Regis made the weekly trip to the HyVee this morning, then spent the rest of the day smoking a beef brisket. He made his own dry rub and put that on last night. The meat is wonderful. That red ring you see around the outside is from the smoke.
It's really hot here, like in the 90s, but not so bad that you can't sit on the patio and enjoy the birds and the breeze. The nice thing about slow smoking is that you can sit and do nothing but still feel like you've being productive.
I got a new pair of shoes in the mail today. I like the New Balance 845s and have already trashed one pair. I bought another pair about a month ago but they were a tiny bit tight when I walked on the treadmill. Now I can alternate and only squeeze my feet every other day. Betty, did you know you left your black shoes at The Pulse? Speaking of shoes.
P.S. I can't eat that beef brisket. I had one taste but then moved on to chicken. The beef is in tiny serving size packages, vacuum sealed in the freezer.
We had a party for Father's Day yesterday but we called it patriarch's day in honor of the patriarch's in attendance. It turned out to be a beautiful day, one of the few in the last week. A good time was had by all and the food was great. Remember the chicken sauces.
Today, we're back to gloom and humidity. I planted a few hostas and some impatiens in the garden this morning, then Regis took me to Mankato to shop for pants. I bought a pair of pants without an elastic waist. They have a zipper and a button. Ta da!
I gave Regis a Tom Tom gps unit for a combination Father's Day and anniversary present. Tomorrow is our tenth anniversary so I thought it deserved special treatment. We don't go very many places but he set it up and we used it to go to Mankato. Not like we don't know the way. There is a colored drawing of the road, with a little blue VW motoring down the highway and some woman inside narrates the trip. I don't really understand how all this happens, you know. Regis tries to explain to me that it 1. does not interface, so 2. everything is inside the unit. What? All the maps and the woman are inside the machine. The drawings include driveways and side roads...and probably a cat if it would sit still long enough. It's a mystery, like why planes fly and why birds legs don't freeze off in the winter.
that Robert Louis Stevenson said: "To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive, and the true success is to labor." Interesting and worth thinking about some more in terms of all the things we work for and think are important in our lives.
Baby Belle, of This Goat's Life, died yesterday afternoon. Not sure what will happen to the blog. I'll miss it if they decide to stop.
Regis has a baseball game on the television. I like the sound of baseball. It sounds like summer and it's a gentle noise unlike football which sounds aggressive. This from a real sports fan.
I'm getting ready to move toward bed and a book. I'm reading one (Digging to America) that isn't as satisfying as the last one (So Brave, Young, and Handsome). Ah, well. They can't all be that good.
Regis is famous for his bizarre dreams. He had one a week ago that involved a catastrophe of some kind that meant we would not have access to food and people were encouraged to eat their pets. So, barbecue king that he is, he cooked and carved up Bert, our Jack Russell terrier who has been gone (as in dead) for a couple years. Bert's disposition being what it was, nobody was inclined to eat him. We didn't want to eat our other pet who tends to have a sweeter personality so Kramer was allowed to hang around the yard with his fat lizard friend. See the picture. I told you it was weird.
I cleaned out the back porch today. I'm so glad I have good enough standards for cleaning. I just don't like to spend my life scouring dirt and sweeping cobwebs. Who cares really.
Regis and I went to the cooking store this afternoon and bought a couple little silicone basting brushes and some squirt bottles for our sauces. See? I'd much rather spend time dinging around with basting brushes and sauces than cleaning anything. People in some places live in houses with dirt floors. My doctor doesn't believe in anti-bacterial anything so she supports my slovenly notions.
When our current dog passes, we're going to replace the floors in our house. I'm thinking of something in a nice stainless steel with a big drain in the middle.
I just read over the post about asking Peter to pick up a dead mouse. A couple nights before, we asked Regis to pick up dog barf under the table. So, Tiffany and Bob, next time you're over, we might have something disgusting for you to pick up...just in the interest of fairness.
P.S. I did a search for images of dead mouse, but decided I couldn't do it. Here is a live mouse by way of illustration. The one in the garage was deader and not nearly as cute.
