2012 In Review

I started a review of what I felt was important back in 2008, I have continued the same format every year.

2008 is in regular type, 2009 in BOLD, 2010 thoughts are in Red, 2011 thoughts are in blue, 2012 will be in purple.

The children are all employed, and reasonably healthy. Trica our oldest daughter still struggles with Pancreatitis. Ditto..Trica is still struggling..she might just be a tad more cranky too. She has pancreatitis from a Gall Bladder surgery years ago. Trica is on  temporary medical leave from her job as an RN.  She had a very scary episode in October which we now believe was a direct result of a prescribed medication that was taken off of the market in November.   She still struggles with Pancreatitis. Everyone still has jobs, Trica is enrolled at UND and in three years she will be a Nurse Practitioner.  She still struggles with Pancreatitis. Everyone still has jobs, Trica is still studying to become a Nurse Practitioner..she is half done. Trica still struggles with Pancreatitis.

We still struggle with Doctors and Far Guys Trigeminal Neuralgia. We are comfortable with Dr. P he seems adequate. There are no miracle cures..Trigeminal Neuralgia is a rare disorder that you must just learn to live with...easy for me to say..Far Guy is the one with continual pain. Dr. P is still taking good care of Far Guy…nothing is new with TN, it is still one of the most painful disorders known to mankind. Dr. P is still taking good care of Far Guy..no great discoveries are forthcoming to fight this rare disorder. With Dr. P’s blessing Far Guy had several steroid injections in his Trigeminal Nerve.  The results are mixed..some were not so good and made the pain worse..others took the pain away completely for six weeks.

No new Grand-babies..No divorces..a few deaths (two cousins and a very dear friend) This year five friends died.. Rhonda, Jim, Sam, Charles and Pat. Two family members, my Uncle Delbert, and my cousins fiancée. No Grandbabies ( I think the baby years are over).  Deaths we had a few..My Aunt Marie and Far Guys Aunt Esther.  No new grandbabies and no divorces. Deaths we had a few.. Aunt Violet, friends Ardith and Elsie both from Indiana and friend Tammy succumbed to breast cancer.  No Grandbabies..I guess I should really give up on this since our baby turned eleven:) Deaths..My Cousin Rosemarie and Far Guy’s Uncle Willard.

No new pets, and no pet deaths. In 2009 Madison got a new kitten that she named Ziggy. Trica found a new home for her Pomeranian Daphne or "Daffy". Daffy now gets to be the Queen of her castle and no longer has to tremble in fear and hide under the couch to escape her terrorist companion Dakota who had a stroke a number of years ago and has an ongoing thyroid problem and is just not right in the head. I miss Daffy..she loved me. When they all lived with us..she was my constant companion. Paige got a kitty that she named Skittles and Savannah got a  pitch black kitty that she named Luna.  Andy went out and got himself a Sheltie puppy who is named Little Elvis. No new pets and no pet deaths.  No New pets or pet deaths..although Dakota is not looking real good.

Biggest Adjustment..Far Guy's Trigeminal Neuralgia and how it affects our day to day life. Ditto..we must always be flexible.... it just may not be a good day, or a good week.Ditto. Ditto. Ditto.

Biggest Change..Closing the Greenhouse business, a very wise decision. I miss it, but I am getting over it. Well I am way over this one..this years biggest changes..lifestyle..healthier eating..more exercise. Biggest change this year..being able to see without glasses after my cataract surgery. Biggest change this year was leaving Far Guy and Chance on their own while I went to work at the Museum…they can survive without me!  Biggest change this year..hmm..Chance and I having one day a week off while Far Guy works at the Museum..we love our day off!

Biggest Frustration.. Doctors that don't know their butt from a hole in the ground, and the phone ringing. Ditto.. and gaining weight because I quit a nasty habit..that I enjoyed..but now my metabolism is all out of whack.  For now and since July I have been an ex-smoker.  It ain't easy..it has been one of the hardest things I have ever done in my entire life.  I have however curbed the desire to lick every ash tray I see..and those smokers outside freezing their skinny butts off..I envy them..perhaps I will get over that with time..old habits die hard..I began to smoke as a teenager..that was well over forty years ago.  My daughter said "Mom we would rather have you alive and healthy looking and a little fat, than dead and skinny." The phone ringing still irritates me..and now that Far Guy has a cell phone sometimes they both ring at the same time. We are still non smokers..fatter ones.. Ditto..Still non smokers..still fat too. Ditto..still non smokers..still fat too. I still hate the phone ringing and most Doctors irritate the heck out of me.

