The Blog: Spellbound by our own imperfect lives...

Here's a puzzle for you. When I was a kid my dad would sneak my brothers across the border into South Dakota to buy fireworks. We lived in the country so it wasn't a big deal to blow them off because the local sheriff was in town. It still scared me witless; they were so careless with them. Now I think there are four big, white tents in town selling fireworks. Is it the same stuff they used to sell in South Dakota? Why aren't people worried about those tents exploding? I don't even like to drive by them. Regis is watching Letters from Iwo Jima and I'm pretending to watch. It's way too sad for me and there is (obviously) too much shooting and blowing things up. That's typical in war movies, I know, and probably explains why I don't like them. The music and the focus on the faces of the young Japanese soldiers make for very poignant scenes. Parts of it are in black and white which also adds to the drama. I prefer to not know about things like this. Well, t...

I went over to Mankato this afternoon to have lunch with my son, Peter, and to help him fill out his re-application for Minnesota Care insurance. Here are the things I am marveling at: Peter calls me at 1:45, fifteen minutes before I am to pick him up at work. He and Jake were thinking that since Jake's mom is coming down to Subway, too, the four of us could have lunch together. Only if you have had a sullen teen-age son will you see the irony in this. Jake's mom and I visit for a while at Subway. When the boys are done working and come over to visit with us, someone behind the counter says, "Wow, you guys look like your moms!" And they chuckle instead of pawing the ground, snorting and walking out the door. Jake's mom says Peter is so polite and respectful and helpful when he's at their house. He says, "I think I learned that from you, Mom." We have lunch and Peter talks about things from his adolescence that were difficult. He says he thinks he lea...

A weekend of debauchery. At least as much debauchery as old people can muster. We went to the Brew Fest Friday night with Tom and Betty which was fun, but crowded, loud, and stimulating. We saw Reverend Raven and the Chain Smokin' Altar Boys and we enjoyed them. We loved Lamont Cranston , a midwest blues band that's been around since we were all young. The big act, the Guess Who was marginal and we left after three songs. We went to McGuff's Irish Pub and had a pint of beer served in a plastic cup. Blasphemy. Yesterday, the party bus (piloted by Bob with co-pilot Young Regis) picked us up at 3:30. We headed to the Brew Fest where the crowds were much lighter and we had a table in the shade. Let's just say we sampled many beers. In general we liked the old favorites, Finnegans and Schells' Dark and Boulevard Wheat. We also liked the classic Kato beer. We weren't fond of the sweet drinks, the hard cider and the flavored beer. We're purists when it comes to be...

I finally made it out of work about 12:30, picked up the dog at the groomer and came home. I decided to go the liquor store before I changed my clothes. I met the nicest young man who knew a lot about beer and filled my cart. I am a salesman's dream. I told him we wanted to try interesting beers and the next thing I knew, I'd spent a lot of money on beer and given away our two excess tickets to Brew Fest. It reminded me of the Kirby Vacuum Cleaner caper. When I got home, I was hot so I put on my pink pajamas with the yellow rubber ducks. Then I remembered that I wanted to cut some flowers for the spare bedroom but I thought I could sneak out to the garden fast and do it without putting clothes back on. So I'm out there in my pink pajamas and bare feet cutting sunflowers and the mailman comes up the sidewalk. I made a beeline for the house and didn't even make eye contact as I didn't think there was any reason to embarass him with an explanation. It was probably way ...

I got home from work (some fresh kind of hell today) about noon and went right out to work in the garden. I weeded the whole mess, watered a few things, and buried two dead birds. I found the dove that expired on the driveway a week ago, and the robin who kamikazied into the bushes was getting mummifed so he needed a burial, too. When I picked him up with the shovel, his leg fell off. I needed that today. When I got done with that, I went to the basement and started vacuuming cobwebs and spider stuff. At 7 o'clock I had a beer, took a bath, then burst into tears. Just too much I guess. I know people who talk about drawing orioles to their yards with grape jelly. We're on our second feeder thing and so far, all we've managed to attract is moths and ants. Sunday I threw a feeder in the trash that must have drowned at least a dozen moths in grape jelly. It was disgusting. I also can't seem to attract hummingbirds. They come to the lilies right below the feeder but they tur...