Regis and I spent some time in the kitchen this afternoon making sauces for the chicken legs we're cooking Saturday night in celebration of Patriarch's Day. As you can see, we made a thai barbecue, a regular barbecue, and a teriyaki. Aren't they pretty? We also cleaned the house, and I used the word clean loosely. Neither of us have much patience for it but at least we're not as bad as that woman who had squirrels in her living room.
More severe weather tonight but we're ready for it this time. I told Peter to be prepared in case we stumble down there in the dark.
I've been filling the tray feeder up every day. The grackles get in there and root around like pigs. They're all the same sunflower seeds, can't they see that? It's like they're looking for one special seed. They shake their heads from side to side and the seeds go flying. They've also had a loud and screechy baby with them who wants to be fed constantly.
We had tuna steaks and stuffed mushrooms on the grill for dinner. I love sitting out there when the garden is gorgeous. The daylilies are starting to bloom and it's like a jungle with all the birds.
Peter carried all the winter flotsam and jetsam from the porch to the basement. I don't know why it accumulates so badly over the winter: crock pots, blankets, empty boxes, bags of towels, bags of holiday decorations, boxes of junk I've picked up in previous cleaning missions. Ugh. We need less crap.
I told Regis that one day I'm going to take down every curtain in this house and throw them in the trash. Most of them have been up for ten years, or close to it. I'm tired of the Miss Havisham look.
We're going outside to see how long we can tolerate the humidity. The AC is on in the house so we can always beat a hasty retreat.
We're under a tornado watch tonight and I happened to ask Regis if the weather radio is at the ready since I have a fear of a tornado bearing down on me in the dark. He got up to check and found the spot where it had been but there it was: gone. Sometime this winter, in a fit of cleaning which happens rarely, I took it from its spot on the counter and poked it into the cupboard beneath. Regis is pitching a fit. He says I am unreasonably fearful to the point of paranoia about storms and it makes no sense that I would disarm the weather radio. I said I'm not really fearful of winter storms sneaking up on me so it makes perfect sense that I would put it away in December. He's storming around here in one of his man-tempers about the whole thing and insists that I write about it. I suppose he thinks I'll make myself look bad rather than sugar coat it like I did.
Peter was going out to celebrate a friend's birthday tonight. I told him if he was in a bar and a tornado appeared, he should go into the beer cooler. He said Chopper's has a basement. A nice one, I bet. That bar has been there since dirt.
Miles, keep a weather eye out tonight, buddy. I hear there are storm warnings for your area. You should hear the robot on the weather radio say Owatonna. It's a hoot.
I went off to the pulse this morning to save myself the work-out this afternoon. Rachel reminded me that she would see Betty and me this afternoon at 3:15 for our training. Uff da. I had forgotten. So I got a double work-out today and I'm beat. I'm taking the day off tomorrow to rest my weary muscles.
Very funny movie. We slapped our knees and guffawed until our faces hurt. Here's Reger Ebert's review. Not the kind of movie to take small children or your mother to see, but a good movie if you want to laugh at really ridiculous and dirty stuff.
I don't really like to talk numbers but I have lost a lot of weight in the last year. Let's just say a lot. I have a few friends who proclaim that I am melting when they see me about once a week. Today when I was at the pulse, doing my 30-minute treadmill workout #2 with inclines and intervals, I thought melting is way too passive for what I've been doing. Most days don't feel like an entire campaign but some days do feel like a battle. I would say that in general, all the things I've done since last August, including the head parts, are the hardest work I have done in my life.
We took Peter to Patrick's for a hamburger tonight. Before he got there, a young man with a baseball cap walked in with a girl. I swear Regis gasped...he thought Peter was bringing a girl to meet us. Peter really laughed when he heard that. I keep telling him we don't want to read in the Free Press that he bought a marriage license.
Regis made Bruce's recipe for Apple Pie yesterday. This is a recipe made with ever clear, not your grandma's apple pie. We took a bottle to Tom and he proclaimed it a success. I didn't try any...not sure what would kill me faster, the juice or the liquor. Best not to experiment.
