LOL...Hi, Colleen!

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!

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!

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

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

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!

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

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

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

Soooo Moggie!

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

Should a person be allowed to have this much fun?

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

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

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 :^)

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

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!

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

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

Gopher

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

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?

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!!

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!

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!

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?

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

"Rest assured"

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

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!

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!

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

Tutti Frutti_1203141712.mp3 (audio/mpeg Object)

LOL!

Moving a greenhouse

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...

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...

If you like jigsaw puzzles...

This is cool: try to finish a puzzle with who ever else happens to be on the site right now...click JIGSAW and join the game!