Theo

Most of you have met our dog Theo, either because you've visited us and been subjected to his overzealous greetings. Or you may have met him at the annual camping trip or when we packed him into the back of the van for a trip to Bemidji and other towns where family resides.

Theo died over the Thanksgiving weekend. We spent the weekend with Nancy's folks out in Lamberton, and sometime on Friday Theo disappeared. After an hour or two I went out in the car looking for him, and talked to a few of the neighbors. When Nancy got home from a shopping trip with her mom, she and Morgan went out again looking (Emma would have gone, but wasn't feeling well), but came home when it got too dark to see. Around 6:30 or so Theo just showed up at the back door, looking all happy and fine. He ate a little bit, but not much. We were up late that night playing Risk, and let the dogs out around 1:30 in the morning and everything seemed normal. But when Nancy's dad woke up the next morning he found Theo. It looks like he just died in his sleep.

He had a pretty good run, all in all, and I think it's easier to have him go this way than it would have been to decide to put him down. We're still finding clumps of his hair around the house and missing him. Bailey seems especially sad, so much so that she's not even all that excited about food. And with Bailey that's saying a lot! The kids think we should get another dog, but we're going to wait until after the holidays before deciding if we get another one.

2007 Thanksgiving at the Saunders'

Here's the happy little group that gathered around the Thanksgiving table at our house last week. Can you see the little Buddha just waiting to join our family next year?

Babe the blue ox

You can imagine my suprize when I read with delight about Babe the Blue OX's head falling off. As it turns out, this imposter resides in Klamath, California. The TRUE(Repaired) Babe is still standing tall and looking good in Bemidi Minnesota!

Bemidji's Night We Light

http://www.bemidjipioneer.com/multimedia/slideshow.cfm?id=29

Here is a link for the Bemidji Pioneers pictures of "The Nignt We Light"

Starfire Screen Printing

Scott Lunt (of Nick and Scott) has a Duluth Based Business called

Starfire Screen Printing Company.

He is offering special T Shirts for the holidays. Here the three special ones he is making. These would make great stocking stuffers for anyone!

I believe the cost is $20. each with Free Shipping.

You can e-mail him directly for more information.

starfire@gmail.com

Thank you for your support.

Shop Minnesota

I copied this off a website http://www.mn2020.org/ . According to the web site only 43 cents stays in Minnesota when buying from big box retailers but 68 cents stay in Minnesota if buying locally. Below is shopping page.

As Minnesota 2020 Fellow Lee Egerstrom reported in Made in MN , buying Minnesota made products from local businesses can be a real shot in the arm to Minnesota's economy.Along with the report, Minnesota 2020 wants to make it easier to find Minnesota-made gifts. The directory below will hopefully point you in the right direction.Obviously there are many more Minnesota-made products than those listed here. If you have a product you would like listed here, send us an e-mail along with a photo to info@mn2020.org.

This gift guide was compiled by Andrea Sogaard, Nicki Moen, and Kelly Russell.

Food and Wine

Jewelry

Bath and Bed

Clothing

Toys and Gifts for Kids

Arts and Crafts

Indoors and Outdoors

Pets

Thumbs up on the pumpkin lefse

We got the thumbs up from Hildur-"our lefse leader" on the Pumpkin Lefse.

She thought we should add a bit of pumpkin spice into the dough next time.

She is also planning on making some soon to share with her friends.

Our Thanksgiving Gang

Nancy set a very nice table and with lots of

help from everyone we had a great Thanksgiving.

Vegan Thanksgiving

Grandma and Grandpa

Tofu Turkey with Herbed Stuffing

Even a vegan cheese ball. Eat your heart out Lois! :)

We had a great time.

Happy Thanksgiving

This is what you will Not see at our Thanksgiving Feast in Bemidji.

I am pretty excited about our Vegan ( no animal products allowed) Thanksgiving with Bryce and Hildur and Nick and Scott! I will post some pictures as time permits.

Take some pics at your celebration and post them on the blog for all to see!

Oh, the humanity!

