Well, it’s that time of year again. Where did the year go? What happened to Illinois? Dee Brown: Where are you? Where did Iowa come from? Will Bill Self need Kleenex? So many questions. And now it’s answer time.

Time to make your picks. To join the Frieden Farm Pick ‘Em league, follow these directions:

1. Go to the Yahoo! Pick Em Game Front Page by Clicking Here

2. Click on the “Sign Up” button to create a team.

3. Follow the directions to complete registration. (Or, if you already have a Yahoo! team, click the “Create or Join Group” button and follow the path to join an existing private group)…

4. When prompted, enter the following information:

Group ID#: 98745
Password: big10

Right, so as most of you know, my six brothers and sisters and I lost our Mom last March. I’ll probably try to blog about that later on. Maybe. In any event, as you may or may not know, my Mom and Dad went to Rockridge High School where they were high school sweethearts. Dad’s brothers and sisters went there. Mom’s sisters all went there. And aunts and uncles, and even my Grandpa (back when it was Reynolds). I went there, as did Michelle and the twins… When I was there, Dad was even on the school board (you can imagine how much fun that was for Michelle). Anyway, at Mom’s graduation from High School in ‘71, Mom & Dad got engaged… enraging most everybody… but they promised to finish college… and off they went to Western Illinois University together.

Mom & Dad graduated from WIU in ‘74 and, skipping graduation, got married. And that was pretty much it for them until the day Mom went to dance in heaven last year. Eventually all of Mom’s sisters went to WIU (her grandma had even gone there when it was a teaching school). Not surprisingly, Michelle & I ended up at old Western too.

If you knew Mom, you knew she was big into kids (she did have seven of them after all). And big into education (she went back and got a second degree in early childhood education and ran a pre-school). So, long story longer, there is a new scholarship in her name at Western set up to benefit a Rockridge High School senior who decides to go there (once it has enough to be vested). It’s called the C. Robin Frieden Memorial Scholarship.

If you decide you want to give to this scholarship (tax deductible and all of that)… you can do so at WIU’s website by going to https://www.wiu.com/giving/. After selecting your “relationship to WIU”, you are taken to a page for various information. Under the heading “Gift Information” select “Scholarships” and in the drop down menu, go to “Frieden, C. Robin Mem.”

If you’d like more information, you can email me at andi@friedenfarm.com

Not to take anything away from Andi’s last post,(because that Jackson is one sweet boy who really does need everyone’s prayers), but I thought this was worth mentioning.

It seems that the owners of Isabel Bloom LLC have had a change of heart and have decided to keep production of their product in the Quad Cities. Reactions by locals have varied from overjoyed to skeptical as to whether or not this was the plan all along. I don’t know that I have a firm opinion one way or the other. I’m just glad I’ll still be able to walk into the little store in the East Village and look at all the pretty little things.

Can somebody help me? I am lost in my closet. I turned left at the broken VCR, went under the wedding dress, around the “last box” from when I moved into the house, turned right after I passed Albuquerque, and proceeded north just over the hill of old sweaters that may or may not have holes in them. In front of me I can see what looks like Detroit, some cowboy boots, two boxes of books from law school (mine? joe’s? jonathan’s? unclear.), two tons of Easter grass, four generations of cell phone chargers, notes to a speech I gave in college, my high school report cards, my mom’s firesafe box (which I still can’t get unlocked) and six pairs of jeans all in sizes I wish were mine, but aren’t. I need someone to get on a plane to Houston and find me. I received a text message on Sunday indicating Michelle came after me on Saturday, but hasn’t been heard from since.

Enter Mid Februrary. That end of winter blah where it is 75 degrees one day and 30 degrees the next. It’s 45 in Houston today and dark, wet and still raining. For you snow birds, this is the thin-blooded folks version of 20 degree-wet-and-blowing-without-sun. I think, 5 and a half years into this little southerly adventure, it is time to admit I have joined the ranks of the thin-blooded. I don’t think I’ll be able to visit “you all” between October 15 and March 31. Ever. Especially not Jonathan in St. Paul… where it is currently a Sunny Negative Ten. Um, no thank you. Also, what ever prompted someone to come to this new plush land and move to Minnesota? What was that all about? How is it that everyone didn’t just line up in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, and California? Doesn’t it make you worry about our ancestors? That in 5 generations of Friedens none of them thought… Well, this is all well and good… black soil and all… we’ve tamed the Mississippi… it’s been a good run, but Gosh Dern It… It’s Freezing. Let’s go on south. ??? Nobody? It concerns me. I’m not going to lie. Oh, right, the update. Well, in that it is “freezing” and raining… I’m thinking this is a good day to hunker down and clean out that closet. Yep, that’s me, always living on the cutting edge. Although, honestly, if you haven’t seen the closet, you shouldn’t judge. It’s a dangerous place.

Big news in the Quad Cities broke this week- the Isabel Bloom factory is moving to China by September 2006……. Over 1000 emails in one day came in to Channel 6. Better hang on to the ones “MADE IN QUAD CITIES” as that is about to end.
Donna

HAPPY 44TH BIRTHDAY- JEANIE

HOPE YOUR DAY IS PERFECT.

LOVE,
donna

8 lbs; 5 oz, 19 inches long… Kristin & Baby are going great. Rob is pretty excited. Name & pics to follow…

I hope you see the sun rise over the hills. I hope you enjoy the crisp perfect air of the Illinois winter. I hope your car starts right up. And you stay warm all day. I hope you have cake, and eat it too. And you don’t even have to make it. I hope you get a hug; and an unexpected phone call. I hope you feel the favor of God on you all day long. Happy Birthday to you Aunt Donna!
Love from Texas!

Not much to report, other than nothing to report. Baby girl Frieden is perfectly happy to hang out at 3cm… for weeks. She’s a bit overdue at this point, but various home remedies, teas, exercise, ice, etc. so far have not worked at all. Dan seems a bit amused by all of this. Isaac does not. I get the impression Rob is excited… and Kristin, well, needless to say she would stand on her head and recite the Gettysburg Address backwards if she thought it might move things along. The rest of us are doing well. Jonathan got his grades back and sent us each a copy for our refrigerators. Joe & I have taken up the guitar. Joe was born to play. He fell asleep with his guitar in bed last night. There was an uncomfortable moment when I realized this in the middle of the night. We’re having a honey-do weekend… and at one point this morning Joe was forced to say: “Baby, be careful. Your safety is more important than setting the land-speed record for christmas-tree-light-taking-down.” He was right of course. Lizzy, just back from California, is off to Colorado pretty soon. And Michelle Michelle is off fighting the war on sleep. She is a trooper. Over and out.