* * * * * * * *

Staying with Gramma for an evening

2011-10-01T22:52:00.002-05:00

Aww, these two are so much fun! First they re-arranged the toy room, then we went to the park, then home for a "supper" of ice cream and popcorn (hey, I'm the gram--I don't HAVE to deal with nutrition ☺). Once it got dark, we took light sticks outside and tossed em in up the willow tree till the parents came home. It was a thoroughly delightful evening.

BTW, the new fav toy is a big bowl full of old buttons. They can be strung on plastic cord or on pipe cleaners, or they can be counted or glitter-glued to coloring book pages...or a kid can just run handies thru em.

Four, five and sixty-two might just be the PERFECT ages.

"That looks like more fun than this...oh wait!"

2011-06-28T12:50:00.000-05:00

These two re-enacted this sequence over and over this weekend. I mostly sat and watched, but they weren't NEAR as worn out as I was...lol Gawd, we had FUN.

A two-year-old's sense of humor

2011-05-24T11:57:00.000-05:00

Sunday, Em and Scott were here to clear stuff out of the basement. I got to play with Josie alllll afternoon! Gawd, that kid is fun, perceptive and...lol...verbal.

Here, we were building stuff out of huge plastic pegged blocks. For awhile it was towers to knock down, and then it was bridges to build towers on top of, to knock down. Isn't this about the cutest pic of her?

I asked if I could take a few pictures, and she said yes, so after I showed her this one, it was her turn to pose how SHE wanted....which turned out to be "bitin' the tablecloth!"

My gawd, she'll be THREE a week from today. How I love this little girl!

Easter 2011

2011-04-25T08:32:00.000-05:00

No, I dunno why the pics are greenish. The camera is set to "normal photo"...oh, well!

lol...the kids were allowed to eat the mini M&Ms from Gramma's Easter baskets.
They all seemed to do it surreptitiously, like they might be caught and told NO.

There was a box of sidewalk chalk in the play room, and suddenly it caught
their fancy. Mason started, and pretty soon all three were
busy COVERING the front steps--a surprise for Gramma ☺,
who thinks it's BEAUTIFUL!

We walked to the school playground where KQ did monkey bars like a pro,
Josie wasn't afraid of the slide anymore, and Mace dug a hole with a stick he found.
When some bigger kids came, we decided to go back to the house for ICE CREAM.
Evidently, Gramma is the only one able to get green ice cream.

(Gratuitous pic of when they first got their baskets).

Two pictures stitched badly together, but I wasn't trying.
I just realized later that I could.
No, the table IS round.

This is so much Becky and Mason!

This was probably the BEST Easter since the one where Lois couldn't find her basket at 1004 when she was 21.

DILLY is FIVE...

2011-03-02T16:38:00.000-06:00

...which is why she had five pony tails on Sunday! The party theme was picked by the birthday girl--she wanted everybody to decorate CUPCAKES.

Did you know frosting comes in spray cans these days? And tubes, so you can write on cakes...not to mention the TUBS of frosting, and the myriad kinds of sprinkles and small candy for on top. Whew.

Wanna guess how many of these kids have never been allowed their own can of frosting or a spatula to trowel it on with before?

A few were licking it right outta the can. (And NO, I didn't show Josie how; she figured it out herself...lol)

After everybody was good and sugared-up, we all went to the play room. This was a still as any of em got. What a FUN afternoon!

Something cool for your house

2011-02-01T20:48:00.000-06:00

This just seems like a cool idea for any house, especially if you've changed walls or built an addition, or if you know something about the house that's unusual or note-worthy.
Course, you can just write it all on the wall of the garage like I did, but this'd be way more fun to find someday!

SWITCHPLATE TIME CAPSULE

Yer welcome!

A cool pub

2011-01-29T21:03:00.000-06:00

Only at Gramma's house

2010-11-28T13:04:00.000-06:00

The grands think ONLY gramma's computer has Thomas the Tank Engine movies in it. This was last Sunday, while their parents were chatting in the kitchen...lol GAWD, I adore these three kids!

Follow the Money

2009-12-13T21:29:00.000-06:00

I remember asking mom what 'insurance' meant--I was reading a short-story, and the character was worried about the Insurance Man coming around when she had no money. What was that all about?

Mom said well, if you have some disaster happen, something that costs a lot, most people don't have extra money around to pay for it. (We sure didn't). So, the idea behind insurance was to have everybody pay a smaller affordable amount every month when things were good...then, if there's a problem, the money to pay for a roof, or fix a car, or go to the hospital would be there....because everybody was paying into this fund. You had to make a claim and prove you needed the help, but that was the way it worked. If you were lucky, you'd never need it.

In the story, the woman needed fifty cents for the Insurance Man. I knew that that wasn't much--but she lived in a tennament in New York in 1900. I asked mom what we paid for insurance....and mom being mom, she wouldn't say...but I could tell it worried her, too.

I asked what happened to your money if you never needed it? Well, that was just the cost of having it, she said...you were buying 'peace of mind'. I thought that was a bad bargain,and pretty unjust, and I still do.

For instance, if I paid, say, $100 every month from the time I was 20, that would be $48,000 by now. And, if everybody paid that $100 every month......over years....then there's a huge pool of money somewhere, no matter how many claims have been made.

The current "health care" debate in Washington seems to me to be so much smoke-blowing. Like the syndicate in 1900s New York who extorted money from the woman in the book, the "insurance" companies are making massive amounts of money, and telling us they can't afford to pay for claims.

What's wrong with this picture?

What amazing agility!

2009-12-04T23:18:00.001-06:00

I LOVE this vid--they're having so much fun!

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-11-26T22:35:00.000-06:00

(I told the kids to say, "POOP!")

Three- two- and one-year-olds

2009-09-27T19:00:00.002-05:00

Whoa! This weekend, Becky was out of town so Scott, Emily and I watched the Grands while Josh did something else that was fun...but oh MY, these three kept us hopping. Dilly's an expert at talking her gramma into stuff (like, we really don't NEED a nap, how 'bout more Thomas the Tank Engine videos?) and Mace joyfully benefits, while Josie is so good-natured that she's fine as long as she gets her way sometimes...lol Of course, I see me in all three of them!

We went for a wagon ride Saturday morning with Auntemalee pulling. The kids were actually IN the wagon for about a block...but then, there were more storm-drains to check and holler "Hey!" into. When Unca Scott said HE needed a ride, Mace was incredulous, Dilly wanted to help and Josie thought SHE should pull by herself...lol This was about as far as the team made it.
They got by with a little help from Uncascott.

"What I Know About Little Girls"

2009-09-20T11:31:00.008-05:00

From Wikipedia: Coronet Magazine was a general interest digest published from October 13, 1936 to March 1971 and ran for 299 issues. The magazine was owned by Esquire and published by David A. Smart from 1936 to 1961. It was similar in format to Readers Digest but was considered to have a higher tone.

I found this in a box of Grandpa's stuff that mom kept. Its from January 1952, so mom had two little girls and was pregnant with the third. Probably had it memorized by the fourth...lol I'm adding it here cuz its so sweet, like my own two grandaughters.
(Apologies to my brother Allan and grandson Mason...if grandpa had known about you, he'd have sent something about boys, I'm sure...lol)

Awwwww!

The willow in Gramma's backyard

2009-09-12T21:57:00.005-05:00

When I planted the weeping willow in my backyard, it was a 12 foot reedy thing, but I had visions of a big droopy cave for the grands...someday. That was maybe 10 years ago, before my own kids were even married.

But LOOK what today brought!

KQ was fascinated by the tree. She said, "Gramma, theres a DOOR!" when the branches parted a little. She wanted to crawl under the cherry bushes, too, cuz they were other rooms...lol There's a string of small mirrors under there, and KQ looked up with those big brown eyes and told me she was 'being gentle with em'...

Running around under there was GREAT fun. When we went in the house for water, we had to go back right away. Oh, and we HAD to show dad--he probably never saw something so cool before...and something so FAR from the house!

Little girl, you delight me. Thanks for today!

A weekend with BOTH Grandmas

2009-06-29T15:03:00.002-05:00

This weekend was the most fun I've had in ages...lol These two lil punkins made their grandmas laugh and feel proud over and over!

lol...this is where we spent the most time: throwing stuff in the water, taking stuff OUT of the water, adding hot water, filling buckets with (stones and) water, splashing water and holding wet kids in blankets till they wanted BACK in the water...

Sunday, we'd been munching on cashews Gramma Colleen brought, and 3 or 4 spilled on the deck. While we were eating lunch inside, we noticed a CHIPMUNK!! Talk about EXCITING!!

We went for a walk that started with both kids in the wagon, but then, Dilly noticed "Mud!" so we hadta stop and feel it. It was caught above the storm drain on the hill part of their road, and WOW, nearby was a manhole cover with a HOLE in it. We all looked down there, and somebody had a pebble that needed dropping through the hole. Oh WOW--

"Gamma--I HEAR it! I HEAR IT!"

So we spent about 20 minutes picking stones and dropping them in the hole. This picture was the last second Mace was actually IN the wagon. Life just doesn't get better than this.

For the Grands...

