Horse Manure Park

It's been a week since I've updated the site, mainly because I haven't really been near a computer for the majority of the time. We went camping at Spirit Mountain in Duluth with the Kampen family last Thursday and came home Sunday. We ate like kings, drank like kings, played games, did some sight-seeing, but mostly sat around the campfire and solved the world's problems. We had a great time and it was wonderful to get away from computers and telephones and enjoy some fresh air for a few days. There were no mosquitoes, the weather was perfect for a change (a little windy, but I won't complain) and Lake Superior was as beautiful as ever. It was a great weekend. We got home Sunday and Jon and Sara were none the worse for wear after taking care of two spastic two year-olds for three days -- and if they were the worse for wear, they never let it show! Beth and I are so grateful that they came all this way so we could take a little vacation, and we made the most of it.

Gosh, not much to blog about. Kind of a rough night last night. I was dead tired after my seven night stretch and went to bed at 10 p.m. I was awakened at 2 a.m. by Gracie the dog panting in my ear. It is hard to sleep with a 75 pound dog huffing and puffing next to you. She cooled herself off after while and I finally just began falling asleep and Ava starting yelling at 3 a.m., "Hey guys! Hey! I gotta go potty!" So I dragged myself out of bed, let her do her thing and tucked her back in. Suddenly my body reverted back to night shift mode and I laid there with burning eyes, but wide awake until past 5 a.m. when I must have fallen back asleep. But Beth had to go to work two hours early today for an inservice, so there was no sleeping in. Ava and I have been hanging out all day... and I have been taken coffee intravenously. We've been outside a couple hours, made a sand castle, drew on the garage floor with sidewalk chalk, ran circles in the yard looking for the "ta

I haven't posted in a few days. Time just seems to march along. I am going on night #3 of 7, so I'm not quite to the halfway point yet. I guess you could say I'm on autopilot, just getting through the rest of this week. We finally know for sure we are going to Duluth camping next weekend. We've been looking forward to it for months, but we weren't quite sure if we would really be able to go. However, Jon and Sara are coming from Bismarck to watch Ava Thursday through Sunday of next week, and Beth and I can't thank them enough. File this one under "We Owe You Big Time!" Best of all, I know that Beth will be able to relax and enjoy herself, because she knows Ava will be just fine. We've planned this with the Kampen family for a long time and it is basically our "summer vacation" even though we'll only be gone for three days. But I know we'll have a blast and we can't wait! Jon (Stokes -- I know too many Jon's!) bro

I just love it when politicians and public figures say things that aren’t “acceptable” and they squirm, stutter and backtrack and say things like “I said what I said, but it isn’t what I meant to say…” and other ridiculous baloney. Why say anything if you don’t have the will to back it up? I am referring this time to the Reverend Jesse Jackson, who stuck his foot in his mouth like only Jesse can do. During an interview, Jackson thought they had gone to commercial break and he was talking quietly to the commentator interviewing him about Barrack Obama. Jackson said, “He [Obama] talks down to black people. I’d like to cut his nuts off.” Folks, I didn’t say it, the Reverend said it. Now how do you spin that one, Jesse? You just said in plain English and in no uncertain terms that you would like to castrate a man. Well, Jesse did his best to polish it up. On “Good Morning America” yesterday, he said that he and Mr. Obama “have been friends for years” and they “are on the same page.” Wantin

I guess I will update my blog here. I read an interesting article not too long ago, which said that psychologists think that keeping a blog is actually beneficial to one's mental health; in some cases, it works as well as taking a pill. I've always thought that it is therapeutic to write about how you feel. I mean, I feel better when I write things down, which is often the only way I get things "out." (You won't be reading any of that here on my blog, though.) Abraham Lincoln once said (I am paraphrasing here), if you are upset with someone, write them a letter and tell them exactly what you think of them. Then save postage and throw the letter into the fireplace. You'll feel better. Old Abe was years ahead of his time. Our family had yet another close call last week when my great-niece (Amy's little girl) fell ten feet from Bob and Kathy's deck and landed on a concrete slab. She suffered a skull fracture, was airlifted to Children's Hospital in S

It was 232 years ago today that the language of the Declaration of Independence was approved by Congress. Take note that it was not signed today. In fact, most delegates of Congress signed the document on August 2nd, which I suppose should be the actual day of national celebration, since that was when our forefathers risked their lives by the simple act of putting ink to paper. But the Second of August just doesn't have the same ring to it as the Fourth of July , does it? I'm not doing a thing today. It is supposed to be my holiday off, but it isn't. I had last night off, my "official" holiday off, but there weren't many fireworks or parades or celebrations to enjoy yesterday. I did make a fire last night, and Beth and I sat around and enjoyed a couple hours of peace and quiet. But now it is back to work tonight, tomorrow and Sunday. Holiday weekends, especially in the summer, are awful at the hospital. And July 4th is the grandaddy of them all. Not

Back home again and ready to go back to work tonight. We had a fun weekend at Dau's. We got there on Friday between thunderstorms and set up our gear. We had a small fire Friday night, but hit the sack pretty early. Saturday was a long day. We got up and had family pictures taken by a photographer and had about 30 minutes to spare before the rain came. And it rained ALL day long. Sitting in the house cooped up with a bunch of stir-crazy kids wasn't exactly what we had planned for Saturday. By that evening we were ready to get out and do something, so we went to the New York Mills bowling alley (not a big place, but they had beer. At that point in time, it was all that mattered!). We stayed there for four pitchers of beer and two rounds of bowling and then went back to the house and made a nice fire, but Ava would not sleep. Then the rains came again, so we called it a short night. On Sunday morning, Beth and I made our famous pumpkin pancakes with home-made apple cider syrup fo