Historic downtown Aberdeen has wonderful old, brick buildings with decorative facades, sloping entrances and elaborate doorways.

I discovered the other day that these ancient buildings are not handicapped accessible and trying to make them accessible would be a huge project in terms of time, money and destruction/construction.

Going into one of the Main Street buildings I noticed a young woman in a wheelchair sitting outside. I thought she was just enjoying the beautiful sunny day until I got closer and realized she was waiting for someone to open the door for her as she was unable to get up to the door in her chair.

 On this particular day the weather was pleasant. Winter is coming and it would be a sad situation indeed had she been sitting there in 20-below weather waiting for assistance.

One of the primary needs for Aberdeen right now is the creation of a Welcome Center where newcomers can access resources, mentoring and outreach services. I was explaining this to a group yesterday and how we thought it would be good to dovetail with the Sisters Pegge and Myra from the Presentation Sisters who’s mission is outreach. Just then Sister Myra walked through the door and I blurted out, “Speak of the devil.”

To a nun.

I can feel my toes burning in the afterlife right now. She was stunned, probably had never been called the devil before but handled it graciously. I kept repeating over and over, “It’s just a common saying!”

 Later that day I was again explaining the concept of a Welcome Center to a man who lives in Ipswich. “It’s for people coming to Aberdeen,” I said. He asked, jokingly, “So everytime I come to town I have to stop in?”

 So, two good laughs yesterday. Will post more on the center as it comes to fruition, but it is not JUST for newcomers but for anyone who needs the services we’ll be able to provide.

I’ve always had a standing rule that I won’t visit other states or countries where cockroaches reside. The thought of turning on the kitchen light and seeing the nasty, hard bugs running for cover gives me the willies. E-w-w-w-w!

I wonder what people from other parts of the world think of our attic flies. I’ve been battling scores of them for a couple of weeks now, bombing the attic, the upstairs, etc. I hand-vac several times a day. This infestation is only slightly worse than when the Boxelder bugs decide to invade.

I guess it’s all in what you’re used to.

I’m pretty sure the title means “guide for the Mass.” I’m one of those people who struggle to learn other languages. It’s humiliating when some people can read and write four or more languages.

Which is why I paid close attention at the first Mass in Spanish last night at Sacred Heart Church. There were around 200 parishoners there - maybe more. I had a wall of eight tall young Roncalli men standing in front of me so my vision was somewhat obstructed.

At any rate, the Mass was great, well-attended, followed by a meal and, as I understand it, going to be a fairly routine event.

I heard an interesting comment the other day from a woman who said that the word, “diverse” is really not needed to describe humans. “We’re all diverse in one way or another,” she said. Because no two humans are identical, it’s a given that we are diverse.

I guess even identical twins have differences. One may have fallen off his bike and now has a fear of riding and a nasty scar. Or identical twin sisters may have different skills, one is good at math, the other at science.

Even clones are different from their cloner-doner. From what I read, cloned animals age faster and are more susceptible to diseases.

If we eliminate the word “diverse” from the language, the Aberdeen Area DIVERSITY Committee will have to change its name. I vote for the “Aberdeen Area Celebrate All Our Similarities With Food Committee. “

The presentation this morning by Quadir Aware, the Director of the Sioux Falls Multi-Cultural Center truly was a laugh/cry event. He was the speaker for the morning session of appreciating cultural diversity held at the Ramada in conjunction with the Mayor’s award luncheon for people with disabilities.

Aware described how he’d had to escape to the United States because he would have been killed for his Kurdish beliefs.

His is a familiar story. So many of our grandparents came to America seeking a better life free from starvation or persecution, a life in which they can practice their own religion without fear of death. My mother’s great-grandfather fled from Ireland and my father’s grandfather fled from Germany.

 If I could step back in time for just one day, I’d want to sit down and talk to my great-grandparents about what their lives were like in their home countries and how it felt to have to exchange the only life they’d ever know for a life of safety.

 In the interest of expanding my horizon (and that of my “test-subject” husband, I decided to make a plantain for dessert last night. This fruit, which is in the banana family, is a staple food in tropical countries, Ecuador, Brazil and Southeast Asia.

 I peeled, sliced and buttered the plantain, sprinkled it with brown sugar and nuked it in the microwave. Man, it looked tasty.

 The first bite was, well - remember the scene in “Big” where Tom Hanks tastes caviar for the first time? Had I been sitting with someone other than my very familiar husband I might have politely swallowed that first bite.

 Either I didn’t prepare it correctly or the plantain is an acquired taste. The firm, flavorless fruit is, thus far, not on my list of things to crave.

While no one can argue that the U.N. serves an important function, the organization seems to be trying to fill each day on the calendar with a recognition of some sort. In November there is the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment on Nov. 6, International World Kindness Day on the 13th, World Diabetes Day on the 14th, International Day of Tolerance on the 16th, Universal Children’s Day and Africa Industrialization Day, both on the 20th, World Television Day on the 21st, International Day For Elimination of Violence Against Women on the 25th and International Day of Solidarity with Palestinian People on the 29th.

If each of those dates were advertised and honored, the effort would be worth it. But, like my birthday, they go by unnoticed.

That would be great - “International Day of Celebrating Gretchen’s Birthday.” I think I’m on to something.

While everyone knows pheasant hunting is a tradition for many people, can it also be a culture? Loosely defined, “culture” is “the skills, arts, etc. of a given people in a given period.”

 Pheasant hunters have a common style of dress, (flamboyant orange costumery) a common goal and more or less universal ‘tools,’ i.e. shotguns, dogs, etc. Once the hunt is done, they sit around and brag about their exploits. The stories often grow in the telling. Sometimes the stories are handed down from father to son, mother to daughter. In many families the men bring home the pheasant for the wife to clean and cook.   

Pheasant hunting is limited to specific areas of the country and done by only a small percentage of the population. It is a learned skill to shoot a pheasant. There are rules, both spoken and unspoken. The elderly of the group usually stand at the end of the field. Everyone rejoices when the youngest of the group shoots his or her first bird.

What really makes it a culture is that people who don’t hunt find it strange and mysterious. ”Those people  buy shotgun shells in a liquor store and then go out and shoot and eat their State Bird!”

Went to the play, “Minnecanos,” last night performed by Mixed Blood Theatre out of Minneapolis. It was 45 minutes long with three performers. Would that make it a “playlet?” A “mini-play?” Anyway, the free production was hosted by Presentation College. There was a chance afterwards to visit with the actors and director about culture and loss of identity that some immigrants feel when they move to a new place.

There was an exciting game going on at NSU. I wonder if anyone was watching the play while listening to the game on their earbuds.

Yesterday was World Food Day, another United Nations recognition. I used it as a reason to eat a lot. I’m not sure that’s what the U.N. had in mind, though.

I think the U.N. should announce “World Pie Day.”