inBemidji Winter 2020

Winter 2020

A NIGHT AT THE

LAKE BEMIDJI BED & BREAKFAST WITH JILL AND DICK BEARDSLEY

WINTER EVENTS

BEST BOOKS

WE READ IN 2019

EE

TULEAH PALMER

BEMIDJI AREA

FR

Q & A WITH

L SE M RE

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S E! ’ I J D EMI OLLEG

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The best FACULTY The best FACILITIES

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YOUR FUTURE IN THE BUILDING TRADES BEGINS AT NORTHWEST TECHNICAL COLLEGE COMMERCIAL REFRIGERATION • RESIDENTIAL PLUMBING & HVAC • ELECTRICAL CONSTRUCTION OFFICE OF ADMISSIONS 905 Grant Ave. SE Bemidji, MN 56601-4907 www.ntcmn.edu / (218) 333-6600 / admissions@ntcmn.edu

A member of the colleges and universities of Minnesota State, Northwest Technical College is an affirmative action, equal opportunity educator and employer. This document is available in alternative formats to individuals with disabilities by calling 218-755-3883 directly or through the Minnesota Relay Service at 1-800-627-3529.

Winter 2020

in Bemidji | 3

A BEMIDJI PIONEER PUBLICATION

1320 Neilson Ave. SE Bemidji, MN 56601 218-333-9200

STAFF

Editor Jillian Gandsey Content Director Abby Randall Creative Director Mollie Burlingame Page Design Chris Johnson Advertising Lindsay Nygren Business Larisa Severson

ADMINISTRATION

Publisher/Advertising Director Todd Keute Editor Matt Cory Controller Tammie Brooks

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All rights reserved. Although some parts of this publication may be reproduced and reprinted, we require that prior permission be obtained.

ON THE COVER Owners of the Lake Bemidji Bed and Breakfast: Dick and Jill Beardsley.

Photo by Annalise Braught.

inBemidji’s mission is to be Bemidji’s and the surrounding area’s local lifestyle

magazine. We strive to enhance the quality of life for the people of the Bemidji area by informing them about all of the amazing people who live in our community.

Our concentration is on everything local: fashion, food, health, and most importantly, unique individuals and stories.

We strive to maintain a high level of integrity as an inspiring, local media presence for our readers and provide advertisers with a high-quality, effective marketing medium.

Bemidji online!

Visit www.bemidjipioneer.com, then click on inBemidji near the bottom of the page.

Read the award-winning in

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inside Winter 2020

Features 08 Q&A with Michelle Choc

10

Hear from local outdoors enthusiast Michelle Choc about how she finds time to get outside with her family.

10

A night at the Lake Bemidji Bed & Breakfast

17

A Mission of Love

26

Our writer Bria Barton stays over at the Lake Bemidji Bed and Breakfast and enjoys the hospitality of the Beardsleys.

Meet Tuleah Palmer and learn about the work being done at the Northwest Indian Community Development Center.

Pioneer Cookie Jar

We got together at the Bemidji Pioneer to share some of our favorite holiday cookie recipes for you to try.

08 In this issue

06 16 22 25 30

DIY: Felt ornaments Bookmarked Reaching milestones Winter events Spot the difference

26 Winter 2020

in Bemidji | 5

DIY: Felt pet ornaments

by Jillian

Gandsey

in Bemidji Editor

When I first had the urge to create these felt ornaments, I was not expecting that my fiance, Sonny, would be more into it than me. But he actually made two of these! I can only claim the orange cat, designed after our own orange cat, Charles. Sonny created the other two to look like pets that belong to his sisters: a pug and a black cat. So we’ll give those as early Christmas gifts to hang on their trees. They were fun and easy to make and also give us a good chuckle every time we look at the pug.

What you need:

6 | in Bemidji Winter 2020

•Felt • String • Scissors • Needles • Chalk • Hot glue gun • Stuffing

First

Start by lightly drawing a pattern on the felt with chalk.

This isn’t necessary for everyone, but if you’re artistically challenged like me, it is. Once you cut out the first pattern, you can use that one to cut out the other half.

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With about an inch and a half left on the border, put in enough stuffing so it’s puffy but you can still finish the border comfortably. You can use a pen to push it up in the corners. Finally, attach some string to the top of the ornaments so they can hang on your tree.

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in Bemidji | 7

Q&A Michelle Choc on

Getting Outside

8 | in Bemidji Winter 2020

We sat down with Michelle Choc just before the firearm deer season opener in November.

She has a Facebook page where she posts all of her outdoor adventures called “Michelle’s great outdoors.” There you can see all of the success she — and her children — have had while out hunting and fishing. in: Tell me about yourself.

MC: So I’m a single mom.