I went out to fill the bird feeder and when I approached the bag of sunflower seeds in the garage, I spotted a dead mouse. I backed away and came back into the house. How could a mouse expire within 8 inches of a huge sack of sunflower seeds. Peter came out to fill the feeder and move the mouse. I asked him if he could tell what had killed the mouse but he didn't know. No autopsies were performed.
We're going to see the movie The Hangover. Don't ask me why.
I just read the newsletter from one of my favorite blogs, This Goat's Life. The main goat, Baby Belle, was diagnosed with cancer. She's been doing pretty well since January but you can guess the outcome. They think it will be impossible to continue the blog when Baby Belle dies. I'm heartbroken.
I sat on the patio in a lawn chair most of yesterday afternoon. It was warm enough to make a guy seek shade but cool enough to not drive you inside. I even took a short nap which is difficult to do sitting up. I finished So Brave, Young, and Handsome by Leif Enger. It's now on my list of all-time favorite books. Ella came over after her nap and helped Regis cook chicken breasts and ground brisket sandwiches on the grill. We walked across the street to pick strawberries and see the fish pond, and then we read books in the lawn chair. What a day.
Today is quite another story. It's back to cool and damp and overcast.
If you ever look at the comments from the other posts, you might have noticed the exchange between Deb and my mom. I realized they were talking to each other but not until I had dug through a garbage bag to find the padded envelope in which my bracelet arrived.
Betty and I did our cardio and strength workout today. This is the start of our 3rd week which is much longer than most people would have guessed we would persevere. I walked most of my treadmill routine today hands-free! Hurray for me! My balance must be improving which I hope will keep me out of a nursing home someday. Much of it is still very difficult...doing the exercise, counting, and breathing takes a lot of coordination. I asked Rachel if we could hire her kids to count for us as that seems to be a downfall. The other things are sort of critical. You probably have noticed the absence of any news about Zumba. By the time I'm done with this other stuff, that is way beyond my capacity.
Off to dig up another book. Light a candle in your garden for Baby Belle tonight.
The bluesfest was great fun. The weather was perfect for sitting in the sun, the smell of charcoal grilling wafted across the grounds, and the music was great. Regis took a lot of pictures, mostly of people we don't know. There are always interesting faces at things like this. We hope the Ambassadors do this again next year. It was a hoot!
That the jacket is a white Eddie Bauer from my cousin Deb and the gloves are fuchsia Italian leather with cashmere lining. I was quite fashionably dressed for a parking lot behind a bar. Even dressed as I was, it was still cold on the those metal picnic table benches and when your butt is that cold, all the songs start to sound the same, so we didn't stay long. The crowd was mostly people our age and they were all starting to drift away about the time we did, being replaced by a much younger but only slightly hipper set. Ah, youth.
It was a nice morning while I was at work, but it started raining this afternoon and now it's cold again. We're heading downtown to see Everett Smithson's band. This from their website:
The Everett Smithson Band plays an interesting variety of music as well as standards that have a unique spin on them and many delightful originals. They play Zydeco (swamp rock), Rock and Roll, Country, Blues, Rockabilly, Gospel and funk. The song list is unpredictable with songs from Fats Domino, Johnny Cash, Howlin Wolf, Rosie Ledet, Wanda Jackson and Allison Krause -- music from 1900 to the present time.
I took a short nap this afternoon, in bed...in my pajamas...which is the only way to take a real nap. When I got up I talked Regis into going to Gordman's for a little shopping trip. I felt the need for orange sandals. Of course, we bought a lot of other crap, too. When we were in line a guy behind us said, "Hey, I got distracted and forgot to buy the thing I came in here to get!" He sounded dismayed. I said it happens to everyone.
When we go to the show tonight, I'll be wearing a winter jacket and leather gloves. No sandals.
Regis spent part of the morning observing a drama in the garden. There was a grumpy looking baby robin who did not seem happy out of the nest. He was being harassed by his parents and by a couple of grackles. Regis said he marched into the garden once waving his arms and yelling to disperse the grackles but the robins didn't seem tickled with him either. (See the slideshow at the bottom!)
The other pictures in the slide show are the poppies...the annual blooming. The weather has been perfect for them. They bloomed slowly because it's cool and they're in good shape because it hasn't been windy the last few days. They are absolutely captivating. We sat on the patio so I could watch them this afternoon. I publish pictures of them every year because I badger Regis to take more pictures of them.
