sunday in pictures

Here's the garden from the patio angle. We watered everything today but rain would be better. That's my favorite plant on the left in the back...the veronica longifolia. God only knows how I have remembered that for the years I've had the plant. I'll take another picture when it blooms.

This is the gazing globe Regis gave me for Christmas a few years ago. Those are the Georges peeking out from behind. Regis asked again today if I was going to plant something in the Georges. Nope. I like them empty. It's a statement.

Pictures from the patio. This is one of the perennial grasses we planted. And the turtle hose guide. I love the name...hose guide. Like a spiritual thing.

It's been a good year for pansies. I swear I've never gotten anything to grow in this pot before.

There are tiny things that live in the little house at the base of the geranium. Maybe an ant colony or a swarm of gnats.

Can you see the moon? Regis was disappointed in this shot but what is he after all, the Hubble Telescope?

Happy Sunday Psychosis.

woke up early-ADDENDUM

I don't want to stir Regis by making noise in the kitchen yet. He's lucky he can sleep later. My eyes pop open about 5 and that's it for sleeping.

Here's my plan for the day:

1. Ride my bike before it rains. Done
   
2. Water the flowers and the garden. Done.
   
3. Do the dishes from last night. Done.
   
4. Sit in a lawn chair. Done many times.
   
5. Get ready for Monday. Sort of done.
   

Not too ambitious.

saturday night

Big Disclaimer: This is not us in front of the Paramount Theater! It's a picture from the internet!

Regis and I motored to Austin (MN) last night to see Richie Havens at the Paramount Theater.

The last time we went to the Paramount, Austin's downtown was mostly strip clubs into which we would not venture. We know this because we printed a list of the restaurants downtown and they had normal names like Parrot Bay or some such, but eeeuww, I wasn't stepping foot into them and I'm not famous for high standards when it comes to bars or eating establishments. We ended up in a Mexican restaurant that served delicious food so that was our destination last night.

Alas, when we came down Main Street, we saw a burned out shell of a building where the restaurant used to be. But there seemed to be a few other places to choose from and none of them featured pole dancers. We ate at El Mariachi and it was very good. Rolando was friendly and helpful and said he remembered Richie Havens even though Rolando was only 21 and not even born when Woodstock happened. If you're ever in downtown Austin, we recommend El Mariachi.

Here's what their website says about the Paramount:

The Historic Paramount Theatre, originally constructed in 1929, is a unique atmospheric theatre with a Spanish motif. It is one of four atmospheric theatres left in Minnesota and the only one outside Minneapolis still used as a theatre. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is located at 125 4th Avenue NE, downtown Austin.

That's not us in the picture. It was the best I could find on google. It's really a gorgeous place and a great venue for music. Richie Havens gave a wonderful performance that was almost spiritual. He has a low, slow voice and he started with All Along the Watchtower, one of my favorites, and ended with Freedom. He sang Here Comes the Sun and I was in tears. It was really something to experience. Of course, the place was full of old hippies like us...some who still looked like old hippies and some who shined up pretty good and looked like the might be doctors or lawyers. The youtube video at the bottom is Handsome Johnny, also one of my favorites and maybe one of the best anti-war songs ever. This is the opening act at Woodstock, which I did not attend but might have enjoyed.

Richie Havens played with a guy named Walter Parks who also plays in a group called Swamp Cabbage. No end to the mysteries in life. Walter looked more like George Custer or a Shakespearean scholar than this:

Swamp Cabbage is North Florida, fatback, boogaloo blues stirred into a gumbo of Louisiana ragtime. Walter Parks' fingerpicked electric guitar honks like a razorback hog. Jagoda's drums like he's leadin' a New Orleans funeral parade, and Lindey's bass barks like a tuba through a fuzz box.

I woke Regis up early this morning and we went to our local HyVee to buy some big, disgusting steaks of the beef variety and some of the tuna variety. One of my best current recipes is for pan seared ahi tuna but I've discovered it's great on the grill, too. Tom and Betty came to while away the summer afternoon with us. We sat on the new patio, gabbed with passers-by, and told stories. Tom brought barbecued ribs and I made stuffed portobello mushrooms for appetizers. Dinner was great. Here's the tuna recipe:

Seared Ahi Tuna Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 (6-8 ounce) ahi tuna steaks (3/4 of an inch thick)

• 2 Tbsp dark sesame oil
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce (or 2 teaspoons of wheat-free tamari for gluten-free option)
• 1 Tbsp of grated fresh ginger
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 green onion (scallion) thinly sliced (a few slices reserved for garnish)
• 1 teaspoon lime juice

Method

1 Mix the marinade ingredients together and coat the tuna steaks with the marinade, cover tightly, and refrigerate for at least an hour.

