Horse Manure Park

Ugh. 'Twas a windy, wet, cold October day.  It rather reflects my mood right now. No, it has nothing to do with the Vikings getting shellacked by the Packers last night.  I was expecting that.  I was prepared, and being prepared is a good thing. That leads me to my news of the day. Over the last couple of winters, we've had a few problems with our furnace.  It has had several parts replaced, including last winter.  In fact, it was one of those brutal -35°F nights last December when our furnace simply stopped working. Luckily, a technician came out in the middle of the night and fixed it.  All seemed to work fine during the remainder of last year's painful winter. Then a couple weeks ago, after running for a day or two when it was chilly outside, the furnace went kaput again. This time we weren't so lucky. Two days, two technicians and five hours of diagnostics/processes of elimination/new parts later, including checking the vents ...

So my first thought was, "Dude, really?" In this case, the noun "dude" was not addressed to anyone in particular.  Just... dude . More snow on the way in this neck o' the woods.  In fact, it has already started to the south and it is slowly working its way back to us, babe. I've heard 1-2 inches... and maybe up to 6 inches or more.  Which is to say, no one knows for sure, but it probably will  snow. Probably. So what's new? The Boy has been sputtering lately and running fevers.  Broke out in a rash.  "It's nothing," says I.  "Probably viral." "I think he's got strep," says his mom. "It's nothing," says I again. His mom took him to the clinic last evening. Guess what? Yep, it's strep. My new t-shirt. Now I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop.  There are three more of us in the house in the streptococcus crosshairs.  Too bad the doctor couldn't have prescribed ant...

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 ...

So this is what we call a major winter storm, eh? Sorry for the sarcasm, but I know I'm not the only one who feels this way.  The National Weather Service really built this one up.  They even issued warnings via the Emergency Broadcast System on television.  Prepare to be bludgeoned with 18 inches of snow in the Brainerd Lakes Area .   The end is nigh.  The geniuses at the local newspaper, the Brainerd Daily Dispatch Disgrace , in all of their journalistic hyperbole, called the looming disaster "Snowmaggedon."  (Real original, I know) The underlying feeling was that we've never seen snow before.  My personal thought was the weather folks have been bored all winter and they finally had something to talk about.  And this storm was being blown totally out of proportion. It turns out I was right for once. Now I'm not claiming to have seen it all, but I have lived in Minnesota for all of my 42 years.  I've seen bad winter storms. ...

According to this map, the weatherman feels fairly certain that my neck o' the woods is going to get absolutely hammered by a winter storm in the next 48 hours. They scared us with "the possibility of a half foot of snow" on Sunday and we barely got a dusting. What will Tuesday and Wednesday bring?  Could the computer models be wrong twice in three days? Sure they could. Or we could have the first real snow storm of the season - maybe it will be remembered as the "Leap Day Blizzard of '12".  But fret not.  Spring is exactly three weeks away.  And daylight savings time begins in eleven days! If I have to break out my snow shovel for the first time this winter on March 1st, I'm not going to complain much. 

I guess I could ask something stupid like, "Hot 'nuff fer ya?" but I'd have to punch myself in the face.  Yeah, they say it's warm out there.  And I'll take their word for it.  I'm in central air.  The kids are stir crazy, as is their dad, but we are all staying cool. Actually the weatherman has tempered his enthusiasm a little bit.  A couple days ago the forecast high was 100 for this neck o' the woods.  Now the forecast high is 92.  But as usual, the dew point is the problem - we've been in excess of 70 degrees for almost a week.  At one point we were very close to 80.  I'm not sure if I've ever experienced a dew point that high.  Really makes me wish my dad was still here.  He'd really think this is some kind of weather.  Meanwhile my lawn is an embarrassment.  You want to talk about perfect weather for your lawn.  It should have been mowed last week, but what can you do?  It's either too wet or it's too...

Poof!  Just like that, there goes another weekend. It is kinda funny, in my last post I mentioned it was in the 70s and that "spring was officially here".  Since then, we got about a half inch of snow and it hasn't gotten above 50 degrees... or at least it sure hasn't felt like it.  Most of the snow has since melted, but depending on which forecast you choose to believe, more snow is on the way this week.  It might not hit us, though.  It might go further south and east.  I hope so.  I am ready to open the camper and get on with summertime. At least one person was happy about the new snow.  Ava making a "snow bunny." Sandy and Ray stopped by yesterday and gave the kids Easter baskets.  We had coffee, pie and chatted.  It was good to see them and a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon.  It sure beat working! Yesterday was the first time Beth and I had been home together in over a week.  It was nice while it lasted, b...