2009-05-13T23:36:00.000-05:00

A truly GREAT craft project

2009-05-06T23:23:00.002-05:00

You too can make one of THESE!! Just follow the instructions.

Spanish Flu vs. Swine Flu

2009-04-27T13:51:00.004-05:00

So MANY thoughts go through my head while listening to the "Swine Flu" news lately, mostly because I've been studying history so intently in the past couple years.

THIS ARTICLE speaks of how and why the Spanish Flu swept around the world, and certainly, sanitation, communication, and medical knowledge are different now. WWI and troops going abroad or coming home helped spread the virus. Here in America, there were new immigrants crowded in tenements who were deeply affected. But, they'd lived through epidemics in Europe (cholera, for one, which was raging when GGrandfather Paul was born), so perhaps it was just life to them, until they looked back on it.

I think, too about living in Minnesota, where the state epidemiologist for years was a man named Mike Olsterholm. He was frequently given air-time on MPR. The man was ridiculous about the Bird Flu--"WHEN, not IF!" His major mantra was "pandemic", while little was mentioned about how much different our world is since 1917. He always sounded like he couldn't wait for it to happen. I wonder if "Bird Flu" just didn't sound as scary as "Swine Flu" does. Are we jumping on the next bandwagon, here?

On the third hand, our society has become nuts with "germ free, anti-bacterial" products--HERE'S a typical scare commercial--and it makes me afraid that we haven't allowed our kids to build immunity to normal stuff.

A week ago today, we were endlessly hearing about the Somali pirates, and there was no mention of epidemic, pandemic or flu in the news, but suddenly, it's huge? C'mon! There are 306 million people in the USA--40 have been ill, 1 was hospitalized, and all have recovered. How does that make a 'possible pandemic'?

There's a quote about writing a novel, the gist of which is that, if you introduce a gun in the first chapters, you have to use it by the end of the book. Maybe the 'gun' here is the massive vaccine stockpile at the CDC, and the story needs a pandemic to use it.

Whew--I dunno. Maybe we really ARE sheep.

(Next day)
Isn't it possible that, BECAUSE we're looking for this disease, we're finding it? I mean, flu spreads. We all know that. And most people wouldn't go to a clinic or doctor with the flu--you just stay home.
It stands to reason that now, if you don't feel good, you WILL go in? So, Oooo, it'll show up!

What if we tracked--I dunno--a cold? Couldn't we pretty much follow how it spread, if the investigation was intense enough?
(I need a rolling-eyes icon here, or a family nurse to comment...)

The Minnesota Zoo, with grandkids!

2009-04-12T19:58:00.005-05:00

An Easter outing--some things are just so much fun!!

Moments before this picture, that big fish came right up to the glass, and Dilly kissed it...lol THEN I got my camera out.

I'm not positive Josie's all that interested in otters, but they were worth a look, especially from the safety of dad's arms...lol
Dilly was a little unclear on the concept--"Wha...stick my face...where? Why??" But the kid is game, and tried it anyway...lol (Yes, I think her lip WAS over the edge there--ewww!)

This little "cave" looked pretty scary to Mason. It's in the Tropical house, and you have to be the right size to go inside, see? It's actually an L shaped little hall that brings a kid back out just to the left of where Mase is. He wasn't at ALL sure it was ok, but big Sis did it, so....

Thanks to my kids, their spouses, and the grands for being so wonderful. We had a great time today!

You'll LOVE this!

2009-03-21T23:10:00.002-05:00

Minutas cantorum, minutas balorum, minutas carboratum desendus pantorum....

OR......"A little song, a little dance, a little seltzer down your pants"...LOL!

Todays' Quiz

2009-03-08T23:01:00.003-05:00

OK....first question: who was this man? NO SCROLLING till you answer.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

RIGHT! It's Axel.

Now, 2nd question: If a feller wears his hat this way, what was he?

RIGHT, boys and girls! A DOOFUS! (But, what would dad have said??)

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Ok, so here, we see Axel and _______. How did Axel pronounce her name? And, for extra credit, what's he holding in his right hand?

Now, eat yer breakfast 'n' drink yer milk! Oh, and go play his theme song HERE!

Josie at Grammas house

2009-02-15T00:24:00.002-06:00

Em, Scott and Josie stopped in Saturday night, and the little Punkin found stuff to play with in my livingroom beyond dustbunnies...lol

That blue statue has little birdhouses dangling from a curled wire between its' hands, and Josie really wanted them OFF!

Someday, someone'll take a pleasant picture of me with my mouth SHUT...but this time, it was the spirit of the ocassion, ok?

Gratuitous joke

2009-02-12T20:04:00.000-06:00

What's the difference between us and a pigeon?
A pigeon can still make a deposit on a car.

LOL

Futzing withit

2009-02-03T19:36:00.002-06:00

WOW! There are so many great FREE photo editors online lately! I re-did the masthead on FOTOFLEXER cuz they offer re-sizable 'decals' you can stick on a photo or, like here, on words. The font is also something I found there.

Another free program I like is PICNIK --it's done with humor, and has a LOT of really cool possibilities like making a color photo into a B&W line drawing, and then, leave one area of the pic in color, not to mention the hundred other things you can do!

Larry sent me one the other day called SUMO which seems to do almost all the stuff Photoshop does, only in a simpler way. You can smudge an edge with any one of LOTS of 'brushes' (the fancy term for the shape the cursor takes), and just re-size 'em for different effects.

Gawd, I think I have 8-10 different photo editors in my "favorites" file. Each one does something better than the others, so mostly, I start on one program and take it to another for tweaking, and then another to add an edge or re-size it. I definitely use PAINT (my quick workhorse) and PAINT.NET , too since I'm most familiar with them.

They all take a few seconds to load (except PAINT)...but they offer so much FUN, it's worth it!

Garden of Eatin'

2009-02-02T16:11:00.001-06:00

I'm not saying I'm going to DO this, just that it's something to think about!

Saturday

2009-01-31T17:34:00.003-06:00

When you start with a recipe that calls for 4 cups of flour, 2 cups of brown sugar and 1 cup of white sugar, you should EXPECT it makes alot, right?

(See what you started, Becks?)

lol

Just in case--

2009-01-26T17:40:00.002-06:00

From Archie McFee and company, here's an EMERGENCY YODEL BOTTON !

You're welcome.

NEW Josie pics!

2009-01-15T08:27:00.002-06:00

LOL...I don't need to brag, but

THIS is one CUTE KID!!

A remedy your grandma never suggested:

2009-01-15T07:27:00.002-06:00

Indoor air in winter in Minnesota has a moisture content lower than the Sahara. The furnace is on, doors and windows are sealed against the cold, and static shocks are a fact of life.
Breathing that air makes your throat dry, and you wake at night with a dry cough that seems to propagate itself. What to do?

I found sugarless gum works! It doesn't melt like a coughdrop, it keeps saliva flowing just a bit, and you wake with nice minty breath!

You're welcome!

Q: Was Josh-my-son involved in the NEW I-35 Bridge?

2009-01-11T08:07:00.002-06:00

National Geographic is airing the 35W Bridge project show on Thursday the 15th at 7:00 pm....check it out!!

And then, if somebody would RECORD it, his mom might get to see it, too :^)

You want pictures?

2009-01-01T19:27:00.006-06:00

Wow, it's 2009!

***********

( As the years go by, I often think--wouldn't grandma and grandpa be tickled with the little kids? )

***************

Looking back, that this blog has been devoted predominately to KQ, since she's been around longest...lol But lately, I've been more aware of how familiar the two little ones look to their mom and dad at the same age:

*******************************************

Wishing a wonderful New Year to each of YOU!

What do we "deserve"?

2008-12-22T13:19:00.003-06:00

You deserve a break today

The schools our children deserve...

Do the Detroit automakers deserve a bailout?

Women Deserve Better

Customers Deserve More from Microsoft

Kids Deserve Justice

Animals deserve better

The war we deserve...

Did Brooke Burke Deserve to Win 'Dancing with the Stars'?

We get the government we deserve...

For some reason, I've been noticing the word "deserve" lately. Could be curmudgeonly of me, but I think that to deserve means you've earned something, beyond just being a good compliant American consumer.

It's a slippery word. What, if anything, do I deserve? A good job...a healthy family...shelter...happiness? I want those things, for sure, and strive for them, but do I DESERVE them?

Ok, how about convienences....like working appliances, hot running water, decent tires for the truck? Again, I want those things and work to maintain them, but most of the world lives without thinking about 'em. Ever.

Do we deserve respect? Good schools? Safe streets? Adequate medical services? The internet?

Sigh. I have no answers. It's just something that's been bugging me lately.

In the words of Jack Benny:

I don't deserve this award, but I have arthritis and I don't deserve that either.

It's cold. It's December. It's Minnesota.

2008-12-15T17:24:00.004-06:00

Well, that pretty much sums it up...lol

I was about to leave snarky comments on the blogs of Daud and Daud-in-law about how they haven't posted anything in just ages, but then, I haven't either. We here in the northland get sorta sloggy in winter. We start to move slower. We believe that stuff about holeing up and keeping warm. We concern ourselves with adding humidity to the air in our houses, and finding air leaks, not reporting on it. After all, like Garrison says, we live where the weather is trying to kill us. We need to stay on our toes, just slower.

