!     So when strategically planning that perfect furniture arrangement - you need to consider where the wall outlets are.  Better to scope them out before the furnitu... 09/19/2007

   I'm not sure that I want to post this blog in the Active Rain Fit Club , but although I ate many things at The Minnesota State Fair - I shared them all with my husband.  I know, that was awfully nice of me. I actually ate my whole ear of roasted corn all by myself, so there. We had fresh strawberries  in whipped cream, the aforementioned corn, a pork chop on a stick, fresh squeezed lemonade, a chicken dinner, 1919 Root beer, and in the evening hot coffee, and warm chocolate chip cookies. It could have been much worse!  I was eying up the fried gator, until I remembered we don't have gators in Minnesota, so it probably wasn't fresh. The fried green tomato stand was not to be found nor were the cream puffs, I so enjoyed in the past. We used to eat pasties, too" just like Grandma used t... 09/15/2007