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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
Write a birthday card addressed to Robert Zimmerman, Bob Dylan's original birth name.
Play a little harmonica in tribute to the man who made a name with this unique instrument.
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.
Bust out your dusty tambourine and make some noise in celebration of one of Mr. Dylan's most famous ditties, "Mr. Tambourine Man."
Rent the films, "Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid", "Don't Look Back" and "The Last Waltz".
Buy a cake with the inscription Happy Birthday Bob Dylan. Amaze your friends.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Mom said she had trouble viewing the youtube video below of Billy Collins reading his poem, The Lanyard. Here it is in text. It always makes me cry.
The Lanyard - Billy Collins
The other day I was ricocheting slowly off the blue walls of this room, moving as if underwater from typewriter to piano, from bookshelf to an envelope lying on the floor, when I found myself in the L section of the dictionary where my eyes fell upon the word lanyard.
No cookie nibbled by a French novelist could send one into the past more suddenly— a past where I sat at a workbench at a camp by a deep Adirondack lake learning how to braid long thin plastic strips into a lanyard, a gift for my mother.
I had never seen anyone use a lanyard or wear one, if that’s what you did with them, but that did not keep me from crossing strand over strand again and again until I had made a boxy red and white lanyard for my mother.
She gave me life and milk from her breasts, and I gave her a lanyard. She nursed me in many a sick room, lifted spoons of medicine to my lips, laid cold face-cloths on my forehead, and then led me out into the airy light
and taught me to walk and swim, and I, in turn, presented her with a lanyard. Here are thousands of meals, she said, and here is clothing and a good education. And here is your lanyard, I replied, which I made with a little help from a counselor.
Here is a breathing body and a beating heart, strong legs, bones and teeth, and two clear eyes to read the world, she whispered, and here, I said, is the lanyard I made at camp. And here, I wish to say to her now, is a smaller gift—not the worn truth
that you can never repay your mother, but the rueful admission that when she took the two-tone lanyard from my hand, I was as sure as a boy could be that this useless, worthless thing I wove out of boredom would be enough to make us even.
And here are Tiffany and Peter, who made me a Mama. We're at the Field of Dreams in Iowa.
And here's the whole gang...kids, grandkids, adopted aunts and uncles. Even Peter made it for this one!
I woke up at my usual 4:30 a.m. this morning. I tried to go back to sleep but the light was coming through my eyelids and I couldn't make it happen. The curtains were closed so that probably isn't possible but I had to get up. I had a half a piece of toast and a soft boiled egg. It was quite a feast.
I tried to remember the morning of my surgery. This has been like giving birth...I feel connected to the people who cared for me when I was so vulnerable and parts of it have disappeared in some kind of haze. This is what was interesting: I registered after waiting in a long line, I waited, I was escorted to a room where the essentials were taken care of, I walked to the pre-surgery area, I was wheeled into a large bright and cold room with a lot of very young looking people. I woke up five hours later. There's a big gap in the middle.
It was raining very hard when we went to bed last night but we woke to a bright clear morning. It's windy and cold, though, for mid-May. Regis says 40 degrees. Betty and I are going to take a walk at the Arboretum today. She suggested Seven Mile Creek but that's hilly and Gustavus is flat. There you go.
I have to clean this morning so I'm sitting here until 8:00, then I'm going to devote 2 hours to cleaning. I set the timer. There are so many other things I would prefer to be doing.
We had a nice evening last night. We went to the two stores I dislike the most: Menards and Home Depot although Regis wasn't interested in looking at nuts and bolts or electrical things. We looked at barbecue stuff, bought a little smoking attachment for our grill, and a pan for searing vegetables. We came back to SP and had dinner at Whiskey River. We have weird ordering habits now that I can eat so little.
When we came home, we watched Mama Mia. I didn't think I would like it at first because sometimes the music gets in the way of the story for me and frankly some of Abba's songs are a little sappy. But I loved it. Everytime I thought I thought oh no another song, they would do something silly and make me laugh. It was the right combination of funny and touching. I recommend it.
Have to make a grocery list in the next fifteen minutes.
A patio is no big news by comparison to the birth of twin baby boys so I have to post pictures of both. These are Charlie and Angie's twins, Ethan and Owen, with their proud Grandpa Larry. Jill hasn't been lucky enough to be there yet to hold them but she's relieved and happy that they are together and soon will be on their way home. Look how tiny they are in Larry's arms. Hard to believe in a year they will fill his lap!