2 Heat a non-stick skillet over medium high to high heat. When the pan is hot, remove the tuna steaks from the marinade and sear them for a minute to a minute and a half on each side ( even a little longer if you want the tuna less rare than pictured.) Or cook over direct heat on a grill for the same amount of time.

3 Remove from pan and slice into 1/4-inch thick slices. Sprinkle with a few green onion slices.

My bike is back and I rode it downtown twice today. I went to The Pulse (not to be confused with Impulse Tattoo) to inquire about membership and classes. This is a place of exercise and is quite outside my realm of experience. The woman in charge was very nice and encouraging. Betty and I might start with a class called Zumba! on Monday night. We'll see how my adventure into the world of exercise goes. We've been swimming since December but that's more like old lady dog paddling. At The Pulse, we're going to have a personal trainer who tells us what to do. Rachel believes fitness is for everyone so I'm sure she won't kill us with jumping jacks.

Tomorrow will be our day of rest.

Hey, Bob and Marilyn: Thanks for the very nice note about my blog.

saum fritsch robin crop

Our robins are big enough now to stick their beaks out of the nest and cry for worms. We only have two in our crop but they're lusty little buggers and growing fast. There are two adults feeding them and they swoop over to the bird feeder to load up their own bellies on seed and grape jelly, then back to the worm hunt. There are a couple of thug grackles lurking out there and once in a while I have to run out and chase them off. I suppose this is assuming too much control over things which are beyond my control. Nature is hard.

My bike had to go into the shop to get its wheel fixed. Of course, now that it's gone, I really want to ride it. Isn't that the way?

My gnat bites look like measles. Those little bastards are relentless. You don't feel them bite but later you have this ugly outbreak.

Regis is watching some natural disaster epidemic catastrophe movie. I don't get the attraction myself, preferring to ignore bad news and imminent threats. I don't watch the news, remember? What good does it do to know about things bearing down on you when you can't do anything about them? Or to commiserate about evil things that happen in places you never plan to go? I know, I stick my head in the sand. I prefer to live in fiction.

We went to a little gathering of special ed folks at one of the local watering holes today after work. Of course, the conversation got around to sleeping problems, which it always does when middle-aged people gather. We all agreed it would be less of a problem if a guy didn't have to work.

Well, on that happy note, I'm going to put clean sheets on the bed. I can't watch anymore of this disaster crap.

cool and windy spring day and how i spent bob dylan's birthday

I know it wasn't really his birthday today but since I missed his real birthday, I recognized it today by listening to the soundtrack from I'm Not There and all three discs of Tell Tale Signs.

How can it be so cloudy and not produce a drop of rain? We have baby grass sprouting and it's a pain in the butt to keep it wet. Not so much today but in the warm wind of the weekend. I think I'll need another blanket on the bed tonight.

My friend, Jill, landed in the hospital again this past weekend. She likes that phrase "landed in the hospital" and has a great mental image to go along with it. Get over that dang rashy stuff, Jill! Stop landing in the hospital.

I forgot to call the pharmacy today about my ambien and the bottle says no more refills. Ugh. How could I let that happen? The pharmacy is faxing the doctor who will twitter me that I need to come in for an appointment to make sure I'm not an ambien addict. Ha! Just kidding about the twitter part. Yeah, I'm addicted to a night's sleep. No medical advice folks. We'll leave that to the real M.D.'s.

I wanted to ride my bike to work today but when Regis took the lawn chairs into the garage last night, he saw it had a flat tire. A flat tire! What? So I called the Nicollet Bike Shop to got my first tune-up and they're coming tomorrow. They'll fix it right here, if possible. How's that for service?