Geez, I think they might be getting serious about this.  The National Weather Service has cried "wolf" much of this winter season (at least in this area).  It is getting hard to take these guys seriously, but here is what they've got posted this evening: ...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 7 AM TUESDAY TO 7 PM CDT WEDNESDAY... THE WINTER STORM WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT. * TIMING AND LOCATION: AN INTENSE LATE WINTER STORM WILL AFFECT THE BRAINERD LAKES REGION...SAINT CROIX RIVER VALLEY...AND HAYWARD TO PHILLIPS AREA TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. THE STORM WILL BRING A MIX OF HEAVY SNOW...FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET TO THESE AREAS. * SNOW AND ICE ACCUMULATION: 10 TO 14 INCHES OF SNOW IS EXPECTED BY WEDNESDAY LATE AFTERNOON...WITH ICE ACCUMULATIONS UP TO TENTH OF AN INCH.

Sunday night, the end of another week.  That means, of course, a new week starts tomorrow.  That's the way it works. So back on January 26th we had new appliances delivered, including a new dryer.  We managed to go a whole 52 days before running into our first glitch.  Yep, our dryer is on the fritz.  The good news is we purchased a "head to toe" service and repair plan from Sears.  The bad news is the broken-English, impossible-to-understand person who we called (probably outsourced to India) said that no one is available to repair the appliance until Thursday.  Funnier still, she actually asked, "When would you like the dryer repaired?"  The answer was "Today."  The reply was, "I'm sorry, no one is available in your area until Thursday." Then why the hell did you even ask?  I know I could have called a local repair service and they would have been here right away, but we bought this plan, so by golly we are going to use it. I...

Wow, another post?  Can you tell I am trying to stay awake?  Is anybody out there? * silence * Oh well, I have a tendency to talk to myself quite often anyway.  I'm good company, just ask me. Daylight Savings Time was last night, which meant I only had to work seven hours.  That did not suck.  It still seemed like a long night, though.  Two more shifts to go, then an eight hour class on Thursday.  At least I get paid for it.  It's all good.  Or pretty good.  ...well, maybe it's all okay.  Yeah, it's okay. I'm still waiting for all this damn snow to melt.  The eaves drip and tease me -- sort of like waving a sirloin in front of a hungry coyote.  But there is a lot of that white crap out there.  This will take a while to go away. Meanwhile, the Vernal Equinox (as opposed to the Venereal Equinox) is next Sunday.  Aaaaah, spring is just a week away.  That's reassuring, but I don't see many flowers bloo...

It is a gray, cold, rainy and very windy day.  A large jack pine has fallen in our front yard - it is hung up about 15 feet above the ground.  That's going to be fun to get down... To add to this uplifting weather, I logged onto weather.com to see when this frigid wind and rain is going to end and this is what I am greeted with: Seriously?  A winter storm warning?  Let's see, it's October 26th.  Better download some new music from iTunes, order a couple more good books from Barnes and Noble, and stock up on the Bailey's.  This could be a long, cold winter.

How in the world can it be August 9th already?  It seems like I just updated my blog and here it is 11 days later.  We had some good days off - we stayed close to home since one or both of us are not going to be around for our next three weekends off (the next six calendar weeks).  We finally finished up our landscaping projects around here.  Beth put some more touches on "Sanity Square."  Sara and the kids visited.  I got the farm mowed, and I pushed mowed about 80% of it.  The riding mower at the farm, which my dad bought in 1990, doesn't back up and doesn't turn to the left very well (or is it the right?).  Anyway, you can only go one direction and turn one direction - makes you feel like a NASCAR driver.  So, I brought my own push mower...  Ya know, when I was 17 years old and in shape, pushing-mowing the farm didn't seem like a big deal.  Twenty-three years and 60 pounds later, I can honestly say it sucked didn't seem as e...

