Twins 3-4 Braves 3-5
Well, now we have to pay to hear the Twins on radio. Last winter Mensa Boy listened to the Vikings on the internet and we thought we'd be able to do that with the Twins. But, Major League Baseball has a fee attached. It's only about $12 for the entire season, but it still seems so wrong. One consolation: we do get to hear WCCO. Of course, if we went over to The Dark Side, we'd be able to hear games by just turning on the radio, but I'm not ready to go there yet.
It's still raining. The grass will soon be as high as an elephant's eye. But it's definitely better than snow!
Wednesday, April 09, 2003
Tuesday, April 08, 2003
Gone to Carolina Archive: It's All About Media
Twins 3-3 (Monday's game postponed due to snow) Braves 3-4
Good writing...good art... can elicit a sigh of satisfaction from me.
I'm still sighing with satisfaction over the movie Chicago. Every single thing about that movie is satisfying. There were wonderful surprises... "Richard Gere can sing?"
My brothers, Doug and Lis, say you can almost hear a collective sigh of satisfaction each Wednesday night after West Wing is over. Never mind that the show is a so bleeding-heart liberal, it's just such good writing. I like a show that is challenging to watch, and West Wing is. You have to hear every single sentence to keep on top of it. I tape it, even while watching it, so that I have back-up if I get lost in the dialogue.
Unfortunately I can get a fanatical about it.
To the point of being rude.
Last Wednesday I got home from choir with 3 minutes to spare before the show came on (just about the ONLY advantage to living in the Eastern Time Zone!). Had a note to call my friend Cassie. She wanted to confirm lunch for the next day. I dialed her number. She said "hello". I said "Yes. Gotta go, West Wing is starting". She said "okay". I hung up.
I'm glad Cassie is understanding!
Back to art and satisfaction....I'm reading Louise Erdrich's new book, The Master Butchers Singing Club What a wonderfully satisfying book. The kind you really don't want to put down. It's a fast read, but every once in a while, a sentence stands out that just evokes a response from the reader...it's just so good you want to share it. I read this sentence to my husband last night. As a writer I knew he would enjoy this, even without reading the book or knowing what it is about:
"...Delphine stepped out of the cool locker into the presence of a woman known in town as Step-and-a-half. She was a rangy stray dog of a woman who was probably still young--she looked between thirty and forty--and yet moved with an air of ancient bitterness."
There is some very satisfying writing to be read on the internet. I've been following two blogs for more than a month now, and each morning I find myself checking both of them to see what has transpired. It's become as addicting as the two measly cups of coffee I get each morning, and the rush really sets in when I can drink the coffee and read these blogs at the same time. Here are the links:
The Julie/Julia Project This is the journal of a New York woman who is cooking her way through Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child.
Fanatical Apathy This is Adam Felber's blog. He is a writer, comedian and regular on NPR's Wait Wait Don't Tell Me! Another addiction of mine.
That's it for now. Twins play their make-up game this afternoon at 4:05 Eastern. The snow day was no doubt a good thing for them. They had a tough weekend.
Good writing...good art... can elicit a sigh of satisfaction from me.
I'm still sighing with satisfaction over the movie Chicago. Every single thing about that movie is satisfying. There were wonderful surprises... "Richard Gere can sing?"
My brothers, Doug and Lis, say you can almost hear a collective sigh of satisfaction each Wednesday night after West Wing is over. Never mind that the show is a so bleeding-heart liberal, it's just such good writing. I like a show that is challenging to watch, and West Wing is. You have to hear every single sentence to keep on top of it. I tape it, even while watching it, so that I have back-up if I get lost in the dialogue.
Unfortunately I can get a fanatical about it.
To the point of being rude.
Last Wednesday I got home from choir with 3 minutes to spare before the show came on (just about the ONLY advantage to living in the Eastern Time Zone!). Had a note to call my friend Cassie. She wanted to confirm lunch for the next day. I dialed her number. She said "hello". I said "Yes. Gotta go, West Wing is starting". She said "okay". I hung up.
I'm glad Cassie is understanding!
Back to art and satisfaction....I'm reading Louise Erdrich's new book, The Master Butchers Singing Club What a wonderfully satisfying book. The kind you really don't want to put down. It's a fast read, but every once in a while, a sentence stands out that just evokes a response from the reader...it's just so good you want to share it. I read this sentence to my husband last night. As a writer I knew he would enjoy this, even without reading the book or knowing what it is about:
"...Delphine stepped out of the cool locker into the presence of a woman known in town as Step-and-a-half. She was a rangy stray dog of a woman who was probably still young--she looked between thirty and forty--and yet moved with an air of ancient bitterness."