I have two children. Shelby is now 6 and Thor is 11. I’ve been hunting all my life and fishing and the whole industry.

I learned from my folks. That kind of thing. I’m originally from Bemidji. I work in a local sporting goods store as the head of sporting goods so I kind of run the whole show. in: Tell me about your Facebook page, Michelle’s great outdoors.

MC: For the great outdoors, I like to encourage the kids and not only just my kids — my nieces and nephews — I take them all hunting and I take them fishing. A little bit over a year ago, I won a boat through the Knights of Columbus. I always borrowed a boat from my dad and when I won that — I’m still kind of in shock about it — I would take the kids fishing all the time. The thing with kids is, they learn a lot more respect in the great outdoors. And then about guns and safety. in: What do you hunt and fish for?

MC: So I basically hunt white tail deer around here, bear, turkeys, pheasants. I fish for walleyes, crappies, eelpout. I mean pretty much any species. And I also shoot bow. I taught my kids how to, too. in: Bear hunting. Wow. How many have you gotten?

MC: I’ve gotten three. in: When do you usually find the time to get outside?

MC: If I’m not at work, it’s either in the evenings or everyday I have off. And I did take like pretty much the whole week off next week just to hunt along with the whole weekend. Any chance I get. I also just won a 6.5mm Creedmoor at Ducks Unlimited. in: What is that?!

MC: A 6.5mm Creedmoor is a Mossberg, an MVP Light Chassis, and it kind of looks like a machine gun but it’s not. I’m going to use that hunting this year so it’s for more of a long distance. It will

probably be shooting maybe 380 yards or something like that. Other than that, I’ve always used a 270 Ruger Bolt-Action. in: When did you start your Facebook page?

MC: A couple of years ago. To make a long story short, for a while it was just my son Thor. Then when I had Shelby, I had brought her in for cold leg symptoms — that kind of thing — and she was diagnosed with cancer at 8 months old. So ever since then. But I was a single mom, so I had to take them everywhere so they were out in the stand with me through the whole works. in: What’s your goal with the Facebook page?

MC: To be a great role model for my kids. And not only my kids, you know, if other people are able to check it out, or if I can figure out how to do more editing when I post pictures on there — that kind of thing. in: Was it easy to get your kids interested in the outdoors?

MC: What I kind of started out doing is, I said, ‘if you guys would like I could bring coloring books or flash cards.’ I made flash cards with different things and they kind of just did it for a little bit. Then they set it aside and they were like, ‘wow, did you hear that?’ I’m like, ‘yes, those are geese flying over.’ You know it was something that sort of interested them and I was like, ‘wow, we should make blinds one day.’ So last summer, we made reed blinds for duck hunting. in: Being a single mom, how set were you on that not deterring you still hunting and fishing?

MC: You know it’s so relaxing to go out. I always kind of look at it as — it’s God’s Country.

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A STAY AT THE

Lake Bemidji Bed & Breakfast

by Bria Barton Photos by Annalise Braught

T

here’s a magnetic allure to Southern hospitality that remains unrivaled in the world of hosting: to welcome a stranger into one’s home is an accomplishment in itself, but to treat them as family is another feat entirely.

Layer on the nostalgic tastes of home cooking with a side of enriching conversation, and one might find they’ve been transported to the historic cobbled streets of Charleston with its stately houses and clinking and clanking of horse-drawn carriages.

You may be hard-pressed to discover a true form of this Southern hospitality beyond the Mason-Dixon Line, but tucked along a serene lakeside street in the Northwoods of Minnesota it’s alive and flourishing albeit with a touch of local flavor.

Here, Southern charm meets Minnesota nice at the Lake Bemidji Bed and Breakfast.

It’s this particular hospitality that Texas-native Jill Beardsley and her Minnesota-bleeding husband Dick Beardsley readily provide, which draws visitors in and keeps them returning despite conditions of any season.

During peak warm months, lake-hungry tourists set the inn in motion, but when the sweetness of summertime fades and bitter cold 10 | in Bemidji Winter 2020

arrives at their door, the Beardsleys recognize a wintertime respite is just what the doctor ordered for their guests.

From curling up with a book and sipping hot cocoa to playing a board game in front of the great room fire, the possibilities for relaxation at the inn are quaint yet satisfyingly effective. And it’s these charming yet cozy details that make for an excellent way to combat harsh wintry weather and its accompanying winter blues, the Beardsleys say.

A “little oasis” is their go-to description for the inn, which also doubles as the couple’s personal dwelling. However, the overly exhausted phrase ‘home away from home’ also seems fitting when describing the inn’s comforting effect on guests — as does the warmth of the Beardsleys’ presence adding significantly to the pleasure of one’s stay.