My car mechanic once said that I had broken a city-wide record for flat tires on my car. It was after the tornado and I bet I had one a week. Arvin said I must be spreading nails out on the driveway and trying to run over them. Arvin is taking up temporary residence at Shorty's, by the way. He is being displaced by the new Kwik-Trip but will eventually buy the fixing business himself and move to a new spot. Arvin is our car hero.

hynes-mcgraw robins

bob dylan's birthday

Tom was right. Bob Dylan's birthday was yesterday. I have it on my calendar for tomorrow because KMSU is celebrating it tomorrow. Dang. Here are some ideas for celebrating, from eHow:

1. Write a birthday card addressed to Robert Zimmerman, Bob Dylan's original birth name.
2. Play a little harmonica in tribute to the man who made a name with this unique instrument.
3. Break out your CD collection and play Bob's first hit original album from beginning to end. "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan" was released in 1963 and was his first step on the path to international fame.
4. Bust out your dusty tambourine and make some noise in celebration of one of Mr. Dylan's most famous ditties, "Mr. Tambourine Man."
5. Rent the films, "Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid", "Don't Look Back" and "The Last Waltz".
6. Buy a cake with the inscription Happy Birthday Bob Dylan. Amaze your friends.

Silly, I suppose. The last one was my idea.

today

I had my coffee on the patio this morning and got the happy notion to spread the remaining 25 bags of mulch. Once that was done, I decided to plant the two dozen impatiens under the apple tree.

Here's another slide show of my garden. You can see that I have an affinity for yard art. I think the George Bush flower pots (empty for a reason) have been published here before. The gnats have been atrocious this weekend. They leave big bloody spots on your scalp where they bite and die. It's gross.

This afternoon we went on a road trip with Tom and Betty. We intended to go to Lexington, where we've enjoyed a dinner the last few Memorial Days. Today there was a sign on the door that the kitchen was closed. They said the cook got sick of the whole mess and abandoned the ship. So, down the road we went.

We passed a joint in Heidelberg but it looked more bar than restaurant so we went on to New Prague to eat at the Fishtale Grill. What a nice menu. We had some deep fried green beans with a chipotle pepper sauce. Tom had brats and Betty and Regis had pork and kraut. The service was great and we had a good time.

On the way home, we stopped at Union Hill which is definitely more bar than restaurant but there were lots of people we recognized in there. How do they end up in a place like that on a holiday afternoon? As far as we could see, there was a bar and a cemetery in the town. That's it. We had the waitress take our picture but it's on Tom's camera so I have to wait until he emails it.

Tom and Betty came to see the patio and to have a piece of rhubarb custard pie before I took them home. We bought Powerball tickets at Union Hill. Oh yes. Feeling lucky. I have the details etched in mind in case we win so we can tell the story.

I'm taking a break from swimming for a while so I can be awake during the hours of daylight more. When I get up at 4:30 and go swimming at 5, I get tired early in the evening and miss the best part of the night. I think I'm going to start riding my bike to work...if Regis will give me a lift to the top of the hill.

So, there you have it. A wonderful weekend.

in honor of memorial day

Regis took this picture of our flag-lined Minnesota Avenue with the Nicollet County Courthouse in the background. I love it.

getting organized and reclaiming my kitchen

I've been up since 6. I paid bills, looked through recipes to plan a menu for the next few weeks, organized my food records, and made a grocery list. Since my surgery, I haven't spent much time in the kitchen and it shows. Today I am reclaiming my turf, cleaning up the counters, and figuring out what goes on in there.

It was raining when we woke up so that means we can get some inside jobs done. Regis has the smoker going and the pork butt and beef brisket ready to go. This is an all day job so he's hoping the rain ends. I have a puny piece of tilapia that will take about 2 minutes to grill.

I have 35 bags of mulch piled up under the tree. When Glen looked at it, he said we're going to need more. Peter worked last night but I told him when he gets up, he can help me spread it out. It's hard on the back...a job that needs youth.

We've been busy all day. Here is the evidence...

fast trip

Regis and I raced over to Mankato after work to buy mulch for the garden at Menard's. We bought 35 bags of cedar bark that should cover 35 X 12 square feet. Whatever that would be. Oh, yes, the calculator. 437 square feet. That should do it.

I had to buy some impatiens for under the apple tree and some ajuga for along the steps. Going to garden centers this time of year is like visiting a crack house.

I finished moving my office from one area of the building to another today, thanks to a couple of hard-working students. Later, a different student came to the door of the new office, leaned against the door and said he loved what I had done with the decor, that it had nice feng shui. Hard to keep a straight face.

Not much new here, I guess.

hey, i'm a rockstar

I went back to the MC today to see the dietitian and my surgeon. The dietitian is very subdued (and only groused at me one time about a piece of turkey) but my surgeon says I'm a rockstar! I've lost 30 pounds since my surgery and everything checks out just fine. He said I can pull out the one tiny thread from a stitch that's left and I won't unravel. I thanked him for his fine work and said he gets the credit for my success. He didn't deny that but said it's also because I follow the rules. Maybe that's true.

