Me (That's Right, It's All About Me)

There's repeat of a meme going thru Facebook right now:  25 Things About Me.  I've done this one before, but, let's face it, it's fun, so I'm gonna do it again.  (I wonder if I'll have any repeats?  It would be interesting to see!)  So, without further ado and in no particular order . . . .

25 Things About Me

1. I used to hate cats.  Hate 'em.  Now I have three.
2. I smoke.  A pipe.  On occasion.
3. Fundamentally, I am a very lazy person.  What keeps me moving are the examples set by my folks (the hardest working people you'll ever meet!), the desire to be "a good person", and doing what's required to live the life I want.
4. With our wedding scheduled for (and held in) February, I convinced Tom to marry me in a civil service the previous June.  I felt quite sure he would get cold feet if we waited.  (Analyze THAT, why don't you, given the fact that we're now divorced!!)
5. I think I (?!) believe in previous lives.  At least, I believe that there is some unknown entity that connects us to certain places or lifestyles that we've never experienced in this life.
6. I have two stoves in my kitchen, and I use the old, wood cookstove that raised a family of 13 local children 95% of the time.  And, I wouldn't give it up for love nor money.
7. If it weren't for the solitary fact that I'll be able to use it as a digital picture frame in my office/gallery once I can replace it as my laptop, I would use this computer for target practice.  (Update:  considering I had this list written up to Item 15 when this computer crashed, and I lost all of those [8-14], I may use it for target practice yet!)
8. I wish I could be more organized.  (That's actually my biggest wish in life.)
9. I think I could be a very "good" rich person.  
10. If I was rich and didn't have to work to make money, I still don't think I'd have enough time to do ALL the things I want to do in life.
11. Caffeine doesn't affect me.  I can drink coffee right before bed.  Conversely, if I'm tired while driving, caffeine doesn't help.
12. You will never come to my house and find ALL the dishes done.  Just . . . can't . . . do . . . it.
13. I designed this Swamp River Ridge house and know every inch of it, down to the 4 1/2" difference between the "matching" bump-outs that are the kitchen and sunroom.
14. I will forever be grateful to Tom for getting me through my depression / years of infertility struggles.
15. I am very glad that Tom finally had the strength to tell me, that horrible January day, that he was not happy in our marriage.  I never would have (ended the marriage), and we're both better, happier people now, because of that.  For that, I thank him.
16. I'd always wanted a big, commercial strength Kitchen Aid and got one, from an old boyfriend, for a wedding gift.  It has sat, proudly, on the kitchen counter these past 10 years.  I have used it . . . once.
17. I have always wanted to live by myself, in a cabin in the woods, for an entire calendar year.  No human contact other than, perhaps, two or three visits . . . but for no more than a couple of hours (mail & resupply & news).  I don't think I'd want to do it w/out a computer connection to the world, though.  Nor would I do it without the companionship of some four-leggeds.
18. I have always wanted to live, for some period of time (at least two weeks), without clocks.  I'm interested to see how my internal timepiece would adjust.
19. I love art.  I wish I had the money to spend on it.  I would support a lot of local artists.
20. I would like to travel across America in an RV some day.  (With no time or money restrictions.)
21. I almost lost the nearly 35-year friendship of my best friend following her wedding.  I'm glad I didnt.
22. I have been to only one open-casket funeral and touched only one dead person in my life.  She was cold.  (Go figure.)
23. I have never been able to stick to any sort of diet (not just the lose-weight kind).  If there's something I'm choosing to omit from my food groups, I can think of nothing but that treat / bready-goodness / alcohol . . . and immediately cave.
24. I could never live in a part of the world where spiders were big and common.
25. I've gotten the autograph of only one famous person, David Byrne of The Talking Heads.  If a friend who "knew music" hadn't picked him out at the London airport, I would have had no idea who he was.

Here's the link to the last time I did this - in January of 2009.  And, yep, I DID have some repeats!

Now, dear reader, will you do the same?  I l-o-v-e learning things like this about my friends!

Another (Maybe Not So) Random Photo Post

While the California contingent of family was here, we celebrated Mom & Dad's 47th wedding anniversary.  Coincidentally, it was the night Cousin C had asked to take us all out to the fanciest restaurant in town.  Mom had FORBADE me any mention WHATSOEVER of the date being special, but we were able to drink a toast to them anyway that night:  Uncle M (Dad's brother) having called the visiting family that morning to tell them.

