A Visit to Sandhill Crane Natural Area Anoka County Minnesota Fungus Fungi Mushrooms

Sandhill Crane Natural Area
Anoka County, Minnesota

A Visit to Sandhill Crane Natural Area Anoka County Minnesota

Blog post by Mary Katherine May

Rick and Mary May own QualityMusicandBooks.com, an internet webstore.  Rick retired after 40 years with the same company.  Interests include family and friends, exploring adventures and hobbies, and two miniature dachshund sisters named Tina and Nikki.

LINK to information about Sandhill Crane Natural Area.

LINK to Archive.org page where JPG images and PDF file of images for download are located.

     On a recent fall day when our pioneer spirit surfaced Rick and I drove to the north end of the Twin Cities area to visit the Sandhill Crane Natural Area in Anoka County.  Choosing from two suggested entry spots (no parking lot) and using our GPS, we parked at the end of a cul de sac. 

Rick May walking over stream.

     Described as a natural treasure, I would add emphasis to the natural part as we discovered during the couple of hours walking over uneven ground covered with brush, vines, and fallen branches, and even a narrow stream.  

     On our visit we encountered no one.  As there are no walking trails, I suggest long pants and sturdy shoes, and also watch where you step.  I walked into a hidden string of low-lying, rusty barbed wire.

Cave-shaped tree roots

     The many trees created dim light and cool air on the unusually warm fall day as we made our way to Neds Lake, viewing it from a high spot next to an algae-covered pond. Walking further led to a marsh where sunlight played with cobwebs, hovering insects and gently moving reeds and cattails.

     My greatest enjoyment on this excursion was seeing the varieties of fungi, i.e. mushrooms.  I do not recall seeing so many different-looking types in one area.  I would appreciate help in naming them.

Algae-covered Pond

Neds Lake

Dodge County Minnesota Civil War First Infantry Milliken Creek

Where Curiosity Leads...

Blog post by Mary Katherine May of QualityMusicandBooks.com

Milliken Creek, 2013
Photo: Mary Katherine May

Dodge County: Milliken Creek
When visiting family ties in Minnesota's Dodge County, I often make time to explore the area. A few years back I noticed a sign for Milliken Creek and wondered how it got its name. Web information notes the source as being an early settler, and that is about as far as my research went.

Kasson, Minnesota
Canisteo Township

Graves Site of Geo. A. Milliken
Digital Photo by Mary Katherine May

Curious about the founder of Kasson in Dodge County, Minnesota, I learned the original owner was Jabez Hyde Kasson (1820-1891). The family grave is in Maple Grove Cemetery in Canisteo Township, located on the south side of Hwy. 14 and west of the its Kasson exit.  Noticing a grave marker for Geo. A. Milliken, I took a photo and just recently rediscovered it in my digital files.

Milliken Family
American Civil War
1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry
Now armed with a little more information, I renewed my search for the origin of the Milliken Creek name.  Mr. Isaac Milliken and his wife Betsy came to the area from Maine in 1855.  What I know at this point is that there were four sons: Charles, Marcello, George Augustus and Clifton.

Wasioja Seminary, Wasioja MN
Dodge County Civil War Memorial Site
Digital photo by Mary Katherine May

Young men from Dodge County were among the early volunteers. Wasioja was particularly hard hit by casualties, and I have visited the memorial site several times.

Antietam and Gettysburg
Marcello & George Milliken
1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry
Marcello Milliken died in the Battle of Antietam.  George Milliken was wounded at Gettysburg and mustered out of Company I on 15 December 1863 at the rank of corporal. 

Minnesota Memorial at Gettysburg
Photo taken by Mary Katherine May
May 2016

George became an attorney, practicing law in Kasson.  He married Pauline Ellen Jewett on October 24, 1867, and two years later son Charles was born.  

Their happiness, however, was short lived as four years later on October 12, 1873, George Augustus Milliken, born April 6, 1842 in Charleston, Maine, was laid to rest in Maple Grove Cemetery.