And although it’s this attention to guest contentment that the Beardsleys relish, it’s their compassion and dedication to giving back to a community — one that welcomed them with open arms nearly four years ago — that incites admiration both throughout the year and during the holiday season.

While breakfasts are often held for law enforcement at their

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inn each month, the Beardsleys also open their home during major holidays, preparing and serving meals to on-duty police officers and first responders who are unable to spend the day with their families.

“Bemidji has been very kind to us,” the Beardsleys say. “So anything to help people out, we’re happy to do.”

A winter stay Under the cozy roof of the Beardsleys’ light teal two-story home — beautifully decorated with an assortment of festive snowmen, angelic figurines and bow-topped wreaths in anticipation for the nearing Christmas holiday — the delicious perfume of cinnamon spice greets my arrival along with Dick and Jill and their three adorable pups: Riley, Scarlet and Daisy.

It’s a family affair of greetings and puppy kisses that are cheerful and familiar despite never meeting before, and there’s no doubt other guests

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experience the same accommodating reception from Jill — with her prompt offering of wine and cookies — as well as the jovial friendliness of Dick and his invitation to chat around the crackling fireplace in their great room.

The inn is simply bliss for animal lovers, and the Beardsleys’ furrier family members happily cater added personality to the mix: quiet-natured Riley silently asks for pets, and energetic Scarlet proudly shows off toys while seeking a tug-of-war companion. The newest addition to the bunch, a tiny chihuahua-mix named Daisy, gives endless puppy love.

Once greetings conclude, a house tour is in order and it’s immediately apparent that tasteful decorations and beautiful furnishings abound throughout the inn. Built in 1904 and restored nearly 95-years later, the historic Bemidji home is candy to the appreciative eye.

And while Jill prides herself on genial hospitality, her polished sense of interior design is a talent that cannot be ignored. Stylish yet perfectly balanced and not too overstated, each room encourages guests to cozy up and enjoy ultimate relaxation while appreciating the humble plushness of the home.

Equipped with three guests rooms, the inn offers patrons their choice of stay ranging from romantic getaway to comfortable peace.

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The suite called Lake Breeze is a personal favorite and furnishes a sprawling king-size bed and a private balcony overlooking Lake Bemidji. And if the gorgeous sunrise over the icy lake doesn’t start your day off with a bang, the aroma of fresh coffee and Jill’s mouth-watering gourmet breakfast will.

The morning is her time to shine with guests as earlyriser Dick is usually out lending his services as a fishing guide.

Each evening, Jill plans a menu for the following day’s two-course breakfast, taking care to feature only fresh, local ingredients. Her recipes are tested and approved by the many police officers coming to her home, and while the first course is meant to be light, the second course is typically heartier and more savory, Jill says.

On this occasion, she serves banana slices topped with peanut butter granola drizzled with chocolate syrup and honey for the first course. Her signature dish, Monte Cristo French toast laden with sliced strawberries and a side of maple sausage, soon follows.

Like my stay, Jill’s breakfast is a guilty-pleasure-filled delight yet without the regret.

Synonymous with a sentimental trip to grandma’s house, a sojourn at Lake Bemidji Bed and Breakfast stirs up and then delivers all those warm and cozy feelings — so vital to our wellbeing — that winter tries so hard to chip away.

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Bemidji has been very kind to us. So anything to help people out, we’re happy to do.

-Dick and Jill Beardsley

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in Bemidji | 15

BOOKMARKED

For Bookmarked in the winter edition of inBemidji, we’ve compiled a list of books we’ve read and enjoyed in 2019. Cozy up this season and dive into a good book. It’s going to be a long winter.

HILLBILLY ELEGY

AMUSING OURSELVES TO DEATH

By Neil Postman

By J. D. Vance

LONESOME DOVE

STEAL AWAY HOME

By Larry McMurtry

By Billy Coffey

GRIT: THE POWER OF PASSION AND PERSEVERANCE

ORDINARY GRACE

By Angela Duckworth

By William Kent Krueger

Other books we’ve enjoyed as library borrows or audiobooks: DOCTOR SLEEP THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW

By A. J. Finn

THE GREAT ALONE

By Kristin Hannah

SOMEDAY, SOMEDAY, MAYBE

By Lauren Graham

By Stephen King

REBECCA

By Daphne du Maurier

MY GRANDMOTHER ASKED ME TO TELL YOU SHE’S SORRY

By Fredrik Backman

MUDDY JUNGLE RIVERS

By Wendell Affield

16 | in Bemidji Winter 2020

TALKING AS FAST AS I CAN

By Lauren Graham BEFORE WE WERE YOURS

By Lisa Wingate IF YOU LIVED HERE YOU’D BE HOME BY NOW

By Christopher Ingraham

A mission of love

Northwest Indian Community Development Center working to improve lives

by Dennis Doeden Photos by Jillian Gandsey

Winter 2020

in Bemidji | 17

T

he Northwest Indian Community Development Center is helping to make life better for many of the 2,400 people it serves every year. For Tuleah Palmer, the organization’s executive director, it’s a mission of love that began when she was a teenager.

