The last warm day...?

Our back-yard buckeye

Today is sunny and calm and about 70 degrees Fahrenheit. It may be the last warm day until next spring.

Butterfly weed seeds float on gossamer wings

Thing is, at this point we Minnesotans say that about every warm and sunny day. "Beautiful day!" comes the greeting. "Yup, probably the last one for this year," comes the reply. Just in case that's true, I'm posting a few more photos of this year's fall color, all taken about October 1 right here in our yard.

Looking down our street

We were told that because of the very dry conditions and a counterproductive temperature cycle, the colors this year were likely to be very subdued. And indeed, some trees simply turned brown and dropped everything at the first breeze.

Northwoods Maple in our front yard

But there was color to be found, and the urban forest where we live did quite well indeed. The color in these photos is mostly gone now, but the late-turning trees still beckon, along with shrubs, grasses, and the occasional planter of fall flowers. I am enjoying it all, as long as it lasts.

What's the deal with the monkey?

September is a great time to get back to walking. The scenery is beautiful, and I am motivated to get in some walking now, before winter makes it nearly impossible.

I've been walking around the lake at Como Park about three times a week. The scenery has been so wonderful I had to take my camera one day, so I'm sharing.

Geese, ducks, cormorants, herons, and other birds make good use of the lake during migration. I miss most of the birds-in-residence because I don't walk at dawn.

People-watching is great; folks of every description run, walk, bicycle, or skate the paths around the lake. There are babies in strollers, dogs of every size. and one dignified-looking monkey. I don't know the monkey's story. How does one ask? "Hey, mister, what's the deal with the monkey?" I think I'll just mind my own business.

Another perspective

If you're lying under the tree and looking up, it might look like this.

Wednesday's Word: Adorable

Bonus word: Determined.

For her birthday, ViMae got this pretty dress from Nana Ellyn and Papa Kenny. The next day she was already wearing a cute outfit when she spotted the new dress and said, "Mommy, wear beautiful dress. Take off ViMae's pants. Take off ViMae's shirt. Take off ViMae's socks. Put on beautiful dress." She repeated her request in exactly those words several times, until, her Mommy says, "I finally caved." (The hat was strictly an afterthought.)

Sights and sounds of spring

From the time I was a little girl, I've loved lying in bed in the morning with the window open, taking in the world through my ears. In the past few days I've been hearing the songs of cardinals and mourning doves along with various other chirping and squawking. And neighbor kids going down the sidewalk on roller skates and tiny bicycles with training wheels.

We've had an unusually warm spring thus far. I hope we have a temperate summer, because I hate closing the windows to run air conditioning. But in the spirit of "watch out what you wish for" I hasten to send a message out into the ether-verse that I also don't want to have to wear my winter jacket to the 4th of July baseball game!

This picture was the first photo I took with my first digital camera in 2003. My film camera had broken, and suddenly a family of cardinals was hanging out in our yard. I've never yet gotten a great cardinal photo, but I'm not giving up!

What Easter bonnet will you be wearing?

The kids are on a spring break trip to see their Montana grandparents and, as Augie says, "become a dental floss tycoon." At least I hope he says it; we thought it might amuse Grandpa Terry and Grandma Anita.

Meanwhile Pa is missing his grandbabies, so I thought I'd post a couple of photos I took when we were playing with the dressup clothes a day or two before they left.

Grandchildren say the darndest things

I love (most of the time) the way kids pick up what they hear. Some weeks ago, Augie greeted his grandpa with, "So, how was your shopping?" He got himself in some trouble last week and stalled for time with, "Grandma and Pa, I have something to tell you." Oh, we said, what's that? A moment of thought, and then: "So, how is your day?"

Recently, he cracked up his mom at bedtime with, "Please don't leave, I'm begging you!" (Turns out that in "Do the Alphabet," Baby Bear says "I'm begging you" to Big Bird.)

This morning, Augie was making his way through our living room, which was so thick with toys that even he had to watch where he was going. "I'm losing my mind," I heard him say. No idea why.

Meanwhile, Vi is stepping up conversationally, too. Some of her meaning is obvious. "More oatmeal." "Yo-yo Ma" or "Ernie and Bert" (video choices). "Mali (our cat), where are you?"

Some requires translation. "Too" means "I want what Augie's having." "All done" used to mean "I'm finished eating" but now means, "You are done (sitting in that chair, or playing the drums, for example) and now it's my turn." This is gradually being replaced with "Vi turn," and, when she's had enough, "Augie turn."