Is it ironic that thousands of turkeys were killed in a fire the day before Thanksgiving?

FRAZEE, Minn. (AP) - Thousands of young turkeys are dead after a fire near here.

Firefighters were called around 3 a.m. Wednesday to the New Life Farm, west of Frazee.

The fire broke out in a barn where 20,000 turkey chicks were placed Tuesday.

Damage to the barn was minimal, but Frazee Fire Chief Paul Thon says there was a substantial loss of young turkeys.

No one was hurt.

It took crews more than two hours to control the fire. Detroit Lakes firefighters assisted.

The exact number of turkeys killed and the cause of the fire have not been determined.

Interesting Concept Indeed

This is an interesting concept with pros and cons on both sides as well as putting values on human organs...I am listening to MPR this morning and there are two transplant surgeons discussing and, I might add, in favor of selling kidneys because the time of wait for a kidney is about six years right now. Think about this...they are proposing a price range between $50-60,000 for a donation of a kidney. Other countries are already doing this...should we follow suit? Could/would you sell a kidney for $$$?

Thanksgiving

How does your Thanksgiving look this year? What this means to me is taking the time to express my gratitude for my familily. I love to get together and eat, play games and just to be with family on Thanksgiving. I have never been a football fan so that doesn't much appeal to me.This year Mom and Dad, and Nick and Scott will be coming. We will all sit around out table and most likely overeat and enjoy the dinner. I always like to play some games with who ever is here (Scrabble of Phase 10 would be good). Later we'll just have more food-I believe Scott is making a Pumpkin Cheesecake. In the evening or maybe the morning we'll call our missing daughter Miranda(some of you may remember her) and tell her we wished she would have been able to be with us again-I miss her!

Pumpkin Lefse Recipe

Thanks to Mom (Hildur) for sending us the instant potato lefse recipe she sent to us many years ago while we were stationed in Hawaii!


We made our Pumpkin Lefse Vegan because Nick and Scott are coming home...let me tell you...they are good. We spread butter on them and sprinkled sugar and pumpkin spice and they we great!
We made 16, ten inch rounds.
We also made some traditional ones as well.
Below is the recipe we used. We had to mix in a bit more flour than we expected because pumpkin is quite a more moist than potatoes.
Enjoy this Pumpkin Lefse!




4 cups instant mashed potatoes


1-16 Oz Can Pumpkin Puree


2 teaspoon salt


1/2 Cup Butter (or Earth Balance Spread for Vegan)


2 cup milk(or Soy Milk for Vegan)


2,5 cup flour


2-Teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice





Melt butter and salt in 1.5 cup boiling water. Pour mixture over instant potatoes and stir . Add 2 cup milk and 2.5 cup flour; stir together, then cool in refrigerator. Roll into golf ball size balls, about 1/4 cup, then roll out thin. Cook in hot griddle (475). Brown lightly on both sides.

Lefse, Pumpkin

Vegan, PUMPKIN LEFSE

A Vegan Thanksgiving

We have invited Mom and Dad and Nick and Scott to our home for Thanksgiving. The only challange is Nick and Scott are vegans-(no animal products). I told Mom this and she said," thats okay" and Dad said," good". So below is our menu. The only thing that is not Vegan is the Honeycomb-It's made by Bees...

Our Guests of Honor Include
Bryce and Hildur
Nick and Scott


Light Appetizers
Mixed Nuts
Crusty Bread with
Balsamic Vinegar and Oils
Soy Eggnog and Brandy

Entrees
Nick’s Mock Toferky & Stuffing
Fancy Nancy’s
Mashed Potatoes & Gravy
Baked Sweet Pumpkin
With Maple Syrup
Hildur’s Own Onion Breadsticks
(if they turn out-(her words)
Whole Wheat Rolls with Fresh Honeycomb
Gary's Pumpkin Lefse (if it turns out-if not Lena's store bought)

Scott’s Dessert
Scott’s Surprisingly Good
Surprise Desert

Beverages
“Not to Strong” Coffee
Nature’s Own Iced Tap Water
Farm Fresh Soy Milk
Forest Edge Wine

Pumpkin Lefse

We going to try to make Pumpkin Lefse (hold the Ish-Da) this weekend and I am looking for any ideas that might be interesting.

