Sisterhood Of Lake Alice
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Authors: Mari M. Osmon
Sisterhood
of Lake Alice
MARI M. OSMON
iUniverse, Inc.
New York Bloomington
Sisterhood of Lake Alice
Copyright © 2010 Mari M. Osmon
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This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
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ISBN: 978-1-4502-6292-7 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-4502-6294-1 (cloth)
ISBN: 978-1-4502-6293-4 (ebk)
Printed in the United States of America
iUniverse rev. date: 11/4/10
Contents
A special thank you to my husband, Roy, who introduced me to this magical little town of Fergus Falls, Minnesota. I immediately fell in love with its tree-lined streets and easygoing residents.
I also want to thank Kelli, Traci, Eric, Chad, Lauren, and Samuel for the joy they bring into my daily life.
A special thanks to Judy and Dee for their inspiring friendship, which is filled with laughter, tears, hugs, and comfort that only true friends can give to each other. Also to Marlene, a wonderful example of what being a volunteer is all about.
JUST FOR TODAY
Just for Today, I will box up my worries, cares, and concerns.
I will place them in my box with its strong lid and lock.
I will lock them up and tuck the key away—Just for Today.
Just for Today, I will be kind to me and know this is well deserved,
I will allow all my gentle thoughts to simply flow from me and
I will be free to be happy—Just for Today.
Just for Today, I will be kind when logic says I should not be,
I will find some way to make this a better day for all who come my way.
I will give smiles instead of frowns—Just for Today.
Just for Today, I will learn to be better than I am right now.
I will fill my mind and soul with one great inspiration.
I will give myself the gift of knowledge—Just for Today.
Just for Today, I will look for beauty in everyday places.
I will smell a flower and look at the evening stars.
I will find pleasure in what I already have—Just for Today.
Just for Today, I will love someone who simply needs to be loved.
I will show a child, a loved one, or a friend that I cherish and honor them.
I will give the gift of ME—Just for Today.
Just for Today, when I reach for my box of worries, cares, and concerns again,
I will take out my key and lift up the lid.
Peeking inside, I will find my box empty, and I will be free …
Just for Today.
Mari M. Osmon
Welcome to Fergus Falls, 1955
Welcome to Fergus Falls, Minnesota, population 12,460 proud Americans—at least that is how the sign reads that greets people entering town. There are 10,026 assorted types of Lutherans and 1,130 Catholics, and the rest of the people are considered “the others.” This little town lies in the middle of beautiful and abundant land with rolling green hills. It is about fifty miles east of Fargo, North Dakota. A scenic little place, the town is surrounded by farms that have the blackest dirt you have ever seen. The cows almost seem to smile. Aside from the regular Fergus Falls residents, almost every Saturday the farmers and their families come to town to bring something in for trade, shop, visit relatives, or just have a cup of coffee and a piece of pie. They talk about the wind and the weather. The town resembles a mix between a Norman Rockwell and a Currier & Ives painting, with tree-lined streets and flowerbeds of daisies, mums, and roses everywhere you look.
Only four blocks long, downtown Fergus offers you every kind of shop you can imagine. For example, City Café and Bakery serves some of the best coffee and Danish pastries around the area. Viking Restaurant boasts of the best, big, juicy burgers, rich, thick chocolate malts, and blue-plate specials known for miles. Victor Lundeen’s bookstore is the place to buy a book, candles, or writing paper—or to just run into someone and chat for a while. All the women in town shop for dresses, hats, aprons, and other necessities at Norby’s, O’Meara’s. and Gambles department stores. Claire’s Dress Shop is the only place where women would think about going to buy their special occasion and fancy clothes. Many of the men in town go to Claire’s to buy their wives a surprise gift for a birthday, anniversary, or Christmas. Claire makes a point of knowing almost all the women in town. She keeps a card file with the women’s names, sizes, special dates, favorite color, and what would be the perfect gift for her.
Olson Furniture and Funeral Home takes up half a block. They were the first in the area to start selling television sets. They keep one turned on in the front display window at all times. There always seems to be a crowd of people standing around watching a TV show from the sidewalk. Then, there is St. Claire & Rovang, where the men go to buy their one going-to-church and funeral suit. The store also carries overalls, blue jeans, and flannel shirts in the downstairs shop.