The 42-year-old mother of seven has been leading the Center since 2011, but has worked in community development and social change organizations since she was 14. Her leadership philosophy is informed by the teachings of Paulo Freire, who wrote “Pedagogy of the Oppressed” in 1968. It proposes a pedagogy with a new relationship between teacher, student and society, based on Freire’s own experience helping Brazilian adults to read and write.

“We have a very collective approach to our work,” Palmer said. “As I walk around, people don’t change their tone of behavior because

the director is here. It’s very Freirean in terms of the community knows best, we serve the community, the staff know best. I serve the staff. The unique thing that we do is using the Freirean pedagogy where the people who experience this know this best and everybody who works here has been there, done that.”

The center, located at 1819 Bemidji Ave. N., serves a 60-mile radius which includes the Red Lake Nation, White Earth Nation, the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, as well as the administrative headquarters of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe. While located in Beltrami County, Bemidji is the regional economic hub to all three reservations and the neighboring counties of Cass, Mahnomen, Clearwater, Itasca and Hubbard.

In 2018 the Center was awarded a $500,000 Bush Prize for Community Innovation from the Bush Foundation. The awards are given to “organizations with a track record of successful

in: Tell us about your career path.

TP: I actually went to school to be a geologist. I was closing in on that and I went on a field expedition and I realized I didn’t want to work with rocks. So I actually changed my degree and just fast-paced out an applied psychology major.

I worked briefly in the Beltrami County Attorney’s office with the victim services program. It was really too sad to work in the attorney’s office. There was too much injustice, so many dark things happen. It was really too difficult to see what people were living with

community problem solving,” according to the foundation.

Palmer said the Center plans to use the Bush funds on an initiative to build housing in the region.

Palmer is a 2019 recipient of the Saint Paul and Minneapolis Foundation's Facing Race statewide award. Established in 2007, the Foundations’ Facing Race Awards honor anti-racism activists in Minnesota who work to change the narrative on race and create communities where everyone feels safe, valued and respected.

She credits much of the Center’s success on its board of directors and her co-workers.

“We have a really steady board,” said Palmer, a graduate of Bemidji State University.

“The board is really centered in cultural values, so that adds a lot of stability to the leadership.”

We asked Palmer to tell us more about her career and her organization.

and I couldn’t handle that. I had become a new mother when I was 20, and when you raise kids you don’t want to be crying all the time.

So I decided I’m going to go up river and help prevent all of this from happening. So I worked at the Boys and Girls Club in Cass Lake as an AmeriCorps Vista volunteer there for about eight years. I absolutely loved that job. I left and ended up doing consulting work with nonprofits for two years — grant writing, support, financial management type of stuff. Then I worked with Leech Lake planning for a while and then I came here.

None of this happens without the people who are doing this work. It’s not just about money.

It’s about community.

-Tuleah Palmer

18 | in Bemidji Winter 2020

in: What did you think when you were offered this job?

TP: I didn’t want this job. I was sort of conned into taking it from some elders who said, ‘You will take this job.’ I thought. ‘What would it take?’ I spent a lot of time thinking about that, visiting with elders. I had done community work for 20 years, and nothing had changed. Like, what are we doing? Do we just work like this?

Do we go through this fatigue, this emotional fatigue day after day after day and then retire? So I had to really think about that. What am I willing to sacrifice? What am I willing to risk? And I felt like personally I didn’t have anything to lose, so I risked everything to do something different.

I don’t want to be in my 60s and look at the community saying, ‘I could have done this and I was too scared.’ I am scared, every day I do this job I’m scared. Afraid I’m going to mess it up, afraid I’m not doing enough. But I’ve gotten comfortable with being scared.

That’s all right. So it is everybody else. So let’s just try this, just do this. Most of the things we are doing here, people before us said they needed to get done. It just didn’t happen. So it’s not like people just woke up with a genius idea. We woke up and said, ‘Let’s do this.’ in: Does your organization have the tools it needs?

TP: We have the mindset, and we have the team here. There are 45 people working here. It’s a phenomenal group of people. Every single person has an amazing story. We have a lot of resources to offer people, but I don’t think that it’s the resources that are financial that are what make people’s lives better. Of course they help, but I think it’s the sense of community that has grown. None of this happens without the people who are doing this work. It’s not just about money. It’s about community. It’s about safety, that it’s safe to be here. Because a lot of times people are feeling targeted in the community and the school systems, and the health care systems and all of our institutions. in: What is the greatest need in our community?