Here's the new patio completed. Regis broke out a few lawn chairs today and we had the maiden voyage of patio sitting. The weather is perfect for the patio, only a few bugs, a nice breeze, and warm sun. Jill stopped for a few minutes to trade presents: tapas plates in the shape of vegetables, a book about grandmas, diapers, and a bathtub. Guess who got what. We love presents.
Regis is in mourning over the rumors of a merger between Yuengling and Miller/Coors. He loves Yuengling, tolerates Miller, but disdains Coors as bunny pee beer. Coors was cool when I was in college because you couldn't buy it here. People who went to college skiing brought it back in the trunks of their cars and it was a hot item. Not so much anymore. It makes Regis sad to see his beloved Yuengling, the oldest brewery in America, go the way of corporate nasty ass beer.
I don't know why I haven't written much lately. Eating and drinking take a lot of my time and I haven't figured out how to do two things at one time. I think I write better when I'm bitchy about something; it's no fun to write about silver saddles and Sunday parades. And I always felt like a glass of wine loosened my tongue. That little habit is over for a while and my liver thanks me.
The patio should be done my tomorrow. It's really beautiful and Karl can consider himself an artist. He's coming tomorrow to fill in with dirt around the edges and to sweep in the last of the sand. If the weather is nice this weekend, we should be able to break it out in style. Regis can smoke the Sadam Hussein cigar and I'll have a bottle of Perrier to toast the Howard Fritsch Memorial Patio.
The crab apple tree is starting to bloom and so is the fern leaf peony. Regis will take pictures tomorrow, I'm sure. He keeps asking me when I'm going to get in the garden and take care of the weeds and moving perennials. Any day now, I say.
Peter is finishing his semester at school and he's relieved to be done for a while. He's done well and we're proud of him but we did give him some crap tonight while we were watching Seinfeld. George is 30 and lives at home. You can see where this is going.
A grackle picked up one of the strings that Karl used to keep the walk straight. It was wrapped around a piece of cardboard but the bird managed to get it into the tree, wrap it around a limb twice, and weave it into the nest. Grackles make a real mess of a nest but this bird got a little pissy when they took the string back and it left. I'm not too sorry because they poop like crazy when they have small birds. That's today's nature lesson.
We went to Elvira's funeral this morning. It was a nice gathering and a good send-off for her. The music was especially nice.
Regis bought an electric leaf blowing/sucking implement. He tried it out today but I can't say I was too impressed. You have to rake the leaves out of the plants or shrubs before you suck them up. It does mulch them into a bag so they're not so bulky. Now he and the neighbor can have a blow off.
Our neighbor has mowed his lawn three times already this spring. I don't think our grass is even vertical yet. Like us, it wakes up slowly in the spring.
I watched the Kentucky Derby. I must say that it's a sport I enjoy. Most of the event is before and after the race human interest kinds of things and the actual race only lasts 2 minutes.
I made myself a pan-seared tuna steak for dinner with roasted asparagus. One little tuna steak made six meals but that's ok. It will make nice lunches. It's good to be done with pureed food (of which I have too much in the cupboards...) and be on to real food.
Regis told me he would take pictures of the patio-in-progress but he forgot in the excitement over the leaf sucker. We'll do it tomorrow. We're excited to have it done so we can get the grill out.
I'm reading a book that's like living part of the day in another world. It's full of wonderful eccentric characters and great language. And a good story.
That's all for today. I'm watching a baseball game with the men.
I went to a conference in Minneapolis today. My traveling partners were fun and the conference was interesting but my brain hurt by about noon. Just too much information. It was cold in there, too, and my water bottle spilled all over the bottom of my bag, soaking my calendar, my folders, my wallet, and pretty much everything in there. It was a mess.
Random notes on the day...
The sidewalk is still under construction due to the rain today. We're going to have a nicer sidewalk (not the right word for something as fine as this) than a kitchen floor.
The apple tree has actual leaves on it. Tiny ones, but leaves just the same.
Our friend, Jane, is saying good-bye to her sister Vivian today. Jane says Vivian is peaceful now and kept her sense of humor right to the end. That's a good way to go.
Jill probably has new grandbaby twins by now. I can't wait to hear.
I'm not reading or listening to anything about the SF. I don't think my distress will help.
Daffodils are still blooming in the garden. It's cool and wet which they like.
Tiffany says Elliot only woke up once between 10 and 7 this morning.
We're going to spend Friday evening with Ella and Alex while Bob and Emily go bowling.
To clarify, I only care about the immediate human drama of the NFL draft...who cries, whose mom is there, who has a lot of new bling, who has a room full of relatives, who fusses with their hair after they put the cap on...I don't care about any of the rest of it and I forget their names the minute they leave the stage. This would never carry over into any sincere interest in football.
