Friday, April 25, 2003

Gone to Carolina Archive: MN Citizenship Test

Twins 9-12 Braves 13-9
Comments from yesterday: Julia is apparently using my blog to tell her what day it is. Yesterday she thought it was Friday and that I was late in my posting. Later in the day, when she checked my blog again and saw it still said Thursday, she realized she had another Friday to live! You go girl!
Diann S writes: Karen, this is great! I got the link from Karen P(There is a Karen P at Mensa Boy's office). You must have a lot of time on your hands :). It's nice to know you're still a "Minnesota Team" fan. It's kind of hard to get into the Twins, but I really think they'll pick up (as soon as they threaten to shut them down again, maybe). I'm really not much of a hockey fan, and I don't have to watch the games because my son runs into the room about every five minutes to let me in on what's happening. (I pretend to be interested--I've gotten pretty good at that over the years.) Keep up the good work; I'll be tuning in regularly. I miss all you guys! Say HI! to Bob. (Diann is a traitorous past coworker of Mensa Boy's who did NOT move with us...we love her dearly and hope she'll see the light soon)
And also from Julia, this test you can take to apply for Minnesota Citizenship:
Personal Information:Name: ___________________sonSex: _____ Ole _____ LenaHomeAddress_________________________________________________Cabin Address____________________________________________ Religion: _____ Lutheran ______ Catholic Income: _____We do OK _____We're Blessed _____ None of your beeswaxQualifications: (check all that apply)___ I own a gas powered ice auger.___ Fargo floods hit a little close to home.___ I can name a dozen celebrities who've stayed at the Mayo___ I've been trick or treating in two feet of snow.___ Paw is both a hand and the male parent.
Multiple Choice:It's time to wear a hat when.A) The temperature is below 10 degrees.B) Your mother tells you to!C) The temperature is -10 and the wind chill is in double digits.
Essay Questions:
1 . What "uff-da" means to me __________________________________2. What "oopsy daisy" means to me _____________________________You know you're from Minnesota when..... 1. Your idea of a traffic jam is 10 cars waiting to pass a tractor.2. "Vacation" means going to Brainerd for the weekend.3. You measure distance in hours.4. You know several people who have hit deer more than once.5. You often switch from "heat" to "a/c" in the same day.6. You use a down comforter in the summer.7. Your grandparents drive 65 mph through 13 feet of snow during ablizzard, without flinching.
9. You install security lights on your house and garage and leave bothdoors unlocked.10. You think of the major food groups as venison, walleye, and Leinenkugels.11. You carry jumper cables in your car and your girlfriendknows how to use them.12. There are 7 empty cars running in the parking lot at the grocerystore at any given time.13. You design your kids Halloween costume to fit over asnowsuit.14. Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow.15. You think sexy lingerie is tube socks and flannel p.j.'s.16. You know all four seasons; almost winter, winter, still winter androad construction.17. It takes you 3 hours to go to the store for one item even when you'rein a rush because you have to stop to talk to everyone in town.
Happy National DNA Day! Celebrating 50 years of the Double Helix!

Thursday, April 24, 2003

Gone to Carolina Archive: Bob the Builder

Twins 9-11 Braves 12-9 Twins game was posponed due to rain yesterday. This is probably good. They needed to sit down and think, I think.
Bob the Builder
Can We Fix It?
Bob the Builder
Yes We Can!
My new favorite....Bob the Builder! I had a wonderful hour last night with chocolate-covered marshmallow Bob the Builders, courtesy of my friend Cassie. I was at choir practice, minding my own business, when in walks Cassie. She hands me a package of Bob the Builder chocolate covered Marshmallows! And West Wing was a new episode last night! Woo Hoo!
Comments from yesterday:
Lil said: Glad you mentioned the Wild and the Wolves this morning!!! The Twins are not doing so well at this point in the season. They lost to Kansas City 4-3. Gardenhire's comment, "Sometimes you lose to win." Check out the Startrib website and find the write up of the game. The article says, "Gardenhire surveyed the game, littered with so many non-productive moments and found a flower blooming in the muck" Check it out!!! As for chocolate marshmallow candy, I have no idea what they are since I am not a candy eater.
Now, I looked up that article. It definitely was a good one. See, the Twinks were down 4-1 going into the 9th of that game. Then they woke up and scored a couple of runs. Gardenhire said it reminded him of the Twins of last year. So with the rain postponement of last night...maybe????
Kristen said: I looked high and low for marshmallow eggs, one of my all-time favorites, and didn't find any. I like all of the eggs—peanut butter, coconut, caramel and marsh.—but had a hard time this year.
Last, I'm happy for my Yankees, but wish it didn't come at the expense of the Twins. I miss MN and had kind of adopted the underdog Twins. I just hope the Yanks pound Boston and Atlanta every chance they get. Then the Twins can take a whack at them, too!
Is anyone else tired of hearing about the Dixie Chicks?