There is some very satisfying writing to be read on the internet. I've been following two blogs for more than a month now, and each morning I find myself checking both of them to see what has transpired. It's become as addicting as the two measly cups of coffee I get each morning, and the rush really sets in when I can drink the coffee and read these blogs at the same time. Here are the links:
The Julie/Julia Project This is the journal of a New York woman who is cooking her way through Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child.
Fanatical Apathy This is Adam Felber's blog. He is a writer, comedian and regular on NPR's Wait Wait Don't Tell Me! Another addiction of mine.
That's it for now. Twins play their make-up game this afternoon at 4:05 Eastern. The snow day was no doubt a good thing for them. They had a tough weekend.
Monday, April 07, 2003
Gone to Carolina Archive: "Samaritan"
Rainy morning.
Last night I finished Richard Price's new novel Samaritan. It wasn't a fast read, but it was pretty good. I had heard Price on National Public Radio a few weeks ago and ordered his book from the library.
The book is about a guy who goes through a succession of jobs, the last of which was as a writer on a television series, and he goes back to his old neighborhood in New York and volunteers at his old High School. He is teaching kids creative writing.
But he gets beat up pretty badly in his home and almost loses his life. An old childhood friend of him tries to find out who assaulted him and he won't tell.
Good book.
Last night I finished Richard Price's new novel Samaritan. It wasn't a fast read, but it was pretty good. I had heard Price on National Public Radio a few weeks ago and ordered his book from the library.
The book is about a guy who goes through a succession of jobs, the last of which was as a writer on a television series, and he goes back to his old neighborhood in New York and volunteers at his old High School. He is teaching kids creative writing.
But he gets beat up pretty badly in his home and almost loses his life. An old childhood friend of him tries to find out who assaulted him and he won't tell.
Good book.
Sunday, April 06, 2003
Gone to Carolina Archive: My First Pig Pickin'
Twins 3-3
Braves 2-4
Puckett acquitted.
What a busy weekend we've had! Yesterday was our "Day of Opportunity" at church. This was an opportunity to spent a long morning cleaning, painting, planting grass and just in general spiffing up the place.
But it culminated in a Pig Pickin'. Now THAT is truly a sight to behold. One of the members of our church as a trailer with 3 giant grills on it. He bought a whole pig, dressed to his specifications and cooked, for $175. Then he heated the meat a bit and de-fatted and "pulled" it...shredded it by just pulling at the meat, not cutting.
Then he laid the meat back in the skin and put that on his grill. He then dosed the meat with sauce and left it low for a few hours. Every once in a while he would douse it with more sauce. Now, this is a vinegar-based sauce that he makes. Not a tomato-based sauce.
At a real pig pickin', people will just go over to the grill, lift the hood, and pick meat off the mound on the pig skin with a tongs. But it was raining yesterday, and we really didn't have room for standing around out there, so he just brought it in to the fellowship hall in pans. MMMM doggie! What great stuff! We had slaw and fruit salad and beans and of course, copious amounts of sweet tea and desserts.
This morning we talked about Goodness in Sunday School. We pondered the question: Can anything good come out of a bad person, and can anything bad come out of a good person? We didn't really resolve that one.
This afternoon I worked on landscaping all afternoon. It was about 75 and sunny. It's clouding up now and will rain tonight. I sure do like the weather here!
Braves 2-4
Puckett acquitted.
What a busy weekend we've had! Yesterday was our "Day of Opportunity" at church. This was an opportunity to spent a long morning cleaning, painting, planting grass and just in general spiffing up the place.
But it culminated in a Pig Pickin'. Now THAT is truly a sight to behold. One of the members of our church as a trailer with 3 giant grills on it. He bought a whole pig, dressed to his specifications and cooked, for $175. Then he heated the meat a bit and de-fatted and "pulled" it...shredded it by just pulling at the meat, not cutting.
Then he laid the meat back in the skin and put that on his grill. He then dosed the meat with sauce and left it low for a few hours. Every once in a while he would douse it with more sauce. Now, this is a vinegar-based sauce that he makes. Not a tomato-based sauce.
