The 3 o’clock hour, Thursday, February 22, 2024

Soren Laramee-Kubes and Mary Laramee: Soren: “Oh the wind is starting to blow!” Mary: “He doesn’t want the wind to break it.” Soren: “I’ll put it up again.” Mary: “He loves umbrellas. His dad found it at a Thrift Store.” Soren: “It’s not opening easily.” (He got it open again. What did you do today?) Soren: “I did school. Prekindergarten.” Mary: “There is Preschool and Prekindergarten.” (Did anything good happen at school today?) Soren: “Speech.” (Did you give a speech today?” Soren: “I don’t remember actually. ACORNS! “ (We found an oak tree.) Mary: “He likes to eat the acorns. And who else eats acorns?” Soren: “Squirrels.” Mary: “I just live here and have the two little kids. His brother is at home. He is six but he was out sick today. It’s going around. Just enjoying the warm weather. Couldn’t do much winter stuff with no snow but it’s a nice break from it.” Soren: “There’s only one hole in this! See?” (OHOH, you better have a spare umbrella at home.) Mary: “I think the wind got it. What are we going to do when we get home Soren? Watch a cartoon maybe? I don’t know what we are going to do.” Soren: “Maybe play outside?” Mary: “Maybe play outside.”

Heather Magee: “I think you interviewed my husband with the dog one time. This is Minnie. Short for Minnesota. She’s used to having her picture taken. We’re just getting in our afternoon walk as usual. We’ve lived here three years. From Missouri originally. Kansas City. We moved to St. Paul in 2017. My husband worked for Minnesota United. His name is Joe Burger. We’re related to nobody here. No Burgers, no Magees. Then during the pandemic the houses were selling like crazy and I said. “Let’s move,” he said, “ok”. Here we are. I was coming up here hiking and camping and doing all the sporty outdoors stuff and now we are full time residents. I own Five Pines Candle Company and then I have little piddley jobs here and there. He is an executive director for Kansas Youth Soccer so he travels. How about you? Are you a lifetime resident?.... You’re still new...” (It’s a great place to be.) Heather: “I agree. I wish I could have raised my daughter here. She’s 26 and just gave me my first grandbaby. We’re getting ready to go see her. She’s in Oregon. Nice to meet you Pamalot.”

Margie Olson and Dorine King and her dog Molly: Margie: “Just visiting.” Dorine: “Having tea. We live three minutes away from each other.” Margie: “I took the car. That’s why we’re sitting out here enjoying the sun.” Dorine: “There was no winter this year in Ely.” Margie: “I am retired from St. Louis County. I worked for Public Health and then I worked for Public Works. Thirty one years. It went by fast. I am loving retirement. Been able to do what I want to do now. I love to volunteer so I am doing a lot of volunteering. I volunteer for Northwoods Partners and I volunteer for the Senior Center for the Bingo. I don’t play Bingo. I only count the money. I do a lot of church volunteering. Visit shut-ins. That was my dream. When I retire, I want to be a volunteer... “ (Sounds like your time is FILLED UP.) Dorine: “I am also retired. I lived in Minneapolis my whole life and I’ve been here for six or seven years. We’ve had a cabin up here for many years. And I don’t want to volunteer... She is much nicer than I am. My mom is in the memory care over at Carefree so I sort of watch over my mom. Well, they actually do all the hard work.” Margie: “You visit her there a lot.” Dorine: “Yeah. I’m busy. I’m always busy doing something. I can’t tell you what I do but it’s what ever! There is always something. I’m hanging out with Molly and I’m cooking dinner. I know what I am making but I can’t remember the name. It’s a French dish. We’re doing French tonight around my French dinner table.” (Are you going to have wine?) Dorine: “We are having wine! Dinner is about 5 p.m. so come on over.” Margie: “Actually I am just heading home. I will probably go visit another friend. It’s a day to visit with friends.”

Ballgame going on: Joey, Hadleigh, Riley and JoJo Myers: Riley: “Baseball.” JoJo: “Baseball.” Hadleigh: “We just had school and now we are playing catch in the yard until I have dance.” Joey: “They have a competition this weekend in Duluth.” JoJo: “In two days.” Joey: “We’re just enjoying the warm weather. Playing baseball. It’s going to be an earlier spring than last year so we better get after it. We don’t have to shovel the snow off the field like we did last year.” JoJo: “He’s a baseball coach. I did a lot today. I went to school and we ... um... we went to music. We just like learned like a song and it was in a book and we sing music.” (Oh, you are learning how to sing out of a book? Do you remember the song?) JoJo: “No.” Hadleigh: “I’m going to throw the ball! I’m going to throw it Riley!” (I better let you get on with the game...)