Photo Ops Only

She's been doing very well in the housetraining department, but even so, our 14-week-old is only briefly trusted on mom's new master bedding.

Salmon fishing on the River Spey

The River Spey is probably the most famous salmon river in the World. The Spey rises in the Monadhliath mountains to the south of Loch Ness and flows 100 miles northwards to enter the Moray Firth at Spey Bay. In its lower course, downstream of Grantown, it is a fast flowing river, providing miles of perfect, and highly sought after, fly fishing water.

We watched this chap for an hour or so from high above the River Spey on the village walking bridge. He cast repeatedly, monitored from shore by a father and his daughter, but alas, no bites this March afternoon.

We, however, caught some nice photographs and a Scotsman's smile, and offer them here with a wish for better luck to our Minnesota anglers tomorrow.

Douglas Blethen passes

The father of our children died overnight.
Douglas Van Blethen, 68, was at home when his wife, Jeanette, found him, apparently dead of a heart attack, in their Lake City home.
Our children, Melissa, Marcelline and Jennifer, as well as their half-brother, Alex Woehrlin, learned of the passing of their father this morning. They loved him dearly and our hearts are with them.
Kathleen was divorced from Douglas in 1975, but maintained a productive, useful relationship with him throughout his life, as they endeavored to give their children all the support they could. She is saddened by the loss.
Besides his children and two grandchildren (Emily and Maxwell), Douglas is survived by his wife, and two nephews, Bob and David Hagen, two step-sons, Dr. Duane Meighan and Gordon Meighan, both of Elgin, Ill. He was preceded in death by his father, mother, a brother and a sister, Peggy Hederman.

(Photos: top, with daughter, Jennifer, in 2006; bottom, wife Jeanette at granddaughter's baptism.)

Watch this sweet video. . .

Puppies, monkey cakes, little girls and boys, birthday presents, fun and excitement, beautiful singing, this clip has it all. Kathleen shot the video and took all the photos. Stan got around to cutting it together today. Please have a look. It's just under 4 minutes, because Kathleen shot so much good stuff.

(FYI. There are a total of six other videos on YouTube called "Emily's Third Birthday" but this is the very best one so you won't have to look at any of those.)

Church basement comedian

Called to give the blessing last night in the basement of St. Michael's Catholic Church, Father Tom knew his audience. Gathered there in Archangel Hall were the friends and family of Sandy Story, celebrating her retirement after 25 years as the church communications and office ramrod.

We were there along with Sandy's other neighbors from Abbey Point, enjoying church basement spaghetti, garlic bread, salad, decorated sheet cake and yes, drinking wine.

In vintage Bob Newhart style, the Pastor of St. Michael's held an imaginary telephone to his ear and placed a call to Heaven. Soon it was picked up by St. Peter. After exchanging pleasantries, Father Tom explained the purpose of his call, saying that it was about Sandy Story.

The call was transferred. God put it on hold.

C'mon Steve, do the math.

Trouble reared its controversial head tonight as Virg returned from his Florida haunts just in time to set the record straight. His memory of math greatness and the details of his matriculation at Oak Grove Country school don't square with his older brother's. Fortunately, he was able to take time out from his spring cleaning chores at the Eden Prairie estate to pen this note. Virgil writes:

A number of points:
First, I do not remember getting any hardware for math, though I tend to remember very little, only that I beat Steve. The rest is just gravy.
Second, that surely looks like me sitting with Steve. I have never heard of "Tommy Weidner", who if he existed, must have been my look-a-like. Why would they have this "Weidner" kid sitting with Steve? No one else was sharing desks. Maybe I was visiting the school on picture day? (You will note that that kid looks like a 3-4 year-old, too little and young for Steve's grade). I also have another large picture of me in an identical shirt--apparently this was my picture shirt. Or my only shirt. Or maybe I borrowed it from this "Weidner" kid.
Third, there was, in fact, a Tommy WAGNER that went to our little school and he was in my grade (not pictured, of course). He only attended the first two years at our country school.
But guess who was the only one to beat me in our senior year on the math test? Yep, Tommy Wagner.
Fourth, Stephen only TIED for third in his senior year. Guess where the girl who tied him went to grade school?

(Readers who wish to enter a guess as to who tied Steve for third place need to know for purposes of the contest that Mu Alpha Theta Math Queen and Farm Girl Lorlee Bartos has a little sister named Mary Jo who also went to country school. That's just a hint. Hint No. 2: Coincidentally, she may be pictured in the photo, above. To enter, click on comment, below. No jewelry awarded to the winner.)

Cheap dustboard installed this afternoon

Call it a dustboard, valance, cornice ledge or whatever, it's done. We hung it today in the master bedroom over the sliding door.

It is supposed to mimic a bridge design, with solid pediments on both ends and a softly-curved span which, we're told, is a restful, relaxing shape. (We didn't have a board long enough for the other plan.) This should function to keep the dust off of the elegant Menard vertical blinds we have cherished for eight years.

The valance is constructed from three-quarter inch mungo, (stuff that's left around in the garage or found in a nearby dumpster) so it is green, eco-friendly, earth-gentle, etc. We did buy a piece of quarter inch pine lathe and a quarter-round trim piece. We used paint from the ongoing bedroom project. Total cost was about $10, which is important for a retired couple on fixed incomes.

It screwed in nice and tight to the mounts, but Kathleen's eagle eye saw that, sure enough, it was 1/16th off on the left end. So we shimmed it slightly and now we're on the level and it won't bug us when we wake up in the morning and look at it every day.

We still have some painting to do in the rest of the bedroom, but by week's end we should be done with the spring project and moving on with our retirement.

Emily is Three today!

Seems like only a year ago we were celebrating... Here she is with her mother and aunts at last year's party.

1964, '65 Math Queen flaunts her jewels

Wouldn't you know it? Just mention Mu Alpha Theta and the math lovers multiply by the square root.

The story below about Stan's brothers winning top honors for high school math genius brought a quick response from an older member of the prestigious Jefferson High School math organization. (Coincidentally, she also belonged to an even more exclusive club: she attended the same country school that Steve and Virg did, albeit a few years earlier. -- click on b & w photo. Lorlee's in the back row, Virg and Steve are sitting together on the far left. Lorlee remembers that Mrs. Barsness was tough on memorizing the tables of twelve. She's standing in the back by the piano with all the missing ivories, where she'd bang out "Stoodla Pumpa" and other bohemian favorites each morning.)

Anyway, Lorlee claims to have held the Mu Alpha Theta crown for two years in a row, a couple of years before Virg did. And she still has the hardware. Today she emailed her digital proof along with a hint as to how she won. She says you got to not only know what you know, but you got to know what you don't know. Hmm. Always a good philosophy.

By the way, have you got any proof of prowess besides your brother's say-so, Virg? Or did you pawn it.

----

Lorlee, a frequent contributor here, writes:

Attached is a photo of my Mu Alpha Theta pin and the pin I won for scoring the most points in that math test. As I recall, you only got points for correct answers and they subtracted for wrong answers so you could go in the hole. I was savvy enough to only answer the ones I knew and ended up winning -- I think both years.