Anne Lewandowski Notch: Fighter, Angler

My sister Anne is the toughest person I've ever met in my life.

Cancer patient, daughter land fishes of a lifetime in 24 hours
Jason Durham
Park Rapids Enterprise - 10/11/2008

“I’d like you to take my daughter-in-law out to catch a walleye.” The request, similar to those I receive almost daily throughout the summer, soon turned into something entirely different. “She’s never caught a walleye before and she wants to land one before she dies.” Sheri Notch of New Frontier Resort on Long Lake informed me that her daughter-in-law, Anne Notch, was battling stage-four colo-rectal cancer and catching a walleye was a goal yet to be accomplished.

Unfortunately, I was booked. I told Sheri to call good friend and fellow guide Jeremy Anderson of Jone’s Guide Service. Jeremy arranged a trip and I couldn’t wait to hear the results. I called him the night following their trip, hoping he would deliver good news. “The trip was canceled,” he said. “They called this morning. Anne was too sick to go.” It was just over a year ago today that Anne Notch, pregnant at the time, received her cancer diagnosis. “The doctors said I might have two years to live if my body responds positively to the chemotherapy,” Notch says. “My body has not responded.” A CAT scan last June showed the cancer had doubled in size.

Although I had never met Anne Notch, her plight stuck with me. Mid-August the phone rang and once again the voice on the other end was Sheri. “My daughter-in-law is coming back up at the end of the week. Is it possible to get her out fishing?” Once again, guide trips filled my week, but I suggested checking on Jeremy’s schedule. A few days later, while driving the boat in from a guide trip on Long Lake, I met Jeremy cruising out. We checked in with each other that evening, as we often do. “I had Anne Notch today,” he said.

During the first three hours of their four-hour trip, the fishing was pretty slow. They caught a few bass and northern pike, but no walleye. In the final hour Jeremy got a bite and fed the fish some line, assuming it was another bass. It turned out to be a 12-inch walleye. He was disappointed that he hadn’t let Anne catch that fish. Anne said, “I would be happy with a walleye like that; any walleye.”

Then the fishing gods smiled upon her. “She had a great hook-set,” Jeremy said during our conversation. “By the bend in her rod it looked like it was big, but I couldn’t tell how big.” After netting the walleye, the measuring tape told them exactly how big—27 ½ inches for her first walleye ever!

Once Anne’s five-year-old daughter Natalie saw the fish, she became enamored with walleye. “She spent 5 hours one day trying to catch a walleye and, even though she never lost focus, it didn’t happen,” Anne recalled. But the next day, after only 15-minutes on the water, young Natalie was proudly displaying a 24-inch walleye. Pilgrim’s Taxidermy will memorialize the two fish in a combination mount created for Anne and Natalie.

Anne’s one-year old son, Christopher, probably won’t remember the summer his mom and big sister each caught their first walleye, but 3-year-old brother Sam might. He now wants to catch a walleye and, additionally, would like to dress up as one for Halloween.


You can visit Anne's Caring Bridge website here.

Reflections

As this new life grows inside of me, it makes me reflect on the cycles of life. As these incredible tiny people enter this world, some of the people we love leave this world. On Thursday, my aunt Marilyn Nelson passed away. While I'm not able to go home to celebrate her life and memory with family and friends, I'd like to share a few of my own thoughts and memories about my aunt.

When I was younger, my family would go up to Bemidji, Minnesota for weekend visits. Marilyn would always get up early with my brother and me while my parents slept in. We'd drive into town to the Mr. Donut and pick out some donuts and long johns to bring home. Weekends at her house would be spent swimming and fishing in the lake in the summer and cross-country skiing on the nearby trails in the winter. Marilyn also always had cool craft projects for us to do. My brother and I would sit at her kitchen table while Marilyn introduced us to the crafty world of dreamcatchers and mini-sculptures with Sculpee. We'd become obsessed with these crafts, and once we got back home, it would be our favorite pastime for the next several weeks.

Chris, Marilyn, Pearl, and Me circa 1984

Marilyn has left a lefse legacy behind. For as long as I can remember, my family has celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas with healthy servings of Marilyn's lefse. Every year, her tiny kitchen would be turned into a lefse-making labratory for days at a time. In the past 5 years, I've started to get in touch with my own Scandanavian heritage, making my own krumkake and this past year, lefse. I don't think my own will ever hold a flame to Marilyn's secret recipe. She perfected it through the years, making it impossible to replicate. We enjoyed many holidays at Marilyn's house. The whole family, including her beloved dog Pearl, would enjoy huge meals all together. Holiday mealtimes will always remind me of Marilyn.