Of course I will be using the quick method !

(instand potatoes are really quick)

I thought I would just replace 1/3 of the potatoes with canned pumpkin and add some pumpkin pie spice.

Then I got to thinking-what about replacing the milk with egg-nog on a different batch? (ish da)

Any ideas?

mrs. senior

no- i don`t know her but i am proud of the way she put bemidji on the map.another lady who does is the one who enters cooking contests and very often wins. i can`t thik of her name now.

MS Senior America

This lady has beed crowned Ms. Senior America recently and guess what? She is from Bemidji! Does anyone know her? She is with her husband and daughter.

hi

grandma says-- good job on the pictures girls

thanks for the veterans day message, gary

Remember Those Who Served

Veteran's Day for me means remembering and honoring the service of those that served.

The old guys-Bryce and his brothers- The Gregerson Boys (whom I will not name)-when they went to war it was "for the duration" and they did not know when they would see home next-Many were gone 3-6 years straight and knew that they were in for the long haul! Most all able bodied men and women either went to war or were somehow supporting the war-

Dad, Thank you for your service!

Cedric-Was also in the "big one". I am remembering you today!

Al Lamon-(Dad's Brother) was in for over 15 years-Thank you Al-for your service!

Scott Saunders, (Viet Nam Era)Thank you Scott, for your service!

Russel Lamon- Russel was in for over 15 years-I saw him while we Germany-Thank you, Russel for your service!

Matt Saunders-Thank you Matt, for your service-If my memory is correct-Matt served for 3-4 years

and our most recent vet...

Mike Lamon. As most of you know Mike has recently returned from Combat operations in Iraq-He was injured and received the purple heart-I am really happy he came back from this one alive. Mike-Thank you for your service!

I am VERY PROUD of all of our families vets!

I may have missed someone but I hope not- If so let me know. (the memory is the first to go).

I'm Chuckling & That Is Good!!

I am eating lunch & just catching up on the blog and really enjoying it.

On November 7th...Grandma says "Hell to Everyone!" (we do know she meant to say, "hello!") However, her next blog says that she is proud of all her kids/grandkids & feels wonderful to have us all in her life (Lois is paraphrasing here!) I just laughed out loud because it caught me as being funny. And, for those of you that read or listen to Dr. Oz...well, we know that laughing is good.



I read (again with interest) Gary's comment about our blog & all of us being the blog! I'd like to 2nd that motion. When I think about how often I see some of my nieces/nephews...well, it is not often enough. This really keeps us connected in a very unique way & I have discovered that we have some very good photographers (thanks, Emma & Morgan & others for posting pics) and writers, too.



I also love clicking on Nancy's & Pete's "other blog" and reading what they are up to, too! And, Nancy, your pictures are wonderful! (no need to click on Lois' cooking blog...she is a slacker in that area...08 could use some improvement there!!)



So, please if you read this...& don't post...consider posting. It does bridge a gap when we are apart & I know that it keeps Mom & Dad up to date, too.

Kids take the most unflattering pictures

We turned Emma and Morgan loose with the digital camera a week or two ago. How do they manage to catch everybody looking their worst??

congratulations

grandma says--congratulations are in order for aaron--nick and randee for their new jobs. it is probably kind of a challenge as well as a little scary to begin with. i am sure you are up to it. we are proud of you as well as all our grandchildren and kids. we feel very very lucky to have all of you.
as for us -- old fogies--we are doing well for a couple of 86 year olds. we have had check ups and things are pretty good. hope everything is well with all of you

Our Family History

I was just looking at some of the old blog entries-we go back about three years-Where else can you find pictures of kids that are not even born yet? Or Santa Kane? It was fun to review some of the posts and comments.
I really wish that everyone would update us every so often-not just read the blog but help BE the blog. This website could go on forever! Once we are dead and gone people may get to know us a bit better just by reading and seeing what we said and hae done. When Pete's grandkids check out his blog-they may be thinking...Grandpa really was nuts riding his bike in the city in the winter. Or I did not know that Grandpa liked beer! Or that Anna was a free spirit.
If you need a new log in you can let me know and I will reissue you an invite. ( or Pete, Nick and Anna can also).