Young Regis and Peter were around for a meal so we made burgers on the grills with sauteed peppers, onions, and stuffed portobellos. Delicious.
Years ago when I was at a summer writing conference in Iowa City, Jim Heynen said that when he goes in a bookstore and sees his books on the remainder table for some ridiculous price, he has to buy them. He has nightmares about driving around in his old car peddling books from the trunk. I always think of that when I visit the remainder table at the local bookstore. Yesterday I bought So Brave, Young and Handsome by Leif Enger. I've only read a few chapters but I love it. His sentences are like a warm bath. I'll type a few of them here tomorrow night as I'm too soporific to get up off my chair right now.
Regis and I lifted the veil of moroseness by going out into the sunshine this afternoon. There was only about an hour of it, but by God we enjoyed it. Regis had a beer and a cigar and I had a popsicle and we watched the birds and admired our baby robins and our new grass. What a day.
There's a great story in the Trib today about a family from Missouri who sent out a family photo Christmas card last year. They also posted the photo on the family blog. Lo and behold, friends of theirs driving through Prague in the Czech Republic see their family photo on the front of a store, life size, advertising something. Well, hmmmmm. The store owner says he got it off the internet and if the family lived in his country, he would send them a nice bottle of wine as an apology.
So, if any of you are driving through an eastern European country and see a photo from my blog on a storefront, make sure to let the store owner know he owes me a bottle of wine.
Who knew I would need an electric mattress pad into June? It's about 60 degrees right now, going down to 48 with rain tonight. Good grief, Miles. Get out the Patagonia again. I bought a new white cotton blanket today at Penney's so I hope that will keep me warm tonight. Somebody told me (Joanne?) that people have been wearing winter coats to graduation parties when they have to sit in the garage. It's a midwestern thing.
I remember one year it was cold on the 4th of July. They brought a van full of old people down for the parade and their wheelchairs were lined up along the street. Each of the old folks was wrapped in a white blanket like a cocoon. It looked like a Guindon cartoon, if you remember those.
Regis and I stopped at Mazatlan for lunch today. They have new booths and new chairs and it is so cute! It looks like a real authentic Mexican hacienda (or something). I told Regis I must have a little southern blood because I LOVE those bright colors. The bathroom is a bright periwinkle and the ceilings are orange. The furniture is very colorful. We're going to take a picture next time we go. If you live in the area, this is a MUST FREQUENT restaurant. The food is wonderful, the service is excellent (Jesus waited on us today, for example.), and the prices are great. Highly recommended. The link has the menu but not the new decor. Check it out.
We like go out to eat but it's been a bit of a challenge since my surgery. I have a hard time finding the right thing and I usually end up with about 6 meals out of one entree. Mexican restaurants are the easiest because I can eat refried beans and guacamole and they make their ground beef so fine that it works pretty well.
Hey, this morning I made it 5 minutes on the elliptical without stopping to rest! Way to go!
Our robins seem to have made it through the most dangerous first days out of the nest. At least we haven't found any smashed on the street. The parents still seem to be buzzing around with worms so we suspect the babies have graduated to low-hanging limbs. Life's rough in the bird world.
Cousin Deb is sending me a red bracelet. She makes them and they're so pretty. I have two turquoise ones and I love them.
Tom is home safely from his trip to Idaho. We haven't heard the stories yet but I bet there are some good ones.
I wonder what kind of shoes a guy wears in weather like this. Socks seem a little unfashionable in June but I might have to go with it.
Our yard is full of baby birds and animals today. There's been a baby robin (or two or three) perched here and there for the last couple days. We hope they're the babies from our nest. A parent bird is usually nearby, still delivering worms and bugs. There was a baby house finch in the tray feeder with the mama today, and I could hear him squawking from in the house. That must get on her nerves. When she finally left and flew into a tree, he followed and almost landed on top of her. Children are the same in any species, I guess.
The birds have been making good use of the tray feeder full of sunflower seeds and the grape jelly. We put jelly out for the orioles but we never see any of those. The grackles, finches, and robins all eat the jelly like crazy.
