I had the unique opportunity of attending the St. Paul Winter Carnival Queen’s Tea on Jan. 17 with my 9-year-old daughter. It was the first time that the Queen’s Tea was open to the public.
To my (and my daughter’s) delight, it was a great afternoon shared together, with some yummy treats and great conversation. We were able to meet and talk with past Winter Carnival queens and the reigning royalty, as well as listen to all of the queen candidates answer fishbowl questions.
In addition, there was a fabulous dessert auction. My daughter was astounded that a gentleman at our table bought a cake for $130! It was so nice to spend time with my daughter in an atmosphere that encouraged good manners and ladylike behavior and was packed full of strong, confident women.
I hope that the Winter Carnival committee keeps the Queen’s Tea open to the public. I think my daughter and I have a new tradition and, hopefully, next year we can bring some cousins, aunties and friends.
So thank you, Winter Carnival, for creating yet another great St. Paul Winter Carnival memory for my daughter and me. And to the committee who put on and hosted the tea — great job!
Cecelia Stone, Inver Grove Heights
On the field, Vikes vs. Giants. In Section 210, the nicest people
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Some people are so nice that it just has to be acknowledged. I went to the Vikings-Giants football game on Jan. 3. My granddaughter gave her father and me tickets for Christmas. She couldn’t get them together; we were close but in different rows. This is where the kindness starts.
Her father and I are both handicapped, so the people in that section noticed us. First, some of them switched their seats around so we could sit together. Throughout the entire game, they helped us in and out of our seats, carrying things for us and taking care of just about everything we needed.
After the game, one of the gentlemen in front of us helped carry our bags, etc., down to the exit. In my 69 years, I have never seen anyone as friendly, as nice and as helpful as these people were.
I want to thank them from the bottom of my heart, and I hope that someday they are rewarded for their kindness.
From me, my granddaughter and her father, may God bless these people. They were in section 210, around rows 11, 12 and 13. Thank you so much.
Rodney Thompson, Inver Grove Heights
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While volunteering with the Payne-Phalen Block Nurse Program, I listened to a call that came in during our recent cold spell from an 86-year-old man who lives alone. He left a message saying he was desperate, that his house was stone cold and he didn’t know what to do.
The director of the program contacted his home health aide who confirmed his house was cold and said he was disoriented. A volunteer nurse with the program was immediately sent to the man’s home. She found he had turned his furnace off, was cold and confused. She turned his heat on, checked his vital signs and stayed with him until he could think clearly.
Intervention by the Block Nurse Program’s staff and volunteers most likely saved this gentleman a trip to the ER and may have prevented a headline like “86-year-old found frozen in home.”
Volunteering with a program that makes this kind of difference for our elderly neighbors makes it all worthwhile to me. This is only one example of things that are done by the Block Nurse programs for our elderly residents.
Barbara Bauer, St. Paul
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On Jan. 14, at about 8 a.m., my wife was in a serious car accident while driving east on Como Avenue. Fortunately, the airbags went off, although she was injured and seen at Fairview Hospital. The car was totaled.
To be sainted: Tiffanie. She came to my wife’s aid as smoke and fluids came from the car. She called me, waited for the police and me to arrive and, having observed the whole incident, gave a statement to police.
She, along with officer David Strecker, had a wonderful calming effect on my wife and me in what could have been a fatal accident.
If more citizens had the courage and caring shown by Tiffanie, our community would be a much better place. People in crisis need the Tiffanies of the world. We all thank you!
Jack Neely, St. Paul
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Well, I did a dumb thing. I tried to make a U-turn on an unfamiliar road and wound up in a 3-foot-deep ditch, which snow had filled to look about even with the road. I only went off the shoulder by a foot or two but was really stuck.
I told my wife that I was going to walk to the nearby Dellwood Country Club to try to get a shovel and some help. Then, the first car stopped. The driver asked if we needed help. He went back to his mom’s and got a shovel. That didn’t work, so he went to his house to get a rope, telling us that he had plenty because he was a forester.
Meanwhile, several others stopped to ask if we were OK. One lady called her husband and told him someone nearby needed help. He came with a six-wheel-drive SUV and a chain. Then the police came, and the first driver returned for the second time.
The police directed traffic while the second driver pulled out our car. Thank you to all the good neighbors who came to our aid.
Bob Bruton, North St. Paul
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My very spry, but elderly, auntie was attempting to cross Grand Avenue at Fairview after finishing her volunteer work at a local rectory when a patch of ice got the best of her. Thank goodness not one, but two, gentlemen pulled over to assist her.
I’ve never been more proud to have been born and raised in our Saintly City. You fellas know who you are, and a big “thanks for being there” goes out to you both from our family.
You’re also setting a wonderful example for our younger citizenry.
N. Whalen, Mendota
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The person or persons who stole the bungee cord I used to attach a wreath to my parents’ grave marker at Fort Snelling National Cemetery. You could have bought one at your local hardware for a buck or two, but instead you decided to desecrate someone’s grave. I hope you’re proud of yourself.
Carlton B. Kittleson, Roseville
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The wonderful, hard-working members of the Tartan High School Blue Line Club. On Dec. 5, they hosted a grandparents’ day for the girls JV and varsity hockey teams. On Jan. 16, it was grandparents’ day for the boys JV and varsity hockey teams. The food was great, the photo sessions with the grandparents and their hockey-playing grandchildren will provide cherished memories of the occasion.
The PA announcement of the grandparents’ names and that of their grandson was a very nice touch. The 3-year-old boy singing the national anthem was a special treat for the start of the game.
Great job, Blue Line Club, and a big thank you from two of the numerous appreciative grandparents.
Jack and Judy Nowicki, Oakdale
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Thanks to Minnesota Wild fans and the generosity of many others, St. Paul Fire Department bell ringers had another successful year collecting donations for the Salvation Army. The traditional kettle is replaced with a fire boot and off-duty firefighters volunteer to ring between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
A total of $24,262.61 was raised to support the many programs that the Salvation Army’s Citadel Corps provides to the citizens of St. Paul. This total exceeded all expectations and was attained with the help of two “triple” matching days from anonymous donors who also deserve to be sainted.
Robert Kippels, St. Paul
The writer is a fire/paramedic captain with the St. Paul Fire Department.
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On Christmas Eve morning about 4 a.m., I was on Highway 36 heading toward Stillwater in the winter storm. I was driving to help friends, and I ended up needing my own help. I spun out and managed to get the front end of my car into the ditch.
Thankfully, a nice gentleman stopped and helped me out (I am sorry I didn’t ask your name). He tried pushing my car, but the tires were too stuck, and he decided it would be best to tow my car out.
I’m truly grateful to you for stopping. I didn’t know what I would have done if you had not. Thank you for your kind heart. I hope, as you said, “Someone would stop for my wife, daughter or mother if they needed it.”
Ashley Nusskern, Maplewood
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On Christmas Day, a friend and I were eating dinner at Champps Sports Bar on West Seventh Street in St. Paul.
Our server informed us that our bill had been paid by two people who wanted to remain anonymous. We were grateful.
Their act of kindness confirmed my belief that there are so many generous and caring human beings. We will “pay it forward,” anonymously, for two other people.
Kathy Nelson, St. Paul
Copyright 2010 Pioneer Press.