I'll go back in July for bloodwork to check for everything under the sun and a visit to all of the players again.

I wish we had taken the camera as the tulips around the Doctors Mayo in the plaza were stunning. When we go back this summer, I want Regis to take a picture of me sitting by the good doctors.

Anybody have a good gnat repellant? Mom says to try Listerine or a dryer sheet in your pocket, I used to use vanilla when I lived in Iowa, and Regis is ready to try toxic chemicals. They've been terrible.

It's very hot and windy today. The furnace was on in the house this morning and by the time we got home, it was time for the AC. Miles, be sure to use a good sunscreen. I'm a believer in the highest SPF you can find on the shelf. Tender Scandinavian skin does not need any sun. Not unless you want to look like an old saddlebag when you're 40. I hope you're passing my weather tips on to your cousins. I saw something called Sunblock at the Mayo Clinic store today. Let me know if I should pick some up for you.

It's been a full day and I'm going to relax with the rest of it.

my hinder

I was at a meeting today and my skirt started to irritate my waist. I stood up a little and gave the back of it a tug. My butt apparently used to hold a skirt up better than it did today because it slid right over my hinder and I had to act fast to capture it (the skirt) and reverse the damage. I was mortified, everyone acted like they hadn't seen a thing, and we went on with the serious matters of discussion. I have spent the rest of the day relaxing my vision to see what appears peripherally and what the chances are that this hideous act was not observed by my colleagues. Not much of a chance, I'll say. If you were at any meetings with me today and don't know what I'm talking about, all I'll say is whew.

Regis and I went for a bike ride after dinner. I was pedaling along, enjoying a leisurely ride (what do you expect from a person with a wicker basket on the front with a red and white tea towel draped artistically over the edge...this is not a speed racer) but Regis nagged me about going faster and getting a cardiac workout. My legs hurt so bad from all the gardening yesterday that I can hardly waddle. I was not interested in a cardiac workout. I just wanted to make it home.

Tom came to get the Engelman ivy that I had growing along the chain link fence until my neighbor whacked it off because it was messy. Tom will give it a good home. I think I saw some along the road on Old Minnesota Avenue but it might have been poison ivy. I don't think I would mess with it.

We're enjoying the patio but the gnats have been a little pesty. Regis bought a pork butt at the store today and it's going to be the first grill project this weekend. I have asparagus and brussel sprouts that might taste good on the grill.

We watched Antiques Roadshow tonight. Regis always says about some hundred thousand dollar trinket, "I had one of those but I sold it on a garage sale". One day I'll chase him out of the house with a broom when he says it.

my hair

I take a shower and do my hair every day, except for rare occasions. One day the end of December, I went swimming in the morning and didn't do my hair. Regis had his spell that night and had to take a ride in the ambulance...and I had to ride along in my striped pajama pants and god awful hair. Today was the second time in recent memory I didn't do my hair. I had worked in the garden all day and finally took a bath and washed my hair about 6 o'clock. No product, no hair dryer...just au natural. About 6:30, I look out the front door for the pizza delivery guy and there's my neighbor with a young woman who is writhing around on the grass in pain. I went out to see if they needed medical help and before it was over, we had a cop, an ambulance, and three neighbors standing on our boulevard...and me in a flannel nightgown, purple robe, and slippers. Holy crap. Bad hair is dangerous.

saturday in pictures

Regis and I took Ella and motored to Shakopee to meet Tiffany, Eric, and Elliot for a mid-afternoon lunch. We went to Ruby Tuesday, close to the horse track, and the food was very good, the service was good, there were no televisions (hurray), and a pleasant time was had by all. Ella was delighted to see Tiffany and her baby. The rest of the pictures are in the slide show.

cool and rainy friday

A busy day at work. Almost got my office moved. I need advice on where to put the furniture, though. This is not the Oval Office so it shouldn't be that hard.

Went to a plant sale after stopping for a beer. 320 plants sold in 15 minutes so we didn't get any since we arrived about 5:18. I'm glad I missed that circus. Larry gave us a tour of his garden and it's gorgeous. Tulips that look like a Monet painting.

We're watching I'm Not There but I can hardly keep my eyes open. I woke up before my alarm went off this morning. That would be about 4 a.m.

Ella is going with us to Ruby Tuesdays in Shakopee tomorrow. When she came to play Tuesday she told me she wanted to see Tiffany and her baby. So sweet.