One of my favorites is when she says something you don't quite understand. "Upsht baby pa gamma carry-you." So you try to clarify: You want to go upstairs? "Okay!" Now, you may have intended not to go upstairs, but she seems to think you invited her, so of course you go. She hands you the baby doll and says, "Up-hts mbld carry-you," and again you aren't sure so you ask: You want me to carry you? And she says, "Okay!" as if you just made the greatest suggestion.

It's exactly what Augie used to do, when his diction was still a little indistinct, and it still cracks me up every time.

Now, he knows words like "umbilicus," "nocturnal," and "Matt Nokes is a catcher who flies his own airplane."

BTW, in the photo above, Augie had just stacked all the tuna cans on top of the cat food cans on top of the counter. He likes it when the stack totals 20, but the cat insists on being fed, so it's often less. Augie seems to be adjusting to this situation.

I heart my pink Uggs

You know those cute pink Uggs floating in my blog Wednesday? Where the meme question was "Something you're not wearing?" and I answered "Uggs"?

I'm wearing them today.

I've had a pair of black suede Uggs for years, and I love how warm and comfy they are, and how much traction they have on ice. Something got me started looking at the new ones, with all the lovely colors. And then I discovered this "cardy" style, knit from a merino wool blend. Giant sweater sox with sheepskin inserts and rubbery soles. Not meant for puddles or the coldest of our weather--but then, neither are my unlined leather high-heeled boots.

Yesterday, I decided I HAD to have them. In pink (if you're going to be impractical, may as well go all the way). Ordered them online from Zappos at about 4 p.m. They arrived at 4 p.m. today! And with free shipping!

With suede Uggs, you can wear them straight up or rolled over. With these, you have a third choice--slouched, as in the top left photo. And a fourth, really, because if you roll them over you can unbutton them. Wow, endless possibilities!

Time out for some one-word answers

Golden to Silver Val posted a meme consisting of 35 questions to be answered with one-word responses. She challenged those in her blogroll to try it. It's kinda fun and kinda frustrating; the reward is the Over the Top award posted below.

1. Where is your cell phone? purse

2. Your hair? short

3. Your mother? missed

4. Your father? elderly

5. Your favorite food? chocolate

6. Your dream last night? anxiety

7. Your favorite drink? tea

8. Your dream/goal? retirement

9. What room are you in? office

10. Your hobby? gardening

11. Your fear? itself

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? healthy

13. Where were you last night? blogging

14. Something you aren’t? royalty

15. Muffins? pumpkin

16. Wish list item? Powerball

17. Where did you grow up? Hibbing

18. Last thing you did? ever?

19. What are you wearing? jammies

20. Your TV? widescreen

21. Your pet? annoying

22. Your friends? dispersed

23. Your life? fulfilling

24. Your mood? enhanced

25. Missing someone? yes

26. Vehicle? Jeep

27. Something you’re not wearing? Uggs

28. Your favorite store? Amazon

29. Your favorite color? burgundy

30. When was the last time you laughed? today

31. Last time you cried? dunno

32. Your best friend? Augie

33. One place that I go over and over? ballpark

34. One person who emails me regularly? boss

35. Favorite place to eat? den

Try it! If you do, help yourself to the Over the Top patch and link back to me, if you would. I'll be interested to see how you responded.

Honeymoon hotel, 25 years later

When you are the only guests in a small, family-owned hotel, you get lots of attention. When you tell them you honeymooned there 25 years earlier, they welcome you like part of the family. That's how it was for Peter and me this weekend at Schumachers Hotel and Grill in New Prague, Minnesota.

The historic hotel has just six guest suites, all recently updated to include whirlpools, gas fireplaces, and flat-screen televisions. Some old-style amenities are present, too, including beautiful stained-glass windows and really tiny bathrooms. Overall, our room was spacious and comfortable, and we had a lovely time.

Over the years, the hotel had become noted for its restaurant; owner-chef John Schumacher specialized in lavish menus of Czech and German fare. We had gone back several times for dinner without staying the night--most recently just before the place closed in 2005. The establishment changed hands, the deal fell through, and last fall John and Kathleen Schumacher reopened with modernized guest suites and a simplified menu.

Our dinner Sunday night (pork schnitzel for me, Atlantic haddock for Peter) was well prepared, but not as spectacular as in the old days. The young man who served us said they were working hard to get the dishes just right and the kitchen functioning smoothly after the long hiatus. We chatted about our earlier visits, and I told him we'd learned about the hotel's reopening from Far Side of Fifty's blog, as described here. Dessert was on the house, and we shared a wonderful meringue torte with whipped cream, pecans, and chocolate bits.


