Missy Mouse Meets Thom Elf: Lake Harriet - Linden Hills, Minneapolis, Minnesota

By Marilyn Clare

All In A Day

There was no advantage to ponder the next step. One day it came swift like a fluke of fortune pouring from a magic box when its lid flew ajar. Happenchance might not be per chance, but with purposeful intent and soon you will know through visions of “once upon a time.”
There was a young woman who triflingly courted memories of one thing or another. Thinking, daydreaming; stopping everything that needed attention, her daydreaming was to ask the question; was it true that all at Lake Harriet in Linden Hills lived happily ever after?
An unusual circumstance persisted; passionate feelings toward nature’s abundance and goodness were not accidental. When sunrise accented, some sort of energy propelled her against resistance of being contained within the house. Through an open window, springtime air, by virtue of its potency, drew her to where trees were leafing, flowers were budding, and where people, who were compelled the same as her were gathered. She had spent winter days in the house. Temptation overcame her. She left every “must do,” unlatched the door, and entered into a place of solitude. She went for a walk!
Warm breezes passed over her face like a whiff of pure splendor. Obliterating thoughts of customary obligations for family, career, and extra activities, she looked toward the sky at the treetops and then down upon the cemented walkway where she stepped. What contradiction was this to stifle growth of grass and natural vegetations beneath an overlay of hardened man-made concrete, when above, the treetops beckoned release from all sense of duty with their swaying branches and green seedling leaves? Steadied and protected from the ground’s unevenness; stone like material had a purpose, she supposed. Approaching the fenced gateway, bright color crimson and gold ignited the sky like flames of fire on the horizon. The sun’s rays were burning the morning dew and with it, thoughts of responsibilities dissipated.
Walking where nature dictated tranquility, soon she was distanced from pending concerns. And unlike happenchance, calculated and intentional; her point of full departure was around the bend.
Forty Second Street, located at the intersection of Broadway and Time’s Square in New York City and the topic for Forty Second Street, the movie, which told of its theaters; in Linden Hills, Forty Second Street, she knew, had not much to do about anything; no hoopla, no recognition, but led her to enchantments of many possibilities. Well, maybe, the idea of escape to the lake, with trees and flowers, birds, little ground animals, and baby fish swimming at the shoreline, fantasy thoughts took over. She stopped at a steep decline where the street and the golden sunrise met on Forty Second Street. The water and charm of sail boats and painted buildings and more trees and flowers was a place of transformation. She became one with nature. If she hurried, she’d be at the water’s edge in a blink. Aware that those sensations of exhilaration were not hers alone, but stupendous persons existed at Lake Harriet in Linden Hills and they walked and ran by her.
Walk, walking, sunbeams burst as crystalline upon the lake; all things that required her concentration and focus had been left back there.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Jun 24, 2010
• ISBN: 9781450232951

Marilyn Clare

“A student in Expository Writing, Professor John Harkness, at Augsburg College, Minneapolis, Minnesota, announced we were to write a fable. This unexpected assignment prompted deeper exploration of Lake Harriet, where I lived, and the elf house. Missy Mouse Meets THom Elf fable, imaginary in thought, suddenly become a real story.” I lived at Lake Harriet, Linden Hills, in Minneapolis, MN since 1981 with my daughters who graduated from the neighborhood high school. Having lived there, I became acquainted with neighbors, business owners and made many friends. It is claimed as "home;" a place that I am totally in love with. I worked as a professional hairstylist at an upscale salon, but a career change meant to remain the area. I traveled more than twenty miles one way because I liked the area and I traveled to the area, additional, on the weekends to do my shopping. Career change meant many things, but most of all I realized a college education would change my life. After I moved to Lake Harriet, a cousin visited and brought several boxes of family history and memorabilia. She had gone to the Wisconsin State Historical Society and found stories of our ancestors, but it stopped there. My question to her was, “what is our story.” I wondered how we could have several boxes of papers and things with the story unassembled, she had no plan to sort and document or write. Bit I did. I spent the next twelve years sorting, researching, documenting, calling and writing to family members, connecting with Roots Web and Ancestry.com and posting my contact information at these sites. In my hand at the beginning I had the names and addresses of fifty only family members outside my immediate family; this was in the year 1997. By 2002 I invited new found family for a reunion. Nearly five people attended. By that time I had our story for both sides of my family. With all written on two hundred-fifty pages I sent a manuscript proposal to Wisconsin State Historical Society. Within a few weeks a letter of response was sent. Not disappointed by their rejection because they also told me what was needed, “write your story for a broad audience,” and then I wondered how? One call to Augsburg College confirmed me as their student within two months in their Weekend College For Adults. My long standing passion and desire was to further my education in English as a writer. My first class taught me I was on the right track to fulfill my dream. I carried with me and used personal stories growing up on a farm in Southwest Wisconsin to college and have written several essays. I am holding my grandfather, Peter Bremmer’s story of having owned a dance hall in the late 1920s through late 1940s. I had an affirmative plan to write a fiction based on his story. With the English portion of the program complete, writing Missy Mouse Meets THom Elf was mostly for fun, however, this story began four years ago. I began with the fable assignment in class and when the fable took form successfully and I saw a bigger picture of the story because I continued in writing courses and I lived at Lake Harriet. I was at the lake every day. I learned of the elf house when I first moved there through a friend. I walked the nearly three-mile trail and met many people. Each one had something about the lake that they liked and shared their experiences with me. I have believed that walking is more conducive to meeting people than running. But we all have our reasons why we do things and where we do them. Missy Mouse character developed as I used my imagination. Imagination developed as I continued my English courses. The story, over all, is about me and about the difficulties of life’s changes. My two daughters, Michelle and Margo moved numerous times over several years. Sometimes our moving was very difficult. And then when we moved to Lake Harriet, something about the element fantasy midst everyday realism, I was able to dream dreams of the things I wanted in my life and have them come true. I mean that there is something about Lake Harriet, Linden Hills that the freedom to explore thoughts and ideas flourish. Missy Mouse fable is imbedded into a story that could be experienced by any one of us. The fable is pure fantasy. The elf house is real; the photographs of the area are mine and have been edited and formatted in Photo Shop by me. My first experience with Photo Shop was with a picture published in an early 1900s hometown newspaper of one of my ancestors. No one in the family had a picture of this person. He was significant as a high end fashion retail store. On a page printed from a reel at Wisconsin Historical Society, was his picture. Very damaged, detail of facial features covered with black lines and markings, I restored his image to an 8.5 x 11 photograph. With a firm desire, Missy Mouse Meets THom Elf is written.

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Missy Mouse Meets THom Elf

Lake Harriet - Linden Hills, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Copyright © 2010 Marilyn Clare

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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: 978-1-4502-3294-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4502-3295-1 (e)

iUniverse rev. date:  11/30/2022

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For my sister Jane

and

my dear friend Mary Jayne

Preface

The idea for this book began four years ago. Many thoughts were part of the process with lots of wondering if a fantasy-like fiction story coordinated with on location photographs, had merit. Somehow, the idea never faded; as an adult student in college, a full time working professional, and involvement with family, the passion for this book filled empty spaces of my schedule. One step at a time.

Savor each moment, be positive, turn thoughts to intent,