A couple things I've discovered about book reviews. Where to find them that is: Put a book title in google. Hit the search button. When the results come up, go to the more menu at the top of the page and go down to books. A whole page of reviews and information about the book will pop up. Ready, Steady, Book is an independent book review website, working in association with The Book Depository which is devoted to reviewing the very best books in literary fiction, poetry, history and philosophy. Reading Matters Guardian Unlimited Books' top 10 literary blogs

I've been thinking about this since I read one of Charlie's latest blog posts about the books he's reading and the books he's read. He reviewed five books, and I had not a clue about any of them. Do we shop at different bookstores? Look at different websites? What makes something catch one person's eye and not another? What makes one person love a book and another loathe it? A couple years ago, Regis and I saw a review for a new Larry McMurtry book called Sin Killer. We are both big fans of Lonesome Dove so we ordered Sin Killer and waited anxiously for it to arrive. I started it first and never finished it. The only thing that book was good for was laughs. I would read some of the outrageous dialogue aloud at the lunch table at work. People would guffaw. It was ridiculous. Here's one review from Amazon that sums it up: This silly book could not possibly have been written by the genius of Lonesome Dove, so Larry McMurtry must be dead or missin...

Regis and his boys. We had a nice dinner...hot ham sandwiches, potato salad, beans, and Buster Bar dessert. We walked around the garden for a while after dinner but it was pretty steamy and the rain was starting so we went back into the AC. Ella was entertaining. She ran back and forth from living room to kitchen, carrying purses, much of the evening. We sang The Wheels on the Bus before she went home. It's her favorite song. Since we celebrated Father's Day last night, today we are going to the most manly place in the world: Menards. We need a couple pieces of hardware: something for the toilet, a switch for my bedside lamp, and probably some kind of spray foam. Some fun. Addendum We went to Home Depot where they apparently do not believe in air conditioning. I thought I was going to have a heat stroke back in the lighting section. We couldn't settle on a ceiling fan and couldn't find a shower curtain so we went to the other man store, Menards. They had everthing we n...

For Bert: A Poem Here’s to Bert Ye little shit We’ve gathered round The folks ye’ve bit. Twenty pounds Of blood and bones Now ye’re in These paw-shaped stones. Ye won’t be bitin’ us no more So, journey on To heaven’s shore. And when ye reach the pearly gate Don’t tell em how ye used to growl and bait and bare yer snaggly taith And bite whoever dared come near Ye snarly, cranky, foul-tempered wraith. We’ll miss ye though Ye ornery cur Ye little sack Of bitey fur. We had a little memorial service for Bert last night. As planned, Regis tossed his ashes to the wind in the garden, we put the stepping stones by the path, and I read the poem. So, Bert's officially moved on to greener pastures. It's raining here this morning and it would have been nice to sleep in. Rolling thunder, gentle rain...what a lullabye. Unfortunately, sleeping in for us is about 5 o'clock. We decided to get up and read the papers, then go to Hermie's for breakfast. We're having company again tonig...

There is a small dove that appears to be dying in my driveway. It hasn't moved since 11 o'clock except to inch over into the shade. I'm glad it can move that much because I was trying to think of something I could take out to shield it from the sun. As I was going onto the house, I saw a dead robin that had apparently done a kamikaze flight into the picture window and crash landed in the shrubbery. It's like a scene from The Birds around here. Regis has a mole trap set up in the front yard and I'm avoiding that, too. It's creepy. One day a couple summers ago, I was going to take a shower. I was bare naked leaning over the tub when I spotted what appeared to be a small plastic frog on the tub ledge. I peered at it, thinking that it was funny LuAnn, the cleaning lady, had left a toy there. As I was staring at this small toy frog, IT BLINKED IT'S BLOODY EYES. I backed up, got dressed, and went to find a neighbor to remove the frog from my bathroom. It looked l...

Here's our current favorite recipe for chicken wings on the grill: Spicy Cayenne Chicken Wings Prep time: 5 minutes Marinating time: 2-3 hours Grilling time: 16-18 minutes Marinade 1/4 cup olive oil 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1 and 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 2 teaspoons dried oregano 2 teaspoons paprika 1 teaspoon celery seed 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper 16 chickn wings In a small bowl, whisk the marinade ingredients. Put wings in a bag and pour the marinade over them. Make sure they're all covered. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours. Grill over direct medium heat for 16-18 minutes, turning occasionally. We've learned: You can leave out the paprika. It doesn't seem to really matter. Don't leave out anything else. They are delicious. On a more humorous note, I got this email today: Just a reminder about the team building activity on Thursday: Meet by the garage at 8:30 A.M. Team Building Activity 9-11 A.M. low ropes, team building, communicat...

Ella came to spend part of Saturday afternoon with her Nana and Bopop. She loves the swing so we pull lawn chairs up and have a fine time. She does all her tricks, points at things, says the name, makes us laugh. She was delightful. We made many trips up and down the steps and around the garden. She loves the steps most of all but still has to take a hand to go up and down. There's a lot of daisies so we let her pick as many as she liked. She loves the garden art, especially the frogs and turtles that are hiding in the plants. Kramer is always at the window watching us. She said he was playing peek-a-boo. Regis tried bringing him out but he gets too wild and he scares her.