This morning, Chef Schumacher showed us around the kitchen before cooking a breakfast of scrambled eggs (made to perfection), sausage, and French toast made from homemade cinnamon rolls. Then we headed home, 30 minutes through rolling hills and frosty trees and another 30 minutes by freeway to St. Paul. If you're ever in southern Minnesota, consider a visit to Schumachers. If not, do you have a favorite getaway spot where you can be just a little pampered, and maybe revisit old memories?

The one where Abby locks the keys in the other car

The phone rang at 9 a.m. I expected the usual cheery "We're on our way," meaning Abby and the kids would be trooping in the back door within 10 minutes. Instead, I heard, "Uh, oh, n-o-o-o, ooh, maybe there's hope, I hope, I hope, please, please, uh, mmf, ungh." And then, "Dad's gonna kill me." Whew. That's when I knew they were okay, not being attacked by aliens or overcome by toxic fumes or....

"What's up?" I said, trying to sound more caring than I usually can manage before about noon. Eventually she choked out the fact that she couldn't find her house and car keys because she had locked them in the glove box of her hubby's car, which was long gone to his teaching job on the opposite end of the metro area. (While talking to me she was frantically digging through various places where she thought she might find a spare key, and having exhausted the possibilities, she faced defeat.)

Thing is, this problem is solved with relative ease: Pa drives 1.7 miles to her house (with his house key so they can lock up), brings them to our house, and she takes Pa's car to work. After school her hubby picks up the three of them and takes them home. It's not that complicated; seems to me we've done it before. But for some reason it really had her going!

This woman is so strong and level-headed and confident, and fierce (in a good way) and so good at multi-tasking, you would feel completely at ease having her take charge in any emergency. Except, apparently, when she loses her keys just before leaving for work. We all have our moments, don't we?

Living well in 2010

I've been drafting a bunch of new year's resolutions, but something about the process didn't feel right. Today when I read Abode One Three, a single sentence jumped out: "...a best-lived life is more than an adequate replacement for plans, for resolutions." That resonated with me, and I stopped trying to generate goals that are specific, measurable, and on a timetable.

For a very long time, my life was dominated by goals and objectives, assignments and deadlines, 50-hour weeks at the office and precious little personal life. My husband has spent much of our nearly 25 years together trying to get me to enjoy the moment, to celebrate an accomplishment, to indulge in any one of my favorite renewing activities before tackling another work assignment on a lovely Saturday.

In February 2007, our first grandbaby was born. When I held that baby, nothing else mattered. Now there are two, and it's still that way. Meanwhile, I cut back on both time and responsibilities at work, and some huge, toxic pressure dissipated. I began living in the moment, enjoying life as never before, and blogging as a way to savor and record the experience.

My resolutions, such as they are, are about trying to maximize the bliss, minimize the stress, work through the transition from the working world to retirement, and honor the important relationships in my life. I've identified a half-dozen areas where my attention needs to be directed in order to live life as well as I can.

* Be the best grandma I can be. Spending the energy, thinking up new Wild Rumpus Daycare activities, reading and counting and drawing and dancing and making music and rolling around on the floor and playing ball and taking excursions...it's rewarding for them and us! This is an unexpected, unparalleled experience, and it will only last a few years. I don't want to waste a single minute!

* Get active. I need to build up my energy, strength, and stamina in order to do--and enjoy--the things that are important. It's hard to get out for walks when it's 10 below and icy. But a combination of aerobic dance moves, yoga, pilates, and lifting small weights--when I actually do it--gives me better energy to do more of everything else. If I want to dance with the grandbabies now AND at their weddings, I'd better get fit!

* Choose a retirement date. I'm working part-time, mostly for the health care benefits. I'm looking into possible ways to further reduce hours, work at home, or flat-out retire in the coming year. If we win the lottery, I'm outta there.

* Identify health care plans for after I retire. It sounds impossibly ancient: I will be eligible for Medicare. I have to research and choose among a dozen different plans. More difficult: my hubby, covered under my workplace policy, is younger and will not be eligible for Medicare for a few more years. He had a cancerous lymph node two years ago, so getting accepted will be tricky and expensive. We were so hoping for a public option!

* Do things that feed my spirit...gardening, blogging, sewing, photography, and maybe even playing the piano again. Being with friends and family...and also being alone. I always did enjoy solitary pastimes; as an adult I discovered I was an over-the-top introvert who needs tons of alone time for my own well-being.