At a real pig pickin', people will just go over to the grill, lift the hood, and pick meat off the mound on the pig skin with a tongs. But it was raining yesterday, and we really didn't have room for standing around out there, so he just brought it in to the fellowship hall in pans. MMMM doggie! What great stuff! We had slaw and fruit salad and beans and of course, copious amounts of sweet tea and desserts.
This morning we talked about Goodness in Sunday School. We pondered the question: Can anything good come out of a bad person, and can anything bad come out of a good person? We didn't really resolve that one.
This afternoon I worked on landscaping all afternoon. It was about 75 and sunny. It's clouding up now and will rain tonight. I sure do like the weather here!
Friday, April 04, 2003
Gone to Carolina Archive: Restaurant Inspections
Twins win, Braves lose
Twins are 3-0, Braves 0-3
Friday morning brings the E & T section of the Charlotte Observer. They have a pretty funny movie reviewer, Lawrence Toppman. He really excels at captions for photos. Most Fridays I first page through and read all the captions on the photos he's put in for each movie he reviews. Then I just glance through the review. He really doesn't like anything! Makes me feel a bit bad for him. Imagine a job where you have to see what you consider to be bad work day after day and then write about it.
After I look through the movie reviews, I go to the Food section of E & T. I love to read about food and places to eat. I enjoy reading the restaurant review. Today the main review was about a place called Presto Restaurant Bar and Grill.
Then, I finally get to the part I've been waiting for. The anticipation has been building since I picked the newspaper off the driveway. The Restaurant Health Inspections! We didn't have that in "The Red Star", as we so affectionately called the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
I get to the page. "Well, have I eaten at any of the bottom 5? Ever?" NO!
Good. I live to eat another day.
Twins are 3-0, Braves 0-3
Friday morning brings the E & T section of the Charlotte Observer. They have a pretty funny movie reviewer, Lawrence Toppman. He really excels at captions for photos. Most Fridays I first page through and read all the captions on the photos he's put in for each movie he reviews. Then I just glance through the review. He really doesn't like anything! Makes me feel a bit bad for him. Imagine a job where you have to see what you consider to be bad work day after day and then write about it.
After I look through the movie reviews, I go to the Food section of E & T. I love to read about food and places to eat. I enjoy reading the restaurant review. Today the main review was about a place called Presto Restaurant Bar and Grill.
Then, I finally get to the part I've been waiting for. The anticipation has been building since I picked the newspaper off the driveway. The Restaurant Health Inspections! We didn't have that in "The Red Star", as we so affectionately called the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
I get to the page. "Well, have I eaten at any of the bottom 5? Ever?" NO!
Good. I live to eat another day.
Thursday, April 03, 2003
Gone to Carolina Archive: Twins and Braves
Twins won, Braves Lost
That's Twins 2-0, Braves 0-2
This is going to be quick this morning. I have a lot to do today.
My first question is, why does the Charlotte Observer Sports Section have a picture from the Angels/Rangers game on the front page, and nothing about the Atlanta game? I mean, yes, Alex Rodriguez did become the youngest player to hit a career 300 home runs, and it's a good story, but couldn't they have at least mentioned the Braves game? Somewhere?
Most of the Carolinians I've met here are Atlanta Braves fans. Now, as a Twins fan, it could be stretch for me to end up supporting the hated Braves. I mean, we definitely remember them! And we chuckle....http://www.prime2ime.com/sept_2002/vault.twinsvbraves91.shtml
But really, if I'm to be brought over to the dark side eventually, you would think it would be from reading about it in the local paper.
That's it. Let's not talk about Kirby Puckett.
That's Twins 2-0, Braves 0-2
This is going to be quick this morning. I have a lot to do today.
My first question is, why does the Charlotte Observer Sports Section have a picture from the Angels/Rangers game on the front page, and nothing about the Atlanta game? I mean, yes, Alex Rodriguez did become the youngest player to hit a career 300 home runs, and it's a good story, but couldn't they have at least mentioned the Braves game? Somewhere?
Most of the Carolinians I've met here are Atlanta Braves fans. Now, as a Twins fan, it could be stretch for me to end up supporting the hated Braves. I mean, we definitely remember them! And we chuckle....http://www.prime2ime.com/sept_2002/vault.twinsvbraves91.shtml
But really, if I'm to be brought over to the dark side eventually, you would think it would be from reading about it in the local paper.