In other news thats not new...the Czech Government has finally added the books we needed! What I think we've found is that Heschs didn't live there (in Niedermuhl or Oberschlagles) until after 1819 or so, since that's when they start showing up in parish records.
The Paul and Veronica Hesch family showed up in Schamers parish, in the village of Weissenbach (south of Niedermuhl). The kids sound right, and like Larry says, if you have a preponderance of evidence, then you assume it's right until you find something to change your mind. OK!

Their children were Martin (born the same day as Josh only in 1790), Joseph, Mathias, Theresia, Franz, and Wenzel finally, in 1802.

We think it was this Martin who moved to Oberschlagles, where son Johann was born and who eventually married Maria Schlinz, and had a son they named Paul who became our great grandfather. Whew.

EDITORIAL NOTE: This woulda been the PERFECT connection, except that two of Paul and Veronicas' kids died in infancy--Mathias and MARTIN. (I found the info shortly after I wrote this...how odd to mourn for a child who died 217 years ago, huh?)

The saga continues!

You're welcome.

A FUN Thanksgiving with the family

2008-11-30T09:07:00.004-06:00

We had a lovely Thanksgiving at the Murphys, with excellent food and company. We took a walk down to the lake after dinner, and then had pumpkin pie and creme brule--YES! A blow torch works GREAT!

Later, Josh and family showed up, and eventually, I tried getting a picture of all three grandkids. Since none of them is a "sit-still-and-smile" kinda kid, I use the "click-many-times-and-hope-for-ONE-good-one" method. (Actually, Mace seems willing to sit and smile, but it's more his amazement at how fast the other two move, I think).

We thought corralling em on Scotts lap might work....

Ok, maybe. They're all in one spot, anyway.

Kendall thought Josie might need a toy to help her to sit still....

LOL...you can see how well my "method" is working, right?

But, see? I DID get a nice picture of Scott!

Back to fun stuff!

2008-11-24T20:08:00.004-06:00

Last week, Larry found a Suetterlin font online, and of course, we both have it on our computers now :^) One thing it's good for is helping to figure out the original handwriting in those church record books. I found that if I type what I think I see, and it's the same, then I've sorta double-checked myself, ya know?

You'll recall (no doubt!) that the first HESCH we found in the books was a Johann Hesch who married Agnes Blaschko in Cimer (Schamers) in 1839, right? Well, I didn't totally translate the record till this morning...I had the first parts pretty "right", but the witnesses had scrawled their signatures, so I just stopped there.

Turns out, there were 5-6 people in town who witnessed most of the marriages--the local storekeeper was one--evidently, because they were citizens who were in town during the day, they were called on to be witnesses. Why does this matter? Cuz I was able to compare and cross-check their repeated signatures. Some were a LOT clearer than others written by the same person.
If you click on the picture, here, it should biggify. The original records were written across 2 ledgerbook pages, so it's below in three parts.

Grooms' info:

------------------------------------------------

Brides' info:

------------------------------------------------

Witnesses and priest:

Pretty COOL, huh?

Recession.....or Correction?

2008-11-17T12:04:00.002-06:00

I was driving through town to see a client last week, thinking about the economy. I started paying attention to the amazing redundancy of businesses along the street...hmm. Nail salon, restaurant, tires, auto parts, restaurant, convenience store, coffee shop, smoke shop, restaurant, craft shop, drug store, batteries, electronics, hair salon, interiors, furniture, movies.....

This is a town of 60,000 in central Minnesota. According to google, there are 217 restaurants here, 95 nail salons, 51 convenience stores, 63 that sell furniture, 31 that sell pet products, 19 office supply stores, 16 electronics stores, 16 sporting goods stores, more than 50 banks, and 82 hair salons. I couldn't tell how many gas stations there are, and I found about 11 car dealers that were actually IN St Cloud.
The list goes on of course. Many of these businesses will fold, or "downsize" in the next months. If we can set aside the devastation of hundreds of lost jobs, perhaps there is a small silver lining to this economic cloud.

America in general has been living large for too long, I think. We feel guilty when we realize that we use so much of the worlds' fuel supply, but there's no way to change that on a personal level. We expect a huge variety of cheap food and products from all over the world. Yes, that shirt was made in Bangladesh, probably by a barely surviving sweatshop worker, but how can you pass up buying it for $4.99? It's cute! Every aisle in the grocery store makes me blush at our excesses, too. How many kinds of cereal do we NEED?

Yeah, I'm blowing off steam, but I do think this recession is an opportunity for us to become more responsible world citizens. I hope it's enough, ya know?

Two things, ok?

2008-11-09T15:18:00.002-06:00

Here are two things I'd like you to consider, tho I know I'm speaking to the choir...lol
This is from my favorite (only) radio station, NPR and Minnesota Public Radio. It's from Saturday, 8 November 2008, by Scott Simon. I suggest you LISTEN while you read it.

The second is a news story that seems to me indicative of our new president. It's from a newspaper in the Phillipines.

Over and out.

YES, WE CAN!

2008-11-05T07:17:00.002-06:00

I'm amazed and humbled and puzzled this morning.

We actually elected Barack Obama to the presidency of the United States. I have not felt this much hope since JFK was president, when I was 10 years old. This country did the right thing for a change.

My amazement isn't that a black man was elected--he was/is CLEARLY the better of two candidates, with an honest vision for the country and a clear, brilliant mind to back it up--my amazement is at the subtle pervasive racism of every news report: "The first black man elected President", "This proves that anyone can grow up to be president", "6 of 10 white women voted for him..." A woman was interviewed on NPR last night--she declared that SHE wasn't prejudiced, but that she didn't think America was ready for a black president.

ARGH! Regardless of his skin color, this man is exactly who we need at this point in history. He so beautifully explained his hope and vision for the country while not rising to McCains baiting and catch-phrasing.
As one of my oldest clients said yesterday, "McCain is the past, Obama is the future."

YAY for us, America! It wasn't just our election--the world saw this as an indication of our willingness to worry about more than our own precious hides for a change.
Thank Gawd a man like Obama was willing to run, and to take on the task ahead.
Thank Gawd for the savvy of the campaign, the momentum that built, the cool heads that prevailed when darts were thrown.
Thank Gawd that so many people VOTED--we honestly turned the tide of history yesterday, NOT because he's black, but because of what might have happened if we didn't.

Newer Genealogy

2008-10-31T08:04:00.002-05:00

This photo has always made me laugh--there we were, in Dad's garage, trying to build a musical instrument from a kit. It had to be 90 degrees cuz even today, I remember being really uncomfortable. Dad and I were trying to follow the instructions while debating what they meant by "the neck"--this was a simple lap dulcimer, and it really had no neck!

But that's not what makes me laugh--it's that Josh and Em, in the background, were allowed--encouraged!--to pound nails at dads' bench. They each had a chunk of scrap 2X4 and were busy filling it with precious nails, a verboten activity I would have LOVED as a kid...lol.

When J&E did it, dad was proud of how MANY nails they could fit on one scrap. Yeah, we built the dulcimer successfully--and to think, it's almost 30 years old already!

Translatin' for you

2008-10-26T19:18:00.004-05:00

I have recently (like yesterday) figured out how to create a pdf file.

I know, I know....it's high on YOUR 'gotta learn' list too, but once again, Bird's ahead of the curve!

The scoffers and slackers among you might possibly be saying "Yah well, who needs pdf files anyway?" and "What are they good for?"

WELL! Lemme show you! THIS file should show you translated entries for all eleven Hesch kids we found in the church books in Bohemia.

NOTE: When you click the link, you'll get the pdf on a service called Scribd--but what you WANT is that pdf to open with Adobe Acrobat--so click the "download" button, and then click Adobe Acrobat pdf.

You'll need to use the "Counterclockwise" button once the Acrobat pdf opens--I can't do EVERYTHING!!

Patron Saint

2008-10-12T22:35:00.006-05:00

In Schamers, Bohemia, in 1847, Anton and Anna Binder had another baby, whom they named Josef. This kid made it through childhood (a feat all by itself) and when he grew up, he became a priest, and eventually the "Metropolitan-Domkapitalur" of Prague (which is the MAIN Canon of the church).

That's nice, but it's not why we think he's cool.

Apparently, he was stationed for awhile in Schamers, or simply borrowed the oldest record books from the church there. He was writing a book on the history of Schamers, and perhaps he needed the books for that, but while he had them, he recopied the odd, often messy, handwritten records into very clear, legible records.

The new pages are simply between the old, so you can compare them...but the marvel is that Josef Binder realized he was among the last to be able to read those records fluently. Plus, he could write Suetterlin, and had unprecedented access to the books.

The church in Schamers is St Michael the Archangel RC, so that's why Larry put him on the portrait, and the other saint is Wenceslaus, Patron saint of Bohemia.

The halo just appeared--his first miracle!

A lot of the children listed in the record books have saint-dedications written there too, like "Johann (Nepo.)" or "Maria (Concept.)" so in that spirit, we decided Josef Binder should be cannonized AGAIN.