* Pick up a bigger share of the housework. True Statement: My husband does just about everything: cooking, shopping, dishes, laundry, snow removal, grass-cutting, cat litter, recycling, composting, etc. I feed the cat and decorate the house for Christmas. Our son-in-law vacuums weekly so the floors are clean for the grandkids (a great trade-off, don't you think?), and on rare occasions I've been known to dust. The combination of 20 hours a week at the office and 20 sharing in daycare wears me out. But Peter devotes 30-40 hours to daycare, plus a fulltime job--which he does at home at all hours of the day--and still does the housework. It's time for me to pitch in (sob) and wash dishes once in a while, or mop the kitchen floor, or wash the shelves in the china cabinet. Yes, I do know how good I have it. When he proposed, he said he was already keeping house and he'd just keep doing it. So I let him. Damn, it's time for me to step up.

That last one is going to be the hardest. How about you...are you owning up to one really difficult behavior that you intend to change but wish you didn't have to? Will we all feel better once we behave better?

Christmas favorites, part 3

Several of our ornaments are really old, including the foursome seen here. The Father Christmas figure was on Peter's great-grandmother's tree back at the turn of the century (1900, not 2000). He found an identical one in an old farmhouse he was cleaning out years ago, so we have two of them. The little house was on his parents' tree, as were the two glass ornaments. My parents had many of the striped orbs, too, so the few we have are meaningful to me as well.

The elaborately antlered reindeer in baseball togs is a new acquisition in honor of Blitzen and of our great passion for minor-league baseball (specifically, the St. Paul Saints). Behind this guy is a satin-trimmed styrofoam ornament I made when I was about 13. My mom got the idea (and the pattern for the six satin segments) from Good Housekeeping, which she and I studied every year for new decorations and recipes. Several of my siblings made ornaments; I have three that I made, and I'm still very fond of them.

The up side of insomnia...

I probably shouldn't have spent all day eating nothing but pecan brittle...but it was so good, and I didn't feel like going out to forage for lunch, and besides I was being polite because it was a homemade gift from my new boss.

And at the end of the day, I shouldn't have gone to bed without finishing my gift-wrapping project, telling myself I'd finish in the morning. Those and whatever unknown factors might be at work have me up in the middle of the night, drinking peppermint tea and finishing the wrapping project. And now I'm showing it to you.

Last year our son-in-law's mom sent them some reusable fabric bags. We loved them, loved the whole idea. I ran out and bought tons of fabric (I'm good at buying tons of fabric) and then forgot about it until Thanksgiving. So I haven't made nearly as many as I wanted to, but some is better than none.

Not only are reusable bags environmentally friendly (assuming they will be used for years) but they can handle really awkward packages. In this case, a bottle of champagne, a large can of Poppycock, and some chocolate. Because of the standing items, I even made these in the shape of a grocery bag, with four sides and a bottom. I gave each bag a built-in tie; I turned the upper edge inside and ran two lines of stitching as a channel for the yarn. The overall effect is a bit lumpy, but I didn't have to (a) wrap each item separately or (b) buy paper gift bags. The rest of the bags I'm making are flat, so they go together much faster than the one you see here.

Now if only I could get a few hours of sleep before I go to work....

Here come the jokes, folks!

Augie was sitting on the potty chair, drumming on a step-stool with his fingers. I said, "Can you make a tiny noise, to wake a sleeping bee?"

(Background: In The Whispering Rabbit, a bee has flown into a rabbit's throat and fallen asleep. A groundhog tells the rabbit that he must make a very LITTLE noise to wake the bee, because a bee is not interested in big noises. He makes the click of a bee swallowing nectar hundreds of miles away. It works; the bee wakes up and flies away.)

Augie, who is not much interested in little noises and who loves to wake his sister Vi, said with a big grin, "I make a medium-size noise to wake a Sleeping V."

Wow, I said, that's a great joke. So he repeated it 15 or 20 times and I laughed each time. Once he was off the potty and dressed again, I said let's go upstairs and wake up Pa, who was taking advantage of naptime. Augie, again: "Here come Sleeping A and Sleeping G to see Sleeping P."

Half an hour later, Daddy arrived to pick them up. "Driving D is here," Augie said. I have a feeling this is going to continue for a while. He's figuring out in his head, this word starts with this letter... and then working it into his new game. Should he be able to do this at 33 months? I dunno, but I sure love it. And him.