Milliken's Creek
Most likely but not for certain and for an unknown reason, it is Isaac Milliken who became associated with the stream now having his name, which then eventually was recorded as such in public records. It is also very possible that long-time residents of Dodge County or the Milliken descendants themselves know who the exact namesake is.  If my curiosity about this matter is again piqued, I may look to see how early the name shows up on maps.

Wasioja, Minnesota: Dodge County Civil War Memorial Site
Digital Photo by Mary Katherine May

Wasioja Seminary as it appears today.
Digitial Photo by Mary Katherine May

What About Those Leather Book Covers Real or Not?

Genuine Leather
LINK

What About Those Leather Covers Real or Not? 

Blog post article by Mary Katherine May of QualityMusicandBooks.com.

The look, feel and smell of a leather book is for many an elegant experience that creates an ambiance of fine living, but are you getting real leather or something else? 

Four Basic Differences in Books Said to Have Leather Covers
A Genuine Leather Book Cover is created with leather still in its original form.

Bonded Leather is made from genuine leather fibers mixed with bonding material which is embossed with a leather grain and then glued to another surface.

Leatherflex
LINK

Leatherflex, Leatherette is imitation leather that feels flexible with a textured finish.

Leather Look has the appearance and flexibility of leather or suede with no leather content.

Please remember: Genuine leather book covers are not cheap.  If you see a new book for $10 that says leather you should be cautious.

Generally speaking, in an online photo image you might not be able to tell whether or not a book cover is real leather.

LINK to article: How to Identify Genuine Leather

Bonded Leather
LINK

As a bookseller I have come across many books, especially on sites like Amazon.com, that say leather that are not.  If you are buying from an informed, reputable bookseller the misinformation that often accompanies Amazon.com listings should be correct in the written description.  

Some book dealers just don't know enough about books to understand how important accuracy is, and some book dealers are in the business of selling books for profit without thought about the actual product and thus just want to get as many as possible put up for sale in as short of a time as possible.  Unfortunately, because of this too many people have opened their order when it arrived to find something far less condition-wise than was expected.

LINK to Abebooks Guide to Understanding Book Bindings

Leatherette
LINK

This is why we here at Quality Music and Books receive so many messages saying that the buyer was delightfully surprised when the book they bought from us actually was as good or better than described.  

A good rule of thumb for buying anywhere online whether it is Amazon.com, Ebay, Etsy, Barnes & Noble...any site...where independent sellers like us at Quality Music and Books, if you have questions or want to be certain that the seller is serious about providing service is to ask a question through email.  Quality sellers appreciate and invite questions.  If the seller doesn't answer your question at all within a few days, think twice about buying. If the seller answers in a rude or thoughtless way, think twice about buying. This is what I learned from other sellers and it is what I do when I buy on the internet and that is why I recommend it.

What About Those Leather Book Covers Real or Not?

Genuine Leather
LINK

What About Those Leather Covers Real or Not? 

Blog post article by Mary Katherine May of QualityMusicandBooks.com.

The look, feel and smell of a leather book is for many an elegant experience that creates an ambiance of fine living, but are you getting real leather or something else? 

Four Basic Differences in Books Said to Have Leather Covers
A Genuine Leather Book Cover is created with leather still in its original form.

Bonded Leather is made from genuine leather fibers mixed with bonding material which is embossed with a leather grain and then glued to another surface.

Leatherflex
LINK

Leatherflex, Leatherette is imitation leather that feels flexible with a textured finish.

Leather Look has the appearance and flexibility of leather or suede with no leather content.

Please remember: Genuine leather book covers are not cheap.  If you see a new book for $10 that says leather you should be cautious.

Generally speaking, in an online photo image you might not be able to tell whether or not a book cover is real leather.

LINK to article: How to Identify Genuine Leather

Bonded Leather
LINK

As a bookseller I have come across many books, especially on sites like Amazon.com, that say leather that are not.  If you are buying from an informed, reputable bookseller the misinformation that often accompanies Amazon.com listings should be correct in the written description.  

