Horse Manure Park

Happy first day of spring.  The tulips are in full bloom and the orioles are singing their beautiful tune! Then I was jolted awake. WCCO says this is the coldest first day of spring since 1965 (the Beatles had not yet released "Help!").  Since it's only about 15 degrees here, I believe it. They also say this is the deepest snow pack since 1971. And the Twins' home opener is in 13 days... "Boys of Summer?"  Maybe not.  Photo taken March 19th; courtesy Pioneer Press. At this point, camping and sitting around the fire pit seems like light years away. I'm so sick of winter.  Thank goodness for March Madness, which will keep me occupied for the next couple of weeks.

Now I know why they call it spring break.  Because spring seems to be broken. Today is St. Patricks Day, 2013.  More snow is on the way.  No more is needed.  Or wanted. Green beer, anyone?? I'm enjoying Bailey's and coffee while watching the NCAA basketball tournament seeding.  Later, a Guinness has my name on it as well as a cigar.  Then it's back to the real world. Spring break is over.  We had a good time throughout the week. Last weekend we had our mid-winter get together: Dale and Marilyn, Bob and Kathy, plus my aunts Jo and Sandy and uncles Ray and Tom all came over (despite the snow) and we enjoyed some good food, cold beverages and a nice visit.  I'm glad they were all able to make it here and back, because Mother Nature certainly didn't cooperate; but we had fun despite her best efforts to spoil the day. Our mid-winter get together on March 9th.  Despite having an entire house, we always seem to congregate around the kitchen table.  You can

I am posting this primarily for the benefit of my big brother Dale, who is not on Facebook.  This group is evidently called the Swiss Top Secret Drum Corps.  They will knock your socks off. I dare say they are the best drum line I've ever seen. Outstanding!

The other day I was watching my son eat his favorite cereal, Lucky Charms.  And I started thinking back to when I was a kid:  Lucky Charms was also one of my favorites as well. Lucky the Leprechaun looks a little different now compared to, say, 1974, but he's still around.  I thought that was pretty cool. And as one thought segued to another, I started thinking about all the cereal "characters" of my childhood. Every sugar-coated, frosted, packed-with-vitamins-and-iron, genuine-aritificial-flavor box of awesomeness had its own little cartoon character which tried to convince me to convince my mom  that the next time she was at the Red Owl in Wadena, she should by THAT particular cereal. And you know what?  She usually did.  So I decided to take a stroll down memory lane and try to think of as many breakfast cereal characters I could from my youth.  I know I've overlooked a few, but here are the ones I can clearly remember. <<>> First, t

Depending on who you believe, we might get a nice chunk of snow in this neck o' the woods over the next 24 hours. At least, that's what they say Winter Storm Saturn has in store for us. The funny part is today is the first I've heard about this Winter Storm Advisory.  The prediction is 3 to 5 inches of snow according to the Weather Channel. Wunderground.com says 6 to 8 inches. Accuweather isn't quite sure.  We are on the borderline for 3 inches of snow.  Or a foot of snow. That's a big difference. From Accuweather: the Brainerd Lakes Area might get a lot of snow.  Or not. But for some reason, the National Weather Service has gotten it wrong far more than they've gotten it right here in my little part of central Minnesota for the last couple of years. This is just my observation, but it seems today's weather-predicting "science" is more concerned about slick production and entertainment value than it is with actually getting

Lamb.  Because lion is pretty gamey.