Winter has arrived- kerplunk !

So, what does Minnesota look like in the winter?

Well, that depends on the part of winter about which we are talking.

Are we talking about a week or two before a snow storm?

Or, are we talking about the day after the snow storm?

I must say though, Joyce is kind of enjoying removing the snow more this year than she did last year. It seems her back and neck and shoulders and legs and the rest of her body do not ache as badly as in the past.


I am the one who is a bit sore. But, that is because I am a clutz. I never could stand up on ice in the winter. Joyce always says I fell for her on the skating rink in Babbitt. Well, I am still falling for her, I guess :-)

I did have the opportunity to see some nicely covered trees.



and before plowing, the road up would have been a challenge had I "wanted" to try driving.

Okay, so the discussion begins something like, “ if a tree falls in the forest and no one is around……..”

Well, I don’t have the answer to that discussion.

But, I can suggest that regardless of the answer, when one comes upon the fallen tree, there is usually evidence.

These pictures lead me to believe that this tree may have “uttered a sound.” And, I have a hunch the little shed uttered a phrase or two as well.




Now, all I have to figure out is if there is going to be enough time (that translates into warm weather) to take things apart and reconstruct before my fingers will be too numb to cooperate. What to do? What to do? I think I’ll go brew a pot of coffee and think a while.

Well, Minnesota “summer” is here. I can tell because it is already up to 50 degrees at 11 AM. So, I suppose it will be like groundhog day knowing that when we hit 50 degrees by 11 AM, we know there is 6 weeks of summer left before we head back into winter. I guess I had better get Joyce’s snowblower ready and moved to the front of the shed just in case.

We have been blessed with the gift of friendship the last two weeks. And, we are looking forward to the end of the month when Linda and John will be spending a couple of days with us.

Joyce’s plants are taking off like gangbusters.



She sure has brought life to the surroundings here. We are going to be blessed with wonderful views from all our windows all “summer” long.



It seems like whatever flower she plants and wherever she plants it, it flourishes.




She claims she does not have a green thumb, but I politely disagree.

So many memories in such a short amount of time

The weekend of March 6th happened to be our 39th wedding anniversary. We decided to spend it revisiting Milwaukee. We had gone there for another anniversary and really enjoyed the experience. On this occasion we decided it would be just fine to walk around and enjoy the ambiance of the city itself.

One of the things that struck us on our walks is how the city has made a concious effort to maintain the architecture of the old world while incorporating modern style to the cityscape.


To get there, we boarded the train in Staples at 4AM. We had talked about taking the train for a few years and decided this would be a nice anniversary memory maker. We took coach class, but I am of the opinion that first class may be the way to go next time. 12 hours on a train with four children ages 6 to 2 and a mother who did not have a clue would make first class a more pleasant experience.

We had the opportunity to visit again, and will again, and again eat at Mader's restaurant. It is GERMAN. As you can see by the photos, it is German with a capital G.

And then there is the thrill of the first ebay sale offer

So, the snow is not melting and a person just has to think of something to keep from bouncing off the walls, AGAIN !

I guess there is nothing like the thrill of setting up a first time ebay sale. I had always wanted to do it but thought it was going to be too much of a hassle. As it turns out, it was all pretty straight forward. With the purchase of a new camera, I found I did not need one of the lenses that I had used in the past.

I am getting prepared to put some of Cole's items up for sale. My last roadblock was obtaining a piece of software that does qvtr pictures. It took a while to find the right one (iStill) for the job. Then it took a while to get the authorization code. Then it took a while to figure out how to use it. But, now I guess at the end of the lens sale, I will be ready to list the rest of the equipment to see how that goes.

I have to admit, though, my heart did flutter a little as I pushed the confirm to sell option. I guess it doesn't take much to give an old guy a thrill :-)

A trivia contest is not so trivial if you really want to win

Well, there it is. We finished in 5th place this year in our annual pursuit of ubergeekdom. I looked up last year's finish and we were in 6th place sooooo I guess there is some consolation there.

For those of you who are not aware, the annual KVSC (stcoud state college) trivia contest is held the second weekend of February. It is a marathon. By marathon I mean 50, that's right 50 straight hours of non-stop questions and answers. The team that garners the most points wins. This year there were 75 teams. It has grown a bit since I joined 15 - 20 years ago. But the goal has always been the same. The goal? Why, it is to outscore others, scoff at their futility and take home the traveling trophy (no money prizes here, it wouldn't be geeklike)

We have about 40 to 50 people on our team. Most of them are situated at our "Secret Headquarters." Others of us on the team hunker down in our own fortresses and feed possible answers to the main headquarters. It has evolved over time into a rather sophisticated system.

We actually have won this thing twice in the past. It is kind of like the one really good shot that one remembers in golf that brings us back.

For the record, of the 50 hours of the contest I did managed to actively participate in 27 of them (25 in one stretch). Of course, Joyce pampered me, fed me meals at correct times, massaged my shoulders and kept checking in on me to make sure I was okay. She is as valuable as any other team member we have.

Anyway, there is always next year, we were robbed, what could we have done differently and any other cliches that fit until next
February roles around.

life is good if one takes the time to reflect

One of the "benefits" of my current hibernation is the "opportunity" it affords me to reflect on the goodness that has developed during my life. One particularly chilly day, I did not have to work and was content to sit in the recliner and look out on the winter world. I happen to start thinking of the goodness of the friendships of family and friends with which I have been blessed over the years.

It occurred to me at that time, our house interior reflects that sense of lasting friendship. When we moved in, our warming gifts represented the thoughtfulness of the people we have met and continue to meet. They recognize and respect of our love of nature and peaceful environments.


We appreciate the times we get to spend when they visit. We can't always visit as often as we would like. But, when we do get together, it is like waking from a winter hibernation. We pick up from wherever we left off.

So, what to do on the cold days

I think it is interesting that the shell of THIS human is so sensitive to the temperature when it gets to a -30 degrees that feel I have to stay inside and stay warm while other creatures seem to take it all in stride.


While we watch the turkey in the picture forage for food, we set up a game and forage for victory.

I guess the trick to hibernating is knowing when it is the "right" time to experience nature in all her glory.

snow procrastinators beware

Well, I could have taken the snow off the roof after the first big storm. But I didn't. I could have taken the snow off the roof after the second smaller storm, but I didn't. Did I remove the snow after the third? No, I didn't. I guess the fifth time is the charm, eh.

Yes, that is me atop our ladder. And, yes, that snow is over 10 inches thick.
And, yes, it is over 2,000 square feet. And, yes it is -10 degrees. And, yes, my shoulders are sore.

And, of course, we discovered later in the evening that I had plugged up the air intake for the furnace. Joyce noticed the temp in the house was down to 63 degrees. So, out into the moonlit, starlit, -25 degree windchill evening, we were out shoveling a path to clear the blockage.

I did finish what I set out to do in time to watch the Vikings lose to the Eagles. The Vikings loss has nothing to do with my procrastination. But I thought I would throw that in there any way.

Happy New Year - a tribute to tradition

What a great start to a brand new year.

And tradition for us includes Kylara's ham pickle roll,

Grandpa's homemade mac and cheese at the stroke of midnight,

and a rousing game of mini golf (the holes, of course, are brand new each year).

But, most importantly, it is about family, remembering the past and sharing a bright outlook for the future. We hope everyone has a great start to a great year. And, we hope the great start sustains itself for the next 364 days.