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Never, in all of my 79 years* have I eaten breakfast on a regular basis. Oh I know. I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I KNOW!! “It’s the most important meal of the day,” they said! “Breakfast controls your appetite so you don’t overeat and snack,” they lied! “You burn [...]
…I said I couldn’t find the Road Warriors journal? BECAUSE IT IS TRUE! And with that, I resume the search. [ If only to put off working on a proposal for a whole lot of new work. ]
Happy Thanksgiving! I’m laying on the couch in the dark. It’s 6:00 am. And I’m writing this from the tiny keypad of my phone. It is both the most cool and the most frustrating thing, all at the same time. I got out of bed because I couldn’t sleep. I was being [...]
I got this idea when I was making kale chips last weekend. When I looked online to see if people do it, I found recipes for deep fried beet chips. But, if you have been reading this site for any length of time, you know my stance on deep frying. And not because [...]
So my new thing, besides *finally* learning to bake kale chips without burning them, is eating kale raw. I’m obsessed. I’m a Kale evangelist. I should be this fervent as a Christian. Seriously. I bring my kale salad around saying “wanna try some?” And today (actually about a month ago, as that is when [...]
You may thank me, drought-striken Minnesotans, for this unexpected, unforecasted rainy Saturday. Why? Because I started washing windows yesterday. Because it always rains the day after I wash windows. Inexplicably. Without fail. I don’t actually believe that, and yet… it hasn’t rained for something like 75 days, I wash windows yesterday and even though the [...]
Wednesday 8/12. We got up bright and early to hike to the highest peak we could see from our site. There was no trail, so we blazed our own. The Reluctant Hiker became the Angry Hiker about half way up. We find it best to leaver her to wander, bringing up the [...]
I confess: I don’t actually mind picking raspberries even though I pretend that is it a huge ordeal (It is.). That it takes a really long time. (It does.) And that I have tons of other pressing things to do. (I do.) But. If you happen to be listening to a good book on [...]
Tuesday, 8/7/12. Up early… Well, not really. We’ve pretty much been up early everyday. We, as in Jen, Dave and Charlie. Morgan is working on pushing the weekly average night’s sleep to 15 hours. Today’s 7 am roll call might have cut it down to 14. We ate a quick breakfast of [...]
Hi Everyone, just a short break in the Road Warriors “action.” I’ve been told by my “best” friend that the trip log is a little “boring” this year. I mean, I’d like to tell you there was another car wreck or a speeding ticket. Another huge fight and four more blown tires, but there simply [...]
Monday, 8/6/12. “Did you take a dump in my bathroom?” Yes, folks, that was probably the first words out of the ever-rested Morgan Menke’s mouth this morning. Good morning to you, too, honey! Morgan has taken ownership of the outhouse here at Miner’s Lake Campground. “It’s clean. It smells good. And there are no flies.” [...]
Sunday, 8/5/12 Charlie was the first up and had a fire built. I, of course, thought it was Dave out there. I nearly jumped out of my skin when I rolled over and he was laying inches away from my face, still sleeping. Yikes. A very odd occurrence, indeed. Morgan, who went to bed at [...]
Continued from previous post: Saturday, August 4, 2012. [very few pictures. but I promise. it get's better after today.] It was warm, but not ridiculous hot, and after sitting around for a while snacking — why, after 20 hours of driving does sitting down feel so good? — we walked down to the lake. [I [...]
Saturday, 8/4/12. PART ONE. Cool Green Moss on a Stump We actually did a pretty good job of driving thru. We stopped outside of Fergus Falls for fast food around 7:30. Arby’s, of all places. For years — forever, really — Arby’s has been the butt of jokes for the Menke family. Don’t get [...]
I been saving myself for the past two months. Gearing up for Road Warriors. No. Not really. Actually, if you want the truth, writing here is a luxury. I love it. But it feels…irresponsible, somehow, when all Hell is breaking loose elsewhere. So, it becomes a luxury I can’t afford. Is that the long-lost catholic [...]
And that’s about the only good news. I’d love to rant and rave about all KINDS of blog posts that I have written in my head as I go from one crisis to another, always 7-19 minutes late for everything, but I don’t have time. Charlie has to ref in about 30 minutes, Morgan has [...]
I needn’t belabor nature’s harsh pecking order. You know it, I know it. We can choose to close our eyes to the gore, to the unflinching honesty of it all. We can TURN THE CHANNEL. QUICK. TURN THE CHANNEL, dammit! Why men love to linger, while surfing channels to utter distraction, on the bucolic [...]
