Horse Manure Park

Thank you for your input regarding the difference between muffins and cupcakes. Seems to me they must be at least cousins, though. I mean, both are baked, both are round and both have those weird paper liner things that are hard to chew . I've never liked that part. In fact, sometimes I just peel off the paper liner and don't even eat it. I've never thought it tasted very good. So here's my next question: What's the difference between summer sausage and salami? Is it okay to eat summer sausage in the winter? Is summer sausage even sausage? I tell ya, I'm a tormented man. Somewhere out there, Old Man Winter is chuckling, the dirty bugger. We got a dumping of snow on Wednesday and this morning is was somewhere around -12 degrees. Have I told you lately that I'm sick of winter? If not, I'll tell you again: I'M SICK OF WINTER. I don't remember being this bothered by cold and snow before. This winter has seemed excessively long, although ...

I worked last night. I woke up this afternoon with one question on my mind and I find it disturbing: What's the difference between a muffin and a cupcake? You would think I would have other worries or concerns on my mind, wouldn't you? Yes, I'm losing it.

Another weekend is over, a new week has begun and the wheel of time just keeps spinning. I haven't updated my blog for a while. Our activity stepped up a bit this week, so I wasn't able to sit at the computer for any length of time. Besides that, if I update too often, the raw truth will reveal itself: I really don't have anything better to do. Then I'll get all the cat-calls "Must be nice to have that much time..." blah, blah, blah. So I try to space the entries out to make it appear as if I am as busy as everyone else. So what's been happening lately? We had a fairly busy week. Last Thursday we went to the nursing home in New York Mills to visit Beth's grandpa. He had a bout with an upper respiratory bug which landed him in the hospital and he then had to go to the nursing home in New York Mills to rehab his way back to (hopefully) living independently again. I thought he looked good and when we got there he was working with physical therapy...

Finally a few days off and I'm going to enjoy 'em as much as I can. I got up early (5 a.m.) and brewed me some coffee and went out to the sin shack (my garage) to enjoy an Iguana and listen to the nothingness of early morning at my house. My favorite time of day. Just me, Juan Valdez and my little green friend from the Dominican Republic. Hmmm , I guess you could say it was a Latin American celebration. I should have made the Latin American theme complete and put Freddy Fender on the stereo... yeah, then I would have been perfectly miserable. Is there a shittier song than " Vaya con Dios "? I think not. You know that song... "Now the dawn is breaking through a gray tomorrow/But the memories we share are there to borrow/ Vaya con Dios my darling..." Good God, my dogs are howling and all I'm doing is thinking about the song. Please kick me in the head for knowing the horrendous words to that song. I feel like I've polluted myself. Let'...

You've probably noticed I've tried to "spring" things up around here. My header photo is now in color and I gave it a little "watercolor" effect. Watercolors remind of of spring, for some reason. I threw in some blues and yellows, trying my best to induce warmer weather to come sooner rather than later. Winter has worn out its welcome. I am sick of white and gray. I am sick of cold. I am sick of ice and snow. Screw you, Frosty. You can come back on Christmas Day. Enough already. Can I get a witness?? Amen! Ah, but there is some saving grace on the horizon. On Saturday my brothers and sister-in-laws (or is it sisters-in-law?) are coming for the day and spending the night. We always try to get together at least once during the winter months just for the sake of getting together. We haven't been in the same place at the same time since August, so I think we are all looking forward to it. We always have an enjoyable time when we're together a...

February 14, 1929: 80 years ago today, Al Capone invented the phrase, "I'll put a cap in your ass!"

The following is an actual essay written by a third grade student right here in Brainerd. The author of this wonderful piece of writing is a classmate of one of my co-workers' daughters. The third grade teacher sent home a note to the parents simply reading, "Horses are amazing animals, aren't they?" I assume the teacher wrote this after she wiped away her tears from laughing. (The name has been removed to protect the innocent... and how innocent they are at this age!)

I just realized that it's been a few days since my last entry. Not much shakin' around this joint. The weather is warmer -- which is to say it is at least tolerable. The three of us went outside yesterday and played in the snow. I think Ava ate as much snow as she played in. Why do kids love to eat snow? I guess there's just something really neat about picking something off the ground and eating it. Besides, snow is white, like ice cream or whipped cream, so it looks like it should taste good. Maybe that's why? I went to the doctor yesterday, just a routine check-up. I haven't seen my doctor in three years (since the year Ava was born), so it was time to go back. I guess I was given a clean bill of health, although I need to lose weight (duh?). However, my doctor congratulated me and told me to keep up the good work, because according to the clinic scale, I am 26 pounds lighter now than I was in March of 2006. I don't remember losing weight, nor was...

Yep, 50 years ago today the music died. Buddy Holly, the "Big Bopper" and Richie Valens all died in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa, on this date in 1959. Holly was just 22 years old. He accomplished so much in so little time. Makes you wonder how many songs were left to be written; songs we'll never hear. Man, what a tragedy. Yesterday was Groundhog's Day. I didn't even hear if he saw his shadow or not. It was -15 degrees this morning, so I don't think spring is coming any time soon no matter what some nasty little rodent thinks. I did learn that groundhogs are the same thing as woodchucks. My dad hated woodchucks. He would shoot 'em on sight. He said they carried diseases and he didn't want them on our property. This made me a little nervous because I figured I carried diseases too, going to school and being exposed to all sorts of sneezes and sniffles and what not. I know I brought home chicken pox once. I wonder if Dad thought abou...