I wish Regis could get a picture of the baby robins. They are so darn cute. This isn't ours, but it's what they look like. I love the little pin feathers on his head and the grumpy look.
It's so cold and windy out for those poor little things. They need tiny coats and mittens.
I ordered Regis a present for Father's Day today and had it delivered to the home of a different person. I'm not going to say who because he might be sniffing around there. I also forbid him from using Amazon for the next two weeks so he can't look at where's our stuff. I don't think I've bought him a present in ten years that he hasn't seen before the event for which it was ordered.
I went to the work-out place this afternoon and did the elliptical thing for five minutes without dying but I had to take a couple breaks. Some people actually use that thing and read magazines while they're doing it for heaven's sake. When I walk on the treadmill, I hang on for dear life. She wants me to work on walking hands-free. I said I didn't think that was allowed and really, why would they have a handle on it? I can do it when I walk slower than 3.7 miles per hour but any faster than that and I am afraid I'll shoot off the end like a hocky puck. I don't wave at people or watch television while I'm walking either. I have mastered the iPod. Ta da.
Seriously, this working out thing is full of amazing sights. There was a class going on where people danced back and forth on a step thing while waving their arms. Now that's coordination.
I like to listen to the Dropkick Murphys while I walk. Good thing that the only noise comes out of the tiny headphones.
I left this picture of mom off the picasa site because I didn't know if she would want her picture in a robe made public but I've had so many inquiries...where's your mom???....that I had to post it. Sorry, Mom.
We were at Barky's Resort on Ottertail Lake with most of the Saums this weekend. We were prepared for cold weather, even stopped at Fleet Farm and bought two extra sweatshirts, but we were not prepared for the weather we had. Regis said it was a record low high yesterday in Battle Lake. That means, really, a record low. The rain came sideways and was torrential. We weren't on the beach even one time. We had about 2 hours of sunshine Friday when we got there and that was the end of the pleasant weather.
We had a very good time, though. There are pictures here if you want to take the extended look. The babies were a big hit...Tiffany's Elliot and Jeremy's Dakota Star. The three little girls, Evynne, Darby, and Evelyn, had a great time together even though they got a little squirrely. Mom took us all out for breakfast at Betty's Pantry in Ottertail to end the fine weekend.
The pork butts that Regis smoked were a big hit. We served the whole family sandwiches on Friday night. We made a Carolina barbecue finishing sauce that's a vinegar base rather than tomato base. It was perfect.
If you know me at all, you know I am not a fan of long car trips. I was a good sport on both legs of the journey this weekend but about Hutchinson on the way home, I started to get antsy. I had eaten a piece of sugar-free chocolate that did not agree with me. Serves me right.
Our baby robins appear to have left the nest while we were gone. There is one fat one still perched in the nest but the others have flown. Or have been fledged? Is that how you say it? It's a miracle that they grow so fast. We'll miss these babies but there's probably time for another crop.
I was afraid my poppies would bloom while I was gone but they didn't. They were probably afraid it would snow on them.
I have to go and attempt to gather my road trip brains so I can go to work tomorrow. Ugh.
I went to the fitness center after school where a nice lady tried to murder me with something called an elliptical. That is some torture device. My goal is to make it to five minutes without collapsing. I learned that I have crappy balance. When the nice lady said, now try that standing on one leg, I laughed. When she told me to walk on the tread mill without hanging on, I said I was sure I would fly off the end.
Regis smoked the pork shoulders today and they smell wonderful. He smoked a turkey breast, too, so I have some leaner meat to eat. If we get stranded anywhere along the route tomorrow, we'll eat well.
Reggie was here when I got home and Peter came shortly after. That was the end of my productivity. We sat on the patio until almost dark, watching the baby robins, keeping an eye on the neighborhood, and giving advice to the chef. It was just a beautiful evening.
We're leaving tomorrow about 9 for Ottertail Lake. See you Sunday!
I rode my bike to school today. I had to go to an interview at the high school so I had to ride my bike over there and back. Then home. I figure it's about nine miles total. I have an odometer but I don't know how to read it so I have to guess at the mileage. Wonderful ride but I'm pooped tonight.