Christmas favorites, part 2

Shortly before she died almost 30 years ago (and I still miss her) my mother embroidered ornaments for me and my siblings. I have about a dozen including this poinsettia, two Christmas trees, a star, an angel, a wreath, and others. Of course I carefully distribute them around the tree, interspersed with other handmade ornaments--things I made as a kid, things Peter and Abby made, and quite a few Santas needlepointed by Peter's mother, who died last March.

In this photo from a couple of years ago (our tree will go up next week), we see a beautiful blown-glass orb that was a wedding gift, a clever Santa suit that we bought on a trip, a dainty bird-in-a-nest that is sort of outdoorsy and sort of Victorian, and a regal reindeer.

Both the kids' tree and ours have several reindeer. It seems that every year beginning when Abby was very young, Blitzen has left her a Christmas letter and a gift of a reindeer that he fancies looks like himself. His letters have offered advice and encouragement through all of her life changes, but apparently he also can be a little full of himself, or so I'm told. Anyway, once in a while Peter and I spot a really special, audacious reindeer that we add to our tree as a kind of tribute to good old Blitzen.

Memories...on someone else's tree!

Yesterday Connie, of Far Side of Fifty, posted a photo of a nice old ornament she'd found at an antique shop. The ornament featured Schumachers New Prague Hotel--which I recognized at once. It's where Peter and I spent the first night of our honeymoon just over 24 years ago.

That's us in the photo, with my lovely stepdaughter Abby, minutes after we were married in the living room of my best friends. If we look like we're in shock...we were. We met April 15, he asked me to marry him June 14, and we were married September 27. I've taken longer to pick out shoes. We were very practical about the whole thing. Couldn't take time off for a big honeymoon, so we headed for a two-day tour of southern Minnesota. (I went back to work on Monday and was still shaken. My employees threw me a little party and sent me home, where I spent a couple of days practicing the word "h-h-husband.")

In her post about the ornament, Connie provided some background on Schumachers, a historic small hotel with a wonderful restaurant. The restaurant featured Czech and German dishes prepared by the owner and fabulous chef John Schumacher. We had really enjoyed the food, and we went back for lunch or dinner several times before the hotel and restaurant closed in 2005.

But surprise...Connie's post said Schumachers had reopened. A quick Google search confirmed that the restaurant is back in business and the hotel has been remodeled (the twelve fairly small rooms are now six suites). The food will still include some European specialties but it will be lighter, a bit less expensive, and not designed to require a three-hour dining extravaganza--all good things, I'd say. Now that I know, I can't wait to get back there. And with our 25th anniversary coming up this year, we may need to check out the accommodations.

I'm so glad Connie decided to write about that ornament and that I was reading her blog! How about you...have you made a cool discovery while blogging?

P.S. Connie sent us the ornament and it now hangs on our Christmas tree every year! Thanks so much, Connie. 

Christmas favorites

Our ornaments are like a blended family...his, hers, and ours. Shortly before I "married them," Peter and Abby had one Christmas where money was tight and they spent time making gifts and ornaments. (She told him it was the best Christmas ever, because of the time they spent together.) This lace-ribbon star is one of their projects, and it's always in a place of honor on the tree. (Warning to Abby: spoiler ahead.) We can't remember who originally owned the little set of cooking utensils shown in this picture, but given Augie's and Abby's interest in baking, I have a hunch it will migrate to their tree soon.

Snow on the briar patch

I love this image in its vertical format, so I'm posting it. But would it surprise you to know there is an Augie-related story? Of course not.

He loves some of the old Golden Books, including Little Cottontail. Mother rabbit is preparing her baby to survive outside the nest. The final lesson involves learning to escape the fox by running in circles, stopping short and hopping to the side, and staying perfectly still while the fox runs straight into the briar patch.

These barberry shrubs have thorns, so Pa started calling them the briar patch. Augie learned that when the ball goes in there, you can't just reach in and grab it--you'll get a paw full of thorns just like the fox!

Always teaching, learning, making connections, helping little brains develop new synapses.

Around and around....

Yesterday we took the kids to a mall to ride a carousel, since ours is closed for the season.

This mall carousel is smallish and made of fiberglass and has only recorded music, but Augie enjoyed it anyway. Vi not so much--maybe just because it is unfamiliar. Peter didn't like it, either, because the tight radius produces motion sickness much more quickly than a big machine. Still, it was a good outing. The kids got to ride, explore a new place, and run around--and they both took good naps afterwards.