(Note to Pope--all it takes is putting ST. in front of his name, see?)

Thank you, Larry, and Thank YOU, St. Josef Binder!

IGNAZ

2008-10-10T12:25:00.005-05:00

Remember how, when we were kids, a "funny" mans' name was "Ignatz"? Like when dad was teasing a kid, or we were naming a puppy--"What do YOU think we should call him, daddy?"--the answer was usually "Ignatz"...and we'd all groan...lol

Imagine my surprise, then to find not one, but TWO more Ignaz Heschs in Southern Bohemia in the 1800s. Larry found them in a village south of Oberschlagles and Schamers--Zinolten. The birth was recorded this way:

12 December 1854
Zinolten #4

IGNAZ HESCH

Catholic, Male, Legitimate

Father:"Ignaz Hesch, huber (farmer) son of Franz Hesch, esalngasnd (?) in Oberschlagles #11, and Agnes born Blaschko of Schamers #26"
Mother:"Franziska daughter of --- Ambrosch, (frn..?) in Zinolten #4 and Anna born Stiedl in Zinolten # 27"
Sponsors:
Albert Maihr (?) in Zinolten #28 and Franziska Schinka of Zinolten #1"

Midwife Franziska Neuba***
.....................
LOL!

My Bohemia

2008-10-04T22:25:00.016-05:00

We FOUND the parents

of Paul Hesch!!

~~~~*~*~*~*~*~~~~

As an update, the part of the world you're looking at is Bohemia, which is now mostly Czech Republic. It's considered Eastern Europe. See Niedermuhl, there on the map?
OUR people came from that area, so far mostly the village just below it, Oberschlagles. We're talking about a mile between the two villages.
The parish was Horni Pena which included 7 villages, all within about 10 miles:

--Oberschlagles
--Niederbaumgarten
--Oberbaumgarten
--Deutsch Moliken
--Ruttenschlag
--Gatterschlag
--Schonborndorf

Looking for HESCH births in Horni Pena church record books in the years between 1839 and 1855, I kept a list of what families lived in which villages...so if you've googled your way here, and want to see if YOUR folks lived there, e-mail me.
Anyway, we found ten HESCH kids, four of whom were born to Johann Hesch and MARIA SCHLINZ. That's the couple buried in Pierz--our great great grandparents.

We found out that great-grandfather Paul had 3 brothers: Bartholomaus, Mathias and Anton. Bartholomaus was born in August 1843 and died in September 1845, of scarlet fever.

(Mathias and Anton immigrated too, and settled in Waumandee, Wisconsin. We also found Mathias' future wife in Horni Pena--Agnes Trachofsky. They all moved to the Pierz area eventually, and are buried in St Josephs Cemetery in Pierz).

Paul was born the following January (1846) and here's what the book says: _______________________________________

20 January 1846
PAUL HESCH
Catholic, Male, Legitimate
Father:"Johann Hesch, hansler (farmer/hourly laborer), son of Martin Hesch, hansler, of Oberschlagles #2 and Elizabeth born of Thomas Wolf in Diablinz #40"
Mother:"Maria, daughter of Laurenz Schlinz, citizen, and Elizabeth, born in Ratiborwitz"
_______________________________________

This is from an absolutely WONDERFUL site called the CESKY ARCHIVY . When you get there, click the "Littera" button to get to the page of parishes. Click H, and then HORNI PENA. You'll find Paul in book 8, image 164. (The Archivy just last week added English and German views to the site, so you'll have a much easier time than we did. However, the books themselves are still in German, Czech and Latin--lol--sorry!)

If you've read to this point, and you actually CARE, let me know, and I'll send you the list of ten kids, ok?

BTW, here's the succession going back from Dad:

Mike, (1913) whose father was Anton, born 1883

whose father was Paul, born 1846

whose father was Johann, born 1818

whose father was Martin, born about 1787

whose father was Paul, born about 1755

Pretty cool, huh?

Baptism Pics

2008-08-24T17:14:00.004-05:00

Ok, I was waiting for others to post pics of the Baptism last week, I guess. Mine aren't the best, but you'll get the idea...lol

You can sorta see how many people and wiggly kids there were, so the priest kindly galloped through the service. Beck is hidden by him here, and KQ took a break from exploring the sanctuary to see what the splashing was all about...thats godmother Genea standing behind her.

The guy in the blue shirt is the new godfather, Travis.

Mace took gettin wet in stride, but wouldn't leave the Holy Water Mohawk alone when Josh brushed it up a few minutes later. A curly haired grandkid--YAY!!

That afternoon, at Em and Scotts' house, Mace took a few wobbly STEPS to show Unca Scott his new toy--what a delightful day!

Cousin Bev

2008-07-15T11:21:00.003-05:00

Wow...doing genealogy online brings surprises sometimes. I knew Bev was fighting cancer, but I didn't know that she died in February.

Even if you haven't seen her in years, the picture looks familiar, doesn't it? SO like grandma, or Aunt Rosie....

Heres a link to send condolences and memories:

BEV

A word cloud

2008-07-08T22:22:00.004-05:00

You can make 'em yourself...just go here:

WORDLE.

(And YOU say I'm not entertaining!!)

2008-07-05T22:59:00.000-05:00

It's a good thing....

2008-07-03T11:18:00.002-05:00

...I never changed Ephemeral Florist to Phurtive Photographer. Both names still apply, I suppose, but no longer in a professional way.

Another career change here as of this morning--I'll be working closer to home, in fact about a 20 mile radius from my house. I'll be joining Noob and Cookie and Mog as an in-home caregiver, although this'll be much less skilled...lol It's an elder-care service to help with light housekeeping and companionship, and there's NO schlepping equipment or doing sales! YAY!

Training starts on Wednesday--in Waite Park--FOUR miles from here!

I really did enjoy the drives to obscure towns and churches all over the midwest--I saw a lot of countryside I wouldn't have seen otherwise, and even got some genealogy done along the way (Dyersville, Iowa, fer instance). It was fun to see how we'd fit inside a tiny church with low ceilings and figure out how to make it work with a 12 square-foot backdrop....but I see now that I'm NOT cut out for sales.

The people I met were so cool, especially the bunch in the tiniest towns (Page, North Dakota, I'm talkin' about YOU!) and I found I can make just about ANYBODY smile, at least for the one second it takes to click the shutter...lol

Hmm...wonder what I coulda done with THIS man?

LOL...I'll keep you updated!

Shirley

2008-06-25T11:35:00.002-05:00

Do any of you know Cousin Shirleys last name? Gene...what? Theres a website where her mom is listed as having $$ in an account that was never paid out, and wouldn't it be fun to let Shirley know its there?

http://www.missingmoney.com/Main/Index.cfm

Other Interests...lol

2008-06-25T09:03:00.005-05:00

Ok, while grandkids are WAY bigger in my life than their actual size warrants, I've also been checking on their past, and mine.

Specifically, the HESCH family tree. Wanna see something COOL?

That's the name Johann Hesch, written in SUTTERLIN , the old script used in church record books in Bohemia way back when. This is from an entry in Cimer, Bohemia, in 1839. Yes, it looks like hnpf, but the vertical stroke of the "p" is actually an s, the bump is c, and the f-looking letter is h. Honest!

Evidently, about 1200, German families were encouraged to go settle that part of Europe, since it was now under the control of a German guy.

I'm not sure when Hesches moved there, but we found two in the mid-1600's, so it was at least 250 years before they emmigrated to the US.

You'd think that they would have assimilated in that time, right? But Nooo, the two ethnic groups didn't particularly care for each other, and stayed separate as much as possible.

There were German churches in German towns, and Czech churches in Czech towns, and since the CHURCH did the recording of births and marriages and deaths, that's where we're looking.

The biggest problem is reading the handwriting of whatever priest was stationed there at the time. The records are a mix of German, Czech and liturgical Latin. Depending on the year, they're more, or less, decipherable.

AMAZING that those records are online, right?

The Czech government is digitizing them even as we speak. Village by village, new old books are showing up on this site: SOA v TREBONI and we only need to wait till they get to the H's...lol

According to their index, the town we need is Dolní Žďár (Nieder-Mühl), which is in the Jindřichův Hradec region, close to Horní Pěna, where the German church was.

What fascinates me the most is that some solitary priest wrote those names on the day a child was baptized, or a marriage took place, or someone died. Then, he closed the book, blew out the candle and went to bed, thinking that was it.....

The books stayed on some shelf for 2 or 3 hundred years, and now, in 2008, they're being re-discovered and distributed by something as bizarre as the internet.

AND, they're doing CATHOLIC records in exactly the part of Bohemia we need! Those Hesches needed discovering, I guess, so I'd stop thinking they wanted to forget.

*****************************

BTW, if you want to see a page in those Treboni records, click a letter on the left, fer instance C....when that comes up, click Cimer...and you'll get a chart of something called Kniha which means Book.

N is births, O is marriages, and Z is deaths. The index books are at the bottom, and you have to "page around" to find the H's (they're..ahem..in alphabetical order...lol) and that'll give you a snimek (page) number you'll need to find in the appropriate Kniha.

The Kniha are by year, ok?

Gawd, this is FUN!

They're GRAND kids!!

2008-06-06T16:29:00.003-05:00

LOL...in the interests of equal time (but mostly because I missed 'em) I spent last evening with KQ and Mason.

"You honestly think I made that mess??"

OK, it was a little humid last night, but just look at all those curls! For a few minutes, Mase had a Mohawk, but then, it curled...awww!