What do you give the guy that has everything? No, that’s not quite right… What do you give the guy who doesn’t want anything? …No, that’s not quite right either. He always wants a jacket. He has a jacket fetish. We actually have an entire closet in our laundry room to house his collection. [...]
Anyone who has ever picked up a Thai cookbook will know what they say: that store-bought Thai green curry paste is but a shadow of the real thing. Blah blah blah. I’ve been a green curry fan since sometime in college when I first ate at Sawatdee in Minneapolis with my then-boyfriend Jim — [...]
Seriously people. If I had more time, I’d go around at night snapping pictures of houses light up at night with multi-colored Christmas lights and decked-out Christmas trees in living room windows, googling their addresses and calling them out online. I just don’t get it. I know, I know: “I love Christmas. I hate when [...]
It’s a catchy title, people. It wasn’t that bad. But really, it was our worst showing ever, food-wise. Lack-luster dishes and poor timing downgraded Chef Jennie and her line cooks from a coveted 3 star Michelin rating to two. In the aftermath of evening’s worst performance, the board was scrambling to make sweeping [...]
Watertown is a small place, so I assume Patty is well aware of my transgression by now. But apologizing is part of the twelve steps, so this is the public apology you, my frenetic stylist, deserve. I have been unfaithful. I have strayed from our ten year relationship. I had a delayed seven-year itch. [...]
You think I’m kidding? I’m not. Pixi mascara doesn’t just look good, it is a time machine. It has opened doors I thought long closed. I, my friends, am a new person. First, and most importantly, Pixi mascara allows me to stop manically curling my lashes. Before I discovered it, I would probably grab [...]
That may sound lame to you, but it is a first for me. I am the grand resolver. I love to resolute. For me, my family. I stop at nothing in my high and mightiness. So this year, my resolution is to not resolve. Does that sound lame? The truth is, I am coming [...]
I know it’s been a while. I know. Let’s put that behind us and move on to greener pastures. Or dead ones. The potato patch, to be specific. Potatoes are a cash crop and worth the effort. [No, not really.] Potatoes grown in the garden are amazingly different from their supermarket counterparts and worth [...]
In a rare turn of events, I decided to try a recipe out before the big day. Most people do that, I know. But I’m one to just throw caution to the wind. I’m not hosting Thanksgiving this year, but I am making bread, veggies and… I’m still not sure of the last thing. [...]
I had more flies yesterday. A lot more. But when Ollie Cat came in looking for dinner around, oh, 2:30 pm — daylight savings is a real stretch for my 4-legged friends — and I didn’t respond to her meows, her sitting on my keyboard effing everything up, her move to a spot [...]
So this is one of those posts. [A tech one.] I know, I know, most of you don’t care. But remember: my tag line is “confessions of a Mac Geek Farm Girl.” To know me is to love me? And Macs are a big slice. I must feed the beast. I left Lion to languish [...]
BOO! Happy Halloween! I am in the midst of window washing. After a particularly (exhaustive? efficient? accomplished?) (i can’t think of the word . thank you menopause.) Saturday and Sunday of window washing last weekend, I took a break. I figured I should work on weekdays. And, to be honest, I’m mostly waiting for [...]
Friday, 8/5/11 [non-journal addition: The time to which I've milked this trip is shameful. This is the end. Final. But don't get excited. There is no Thelma & Louise ending.] It rained again during the night. Probably just to keep up our streak of wet muddiness going. While I tried to finish off [...]
The title should say it all. But if, for some reason, it doesn’t, Bennett is my brother. And I want him to leave me alone. I’m hot. I’ve had about 50 hot flashes today. I’m keeping the black rage at bay by the skin of my teeth. And I’m on my second beer. I [...]
Thursday, 8/4/2011 Eggs and toast for breakfast. Then sandwich making and Jeep-packing and off to Imogene Pass. There was lots of traffic this year, as expected. In 2009, we were never quite sure if we were on the right road to the pass, since we only ever saw about four groups throughout the whole [...]
Wednesday 8/3/11 OH WHAT A NIGHT! (who can read that without thinking …Late December back in 63? Not me.) Peace! Quiet! Solitude! This. THIS is what camping is supposed to be! A few coyotes in the night, a couple of distant cow moos and that’s it. No dogs. No generators. No babies! Dave [...]