My first video upload

I wanted to try the video upload on Blogger-It was as easy as putting a picture on-get out your Digital Video camera and give it a try. I got this video from an e-mail that Nancy recieved.

Who are you voting for?

Very, very interesting. Not a joke. Try it!
Thinking about next year's election .. already made up your mind? still deciding? try this fascinating website!
Takes about 1-2 minutes.Having trouble deciding who to vote for in 2008?
This will compare your answers with ALL candidates. I found this to be of interest .... It did not select the candidate I had expected! Of even more interest was which were way down the list - and why..
Click on the website below http://www.wqad.com/Global/link.asp?L=259460

If you can read this whole story without laughing then there's no hope for you. I was crying by the end.

Note: Please take time to read this slowly.If you pay attention to the first two judges, the reaction of the third judge is even better. For those of you who have lived in Texas Oklahoma or Lousiania, you know how true this is. They actually have a Chili Cook-off about the time Thanksgiving comes around.

Judge #3 was an inexperienced Chili taster named Frank, who was visiting from Northern Minnesota.

Frank: "Recently, I was honored to be selected as a judge at a chili cook-off. The original person called in sick at the last moment and I happened to be standing there at the judge's table asking for directions to the beer truck, when the call came in. I was assured by the other two judges (Native Texans) that the chili wouldn't be all that spicy and, besides, they told me I could have free beer during the tasting, so I accepted". Here are the scorecard notes from the event: CHILI # 1 - MIKE'S MANIAC MONSTER CHILI

Judge # 1 -- A little too heavy on the tomato. Amusing kick.

Judge # 2 -- Nice, smooth tomato flavor. Very mild.Judge

# 3 (Frank) -- Holy sh--, what the h--- is this stuff? You could remove dried paint from your driveway. Took me two beers to put the flames out. I hope that's the worst one. These Texans are crazy.

CHILI # 2 - AUSTIN'S AFTERBURNER CHILI...

Judge # 1 -- Smokey, with a hint of pork. Slight jalapeno tang.

Judge # 2 -- Exciting BBQ flavor, needs more peppers to be taken seriously.

Judge # 3 -- Keep this out of the reach of children. I'm not sure whatI'm supposed to taste besides pain. I had to wave off two people who wanted to give me the Heimlich maneuver. They had to rush in more beer when theysaw the look on my face.

CHILI # 3 - FRED'S FAMOUS BURN DOWN THE BARN CHILI...

Judge # 1 -- Excellent firehouse chili. Great kick.

Judge # 2 -- A bit salty, good use of peppers.

Judge # 3 -- Call the EPA. I've located a uranium spill. My nose feelslike I have been snorting Drano. Everyone knows the routine by now. Get me more beer before I ignite. Barmaid pounded me on the back, now my backbone isin the front part of my chest. I'm getting shit-faced from all of the beer.

CHILI # 4 - BUBBA'S BLACK MAGIC...

Judge # 1 -- Black bean chili with almost no spice. Disappointing.

Judge # 2 -- Hint of lime in the black beans. Good side dish for fish orother mild foods, not much of a chili.

Judge # 3 -- I felt something scraping across my tongue, but was unable to taste it. Is it possible to burn out taste buds? Sally, the beer maid,was standing behind me with fresh refills. That 300-LB woman is starting to look HOT...just like this nuclear waste I'm eating! Is chili an aphrodisiac?

CHILI # 5 LISA'S LEGAL LIP REMOVER...

Judge # 1 -- Meaty, strong chili. Cayenne peppers freshly ground, adding considerable kick. Very impressive.

Judge # 2 -- Chili using shredded beef, could use more tomato. Must admit the cayenne peppers make a strong statement.