I brought a kalidescope for KQ, but she was most interested in the plastic tube it came in. Mason's just waiting for his chance at it, here...lol

KQ is talking a blue streak--she can communicate beautifully with fairly thick adults and she's only 2 years old. The words tumble out as fast as she moves...lol Mason just turns those huge brown eyes on you and giggles. His tummy's been tickled so many times in his short life that he's developed strong arms to hold heads AWAY from it!

Profound thoughts just before sleep

2008-06-04T17:17:00.003-05:00

Could it be that we live longer these days because we're the first generation to have our own teeth all our lives?

Okay, so maybe it's one reason then.

More baby pics...ok?

2008-06-03T13:41:00.004-05:00

LOL...I forgot to show you her eyes! How amazing the world must be to a newborn, huh?

Leggies just like her mom had...long and skinny :^) LOL!

BABY PICS!

2008-06-01T19:06:00.006-05:00

OK...here's the newest member of the family, Josephine Frances Murphy, born yesterday afternoon. She's 8 pounds and 20" long and totally adorable!

Yeah, she CAN hold her head up, and she's not even 24 hours old...and she nugs like she invented it!

Her mom's doing fine, a bit sore from all that pushing (not to mention the subsequent c-section), and daddy said he spent this morning just holding her and watching her sleep.....

Life is GOOD.

Church

2008-04-27T10:07:00.004-05:00

Ok, here's one of "my" churches. It's near Wausau, Wisconsin, on top of a wooded hill, overlooking miles of fertile farm land. There's a swampy area below the graveyard, so I could hear frogs as well as birds up there.
(Yeah, that's Blanche parked on the right...lol)

Just thought you'd like to see...lol

Five MONTHS later? WOW

2008-04-27T08:58:00.004-05:00

Everybody has a list of what's important in their lives, right? Even if it's never ennumerated, there are priorities--and they shift sometimes.

Blogging was in my top ten when I was home every night after work, but these days, I'm on the road more than half of most weeks. Yes, I have the laptop along, but the age of universal DECENT wireless signals is not yet, so I'm lucky most nights to be able to send e-mails, let alone blog.

Besides, after 38 years identifying myself as a florist, being a photographer instead makes the blog title sorta moot.

One option would be to change the title, right? (The graphic is from a 1842 map of Bohemia, and no, I ADDED the words...lol)

But see? That's another area where my interests and priorities have shifted lately--when I'm online, I'm searching genealogy sites rather than blogging...lol

And certainly, church photography is different than art photography, especially since I can't show you my best work, or my favorite subjects: old women. There's such beauty in crows feet and wrinkles, soft folds of skin and white hair, and wonderful craggy old hands. I'm not trying for glamour, which would be an insult. I want to portray their elegance, humor and dignity, and prove to them that they're lovely, and valuable beyond belief.

And yes, grandkids are still on the top of the list, though I've realized what a gulf there is between snapshots and posed portraits...lol But who can bother with composition skills when I'm chasing a toddler with a point-and-shoot?

My Damma skills, though, do translate in the churches--little kids love to play peek, even with a camera hiding my face...lol

So see? My priorities have changed--not 180º, but enough to make blogging less necessary these days.

Maybe check back once a month?

Who knew?

2007-12-10T17:49:00.000-06:00

Did you know--I mean, has it ever occurred to you--that TV in Baudette Mn would be a good bit Canadian? lol The NEWS is called "Completely Winnipeg"--honest!

I'm sitting in the Walleye Hotel in Baudette right now, and Gram finally got her wish--I'm watching WAY too much TV in this job.

WHERE'S Baudette, you ask? Hold your left hand up, fingers together. That's roughly the shape of Minnesota. See where your middle finger sticks up? Baudette is on the tip of your pointer finger, right next to the bump in the top of Minnesota (your middle one). Yup, that's where I am this week.

COOL, huh?

Need another picture?

2007-11-20T23:12:00.000-06:00

LOL...and he's not even 4 months old yet!

On the Distressing and Startling Lack of Safety Pins In Modern Society

2007-11-11T09:48:00.000-06:00

Have you noticed? Not so long ago, EVERY woman carried a cache of emergency stuff in her purse, "just in case".
Beyond the Hazel Bishop and compact, you'd find a little yellow tin of aspirin, a few bobby pins on a folded-up chapel veil, and a rain bonnet (each in their own little plastic pouch), a couple of stocking clasps from a worn-out girdle, even a little sewing kit sometimes...(in our case, there was usually an open pack of powder-covered Walnettos, too)...but always, ALWAYS--safety pins.

Where have they gone?

Safety pins were the universal fixer: a torn seam, a broken necklace or rosary, a missing button, a fallen hem? Get the safety pins--you'll hardly be able to tell. Some were even decorative--kids made bracelets out of 'em, and plaid kilt skirts sported a huge gold version. I understand the horsey set used the giant ones to keep a blanket on Trigger after a workout, and dad kept one in his toolbox--safety pins were ubiquitous, right?
Now, I suppose it's all velcro, and clothes don't need to last like when we were kids.

LOL...what brought all this up? Those ridiculous elastic bra straps with sliders. (IMHO, beyond a 32A, boobs should NOT bounce. Neither should they be allowed to hang nearer the waist than the collarbone...and my bra is considerably BEYOND). I needed some safety pins to keep the stupid slider from SLIDING.
ARGH.

Yes, I have a little container of safety pins in the junk drawer, but I really had to hunt for 'em. They shoulda been in my purse...lol
(P.S. They are now).

FUN

2007-11-05T16:54:00.000-06:00

Sometimes, you just gotta goof-off--yesterday, 6 friends and relatives descended on J&B's house to "visit". Actually, it was to play with the kids...lol

Man, we had fun. KQ was amazed by eight adults singing HER songs, all at once. The look on her face when we all did Itsy Bitsy Spider with hand motions--well, what can I say? I'm converting the 23 Mb movie to MP3 even as we speak, and it's only 42 seconds long...lol

Her little brother is growing SO fast--at 14 weeks, he can hold his head up, and he giggles! He's built like his dad was at that age, and he's every bit as cute, too. His job yesterday was being a straight-man for the rest of us, and to be cuddled and held. He was excellent at it!

My Sweet Potatoes

2007-11-05T16:27:00.000-06:00

Here's a song written by an obviously over-tired dad during the night...HERE, it's dedicated to my present and future grandkids: KQ, MM and the Plum...lol

Dinner at Buca

2007-09-26T19:39:00.000-05:00

There was a time when going out to eat was a fairly dignified affair...good food, polite conversation, sharing news...no one colored on the menu or dropped her BA on the floor, or fished in my iced tea for that slippery lemon slice....but damn, THIS is much more fun!

KQ tried the lemon wedge her dad offered her...it made her shiver and squirm, but she wanted to try it over and over...lol
It was raining before we got to the restaurant, so I had my umbrella along. As we left, I was carrying KQ, and showed her how the umbrella worked--POP! It's open, and we were under it! Then, POP! it's gone into a foot long stick. POP! There it is again, over our heads!

I LOVE the idea that she thinks I'm MAGIC...lol!

BTW, my name is now Damma.

The State Fair with grandkids!

2007-09-01T08:41:00.000-05:00

Yes, ok....I don't usually like the State Fair, right? I might get talked into going every six or seven years, but I always vow--NEVER again. LOL

However, I didn't need to think about it too hard when B said she thought she'd take the kids to the fair, and did I want to go along? She's been to the fair in her home state, but never the MINNESOTA State Fair.

WELL, then...a certain foolish pride kicks in, right? (Where's my rolling-eyes smiley when I need it?)

Mercifully, with little kids, it was short...but they made it delightful...lol

TO:

2007-08-29T17:54:00.000-05:00

MY FAVORITE DAUGHTER AND FAVORITE SISTERS

AHEM--did you not get my e-mail about the family tree?

Did you go look??

One bit of out family goes back ELEVEN generations to before 1555...it's worth checking just for the novelty.

(Umm, Primo, wouldja add dad's Army pic to the site, please? It could be his primary picture, too. You have the power). You're all editors, ya know?

lol...See? I can get rough.

xoxo

What color is "Joybubbles"?

2007-08-23T19:29:00.000-05:00

If you heard the name "Joybubbles" on the news early this week but didn't pay much attention, here's the rest of the story...

I'd like to claim Joybubbles as purely Minnesotan, but in truth he only spent his last years here. He died August 8th of a heart attack.

Over the years, one of the goofy pleasures in Minnesota has been a column in the St Paul Pioneer Press newspaper called Bulletin Board. It's the best 'feedback' method a paper could want. I used to buy the paper JUST for that, but now it's online, so I read it every day from here...lol

Anyway, Joybubbles was a regular contributer to the give-and-take on BB. Heres a COMPILATION
of contributions he called in over the past few years. It's also a beautiful tribute to a perpetual 5 year old.

You'll notice that one thing he wished for was a Crayola crayon color called "Joybubbles"...and today, another contributer suggested we all go to the CRAYOLA SITE and suggest it!

If you scroll to the bottom of the page you'll fine "Contact us".

Hmmm....maybe a clear crayon with swirls of color in it, and definitely some GLITTER!

Have YOU ever heard of St Nicholas, Mn?

2007-08-18T17:10:00.000-05:00

.....LOL...me either, until Shari said her family helped settle the area.

