Horse Manure Park

This time of year when the sun is never far off the horizon and noon shadows are long and frozen, I really start to get stir crazy. Cabin fever, I suppose.  Perhaps you can relate? Lately it is been ridiculously cold outside, so activities in the great outdoors are limited. Many of my indoor projects are completed, although the downstairs living room still needs to be painted (I am not doing that in the winter, sorry).  I can only read so much for so long. I am a notoriously slow reader, but I've already polished off several novels this winter - two were almost 900 pages long each - which is impressive by my standards.  So, as I do on occasion, but not nearly often enough, I turn to writing. But what to write about? Usually that's a difficult subject with which to negotiate, but today it is easy.  This time of year I think of my parents more than usual. They are always on my mind, but especially so in the cold, excruciatingly long winter months. In...

Today is a snow day... I mean, it is a true,  legitimate  snow day.  Yesterday and last night the snow fell in "bushel baskets" (as Phyllis would say), the wind was whipping in a frenzy.  I dare say we had classic  blizzard conditions. So I wasn't at all surprised when the phone rang at 5:50 AM and it was a recorded message from the school district.  I was, however, surprised to hear that school was two hours late.  I had expected school to be closed, but I guess the decision-makers concluded it wasn't cold enough (that's a "windchill day" joke, which I won't get into). More than two hours later, the phone rang (again) and it was the school district (again); the powers-that-be had changed their minds and (rightly) closed school for the day. So the Girl and the Boy are watching Monsters University   for the second time this morning, acting out the parts, reciting the movie's script and I marvel at how quickly they absorb this shit informati...

Yesterday was the warmest day in these parts in the past 78 years. Or at least it felt that way. The mercury topped out at a whopping 46ºF... as in ABOVE zero.  It might as well had been 86ºF; yes, that's how good it felt. As soon as I picked the Girl up from school and we arrived back at our humble abode, both her and the Boy were told to get their asses outside encouraged to partake in an outside activity. It was a beautiful February afternoon and I decided to take a few pictures. The dingo's favorite winter time activity: chasing snowballs. Nothing spells a good night's sleep like playing in the snow.  Yes, he slept well. The airborne dingo with a diving catch.  Touchdown!  The Girl in full fashion diva mode. I call this shot, simply, "Attack of the dingo!!"  Look out, boy, she'll chew your face off. A camouflaged and very spoiled Humphrey was not amused by the afternoon's activity.  He spent the whole time whining on th...

I usually don't complain much about the winter weather in these parts.  After all, it isn't called the Great White North because it is covered in powdered sugar. Snow is measured by the foot and it's often stupid cold.  It comes with the territory, literally and figuratively. But this winter seems to be stupider than most. A couple weeks ago, we endured a cold snap unlike any we've experienced in the past 30 years.  And we are about to plummet into the freezer again.  The mercury is starting to fall even as I write this, and by tonight it will be -23ºF. Monday will be worse, with a "high" of -13ºF.   Monday night's low will be -29ºF.  The record is -34ºF, set in 1976.  Honestly, when it gets this cold, I'm all for setting a new record.  Let's go for it! If this wasn't bad enough, these stupid cold temps will be accompanied with sustained 13 MPH winds, gusting to over 25 MPH.  A quick glance at the wind chill index (a chart that...

It wasn't a record*, not even close.  But it was still cold. I let the hounds out last night, forcing them to do nature's business.  Not easy with cold canines.  The Springfield PreciseTemp mocked me (and the dogs) at -26°F.  The air temperature here was literally colder than AGO-5 base in Antarctica. No, I'm not making that up.  I checked.  Trust me. The windchill was a brutal -48°F.  If you've never experienced cold like that, you really should once in your lifetime.  Just because. When it is that cold at night, you truly do hear the sound of silence outside (so this is what Paul Simon was talking about!).  No cars.  No trains.  No barking dogs.  No drunken neighbors fighting over who is running to Wal-Mart for Pop Tarts.  Just the constant pop and crack of the trees as they strain and stress against the stupidcold** temperatures. It really is an eerie sound. Much to the Boy's and the Girl's delight, there ...

It has been cold, folks.  Even by Minnesota standards it has been cold.  Actually, we've gone past "cold" and straight to "stupid cold."  In fact, the Wife and I deemed it too cold to boot the Boy and the Girl outside.  When the daytime high does not get above -5°F, it's just stupid cold. And there is a major problem with not getting outside to burn all that energy.  Most folks refer to it as "cabin fever." It is easy for cabin fever to infect everyone when we are all cooped up in the house, so I had the brainstormingly-fantastic New Years Day idea of doing a puzzle.  A fun, family activity.  Teamwork!  Problem solving!  Something to keep our minds occupied during these long, cold months. So I selected one of the Girl's puzzles which she got for her birthday last year.  It is a fair challenge for her, 300 pieces.  The plan was after putting this one together, we'd graduate to the big boy puzzles... like, 1,000 pieces!  Wo...

Our troupe's goal was to make yesterday a perfect day. And we were almost successful. Keyword: almost. The first item on our list was to pay a visit to Santa Claus.  As I mentioned on Facebook earlier, Santa and Mrs. Claus stopped at the Shante (a cozy little coffee shop) in Pillager as a part of their 2013 pre-Christmas World Tour (St. Nick must love to travel). It is amazing what a difference a year can make.  Last year Santa scared the hell out of the Boy.  Not that I really blamed him for being horrified.  He was asked to sit on the lap of this strange, white-bearded, brilliant red suit-wearing fat man. It kinda reeks of creepiness when you really think about it. But this year, the Boy couldn't wait to see Santa.  When we got to the Shante he immediately began his quest to find the man with the bag.  Once in his crosshairs, the Boy made a beeline for the jolly ol' elf, budging in front of all the other good little girls and boys, and cli...