Judge # 3 -- My ears are ringing, sweat is pouring off my forehead and I can no longer focus my eyes. I farted and four people behind me needed paramedics. The contestant seemed offended when I told her that her chili had given me brain damage. Sally saved my tongue from bleeding by pouring beer directly on it from the pitcher. I wonder if I'm burning my lipsoff. It really p----- me off that the other judges asked me to stop screaming. Screw those rednecks.

CHILI # 6 - VERA'S VERY VEGETARIAN VARIETY...

Judge # 1 -- Thin yet bold vegetarian variety chili. Good balance ofspices and peppers.

Judge # 2 -- The best yet. Aggressive use of peppers, onions, andgarlic. Superb.

Judge # 3 -- My intestines are now a straight pipe filled with gaseous, sulfuric flames. I s--- on myself when I farted and I'm worried it will eat through the chair. No one seems inclined to stand behind me except that Sally. Can't feel my lips anymore. I need to wipe my butt with a snowcone.

CHILI # 7 - SUSAN'S SCREAMING SENSATION CHILI...

Judge # 1 -- A mediocre chili with too much reliance on canned peppers.

Judge # 2 -- Ho hum, tastes as if the chef literally threw in a can of chili peppers at the last moment. **I should take note that I am worriedabout Judge # 3. He appears to be in a bit of distress as he is cursing uncontrollably.

Judge # 3 -- You could put a grenade in my mouth, pull the pin, and I wouldn't feel a thing. I've lost sight in one eye, and the world sounds like it is made of rushing water. My shirt is covered with chili, which slid unnoticed out of my mouth. My pants are full of lava to match my shirt. At least during the autopsy, they'll know what killed me. I've decided to stop breathing it's too painful. Screw it; I'm not getting any oxygen anyway. If I need air, I'll just suck it in through the 4-inchhole in my stomach.

CHILI # 8 - BIG TOM'S TOENAIL CURLING CHILI...

Judge # 1 -- The perfect ending, this is a nice blend chili. Not too bold but spicy enough to declare its existence.

Judge # 2 -- This final entry is a good, balanced chili. Neither mild nor hot. Sorry to see that most of it was lost when Judge #3 farted, passed out, fell over and pulled the chili pot down on top of himself. Not sure if he's going to make it. Poor feller, wonder how he'd have reacted to really hot chili?

Judge # 3 No Report

hi

Grandma says hell to everyone

Hello

Testing the blog

More From Aaron

Hey, I read the blog, thanks for posting that there. I can expand on the job and you could cut and paste this to another entry:

The Minnesota Bound Show is just a small part of the new job. I start on the bottom rung which means alot of different things but mostly it means I have to pick up some pieces of a show that was started but not finished because the first 6 epiodes were not shot up to standards (a different company shot these). I have to shoot 6 new episodes and edit all 12. The first six months is a freelance period and after that I could go full time. The show is a big game hunting show with 6 week-long shoots in places like Colorado, Montana and other western states. I'm not exactly sure where the finished products will air, but I think it will only be in the Denver area.

The outdoor shows are just part of the company, they do alot of work for the Discovery Channel and History Channel. Right now The History Channel is airing a series called "Monster Quest" that was most recently shot by the company I am going to. So there are some wonderful network and travel opportunities that I am looking forward to. Most importantly I am looking forward to be able to live in Minnesota again. Florida is truly dreadful.

-Aaron

Some GREAT News

Aaron gave me permission to post his news...! We are excited because he is returning to Minnesota around Thanksgiving time. YEAH!

His home/job base will be in Minneapolis, but will involve traveling and shooting his camera for Ron Schara Productions. If you don't know who Ron (and his dog, Raven) is here is a link: www.mnbound.com - we are excited to say the least.

Welcome Home, Aaron!

Some Fun Old Games

GAMES FOR WHEN WE ARE OLDER
1. Sag, you're It
2. Hide and go pee.
3. 20 questions shouted into your good ear.
4. Kick the bucket
5. Red Rover, Red Rover, the nurse says Bend Over.
6. Musical recliners.
7. Simon says something incoherent.
8. Pin the Toupee on the bald guy
SIGNS OF MENOPAUSE:
1. You sell your home heating system at a yard sale.
2. You have to write post-it notes with your kids' names on them.
3. You change your underwear after a sneeze.
OLD IS WHEN:
1. Going bra-less pulls all the wrinkles out of your face.
2. You don't care where your spouse goes, just as long as you don't have to go along.
3. Getting a little action means I don't need fiber today.