Map from the diocese of St Cloud website.

They came here from Luxembourg (the country) and built Luxemburg (the town, south of St Cloud). If you recall, that little town is on F-L-A-T land.

Well! Evidently, some of those farmers wanted what they knew--good soil, loaded with rocks! They moved west another 10-15 miles and found a gorgeous hilltop to put the blacksmith, church and bar on. But, Oh, oh....land disputes, a different townsite and the bishop gets involved, right? He wants those settlers to move to where they're building a NEW church, about 2 miles farther west.

And that means moving the cemetery.

Some people dug up the relatives and carted 'em to the new digs (oooo!), and some flatly refused.

Who knows why the bish was so adamant, but it makes a person realize that politics and favoritism aren't all that new.

Click the pic...you should get a good size shot of the area, with the original site pinned there in the middle, and the "new" town towards the bottom, with Cold Spring at the top.

So, ok...mystery solved, right? The little cemetery I wrote about is all that's left of the original townsite. As though you'd EVER go looking for it..........lol

Wanna play "Where in the World"?

2007-08-16T13:44:00.000-05:00

Here are two pictures, taken within 20 miles of my house. I'd never been to this spot--it's just never been on my radar before this morning...lol

Odd what people do out of 'devotion', huh? I'm not being snotty--I CAN understand the motivation for something like this and I recognize my own ancestors' mindset at work here, too--but what I don't understand is how making (or buying) a painted, gold-leaf, 'realistic' statue of the BVM and building a chapel to house it would accomplish much.

Was it built because of a promise made over the outcome of something? "I'll build you a chapel if...." And did it work out? Or, was it simply to provide a quiet place to meditate? And, why would this enclosure be more holy than the beautiful hillside it stands on?

The cornerstone says 1936. It's in excellent condition, so for 60+ years, someone's been maintaining it. I suppose at the very least, it could be one families' tradition....

See? There are STILL mysteries...lol

Yes, Primo, we're STILL cute

2007-08-12T12:07:00.001-05:00

I'm hoping that KQ and MM have a Good Buddy relationship as they grow--like Bid and Willie do--cuz it seems to me we did a good deal of hair pulling when we were kids.

"But Sibling Rivalry is different than competing", right?

Nuh-ah.

Still, maybe Primo was just able to run faster than Secundo on this particular day...lol

Yeah....we were cute; so cute that they kept adding-on to the batch.....

...until they finally got it right...lol

(Bro was frosting after that, IMHO....)

You need more pictures, already?

2007-08-11T13:22:00.000-05:00

Like second kids everywhere, I have a feeling this one will have the same experience as I did as a kid.

They forget to take pictures of every new move...they take for granted open eyes and adorable hand waving and tender moments snuggled with mom. It's still WAY cute, but it's normal now, especially with a big sister like KQ.

We Seconds have always just had to tough it out, and live without the daily annoyance of flash photography. Some of us were (and ARE) even cuter than Primo sib, but you can't prove it by the amount of pictures in our albums...lol

Even this proud grandma hasn't been to visit as much as last time, but luckily, his mom sent pictures this week.

Wanna see?

XOXO....Bird

LOL...Hi, Colleen!

2007-07-27T13:25:00.000-05:00

Last night, I drove down to the Cities to spend some time with "the other Grandma" AND the new lil boy and his family.

Out of 37 pictures I took, these are the best ones, cropped and combined for your viewing pleasure...lol
(See? I lined up the couch perfectly here!)

J and B took us out to eat because both our birthdays are in the next two weeks, and because they love us....

(Hope your trip home was good, Colleen. We did a GOOD job with those two, doncha think?
Hugs, M)

Welcome, Little Grandson!

2007-07-23T09:34:00.000-05:00

Oh, man....life is truly SWEET....!

He was born yesterday afternoon, and he gave me plenty of time to get there...lol Hmm...now I need to make a movie called "Mason Michael"!

I'll get to see him again later this week 'cuz B's mom'll be here from Arizona, so we'll have a Grandma Get Together at their house. I'll get a few good Family Portraits then, ok?

Get the popcorn and Junior Mints...it's showtime again!

2007-07-20T20:59:00.000-05:00

You know me...once I get started on something and like it, well, I embrace it (which is NOT the way certain unnamed sibs would state it...LOL)

But see, I have all these pictures from the olden days in the family, and they're just here, in an album and a shoebox...doing what? Pah...not a thing.

SO, me and Movie Maker got together and produced this, just for YOU.....

A HESCH FAMILY PORTRAIT

You're WELCOME!

Lilies and the Fourth

2007-07-02T19:53:00.001-05:00

Look at the size of these lilies! They're the party-favor-bulbs from E&S's wedding (almost TWO years ago already!) LOL...I had to go measure the siding--what you see here is 33" of siding plus the blocks--who knows why they got so tall this year?

They're what the word 'awesome' was invented for, I think....

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Tonight's the kind of night those of you "Ustas" will remember as one of the reasons you left Minnesota:

It's rained on and off all day. There's still a cloud cover, and the only movement outside are the robins getting a few more cherries before dusk.

The air is so thick the mosquitoes don't realize it's NOT water. It's two nights before the fourth, so a neighbor is outside setting off furtive firecrackers (shhhh...it's not legal, ya know) but the smoke deters the mosquitoes for a few minutes...lol There's a blue haze in their yard, spreading just above the grass...a dead giveaway if the law comes down the alley.

And that reminds me of Earl the cop and our own experience with illegal fireworks, remember?

Ah, summer. Can't WAIT till it's over.

Half of Infinity

2007-06-29T15:14:00.000-05:00

This morning, E & S left on their summer vacation and stopped here on their way out of the state. As we mom's do, I went to get my camera...lol

S said this was like those between-mirrors pics, those INFINITY mirrors, only implied...lol

Yes, it is! We could get into philosophy here, couldn't we?

Oooo--Stuff!

2007-06-08T12:48:00.000-05:00

Remember the George Carlin quote about home being where you store your stuff? The flip side, I suppose, is that LOTS of stuff make it more 'home'...lol

I was in the garage just now, putting the wheelbarrow away. It hangs from a hook on a rafter since there's no wall space left. Up above the rafters, there are boxes. Of stuff.

I didn't go look what they hold, because I know it's truly nothing I NEED to keep.

One is a box of fabric mallards and roosters I made in the 80's....another is a box of cornhusk dolls I made in the 90's. (Truthfully? There are TWO of those...at least). Silk flowers....empty suitcases...birdhouses...my wedding dress...and second-hand stuff that my mother couldn't pitch either....so now I store it.

Why? It's been there all this time because...well, it's not hurting anything being there, right? What real difference would it make if I had empty rafters?

Thing is, clearing the garage would lead to clearing my downstairs craft room, and then the basement "attic" of stored junk....and then my office...and then, closets...lol

To what purpose, though? These days, I think long and hard about acquiring almost anything because I'll have to deal with it, physically, in my house. I quit garage-saleing years ago, and thrift-store shopping, too.

I don't need more stuff.

The only advantage of clearing those spaces now would be so that someday, my kids won't have to.

They're both sentimental and would keep some stuff just because it used to be mine...the same reason I have some of mom's stuff...lol

Would an empty garage or basement or craft room feel good to me....or just feel empty?

Do I rent the dumpster, or do they?

A NEW toy

2007-05-10T19:38:00.000-05:00

I found a new toy right here on my computer...it's the Windows Movie Maker program, and man is it fun! See if you "get" this, ok?

Blowing the Sun Up

LOL...turn up your sound!

A Spring Thingy

2007-04-21T18:11:00.000-05:00

CLICK HERE then move your mouse over the center of the page...voila! A spring garden!

Soooo Moggie!

2007-04-02T20:58:00.000-05:00

Taking a break...

My dearest friend Mog just got home from a ten day working trip to the mountains of Guatemala, where she was on a stove-installation crew. (Evidently, the incidence of asthma in kids is rising there, so efficient stoves and decent venting is a good thing).

She went with a group from the local hospital. They've gone every spring (for 30 years) to do small surgeries and other medical stuff in the area. Somewhere along the line, non-medical people wanted to help too, so projects like this were added.
.............................
I just really like the picture...lol

More pics

2007-03-25T09:44:00.000-05:00

Should a person be allowed to have this much fun?

2007-03-22T20:25:00.000-05:00

Think of all the stuff you LOVE to do...the most rewarding stuff you can think of, m'kay?

Spending two days with little granddaughter was more wonderful than whatever you thought of, trust me. It was non-stop playing (lol), and watching her do all kinds of "big girl" stuff, like feeding herself, and letting me know what she did not want right now.

For whatever reason, her most-used "word" is Geesch...like geek with an sh instead of the k. It's an all-purpose word that means.................?

