Friday Musings 2-7-14 - Ella's Mittens

Ella Dahlstrom's Mittens

In the past two months I have thought a lot about doing whatever I can to be warm.  My thoughts have fondly gone to my neighbor growing up, Ella Dahlstrom, as I stare at my hands on the freezing steering wheel in front of me. I have been thinking of her for I still wear the mittens she made for me 40 years ago! I have a brown, blue, and pink pair she lovingly made me. She even taught me how to knit. One of these lessons was caught in a photo showing Ella patiently teaching me and my 4-H friend Julie Nelson. Ella and my family belonged to the same church and she would often lead prayer with her Swedish "brogue" in the name of "Yesus." As kids we would chuckle - but oh, how I long for hearing that Swedish brogue on cold days as I appreciate her handiwork. Ella always wore dresses, no matter the weather. She might wear pants under her dress if it was really cold. Who were your mentors? Who do you mentor? It certainly took a village to raise me and I appreciate Ella was a part of that village.

Trish

SNAP-Ed funding (from yesterday's Extension enews)

A new five-year Farm Bill and the president’s 2014 budget have passed the U.S. House and Senate. Both restore most of the funding for the national SNAP-Ed program. We are pleased to see this support for SNAP-Ed and will use any additional funding to add staff to our new regional model. However, we do not expect to receive all of the funding outlined in the Farm Bill and the president’s budget. While funding is authorized in the Farm Bill, the actual appropriations are determined each year and may be less than what is authorized, based on national budget realities. In addition, Minnesota’s SNAP-Ed funding is scheduled to be reduced by at least 10 percent each year for the next four years as part of a national effort to redistribute the SNAP-Ed funding across the states. And, the SNAP-Ed grant is administered by the Minnesota Department of Health, which contracts with Extension to deliver the nutrition education to SNAP-eligible participants. As with all grants, we cannot assume the funding is recurring. This is why we are committed to our new regional model that will allow us to expand and contract based on the actual funding.

Cindy and Rosi Retire

January 31 brings to a close the combined tenure of 68 years with the University of Minnesota Extension Center for Family Development for Rosi & Cindy. Friends for 37 years and close work colleagues for well over 15 years, they will celebrate this milestone together.

Rosi’s career includes work in Redwood, Nicollet and Anoka Counties and at the Andover Regional Office. Cindy’s 37 years of work has been located in Renville and McLeod Counties, at the former Hutchinson Regional Office and more recently at the Urban Research and Outreach/Engagement Center in Minneapolis.

Please join us in celebrating their careers.

Date: March 7, 2014
Time: 2:30 to 5:00 p.m. with light refreshments & brief program at 3:45 p.m.
Location: 550 Bunker Hills Activities Center, 550 Bunker Lake Blvd NW, Andover, MN