Some book dealers just don't know enough about books to understand how important accuracy is, and some book dealers are in the business of selling books for profit without thought about the actual product and thus just want to get as many as possible put up for sale in as short of a time as possible.  Unfortunately, because of this too many people have opened their order when it arrived to find something far less condition-wise than was expected.

Leatherette
LINK

This is why we here at Quality Music and Books receive so many messages saying that the buyer was delightfully surprised when the book they bought from us actually was as good or better than described.  

A good rule of thumb for buying anywhere online whether it is Amazon.com, Ebay, Etsy, Barnes & Noble...any site...where independent sellers like us at Quality Music and Books, if you have questions or want to be certain that the seller is serious about providing service is to ask a question through email.  Quality sellers appreciate and invite questions.  If the seller doesn't answer your question at all within a few days, think twice about buying. If the seller answers in a rude or thoughtless way, think twice about buying. This is what I learned from other sellers and it is what I do when I buy on the internet and that is why I recommend it.

Square Peg or Round Hole Defining Your Life through God

Scripture Source: BibleGateway.com
Image created by Mary Katherine May
Permission granted to download image
for nonprofit use.

Square Peg or Round Hole? 

Defining Your Life through God

Blog post by Mary Katherine May

Sharp corners may be difficult to negotiate...

Every person needs a framework for life, what that is individually unique. There is the square peg with four equal sides defined by sharp corners which may be difficult to negotiate.

Thinking about this, it seems to me that a circle is just as defining as a square. Movement across (diameter) is the same in all directions. The flow around the border is able to move without changing course. Moving to the center, I can see in all directions clearly. From its borders I am always in the same relationship to the core.

The circle is the symbol for the universal and in that sense represents limitless possibilities. There is its association with wholeness and stability. 

At the core of my circle is God, defined through the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In the perfect core is perfect peace no matter what is going on and changing.

I look in and there is safety and hope, I look out and marvel at the power and magnitude of all creation. Inside the circle I find rest and outside of it I draw from its strength.

The experience is so great that it cannot be defined by words and welcomes all who will come.

One Minute of Beauty Take a Moment to Step Back and Relax by Mary Katherine May

One Minute of Beauty

Created by Mary Katherine May of Quality Music and Books

A short, one-minute video with music and images 

created by Mary Katherine May for the purpose of 

having a brief moment to step back and relax, and be at peace.

Christian Hope, Terrorists and Facing Evil Blog Post by Mary Katherine May

Christian Hope, Terrorists and Facing Evil

blog post by Mary Katherine May of Quality Music and Books.

I can only think that the terrorists who act out the most horrific crimes are completely consumed by evil. 

It palpitates the air like the fluttering wings of a butterfly. 

My faith is strong yet there would have to be something wrong with me if I were not, and I am, fearful of how this affects our children, grandchildren and future generations. 

I run to God and find comfort in the peace that passes all understanding.  I stay closer to the Truth than ever before. 

I wonder if this is how people felt before WWII when Hitler was on the rise. 

Hope is forward looking but Hope is also now. There is always Hope. 

Mary Katherine May gives permission to download this image for non-profit use.  Photograph taken by Mary Katherine May at Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and Bird Sanctuary, Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota.

Jesus Christ Resurrection True or False

Image Source Link

True or False?

This blogpost by Mary Katherine May.

This is a serious multiple choice question.  

     Peter was asked by Jesus, "Who do you say that I am?"  and his reply was, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Did Peter pause before answering or was his response immediate without hesitation?  We don't know.  What Peter didn't understand when he answered is what confessing his belief meant in total but post-resurrection we do.

Post-resurrection, there are those who deny Jesus Christ's deity, deny the resurrection, and deny his oneness with God.  There are so many variations of unbelief that to put them all in single place would be a staggeringly difficult task.

     Firsthand accounts of the Messiah's resurrection from the dead exist.  One account is in the first chapter of the first epistle of John.

 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched – this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.  The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. (1John 1-2 NIVUK. Source: Biblegateway.com)

     Are the firsthand accounts of Christ's resurrection true?  I believe that they are most certainly true.