So, the day was still a little special . . . but not embarrassingly so (which both my folks H-A-T-E), and, most importantly, I was not in trouble for spililng the beans!  ;)

Here they are, 47 years ago.

 

Isn't Mom BEAUTIFUL???!

Misc.

My newest trouble w/ uploading photos NOW is that I've lost the cable connecting my camera to the 'puter.  Doh!  I remember grabbing it the other morning, thinking I'd do some uploading from my office in town . . . but WHERE is it now?!  I know it's somewhere . . . grumble, grumble, grumble.

Anyway!  Had a lovely visit with a dear old friend & her 3 teenagers yesterday.  Her oldest is going to be 18 in about six weeks, and I remember meeting him when he was just FOUR DAYS OLD!  Where DOES the time go?  I have COMPLETELY morphed into one of those "older women" who gush, "Oh, my gosh, you're SO big!  Why, I remember when I held you in my arms for the first time . . . !"  (Barf.)  I think I got some good photos & videos of the day, but, of course, they're forever trapped in my camera . . . until I get that errant cable.

But then, the really amazing thing is . . . I got home before dark last night, and YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE THE THINGS I GOT DONE!!!  I spent a decent amount of time with the babies (kittens) - although the shy one wouldn't show his/her face since the dogs were with me.  I burned all the accumulated papers (and two chicken carcasses - STILL haven't caught that damn critter) in the wood boiler plus more from the house.  Then, once it was too dark to see outside, I attacked the foyer here in the house.  It had gotten super messy (come in door, dump armfuls of stuff in foyer), and even if the rest of the house is a disaster, it's nice to be greeted by a clean, open space.  So, I sorted through the piles of totes and shoes and piles of mail and put it all away and then got out the vacuum (shhh - yes, I know it was after dark & there was no solar, but I h-a-d to get it done!).  THEN, I got into bed with a bowl of Peppermint Bon Bon ice cream (splurge!) and the newspaper . . . and it was STILL before midnight when the paper was finished & the light went out!  Yayyy me!  ;)

And, with that, I'm off for another day.  Happy 16th wedding anniversary to one of my oldest, dearest friends . . . ah, yes, I remember that day in Itasca State Park (beautiful park, btw, should you ever be in the area) . . . 

The Last Couple of Days in Photos

This, folks, is what you call a 'revoltin' development'.

Today's schedule being what it is, I had the opportunity to sleep in. But, of course, Annie Blue meowed and meowed and meowed to be let out around 6:30 (even tho she's a cat, she goes potty outside), and I was sooooooo tired. But, I grumped and groaned out of bed and tromped downstairs and let her out. Then I flopped back in bed. And tossed and turned. Was too hot. Started thinking about this and that. Got up to go potty myself, and got a drink of water. And then? I was awake.

So, here I am. Potential lie-in morning not taken advantage of. (Well, that's a lie - I did get an extra hour compared to a normal morning.) Anyway, as I said, 'a revoltin' development'.

Anyway, here are a few pictures to illustrate life lately.


I took this first one on October 1st. I'd just walked into the kitchen to pull a junky pizza out of the oven, and the cozy scene just really struck a chord in me. What you can't see is that the four pans on the stove contain four fresh batches of cottage cheese, and there's a fire snap-cracklin' in the wood cookstove. Have I ever told you, "I LOVE my kitchen?!" :)


I took this next picture during our first-of-the-year snows. On the 10th, to be exact. With our whacky fall this year, we still had leaves on the trees (green leaves, in fact) when the snow came.


Last Friday while nannying, the weather allowed for some of the earliest sledding I can remember in years! Peanut #2 lives just about 2 miles from Peanut #1 (in order of babies I took care of), and so she and I visited little Miss O (who just turned 4) for some playtime.


And, lest you think little Miss O is not fashion-conscious with her blaze-orange hat, it IS hunting season. Here, Peanut #2 displays her own version on October 2nd (and, yes, she is very into wearing her jackets / vests backwards right now!) ;)


Speaking of hats, I've finished #4. This was a labor of love for a young, beautiful 16-year old whose birthday was a bit overshadowed on Saturday by her brother's wedding! She LOVES the KU Jayhawks (and used to live here, but now lives in Kansas which explains the interest), and it was recommended that I use those colors in the crocheting.


