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

My favorite holiday! We have a busy weekend on tap. We're trick or treating for sliders and beer at Betty and Tom's house tomorrow night. What a great idea. Saturday, I'm not doing anything that I don't feel like doing. I might stay in my pajamas all day and read my book on the couch. Saturday, Amber's parents are coming to town...Mike and Peggy...so we're going to Patrick's for a celebration. My birthday is tomorrow and Peggy's birthday is Saturday so we'll put a candle in a Schell's Oktoberfest. After dinner, we're going to the Bothy for a concert by Lehto and Wright . From their website: Lehto and Wright have a sound that is a unique blend of traditional and modern styles. By taking cues from the Irish, English and American folk traditions and interpreting them with contemporary guitar-based arrangements, Lehto and Wright have taken fresh approach to the world of folk and folk rock. They're great fun. I...

I've been working too hard lately but I guess it feels good. I'm not talking about my paid job ha ha ha since I always work hard there. I'm talking about my home jobs. It's probably a direct result of a summer of loafing. And as Bev says, I suck at housecleaning. Things you suck at take more effort. This getting healthy thing is hard work, too. Last night we made butternut squash soup and creamed cauliflower. Tonight we made vegetarian minestrone; not a big favorite of mine due to the texture of the zucchini skin; a little too tough. Why do I have to look up the damn word zucchini every time I use it? I'll remember it tonight and the next time I write it, I'll have to put it in google again. All that cooking means a lot of dirty dishes and we live in a pre-dishwasher house. I think I wrote before about wanting to start some weight lifting. This from a person who has ridiculed that kind of activity for years. I know, I know. Well, I got the room in the basement c...

The wind is gusting to 45 miles per hour and the snow is coming sideways. I don't think it will accumulate because it can't land. I'd have Regis take a picture but it wouldn't do it justice. It's ugly-ass weather. I miss the beautiful afternoon we spent in our lawn chairs. I've been on a tear this weekend; as in spree, an uncharacteristic outburst of activity. Yesterday I cleaned the bathroom, the kitchen, and the living room. This morning we bought groceries and as soon as I got home, I cleaned the bedroom and installed the new electric mattress pad. I cleaned out two drawers of jewelry. Then I headed to the dungeon of the house, the basement store room. It's right at the bottom of the steps and it's where everything lands that doesn't fit upstairs. I filled two big garbage bags and took it over to the neighbor's trash can then filled a bag for the thrift store. I don't know what came over me. Two good things: I found an earring that has bee...

The elements of local history made the show great. I got goosebumps more than once and almost cried at the end. That's me...but it was fun.

I pulled Ella in the wagon to the farmer's market where we bought a loaf of cinnamon raisin bread, a pumpkin, four butternut squash, a jar of honey, a huge French heirloom squash, and a giant head of savoy cabbage. There was hardly room for Ella on the way home! The French squash is on the right side, second from the bottom. Kind of ugly and warty looking but very good to eat! Mike Callahan is doing the Little Ghost Theater at the E. St. Julien Cox House. We're going there at 6 for the first show. Charlie Roth , folk singer from St. Cloud, is playing at the Embassy Bar tonight. We're going to try to stay up until past nine o'clock to hear him.

What She Taught Me For Jane From Teresa She taught me oh them moose-goosers ain’t they a bunch and how to talk in clichés when we’d get drunk as Lords and cut a rug but never buy the farm. She taught me how to order drinks in a Donald Duck voice and how to ask the local police for a ride home to Vivians so we can eat more of that enchilada casserole. She taught me how to tuck your dress up in your pantyhose when you wash the floor. To tell Ole and Lena jokes to Iowans who loved them. To never scrub the skin under your eyes because you’ll get wrinkles. To fill garbage bags with junk and hide it in the bedroom when you get unexpected visitors. She taught me On the Banks of the Ohio and how to say shit fire in at least five syllables. She taught me the man from Nantucket and the man from Madras and lovely poems about her babies and her friends. She taught me that the best way to clean the attic on a hot and humid summer day is to chuck shit down the stairs, pile it on the lawn, and then g...