TP: We have a gross housing shortage in this region. It’s just a horrible root cause of so many of the negative outcomes that so many low-income families, Native and white and black, are experiencing in Bemidji. We need more housing stock. Mixed housing, not just low-income. We have a housing initiative to build housing, and that’s mostly what the Bush prize will be used for. We plan to be at the Capitol this session looking for investments into housing. in: What is your leadership philosophy?

TP: When we’re entrusted to be in leadership roles, we are entrusted to be leaders. Not to get along, not to use our manners.

And that’s hard. I was raised to use my manners. Minnesota Nice has got to go. If you want things to change, you’ve got to be comfortable disagreeing. in: What keeps you going?

TP: People are dying, people are suffering. I’m at a point in my life at age 42, where the kids I saw coming through the Boys and Girls Club with sparkly little eyes, like any child, are gone. They’re dead.

They have been murdered. They’ve gone to prison. They’ve given up.

Not everybody, but that’s got to stop. That is the absolute truth. We are born to love. It’s very strange to be at that point in my life where I’m burying kids who I thought would be doctors and lawyers. Who were brilliant, who were funny. That’s what keeps me going. Not another one. Not another one. in: Can you share one of the organization’s success stories?

TP: I’m happy to say that there are hundreds, and so I couldn’t think of one that’s the best of the best. There are people who have more resources, who are in crisis less often, are safer physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. Their children are doing better.

I really loved working with kids. I really didn’t want to work with adults. I sort of had this ‘if I can do it you can do it’ thing that was in my brain. I had to really unpack that. That’s a myth. But parents who do better have children who do better. We can work all day and all night with children, but they go home to some adults and that is where they spend the majority of their time. So if we want children to do better, we have to help adults do better.

That was a real shift in my consciousness to fall in love with this work. Oftentimes the adults are just children that we’ve failed as a community. I see that type of blaming of adults. You did this to yourself. You’re making these choices. If from the time you were born until you’re 25 or 35 years old you’ve been failed, you’ve been institutionalized, you’ve been targeted, you’ve been on the short side of everything, what then?

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in Bemidji | 19

I’m burying kids who I thought would be doctors and lawyers. Who were brilliant, who were funny.

That’s what keeps me going. Not another one.

Not another one.

-Tuleah Palmer

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About the Northwest Indian Community Development Center We are a native-controlled 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1989 as an Occupation Industrialization Center in response to American Indian economic disparities in the region, delivering training and education opportunities to American Indian and low income families. In 2011, NWIOIC reorganized as community development model, offering a wide range of Anishinaabe informed services to more effectively meet the needs of Indigenous people, families and communities

Mission

Northwest Indian Community Development Center’s mission is to identify, coordinate and deliver resources that promote wellness and equity for American Indian families in northwest and north-central Minnesota.

Vision

We are informed by the guiding vision when Anishinaabe and American Indian families are connected to culturally rich environments and relationships, as well as appropriate contemporary resources, they realize and ensure well-being for themselves, their families and their communities.

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in Bemidji | 21

Reaching Milestones

Therapy goes above and beyond for Halle Houchins and her mother

by Jane Thaden Lawson, Sanford Health Photos by Travis Jensen, Sanford Health

22 | in Bemidji Winter 2020

T

he call came unexpectedly, and the very next day, Katherine Monkman’s family picked up their newborn girl. And then also quickly picked up some preemie clothes.

Halle Houchins had been born several weeks early. Monkman hadn’t even learned yet that Halle’s birth mother had chosen Monkman’s family to adopt her.

In a birth with no complications, weighing 5 pounds 2 ounces — half of what her adopted older sister, Quinn, had weighed at birth — Halle seemed healthy.

However, Monkman thought, she did cry a lot compared to Quinn, “the easiest baby you could have.” She also threw up — every bit of formula she swallowed.

But it still surprised Monkman, at Halle’s well child visit at about 2 months, when her Sanford Health pediatrician expressed concerns. She said Halle wasn’t displaying the milestones that she should have reached by then. But she did offer a possible solution for Halle’s vomiting: physical therapy.

That suggestion more than three years ago began a relationship that Halle and her mom have relied on ever since. It’s helped them each make progress in their lives — in very different ways.

Responding to delays Monkman could see a difference right after Halle’s first session with physical therapist Tonya Onstad, who works at Sanford Bemidji Children’s Therapy. Onstad demonstrated some maneuvers that could be performed before the infant drank. She also suggested exercises to help with Halle’s torticollis, a condition where the neck is twisted and head tilted.

At Halle’s next well child check, to Monkman’s dismay, her pediatrician discovered additional milestones she wasn’t meeting.