The Fergus Theater is right next to Olson’s. A Saturday afternoon matinee costs ten cents, and another ten cents will buy you popcorn and a small pop or a box of candy. Eddy is the head usher and always on the lookout for a troublemaker. He wears a fifteen-year-old navy blue jacket, which is many sizes too small for him, with his name embroidered on it. No one has ever seen him smile. Rumor has it that he lost all his teeth from eating too much candy. He is mean and loves to throw kids out of the movies. By some unknown magic, whenever he does kick kids out of the show, their parents always find out about it. Once that happens, it normally means you are not going to the movies for a few weeks.
*
Fergus Falls just installed the only two automatic stop signs in town. They are both downtown—one on the corner of Union and Lincoln, and the other at the intersection of Mill and Lincoln. They sit right in the middle of Lincoln Street on a six-foot block of wood. Two sides of the block are painted red, and the opposite sides painted green. Every three minutes the block turns. All the drivers obey the color in front of them. Everyone seems to have an opinion about the stop signs. Some folks feel all you need to do is to just be polite and wait for your turn. Nevertheless, when an outsider hit Doctor Burns's car, nearly injuring Anna Burns, everyone knew the time had come to do something. Change is good, at least once in a while. Within a few weeks, Kenneth, the town handyman, invented the two automatic stop signs.
On the Friday after Thanksgiving, with all the stores competing for the prettiest and most creative windows, the town always celebrates the beginning of the Christmas season. It was a perfect time to introduce the new automatic stop signs. Everyone in town came to witness the event. People clapped as they all watched the signs slowly move into action. Kenneth’s picture appeared on the front page of the
Daily Journal
with the mayor and a few of the important downtown businessmen. The mayor let Mrs. Burns cut the ribbons that were tied around the new stop signals. It was quite a big change for Fergus Falls. Change does not happen fast or without some pain in this town.
*
Most of the houses in Fergus Falls are well maintained and often have vegetables gardens in their backyards. Mighty oaks and graceful elm trees line the streets. During the summer, the trees keep most of the houses cool. During the fall, the leaves turn incredible shades of red, gold, and orange. As the leaves fall from the trees, they are raked into huge piles that sit on the curbs waiting for the street cleaner machine to come and get them. In the meantime, it is a great place for the kids to take a running start, throw themselves into the middle of a pile, or play a game of hide-and-seek covered with leaves. It smells so good during the fall when the air is crisp and clean.
Fergus Falls is a small enough town that everyone seems to know each other’s business. There is the group of rubbernecks, the town gossips who can send a story around town faster than the
Daily Journal
. The only real outcasts in town are the people who drink too much at The Spot. Sometimes the hoboes hang around behind the train station. If the police find them, they take them to the city jail, where they get a hot shower and a good homemade meal, which Millie Moody makes for them. After a good night’s sleep, they go on their way with a brown bag lunch. Everyone figures that it is a nice thing to do for the hoboes.
*
Another wonderful part of Fergus Falls is Lake Alice, which is only a few blocks from downtown. A tiny lake, probably more like a big pond, it’s beautiful anytime of the year. All the kids and even some adults go ice-skating as soon as the water freezes and the green light on the lamppost tells them that it is safe to skate. From the small warming shed, you can hear the music playing over the loudspeaker. Not one fish lives in Lake Alice, but lots of ducks, geese, and even an occasional swan glide through the murky water. People bring stale bread or crackers to feed them. Some of the biggest and most beautiful houses surround Lake Alice on Lakeside Drive. Most of the residents of these houses are doctors, dentists, lawyers, and businessmen. Everyone knows this is where the rich people live.
*
It seems as though there is a church on almost every corner in Fergus. All of them take great pride in their beautiful stained-glass windows, steeples, and huge wooden doors that weigh a ton, making them hard to open. There is even a Catholic church in town. Our Lady of Victory is a huge church and has the only private grade school in town. Everyone gets along okay; however, the silent rule is that Catholics and Lutherans do not mix socially. Each group seems to have their own way of doing things. For example, the Lutheran women make and sell lefse several times a year. They have a big celebration in May, called “
Sitnamae,
” which is a meatball dinner with all the fixings to raise money for their needy causes. The Catholics have bingo games, “smokers” for the men where they have beer and cigars and play cards, and New Year’s Eve dances that are all capable of raising thousands of dollars while having a good time.