Regis works out of our house for you-know-who. The really rich guy. Some technology dude came over last week and hooked up a new phone system that will allow them to see his computer when he's working. One could speculate about why they might want to do that but we'll leave that for another discussion. I have several issues with this deal. The dude comes into our house, makes a comment about my bumper sticker, and says he almost left. That's my first issue. The AH making comments about my politics when he pulls into the driveway of my house. Well, apparently he should have backed out and gone back the way he came from, because nothing has worked right since he left. When Regis has his GT phone plugged in, nobody can use the wireless router. There's an IT plan for you. Do these people just stop at BB and buy something, then come to your house and plug it in???? Send me an email if you want to know what the acronyms mean; you know how I worry about google searches. I made...

I was walking late this afternoon and thought about the times in my life I have been traumatized by dead or dying birds. I realize in the scheme of the universe this is not great psychic injury but it's interesting. I have a clear memory of running home from school in the rain when I was about ten. I was barefoot and about three seconds past the point of impact, I realized I had stepped on something with the consistency of a wet rubber ball. I looked back and saw a fledgling bird on the sidewalk, apparently washed from his nest. I hope he was dead before I hit him. Weird that I would remember that for so long. Last summer, a dove was sitting in front of my garage door on one of the hottest days. It didn't look healthy and didn't fly away when I approached so I tried to shield it from the sun with an umbrella. I moved the umbrella a couple times over the course of the afternoon and the last time I went out, the dove was dead. I buried it under the maple tree. Yesterday when ...

1. I walked under a walnut tree last week and heard a loud crunching noise. I looked up and there was a squirrel on every branch, each of them with their little paws on a walnut. It was like a squirrel Christmas tree. 2. We had the last barbecue party of the season yesterday and it was a blast. If things go right, there will be a slideshow at the bottom of this post with the picture evidence. We were able to sit outside for about an hour between 2:30 and 3:30 before it started to cool off. What an amazing thing, to sit outside this late in October. 3. Regis cooked ribs and stuffed mushrooms on the grill, and people brought great food. Paul across the street brought little sandwiches made from ground brisket. Tom brought chicken breast wrapped in bacon. Amber brought her famous beer bread. Bob brought the Fritsch beans. It was a grand time. At the end of the evening, Regis fried a batch of pierogies in butter for the last of the crowd. 4. Jane and Dick drove up from Iowa for the weekend...

I'm a slow processor. I read last week that Opus was retiring and it's only now sinking in. I love Opus and Bill the Cat. The article said something about Berk Breathed being afraid that Opus couldn't be civilized in these harsh political times and I can certainly understand that; my kind and gentle mother gets absolutely irate, in a good way, when we discuss politics. Regis made her an Obama t-shirt and she wears it proudly to her Sunday night card club. (Poetic license, Mom. It makes a better story.) Wing nuts and pitchfork wavers. Really, where did they find that woman? I thought Wasilla was a yeast infection. I'm not above stealing a good line. I was thinking on my way home about writing, as I know I haven't been doing so much of it lately. Or maybe it's that I've been turning out more crap than interesting stuff. Sometimes these really good thoughts and stories go through my mind but I don't have access to writing material. In the car, for example. ...

I think it was in the high 70s today. That's too warm for this time of year. Regis says tomorrow will bring a cold, drenching rain. I bet I won't like that either. We were at Tom and Betty's last night to see Michelle, and for great cooking, as usual. Tom made bistro chicken and a salad with candied pecans, pears, and shallots on greens. It was delicious. As usual. I made chili and corn muffins today from an old issue of Cooking Light. Peter even liked it and he's turned up his nose at a lot of my cooking lately. The black bean and zucchini enchiladas the other day didn't tempt him for a second. We started the day with a long walk and that was the most relaxing part of the day. We came home to start the laundry and clean. I put out some Halloween decorations, filled the bird feeders, exchanged the summer candles for fall scents, and sucked or wiped up the dust of at least a couple months. I used to tell my kids when they were little that they could write their names...