Her parents say we need to get used to calling her Big Girl 'cuz she won't be the baby after July, when we'll all realize just how MUCH she's grown after all. So, BG it is....but in this family, random nicknames can stick for the rest of your life...lol

Honest, she was leaning into me right then...but Da was taking another picture and NOT holding her!

Earlier in the day, she saw my camera on the end table and touched it with one tiny finger. I almost missed her saying "cam-ra", but she DID say it....it's remarkable partly because cameras don't all look alike, yet she knows what they are...(and of course she wouldn't say it again...lol) Cool, huh?

I'd post more pics, but everyone must be on-line tonight (same reason I quit trying Wednesday night)...I'll try to add a few more tomorrow, ok?

Todays best pic

2007-03-20T20:44:00.000-05:00

Little granddaughter and I had a GREAT time playing together today...lol She seemed more receptive to the camera after I showed her that it plays a little jingle when I turn it on....and also when I used the no-flash feature.
She completely refused to take a nap today, which made me remember that her dad quit that boring ritual early, too...lol When I mentioned it to him, he recalled being surprised that naps were a part of the Kindergarten day. By then, he didn't remember EVER needing a nap...lol

For an hour or so this afternoon, she pretty much entertained herself...I was sitting on the couch and she was busy chattering and working on the toys. Back and forth to the deck windows, waving at the neighbor's dog out the front window, carrying whatever she had in her hand when the spirit moved her. She would 'check in' with me ocassionally, but it was perfectly ok that I wasn't involved.

She has about 15 words these days...none of which actually help her get me to understand....but when she runs to my knees and opens her arms, I know it means "Up!" and my Grandma heart does flip-flops...lol

It was around 40º today, so we've started going out on the deck again. She's as fascinated as she was last spring...watching for birds, trying the wind chime, seeing the branches dance in the wind. We were playing at whispering out there, and her little pointer finger went to her nose and she said "S-s-s-s-ss"...took me a minute to realize she was meant "Shhhh"....mom and dad beat me to that one!

"Pie" and a Pic

2007-03-18T10:57:00.000-05:00

I don't know about you, but I've always felt that recipes were really just suggestions for a fairly good combination of ingredients....that if it calls for 2 cups of something, well, 1 3/4 probably works too, just like 2 1/2 cups would...lol

That's why, when I found a recipe for Banana Bread that called for the zest of one lemon, I figured I'd use the rest of the lemon for THIS recipe.

Sure, it calls for THREE lemons and a pie crust...but how 'bout most of one lemon, less sugar, and 4 eggs baked in the brown casserole bowl? It's in the oven right now...we'll see!

(Frankly, this attitude is most likely why my family thinks I'm only an "adequate" cook...lol...but they didn't starve, right?)

**************************************

Here's little grand daughter, asleep on my shoulder this week...it's tough to aim a camera at arm's length!

(I get to babysit again on Tuesday and Wednesday this week...I imagine we'll have MORE pictures then!)

A one-year-old's birthday party :^)

2007-03-03T22:34:00.000-06:00

Wanna see pictures?

The birthday girl!

You know everybody wanted her to DIG IN to that cake. Instead, she very nicely fed herself bits of frosting, without a mess to speak of....lol

When her dad asked her how old she was, she held up one finger (more or less) and said "One!", and these days, she'll give you a kiss and a hug...what a sweet lil' girl!

The big blue thing is a fabric tunnel. With her dad on the other end, she crawled right to him...and then, back through it to mom...lol

(She's really into putting things over her shoulders. The green thing she's holding is a sleeper from another friend. It only ticked her off when she stepped on it and then couldn't move...lol)

Snowy Day pics for Rainy Dae...lol

2007-03-02T07:27:00.000-06:00

Here ya go, Rainy--the flock yesterday about noon....

...and just now...lol

I'm truly loving it...being laid-off has definite benefits. I only need to be plowed out by tomorrow afternoon, as that's lil' granddaughter's first birthday party--whoo-hoo!

BTW, here's my driveway this morning--it WAS shoveled (barely wide enough for the truck to get out...lol), but I think I'll call the plow today. A nice clear driveway is as pretty as this is...lol
---------------------------------------
I understand, according to MPR, that Winona got some 30 inches...Sis could send pictures for our edification if she wanted to. I'd publish 'em here, really!

Why, yes, we DID get snow!

2007-02-25T21:52:00.000-06:00

Ahhh...we've been waiting for "the other shoe to drop" here in Minnesota for YEARS. Every winter we hear that this time it'll snow like crazy, but then the storm waltzes right on by...I mean, who thinks of New York as a snowy state?? We're loosing our bragging rights and the snowmobile dealers have even closed-up shop around here...can you imagine?

BUT---

...we actually got a good FOOT or more yesterday. I woke up this morning because there was NO sound--and I live next to a 4 lane highway. Wha...?
LOL...it wasn't till I went outside for a little shovel-fun that I saw the huge muffler on the roof. Isn't that COOL?

Wanna see how deep it is?

Ok, that doesn't look like much and it's always deepest right there in front of the garage, but it reminded me of this picture circa 1955.

(Yes. You're right. There really was more snow when we were little...lol)

xoxo,
Bird

A tiny puzzle

2007-02-24T11:03:00.000-06:00

What happened a YEAR ago this week? Click HERE for a fun way to find out...lol

Gopher

2007-02-20T23:03:00.000-06:00

Once in awhile, you write to a friend and think--"Hey, this would make a good blog post, too!".
With apologies to Larry for its additions and double use... ;^)

There's a goofy store in St Cloud that's been there as long as I can remember. It's on the "bad" side of town, where all the sad industrial businesses are--Sally Ann, scrap iron, cut rate and salvage businesses--and this one: "Gopher Bargain Center".

Yesterday, we decided we needed an adventure, and since we found ourselves on the East Side, we had lunch at the Copper Lantern, and then stopped at Gopher.

It used to be all merchandise salvaged from fires or disasters, so lots of it had smoke damage, and the whole rabbit warren of a store always smelled of Pine Sol and smoke. These days, there's a huge wholesale Gopher-equivalent somewhere...and their merchandise is just ordered in (we asked...lol).

There are whole aisles of "brain fart" products that make you shake your head...lol...and hardly any evidence of smoke damage.

It always amazes me how such a peripheral-to-my-life place can call up such vivid memories: as a kid, going there with Dad and knowing that, if he bought something in bulk, it'd better be something for the garage, 'cuz Mom wouldn't use stuff from Gopher if she could help it.

It was always good for "scores" though--especially massive quantities of crafty stuff like pipe cleaners or "good enough" lace, ya know?

I think about the relative handful of "old" merchandise we have at Scenic, but in light of Gopher's REALLY old stock, it doesn't even compare. There's one whole area of Gopher that's from dead hardware stores, and it's gray, dark, and dirty--like nobody's cared since 1942 or so.

These days, the place is being tricked-out to look better, but it's like painting the roller coaster at a derelict theme park...one spiffy ride/aisle makes the ferris wheel/rest of the store look even more scruffy...lol You know it's fake, and won't last.

Why am I telling you about it? Dunno, except it was vivid...it's a place I always resist going to, but it draws me at the same time.

Yes, of course I bought stuff: a new toilet seat, two oven mitts, a big metal spoon, Speed Stick, and a filigree metal basket for the counter in the bathroom...for $18.36 total.

I didn't say I had high standards, only that I'm a bit conflicted about going there...lol No doubt the sibs and my kids have stories of their own to add...right?

Mr. Deity

2007-02-12T09:44:00.000-06:00

I found a website yesterday that's hilarious. It's a tongue-in-cheek series of videos about "almightiness, one day at a time"....and watching 'em again is even better.

"Let there be Light" is a hoot (....although the Superbowl one left me scratching my head).

You'll enjoy 'em!

How can you NOT love this?

2007-02-02T23:14:00.000-06:00

Awww....click HERE for a blast from the 60's (70's?)...and watch for the kid in the baby blue jacket. I've watched it four times, and he still makes me laugh....
xoxo

Life IS good!!

2007-01-25T18:18:00.000-06:00

Babysitting is fun and exhausting...lol Lil' granddaughter is ALL movement--crawling, walking, clapping, chasing a ball, putting it in the big toy, watching it come out the bottom and cheering...lol She loves follow-the-leader, but it's on hands and knees, and she actually giggles as she crawls along behind.
(It occurs to me that "crawl" implies "slow"....so it really doesn't work here. SCOOT might be more descriptive, or TEAR AROUND, or ZOOM...lol)

She's fairly confident about walking as long as she doesn't think about it. See? She's on her way to get that yellow ball, and she did it with little problem--well, except for the pick-it-up-turn-around-and-come-back part. (She's too little to have large-motor skills yet, right? LOL...give her a week.)

TWO really amazing things happened last night:

1. We were at that part of the evening when she's suddenly EXHAUSTED and dissolves in tears...she wasn't happy being held, she wasn't happy being on the floor. Of course I held her, and tried boring her to sleep, but that skill went to another family member (snort!)

