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

I came down with something today which seemed like allergies because it snuck up on me for about four days but it didn't get better today when I doubled the dose of Zyrtec so now I'm suspecting a cold again. I don't have a fever or anything so maybe it's just a messy head cold that will be gone in a few days. Crap anyway. We didn't get any snow today until just a few minutes ago. It's more flurries than real snow. We don't need any blizzards on April 1st. Even as it is, it's not appealing this late in the season. How is a guy supposed to dress in this weather? It's April so it looks a little goofy to be wearing sweaters and wool socks. Oh no. Snowflakes coming faster. We had turkey brats that I had fantasized about cooking on the grill. They're not very appealing cooked in a pan on the stove but neither us had any interest in dragging the grill out of the garage. I have to fix the code on my stat counter.

My friends had a lovely shower for Tiffany and Elliot on Saturday. It was a feat of organization for which I was not wholly responsible but pulled off my part with aplomb. I'm not sure that's true but I had to end that sentence somehow. It was lovely and makes me feel like I did after I gave birth...like I should send everyone emotion-filled thank you notes. It's touching that my friends just take me and my children in and express such generosity and kindness toward them. I could never repay them. The pictures are in slideshow format at the bottom. Here they are on Picasa if you want to download or upload. My mom came, which was very nice. We had a grand time at the shower and later at our house. Her friend Marilyn accompanied her so she didn't have to drive alone. Nothing like a road trip. We took them out for breakfast to the Northwoods Cafe the next morning, then they went on their way to Luverne for Rachel's confirmation. Alex was baptized on Saturday so that

Regis and I went to the grocery store after work today. Of course, it's a mad house at that time of the week. It went alright until we were checking out. The bag boy in our aisle and the one in the next aisle were making sexual gestures at each other with packages of bratwurst and a box of food storage bags. Honestly. Do they think we're so old and addled that we wouldn't figure that out? I suppose if you're 15 and have to work at the grocery store on Friday night, it's anything for a thrill. I spent part of my day doing these things at school: isolating a problem with the phone lines, attempting to fix two toilets, and talking to the tech guy about software. I asked him if he had been up all night...what he was saying made no sense to me. Ah, it was a productive day. One thing I've noticed about searching google for images lately is that a lot of them have copyright stuff on them. I'm scared of the copyright police so I hesitate. I'm such a chicken. Som

It snowed off and on all day today, never accumulating, but making it look like winter. About an hour ago, we had 30 seconds of sunshine. It's only 30 degrees so not exactly basking weather. I'm not complaining. My brother, Bruce, reports from Fargo : They just raised the crest to 42 feet with a possibility of 43. The flood in 97 got to just over 39 feet. We SHOULD be safe, but who knows. Sewage backup is a distinct possibility. I've been sandbagging every day; they estimate that 10,000 people a day have been volunteering to sandbag. We've done just about all that can be done, now we need a bit of luck. It would make a hell of a documentary...it's like a war zone with all the activity. People have come from Canada, Florida, Alaska, Minnesota, South Dakota and beyond. Uff da is all I can think of to say. It's touching that people come out to help in disasters like this mess in Fargo and our tornado. I remember groups of men coming down the street wit

Regis is watching one of those loathsome movies about the end of the world. Some nuclear war thing. I don't like to think about that much less see it represented visually on a big screen. If you can call a 19 inch tv a big screen. It's hideous...perpetual winter and the faces are blue and frost covered and everybody talks in those old soap opera urgent voices. Who needs that kind of nightmare? We went to the bike shop to pick up my new bike. It was damn cold standing in their parking lot while they attached the rack to the car. They are so careful to give you instructions on every part of the experience but in this cold, who cares. If the thing flies off at the first intersection, oh well. We cruised around the shop for a while as we waited. Did you know there are bike outfits that are made of very fitted nylon with padded seats and little skinny straps? They're called bib cycling shorts. I told Regis we should buy some but one of the neighbors might (most likely would) cal

Snow occurring on Mar 26 | Mar 27 . Total amount 5 Inches. Heavy rain occurring on Mar 23 | Mar 24 | Mar 26 . Total amount 1.08 Inches. Ice occurring on Mar 27 . Total amount 0.2 Inches. High wind occurring on Mar 23 | Mar 27 . Maximum sustained 36 mph (maximum gust 52 mph). High probability of thunderstorms occurring on Mar 23 . If there is any other damn inclement weather we could have within the next few days, I don't know what it might be. Remember the 29th of March is the anniversary of the tornado so there is nothing that we loathe more than high winds. Unless it's high winds in combination with ice. Lovely.