That's it. Let's not talk about Kirby Puckett.
Tuesday, April 01, 2003
Gone to Carolina Archive: Nathan's Hot Dogs
Tonight we are having hot dogs for supper. Our family likes hot dogs. Even though we do have fairly sophisticated meals most of the time, hot dogs are a "change of pace" meal for us.
When we first moved here, I went to all the local grocery stores looking for Hormel Wrangler hot dogs. Hormel brand items were in all the stores, just not the Wranglers.
This is a bad thing.
You see, when you have hot dogs only occasionally like we do, you want to go for the gusto...go for the juiciest, coarsest, fattiest hot dogs you can find. In Minnesota, that was the Wranglers.
I complained about it to everyone who would listen. And one day, my friend Dave said "Well, have you tried Nathan's?"
Oh. My. Gosh.
I think they're done. Bye.
When we first moved here, I went to all the local grocery stores looking for Hormel Wrangler hot dogs. Hormel brand items were in all the stores, just not the Wranglers.
This is a bad thing.
You see, when you have hot dogs only occasionally like we do, you want to go for the gusto...go for the juiciest, coarsest, fattiest hot dogs you can find. In Minnesota, that was the Wranglers.
I complained about it to everyone who would listen. And one day, my friend Dave said "Well, have you tried Nathan's?"
Oh. My. Gosh.
I think they're done. Bye.
Monday, March 31, 2003
Gone to Carolina Archive: Weekend Doings
Twins won, Braves lost
Weird.
Weird how the only negative comment I've gotten about my blog took place on the day I wrote about kindness! Next week our lesson is on goodness. Wonder if I should write about that? I don't know how to delete comments. So I'm leaving it. I could research and find out how, but then, that would be unkind of me.
Today I took Soya to the vet for her annual physical. She'll be 11 years old in July and she's really slowing down. And she's been limping lately. We're going to try an anti-inflamatory. Other than that, she's in great shape. The people at the clinic adore her. She's so muscular and powerful, and yet will let them turn her upside-down and yank on her limbs and poke her over and over to get a vein for blood tests. She's wonderful.
We are making our plans for summer now. Boy Scout camp has been scheduled for the middle of July...right in the middle. So we are planning our trip to Minneapolis for June. The guys are very excited.
Cassie and I went to see Bringing Down the House on Saturday. Steve Martin and Queen Latifah. What a great movie to watch during this time of war, when all the news seems bad. We laughed so hard, we about peed our pants! Next week we plan to see Basic with John Travolta. If we aren't too tired from our "Day of Opportunity" (an opportunity to wash windows) at church. After that is the pig pickin'...I'm excited about that part!
Also Saturday, I went out to lunch with my friend Nannette. We went to a restaurant called "Trio" on Pineville Matthews Road, or Highway 51. Around here they call main drags by their numbers, and they refer to exits by numbers too. Kind of throws me off, but I'm learning. "Trio" was great! They are particularly famous for their seafood dishes, especially salmon. But we had this great salad sampler. We had an appetizer that was North Carolina Sweet Potato Chips. They drizzle melted blue cheese on them. Now, I could have easily just made that my meal. They were super!
But my Saturday was no way as action-packed as the guys. All three of them piled into the car, and drove to Asheville. They checked into a hotel, swam in the pool, then went to visit The Cove, hiked around and then went to the Nicole Nordeman concert. After the concert they decided they didn't want to spend the night after all, so they drove home and got here at 1 am! I was feeling bad for Mensa Boy that he had to drive all the way back so late at night and he said "hey, we had a great time and got to eat at 2 fast food restaurants"!
Weird.
Weird how the only negative comment I've gotten about my blog took place on the day I wrote about kindness! Next week our lesson is on goodness. Wonder if I should write about that? I don't know how to delete comments. So I'm leaving it. I could research and find out how, but then, that would be unkind of me.
Today I took Soya to the vet for her annual physical. She'll be 11 years old in July and she's really slowing down. And she's been limping lately. We're going to try an anti-inflamatory. Other than that, she's in great shape. The people at the clinic adore her. She's so muscular and powerful, and yet will let them turn her upside-down and yank on her limbs and poke her over and over to get a vein for blood tests. She's wonderful.
We are making our plans for summer now. Boy Scout camp has been scheduled for the middle of July...right in the middle. So we are planning our trip to Minneapolis for June. The guys are very excited.