Wednesday, April 23, 2003

Gone to Carolina Archive: Chreasters

Twins 9-11 Braves 11-9
How deeply satisfying to pick up the Charlotte Observer sports section today and see, in HUGE type, these words:
Timberwolves devour Lakers
hahahaha!
and then to see that The Wild has also done quite well...to advance to the semifinals.
However, I really need to find an source for chocolate marshmallow candy...the Twins are about to drive me around the bend!
Got a few comments yesterday, thank you. My friend Lil sent a newsy email about a couple of people from Chapel of Hope in Minneapolis...how they are doing. And she also said they had baked french toast at Minnehaha UMC for the Easter breakfast. No grits for them. In fact, no grits for us, either. We had pancakes, sausage and fruit. It was good, but I'm still waiting to have some of Harold Mc's famous grits. I guess they really rock.
And Tony wanted to know what a "Chreaster" is. He figured it out before I could answer him back. A Chreaster is a person who only seems to show up for church at Christmas and Easter. Southerners are too polite to use that term, I'm thinking.

Tuesday, April 22, 2003

Gone to Carolina Archive: Chocolate Marshmallow Eggs, Where are Ye?

Twins 9-10 Braves 10-9
Where have all the chocolate-covered marshmallow eggs gone? I don't mean the ones in my sons' Easter baskets. There were none in there. There were none in there because there were none in the stores.
They were my favorite as a kid. They were my favorite when my kids were smaller.
I think I'll need to make a Chocolate Marshmallow Pinwheel run this afternoon.

Monday, April 21, 2003

Gone to Carolina Archive: Easter Weekend Reflections

Twins 9-10 Braves 10-9
I've decided to leave the comments section off this blog. But, I will post any comments that come to me in an email, as long as they are appropriate for "family viewing". Kristen B suggested we leave the section on there and "we could all just ignore the idiots out there, just like we do everywhere else... " But hey, I've got nieces who read this, so....
Click on the little yellow envelope over to the left on this screen and send me a comment. The next morning I'll post it on the blog in purple with whatever name you put in there for yourself.
Someone named "Da Prince" mentioned the Old Market in Charleston in a comment the other day: "The Market actually started out as farmers market and city market... the Slave Markets were elsewhere... the remaining one, the Old Slave Mart Museum is closed now because of a lack of funds". Thanks Prince, whoever you are. You're a...well...a prince...for giving us that tidbit of info. Sad though, that whole lack of funds thing.
Mom and Dad left this morning. Boston Terror Mickey seemed anxious to go...dogs always know when your're leaving. He started pawing at the door as soon as he saw the luggage. Soya didn't really pay attention, but of course, once she saw a car door open she had to jump in, in hopes of getting a ride. Took a bit of coaxing to get her out. She's been looking for Grandpa all day now.
Yesterday, Easter Sunday, we had a nice, but a bit busy, day. Mensa Boy and I actually did go to the Sunrise service. It was just so nice being outside at 6:30 am on Easter Sunday morning, and it was 53 degrees. I thought I hadn't been to one since I was 15 and my fingers were freezing on the strings of my guitar. But later hubby reminded me of ones we used to go to at Advent UMC in Eagan, MN. Those were not outside, but we used to go to this cold cabin-type structure and light a fire in a fireplace, I think. You old-time Adventers will need to remind me...I can't seem to call up those memories too well.
Our choir's cantata went well, although we didn't get to hear Tony preach, except during the children's time. The church was packed, except for the front pew. Tony said that isn't all bad. It's a good reminder that there are always more possibilities for people to come to us. I'll step out on a limb here and give an opinion online about the Easter service. I think when you have all the "Chreasters" come to church you should trot out your best assets. And since I see Tony as one of ours, I think he should always preach on Sunday and Easter.
So there. Post your comments by clicking on the little yellow envelope...and let me know if you don't want your name mentioned.
One of the truly surprising things for me yesterday was how cool our cross looked. They wired it up with chicken wire and told everyone to bring cut flowers "from your garden or someone else's" and they would put them on this cross. It was absolutely the prettiest thing I've seen. After the service they carried it outside and it's still out there. I'll try to get a photo of it tomorrow and post it, if it's still out there. I think I was just so skeptical because I'm not used to seeing flowers out at Easter time.
Mary R came to church with us yesterday. Tony asked her how the bread and beer diet was going. I would just like to say in my defense that I did ask permission from her before writing about it.
We had Nanette and husband Jesse for dinner and then walked all the pooches afterward. Nannette and Jesse have two schnauzers, Josephine and Sophia. They are great fun to watch, as they walk Nannette everywhere and treat her a bit like a maypole, twisting themselves around her. I do think they are a bit annoyed that their kerchiefs are Valentines Day ones. It seems Jesse was too busy sewing backdrops for Nannette's concert this week to make them Easter kerchiefs...Memorial Day is coming, Jess. Better get out the machine again.
I think I'll quit here. I think I'll go crawl into bed and pull the covers over my head. The Twinks lost 15-1 to those Yankee people this afternoon.
Confidential to Valerie, c/o Heaven: No one here greeted us with "He Is Risen" on Sunday morning. But I think I heard you whisper it to me. And I reply: "He Is Risen Indeed. Just As He Said."