We swooped by Herberger's and I bought my socks. Then we went to the grocery store where it smells funny and customers wear mullets. Regis gets so frustrated trying to park there because everybody drives a 1992 Park Avenue and goes 16 miles per hour because their cataracts are so bad they can't see. I said he either has to calm down or we have to start buying coffee somewhere else. Then we went to the bike shop sale at the old mall. A fast-talking (not in a bad way...he just ought to lay off the caffeine) salesman sold me this little number in the picture above. I took it for a spin in the parking lot and loved it. It has three-speeds which are plenty because I usually forget to shift anyway. We're going to pick it up on Wednesday. We both bought helmets...reference my fear of head injuries. The weather outside is bad-ass dreadful. I felt like I had dirt in my teeth and my hair was standing on end. Garbage was blowing through the air and the wind was howling nasty ass loud.

It's 12:30 and I'm done. No doubt there are more dust bunnies and dirt clumps hiding behind chairs and in places where I don't see, but I've sucked, wiped, and washed a ton of dirt out of this house in the last two days. Regis and I are going to Mankato to snoop around. I'm in the market for a new bike, we want to buy a bike rack for the car, and I want some pastel socks. We might have dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant to celebrate the cleaning of the abode. Oh, I cleaned out the refrigerator today, too. Amazing the stuff that gets pushed to the back of the shelves. I found two cans of Busch beer (Betty?) and one can of Hamm's. Most other things were identifiable but not edible. As hard as we've tried to clean out the freezer this winter, we have made no progress. Things must go in as fast as they come out. Comforting to know in the event of a disaster, we would have a constant food supply. The wind is picking up. Ugh. My least favorite weather event

My goal for the weekend was to clean our house. It didn't happen last night because we had a serendipitous meeting of friends and family (including Ella and Alex) at the watering hole. Reg and Amber came to visit later and then we went to bed. So much for that day. I didn't have any grand plans to get started early so it was about 9:00 when I got started in the bedroom. I set the timer for 55 minutes and then I allowed my galley slave self a break for a cup of coffee and a piece of toast. It went like that through the next three rooms. By 3 o'clock, I was done in and tired of it so I told Regis to set up the lawn chairs under the birch tree. Several of the neighbors wandered over and we celebrated the start of spring by sharing beers and wine in the warm sun. It was grand. Katherine toddled around and ate some dirt and drank a juice box. She seemed to enjoy her first outdoor happy hour. I'm trying to get organized before my surgery on April 6th. Of course, there are thi

And I don't mean that in a good way. I hate shopping. I had a list but it didn't work because I had too many places to go and not enough time. I had printed a baby registry for the Potts twins but in my blizzardy mental state, I couldn't find anything. (I finally did so the babies won't be presentless...). I wanted to buy shower presents for Alex and Elliot but had an idea not found at that store...so thinking ahead I bought gift bags and little cards and tissue. Then of course, I couldn't find what I wanted so the bags are kind of big for what I did find. Damn. The clothes I had in my head for myself were not to be found on a rack anywhere. I decided I don't have a "look". I need a look. Need help with this. Help. Right at the end of the work day, a woman from a copier company stopped by to see if she could "assess our copier needs". What the hell. She was a little creepy...a little too perfect like a pod person. (Really shiny choppers.) I w