Buuuuut, see how bright and gaudy they are? I just couldn't do it. So, I tweaked 'em a bit . . . and explained myself once she opened the package. After all, I want the hat to actually be worn and used! (And I sure hope it will be!)

Here's a nice shot of Miss Sweet Sixteen and her "Mr. Tom" from the wedding over the weekend.


Finally, I'll leave you with this shot. It makes me laugh. I asked the youngest sibling of the wedding family to take some pictures with my camera during the reception. He's just 12 years old and . . . still short. So, here are the bride and groom . . . from his visual perspective. ;) Hee hee.

A Wonderfully Lazy Saturday Morning

I am enjoying the ultimate in decadence this morning. In my comfy pink bathrobe and lambswool bedroom slippers, I am nestled under a wool blanket that my husband bought for me one Christmas years before we were married. I've built a crackling little wood fire here in the sunroom while the front door in the main part of the house is wide open, allowing the dogs & cat to come and go at will through their flap cut into the screen door. Beside me is a quickly dwindling cup of coffee fresh off the cookstove percolator . . . and a junky white donut. Ahhhh, bliss. ;)

We had that one miserable-hot week near the end of June but, since then, it's been cool again. Lovely for humans, not so good for the garden. It's 58 degrees outside this morning and just 61 inside . . . which is why the little fire feels so good!

Outside, the first of the peony blossoms opened this morning. Tom's dad, Ernie, had quite the green thumb and always grew beautiful flowers that lined the lawns at both their house in town and out at the lake. When Tom and his brother sold the house in town following Ernie's passing two-years-ago-this-fall, we dug up two of the peonies and one teensy maple sapling from the yard. We weren't sure how they would transplant from the temperatures that they were used to in southwestern MN to northeastern MN, but they've all three been successful. The peonies didn't bloom at all last summer, their first, but I'm glad: seems they were rebuilding their core strength. Anyway, it's a real joy to see the brilliant pink of the peonies, and I always take time to give 'Ernie's tree' an extra look when I cross the front walkway between the two south-facing decks.

In the field around my garden, the Sweet William is in full bloom, and the lupines are beginning to show more pod than blossom. I've seen the Goldenrod shooting up, but no blooms yet.

There's a large bush at the entrance to my garden which I've loved since I found it a couple of years ago. Last year (or was it the year before?), I pruned it in the spring, hoping it would grow lusher and more compact. It worked - the blossoms were thick and tight. Then, the runty little yearling moose we named Morty and only saw for a few weeks, came along and chomped all the blossoms RIGHT OFF. Hmph. But, who knows? Maybe Mother Nature knew best . . . because this year, it is lush and lovely. I haven't lost any of the blossoms (knock on wood), and they are now forming berries. The only problem is that I don't know what it is! My Dad tagged it as an Elderberry, but the one resource I looked at then to identify it as such was definitely NOT accurate. Since then, though, I've found some online Elderberry references that DO look remarkably similar to it. So, Dad may have been right! (I know, should I ever have doubted him?) ;) Anyway, I'll post some pictures that I have of it on my other computer and then you all can add your two cents. If it IS elderberry . . . what can I make with it? Jam? Wine? Have any recipes you'd like to share?

Speaking of jam, the wild thimbleberry production is WAY up this year, and if the berries ever get enough sun and warmth to turn their salmony-pink, I want to pick enough to try to make jam. I know they are generally tart enough that they take a huge amount of sugar, but still . . . . Again, any recipes you'd like to share?

Hang on, my fire needs tending to . . . . (Seems I need to take out the ashes.)

My favorite husband is finally home here at Swamp River Ridge (currently enjoying the flannel sheets that a lazy Saturday morning in bed has to offer). Until last Sunday at 3:00 AM, he hadn't been home since June 20th! Following a week-long house/dog-sitting stint for him, we drove down to Minneapolis on Saturday, June 27th, for the family reunion. Sunday night, we drove back up to Duluth and stayed at a dumpy motel (yes, it IS worth the extra $20 or so for a nice place!) in order to be at the airport at 6:00 AM for his 3-stage flight to Durango, CO. (Duluth to Minneapolis, Minneapolis to Denver, Denver to Durango.)