Tuesday 8/2/2011 6am and all is well! The Jaguar family packed up and moved out sometime in the wee hours of the morning. Odd that we didn’t hear them. We heard every scream and conversation the night before. They pulled in to a reserved site late in the evening, in a brand new [...]
Monday 8/1/2011 Another good night of sleep, and up early. I suppose when you are asleep by 9pm, it becomes difficult to sleep much past 6am… We found out from the Camp Host that a mountain lion is a frequent visitor to site #15 (ours) at Cascade Campground. He apparently likes to poop right [...]
Sunday 7/31 6 am and I am awake. That is just so odd. The idea was to say we were leaving at 8 am and to plan on actually leaving at 8:30 am. This is more like it. I can actually function within these reasonable parameters. The Menke’s beat the Koo’s at camp take-down [...]
Friday, 7/31/2011 There is something about waking up in North Sterling State Park Campground that reminds me of a parking lot. A nice parking lot. But still, a general parking lot feel. And it is early! Jan the RacKOOn was rustling around the inside of their van, parked about six feet from our heads. [...]
It is still 7/29/11 and we are still barely out of the driveway. As I mentioned, the plan was to leave at 5 am and caravan with the Koo’s. But since we left almost an hour late, and since they live almost an hour south of us, they had a healthy head start on [...]
Friday, 7/29/11 We begin. On the road at 5:50. Were shooting for 5 am but who were we kidding? The cooler needed to be packed, which always takes more time than you think, regardless of the fact that I had everything ready to go inside bags inside the fridge and freezers. I don’t [...]
Garden Tomatoes. Can you ever have too many? Yes and no, is what I say. Yes, if you are buried under mounds of work and untended-to yard and garden chores. No, if you have all the time in the world. Like my kids seem to have… nevermind. I am told it is a [...]
Thank you God, Thank you friends. Thank you, thank you. Morgan walked away from this car accident unharmed yesterday. Is it me, or is that a miracle? I’m so thankful and so grateful and so… zombie-like. I feel like I am walking in a dream underwater. We don’t know what happened. She remembers [...]
May 20-something, 2008 – June 20, 2011 I’ve been trying to write this post for weeks now. I can’t believe it’s been almost a month since she died. In some ways, this has been my hardest animal loss because it was so unexpected and final. Most of our cats just disappear. We never [...]
It’s been — what? Two weeks? Three weeks? Did you miss me? According to my loving and supportive brother, there is likely no one out there anymore TO miss me. And that’s, well… that’s totally understandable. And I’d have to say it’s hard to believe there was ever anyone in the first place, so [...]
That is the question. A question, I hope, that I have answered, since we are now actively eating them. No one has died. No one has even gotten a stomach ache. So, hopefully we’ve ruled out botulism. I’m sure that inspires you not. But, who knows. You sit here reading this blog, don’t [...]
(Insanity as in asparagus.) As I was working in the garden this weekend — planting almost the remainder of the seeds — it occurred to me that the date was June 5th. Or 6th. I’m still not sure of the date because Charlie was using my watch this weekend to referee a soccer [...]
(the most important day of the year.) We, in Minnesota, are in the midst of about the worst Spring ever. Rain, snow, frost, wind and more rain. It hasn’t been the best environment to garden in. It. Has. Been. Dismal. But on the most important day of the year, the sun shone. All [...]
Yes, it was my BIRTHDAY today!! And after last year’s dismal performance, this year shined brightly. It was a great day. The sun was actually visible!!! I got sunburned!!! Anyway. I just had to share this gift that I got from my kids. And it wasn’t some, get-it-at-the-only-store-in-Watertown kind of thing. Morgan actually picked [...]
And Asparagus Stalks All Over the Messy Row. Mary, Mary would have a hard time with this stage of the garden. Let me illustrate: 9 am: 4 pm: And finally, at 9 pm, right before I picked it: And, no, I didn’t touch the ruler all day. Isn’t that amazing? [...]
Well, it’s here. Or at least we think it’s here. (Spring.) Based on the air quality today, however, my guess would be that we pretty much are skipping Spring and heading straight to Humidity. After a long winter, I’ll try my best not to complain. It’s just that my hair is… It’s just that [...]
The reason I ask is because I just realized my underwear is on backwards. That’s really all I wanted to say. It’s probably too much information, but then, doesn’t that describe just about every post I’ve ever written? Maybe you will read this and know that there is at least one person out [...]