Monkman followed her suggestion to meet with the state’s early intervention services, which aim to help infants and toddlers with developmental delays and disabilities. Monkman remembers crying through the whole meeting. Her daughter didn’t seem to be doing anything she should be: sitting up, babbling, reaching for things.

After adding early intervention services, occupational therapy and feeding therapy appointments, Monkman was taking Halle to six appointments per week — while working a full-time job.

“Looking back, I don’t know how I did it. You just do what you have to do,” she said. “But you want to give your child every opportunity.”

For reasons that Monkman may never know, it takes Halle a very long time to reach milestones. They come mainly after continual, repetitious work on those skills at therapy and at home. For example, Monkman said, “Halle was 14 months before she could sit up,” a skill infants half that age may be able to do.

Halle is considered to have global developmental delay, a general term referring to delayed milestone skills in various areas of a child’s development.

Goals and obstacles Braces helped give Halle a better sense of her feet, and she walked with her walker.

But when Onstad started working with her in the spider cage last fall, then she really started walking independently. The spider cage is a large framed box that can use a system of cables and weights to help physical therapy patients. In Halle’s case, having some resistance and working against gravity helped ground her and really realize where her feet were, Onstad said.

Onstad’s current goals for Halle are to be able to jump — to get both feet off the floor at the same time. That’s a typical 2-year-old skill. She’s also working on going up and

down stairs safely, as well as navigating a room that has multiple obstacles without falling. She tends to not be aware of objects or varying surfaces on the floor and then can easily trip and fall. So she’s learning to step over things.

That’s one key preparation for a classroom environment, where toys and colorful, educational rugs can represent fun to other kids but represent hazards to Halle.

That’s not her only obstacle to the classroom, however.

Halle is normally a “super social kiddo,” her mom said. “She smiles, she laughs.” And even though she’s not speaking verbally, she communicates a few words by signing, such as “please” and “all done.” Or if she’s tired, she indicates it by flopping on her bed; if she’s hungry, she’ll try to climb into her high chair.

But her sensory system can easily become overstimulated in groups of people: the colors, the noise, the movement. She might spend just a short time in a classroom, but her family might see — and manage — the effects of her dysregulation for a couple of days afterward.

Physical therapist Tonya Onstad works with Halle Houchins at Sanford Bemidji Children’s Therapy. The “spider cage” cables offer Halle support and provide resistance while she works on walking and grounding her feet.

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Supporting the family The lack of a diagnosis for Halle has been frustrating for Monkman.

She has tried genetic testing — again with Onstad lending a hand — to see if a cause for Halle’s condition could be identified.

“I had to know,” Monkman said. “I had to pursue every avenue that I knew was available to me.”

She’s especially concerned that when Halle reaches adulthood, services will be much harder for her to get without a specific diagnosis.

You just do what you have to do. [...] You want to give your child every opportunity.

-Katherine Monkman

But the tests for Halle and her birth parents revealed nothing.

Learning to accept this unknown has changed Monkman.

“Traditionally I was a very Type A person. I wanted to have control over situations in my life. And with Halle not having a diagnosis and not being able to, there’s just so many things you have to let go of. And part of that struggle, Tonya helped me with, too,” Monkman said.

“Yes, she was working with my child, but she also was like a lifeline to me as just a support.”

Submitted photo Newborn Halle Houchins was several weeks premature when she was adopted into Katherine Monkman’s family with sister Quinn.

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Winter Events Calendar Here is a look at some winter events going on in Bemidji and the surrounding area.

Check the Bemidji Chamber of Commerce or Visit Bemidji websites for more information.

December

Bemidji Chorale Christmas Concert, Dec. 8 Northwoods Winter Concert & Fundraiser, Dec. 8 Voltage Winter Concert, Dec. 11 Finnish Holiday Cookies, Dec. 11 Santa’s Workshop, Dec. 11 Shop the World! Dec. 12 Nordic Holiday Weekend Workshop, Dec. 13-15 Holidays By Hand Fine Arts & Crafts Festival, Dec. 14 Kids Holiday Giftmaker Workshop, Dec. 14 Wreath Making 101 at LBSP, Dec. 14

Holiday Market Vendor & Craft Show, Dec. 14 Tenth Avenue North: Decade The Halls, Dec. 14 Itasca State Park Winter Bird Count, Dec. 16 Soups and Stock, Dec. 19 History Center Winter Sale, Dec. 20 Family Create Class: Holiday Trees, Dec. 21 The Nutcracker at the Chief Theater, Dec. 21-22 Good Food for the New Year, Dec. 31 History Mystery, Dec. 31 Inflatable Festival, Dec. 31

January

February

H A Backcountry Expl ploration, First Dayy Hike: at LBSP Jan. 1 Itasca’s Lantern Lit Snowshoe and Ski Event, Jan. 11 Buena Vista Snowjourn, Jan. 11 Brrrmidji Kids Can Ice-Fish, Jan. 18 Snow Science Experiments, Jan. 25 Bemidji Community Theater - Boeing Boeing, Jan. 31, - Feb. 2 and Feb. 7-9

BELTRAMI COUNTY VETERANS SERVICE OFFICE Your First Stop for Any Veteran Related Issue, Question or Concern.

