Well, now I have done it.  I ordered 10 black raspberry plants from a home gardener in Ohio.  These are the berries I remember from when I was a kid ( I have a long memory).  We picked these wild but there was always enough everywhere.  Well, not in the city and I have tried to buy these in the store.  There are raspberries (red) and there are blackberries (dark purple almost black) but both are different berries than the one from when I was a kid.  ONCE when I was in Wisconsin, I found a few for sale.  I also found some on a bike trail near Rochester growing wild, of course. 

So, drastic measures are required.  I have to grow them myself now.  My knee is cooperating and I have just enough energy.  oh….I can’t wait to pick them ripe and warm from the sun.  I doubt if I will have enough for jams and jellies left over.

Sharon the gardener says:

We were given these plants as a gift when we first moved here in 1978. We never knew what variety they were. They are however, our favorite berry, ripening right after the strawberrys are done. They are about the size of a dime. We make raspberry vinegar and wine as well as can the juice and make jellys and syrup with them. We also dry the leaves for teas. They like semi- shade to produce best though will bear too in full sun . They need water when they are fruiting and like a good mulch . No insects or disease have ever bothered them It is best to grow them on a fence, though you can just let them grow into a thicket. We prune in March. They will last generations if you care for them.

I never talk on my personal cell when driving.  Once in a while I will answer my work cell if it is really important.  But there was a recent Oprah show where people told true stories of how their loved one got killed because of someone talking or texting while driving.  Summer saw it and said she was taking the oath to never talk (she never did text) while driving.  I said I would take the oath too.  So, we both pledged to never talk on the phone while driving.  That includes checking who is calling if it rings.  Done

I hope you will all consider doing the pledge too.  Make your car a no cell phone zone.

http://www.sundog.net/carolofthechins/flash/card.swf

click on the link above and put in a Christmas carol

Here are a few if you can’t think of any:

Twelve Days of Christmas

Silent Night

Away in a Manger

Deck the Halls

Do you hear what I hear

the first noel

Hark the heaald angels sing

joy to the world

little durmmer boy

o holy night

Little town of Bethlehem

Feliz Navidad (a must)

Please read this!

If you are an owner of a dog that belongs to a ‘dangerous breed’ category, and you also have a child, or there is a small child visiting, please take this as a warning.

Don’t leave your dog with a small child unattended under any circumstances!

Only one brief moment was enough for the following to happen.

See the photo below …

——

Yesterday, when I got up and walked downstairs…..I looked out the front window and thought my boulder was especially beautiful.

Then as we left for our coffee….Dunn Brothers Coffee today(BOGO)…our neighbors were raking their yard.

This was also especially nice since all those leave would blow into our  yard with the next big wind.  I like the ‘boss’ queen bee who is standing there with coffee while the worker bees rake and haul leaves.

Then I added the pic from a few days ago when we had snow.  Don’t you just love my green thumb to raise such nice sunflowers right on the lamp post?  Yes, that is a *Finally Franken time* sign in the window.  I had to put it on the inside since the last one was stolen.

My younger brother David retired.His first party was in a bar with all his friends and co-workers.

The second one was at the Casino in Hinkley, Mn in the amphitheater at a George Thorogood concert with Blips and me.We ate at the buffet which was wonderful.Chicken, pot roast, prime rib, b-b-q ribs, spaghetti, baked cod(only I ate that), salads, tons of veggies including the greenbean casserole, corn muffins, garlic breads….. There was a section for pizzas and for Chiniese and European Foods(lots of creams sauces over pasta.They must be thinking France) Then there were the deserts.Let’s see….Blips had pumpkin pie with whip cream, cheesecake, pecan pie(he had not yet found the whip cream).I had an oatmeal/peanutbutter bar topped with chocolate and blueberry pie with whip cream.David had the hot peach cobbler.Then after a great cup of coffee….we went to the outdoor concert.

