Horse Manure Park

I can't believe it has been a week since I've blogged.  A busy week of work and now we have come to the dreaded weekend.  It has become my tradition to celebrate a long seven nights of work with a Bloody Mary on Monday morning. This Monday shall be no different. Come quickly, Monday.  I'm pretty much the only person who welcomes you... but different strokes for different folks, right? We had a fun weekend last week.  The Stokes' weren't able to make it over, so we had a quiet Saturday night - to bed by 10:00 p.m.  (Life has, indeed, changed!).  On Sunday, we went to Verndale to see Ray and Sandy, and Jody was there as well.  We had a nice visit and toured their new house.  Then we stopped by Bob and Kathy's to say hi.  It was nice to get out of the house for a while. Farm Fest is three weeks away!  Really looking forward to it; have been since last August!  I plan to mow the farm this coming week.  I am tentatively thinking I'll do it on Friday, but

A warm Friday afternoon.  We haven't had any rain for over 24 hours.  I'm afraid everything is going to shrivel up and die. This has been one of the rainiest (is that a word?), stormiest summers I can remember.  Just think... what if it was all snow?  We would be up to our armpits in the white stuff. Perish the thought - it will come soon enough. Just had to write because I got my lawn mowed and trimmed!  Believe me, it is an accomplishment.  I also got a tree sawed up (the tree that fell just a few feet short of my camper) and hauled to the woodpile, where we enjoy all of those non-existent fires in our firepit. Maybe someday we will again enjoy the warmth of a relaxing fire on a summer evening - or even an autumn evening.  But it just doesn't happen these days. We are going to have a little belated birthday party for Neil tomorrow night; the Stokes family is coming over which I am really looking forward to.  We have a lot of catching up to do.  It will be a fun

My cousin Connie posted these pictures on Facebook.  I "stole" them from her, because I wanted to share them with my family who doesn't do Facebook... These are the twins, Connie and Bonnie... or Bonnie and Connie... I'm not quite sure.  My mom is playing the accordion to the left.  My brother Dale is playing saxophone and my aunt Sandy is playing the clarinet.  This was taken a few years later, Connie and Bonnie doing the polka.  There is some question who the man is to the left.  Some say David Booen... I am almost 100% certain it is my dad.  My brother Bob is playing the clarinet, Mom is playing the accordion and Wilma Chase is to the extreme right.  She appears to be playing some type of slide guitar. As you can see, music has always been a central part of our family gatherings.  That is one of the main reasons we started Farm Fest seven years ago.  Thanks to Connie for sharing these wonderful treasures!

Neil enjoyed a quiet little birthday celebration here at home, just the four of us.  It was nice.  Hopefully we can do something special next weekend when we are not working.  Here we go again with another long weekend.  Beth and I both hate our weekends to work.  Little sleep = crabby parents.  Ugh. Here are a few pictures of life at my house over the last couple of months... Supper is always, um, interesting. Neil's man cave.  Yes, he crawled up there by himself. The birthday boy with Mom and Sister.  He started digging in right away. Eating his first birthday cake. 

Many people say history does not repeat itself.  I have proof it does. Exactly one year ago today and this very hour, a severe thunderstorm with high winds and torrential rain plowed through the Brainerd Lakes Area. It happened again today, at the very same hour: Don't worry, we are okay.  A tree missed our camper by eight feet and our backyard and driveway is flooded, but it is nothing our fine, sandy soil can't take care of in a matter of a few hours. Anyway, the reason I know there was an identical storm exactly one year ago at this hour is because my dear wife informed me at about this very same moment one year ago (after the storm blew through), "Sam, I think I peed my pants!!" Long story short, mt theory is thunder from the mighty storm broke her water and a few hours later we found ourselves in the hospital for an all night/all morning labor party. Neil was born at 1:32 PM the next afternoon.

I'm getting better at this fancy technology stuff, but I still haven't figured out how to upload video. Big news!  Neil has started taking his first tentative steps!  Actually, on July 8th he took his first 3 or 4 steps when Grandma was here.  Over the last four days he's gotten braver and better.  Soon he'll be running all over the house - I think it will be just a matter of days. I took these pictures with my Blackberry this afternoon... most are blurry because he wasn't stopping for anyone!  He prepares for launch, using a chair to steady himself (notice the smile)... And he's off!! (still smiling) Uh-oh... look out for that toy dinosaur!  He stumbles, but is determined to be bipedal! (still smiling) He recovers and keeps on walking... smiling the whole way. While he looks like me trying to walk after four Bloody Mary's and a 12 pack of Shiner Bock he is slowly getting it!

We spent a nice Sunday together.  We took a trip to the Pine Grove Zoo in Little Falls.  It is a small zoo, never to be confused with the Minnesota Zoo, but it was just the right size for a four year old with a short attention span.  Actually, it was very clean and very well kept - I have to admit I was impressed. There were tigers and bears, a mountain lion, a "mean wolf" (which Ava was preoccupied with - I'm not quite sure why), bear cubs (fun to watch), a petting zoo, elk, deer, emu [what is the plural of emu... emi?  emus?]... I'm not quite sure... and a variety of birds and other little four-legged creatures. But of all the animals, a silly old gentle donkey was Ava's favorite: I know she would have taken "Rosie" home with her if she could. After the zoo, we made the mandatory stop at Dairy Queen, and then made our way back home.  A fun day being Mom and Dad!

I haven't blogged for a few days.  There is a reason for that:  we've been busy improving the looks of our humble abode. Last fall we transported a big playset from the Budahn residence in Elk River to the Branstner residence in Baxter via Sankovitz Trucking. A few weeks ago I made a sandbox to go with the playset. Yesterday we officially completed landscaping the playset, which makes the project complete.  Here are some before and after pictures... This is how things looked before our landscaping.  It was pretty rough looking to be sure: Here is an "after" shot.  There is now sand beneath the swings, complimented with black landscaping ribbon and some nice red mulch to brighten things up and give it a clean "professional" look: Before - ugly: After - pretty!  And a table with chairs for Mom and Dad to enjoy a beer beverage in the shade while the kids play (a brilliant idea, compliments of the Mrs): Before - resembles a jungle: Aft

Another Fourth of July is in the books.  The parade went okay.  I think it was the first parade I had been in since July or August of 1988. I didn't suck played better than I thought I would... and it is a good thing I showed up because I was the only drummer to do so -- and I'm not even a member of community band!  I was just doing a favor for an old friend.  Turns out one of the trumpet players ended up playing bass drum at the last second (because I was playing snare and there was no other drummer).  As fate may have it, I knew the guy from the Blues Brothers Review (which I played with about 10 years ago, filling in for their regular drummer).  Small world, eh? He told me the Blues Brothers Review had more or less disbanded and he asked if I was interested in being the permanent drummer for a new incarnation of the band.  But I just don't have the ability to make a commitment like that.  I love to play and I love music; it is a true passion of mine, but there a