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 haven't been near a computer for a while, so I thought I'd better update things before I head off to work tonight. Just spent the last four days at the Dau's in New York Mills, camping out and doing family stuff.  I would love a good night's sleep tonight, but that's obviously not going to happen.  That will have to wait till morning. My father-in-law took us around Wadena to see the tornado damage first hand.  I've never seen anything so horrible and sad in my life.  We also went to the rural areas, something you hear nothing about on the news, and many farmsteads were damaged and destroyed - some were completely obliterated.  People escaped with their lives, but little more.  The power and destruction can't even be described and pictures do not serve justice.  It was incredible. But on a happier note, we did have a good time, ate and drank more than a person should, had pretty decent weather for the most part  and we had a nice campfire ...

Its the end of a week that we will not soon forget.  The clean up continues in Wadena and will continue for weeks to come.  We are going to my in-laws this coming week to camp at their place in New York Mills and help in any way we can.  Governor Pawlenty declared a state of emergency in Wadena County, so at least the local agencies can get the help they need.  The Governor surveyed the damage on Friday.  Senator Amy Klobuchar was in Wadena on Saturday and stopped by what used to be my father-in-law's business.  The Fargo Forum snapped this picture, which I think is heartbreaking.  It was printed on the front page of the Fargo Forum newspaper today.  It is my father-in-law receiving a hug from the Senator. Perhaps the biggest news here is Scott Dau actually hugged a Democrat !  (sorry, I had to lighten the mood a bit)...  Happy Father's Day to my father-in-law.  I think a very large bottle of Crown Royal, a big bag of Snicke...

June 17, 2010 will be a date none of us will soon forget in this area.  Wadena was devastated by a tornado and my father-in-law's business was completely destroyed.   I wasn't aware of how terrible the damage was until I saw pictures, a sampling of which I am posting here.  The saving grace is no one was killed in Wadena, although two people in Almora were killed, as was a man in Mentor. Thanks to my cousin Tammy, my sister-in-law Sara and my nephew Kevin for letting me "borrow" these pictures from their Facebook pages (even though they don't know I'm doing this!).  It makes me so sad to see these pictures, but the force of a tornado is truly mind-boggling. Kevin took this picture at Highway 2 near Mentor, MN.  A man was killed at the Cenex station in town during this tornado. The next five pictures are from Sara.  This is what used to be my father-in-law's business, Leaf River Ag. My father-in-law's business, Leaf River Ag.  What loo...

Hello out there bloggerland.  Yes, I'm am still alive.  Haven't found a lot of time to sit and write much.  Kids do that to you.  Keeping an eye on the sky tonight - tornado warnings all around.  We are fine, but the folks in Wadena were hit hard.  Two people were killed in Almora, which is just a few miles from Oak Valley Township.  ...I wonder if the farm is still standing?  I'll be heading out that direction early next week to finally mow the place.  I've been waiting for a dry day when I'm not working.  That's been easier said than done. Meanwhile, I posted this on Facebook, but I will post it here too.  We had our first rehearsal for Farm Fest 7 and things went really well.  Here's most of the band as we rehearse our break....

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 weath...

It's Friday and it's the work weekend.  Beth and I just hate the work weekend.  It means little sleep at home and increased stress at work (because of skeletal staffing) for both of us.  The only good thing about the work weekend is that it doesn't last forever. There is a new place in town called "Daylight Donuts" and it is just what the doctor ordered.  You see, I have an unbelievable weakness for pastries and this place frickin' rocks.  I must limit myself to one visit per week.  This town needed a donut place and now it has got one.  I hope they stick around for a while.  Seems like businesses come and go like the seasons around here. It has been a gloomy three or four days here.  Gray, cloudy, foggy and rain, rain, rain.  I was listening to the weather forecast the other night and they said if it was 15 degrees colder, we would have well over half a foot of snow right now.  Maybe this was our annual March blizzard, manifes...

Another weekend has passed by.  Ray and Sandy stopped in on Sunday.  They were in town and called to see if we were home.  It was nice to have coffee and a quick visit with them. Sunday was just gorgeous.  It was over 50 degrees, bright and sunny, and the water was pouring off the roof from melting the snow.  Today is gray and cloudy, but still above freezing.  If the sun was out I bet it would be 50 degrees again.  We're not out of the deep freeze yet, though.   On this date in 1995 it was 22 degrees below zero here, so it can still get dangerously cold this time of year.  It won't be safe to say we're out of the "below zero" days until next month at this time.  In this neck of the woods, the latest recorded below zero reading was on April 6, 1979.  The low was 3 below that night. In case you are wondering (and I know that you are), the earliest recorded below zero reading was on November 4, 1991: 7 degrees below zero. ...