Beeeeep


Dear Mr. Wonderful, The lovely kitchen timer you installed just after we started dating is beeping irregularly. And I'm not even cooking. Do these things wear out? Loveyabye.

PowerBall Christmas Shopping List


How fun would Christmas shopping be if I won the lottery?? (Seriously, follow the links--they are half the fun.)   My Big  Sister Lois would get a yak, which was Rachel C's great idea... ...and a Hippopotamus For Christmas. Real ones. Complete with enclosures etc. And enough money that she could stay at home on... Continue Reading →

Goodbye Mr. Stinky Droolface


We said our final goodbyes to Stinky on Friday, when it became apparent that the cancer was hurting too much for the pain meds, and he started throwing up. There are so many things I want to say about this gentle giant, but for once I'm pretty much speechless. Here's to the world's biggest lapdog,... Continue Reading →

Gratitude… Every. Single. Day.


"Gratitude, thankfulness, gratefulness, or appreciation is a feeling or attitude in acknowledgment of a benefit that one has received or will receive. The experience of gratitude has historically been a focus of several world religions, and has been considered extensively by moral philosophers..." . -Wikipedia. (Link below.) This is Jade. Her mom, our friend Danielle,... Continue Reading →

Grampa Ralph (More Treasures)


A couple of weeks ago, my boyfriend Paul and I traveled to North Dakota for the funeral of his grandpa. I never got to meet him, but I enjoyed hearing all the family memories and seeing pictures of his life (and his beautiful guitar). It got me thinking about my own grandparents, who are all... Continue Reading →

Weekly Photo Challenge: GREEN


The Weekly Photo Challenge was a color: green. Usually the predominant color in Northern MN this time of year is white, but today it was 52 degrees. ABOVE zero. (And yes, that's in degrees Farenheit, Bill L. from California.) That's 20 degrees warmer than average. 🙂 Click on any thumbnail to start Gallery View. If... Continue Reading →

When the Change Was Made Uptown…


Last night, my daughter Harley saw Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band live for the first time. It broke my heart a little that the Big Man and Danny Federici weren't going to be there, and for the first time, I didn't do my usual prep for a concert. I didn't study setlists, read articles... Continue Reading →

Treasures, Part One


In 2007, in preparation for The Funny Farm's 100th birthday, several family documents surfaced. Here are some of my favorites: It looks like Great Grandma Augusta Peterson came to Tower, MN from Sweden in 1888 as a servant girl. On Halloween of 1900, Great Grandpa paid $9.19 for The Farm. (Yes, it always has been... Continue Reading →

Our Halloween Adventure


What you are about to read is a true story. I couldn't make this stuff up. Okay... I could. But I didn't. After an un-Minnesota-like (no snow or rain), pleasant evening of trick-or-treating, The Boy and I hurried home to light our Jack-O-Lanterns and relax a little. The Barn was crazy busy the last few... Continue Reading →

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