Our kitchen is done!

Our Little Celebrity wearing her ribbon & medallion with the Area Coordinator, Gwen.

Congratulations Are In Order!

Tomorrow morning Mom will be receiving a special, century award from TOPS for losing 100 lbs and keeping it off for an entire year. The area captain will be there to make the award with all the other TOPS members in attendance. So, that is why congrats are in order...good job, Mom!

Anna's Visit

Anna came up north to Bemidji for a visit and we had a nice time. She came into town on Thursday and I ran int her at Mom and Dad's-She had requested we go to Dave's for pizza and we did-I ate way to much. She came over on Saturday and had a light lunch, some good games, a hot tub, supper, and generally had a good visit. Anna-you "easy to have around" and we enjoyed your visit. You know you are always welcome.

Hi Everyone

Grandma says good morning. I am learning how to blog. Imagine that!

Girl Saunders

Yesterday Matt & I went to have our 20 week ultrasound. It was so amazing! It's hard to believe we're now less than half way to the due date. The most exciting part of the ultrasound was finding out we're having a girl. So....another granddaughter for the Saunders grandparents.

The baby measured around the 50% range for most measurements and looks as healthy as can be from what they tell us. Here is a pic to view of our daughter, your new great granddaughter, granddaughter, great neice, neice, second cousin and cousin (do I have everyone covered? ;-) )

Hope you are all doing well!

Love,

Matt & Mandy

A Big Bash!

Boy, did I have a party! You betcha, I did. I used a fiesta theme and had Mexican food and decorations. I even made paper flowers and borrowed cacti from Myrna to help make things a little more southwestern. Matt and Mandy even came with sombreros. Ole!

After dinner we looked at old photo albums, then played Spoons--it was a fun game for all ages. Then came the cake. Did you know that 60 candles will set off a smoke alarm?? Just like the greeting cards, huh? That might have been the highlight of the party.

Nancy took some great pictures for posterity (and the blog).

So I turned 60 with a lot of fanfare--I'd recommend it for anyone.

Carol

The birthday girl

In the words of Emma and Morgan, it was "The best party ever!" There were games. There was cake. There were candles. Lots of candles...

Five pairs of hands are faster than one.


Shiny!


Carol, can you do this?


Whoosh! 60 candles are no match for Carol.


Happy Birthday, Carol!

September, It's In the Bag, Too!

Last night our land was illuminated by a beautiful, harvest moon. Imagine our grandparents harvesting grain, corn, etc. by the light of the moon, working long hours during the day & into the wee hours of the morning...I neglected to get my camera out (sorry!), but you probably saw it, too.

Speaking of harvesting, we usually plant about 12 tomato plants, 4 grape tomatoes, 4 Roma tomatoes and 4 beef steak to ensure that our harvest is plentiful. Well, it is plentiful again, and so I have been canning tomatoes by the "oven" method. It is very easy just to peel, put into jars & pop into the oven & forget for 24 hours. When we open them during the winter, we can taste and smell our "summer in a jar!"

Our biggest project has been our kitchen...& we are nearing completion, as the crown and window molding are all that remains. I do have a couple of boxes to unpack, but that is minor and will get them done shortly. It was a lengthy project and we did all the labor ourselves. We are absolutely in love with it...the sun and moon light streamed through because we took out a wall that blocked some of that previously. Although Dale has an eye for a finished project, I really don't. I have to pick things out very carefully & consider all angles. I must admit, with Dale's expertise & my careful planning, we did well.

Now, realizing that September is gone...yard work is about done and it is time to turn into the direction of fall and all that has to offer...like the harvest moon and a good book! Any suggestions?

