Family Reunion

This afternoon Quilter and I hosted a family reunion for my sisters and all their kids. I worked all during the day for the past week getting the garage in order. We had all kinds of yard games planned. The grill was all set. We should have known..................

Last night while we were setting up, we were unloading these big banquet tables. There are six all total with two being over sized. These tables are almost a foot wider, and about 60 lbs heavier than the average banquet table. We had them in a friend's pickup truck and Quilter was on the floor and I was in the back of the truck sliding them off. The first table was one of the monster tables. Quilter grabbed a hold and I let go................Crash...................Quilter didn't have her foot out of the way and the table landed on her big toe. She went in and iced it down and checked it out while I finished unloading. When she came out of the house, she said "Take me to the emergency room, I need stitches." We took the pickup back to our friend's house and got our own car. When we got to the ER we noticed that Urgent Care was still open at the clinic right next door. We went to Urgent Care because it is 20 dollars cheaper and a whole lot quicker. All said and done, Quilter has 3 stitches and a fractured big toe.
This morning on my paper route, which I decided to sleep in and do later in the morning, it started to rain. It started at 5:15 am and rained all day until after 5 this evening. 2 1/2 inches of rain. Now when you are hosting a group of 40, you really don't need rain. We grilled right in front of the garage, ate in the garage, and played cards and board games instead of yard games. We had a good time in spite of the rain. However we are not going to the fair tonight. We are bushed, and I don't think Quilter wants to walk around a whole lot. So with the exception of not being able to go to the fair, we had a good day in spite of the weather..............Right now, it's nap time. Bye for now.

On Deep Fried Coca Cola

Fair Week is wrapping up here, only today and tomorrow left. One of the big reasons to go to the Fair so often is the variety of food. From fried Alligator to Pronto Pups to Cheese Curds to Onion Rings to Strawberry Short Cake to Deep Fried CocaCola. Yes, I said Deep Fried CocaCola. It seems that someone came up with the idea of mixing Coke in a batter and deep frying it. It actually tastes pretty good. I mean let's face it. Somewhere out there someone can think of a way to make almost anything tasty to somebody. Quilter even makes Pork and Bean bars every so often. Yep, pork and beans made into a pan of bars. We are serving them today at the family reunion. They are really moist and taste a lot like Pumpkin Bars. Don't be surprised if sometime someone will go to a Fair and there will be someone selling alfalfa on a stick. That's all for now..................will post more later.

It's been awhile

I realize that it's been almost two weeks since I've posted anything. Not much has been happening, but this week, it's FAIR WEEK. I must explain. Today, the 15th of August, Quilter and I have been married 37 years. We have lived in this town all that time. We sort of met at the crossroads, as I grew up about 15 miles west of here, and when we met, she lived about 15 miles north. We met in December, got engaged in March, and married in August. Out of this union we have two daughters as I have previously reported. Now what does this fact have to do with Fair Week? Sue and I are fair nuts. Not just any fair will do.............but the local fair and every so often the Minnesota State Fair. But, every year we go to our local fair. It's the biggest free fair in the state, and some say the biggest county fair in the state. Every year we go. When I started working nights, I started taking this week off. Now it's an expected ritual from the guys at work. It's August, John is taking the week off................must be the fair. To give you an idea of how we like the fair, Quilter and I came home early from our honeymoon so we could attend at least the last couple of days at the fair. Now most years, our wedding anniversary falls during the fair. That's how we celebrate..............we go to the fair. When Priscilla and Beezie were younger, we got a baby sitter and that night we went to the fair by ourselves. If you want to see us at night during fair week, go to the fair. Chances are you will see us there. The fair is where you see people you don't usually see during the year. Family and High School reunions abound during this time. People come back to this town for the fair. It's a big party. If anybody comes and visits us during the week, they will go to the fair. So, see ya at the fair.

Oh my

I'm sitting here watching-listening to the TV. I don't have a sports show on, nor a game show, nor a home improvement show. I have the news on. Here in MN it is continuous coverage of a bridge that collapsed on a major freeway in Minneapolis. When my daughters were in college we drove across that bridge a lot. This is once again a reminder that life is short, we know neither the day nor the hour. My family is fine, everyone is okay, even the people who live in the Twin Cities area. In this day of rushing and busy, busy, take the time to think about friends and family. Maybe even call a few of them.

Is there a difference?

This morning I got home from work and as usual I had to read a bit before bed and I was hungry. Actually because I was going to read, I needed something to munch on as I stated in an earlier post. Some readers have seen a picture of me in a nice recliner with my grandson. For those of you who have asked Quilter, yes that is my reading, nesting, chair. I went downstairs to the basement where my chip stash is to get a new bag. I grabbed a bag of Wavy Chips. Now, I also notice that the same company sells Ripple Chips. Is there a difference? I couldn't tell. Wavy, Ripple, they both looked the same. The same ridges, the same thickness, the same taste. So if both are the same, most likely from the same batch, why market two types? Are there people who think there is a difference? Wavy or Ripple...........I really don't care...........I'll eat them either way.