     How are we to respond to those who say that eyewitness testimonies are false?  It is a choice--a very poor choice but one that God has given people the freedom to make.

     There are those who deny the WWII Jewish holocaust happened, but it did.  There are those who deny that God created the world, even that God doesn't exist except in the minds of weaklings, but He did and He does.

     It is important to make a differentiation between documentation by firsthand accounts and the truth of what they report.  Christians do not have to prove what happened because the proof without a doubt exists.  To believe or not to believe is the choice every person makes on their own.

     Right now in the world we live in today we demonstrate the Living Christ by how we live and by what we say.  

Jesus Christ said it this way: 

A new command I give you: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.  (John 13: 34-35 NIVUK. Source: Biblegateway.com)

Believe it.  The truth is not out there.  The truth is right here, right now, forever.

WWII Alaska US Army Photos Slideshow 2nd Battalion 30th Field Artillery

Joe's WWII Alaska Souvenir Album 1944

     My Dad, Joseph Fred Koshuba, made a souvenir photo album for himself of his time in Alaska during World War II.  On Kadiak.org I found a great descriptive timeline about the U.S. Army's  2nd Battalion, 30th Field Artillery, or 2nd Bn FA, by Daniel Gillotti. 

     This slideshow video is offered here in case the families of the men who served in this unit might be interested, as well as for others. Requests for copies of this video may be made by sending a message to Mary Katherine May through YouTube or this site. 

Music is When the Red, Red Robin played by the Paul Whiteman Orchestra.

This blog entry posted by Mary Katherine May.

What Hymn Did Jesus Sing at the Last Supper Passover Pesach Fascinating Facts

What did Jesus sing at the Last Supper?

Matthew 26:30 "And when they had sung a hymn they went out to the Mount of Olives." 

SO what did they sing? Being curious, I looked it up. At the end of the Passover (Pesach) meal they praised God in song. These Psalms, the Hallel, numbers 113-118, and the Great Hallel, Psalm 136 (135). 

LINK to The Sacred Page website article titled What Did Jesus Sing at the Last Supper?

Israel's Escape from Egypt,
illustration from a Bible card published 1907
by the Providence Lithograph Company
source: Wikipedia.org

The Historical and the Spiritual Significance of the Passover Story

Passover or Pesach is a celebration of deliverance as expressed in Exodus 6 :6-7. 

Four Expressions of Deliverance
1. I will bring you out...
2. I will rescue you... 
3. I will redeem you... 
4. I will take you. 

Historically, Passover recalls the dramatic rescue of the Israelites from enslavement to the Pharaoh. Spiritually, it is the rescue of the People of God from the bondage of slavery to sin, or doing the will of Satan, the restoration and healing of the broken relationship between God and his creation. 

LINK to Chabad.org website excellent article on the Four-fold Promise of Redemption by Rabbi Avraham Brandwein. Please be sure to read Rabbi Brandwein's exposition of the verb take in the fourth promise.

The Hebrew Word Pesach

Pesach, commonly translated into English as Passover, has also a deeper interpretation (to have compassion or mercy) that is both logical and meaningful, according to Rabbi Ari Zivotofsky on the website Orthodox Union.LINK to the article, Tzarich lyun: The Meaning of "Pesach."

This blog post offering by Mary Katherine May of QualityMusicandBooks.com.

Money Will Not Make You Happy or Give You True Value

Money does not add
value to who you are.

Money Won't Make You Happy

There is something to think about when politicians promise to create conditions for prosperity, even wealth, and that is because money makes no one happy. Having more means that unhappy people will live with more instead of living unhappy with less. 

When I am told that the wealthy have too much money and it isn't fair my first thought is not that it is unfair but instead I wonder why the person doing the telling is so worried about what someone else has. 

Certainly being comfortable is important, and if it were humanly possible to make everyone comfortable I would be all for it--but it isn't happiness. 

The Value of Money Isn't the Value of Character

And then there is our society that is so focused on what we have--more money, although it is equated with being so makes no one more valuable than any other person. 