I'm sitting in my purple robe, my new exercise shoes, and my new Duluth Trading Post solar weave booney hat. I have the hat buttoned up on the side so I think I look like I'm going on safari. Peter says it's not a look I'm pulling off very well and he hopes none of his friends come to the door.
Regis is gearing up for the pork butt smoking tomorrow. He has to get up early to get it on the grill. He's taking care of the whole works...the dry rub recipe, the mop, and the grill. I just get to come home and smell it while I sit on the patio.
Well, I'm going to bed to read Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese. Check out the reviews.
Today was one of those perfect days. No humidity, a blue sky, perfect temperature. We picked Ella up after school and did a few errands in Mankato. She is so entertaining. Regis got some popcorn at Grizzly's and asked her if she could have some. She has food allergies and she usually knows what she can have and not have. She was chowing on the popcorn and said, "This is fantastic. So much better than the allergy popcorn." Uh oh. Call to mom. No more popcorn. We called her dad on the way home so she could say goodnight. After he hung up, she said, "Bob's nothing but an animal." Where did she get that??? Regis laughed so hard, I thought he was going to have to pull over.
We're watching Ghostbusters on AMC. We both remember it well from when our kids were small and loved it. Guess how many years ago it first came out? 25! How can that be?
We're getting ready for the Saum reunion at Ottertail lake this weekend. I will be out of pocket from Friday to Sunday night. No blog posts and no cell phone. I did see kids sending text messages last year but that takes me so long, I might as well drive into Battle Lake and use the pay phone. I just checked the weather forecast...50's during the day and 40's at night. Better get out the thermals again.
Regis is smoking a couple pork butts (ha ha ha) for pulled pork sandwiches Friday night. Tiffany is bringing hot dogs to cook on the fire Saturday night. Mom is bringing stuff for smores. That's the extent of what I know has been planned. I couldn't get Peter to sign on...he said people would ask him questions. I said it was a good thing he was avoiding that since he works for the secret service and wouldn't want to reveal things like where he works and when he will be done with school. When he was in high school, he thought asking what he had for lunch was a personal question.
Tom is on a road trip to Idaho with his brother. They plan to camp and fish along the way. It sounds like something from a novel and I can see why Betty decided to stay home and enjoy the pleasures of AC and a warm bed.
I talked to Jane today and our trip to Iowa in July is a go. She said that's the weekend of Heritage Days in Mt. Vernon. They'll be selling beer on the street corners, don't you know. I won't be partaking but I'll enjoy the ambience.
When I lived in Iowa, the next tiny town over built a new fire station. The first time they had a fire, all the firemen showed up but nobody had the key to the fire station. How good is that? Unless you were the one waiting for them, I guess.
I loved living in Iowa and have some great stories about my tour of duty there.
Excuse me, I have to brag. I went to the fitness center this morning, walked on a treadmill for 20 minutes, then participated in a strength training class. I was not the most fit person there and I had to stop a few times before we got to pumping iron for 20 reps but I made it the whole half hour. Ta da! Then tonight, Regis and I rode our bikes down to Bob's and he stayed there while I went to a Zumba class. Now, if I had looked this up in the internet before I went, I never would have gone but I'm trying hard to free myself of the old mental constraints of I can't do this or that.
This was described to me as a "Mexican dance class". You can imagine the image I had. What it is is (I did that on purpose) Latin hip hop aerobic exercise. This was an hour class taught by a willowy but muscular blonde who moved like she was made of rubber. I tried to find a youtube video that was more like my class (not wanting to offend the other people there, I will leave you to your own imagination) but I guess they don't publish those. This will give you an idea.
I have to say that even though I had to stop after 20 minutes, it was really fun and I'll go back. What a hoot! What a hoot! What a damn hoot!
I'm up early and ready to go to the fitness center. I've never belonged to a fitness anything in my life. I feel like I'm joining a coven of witches or an alien separatist group. I'm nervous. Will they be able to tell I've led a sedentary life, so far?
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.
Regis made the weekly trip to the HyVee this morning, then spent the rest of the day smoking a beef brisket. He made his own dry rub and put that on last night. The meat is wonderful. That red ring you see around the outside is from the smoke.
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