Cassie and I went to see Bringing Down the House on Saturday. Steve Martin and Queen Latifah. What a great movie to watch during this time of war, when all the news seems bad. We laughed so hard, we about peed our pants! Next week we plan to see Basic with John Travolta. If we aren't too tired from our "Day of Opportunity" (an opportunity to wash windows) at church. After that is the pig pickin'...I'm excited about that part!
Also Saturday, I went out to lunch with my friend Nannette. We went to a restaurant called "Trio" on Pineville Matthews Road, or Highway 51. Around here they call main drags by their numbers, and they refer to exits by numbers too. Kind of throws me off, but I'm learning. "Trio" was great! They are particularly famous for their seafood dishes, especially salmon. But we had this great salad sampler. We had an appetizer that was North Carolina Sweet Potato Chips. They drizzle melted blue cheese on them. Now, I could have easily just made that my meal. They were super!
But my Saturday was no way as action-packed as the guys. All three of them piled into the car, and drove to Asheville. They checked into a hotel, swam in the pool, then went to visit The Cove, hiked around and then went to the Nicole Nordeman concert. After the concert they decided they didn't want to spend the night after all, so they drove home and got here at 1 am! I was feeling bad for Mensa Boy that he had to drive all the way back so late at night and he said "hey, we had a great time and got to eat at 2 fast food restaurants"!
Sunday, March 30, 2003
Gone to Carolina Archive: Kindness
Today in Sunday School we talked about kindness. Our class is doing a study on the Fruit of the Spirit, and this week the particular fruit was Kindness.
Our teacher began the class by asking what kindness had been shown to us this week.
Easy question.
I mentioned how my friend, Peggy Mc, called me to see how I am doing and tell me she loved me. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have a herniated disc and am gradually recovering from that. Peggy, who I call M&M for Mother Mc, has been one of the many people here in South Carolina who has extended the hand of friendship to me.
Jack Mc, Peggy's husband, offered to come to my house and hit me with a rubber mallet so I'd have something to help me forget the pain in my leg. The mallet is an inside joke between us, and I really got a kick of out of it.
Last Sunday, my friend Cassie (Peggy's daughter and my movie-mate) stopped by and brought me her leftovers from the church potluck (they call them "covered dish" here). She brought this sinfully delicious chocolate cake and some "chili beans", which midwesterners just call "Chili". I proceeded to make an entire meal out of the beans for my family by dumping them on giant baked potatoes. Cassie may have had an ulterior motive...she's on a weight loss program, and I'm always suspicious when people on diets give me fattening stuff to eat. But I sure appreciated her thinking of me.
Wednesday my next door neighbor took me grocery shopping. Driving has been a bit difficult for me because the leg affected is the one I use to push the gas pedal. She also carried my groceries for me.
I got a get-well card from our church choir. Pastor Tony called to talk about the church library and then listened so nicely to my tales of woe.
A lady my husband has been working on an article with called and told me she was praying for me.
Nate, Taylor and Mensa Boy have stepped up to the plate with housework, helping me along with the duties I usually do by myself while they are at work or school.
This is all in one week! I regret I only mentioned the phone call from Peggy to my class. It took another 20 minutes of review in my mind before I remembered all the other items. I know there are others that haven't popped into my head yet.
That's the thing about kindness. It's all around us. We just have to notice it. And when we do, we truly begin to understand how blessed we are.
Have a good week!
Our teacher began the class by asking what kindness had been shown to us this week.
Easy question.
I mentioned how my friend, Peggy Mc, called me to see how I am doing and tell me she loved me. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have a herniated disc and am gradually recovering from that. Peggy, who I call M&M for Mother Mc, has been one of the many people here in South Carolina who has extended the hand of friendship to me.
Jack Mc, Peggy's husband, offered to come to my house and hit me with a rubber mallet so I'd have something to help me forget the pain in my leg. The mallet is an inside joke between us, and I really got a kick of out of it.
Last Sunday, my friend Cassie (Peggy's daughter and my movie-mate) stopped by and brought me her leftovers from the church potluck (they call them "covered dish" here). She brought this sinfully delicious chocolate cake and some "chili beans", which midwesterners just call "Chili". I proceeded to make an entire meal out of the beans for my family by dumping them on giant baked potatoes. Cassie may have had an ulterior motive...she's on a weight loss program, and I'm always suspicious when people on diets give me fattening stuff to eat. But I sure appreciated her thinking of me.