Pretty soon, she pointed with her whole arm and said, "baby". Ah! This must be part of a ritual--so we went to look at her baby pictures on the end table.

Nope. She only smiled through her tears...and pretty soon, I was standing there rocking her again.

"Baby!", with the arm pointing downstairs, to the family room. Ah! It's darker down there...probably more soothing, too...so we went there...lol

"BABY!", the arm, leaning toward the big chair...Duh, why hadn't I thought of that?!

So we're sitting down. The chair's leather and has that comforting creak as it rocks...this is nice. We're settled, right?

"Baby.....", said in the most long-suffering, "working-with-you-is-exhausting" tone...the arm points wearily at the fuzzy blanket on the couch....one more mission to get the blanket and wrap ourselves in it.....ahhhhhhh, so sweet. With a HUGE sigh, she snuggled in and (we) slept...lol

~*~*~*~*~

Oh, and #2 is even more delightful:

Becky asked me if I had plans for my birthday...

How many people know what they'll be doing six months from now? How many people get to plan spending their 58th birthday at the hospital while a grandson is being born, huh?

Birthday presents just don't get better than that.

The familys first vice president!

2007-01-22T18:28:00.000-06:00

Wow....this little girl is now a vice president of her company in New York City. She's my niece, Laurel, and we're SO proud of her (but then, we were last month, too...lol)--Congrats, Bid!

Now, fill in the blank: When did I have __________?
xoxo
:^)

Worlds' cutest grandaughter!

2007-01-21T22:19:00.000-06:00

The munchkin is almost 11 months old already! Her mom sent these today....see those four little teeth?

Beck called the pictures "Sunshine on a snowy day".....and she really is.

But wait, look at THIS one:

She'd be adorable even if she wasn't my granddaughter...lol Can't you just hear her great grandma say, "Those EYES!"
xoxo

How 'bout another picture?

2007-01-20T08:39:00.000-06:00

R&D at the FLORIDA AQUARIUM. Cool, huh?

"Rest assured"

2007-01-20T07:56:00.001-06:00

Eww! I just heard someone use that phrase on MPR, talking about the water supply in Cottage Grove, Minnesota (if you're interested, read or listen to it HERE)

Literally, it means you can sleep confidently, without worrying. How odd.

And it ALWAYS make me doubt what's being assured. I suppose because it feels like a put-down: don't worry your pretty little head about that, darlin'...in a treacly, John Wayne voice...you're just too dopey to understand all the ramifications here.

For me, it's too Jesse Ventura. When he said we should rest assured, it sounded like he was selling snake oil. What a colossal embarassment he was for Minnesota. We honest-to-gawd elected a wrestler? Eww!

Epcot--it's all about us

2007-01-20T07:31:00.000-06:00

IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth is the recipient of Amusement Today's 2006 Golden Ticket Award in recognition of being the top evening show in an American theme park

IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth
Check Show Times
Ratings/Reviews
Photos

Opened Oct. 1, 1999 Show length: 12 minutes, 32 seconds
A nighttime spectacular where thunderous fireworks and lasers fill the skies above World Showcase Lagoon. Video images are displayed across a giant sphere in the middle of the lagoon that tell the Earth's incredible tale. The sphere then blossoms like a flower, exposing a ball of fire and leads to the shows finale.
Fun Facts - 1,105 firework shells are fired during each show.There are 19 torches located around the World Showcase Lagoon. The inferno barge weighs 150,000 pounds with 37 nozzles that shoot propane flames upward.

(From THIS website)

Wow, I can't believe it was only 12 minutes long. The show inspires awe, and a sense that so much of what we humans do is amazing and benevolent.

Why is it that we only hear about the horrible stuff, when the flip-side is so stunning?

Hooray!

2007-01-19T18:21:00.000-06:00

Disney IS amazing.

Everyone told me I'd like it because it's so perfect, and I kept thinking that 'perfection' would turn me off. But it's really NOT "perfect"--it's just very well thought-out, and most guest needs are anticipated....which I appreciate.

OK, should we get the obligatory Wally World pic out of the way?

That's R&D--good friends and my excuse to be in Florida in the first place. They insisted I'd love Disney, and they were right (again...lol)

If you ever need "How to be a Wonderful Host" lessons, check with them.

Florida!

2007-01-19T17:39:00.000-06:00

I can't believe I can load pictures here!! FINALLY, it's working, but I needed Firefox to do it...gah.

This jolly woman was our server at the Prime Time Restaurant at Disney World last Monday...what a sweetheart! I think she liked me best cuz we're both left-handed...lol The picture was taken after we talked about all the cel phones being used in the place--something to do with E.T. and phoning home. I was just doing as I was told...lol

(The Prime Time is billed as "your Mother's kitchen"--and the staff tries to provide some of the angst of going back there. Who else can make you get your elbows off the table or give you a job to do before dinner? We had to grab a crayon and write down the eight presidents whose last name is one syllable. I still say asking other tables wasn't cheating, really, I was just being resourceful...lol And I DID get a flashing ice cube to take home, now didn't I?)

----------------------
Answers:
1. Pierce
2. Hayes
3. Ford
4. Grant
5. Bush
6. Bush
7. Polk
8. Taft

For your Friday listening pleasure

2006-12-15T07:13:00.000-06:00

Tutti Frutti_1203141712.mp3 (audio/mpeg Object)

LOL!

Moving a greenhouse

2006-12-14T20:40:00.000-06:00

I spent Monday and Tuesday dismantling the annual house, piece by piece--60 six foot rails, 48 side pieces to hold the 48 sliding plexiglass panels (each panel required removing 6 wing-nuts), and endless chunks of re-usable serpentine wire that holds the plastic on to the frame....but DAMN, a structure like that is a marvel of engineering! You can tell every piece was thought out and improved over and over to make it work just right. There's hope for humanity after all...lol

And, YES, I did it by myself because the guys were preparing the space it was going, out front...a small matter of taking a tree down, removing old mulch and landscaping fabric, leveling and hauling in loads of class II and tamping it flat and solid...and THEN laying fresh landscaping fabric for the floor of the greenhouse. We moved three of the struts last night, and assembled the WHOLE rest of it today. Amazing what three people can do.

Here's something really cool:

Yesterday, I was at the point of loosening the last of the plastic covering. I had 99% free and was working on the far end, standing on a ladder...and thinking that I'd have to get one of the guys to help me pull the roof off (we're talking 1600 square feet of heavy-duty poly)--when a gust of wind came along and--slow-mo--lifted it into the air and nicely curled it off to the side! It was sooo beautiful to watch from above... a flurry of snow and ice chips popped off the plastic with the wind, so it seemed even more like a miracle...lol...and it sparkled in the sun, just like GLITTER!

See? The poly's gone--and it's ready to be moved strut by strut....

...to the front of the store. All that's left now is to put new poly on top, stake it down, landscape around it....and it's ready for spring!

Catching up here...

2006-12-10T17:31:00.000-06:00

So, I just read somewhere that 18% of blog posts start with the word "So"...(they probably counted one or two of those posts right here on EF, hmm?)

What's been happening in my little Assistant Managers' life lately, you ask?

Lots! We "put away" the trees and plants for the winter last week--which involves taking all the perennials and covering them with straw and plastic:

LOL...what looks like a HUGE pile isn't really...compare it to the size of those cement blocks. It took us all day, and it was a fascinating process. Besides, it'll be like Christmas when we open it again in the spring.

Now that the grounds' more or less frozen, we're officially into our "off" season. Does this mean we'll spend our days in the Studio planning and thinking? Not so far...we have a greenhouse to move first.

Starting tomorrow.

It's the house with all the pots and fountains in it right now...(we'll start by moving 'em all to the perennial house for the rest of the winter)...but the IDEA of changing whole buildings around tickles me no end! The sibs will remember my joy in switching the furniture around at home when we were kids--somehow, it all seems new again--and moving the greenhouse will change the traffic pattern in the store and present WILD new opportunities for merchandising. I can hardly wait!

(But I have to say: Thank Gawd for flannel lined work pants!)

Oh, I suppose you want an update on the grandaughter, too, huh?

Her mom and dad had a party on the 2nd of December, and KQ was the centerpiece as far as I was concerned...lol She spent time gazing at all the people and glitter from the safety of J or B's arms, and sometimes my lap. Those huge brown eyes and tiny fingers seemed to prefer the sparkly button on my dress...lol

(HOORAY!! SHE LOVES GLITTER!!!)

Eventually, B asked me to take her to her room so she could safely crawl around for awhile (and frankly, I needed the quiet, too, by then...) Before long, Mog and E joined us, and KQ began to empty her sock drawer and the bookcase. Of COURSE we let her!

"Here, Sweetie, how 'bout these tights? They'll be FUN to throw!"

Can you believe she's 9 months old already? She's working on walking, and if she's anything like her dad, she'll find that walking's WAY too slow when she could be running...lol

We adults exchanged names for Christmas, but I have a feeling there'll be a small mountain of stuff for KQ to open....especially if it comes in boxes that look like drawers...