We're packing for Florida

The skirt detaches when you're ready
to get wet!

Spring blizzards are howling outside, but inside we're packing for Florida. Emily and her Mom are heading south tomorrow, catching a flight for a week at DisneyWorld and surrounding area. Naturally Grandma and Grandpa had to participate in the excitement and so contributed a swim suit (above) and an outfit for the big expedition. Here they are on our soon (May 1) to be seven: So big!

Your hearing appears to be fine, Umesh. . .

Now let's check your vision.

Was it Luck of the Irish or the Hindu blessing? We'll take it.

The Honorary Irish with their St. Patrick's Day host.
Umesh, left, and Hai with St. Paul Katie

We're not sure if it's just the Luck-O-the-Irish, or perhaps the Hindu blessing exchanged this morning with our breakfast guest from India, but Kathleen scored a cool $100 at the Canterbury Park blackjack tables after a mere hour of play this afternoon.
Umesh Kunte joined Hai Dang at 10 a.m. here for waffles. Umesh is in town for a month training newspaper employees and staying at the Hampton Inn. . . without a car. A month in Shakopee without a car??? Uff Da. You can only watch so many movies and skype your family on the other side of the world so often (he's got a 7 year old who's a lot like our Emily) before weekends get to be a crushing bore.
We invited him over for a change of pace and the usual waffle/fruit treatment. When Stan and Umesh departed to tour the City of Lakes, Umesh insisted on exchanging a customary parting with his host: He bent down and touched her feet while she touched his head in this traditional goodbye ritual and blessing.
A few hours later, our Irish Katie was taking home her winnings.

When he came to our door this morning, Umesh had a deep-seated fear of
dogs. Whatever his reasons (he'd been bitten a couple of times)
Birdie would have none of it and eventually broke down our
patient guest. They're buds now.

Making music in Midtown

No, Steve, we got milk. We need cornflakes.

Our nephew Steve Letnes moved from Colorado into our Midtown condo with Kathleen's brother Dan today.
It didn't take long for Steve's road warriors (parents Ron and Stan's sister Linda) to disgorge Steve and his goods from their Prius, bid everyone adieu and head for home in Blaine. They'd been on the road for a couple of weeks and it was time for the final leg. They'll return to Lake Street tomorrow.

The Bachelors of Unit 1015
Have The Ladies of the Lofts been notified?

For his part, Steve set about to arrange his music composing studio in the new sound booth Uncle Stan has been preparing for the past month. Our former bedroom carpet now covers the former walk-in closet walls, deadening the sound, and hopefully enlivening the creative process therein. We expect nothing but genius to emanate.
But before he began unwinding and replugging his maze of wires and equipment and keyboards this afternoon, Steve reacquainted himself with the Chicago Lofts amenities, checking out the exercise center, party penthouse and the private media room, and then wandered through the Midtown Exchange Global Market, where hosts Dan and Stan pointed out their favorite eateries. They inspected the dairy case, squeezed the fruits in the grocery market and walked past the butcher shop. Steve was pleased to learn that the organic grocer carried a fair representation of that most nutritious food group, Beef Jerky.

Yes, we have no bananas.

Brother Dan, (aka "Thumper" for the tell-tale sound his cane makes as he approaches No. 1015) kept up the pace reasonably well, but was plenty tuckered by the time the tour had returned to home plate for pizza.
Dan has an appointment Friday with a hip specialist just down the skyway at the adjacent Abbott Hospital. We hope he'll have his new joint soon and be swinging for the fences in July.
It's time, and the Minnesota Twins could use the help.

In an obvious takeover bid to the "Upper Crust," Danny's popular Tenth
Floor Bakery, Midtown Steve offered a doughy pepperoni pizza treat tonight.

At last, something to count on

Ultimate working lunch.