Marilyn not only piqued my interest in crafting, but in music too. In 1990, Marilyn was brave enough to invite my brother and me to join her on her annual trek up to the Winnepeg Folk Festival. We joined her circle of friends and their families for camping, music, and bonding fun. Later that year, a young man she worked with gave Marilyn a mix tape of rock songs. She thought her neice might appreciate it, so she made me a copy. For a year, this was my favorite tape, and I loved rocking out to Europe's "Cherokee" and the Beastie Boys. From folk to rock, her eclectic taste always interested me.

Many of my friends might know her as my "pink aunt" for the hundreds of pink items she and her partner bestowed upon me between 1997 and 2007. Among my favorite pink items is a plastic pink colander, a pink kitchen stool, and a 1950's era "bust exerciser". I probably received more than 300 items over that 10 year period- all because I said my favorite color was pink in 1997!

Cynthia and Marilyn at our wedding in July 2007

In the 9 or so years between my first meeting Tom, and finally getting married last year, Marilyn has always been a huge supporter of us as a couple. She and Cynthia knew from the beginning that Tom and I were meant for each other. We've always loved spending time with them, and have appreciated their liberal mindedness and humor. Marilyn has been an example of strength and independence for me throughout my life. She will be dearly missed, but always remembered!

Parenting

I feel like I've just jumped years forward into the depths of parenting. For the past week or so, Ruby's doggy boyfriend, Fisher has been staying with us while his owner is away. (Ruby gets to spend some time at Fisher's house over Christmas) The dogs have a blast playing together. For hours each evening, they walk around the house together, bite each other's faces, and try to sit on each other.

While both dogs are fixed and we're in no danger of puppies, there are times as a mom that I feel I must step in. Tonight I told Fisher that I thought he should go stay at his house tonight (with another friend who is staying at the house). The Lewandowskis need to have some family time- just the 3 of us. I'm going to have a little talk with Ruby about spending too much time with just one other dog. She's young, and she needs to spend more family time with us! I feel like I've hardly seen her during the past week! Those two are always off running around the backyard, or worse yet, kissing each other.

When Fisher is here, she doesn't always follow the house rules (like no sleeping on couches at night). I feel like she's a different dog when Fisher is near. She's even started drinking! (Out of the toilet, that is.) Somtimes it's hard to be a (dog) mom.

Name and Number, Please

So, now that we're having a baby, we're faced with the challenge of naming this little guy. A name is a pretty big deal. While on one of my "mommy-to-be forums" I learned about this Name/Numerology website. All you do is plug in your name and it bases an analysis on your name. Tom and I both tried it with our names and it's pretty cool.

Here's an excerpt of what it had to say about one possible baby name. This name was suggested by my dad. He said he'd be honored with either Larry Gary or Gary Larry (A combo of both Tom and my dad's names.) We put it on our list of possibilities... We'll get back to you on that one, Dad.

Name Meaning for Gary Larry Lewandowski:

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Soul Urge: 37 / 10 / 1

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(Vowels: AYAYEAOI)

Your Soul Urge - The Song of Your Soul - A Deeper Look Into What Motivates You

You are the essence of individuality and independence. You are intense and convicted when it comes to defending your beliefs, as you never doubt your inner strength and ability to handle any challenge. Many are inspired by your confidence, while others may feel irritated and view it as arrogance. You are likely to attract people and situations that allow you to express this part of yourself or else they will mirror these traits back to you.

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Personality: 62 / 8

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(Consonants: GRLRRLWNDWSK)

Your Personality - The Impression You Make upon the World
There is an air of affluence about you, no matter your station in life. People assume you are in control. You give the impression that you are the best at what you do, so naturally others look to you for leadership. You have an eye for quality and no matter what it takes you dress for success. Designer clothing of the highest quality is certainly your preference. People cluster around you hoping that some of that luck is contagious.

So now, our big question is do we want to put our child on the path to be a confident, intense, individual in designer duds?????

Check out the website and try your own name. Does it work for you too?

Karine, looking sort of mischievous at 22 weeks

FOCO Taste Test: Mangosteen Juice

We love experimenting with new juices. FOCOs are some of our favorites. Sometimes their juices have chunks, but sometimes they are really good. You can check out a previous FOCO taste test here.


The mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana) is a tropical evergreen tree, believed to have originated in the Sunda Islands and the Moluccas. The tree grows from 7 to 25 m (20-80 ft) tall. The rind (exocarp) of the edible fruit is deep reddish purple when ripe. Botanically an aril, the fragrant edible flesh can be described as sweet and tangy, citrusy with peach flavor and texture. Mangosteen is closely related to other edible tropical fruits such as button mangosteen and lemondrop mangosteen. Botanically, it bears no relation to the mango (Wikipedia).


We thought the juice was really tasty. We're huge mangosteen fans now. Mellow fruity flavor, peachy bouquet, and no chunks. We love our FOCOs, but we don't love the chunks.

We want to plant a mangosteen tree in our backyard.

Trains

I am not gonna lie. I haven't been particularly impressed with Sarah Palin's policy positions or command of the English language. But I am posting this picture as a train enthusiast.