David and I are fans of George Thorogood and went to a concert about 15 years ago.He was great then and great still.He and the Destroyers are the best party band ever.Blips is a new fan of George Thorogood. Every single seat was sold.Do we looked stuffed?

All I can say is……Get a haircut and get a real job!

Bad to the Bone: (you will recognize this one)

Taildragger: (great sound to see why he is the greatest rock&roll party band EVER)

http://www.georgethorogood.com/

Get a Haircut: (good thing his parents told him to get a real job)

I Drink Alone

I suppose you have all seen it by now.But here is the link to the St Paul couple’s wedding entrance.

The local TV interviewed them and they said they just wanted to have fun and include dance in their wedding.

We had a family reunion one weekend in early August.I didn’t take as many pictures as I usually do of all the families.Here is the one my cousin took of our family.That is Blips on the left, me, mom, Doreen, and David.The food was fantastic.The time went way too fast but I did get to talk to many cousins that I have not seen in a year.

Doesn’t Blips look skinny!!!!!

I was a very naughty girl at work today.

My supervisor is as dumb as a box of rocks.  She told me that she wanted to explain to me some important changes coming up, it would take 1.5 hours.  So, I rearranged my whole day to fit it in.  She reviewed what I knew from a staff meeting a month ago.  It took 10 minutes.  I am thinking…..okkkkkk, where is the new information????

Then I get the drift that she wants to ‘flesh out’ the chart from a month ago.  I really don’t have too much to say…..she likes to present my ideas as her own and I see this is another one of those deals.  But when she mentions that the changes will start in 2-3 weeks…..I get a very naughty thought.   hmmmmm, I won’t be there anymore.  I had to work real hard to not bust out a giggle.

So, I suddenly had all these brilliant ideas on what to fill in for the details in the new work chart.  She almost started drooling as she wrote like crazy to add all these brilliant ideas that she thinks I am going to do.  All this stuff is easy for me to do and I do it all the time but she has no clue to how to even get started or where to find the information.   Giggles are so near the surface….don’t let it out Maxima!  The meeting takes 1/2 an hour.  She leaves so happy to be turning in my ideas as her own and also thinking I am going to implement them and make her look good.  NOT

I keep getting a vision of that part of Sound of Music where the nuns confess to the Mother Superior when they take part of the engine out of the Gestapo’s car.  Mother Superior…..I have been a naughty girl.  (giggle giggle giggle)

Dumb as a box of rocks. 

Well, here I am.  I have been wanting to get this started for quite some time.  I just love to read friends and family blogs.  So, time for me to contribute and give back a little.

Right now I am frozen in time but that will shift on April 19th 9:01pm CST.

More about that on 4/19…..with pictures of course.

Today, I am trying to get the medical billing done.  In America we are allowed to put pretax money aside to pay for medical bills.  When we pay for a medical bill, then we fill out a form and get reimbursed(get the money back) from our pretax set aside money.  Did you follow that?  Ok, let’s say Klaas and I set aside $1000 of our money for medical bills.  That means that no taxes or social security money is taken out of it.  It is our own money but it goes 33% farther because about $350 does not go for taxes but for the medical bills.  Here’s the catch.  If you don’t spend it…..it is gone.  If you don’t have any medical bills that year…..helaas pindakaas, it is gone and you can’t get it back.  Or if you don’t fill out the paperwork, you don’t get it back either.  BIG honkin’ hellas pindakaas!!  It is taken out of your check and ‘saved’ for you but you have to provide the evidence to get your own money back.  It reminds me of Dutch vacation money.  It is your money but you are so grateful to get it back and spend it. 

ok….I started to do this in October 2005.  Any bets if I will get it started today?  hmmmmm my favorite political show has Dick Cheney on today….  They said they are going to ask him some real tough questions.  Yah, like….where is the safety on the gun?  hehehehhee  I just clicked off the TV.  Now I have time to do the medical account and get our own money back so I can be grateful.  I promised myself that I can read the Sunday paper when I get 3 pages done.  I will let you know how it went.

-e