Gone to Carolina Archive: Easter Weekend Reflections

Twins 9-10 Braves 10-9
I've decided to leave the comments section off this blog. But, I will post any comments that come to me in an email, as long as they are appropriate for "family viewing". Kristen B suggested we leave the section on there and "we could all just ignore the idiots out there, just like we do everywhere else... " But hey, I've got nieces who read this, so....
Click on the little yellow envelope over to the left on this screen and send me a comment. The next morning I'll post it on the blog in purple with whatever name you put in there for yourself.
Someone named "Da Prince" mentioned the Old Market in Charleston in a comment the other day: "The Market actually started out as farmers market and city market... the Slave Markets were elsewhere... the remaining one, the Old Slave Mart Museum is closed now because of a lack of funds". Thanks Prince, whoever you are. You're a...well...a prince...for giving us that tidbit of info. Sad though, that whole lack of funds thing.
Mom and Dad left this morning. Boston Terror Mickey seemed anxious to go...dogs always know when your're leaving. He started pawing at the door as soon as he saw the luggage. Soya didn't really pay attention, but of course, once she saw a car door open she had to jump in, in hopes of getting a ride. Took a bit of coaxing to get her out. She's been looking for Grandpa all day now.
Yesterday, Easter Sunday, we had a nice, but a bit busy, day. Mensa Boy and I actually did go to the Sunrise service. It was just so nice being outside at 6:30 am on Easter Sunday morning, and it was 53 degrees. I thought I hadn't been to one since I was 15 and my fingers were freezing on the strings of my guitar. But later hubby reminded me of ones we used to go to at Advent UMC in Eagan, MN. Those were not outside, but we used to go to this cold cabin-type structure and light a fire in a fireplace, I think. You old-time Adventers will need to remind me...I can't seem to call up those memories too well.
Our choir's cantata went well, although we didn't get to hear Tony preach, except during the children's time. The church was packed, except for the front pew. Tony said that isn't all bad. It's a good reminder that there are always more possibilities for people to come to us. I'll step out on a limb here and give an opinion online about the Easter service. I think when you have all the "Chreasters" come to church you should trot out your best assets. And since I see Tony as one of ours, I think he should always preach on Sunday and Easter.
So there. Post your comments by clicking on the little yellow envelope...and let me know if you don't want your name mentioned.
One of the truly surprising things for me yesterday was how cool our cross looked. They wired it up with chicken wire and told everyone to bring cut flowers "from your garden or someone else's" and they would put them on this cross. It was absolutely the prettiest thing I've seen. After the service they carried it outside and it's still out there. I'll try to get a photo of it tomorrow and post it, if it's still out there. I think I was just so skeptical because I'm not used to seeing flowers out at Easter time.
Mary R came to church with us yesterday. Tony asked her how the bread and beer diet was going. I would just like to say in my defense that I did ask permission from her before writing about it.
We had Nanette and husband Jesse for dinner and then walked all the pooches afterward. Nannette and Jesse have two schnauzers, Josephine and Sophia. They are great fun to watch, as they walk Nannette everywhere and treat her a bit like a maypole, twisting themselves around her. I do think they are a bit annoyed that their kerchiefs are Valentines Day ones. It seems Jesse was too busy sewing backdrops for Nannette's concert this week to make them Easter kerchiefs...Memorial Day is coming, Jess. Better get out the machine again.
I think I'll quit here. I think I'll go crawl into bed and pull the covers over my head. The Twinks lost 15-1 to those Yankee people this afternoon.
Confidential to Valerie, c/o Heaven: No one here greeted us with "He Is Risen" on Sunday morning. But I think I heard you whisper it to me. And I reply: "He Is Risen Indeed. Just As He Said."