Regis and I ordered tickets to see Lyle Lovett this summer at the State Theater in Minneapolis. The show starts at 8:00 (that's P.M.) so I think we'll stay downtown for the night since we don't like to be up too late. We can have dinner, walk to the theater, and have a fine time. It will be like a vacation.
After checking on the prices of downtown hotels, we just might be driving home. The only one in our price range gets reviews like this: They recently replaced the mattresses but the linens, furniture, and everything else is worn, dated, and in need of a massive renovation. The TV's are so old and the picture is so fuzzy that you can't read any text on screen. I stayed in many different rooms (at least 14 different rooms on different floors), and the TVs and furnishing were equally bad everywhere.
Alex popped by to visit today while the men he travels with cut down a tree in our backyard. He smiled at me a couple times but we couldn't quite get it on film. He's a pretty happy guy and according to his Popop, has some admirable qualities for a baby: he likes to eat and sleep and as long as you keep his pants dry, he's content.
I'm watching the NFL draft. I don't care a fig about football but I like the human drama. Those kids look like they're about 14. They usually have an entourage with them and I suppose everyone is happy when the kid walks away with millions of bucks. Oh, man, this guy is crying. The talking heads are interesting too, but I think they're running out of adjectives.
The entertainment factor of the NFL draft would be enhanced if they had all these people in the same room (rather than sequestering them in their own quarters) and served liquor. Imagine what things would be like about four hours into it.
I've been more interested in cooking today so I made an egg bake for lunch and tomato soup for dinner. This is my last week of pureed food. Then I move to a soft mechanical diet, adding fish, poultry, and soft vegetables. I tell you, that sounds pretty darn good.
More later. We're making a run to the co-op for a few emergency supplies, then we're going to watch another Coen brothers movie.
Jill, I told you my office is a mess. This doesn't give the whole picture but it's enough of a hint. I swear I'm going to clean it up tomorrow. Get a dumpster.
I had a good week...went swimming three times, going out for coffee before work tomorrow, Karl came to lay out the patio, and it's Betty's birthday today. Hurray. We should have a new patio by this time next week.
I almost ran over a pocket gopher today. Last year, two tiny ones ran in front of my car over by Jefferson Avenue. One turned back and I thought oh no they'll never find each other. Maybe they have short term memory problems and it didn't matter to them like it did to me.
Every time I talked to Regis today and asked him what he was up to, he said not much. When I came around the corner onto our street, I saw a waist-high and lot-long pile of brush and leaves from the garden. My garden looks great! The fern leaf peony looks very hearty, Mom, and I have several poppies seeking the sun. I'm determined to move some things around this year...an Edgar Allen Poe hosta that seems to love the back fence but is going to come out to the front yard. I wonder why someone would name a beautiful hosta after that strange dude.
Here's the fern leaf peony. It started out on Mom and Dad's farm and has lived here for close to ten years. The first five years of its life, I threatened to pull it out by the roots and throw it in the compost pile. Then it got one bud on it, the next year two, and now I think (ta da) we have five!
This is our crummy front sidewalk that will be repaired next week. I tried to show how it bows in the middle and I didn't get that very well, but you can see that it doesn't square up with the door very well. The guy that did this work was a goofball.
Here are the crummy front steps that will be repaired next week. Same dude built them. They looked like this almost from the first winter.
Here's a laughing frog with a poppy plant and a few weeds. At least he isn't covered in leaves and now he can bask in the sun.
Tiffany sent a phone picture of Elliot smiling today. It looked like a real, deliberate smile. Very cute. Ella, take some pictures of your brother for Nana and Popop. Have Daddy teach you how to email.
Betty and I went back to the pool on Tuesday. Nancy came, too. The water was warm and it felt great. I'm going tomorrow but I think I'll take Friday off and have coffee instead.
Betty's mama passed away this morning. Wishing her a peaceful passage and sweet memories for her family.
Too tired to write much tonight. Elliot enjoyed the visit as much as we did. Regis picked up a Papa Murphy's Chicago style pizza but Elliot and I stuck to the liquid diet. I'm going back to work tomorrow and it's a little hard to get my head around that. The last week was like practice retirement and we really liked it. More tomorrow...
I deleted the earlier post. It was dumb. If you read it, you probably agree and if you didn't, you didn't miss much.
We've had a peaceful Saturday. I cleaned up the Easter decorations and we went for a bike ride, then went to Bob and Em's to see the babies. Alex was happy to sit on Popop's lap while Ella entertained me. She had a pair of gold Mary Janes on (And she was dancin'!) and I loved them. I wonder if they make them in grown-up sizes.