Today is the reason we live in Minnesota. The temperature is about 70 with a nice cool breeze and there are minimal bug problems. Regis and I have been enjoying the porch since he got home from work and except for the yipping dog next door, it's perfect. That dog's bark could shatter glass. I wish he'd go back to Dubai and get swallowed by a python. We have a leisurely weekend planned. We have a few chores to do tomorrow, then we'll pick Ella up for the afternoon. We might go to Nicollet to Schmidt's Meat Market . Once you eat their bacon, you never go back to grocery store bacon. They make wonderful summer sausage and brats, too. Sunday we're going to Rockin' in the Quarry . My favorite band City Mouse , is playing first, then the Symphony will play the 1812 Overture, complete with cannons. What could be better?

My trip to Minneapolis was as bad as I anticipated. The traffic, to start with, was horrendous. I saw people engage in incredible acts of tom-foolery: dodging cones to get in lanes that were closed, driving on the shoulder to butt in line, giving the finger as they passed me at speeds faster than sound. I was chased into town by ominous looking cumulonimbus mammatus clouds, swirling winds, and big fat raindrops. Just a little foreshadowing. The ramp that I always take into downtown was closed so I had to get over into that rushing traffic again. I got lost . The hotel didn't have valet parking and I burst into tears at the thought of getting back into the car and trying to find a ramp. (They offered me the handicapped stall which I accepted with chagrin.) I took a ride in a dirty old cab with a very sleezy driver who wouldn't visit with me. It went downhill from there. I'm very glad to be home.

I could use a little light and love in the next few days. Although all men share a common destiny, each individual also has to work out his personal salvation for himself. We can help each other find the meaning of life, but in the last analysis, each is responsible for finding himself. Thomas Merton One of the great spiritual truths is that each person must work out his or her own personal salvation. When a person you care about is in trouble, you can reach out to support his or her healing but past a certain point, you can do no more. No matter how much you love, you cannot carry another person’s burden. What can you do when someone you love is in pain? First, affirm that there is a purpose behind the experience. Know that the soul has some important lesson to learn that will be of great value to him or her. Second, although you cannot directly intervene, your positive thoughts and prayers do make a difference. Visualize your friend surrounded by light and love. This type...

Regis rolled his eyes when I showed him this picture. (He thinks my fascination is odd and I'm not saying it isn't.) It's two new baby goats from my favorite website and goat farm in Washington. The tiny one is Peanut and the monster one is Goatzilla. They were born from the same mother, minutes apart. There's a middle-sized one, too, called Boxcar Betty. These are relatives of Xanthoria, my god goat child. Read about Peanut here . That's all I have to report today.

Regis thinks this is the picture of the weekend. He says Evynne is very photogenic...those of you in the background can be offended, I guess, that you are not the object of his photographic admiration. It is a pretty picture. She should be on a billboard advertising sunscreen or something. I made some horrendous Chinese concoction for dinner tonight. It was called tofu lo mein. It started with tofu and went downhill from there. Regis liked it and thought it was funny that one of my complaints was that it was too white. This from a Norwegian, he said. I wouldn't have eaten it all except that I made it. I don't think I'll bother to eat it again. Ick. Our neighbor who has been in Dubai for the past year came home with a damn yipping dog. They have a pet door so the dog can come and go and distub the neighborhood all day to its heart's content. Little monster. She barks and Kramer goes crazy, pacing around the house from window to window. We got Burt's ashes back, by th...

My family gathered at Lake Reno near Glenwood this weekend. Mom hosted the event, we filled four large cabins, and people came from as far away as Ohio. This is most, but not nearly all of us. The newest member of the family is Ezra, 4-months old. His mama, Michelle, is right next to him. We always loved having a fire on the beach when Mom and Dad had their cabin. Even though the weather this weekend was unpredicatable and there were a few heavy rain showers, the evening was gorgeous and we got to have a fire and roast marshmallows. In this picture: Tiernen, Jason (Nicole's boyfriend), Nicole, Jody, and Rachel on Helen's lap. This is Dave's family: David and Joan, Tiernen and Jeremy. The photogenic dog is Champ. Doesn't she look happy to have her picture taken? This is Bruce and Jody's family. Cybil and Shawn (not pictured) came from Ohio. The little girls are Evynne and Darby. These are old friends, the Anderts. They were neighbors of ours in Canby when we first mo...