Scotty Allison,

Veterans Service Officer

218.333.4178

616 America Ave. NW Suite 140 Bemidji, MN campbell.allison@co.beltrami.mn.us

Family Night at Buena Vista Ski Area, a, Feb. 7 First Friday Art Walk, Feb. 7 BSU 5th Annual JazzFest, Feb. 7-8 Candlelight Ski at LBSP, Feb. 8 Candlelight Snowshoe Hike at LBSP, Feb. 14 The Great Backyard Bird Count, Feb. 15 Old Time Ice Harvest, Feb. 15 Bemidji Symphony Orchestra “Big Screen Rhythms,” Feb. 16 Eelpout Festival, Feb. 20-23

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in Bemidji | 25

Pioneer Cookie Jar For the winter edition of inBemidji, we invited our colleagues at the Pioneer to share their favorite holiday cookie recipes. While we found that we’re all peanut butter lovers, there was still quite a variety. We’re sharing the recipes for some of our favorites in hopes that you can indulge in them as well. Enjoy!

Larisa Severson, of Larisa Cooks

Red Velvet Cake Mix Cookies Ingredients: 1 15.25-ounce Red Velvet Cake Mix 2 large eggs 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1 container whipped cream cheese frosting Christmas sprinkles Directions: Line cookie sheet with silicone mat or parchment paper and set aside. In a large mixing bowl combine cake mix, vegetable oil and eggs. Stir together until well combined.

Refrigerate dough 15-20 minutes (it will make it a little easier to work with since it’s sticky). Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a medium scoop or spoon, scoop the dough onto the cookie sheet and bake 9-11 minutes or until cookies are set. Allow to cool on cookie sheet for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before frosting and decorating with the Christmas sprinkles.

26 | in Bemidji Winter 2020

Larisa Severson

Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cake Mix Cookies

Ingredients: 1 15.25-ounce White Cake Mix 2 large eggs 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1 cup white chocolate chips 1 cup dried cranberries Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheet with silicone mat or parchment paper and set aside. In a large mixing bowl combine cake mix, vegetable oil and eggs. Stir together until well combined.

Add the cranberries and white chocolate chips and stir to combine.

Using a medium scoop or spoon, scoop the dough into 2-inch balls and place on the cookie sheet and bake 10 minutes. Allow to cool on cookie sheet for a couple of minutes and then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

Dennis Doeden

Crunchy Peanut Bark Cookies

Ingredients: 1 24-ounce package vanilla flavored almond bark 2 cups creamy or crunchy peanut butter 4-5 cups Rice Krispies 1 cup peanuts, dry roasted, salted peanuts, chopped Directions: Melt almond bark in double boiler, microwave or oven using instructions on package. When melted, stir in 2 cups peanut butter.

Put Rice Krispies and chopped peanuts into large mixing bowl.

Add melted almond bark and peanut butter mixture and stir to mix thoroughly. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Cool in refrigerator. These freeze very well.

Lindsay Nygren

Peanut Butter Blossoms

Ingredients: 1/2 cup butter, softened 1/2 cup peanut butter 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 3/4 cup flour, sifted 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 bag Hershey Kisses Small extra bowl of sugar Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream together butter, peanut butter, sugars, egg and vanilla.

Add in dry ingredients. Shape dough into 1/2 tablespoon-sized balls, roll in sugar and place on cookie sheet. Bake for 7 minutes then remove from oven to push Hershey Kiss into middle of cookie until edges crack and return to oven for 30 seconds. Allow to cool on sheet for 2 minutes then store in airtight container in cool place so Kisses can set. Makes 4 dozen.

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Annalise Braught

Tammie Brooks

Ingredients: 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 stick soft unsalted butter 1/2 cup dark brown sugar 1/4 cup granulated sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 egg 1 3.5-ounce dark chocolate bar Baking caramels Flaked sea salt Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Combine the flour and baking soda. Using a mixer, beat the butter and both sugars until creamy. Add vanilla and egg, mix to combine. Gradually add the flour with the mixer on low and mix just until the dough comes together. Chop the chocolate bar roughly and add to dough. Smash the caramel candies while they are still in the wrapper, then place broken pieces into the cookie dough. Mix on low for about 20 seconds, just to combine the chocolate and caramel through the dough. Put dough and mixing bowl in the freezer for 10 minutes. Using a cookie scoop, roll dough into a ball and place on tray. Leave about 2 inches between each cookie. Bake for 13 minutes and then sprinkle some flaked sea salt on each cookie. Let cool for 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack and continuing with any remaining dough.