We've had a quiet week. No green beer for us last night, we had corned beef and cabbage for dinner and watched one of Regis' all-time favorite movies, The Quiet Man . I like all of it except the last fight scene. There are some great lines. We went to Barnes and Noble tonight with my Valentine money and my three-page list. It's hard to shop at B&N with a list because they won't give you access to a computer to find anything and they have their books grouped all weird. Why couldn't they have a computer like the public library so I could find things myself? They're very helpful if you ask, but I'd like to just browse around and find them myself. I bought these things: Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese The Red Convertible by Louise Erdrich The Best Essays of 2008 Dalva by Jim Harrison A couple others that I can't see from here... Numbers one and two are hardcover books and I usually hesitate to buy them because they're expensive. Erdrich and

Tom and Betty had us over for corned beef and cabbage pizza . I must say we were skeptical about the concept but it was delicious. A ten on a scale of "I must make this again" and Tom's crust would rival the best pizza parlor. Many signs of spring in Minnesota today. Tom almost whacked me when I said I didn't want it to get too warm too fast. After all my griping about the cold, I guess. We even saw a teenager walking barefoot. I bet his mother whacked him when he got home.

Regis and I went over to see Ella and Alex today. I asked if I could hold Alex and Ella said, "No, he's too heavy." She helped me hold the baby and shared my lap. She enjoyed the presents from Jill...especially the tiny purse! The two quarters that Popop found in her ears went in the purse. Alex is thriving and I got the whole baby experience in an hour...feeding, changing, burping. Our neighbor, Paul, invited us over for the first barbecue of the season. How could we say no? He made a wonderful loin roast and twice baked potatoes. We got some funny looks from passers-by as there was still snow on the ground in some places but the sun felt good. Hard to believe that it was zero on Tuesday. We love weekends. This is what we hope being retired is like...always Saturday.

Betty found a comfortable chair by the bookshelf where she could put her foot up. We talked about books and movies mostly...some cooking. And our plans for outdoor improvements this spring. Betty's planing vines and adding trellises to their patio area...we're putting in the Howard Fritsch Memorial Patio under the birch tree. Tom went from vertical to horizontal several times throughout the afternoon as he was tired. He had to share the love seat with the dog who enjoyed the attention. Regis made this delicious prime rib roast. I made a dish called colcannon to accompany...mashed potatoes with leeks, shallots, and napa cabbage. I thought it was delicious. Regis would rather keep his cabbage separate apparently as his reviews were not so good. I tried to get Peter to take the Irish glasses to Mankato with him. I said they'd be chick magnets but he didn't think so. I made a chocolate stout cake that is delicious but this year, the top of the damn cake stuck in the pan so

What She Taught Me For Mom She taught me knitting, sewing, Teeny Tiny, and reading every night before you go to bed. She taught me how to make things for people you love. She taught me how to make stuffing by letting the butter and chopped onions sit on the stovetop overnight. She taught me how to make spaghetti from scratch and that leftovers make a good meal and that pets, even messy ones who come through the screen door during thunderstorms, are part of the family. She taught me that it’s more important to bake fresh cookies or to read a book that have a clean house. She taught me that having piles of books around your house is decorating and that wearing a flannel nightgown until noon doesn’t mean you’re lazy. She taught me that you invite people over if you’re lonely. She taught me how to always believe you can fix it yourself and to keep on learning and that when you go on vacation you should stay with relatives. She t

Seriously. 51 degrees on Saturday. We've had 35 days of below zero temperatures since December 1st. That is brutal. Brutal. For those of you who live in warmer climates, a below zero temperature is a negative number way below where water freezes, at 32 degrees. Thirty-two degrees colder than that is ZERO . Ah well, never mind. Our dog, Kramer, who got a haircut yesterday. We turned down the senior dog wellness plan that allows for a teeth-cleaning at a reduced price. This is a 12 year old dog who has already had a multi-thousand dollar eye surgery. I can't explain why we did this. I didn't even want to buy a 12-month supply of heart worm medication. I thought we could go with the 6-month plan and see how his health is at that point. Regis says I'm heartless. I love my dogs but they're dogs. I remember the days when they lived in dog houses outside. Our sissy dog doesn't like to lay on the bare leather, he likes a blanket. I took today off from swimming after goi