Jesus Christ Taught the True Value of a Person

Equality is not a new idea. Jesus Christ preached equality for everyone--no one greater than the other, everyone's role as important as every other role. 

I doubt that I am the only one who has gotten this mixed up because of its prevalence so I will repeat myself: money, things, material goods, location of home, job position, not being president of the U.S.A. or having umpteen bunches of degrees--not one of these adds value to WHO a person is. AND if someone tells you it does just disregard the message.

Blogpost by Mary Katherine May of QualityMusicandBooks.com.

Psalm 23 Jesus Christ Good Shepherd

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

Trust in God to provide what you need and you will be provided for.  Being spiritually whole and healthy gives you the tools to deal with life because the Good Shepherd is with you always.

He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside the still waters, He restores my soul.
Call on God when you are tired and feel weak because of the stresses and strains of life and He will give you rest.  

He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life, and He will always lead you in a direction that honors and glorifies the Father.  Listen to your heart and mind and you will know what is the way of righteousness.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will not fear because you are with me.  Your rod and your staff  comfort me.

The world that rejects God is the valley of the shadow of death--a world of spiritual sickness, evil and sin. Yet we need not be afraid! When our hearts and minds are focused on the Good Shepherd there confidence instead of fear that He is going before us leading the way. No matter how many potholes and gravel roads we come up against on our way through life we can be steadfast and sure that a just outcome will prevail in the end.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies: 

you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Though confronted with conflict and evil, find yourself in dangerous situations or places, you can be at peace because God is there to protect your soul from harm.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days 

of my life: and I will live in the House of the Lord forever.

At peace in Christ, overflowing with abundant love, your life will be a testimony of the God who is Love that will spill over to all with whom you come in contact and the promise of God's healing salvation through Jesus Christ, Son of God, is that you will live with Him throughout eternity.

Psalm 23 is a favored Psalm of all time because of the beautiful words that tell of the healing presence of Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd.  Jesus said, "Come to me all of you who are weary and weighed down and I will give you rest." Psalm 23 is that rest. 

This blogpost by Mary Katherine May of QualityMusicandBooks.com.

Quote The Runner's Nora Holm Mark 9:50

Mark 9:50

Quote on Mark 9:50

The Runner's Bible by Nora Holm
Houghton Mifflin Company, 1943 edition

Blog post by Mary Katherine May of Quality Music and Books.

"Salt is good for seasoning.  But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? You must have the qualities of salt among yourselves and live in peace with each other."


Quote: When you feel irritable force yourself to do a kind act; it will let Love into your consciousness, and that means peace. (p.143)

Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Did Louise the Cat Photo Bomb Me Mary Katherine May

Mary Katherine May and Louise

Did Louise Photo Bomb Me?

       I met Louise this past weekend while in Des Moines, Iowa. She talks all the time, likes to know everything that is happening in her domestic domain. It didn't take long for me to love Louise, and over three days she cautiously reciprocated with affection. On the morning of day four, as I was getting ready to leave for home, Louise sat in my lap and that was very nice.

About photo bombing: I am new to this term. Having heard it many times, just now I looked it up. Though it isn't so, it appears that Louise photo bombed me.  

So, there you have it. As with phone text and google searches, another term has become both a noun and a verb. 

This blog post by Mary Katherine May
Mary Katherine May with husband, Rick May, own QualityMusicandBooks.com.

Who Are the Christian Extremists by Mary Katherine May

Quilted Banner created by
Mary Katherine May.

       I just now heard it again on the news. A current issue has new commentators calling those who support the issue named as Christian extremists. 

There is only one conclusion: People who live their Christian faith 24 hours a day, 7 days a week as best they can in a Godly way, using the Bible as their guide, are extremists. 

I guess because we don't turn our faith off and on depending on where we are. Do atheists stop being atheists when in public? Do terrorists stop being terrorists when they go home at night.

Christians, however, are not supposed to demonstrate any evidence of their faith outside of church and home. SO. I am a Christian extremist, and in this case it is a very good thing. 

This blog post by Mary Katherine May.