Wednesday my next door neighbor took me grocery shopping. Driving has been a bit difficult for me because the leg affected is the one I use to push the gas pedal. She also carried my groceries for me.
I got a get-well card from our church choir. Pastor Tony called to talk about the church library and then listened so nicely to my tales of woe.
A lady my husband has been working on an article with called and told me she was praying for me.
Nate, Taylor and Mensa Boy have stepped up to the plate with housework, helping me along with the duties I usually do by myself while they are at work or school.
This is all in one week! I regret I only mentioned the phone call from Peggy to my class. It took another 20 minutes of review in my mind before I remembered all the other items. I know there are others that haven't popped into my head yet.
That's the thing about kindness. It's all around us. We just have to notice it. And when we do, we truly begin to understand how blessed we are.
Have a good week!
Friday, March 28, 2003
Gone to Carolina Archive: I Miss the Mailboxes
I'd trade my kingdom (such as it is) for a Snyder Drug. There are a few other things I really miss about Minneapolis, but a good, convenient, well-run drugstore is one of the main ones.
With the exception of Target pharmacy, I've never gotten a prescription in less than an hour here. The last rx I got was when I slipped the disc in my lower back a couple of weeks ago. Sunday afternoon, I find an Urgent Care Clinic, get in right away, get some great drugs and then the odyssey began. The nearest Target was 40 minutes away. Then after waiting 10 minutes or so for the drugs, it would be another 20 minute drive home. My husband, Mensa Boy, says "Well, there's a CVS Pharmacy right on the way home". Okay. Take in the prescription. "Ma'am, that will take about 45 minutes".
Have you ever slipped a disc? One that likes to bump against the sciatic nerve? I spent the better part of 90 minutes laying in the back seat of the car whining to my Mom on the cell phone. Then my brother, then my dad.
There are other things...like mailboxes. You know, in the Mpls/St. Paul Metro area there are more of those darling blue mailboxes than you can shake a stick at. To find one, you just close your eyes, picture where you think one might be, and then go there. Usually within a 6 block radius of where you started out. When you open the mailbox's mouth, it always says the pickup time is 1 pm. How do they do that?
Today I went to Kohl's to buy tennis shoes. I passed 3 strip malls on the way to Kohl's. Drove through each one. No mailbox. Took a different way home, 3 more strip malls. Finally, the last strip mall...tucked between the dumpsters of two fast food restaurants...there's the little blue darling.
Open it's mouth.
3 pm pickup.
With the exception of Target pharmacy, I've never gotten a prescription in less than an hour here. The last rx I got was when I slipped the disc in my lower back a couple of weeks ago. Sunday afternoon, I find an Urgent Care Clinic, get in right away, get some great drugs and then the odyssey began. The nearest Target was 40 minutes away. Then after waiting 10 minutes or so for the drugs, it would be another 20 minute drive home. My husband, Mensa Boy, says "Well, there's a CVS Pharmacy right on the way home". Okay. Take in the prescription. "Ma'am, that will take about 45 minutes".
Have you ever slipped a disc? One that likes to bump against the sciatic nerve? I spent the better part of 90 minutes laying in the back seat of the car whining to my Mom on the cell phone. Then my brother, then my dad.
There are other things...like mailboxes. You know, in the Mpls/St. Paul Metro area there are more of those darling blue mailboxes than you can shake a stick at. To find one, you just close your eyes, picture where you think one might be, and then go there. Usually within a 6 block radius of where you started out. When you open the mailbox's mouth, it always says the pickup time is 1 pm. How do they do that?
Today I went to Kohl's to buy tennis shoes. I passed 3 strip malls on the way to Kohl's. Drove through each one. No mailbox. Took a different way home, 3 more strip malls. Finally, the last strip mall...tucked between the dumpsters of two fast food restaurants...there's the little blue darling.
Open it's mouth.
3 pm pickup.
Thursday, March 27, 2003
Gone to Carolina Archive: My Sister's Kids
"I miss your sister's kids" my nephew Jake said to his mom a couple of weeks ago. Yeah, I have to agree with him...I miss my sister's kids, too.
Now, I'm not really a "kid" person. Out of a group of a hundred, there might be only one or two that I really connect with. But if my nieces and nephews are in that group, the number jumps to 7. I actually enjoy all of my nieces and nephews very much.
