Chili Cookoff!

Vote for your favorite. We liked No. 4 the best, upper right.  No.8 was more appealing, and good too.

"I Can't Believe It's Not Badder" is the name of the Korean Rabbit 
Hole restaurant concoction. -- Not very good-looking and a bit muddy.
We gave it a 4 on a scale of 10.

While waiting for the new shelves drying in a closet upstairs, the painter checked out the Midtown Global Market today to see just what the line was about. It was a competition to see who makes the best chili. A dozen restaurants and food vendors vie for top honors.
Get in line, fork over $5 and sample away.
About half of the concoctions were predictable, but there were some surprises as well.
Jakeeno's Trattoria had the best-looking offering, a Smoked Chicken and White Bean Chili that stood up nicely.  Pham's Rice Bowl produced an Aztec Chicken chili and got a "7 Rating" from your taster.
But the best all around honors went to the Sabbai Cuisine's Beef Red Curry Chili, an outstanding mix of heat and body with a sweet surprise popping from kernels of fresh corn that gave just the right balance of sugar and spice.
Other notables included the Eastlake Craft Brewery's unimaginatively named Eastlake Chili and an outstanding entry from Fresco's Italian Pasta Bar and its "Italian Chili" that rated a seven.
Sampling a dozen chilis is a bit of a challenge to the palate and, eventually at least, to the stomach.
We do it so that you don't have to.

Paint was dry by the time the chili was finished and judged. Back to work on a full stomach.
(Where does Dan keep the Tums?).

Last Supper?

Kathleen, Hai and our host Laurie, Hai's colleague and friend.

After doing his best impression of Lenardo da Vinci's 15th Century mural, Hai Dang sat down last night to enjoy what may be his Last Supper at Laurie's,. We hope that's not true, but Hai's contract with the newspaper company will run out soon and there are no plans for renewal, by mutual agreement. That means Hai won't have an excuse to come to Minnesota -- in winter or summer-- anymore. Stan intends to join Hai in California next week for a brief expedition. (Snow is predicted for Saturday in Minnesota) There's a project to pursue and maybe some fish in the ocean. . . for supper.

Getting away from it all

No Facebook, no Cable TV up there.
We enjoyed another unseasonable November afternoon today as a local balloon drifted lazily over our back yard under calm, clear blue skies.

Veteran's Day 2016

Photo by Kathleen Rolfsrud

Drafted on 7-7-70. You're welcome.

 (Okay, okay, the bottom button's a bit tight.)

Lost a bet?

No, Andrew didn't lose a bet. Today after golf he kindly lugged a year's worth of softener salt down the embankment and into our basement. Thanks, Andrew, that's a load off. These things weigh 40 lbs apiece.

Who wants Beer???

This sign confronted Voter No. 280 on the way to the polls this morning.
Church in background is convenient, well-run polling location.

No lines, no waiting, no ID. Easy peasy. After a brisk walk to the polls this sunny fall morning, at 9 a.m. Voter No. 280 thought how nice it is to live in a secure suburban Republican precinct where you can exercise your Right to Vote in such a convenient, casual way. The friendly volunteers in charge today didn't happen to know this voter, but no matter. Signing his name under his registration after stating his address was plenty good enough. As it should be.
The hard part came when confronted with the box on the ballot for the Scott County Commissioner race. The incumbent is a personal friend, has done a good job and deserves to be re-elected. Her opponent is named Dave Beer. This put the voter in the uncomfortable position, for the first time in his long life, of voting against Beer.
The voter exited the precinct with an "I Voted" sticker and a sense of patriotism. But also some uncertainty. Would long lines have been discouraging? How long would he be willing to wait to exercise his right to vote? Would he become an "early voter?"
As Voter No. 280 strolled home on the neat pathways, he was happy to know that as long as he doesn't move, his patriotic determination will probably never be tested.
Nothing but respect for those patiently standing in line today. Courage, patriots!

Appearing in a Man Cave near you. Order yours now from VoteForBeer.Com

Where's dinner?

It's uncanny. Every day at 4 p.m. Birdie somehow knows it's time for dinner. If Mom forgets, she's there to remind her that it is 4 p.m. and it is time for "num num," as Kathleen likes to say.
Today, as the Vikings were suffering another devastating loss, Birdie jumped up on Mom's lap, not for comfort, but to remind her that it is past dinner time. She maybe even growled a bit.
It was 3:10 p.m.
She apparently forgot to set her clock back an hour last night.

The Giving Tree

In the Spring our Flowering Crab mounts a gorgeous display of pink blossoms, summers it blends with the green foliage, and in the autumn, when all the leaves are gone, it still contributes with a cheerful display of red fruits, an offering to the birds. At Christmas time we will deck it with lights, our Giving Tree for All Seasons. (Remembering the Shel Silverstein book of that name we read to the kids.)

There's meat in the house tonight

World Series Baseball, roast beef, potatoes and gravy, teevee trays. . . Kathleen jacked the testosterone level sky high tonight as she whipped out a late dinner for her men, just in time for the Addison Russell Grand Slam, putting the Cubbies ahead 7-0. This is a Chicago house for now, the sympathy level is high, we need our strength to get out of the hole. Cubs in Seven.
Andrew will spend the night, make us breakfast, then head out with Stan to a forenoon tee time at Creeksbend National.
It's the first of November and we haven't had a freeze yet. We shall exploit it fully.