There, on June 29th, Tom began his two-week "interview" with this consulting firm based out of Houston (and Denver and Aztec, NM where he was). (And, no, we still don't know anything regarding whether or not he has the job. We're guessing that it's dependent on whether or not the company gets this particular contract in Ghana which would take 4-6 men out of "the field" in New Mexico . . . thus requiring replacements, i.e. Tom + a few others. Keep your fingers crossed!)

Anyway, he returned to Duluth on Friday, the 10th, and - after they lost his luggage somewhere in Denver (which, incidentally and we know now, is an airport infamous for losing luggage) - arrived into town just after noon on the 11th (thank you, B. duNord!).

I, in turn, pulled in to my folks' yard just after 2:30 that afternoon, wishing there was the time for a proper hello and "Hi, Honey! How ARE you?" after 3 weeks of being apart. Instead, it was, "Here's a razor, shaving lotion, and a toothbrush. Here are your clothes. Jump in the shower and get changed!" We all had to be at a wedding by 3:30!

Fast-forward past the large church wedding and the poor woman passing out just as the service ended. She was carried out on a stretcher. "See," I said, continuing to fan myself with my program as I had been all afternoon, my pearls sticking unpleasantly where they lay on my neck, "I TOLD you it was hot in there!" Let's hope she was suffering from nothing more than a particularly nasty hot flash, too, but given her age . . . .

Anyway, off to the 400-guests-strong reception we went. The rented tent had 5 (count 'em, F-I-V-E) peaks, it was so huge! And, allowing for seating for 400 guests, the head table, a small dance floor, an overflowing gift table, and two buffet tables . . . it was necessary! (Also, keep in mind, for comparison's sake, that the wintertime population of town is only 1,500 - 2,000 people, all tolled!)

The food, once we finally gave up waiting for our table to be properly "released" and just jumped in line, was FAB-OO-LOUS, no pun intended. Check out the website of one of my high school girlfriends, Fabulous Catering. (She's catered to some of the famous: Jessica Lange & Mikhail Baryshnikov's daughter's wedding and, just last fall, The Republican Convention. Pretty good for a small town girl who used to cook at our restaurant, huh?!) She came up to do the food, and was preparing it outside on a MASSIVE wood-fired grill. I don't know HOW she got the pounded chicken breast SO tender, but it was melt-in-your-mouth. She said she marinated it all the 6 hours up from Minneapolis, but still. It was heavenly. Word is, too, that she donated her services to the family as a wedding gift. Her folks are dear friends with the bride's parents, and her sister, who made the to-die-for wedding cakes (check her out here), was the flower girl at said parents-of-the-bride's wedding years ago.

Anyway, I digress. The yard in which the wedding reception was held and my parents' back yard share the same acreage. The parents of the groom are dear friends (their two children are identical twins). We figured that we could tell who was who at the wedding 'cause one would be in a tux . . . standing with the woman in white! But, when they were away from their respective ladies, both wearing tuxes, it was still impossible. Tom focused on their different colored sunglasses; I looked for a shiny, new wedding ring. :)

[Again, I got off on a tangent (as usual). Continuing with the story . . . .]

Months ago, the groom's father asked my dad and Tom if they would, as a wedding gift, be willing to ferry guests home / back to their motels, at the end of the night. He didn't want ANYONE drinking and driving . . . and made a speech as such at the beginning of the dinner. In addition, there's a very small Mom & Pop bus company that runs up and down the North Shore . . . who had given THEIR services as a wedding present. So, she (the "Mom" - as the "Pop" just died last year) began bussing folks around 8:00 PM. By this time, Tom, exhuasted from his past couple of weeks and most recent travel, was sound asleep on the couch in the middle room at my folks'. I, in turn, was sound asleep on their couch in the living room. Mom had changed out of her "wedding clothes" and was nearing the comfort of her jammies. Poor Dad was left to walk over, periodically, "checking in" on the situation.

The Mom & Pop bussing company stopped running when the bulk of the guests were throwing in the towel, around 10:00 PM. The remainders were the closest friends and family . . . the die-hards. Dad said that the line around the open bar never shortened, even as the majority of the guests said good-night. Finally, the DJ stopped at 1:00 AM. That was when my dad and Tom jumped into action, using Dad's two, comfy Suburbans that he had prepped just for the night. And, as it turned out, their runs were minimal and easy, both of them struggling to turn down the tips that tipsy, grateful men tried to shove into their hands. Tom ended up with a $5-er that he just couldn't return. ;)

It was a long night, especially for my dad who was kind enough to do all the "checking in", back and forth across the backyards during the evening. But, all in all, it was a special night, and it felt so good to help out friends.