Growing up, I really didn't know my cousins very well. As a military family, we didn't live any where near any of our relatives. My kids have had a totally different life than that. We lived right in the heart of our family for 20 years before moving to South Carolina. My kids know their Grandparents, Aunt and Uncles and cousins quite well. Even though my brother-in-law Jim moved to Maine with his family a few years ago, my boys still feel a connection to those boys, as they recall the days of running in a pack with them at family gatherings.
I think part of the reason this move has been successful for us is because we had so many years with our family first. It's been hard to be away from them, but we still feel like they are very close.
My Mom recently told me of a conversation she had with my niece Jessie. They were discussing my Mom's attempts to play a piece called "Frohlicher Landman" on the keyboard. Jessie said she didn't know that piece. Mom hummed part of the tune to her and Jessie said "Oh yeah, I know that one, but in my book it's called "The Happy Pheasant"!
I felt like I was standing right there.
Yeah, I miss my sister's kids.
Now, I'm not really a "kid" person. Out of a group of a hundred, there might be only one or two that I really connect with. But if my nieces and nephews are in that group, the number jumps to 7. I actually enjoy all of my nieces and nephews very much.
Growing up, I really didn't know my cousins very well. As a military family, we didn't live any where near any of our relatives. My kids have had a totally different life than that. We lived right in the heart of our family for 20 years before moving to South Carolina. My kids know their Grandparents, Aunt and Uncles and cousins quite well. Even though my brother-in-law Jim moved to Maine with his family a few years ago, my boys still feel a connection to those boys, as they recall the days of running in a pack with them at family gatherings.
I think part of the reason this move has been successful for us is because we had so many years with our family first. It's been hard to be away from them, but we still feel like they are very close.
My Mom recently told me of a conversation she had with my niece Jessie. They were discussing my Mom's attempts to play a piece called "Frohlicher Landman" on the keyboard. Jessie said she didn't know that piece. Mom hummed part of the tune to her and Jessie said "Oh yeah, I know that one, but in my book it's called "The Happy Pheasant"!
I felt like I was standing right there.
Yeah, I miss my sister's kids.
Wednesday, March 26, 2003
Gone to Carolina Archive: Red Dirt
Red dirt has a different smell than black dirt. It's sort of a grainy smell. You know those days when the elevators on Hiawatha Avenue are moving grain to and from trucks? It's a Purina smell. I've always associated that smell with dog food, but now I think of housing construction when I smell it.
They are building 3 houses simultaneously on my street. One of them is right next door. Sadly, there are no owners ordering the building of that house. It's a "spec house". But I'm glad all the same to see it coming up, because that means when it rains we will no longer have a river of red mud running down our driveway. They will sod and seed and plant the two bradford pear trees that we all have, and the bushes around the front. It will look lived in.
We have two other spec houses right close to us, and a house that was built for a family who ended up losing their contract. I still hold out some hope that they will move in eventually. They have kids. Right now we have only 5 kids on our street, out of 9 occupied houses. But the other 3 kids are too young for our guys to play with. Anyway, this family that lose their contract...they built the same house we have, without a couple of the additional features we have. But their house in Charlotte is not selling. I've heard it was over-priced and the agent might not have done a very good job marketing it, either. I don't know the background there. Maybe the family didn't have much equity in their house and needed that price. Or maybe their realtor is just lazy or incompetent. Or, it could be that they are just victims of the slow market for existing homes in Charlotte. One can buy a brand-new house for the same amount of money as an older house that might need work or cleaning.
But of course, when you buy a brand-new house, you might be in a neighborhood that is still being built out. So you might wake up to that Purina smell of red dirt each morning. It's the smell of anticipation.
They are building 3 houses simultaneously on my street. One of them is right next door. Sadly, there are no owners ordering the building of that house. It's a "spec house". But I'm glad all the same to see it coming up, because that means when it rains we will no longer have a river of red mud running down our driveway. They will sod and seed and plant the two bradford pear trees that we all have, and the bushes around the front. It will look lived in.
We have two other spec houses right close to us, and a house that was built for a family who ended up losing their contract. I still hold out some hope that they will move in eventually. They have kids. Right now we have only 5 kids on our street, out of 9 occupied houses. But the other 3 kids are too young for our guys to play with. Anyway, this family that lose their contract...they built the same house we have, without a couple of the additional features we have. But their house in Charlotte is not selling. I've heard it was over-priced and the agent might not have done a very good job marketing it, either. I don't know the background there. Maybe the family didn't have much equity in their house and needed that price. Or maybe their realtor is just lazy or incompetent. Or, it could be that they are just victims of the slow market for existing homes in Charlotte. One can buy a brand-new house for the same amount of money as an older house that might need work or cleaning.