Ingredients: 1 cup all purpose flour 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 4 tablespoons butter 1/4 cup apple sauce 1/2 cup light brown sugar 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1 large egg 1 1/2 teaspoon caramel flavor extract 1 3/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats 1 small Honeycrisp apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped Directions: In a medium bowl mix together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl using a mixer beat the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until smooth. Add the egg and caramel flavoring. Mix well. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in the oats and chopped apple until fully combined. Cover and refrigerate dough for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat. With a cookie scoop, scoop dough onto the baking sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes. Allow to cool for 3 minutes before removing to wire rack or paper towels to finish cooling. Store in refrigerator.

Sea Salt Caramel Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Oatmeal Caramel Apple Cookies

Lori Keute

Chocolate Waffle Cookies

Ingredients: 1 1/2 cup white sugar 1 cup butter, softened 4 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla 2 cups flour 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa Pinch of salt Directions: Preheat regular waffle iron. Mix sugar and butter. Beat well. Add eggs and beat well again. Mix in vanilla and salt. Combine flour and cocoa and then add to the wet ingredients. Drop a heaping teaspoon onto a hot, greased waffle iron. Bake for approximately 1 minute. Do not overbake. Use a fork to remove cookies from waffle iron to a cooling rack. If cookies are difficult to remove, bake for 15-30 seconds longer.

Depending on the size of the waffle iron, two spoonfuls may fit on opposite corners of the iron. Frost with chocolate frosting, chocolate ganache or icing with an option of dusting cookies with powdered sugar.

28 | in Bemidji Winter 2020

Cindy Dorr

Crème de Menthe Brownies

Ingredients: 4 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate 1 cup unsalted butter 4 large eggs 2 cups granulated sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup flour For the mint buttercream: 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened 2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar 4 tablespoons Crème de Menthe Green food coloring Peppermint extract For the chocolate topping: 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips 6 tablespoons unsalted butter Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9-by-13 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. In double boiler, melt baking chocolate and 1 cup butter over simmering water. Cool slightly. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs then add 2 cups of granulated sugar and continue whisking until mixture is light and fluffy. Add cooled chocolate mixture, salt, vanilla and flour. Whisk until thoroughly blended. Pour batter into pan and bake 25 minutes. Leave brownies to cool in pan. To make the buttercream, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the 1/2 cup butter and confectioners’ sugar until well blended. Stir in the creme de menthe and blend well. Add additional food coloring and peppermint extract if desired. Spread over cooled brownies. Refrigerate in original baking pan until firm. To make the topping, melt the chocolate chips and butter in the top of a double boiler, stirring until smooth. Pour warm glaze over the filling and tilt pan to distribute the icing evenly. Refrigerate until chocolate sets, then cut into squares and serve.

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30 | in Bemidji Winter 2020 ANSWERS: 11) Bottom right-hand corner, kid's hat and hod changed color. 2) Bottom, center, crosswalk is missing a stripe 3) New rims on the trailer tires. 4) Extra tire on the far side of the trailer. 5)There are fewer lights on the back red spotlight. 6) Near the back of the trailer, the red ornament is now blue 7) The "D" on the Digital Jake banner has changed. 8) Full moon, top center 9) In front of the truck, Santa Sasquatch 10) in the sky, upper right-hand corner, Santa and his reindeer.

Can you find 10 differences between these two pictures?

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

Prepare for the Holidays!

ETS ROOM UNITS FORCED AIR FURNACES HYDRONIC FURNACES

Beltrami County now composts food scraps!

THIS HOLIDAY SEASON Buy what you need.

Eat what you buy.

Reduce. Donate. Compost.

LOWER YOUR ENERGY BILLS WITH STEFFES ELECTRIC THERMAL STORAGE HEAT • • •

EFFICIENT AFFORDABLE STORAGE LOW-COST OFF-PEAK RATE RENEWABLE INTEGRATION

AFFORDABLE, COMFORTABLE AND RELIABLE

Start composting food scraps from your holiday dinners and parties. t

Find out more and sign up a Beltrami County Solid Waste 218-333-8297 www.co.beltrami.mn.us click on Solid Waste tab

RELAX...IT’S OFF-PEAK HEATING Contact the Energy Experts at Beltrami Electric Cooperative at (218) 444-2540 to find out how Steffes ETS heat can save you money!

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