I went to the vet clinic to pick the dog up from his grooming (and well-dog) visit. We picked a bad day to have the dog's hair cut. I think I heard him murmur f*#* you as he lifted his leg on the way back to the car and the stream of pee turned to a yellow icicle. Hey, I was blown down the sidewalk by a gust of wind and had to re-park in order to walk on the snow rather than end up on my hinder on the ice. A guy has to put rocks in his pockets and a pillow on his ass if he's going to travel in this weather. I'm not complaining, though. My brother Bruce sent a picture (top) of his front door in Fargo after yesterday's blizzard. The snow was up to the middle of the door. Drifting or not, that sucks. And blows. When this snows melts in two days over the weekend, everyone along the Red River will need water wings. Regis sent an email to the restaurant where we ate Sunday, just tipping them off that they might want to do a thorough cleaning. The response was, get this, a

I'm not going to complain about the weather, believe it or not. I will tell you that the snow, which is not apparent on any radar I've looked at tonight, due to the wind blowing 40 mph. We're such optimistic sops in Minnesota; everybody says this won't last long and it will melt right away. What difference does that make when it's ten days away from spring and you still have to dress like you're taking a dog sled over the tundra. I know I've made some mental notes for new posts over the last few days of non-blogging but I've forgotten what they were. Whoa, the snow blows so hard every few minutes that I can't see across the street. I was ready to call the patio man the other day. Karl's going to give us some tips and maybe do the manual labor of root-chopping and hole-digging. Tom and a few of the other men offered to help but we have an aversion to sweat and more of an attraction to the creative side of patio building. I dread swimming the next

Regis and I went on a mission for Irish whiskey this weekend. We checked at our local joint last night but not so much luck. Today, in the March mist, we took a drive to Mankato and found what we wanted. See the photo. More tomorrow.

Bees by Jane Hirshfield In every instant, two gates. One opens to fragrant paradise, one to hell. Mostly we go through neither. Mostly we nod to our neighbor, lean down to pick up the paper, go back into the house. But the faint cries—ecstasy? horror? Or did you think it the sound of distant bees, making only the thick honey of this good life? "Bees" by Jane Hirshfield from The Lives of the Heart . © Harper Perennial, 1997. So many sad things this week: Bill Holm, Charlene Hegland, Phil Keillor. It seems fitting for this time of year when you can't tell where the land ends and the sky begins. I feel like my nerves are sticking outside my skin and everything is irritating. Everything brushes against me like sandpaper. Wine doesn't help for long. I made a meatloaf for dinner which is an odd thing for an early spring dinner, I know. In the time it was c

I picked up some Morgan Creek Vineyards wine the other day at MGM when they had the tasting. I recommend it. I like the Seyval, a popular French dry white, light fruit barrel aged in French oak. That last part I got from the website as I'm not much of a wine connoisseur. I even had to look connoisseur up on google to see how to spell it. If you can't spell it, you aren't one. There's a very nice obituary for Bill Holm on his website. If anyone reading this would like to read his books, I think I have them all and would be happy to deliver them, along with a bottle of pinot noir. I have some favorite things: the essay about Darin Gislason's garden in The Music of Failure , an essay called Horizontal Grandeur (which I have mailed to many people and which always comes up when we talk about the prairie), his book Coming Home Crazy , and the book The Heart Can Be Filled Anywhere on Earth . My friend Coni once worked at a restaurant in the old Carnegie Library in St.

Regis got a Mr. Beer from his younger son for Christmas. Today was the uncapping and you can see the result, a lovely amber beer with a nice head. Hurrah! Thanks, Bob. Babies are both doing fine. Tiffany reported on Elliot this morning. He is, like most, newborns, determined to eat and sleep whenever he feels like it which means she doesn't sleep much. I tried to assure her that he will settle down in a few days. We stopped this afternoon to see Alex and Ella. Alex is eating and pooping like a champ and therefore growing like a weed. Ella hugged me and kissed me a hundred times and said she missed me. It ain't easy being booted from the throne of 1st Child and I think she recognizes an advocate in her Nana. I finally did some housework this morning which means I do what I usually do: a half-assed job of most of it and don't finish any of it. It looks better and smells better so we made strides. Regis suggested going over to buy groceries this afternoon so we got that job