But of course, when you buy a brand-new house, you might be in a neighborhood that is still being built out. So you might wake up to that Purina smell of red dirt each morning. It's the smell of anticipation.
Tuesday, March 25, 2003
Gone to Carolina Archive: March 2003-Wherein I Introduce Us
We moved to South Carolina from Minneapolis in August, 2002. My husband's company is relocating to Charlotte, NC and his department was transferred then.
It was a tough decision to make...leaving our family and friends behind and striking out in a new place. But it's turned out to have been a good one.
This blog is about our move and all the adjustments we've been going through here. But it's also about our day-to-day life, as we attempt to keep everyone we love up to date with our lives.
I'll tell about the funny stuff the kids say and do, like how this evening at supper Taylor suddenly said "hey Mom, you know Halloween? Not last Halloween, but the one before that? In 2001? What did we have for supper before we went trick-or-treating?"
heh?
I'll tell about the stuff we've been learning from these very lovable Carolinians, like how they wear tobaggans on their heads in the winter and have never seen one you ride on down a snowy hill.
And I'll tell about the books I've been reading and the movies I've been seeing, just because so many people I know want to get good book and movie ideas.
And of course food. I'll talk about food because it's my hobby and I love mentioning the new recipes I've tried. Like tonight, when we had Shrimp with Green Sauce, a recipe I got from the Charlotte Observer. Apparently it was the shrimp that prompted Taylor to ask what we at that halloween. He thought it was shrimp.
So this blog will be ramblings and rantings (after all I AM the writer!). I'll try to post something every day or so. And there are rooms for comments, so it will be an easy way for you to respond and everyone else can see it.
That's it! Talk to you tomorrow.
It was a tough decision to make...leaving our family and friends behind and striking out in a new place. But it's turned out to have been a good one.
This blog is about our move and all the adjustments we've been going through here. But it's also about our day-to-day life, as we attempt to keep everyone we love up to date with our lives.
I'll tell about the funny stuff the kids say and do, like how this evening at supper Taylor suddenly said "hey Mom, you know Halloween? Not last Halloween, but the one before that? In 2001? What did we have for supper before we went trick-or-treating?"
heh?
I'll tell about the stuff we've been learning from these very lovable Carolinians, like how they wear tobaggans on their heads in the winter and have never seen one you ride on down a snowy hill.
And I'll tell about the books I've been reading and the movies I've been seeing, just because so many people I know want to get good book and movie ideas.
And of course food. I'll talk about food because it's my hobby and I love mentioning the new recipes I've tried. Like tonight, when we had Shrimp with Green Sauce, a recipe I got from the Charlotte Observer. Apparently it was the shrimp that prompted Taylor to ask what we at that halloween. He thought it was shrimp.
So this blog will be ramblings and rantings (after all I AM the writer!). I'll try to post something every day or so. And there are rooms for comments, so it will be an easy way for you to respond and everyone else can see it.
That's it! Talk to you tomorrow.
Monday, March 10, 2003
Gone to Carolina Archive: Fair, Balanced, Unafraid
My personal baseball reporting: Fair, Balanced, Unafraid
Twins 3-5 Atlanta 3-6
I'm not writing today. I have a lot of stuff to do. I will try to see what I can do to get the photo in yesterday's entry shrunk down a little. I wasn't thinking about my dial-up friends.
I also neglected to caption it. That gorgeous hunka man is my Uncle, Lyle H. He was blowing 17 inches of snow off his driveway earlier this week. He and my Aunt Lila (yes, it's true...Lyle and Lila) live in Albert Lea, MN. Love ya, Man!
Twins 3-5 Atlanta 3-6
I'm not writing today. I have a lot of stuff to do. I will try to see what I can do to get the photo in yesterday's entry shrunk down a little. I wasn't thinking about my dial-up friends.
I also neglected to caption it. That gorgeous hunka man is my Uncle, Lyle H. He was blowing 17 inches of snow off his driveway earlier this week. He and my Aunt Lila (yes, it's true...Lyle and Lila) live in Albert Lea, MN. Love ya, Man!
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