We celebrated Friday at our favorite watering hole with a world famous patty melt and an oktoberfest. Or two. It was fun but now I'm really tired and it's only 6:30. Too early, obviously, to go to bed. Between the two late Mondays in the past two weeks and the 750 miles last weekend, it was a killer start to October. I feel like I haven't really appreciated fall yet as there aren't enough trees in South Dakota to merit a look at any fall leaves. This is a short week, thanks to the traditional MEA vacation of which I have never partaken, avoiding a preposition at the end of a sentence, Paul. I just can't give up a long weekend in October. Mom sent a story about a wire haired fox terrier eating a dozen yeast rolls and Regis is laughing so hard he's crying. I looked at Nicole's wedding pictures online today and they were so pretty I cried again. I'm so glad I drove to Fargo to be there. It was just a lovely weekend altogether.

Introducing Alexander Robert Fritsch. (three dimensional ultrasound. cool.)

Regis and I are having a glass of gewurtztrameiner tonight to celebrate $3.09 gallon of gas. It rained here most of the day. Nice gentle rain. Rich and Kim had a baby boy Sunday: Jens Jameson. Nice name. After an Irish whiskey, I think. Larry Butler's brother Sonny died Sunday. That's the circle of life. Jens comes in and Sonny goes out. A happy life to Jens and sweet passage to Sonny. Regis and Young Regis got the trees trimmed and some of the leaves raked this weekend. Bless their hearts. I can't do a damn thing without weeping. I called my mom this afternoon to tell her thanks for giving me a good start in life and I could hardly talk for weeping. Maybe it's genetic but it's frustrating. We're going to watch the debate. I love Tom Brokaw but I miss Tim Russert . Interesting town hall format. Uncommitted voters? How the hell can a voter be uncommitted? This just makes my head hurt. Regis took the dog for a walk. He's a devoted walker and Kramer appreci...

The bride, Nicole Duncan, Ian, and Caleb Michelle, Kelsey, Siiri, and Caleb

Steve and Michelle's baby Chloe. Left to right: Michelle, Steve, Chloe, Nicole, Caleb, Jason, Ezra, Duncan, Ian. Left to right: Duncan, Paula, Ian, Ezra. I had trouble operating mom's camera and my photographer was not present so this is all I have.

I made it home this afternoon about five thirty. I was in good shape considering I'd been in the car since 11:30 and traveled about 350 miles in one day. That's darn near a record for me. I left Friday after picking Joan up at the Land to Air stop. We headed to Canby and arrived there about 3:00. Mom was glad to see us, we had some wine, and visited until late. Saturday we left about 9 for Fargo. We went up 75 because we wanted to go through the small towns. There were plenty of them. We stopped in Ortonville for breakfast at a diner, saw a flock of pelicans on a lake, and started noticing some changes in the landscape. After Ortonville, you could roll a bowling ball down the highway all the way to Fargo. The wedding was lovely and quite a cry fest. I started with the gulping sobs the minute I saw Nicole. I probably cried three times before the wedding even started. There were many touching moments. I was holding Baby Chloe so I could hide my face in her little hat and not look...

You won't be hearing from me for a few days. Tomorrow morning, Joan (sister-in-law from St. Paul), is coming to St. Peter on the Land to Air. We'll get in the VW and head to Canby which is so close to the South Dakota border you can almost spit across the line. Well, at least you can drive across and get a pizza. We'll stay overnight with Mom and celebrate both our birthdays, then go on to Fargo the next day for Nicole and Jason's wedding. Sunday, Mom and I will head back to Canby and I'll come back to St. Peter eventually. It's a long haul for a person like me who dislikes travel. All of it sounds like fun but the miles on the road. Regis and I are getting liquored up so we can stomach the VP debate. Hahaha! No we're not. But maybe we should. I'm not saying all of those folks haven't said stupid things in the last few months and I'm sure, in a similar situation, I would babble like an idiot. But. My absolute favorite Sarah Palin moment was when ...