Where has the time gone

Wow, it's hard to believe that fall is here in full force. Where has the summer gone. I'm really beginning to believe that the older you get, the faster time flies. I've been at my new job for 5 months already. It's going very well and I'm learning something new every day. Nursing is a lot more stressful than I ever imagined, but the more I work, the more comfortable it gets. My summer has been filled with my friends weddings and I have another one in 2 weeks in Duluth. I guess I'm officially at that wedding age that everyone talks about. I hope everyone is doing wonderful!

For all the e-mailers

Check this out-you don't have to forward those e-mails...

http://info.org.il/irrelevant/may02-smilepop-soapbox4.swf

Green Tomato Pie

Miranda made an interesting desertGreen Tomato Pie-Its in the oven now and we'll be eating it in an hour!

Family Visit

Miranda and Nick came home this past Tuesday night and now (Saturday) they're getting ready to go home again. We have had a very nice visit and we're really happy they came home. We did get a lot done while they were home. We made a batch of Chocolate Stout. We made four pounds herbal bath soap and we canned some salsa and pickled green tomatoes. We spent a lots of relaxing time in the hot tub as well as playing some of our favorite board games. We'll miss them!

Hildur is back on line

Hi Everyone-Mom (Hildur) is back on line-her e-mail is bhlamon@paulbunyan.net . Please welcome her back!

Hi everyone! Just an FYI to let you know that I've changed the URL for my photo blog; it's now at http://yonsaucywench.blogspot.com/, so you'll want to update bookmarks and feeds accordingly. Thanks!

Summer is almost gone

Well, its about done! Summer I mean. School starts in about a week or so. I got to get moving and start to finish my summer projects before the fall projects kick in.
Pine cones are dropping and soon the leaves and the pine needles-I have already taken in a bunch of my garden-I have beets, tomatoes, baby pumpkins, squash and brussel sprouts and a few peppers left-and a bit of dill to harvest.
I think I will be washing the outside of the house tomorrow-windows and all.

Stunned Hawk

Nancy saw this hawk sitting on top of the sprinkler so I had to get a couple of pictures. It just sat in the area we were sprinkling for at least an hour. We think it must have just been stunned. I was with in 2-3 feet and it did not move. Later it flew away.

Its that time again

We decided to make make a couple of batches of beer today-one that is a Guiness Like beer (Stout) and a light spruce beer. A good day was had by me!
Now we just made a pizza and then off to the lake-for some evening fishing!

Southwestern Black Bean Salad

Here is the recipe for the Southwestern Black Bean Salad that I usually bring along to the Loungeabout. It's been reprinted without permission from the Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook.

The recipe below makes 4 servings. I usually double it for a large group.

One 16 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup diced roasted red pepper
1/2 cup cooked corn kernels
1 red onion, finely chopped (when I double the recipe, I still use only one onion for the Lamons -Pete)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded, deveined, and finely chopped
4 teaspoons fresh lime juice
4 teaspoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

In large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients; toss to combine. Let stand, covered, until the flavors are blended, at least 1 hour.

Per serving: 182 calories, 6 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 cholestorol, 356 mg sodium, 26 g total carbohydrate, 8 g dietary fiber, 8 g protein, 52 mg calcium
Points per serving: 3

The Family Blog: Welcome Home Mike

The Family Blog: Welcome Home Mike

www.mnpatriotguard.org

Welcome Home Mike

Click on the title and watch the slide show of troops returning to Bemidji-Thanks Mike Lamon-We thought about you alot!
Gary

Welcme them Home

7/17/2007 12:07 PM


Here is a current schedule for returning Companies. Bemidji A Co is scheduled to leave Fort McCoy on Sunday, July 22nd at 6 am and arrivein Bemidji at 2:30 pm. They will be going through Walker, MN and then goon Hwy 200 to Kabekona Corner and North to Bemidji on Hwy 71. They will proceed through Bemidji on Paul Bunyan Drive (Hwy 197) to the BSU JohnGlas fieldhouse where the families will be waiting. The community will be encouraged to stand on this route. The soldiers will enter the fieldhouse and stand in formation. The Mayor will give a very short official Bemidji "Welcome Home" with 1SG Solberg following with a few comments. Thenthe soldiers will be formally dismissed to their awaiting families. Families can enter the Jon Glas fieldhouse at 12:30 pm to meet and setupposters. The public can enter Jon Glas at 1:45 pm to wait. A CD has been put together by our soldiers that provide a snapshot of their life in Iraqfor families and community to view at Jon Glas while we are waiting for thebus to return. Oh Happy Days!!!