I wanted to sit in the yard again today but it was overcast and chilly so I took a nap instead. Very satisfying.
I'm tired tonight, even with the nap, but Regis wants to watch some car chase movie. Ack. But he suffered through something I picked out last night...Forgetting Sarah Marshall...which you must have to be much younger than we are to appreciate. Gratuitous full frontal nudity is really not my bag. One of the reviews (didn't read until it was too late...) said it was a romantic comedy with no story, no romance, and no comedy. Pretty much sums it up. I owe him a car chase movie.
Regis thinks it was me driving the bus on the road to perdition because he doesn't miss beer and I do. He might be right.
I took this picture myself. I started something I'm calling the face project. I'm going to take a picture of my own face every few days from now until January 1st. Then I'll put them all together in a slide show. This isn't one of those, but I still like the photo. I look sort of wrinkled and tragic.
This is Regis with his favorite spring beer, Harp. The weather has been so nice he may have to switch to the summer beer. That's what happens in Minnesota...two weeks between frost bite and sun burn.
My feet at the end of my legs doing what they do best. Nothing. I love these red polka-dot shoes.
Regis adds some accessories to my new bike. He happily installed the odometer and the mirror but groused a little (and made that circular motion by his ear) when I asked him to hang the towel from the basket.
This is my new bike with its basket (and little red and white towel), bell, mirror, and odometer. Young Reg says he has his bike fully loaded like Pee Wee Herman. I like to think of myself as more of an Elvira Gulch character. Did she have an odometer?
Hard to tell if she has an odometer but she has her basket in the back instead of the front. Nice hat, too.
These are my pansies looking sort of weird and artsy. Tom says (and it bears repeating) that they shouldn't be called pansies because they're tough.
These are two of the pansy pots I planted the other day and my spring flag with poppies. You can see evidence in this picture that I didn't travel far to take these photos. Hey....I'm recovering!
I wanted to add people my age are starting to look gross to the title (It's from a John Gorka song.) so I wouldn't forget about it. More on that weird thought later.
I had surgery on April 6th and since then, Regis claims a pall of idiocy has descended on our house. Neither of us can remember anything. He bought two bags of Easter candy at Walgreen's today and now can't remember where he put them. There aren't that many places in our house where we hide candy, believe me. Some other incidents:
We constantly walk into a room with a confused look and confess that we don't know what we came in there for. (worse than before)
I got lost in the grocery store the other day. I was in organic foods and Regis said he was going to fruit. He found me standing dazedly in meat, wondering where he was.
Regis asked me the other day what I thought of the book he had downloaded to the Kindle. I thought and thought...but couldn't come up with what the hell he was talking about. I had completely forgotten. I asked when he told me about it but he didn't remember.
We've been to the grocery store about once a day this week even though my menu is very limited. What can we be buying?
I have to ask what day it is. This will likely get better when I go back to work.
There have been other incidents, but....I can't remember.
I was distracted by something shiny on the internet and when I was closing up my browser, there was my half-finished blog post. Told ya.
I've done a lot of walking today...2.19 miles, so far. I also took my new bike for a short ride. I love it! I feel like Elvira Gulch cruising down the road after Toto. Only better.
I caught my dog with his nose in the window well today. I'm not sure if he had consumed bunnies, but there was fur hanging out of his mouth. Any rabbit dumb enough to make a nest in our yard probably deserves to have the gene pool drained and flushed. I can say that cruel and callous thing because I'm pretty sure the mama moved the babies yesterday. I think Kramer was just digging in the nest.
And here's the truth. Last time he ate bunnies, he got pancreatitis and had to spend the night in the doggie hospital on IV's. This time, he's reached his out-of-pocket maximum. That will be its own punishment for bunnie consumption if there was any. So sad. Life's a bitch.
Regis says I'm shopping like a squirrel getting ready for winter. Today a cute little plastic thing for my lunch was delivered, and a timer to let me know when to eat and drink. Ha! He just likes to give me a hard time. Just doing my part for the economy. Here's the Sassy Baby On-the-Go:
I planted pansies today, too. I'll take some pictures when they start blooming again. I hate to cut the flowers off but that's what they recommend.
Oh, and Karl came and looked at the area where we want to put the RHF Memorial Patio. His price was much lower than we expected so we might have him just do it. Neither of us are very good at organizing DIY projects. Karl says it would take a day and a half. He loved the stories about the last dude that worked on our bricks.