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.

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 ...

I posted this to Facebook, but for anyone who does not have a Facebook account, here's a new documentary that I think is a must see...

It started with a few flakes, but by nightfall it was the heaviest snowfall I've ever seen in my life. And it was 20 years ago today. Yes, 20 years ago today Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play I experienced the biggest blizzard of my life (so far).  The Halloween blizzard of '91.  It was one for the ages. I was 22 years old then.  And I had work ethic back then, I'll tell you.  I was living in St. Francis, MN, in an apartment complex.  It was my senior year at the University of Minnesota.  I worked for the U of M Food Services, and my main job was running a little coffee shop Monday through Friday.  I had to open the shop early morning on November 1st. Yes, I actually attempted to drive the 40 miles to Minneapolis to do my job. I didn't make it out of the apartment parking lot, though. I remember waking up in the middle of the night and looking out the living room window and I couldn't believe how hard it was snowing.  I set my alar...

Well the weatherman got it pretty close to right this time.  We didn't get 14 inches of snow like they were predicting, but we got enough to piss me off. It snowed hard all night with a 20 to 30 MPH wind so it is hard to tell how much we really got, but NOAA's preliminary measurement for this area is 8 inches and I think that sound about right, based on the crap I had to shovel this afternoon. You could say March is going out like a lion.  I'll say it again: boys basketball tournament = winter snow storm.  And how. The best part is the first day of spring was on the 20th.  Forty-eight hours later we get the biggest snowfall of the year (at least in this area). Oh, Irony, you cruel Mistress.

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.

Oh, the winter blues.  Anyone else absolutely sick of winter?  Around the third week of February I start getting sick, sick, SICK of winter, even though by that time April is just five or six weeks away (about the same amount of time between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day -- which seems to fly by).  Time just seems to c...r...a...w...l towards the end of winter. Worse yet, we are bound to get a big snowstorm before it is all said and done.  The basketball tournaments always guarantee a snowstorm.  That's what my dad always said, and he was invariably right. This is the beginning of a long week.  Working when I don't normally work.  Off when I'm normally on.  Funeral on Friday.  A long week. I've stumbled upon a new band which I really like a lot, thanks to my nephew Ross.  I will post more about them later, since I'm always eager to share new, great music. Time now to get ready for the whirlwind week.

Yes, I'm still alive.  Limping through another work weekend, but it is almost over.  Rumor has it we are supposed to get some snow over the next couple of days.  I'm still waiting for that huge blizzard; hasn't happened yet.  At least, not here... or not what I would call a blizzard.  And it's my blog, so I can call it what I want, right? There's not a huge amount going down in this neck of the woods.  Hitting the mid-winter lull, I think.  Kids are stir crazy.  We all have cabin fever, or just a fever, depending on the day of the week.  We've all been sicker this year than any year in recent memory.  Colds, sniffles, coughs.  We all get better, then the process starts all over again.  Just think of the antibodies we're building, though!  Gotta stay positive, Sam. We are getting together with Dale, Mel, Bob and Kathy on the weekend of February 19th.  We haven't seen each other in months, so that's really going to ...

It is time I update, in case some of you think I've fallen off the face of the earth.  I don't think that would be possible with gravity and all, but you never know. We enjoyed an extended weekend at the Bismarck Baumann's over Thanksgiving.  The weather wasn't the friendliest on the way to Bismarck.  The last 220 miles (give or take) looked like this, a snapshot Beth took with her phone: Interstate 94, somewhere between Fargo and Bismarck, ND. Yes, that is a car about 200 feet in front of us.  I was thankful that is wasn't snowing, just windy.  If it had been snowing even a moderate amount, the interstate would have been impossible to navigate.  It is no wonder why the highway patrol closes down the freeway when major winter storms hit. Luckily it was a fairly uneventful trip, except for Ava's usual carsickness.  She only puked once and it was successfully retrieved in the proper receptacle.  No problem, just a quick stop in Hawley to...

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.

It is so nice out today I decided to open the windows and let in some welcomed fresh air.  It has been a long time since I've opened the windows.  The cool breeze and clean spring air makes me think winter just might be over!  Man, it feels good.  I shouldn't complain, though.  This was a very "tame" winter by Minnesota standards.  I can only recall one really cold snap and maybe a couple of snowstorms, but nothing compared to what they had in other parts of the country, especially the East Coast. Went back home yesterday to Aunt Helen's funeral.  It was a very moving tribute to a great woman.  I did get to see my aunts and uncles and cousins and brothers, and a bunch of folks from Hewitt who I haven't seen in years.  Also visited Mom and Dad's grave site.  Helen was laid to rest just a few yards away from them. Heck, I bet they are all having a big game of " schmear " up there right now. So yesterday was bittersweet.  It is ...

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. ...

So begins a new work week.  I'll put in my 56 hours this week, then enjoy next week.  My brothers and sisters-in-law are coming for our annual winter weekend get together in two weeks.  We always have a blast when we are together.  We haven't seen each other in a long time, so we've got plenty of catching up to do. We've had a slow, but steady snowfall since late Saturday/early Sunday.  The forecast was calling for 5 to 8 inches of snow by Monday, but it looks more like we have between 2 and 3 inches.  I'm just "eyeballing" it, but we certainly didn't get half a foot. I watched the Super Bowl yesterday.  I was disappointed in the outcome.  Yes, I was cheering for the Colts.  I felt the Vikings had a better team than the Saints and it makes me vomit bile to think it could have been the Vikings in the Super Bowl defeating the Colts. Now, if my dad was alive, he would say that the Saints winning the Super Bowl made the Vikings look good....