Horse Manure Park

The weekend is winding down.  We got some rain yesterday, which is really going to help things green up around here.  Maybe now I can make a little campfire some evening without worrying about burning the whole neighborhood down?  I reserved a camp site at the Gull Lake Recreation Area the weekend of May 15th.  Kampens will also be there.  Let the camping season begin!!! My girlfriend and I are escaping to Duluth on Thursday for a couple of days.  I just can't wait.  Grandma D. is watching our monkeys while we're gone, which we are so grateful for.  Ava has been so good this weekend that it is almost frightening.  I wonder what is wrong with her?!  I think being able to get outside and burn energy has really helped. Well, we have to make a big decision this week -- a decision that could change everything in our little corner of the world.  Can't say what it is right now, other than it is a good thing.  (And no, we haven't decided to have another baby.  It's t

Didn't do much of anything this week.  Beth worked outside all day Sunday.  We put new swings on the playset we bought from Budahn's last fall.  Ava is going to wear that thing out.  It certainly was a good investment! Otherwise not much going on.  Starting another "work week" tonight.  We are really looking forward to next week - going to Duluth for a couple of days without kids!  Sounds too good to be true.  I was going to open the camper this week, but that never happened.  I was going to get the gazebo ready to go for the summer, but that never happened.  To be honest, I just didn't feel like moving a lot or stretching too much this week.  I was kind of sore from surgery; at least that was my official excuse.  I wasn't supposed to do heavy lifting for a week, so there. The only thing I managed to do is get (another) virus removed from our laptop without spending another $120 to do so.  I did it myself this time.  I don't know how I did it, but

What a relaxing, beautiful morning.  Dropped Ava off at school, Neil laid down for a nap... so Beth and I sat outside and enjoyed some fresh Starbucks and listened to the horny birds fight with each other.  Yes, it is that time of year alright. I noticed that I recently surpassed 10,000 visitors to my blog since October 2008.  Wow, that's pretty awesome! I am thinking we are going to give the camper a good scrubbing today and pop it open for some spring cleaning.  I have got the itch to go camping sooner rather than later.  We only used the camper twice last summer.  No excuses this year! I am feeling pretty good today; still a little sore, but not bad at all.  Thought about posting pictures of my stitches, but I guess that would violate some kind of decency code.   Time to go enjoy some more sunshine.  I'd like to start some yard work, but I'm not supposed to get too carried away quite yet.  Hard not to do when we've got weather like this.

Well about 24 hours ago I was on the slicing and dicing table.  It took about 15 minutes, just like the doc said.  No big deal, really.  A little sore this morning, but nothing a little ibuprofen can't handle. I had my first (and most likely last) experience with Valium.  It had rather pleasing effects.  Sort of like feeling buzzed after that sixth beer, except I could think clearly.  I think my wife was amused. Speaking of Beth, she got to do the snipping.  An alarming moment was when I heard the Dr. Bengtson say, "No, don't cut there!"  That was a bit of an "Oh, shit!" moment for me... but it all turned out fine.  Er, I think. So life goes on now.  This was my first and biggest "project" on my "to-do" list this spring.  Coming up this weekend: putting up the canopy on our gazebo and opening up the camper.  It rained last night (finally) so we might even have a campfire this weekend. Okay, back to the grind...

I have been coming up with a list of songs (with the assistance of my sister-in-law, Sara) that I can listen to while sacrificing my manhood for the sake of love.  Indeed I am going under the knife early Monday morning right after I get off work.  It's no big deal unless the surgeon sneezes while he's snipping.  Actually he said Beth can do the snipping if she wants to... and I bet she will.  Hey, I cut the umbilical cord -- she can cut my stuff.  You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours.  Sort of.  Paybacks are a bitch. So here's my set list for the 15 minute procedure (read at your own risk): Mack the Knife -- Bobby Darin  Balls to the Wall -- Accept Cuts Like a Knife  -- Bryan Adams Slice of Your Pie -- Motley Crue   I've Got You Under My Skin -- Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons Big Balls -- AC/DC The First Cut is the Deepest -- Sheryl Crow You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' -- Righteous Brothers Great Balls of Fire -- Jerry Lee Lewis   Th

I saw this while surfing the net and I thought this looked like such a fantastic hobby to get into -- combining photography, history and solving a good mystery.  How awesome is this!! Linking the Past with the Present

Tonight my lovely daughter informed me that I had a "hole in my head." I told her, "Ava, that's not a nice thing to say." "No, Dad, you really have a hole in your head." I lifted her up into my arms and asked her, "Where?" She tapped me on my shiny bald spot at the very top of my noggin.  "Right there, Dad.  There's a hole." Having children is very humbling.

Hmmm... seems I'm getting around to updating my blog about once a week.  Each time I sit down to write, a child ends up in my lap.  I bet that doesn't happen to anyone else with little kids! I wanted to share this with everyone because I think it is fantastic and it is a piece of family history -- plus I love old photos.  My cousin (and neighbor) John sent this to me.  Anyone from my family will love it.  It is a treasure!  How many people can you name?