Oh, and one more thing. I bought new glasses today with the money left over in Regis' flexible spending account. He had to spend it by Friday or it was going away so these are my Economic Recession glasses. Here's what they look like...very hip and cool.
If this is a brief update, wouldn't you hate to see a lengthy update?
I was just about to let Kramer out the back door this morning when a mama bunny darted to the fence and made her escape. I looked into the window well and there were several bunnies, little ones, poking their heads out to see what was going on. Whoa, Kramer isn't going out there to slaughter bunnies. So, he's been getting lots of walks today.
I went for two half-mile walks today and took a nap. My goal is to make it to 8:00 without collapse. Ha! No, it's not like that. I have lots of stamina and I feel great. It still takes a lot of time to keep the food and water straight but that gets easier every day, too. I'm afraid I will be able to return to work on the 20th. Damn.
Regis and I sat in the front yard for a while this afternoon. The sun felt great!
This is a picture of Kris Kristofferson, not a picture of me in a musician costume. Hahaha!
Kris Kristofferson is playing in Minneapolis tonight. If I had money and gumption, I'd be there. He is one of my favorite singer/song writers. These are my favorite songs:
Sunday Morning Coming Down
Jaded Lover
Me & Bobby McGee
Lovin' Her Was Easier Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again
Jesus Was a Capricorn
Nobody Wins
Favorite Album: Breakaway
My other choice for evening entertainment would be the Bill Holm tribute. From the Pioneer Press: Holm, a popular Minnesota writer who died Feb. 25, will be honored by his friends April 14 at a public tribute beginning with ice-cold shots of Holm's favorite spirit, Reyka Icelandic vodka, and concluding with a New Orleans brass band leading the audience out of the Fitzgerald Theater, 10 E. Exchange St., St. Paul.
If you can't go, but want to TUNE IN: "Friends of Bill Holm" will be recorded for broadcast at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 18 on all Classical Minnesota Public Radio stations (for National Poetry Month), including KSJN 99.5 FM in the Twin Cities; and at 6 p.m. Sunday, April 19 on all Minnesota Public Radio stations, including KNOW 91.1 FM in the Twin Cities.
DISCLAIMER
The rabbit in the picture on the Easter Sunday post is not really me. Apparently I fooled a few people. It is a cool outfit and I'd be proud to wear it, but....it's not me.
I thought this was such a nice letter about my dad.
I am nominating Estle Saum as a candidate for the Canby High School Hall of Fame.
Estle Saum is a name that has been understood to be a part of Canby High School for many decades. I believe that Estle has been the biggest influence on this institution in the past 40 years or maybe history.
He gave of his time in a way that not many can really understand. He always put his school as a priority and always wanted the students to achieve at their potential. He was perceived as a mainstay in this school, but the sacrifices he made were overlooked by many.
There were many nights that he stood by the door of athletic events when his children were participating at other locations. I’m sure he would have rather been attending his son’s wrestling matches, instead of hosting girl’s basketball. He believed in his job, his school, and was dedicated to serve all of us to the best of his ability.
Estle was a man of few words and I learned from him that quality beats quantity any day of the week. He spoke very honestly and was never afraid of the repercussions. I believe that Estle wanted the best for his teachers, students, and his community.
- One day I remember that the Minnesota Gopher Basketball Team came to Canby to play a scrimmage in our High School Gym. This was a very big event and at the time the Gophers were doing very well nationally. Arnie Carlson was our Governor then and he also came to Canby. He had addressed Estle and told Estle that he would be introducing the team. Estle ever so politely told him that this is not a political arena and he would not be doing any such thing, but welcomed the Governor to sit it the stands, which he did.
Estle Saum was and is the definition of a leader, always leading by example and understanding how to get people to rise to the occasion. He was very humble, wanting the credit to go to others, and willing to accept the blame for others. He truly knew how to achieve a goal and was able to orchestrate talent in a way that was successful.
I have lived in Canby for 40 years, and I am so proud of so many teachers, athletes and coaches but I do not know of a person more deserving of this honor than Estle. I am very respectful yet very naïve as to why this letter is appropriate because in my mind this is a “no-brainer”.
Health report. It's a full-time job eating and drinking. I went for a walk with Regis this morning...almost a mile. Then we went shopping. I was in the mood for some spring wear. Walked another mile shopping. I was one whipped dog when I came home but couldn't sleep. Maybe I'll sleep fine tonight.
Peter went to the WOW Zone to celebrate his birthday. I told him we might show up. Yeah, right. I'd make it there about five minutes. Too many bright lights and too much loud music.
Too tired to write much. More tomorrow when I'm fresh.
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?
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