PLEASE TRY TO GET OUT AND

WELCOME THEM BACK. IT MEANS A LOT TO A SOLDIER COMING HOME...I KNOW!

Mike Lamon is in Maine-Copied from an e-mail from Marie

From Marie Lamon 7/15/2007 2:15 PM

Just a note to tell you thanks and thanks to God for bringing Mike and Able Company toMaine today. They will travel to Wisconsin for a week to 10 days, and then be home!!!! Thanks for your prayers for all the past from 2005 to now and please remember the troopsas they reintegrate back into their "normal" lives once again!!!!
Marie

Anna Lone

Imagine my surprise when I opened the "Senior Scene," a supplement to our "Pioneer" newspaper and read the following:

"It was Hildur Lamon not Hildur Bauer's mother who homesteaded. Hildur's mother, Anna Lone, and her friend, Louise, and her dad moved to Pennington from South Dakota when Anna was about 22 years old. She homesteaded on 160 acres of land and built a house, or shanty as they were called, on Popple Lake. She lived on the homestead in the summer and worked in Cass Lake at various domestic jobs in the winter. Her future husband homesteaded on Burns Lake."

Interesting, huh?

Carmen-Copied from Lois's E-mail

Mom just called to let me know that Carmen died this morning...no otherdetails at this time.

For those who don't know Carmen Gregerson was Hildurs brother. Gary

A little bit of good news to throw in...

Mandy and I are happy to share that after many years of unsuccessfully trying to become parents, we've finally done it! Well, almost...Mandy had her first ultrasound today and she's got a little jelly bean growing in there with a heartbeat of 134 beats per minute. We hope to be bringing him or her into the world in February next year.





While it may not look like much yet, here's a first pic:

Love,

Matt and Mandy

Sad News-Copied from Lois's E-mail

Dad called last night to let us know that Art Godin had passed away yesterday (Saturday 7/7/07). Art was married to Dorothy, Dad's sister. He spent his winterin Alabama helping Bea (another sister of Dad's) take care of her husbandwho died in April. I really don't think that Art recovered from that & thenhe experienced a couple of strokes over the past couple of months and neededto be hospitalized or in a rehab unit. Dad didn't know any details on when the funeral will be held.

Bemidji Ice Fishing

This was not the scene in Bemidji this weekend! Temps were/are in the 90's-Hot-Hot-Hot!

Puppies!

Just thought I would post some pictures of Nathan and Katie's new puppies. They got a brother and sister set of 6 month old puppies from the humane society. They're not sure what kind they are, but they are thinking Black Lab/Great Dane mixes. They're very well behaved puppies and sleep a lot! I went down to see them yesterday and they don't bark or jump at you when you come in the door. They're names are Kali (I'm not sure how they're spelling her name) and Killian.

Our New Back Yard

The first picture is of the hot tub after it was delivered-we simply put up tarps around it until we could do something more permanent. The next two pictures are the mostly completed new patio. This is out or kitchen door-We put in a colored cement slab with a flagstone design because of the low maintenance-as it turned out it was about $200 more to put in concrete slab than a deck. We just added the fence for a bit of privacy. We built the Pergola with the help of our neighbors, Wendy and Joel. We had a lot of dirt work to do to back fill the slab because of the uneven grade of our back yard and lot of repair where the Bobcat and cement truck damaged the yard. Then we planted grass, added a few plant and its mostly done. We got hold of some Virginia Creepers (a fast growing vine) and planted them around the posts-in about 2-3 years they will take over the pergola. Now we have got to get the missing grass spots filled in and then we can fully enjoy the new addition.