Horse Manure Park

In what is becoming more and more a bi-monthly update to my blog, I guess I will get up to snuff here for anyone left out there who actually reads this... We spent Christmas weekend in Bismarck, hosted by the Baumann's.  Lots of good food, good drink and good conversation.  The weather was ridiculously warm.  There was not a flake of snow on the ground between our place and their place.  The keywords were Brown and Drab .  You always worry about driving conditions in mid-December in this neck of the woods, but not this year.  It couldn't have been more perfect - even if it was a little strange. And so it remains.  We are 72 hours away from the New Year and we don't have a single, solitary whiff of snow.  What very little that has fallen has quickly melted because the temperatures have been above freezing.  I just looked at the 15 day forecast through the first part of January and the majority of forecasted highs are in the mid-to-upper 3...

Ava had her first official school Christmas program last night.  She sang loud and proud and knew the choreography by heart.  She thought that singing in front of an audience was "Awesome!" Afterwards, we made gingerbread houses (made out of graham crackers).  A good time was had by all! Singing "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" Me and my girl making her ginger bread house Construction zone... The finished product, rewarded with a well-earned glass of punch. Not sure why the gingerbread man is standing on the roof... but I like the chocolate chip "garden" around the house.

Here I go again, not updating in over a week.  I have my excuse ready this time - I came down with strep throat a week ago Thursday.  I haven't had it for 11 years.  I'm convinced God strikes me down with strep about once every decade just so I'm thankful for being otherwise very healthy.  Ugh.  Finally went to the doctor on Sunday when I became convinced my immune system was sending desperation signals for reinforements... not to mention the back of my throat resembled a science experiment gone terribly wrong.  A rapid strep test came back positive (surprise!).  He put me on Zithromax.  Within 36 hours I was already perking up.  Amazing what antibiotics can do, huh? Unfortunately I ended up missing four days of work.  I hate calling in sick to work, but when you're running 102 temperatures and all you wanna do is curl up in a ball and die, you're not much good to your place of employment.  Not to mention you are very contagio...

Since it is the first of December, I'm trying to get into the Christmas spirit.  Of course, I have to do it in my own special way.  Usually putting up the Christmas tree is kind of a chore;  let's be honest, we do it for the kids. But here are a couple of trees I would only be too happy to help, er, "assemble." Take your pick: Grolsch or Heineken.  Both are fine by me!

Pictures are worth a thousand words... but the appropriate words here truly are: "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth..."

So I've started reading a new autobiography - I Am Ozzy by Ozzy Osbourne.  And without exaggeration, this is the funniest, most entertaining book I've read in the last 10 years. I can see why it won the "Literary Achievement" award. The book isn't for everyone.  If you are offended by the "F" word, I wouldn't recommend even picking the book up, but if you can get past that, there is a hilarious story on every page that will leave you laughing out loud.  It certain does that to me. I'm not sure if Ozzy wrote this book or if it was dictated and transcribed (Ozzy talks about his dyslexia and the fact that he can't write very well), but the book is undoubtedly in his "voice." The man is simply nuts.  In a good way. The introduction to the book is great: "They've said some crazy things about me over the years.  I mean, okay:  'He bit the head off a bat.' Yes.  'He bit the head off a dove.' Yes.  But t...

Over the past week I have been enjoying my evenings reading a book that I've looked forward to for years - Kiss lead guitarist Ace Frehley's autobiography, No Regrets .  Not exactly the most original title, I know, but it is a fascinating read - and very well written (Ace undoubtedly had help from professional writers).  Still, the story is his and I am eating it up. Anyone who knows me (if you are reading this, I assume you know me) knows I am a huge Kiss fan.  In fact, next to the Beatles, I would have to say that Kiss is my all-time favorite band. I became obsessed with them at a young age and I remember drawing pictures of the band all over my tablet in fourth grade.  I clearly remember my fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Greenwaldt, tell me "Okay, enough of this Kizz business."  I quickly corrected her, "It's KISS, Mrs. Greenwaldt." I don't think I was sent to the principle's office for that one, but it didn't keep me from drawing pictur...