By the time they both pulled into the yard after their last drops, it was 2:00 AM. Tom and I loaded the dogs into the car and headed home . . . flopping into bed at 3:00. Dawn would start breaking in about 90 minutes.

Welcome home, Honey!

Behind The Eight-Ball . . . As Usual

When I posted the August picture on our Seasonal Changes At Swamp River Ridge blog, I said that August is the last completely green month we'd enjoy. Wrong, wrong, wrong! The yellows and early oranges are EVERYWHERE, and I guess I needed to be reminded that we only have two truly and solidly green months up here: June and July. The rest of the shoulder months are either spent getting ready for summer or getting ready for fall!

Another one of those little "things" about living The Simple Life up here in the sticks . . . folks who see us around here will have noticed that I've been driving the 1-ton pickup everywhere instead of my zippy little Subaru. The reason is more than the fact that it has yet another flat that needs to be patched . . . but it's directly related.

Our own research has shown that my car - due to the size of the tires - cannot take a truly heavy-duty tire . . . the kind that are required for our gravel roads (unless we wanted to throw off the odometer, mileage, etc. - which we don't). Tom's car - his wheels being just a bit larger - CAN take a small truck tire . . . and therefore, a much stronger tire. What I'm getting at is this: we have decided that, in the summertime, I will drive the truck and park my car. Once the snow is on the ground, I will go back to my beloved little Zip-Zip (although I also enjoy driving the truck) and the 1-ton will again become the plow truck (the reason we bought it).

Many things led up to this, but two of the biggest factors were that I just wasn't comfortable driving the alternate routes home that I wanted to drive . . . for fear that I would get a flat TRULY out in the middle of nowhere completely off my normal route (and Tom wasn't thrilled with that, either, for obvious reasons). My tires were new at the beginning of the year, and they are already completely beat to hell. Not good. The other deciding factor was talking to a friend who also lives on these same slate & shale covered dirt roads (although not out as far as we are). I'd been wondering if all the flats were "just me" and so asked him how many he'd gotten. His "best" was 7 in a single summer - and TWO in one day! That clinched it. I would start driving the big ol' truck. So now, I wheel around wherever I want . . . only really missing the heated seats in my car . . . and flinching every time I fill the truck up with gas. But, I only go to town one day a week, so it's really not bad. And, peace of mind wins out over all those negatives! :)

Now on to the overdue Questions of the Day. Last Tuesday, the 14th, was a special day for many reasons. It WAS the 3rd wedding anniversary of dear friends (now new parents) who we haven't seen in ages. They live in the Cities but got married in historic Red Wing, Minnesota, and their reception was held in one of the few round barns built way back when (it was MASSIVE and gorgeous!). They promised a visit up to us this summer, but I'm thinking it might be fall now by the time they get up. We're anxious to meet that little peanut!

And, it wasn't the 60th birthday of my favorite uncle on my mom's side LAST Tuesday, but it was on the previous Tuesday, the 7th. I was just a little (everybody, now!) "BEHIND as usual"! Anyway, here is the birthday boy - my mom's brother - and his lovely wife at the celebratory b-day dinner. They still live in northern Illinois . . . "the Motherland" to both sides of Chicken Mama's family (and where she/I was born).

Finally, last Tuesday was, yes, as everyone who voted correctly guessed, the ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF TOM'S NEW JOB / LIFE living and working up here! No more Corporate America! No more traveling 300 miles - one-way - every couple of weeks! Maybe reminiscent of his driving days, Tom spent the day driving the 9 hours home from visiting his dad in southwestern MN.

8 May 2007

I'm a day late, but it was this gorgeous gal and her husband's 13th wedding anniversary yesterday! Happy day, you two, and, my, how the time does fly . . . ! I even remember what I wore to your wedding 4,745 days ago (because I wasn't happy with any of the clothes in my closet and ended up in something that I felt was sub-par). Funny how you remember things like that!

Anyway, I hope you had a nice day. Pretty soon, your kids will be old enough to TAKE you two out . . . and maybe even pay for it?! Quick - what's that first summer job going to be for your oldest?! :)