We were disappointed to see the vacant chair when we dropped by for a visit Thursday. But closer inspection revealed signs of life at the Shakopee Valley News editor's desk. A pair of cheaters lay atop a newspaper, opened to page four; a micro-wave dinner was half-eaten, its plastic spoon set in the left-hander's position; the computer monitor hadn't yet gone to a screen saver. We could read the forensics alright: the grizzled veteran from the Iron Range wasn't far from his post.
Otherwise, the cluttered office and desk looked exactly as it did when we parted company with Pat in 2008. He'd already been the editor of the paper for a couple of decades by then, and a good one too.
In an era of radical changes, especially in the newspaper industry, it's always a comfort to see some stability personified.

Lunch with Dad amongst the papers.

When Pat Minelli finally returned to his desk Thursday, it would have been disappointing to see him wearing a new shirt. He wasn't. He took his place amongst piles of newspapers and documents that appeared to be the same ones that needed a file years ago. A black and white photo of his infant daughter, now soon to be married, lay in the in-box. The ancient chipped "Shakopee" brick paperweight, if that is what it is, held its ground, unmoved, on the edge of the laminated desk, as it always has. If you wanted to sit down, you'd have to make your own space, the guest chair is occupied with other business.
It was all reassuring, all the same, including Pat's smile and his repeated claim that he's keeping up with the times. In truth, he has. When we hired him back in 1987 we used typewriters, wax and knives to produce a newspaper. These days Pat posts breaking news from his bedside as needed, and plans his pages on computer monitors.
But throughout the radical changes engulfing the industry, (and ever more so now), the eye in the tornado has remained calm, unmoved. It's all good and comforting, gives you something to hang on to.
Even if the polar ice caps melt, Catholic priests marry, and the North Koreans bomb us, no worries. The editor's office at the Shakopee Valley News won't change. We like that.

Somewhere in there is next week's newspaper.

Thanks, Laurie

Jennifer dropped by this afternoon to greet her parents.. . and claim the big box of dishes handed down by old family friend Laurie Hartmann. These dishes were Laurie's first; they'll do nicely now for Jen's housekeeping. The fact that Jen's outfit coordinates with the dishes. . . is pure coincidence.

A simple meal

To honor our new pope, we chose the Spanish Rice, no beans, to side with our entrees today at our all-time favorite Mexican Restaurant in Shakopee. Kathleen braced the afternoon repast with a perky Pina Colada, Stan ordered the honey-glazed fried ice cream as a healing antidote to his spicy combination plate.
Earlier, we had dropped Danny off at Mystic Lake casino so he could jump on the "Losers Bus" for a free ride back to Minneapolis after his Shakopee foot doctor appointment. Then we prudently paused at the Little Six casino to cash in a $5 come-on-in coupon that had been mailed to us. The cash, together with a $4 Pablo's coupon, put a big dent in today's tab, and our Cub Rewards Card reduced our Holiday gas fill by 25 cents a gallon.
From what we have been given to understand, we believe the pope would approve of these simple, frugal ways. Are we just being cheap? Not at all. We're being saintly.
--------------
Pina Colada

3 oz light rum
3 tbsp coconut cream
3 tbspcrushed pineapples

Put all ingredients into an electric blender with 2 cups of crushed ice. Blend at a high speed for a short length of time. Strain into a collins glass and serve with a straw.

Read more: Pina Colada recipe http://www.drinksmixer.com/drink4300.html#ixzz2NYLbaWwq

Breaking News: Cable guy on time

Like most Americans, we love our cable tv and internet, hate the cable company. So when the cable guy shows up on time, does what he's supposed to do, even if he's guarded and not particularly cheerful, we must take note.
Brother Danny's tenth floor Lake Street condo (You may know it as The Upper Crust bakery) now has internet installed in the walk-in closet, awaiting his new roommate scheduled to arrive this weekend. Not only that, our bedroom carpet has been applied to the closet walls making it absolutely dead in there, and perfect for composing/listening to music, if that's what you do. There's a shelving system in there now and an adjustable bench for a piano keyboard. Our old seven-foot tall bathroom linen closet has been moved to the condo and will serve as a wardrobe, now that the closet has been totally repurposed.
We're making music.

More to come.

Happy Birthday, Mina!

It's Mina Daly's birthday today. Where is she in the photo above? That's her in the back row, sixth from left, in the neighborhood houseful. Happy, happy, Mina.