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bUNDAY, JULY 5, 1953k—■ Silver-haired Mrs. Hannah Thorstensen, who will De 80 next April, clips a blossom from one of the five varieties of roses growing in her garden at 1013 St John avenue.(Tribune Photo).+ ★ ★NO TEA SIPPING-★ ★ ★Local Woman,Nearly 80 Prefers Garden Work“Some women like coffee parties and teas, but I enjoy digging,” is Mrs. Hannah Thorstensen’s explan ation to visitors who exclaim at the amount of work she does in her flower garden at 1013 St. John avenue.A vigorous, alert woman, Mrs. Thorstensen works daily in her garden, with an energy that belies her age. She will be 80 years old next April.Her garden is a spot of beauty from the time the snow melts in the spring until snowflakes fall again in the fall. Mrs. Thorstensen plans it that way.She estimates that she has more than 50 varieties of flowers, most of them perennials, which require a minimum of careMrs. Thorstensen began her flower garden 35 years ago when she moved to the St. John address with her husband, K. A. Thorstensen.At that time, there was only a white perennial flox and an orange lily.She began planting flowers in the back of the lot, gradually extending her garden until it now reaches the sidewalk in front At one time she had a goldfish pond, but she had that filled up a few years ago when she became concerned about possible danger to children playing in the yard. tileMrs. Thorstensen’s love for chil- ^ dren, and for birds, is as fervent wo as her enjoyment of flowers and jos gardening. She encourages children jetly^ . 10 visit her. and since she now thrNext year, 111 have my garden j spends several months away from rjust the way I want it, and 1 Albert Lea starting early in No-1won’t have to do a thing,” she for-; vember each year, she felt a pond °TSrsees. “I’ll just sit and look at it.” might become a hazard to herShe considers a daily weeding young friends when she wasn’tworkout “just looking”, apparent- there to watch out for their safety.Her garden is a show-place all summer long. The beautiful irisblooms of a few \yeeks ago have now been replaced by roses, daisies, and coral bell. These will j ^ be followed by other blossoms in the continuity Mrs. Thorstensenhas planned.She waters her flowers only when she is transplanting them, and sheInspect Floors As Value Clue In Older Homescorof\sunwitOf the various factors involved in w eighing the desirability of an does quite a bit of re - arranging older home under consideration of to achieve the effect she w-ants in *ar purchase one of the most import- her garden, and to assure that all ove ant, appraisers say, is the quality the flowers are placed where they kno of the floors. * j will show best. jIn addition to being durable and She has observed that once a ' ^attractive, they should be easy to gardner begins watering, they £ro keep clean, since they receive more “have to have the hose going all ^ wear and require more attention the time,” because the roots move . than any other part of a house, closer to the surface as a result Inspection of the floors, there- °* the watering. Her garden has ors fore, should be a major point in always been able to withstand *n. checking over a home. If they spells of dry weather, and has chi are of oak or other hardwood, most “perked up” with the first rains appraisal experts agree, you gen- after each dry spell, she says.erally can give the house a plus ] Gardening is not her only hob-mark. by* She loves traveling, and is look-Historically the preferred floor-: forward now to a winter withing for homes, hardwood floors are her daughter and son-in-law, Mr. recognized as a quality feature in J^rs- Wallace Hoagland, of °f construction and frequently are an ashington D. C., and her two lit- lac indication that the entire home is .1 ^ granddaughters. I fanwell built I No gardening this winter, just louProperly finished and waxed, ibaby s‘tting she anticipates with tioi a smile. j dr«She is also looking forward to typ sight - seeing in the Washington wil area. | airA former music teacher, Mrs. ing Thorstensen was the eldest in a i 1 family of 11 children. She loves so • j music, and formerly played the the a iKthey can be kept clean and glistening with only a moderate amount of care, such as a quick daily onceover with a dry dust mop, plus an occasional polishing. In many homes cleaning and waxing are necessary only about twice a year.Even if the hardwood floors in pipe organ she taught music in , an old home are not in best condi- ladics seminary in Red Wj at tion due to neglect or abuse, they Augustana college in Sioux Falls usually can be placed in the asset s D and in the Evangelical Lx^ column when making up the “bal- theran Academv here. Her husband ance sheet” of a home s features. was also teaching at the time of The r®son is that such floors gen- their marriage, erally can be restored to their or- Her husband died 19 years ago. iginal beauty at moderate cost by she continued to maintain their sanding and refinishing. .home on St. John avenue, for a -I few' years, but now’ keeps only anIN THE GROOVE . apartment in the house for her owmGood pieces of furniture with|U5^ has ,w„ rhiMr.n _ her, . . -j .. i She has two children —drawers have center guides on the! daughler jn Washington, and a son,bases of large drawer openings to AIton, who lives in Albert Lea * permit easier gliding, and there j______are guiding grooves or blocks along ■■■■ mm ^ .
Newspaper Details
Albert Lea Sunday Tribune
Albert Lea, Minnesota, US
Sun, Jul 05, 1953
Page 8
Full Page
Clipped by
Dennis S.
USA 14 Dec 2024
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