Fluffy snow, Jan 8, 2023

Just for history sake

Christmas Eve Day, 2023, was 57 degrees in Eden Prairie, the grass still green and the creek was open! It rained all afternoon, no ice. Friends are headed to Arizona to escape the cold. Phoenix will be 62. We'll manage. :) It's an El Nino winter for sure.

Such a happy day

We’ve always known about Emily. Our granddaughter repeatedly excelled in any artistic endeavors. Since Day One.

As a child, her simple lines soon held the truth of her grandpa’s odd shape; her childhood logo design was similar to and better than the Timberwolves own attempt. 

For years art teachers, and observers, have been ecstatic about her talent. We’ve always been admonished to see to her promising future. Her mother, a single mom, knew it too. She painstakingly reared her gifted child and always held out dreams for her.

So it was really no surprise when the envelope came. 

Could it be? Emily had applied for entrance and scholarships to the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, with the full endorsement of her loved ones.

The three pages started out with the word: “Congratulations” and it just got better from there. 

She’s been accepted. She’s to receive $88,000 over four years AND she has been nominated by examiners to a small group of candidates for a FULL RIDE!  

Dare we hope? Yes we do.

Separately, Emily won a scholarship for a laptop loaded with collegiate software.

So we’re starting to get used to it. And proud. And boasting. Unapologetically.

Our little girl has grown up. 

"Santa wore grandpa's shoes," she said.

 Killing time yesterday on our way to play Mr. and Mrs. Claus at our daughter’s day care, we impulsively swung by the old house we built in Eden Prairie in 1986.

It dredged up a lot of memories.

The gracious present owners invited the fully-costumed pair to inspect the work they had painstakingly done to our rotting retaining wall, due for replacement after 35 years. The house sits on what over-enthusiastic developers called a “canyon,” with a steep embankment overlooking a pond.

Never mind what an odd sight we made. Memories overtook:

Our close-by neighbors were always plagued by raccoons and kept everything tightly lidded. But we never had a problem with raccoons. It took years to figure out why.
Our little back yard had a tiny fenced in area where our poodle would poop. Each day, Kathleen would toss her duty over the fence and down the steep embankment.

Now mild little Hoover could never beat a raccoon in a fair fight. But the raccoons didn’t know that. Her daily scent on the embankment warned of possible deadly consequences from above.

So the raccoons just took their chances with our good neighbors instead.

Oh, the sights you see when you don't have a camera, the Hawk said

 The red-tailed Hawk paused over his brunch of wild vole this morning to gawk at the strange sight of a senior citizen on a three-wheeled bike, something not that common, like the hawks and eagles, on the nature trail around Purgatory Creek in Eden Prairie. The Hawk regretted not having his camera ready to document the strange sight, he sighed and went back to his meal, as the old biker went on his way.

Looks so bad, but is so good for you

 

It's a Blue Fin Tuna steak from a 200-pounder swimming off the coast of Mexico, packaged and presented with others by Hai Dang, intrepid rod-man of great renown. Stan enjoyed this cut (Hai doesn't eat fish, he provides them), and there's leftovers for tuna salad, tuna sandwiches, etc. Packed with Omega-3, vitamins, protein, it is said to be the healthiest fish available. If Stan lives to 100, this will be the reason. 

Still fits

 Before Camo took over everything, we wore Khaki or Olive Drab. Fitted on 7-7-70. Army supply had no long and tall, you took what was issued.

Got 'er done!

 Last September the boss said the sign would be installed on the $25 million ramp and station project by the time I left for California on Nov. 7. At exactly 2:30 today, Nov. 6, the sign was secured and Project Manager Steve Omann, true to his word, got plaudits and congratulations for a job well done. There is still a punch list of details to go, but none under Steve's command. The Senior Inspector and Staff Psychologist, above, congratulated Omann. We don't know what is next for Steve, but a break to do some motocross has been prescribed by the staff professionals, after his grueling three-year stint.

My favorite picture

 My late father and I modeled my Brother's winter Olympics product.