I'm anxious to get in my garden. It needs to dry out a little before the weeds get hold. The couple years, I tore a lot of stuff out so there are lots of empty places. I think I wrote about that before.

Happy birthday, Jane!

Feel better soon, Jill!

Welcome home Ethan and Owen!

My Name

Mark Strand

Once when the lawn was a golden green
and the marbled moonlit trees rose like fresh memorials
in the scented air, and the whole countryside pulsed
with the chirr and murmur of insects, I lay in the grass,
feeling the great distances open above me, and wondered
what I would become and where I would find myself,
and though I barely existed, I felt for an instant
that the vast star-clustered sky was mine, and I heard
my name as if for the first time, heard it the way
one hears the wind or the rain, but faint and far off
as though it belonged not to me but to the silence
from which it had come and to which it would go.

thursday...best night of the week

The weather is gorgeous tonight and we had to go to Mankato so I could get a haircut. We managed, however, to miss the bi-weekly lawn mowing in a diagonal pattern next door. We were in time for the edge trimming and the blowing of clippings into the street.

I went to see Patrick, my favorite hair-do guy. He's a hoot and usually massages my head which almost puts me to sleep. Patrick is a true hair artist and I appreciate that.

May 26th is Bob Dylan's birthday but I don't know which one. Which birthday that is...I know which Bob Dylan it is. KMSU is celebrating by having Bob Dylan's music all day. We're expecting the Netflix movies I'm Not There and No Direction Home in the next week. Maybe I'll get a cake for Bob's birthday.

We're meeting Tiffany and Eric and Baby Elliot in Shakopee on Saturday. I can't wait to see him...it's been a month and Tiffany says he has changed a lot. It's hard to keep up with those babies when they grow so fast. We saw Alex and Ella on Tuesday night. Alex was smilier than we've seen him before. Too bad no camera when you need one!

I'm back in the four day a week swimming pattern. The last couple weeks, I've had one day with an early meeting so I skipped that day both weeks. If you're wondering about the surgery thing, I've progressed to real solid food...fish, soft vegetables, and crackers. I can go to a restaurant and usually find something to eat. I had a piece of baked cod and some broccoli at Grizzly's tonight. It makes about five meals, but that's ok. I have a pile of tiny meals in the freezer. So far, no nasty side effects and pretty smooth sailing. I go back to see the surgeon and the dietitian on Tuesday. I'm afraid they'll yell at me for not drinking milk. Nah, they probably won't.

At Grizzly's there was a dude in the next booth who got up to leave and gave me a big old shot of his hinder thanks to his droopy pants. Man. All you want when you are about to eat. There should be a law.

I love this picture!

Bob posted this picture of Ella and Alex. I love it.

Ella came over to play

Ella gave Popop directions for picture taking. She calls him Popoprazzi. Don't you love her gold shoes? We read lots of books and played with the tea pot and measuring cups. She's coming back Tuesday after school to see us.

This is the little table and chair I bought in Mankato yesterday. I couldn't resist it...I thought it would be perfect on the new patio and it is.

Here she is chasing around the tree with Uncle. I think they were playing hide and seek and her dad snuck back into the house for some peace and quiet. We didn't get any pictures of Alex this time but he was a good baby and was content to eat and sleep.


Even though it was too cold to sit on the patio, Regis hauled the grill out for the first barbecue of the season. We just made hot dogs and burgers. He bought himself a little smoker attachment for it and wants to try that this week. I made an enchilada casserole with chicken and tofu for myself...and now have left-overs for 45 meals. Nobody else was interested. Guess it's the tofu thing.

It was a three-nap weekend and all the naps were great sleep. This afternoon, I slept for about an hour with a complex dream. As I woke up, I was trying to park the VW in my dream and I was so sleepy I couldn't stay awake to finish parking...then I woke up. It's like traveling between states of consciousness. I love naps and have only started taking them again since my surgery. I imagine the need will pass eventually but they are so pleasant...crawling into bed in the dark and cool of an afternoon to read for a while and drift off to sleep. What could be better than that?

Regis and I went grocery shopping this morning and it was so cold I wished I had mittens on. We went to the tent sale at HyVee and honestly, the poor girl running the till did (have mittens on). Every time I think it's safe to put my winter clothes away, we get a day like this. It's great weather for spring flowers though...like they're refrigerated every night.

Well, that's it for the weekend. On to Monday. I see on accuweather there are high wind warnings for several days this week. Lovely.