Standing on the walking bridge over the raging Cannon River today, Jennifer slipped her mother a little box: Jade earrings from Monarch in downtown Northfield. The birthday girl had thought she was driving into Dundas this morning to surprise her daughter at Martha's Bakery. Turns out it was the other way around, with Jennifer conspiring with Stan for a day of fooling around eating and shopping in this sweet small town. Kathleen's ID got her a free birthday sandwich at Hogan Brothers and a free ice cream cone at the Bittersweet Cafe. Stan contented himself with holding purses and sweaters while Mother and Daughter tried on stuff, looked at trinkets, compared prices, browsed, and generally didn't actually buy very much, considering how much time was invested in the process. A perfect day all around, in other words. Final selections of the day were made at the Northstar Seed Nursery, where a case of ready-to-plant annuals was assembled, now that spring planting has finally started.
When we first arrived in downtown Northfield, a crowd had gathered on a bridge over the falls by the Cannon River. Police tape was drawn across the road, barring entrance. A huge crane dangled a bucket over the roiling waters. We feared the worst. As we neared the water's edge, we soon remembered that we were in a small town. The large throng had not gathered to witness some daring rescue or heroic deed -- they were just watching city crews cut up a tree that had lodged in the falls.