Happiest Moment..a very nostalgic Ferris Wheel Ride last August with Far Guy. Playing a little "kissy face" stopped at the top! I had to think on this for quite some time.. I had many happiest moments this year and if I had to pin it down to just one moment it would be watching Chance and Far Guy on the lake shore of Lake Superior..watching Chance run between us. The happiest moment this year: When our oldest daughter Trica woke up after being unconscious for more than 24 hours..and she knew who we were. The happiest moment this year was finding out that Far Guy made the Emergency Life Flight to Fargo alive and that he had no Heart blockages..he had treatable pericarditis.  The happiest moments this year were spent with the Grands..at Guitar Concerts, Hockey Games and out on the lake.

2012 Notes:  Chance is in good health, he takes a baby aspirin every day to help with his stiff joints.  He is as spoiled as ever…and rarely is left alone.   I am not sure who is most forgetful Far Guy or Chance.  Chance feigns forgetfulness every evening after his first treat..and more often than not Far Guy forgets and gives him a second treat.  They are quite a pair.

Happy New Year’s Eve..stay safe..use a designated driver or call for a ride..or  don’t drink alcohol..have a soda instead! :)

In-between Days

These in-between days are difficult.  The ones in-between Christmas and New Years. They have become long nap days, and no lets stay home it is too cold to venture out and lets just read books days.

We watch the birds out the window.  The Turkeys visit at least once a day. The male usually brings all his hens with him..usually 6 or 7 are in his harem.  There is a hierarchy too..some stand their ground and some allow themselves to be bossed around. Chance watches them patiently through the window from the landing. Today the squirrels were testing out the Turkeys by seeing how close they could run by them.

One lone rabbit visited …although knowing rabbits where there is one there are usually more. ( I know this because I raised rabbits once upon a time..not on purpose..but accidently..twice.)

I should make a list of things I need to accomplish..but I am afraid it will be so long that it will be depressing..so I am holding off.

We don’t even cook..we warmed soup for supper..canned for Far Guy and homemade vegetable in the freezer for me.

The temperatures are cold..below zero.  

I read a book which was called a provocative romance..not quite my cup of tea..everyone has been talking about it..and I understand it is a Trilogy…I will just leave the rest of that series to my imagination…much Laters Baby.

I am going back to my novel The Spruce Gum Box about logging and pioneers in the late 1880’s…much more my style.

We got a new coffee maker for Christmas..one of those fancy smancy ones that uses those little cups.  I had a cup of coffee and my inner ear started to flutter so bad that I got dizzy…no more coffee for me for awhile. ( I usually do not drink coffee.)  Honest it was like a really large insect was trapped in my ear flapping it’s wings. Far Guy put a bunch of peroxide in my ear and the fluttering went away…what is up with that?  I have had fluttering before..but it has always resolved with a wad of ear wax rolling out of my ear.

I had to go into the eye Doctor again.  He has always said that my eyes look suspicious for Glaucoma..something about a ropey looking Optic Nerve.  He wanted me to do special testing in November, so I did and the results were inconclusive..so I had them done again..and the technician said that everything looks just fine but to wait for a letter from the Doctor.

I broke my toe before Christmas..I stubbed my toe hard enough to make tears come to my eyes..since then my toe is really, really sore.  It is all swollen and fatter than normal..and sore..I don’t want to wear shoes at all.

Well enough belly aching for now..at least we have escaped the puking, pooping stomach flu that is going around:)

Circle of Life

Yesterday I sat down to mail out sympathy cards. One to a former customer, her husband died last week.  The other to my cousin in Nevada whose wife died from complications of MS.

Last evening I got phone calls from both of my brothers.  First my baby brother with news of his second grandchild’s birth.  Presley a little girl born in Maryland weighing 6 pounds and 13 ounces and is 20 inches long.  A few minutes later my other baby brother called..he had news of Teddy’s birth, his ninth grandchild weighing in at 10 pounds and 3 ounces. (Uffda..poor Megan) His tenth grand is due soon..and my niece was having labor pains..so all these babies could be born within days of each other.  I am very happy for my brothers..I recall the excitement of seeing my own precious grands right after they were born..there is nothing better!

Births and deaths..life goes on and stops for no man or woman.

Sometimes life is like a sweet storybook.

Years ago when I was in Grade School, we used to exchange gifts at Christmas.  The limit must have been 75 cents to a dollar.  I believe these Sweet Storybooks were 79 cents when they first came out..a perfect priced gift.  I never got one..but I always coveted them.  During our 4H gift exchange..it was the same story..I never ever got one. Just so you know I faked happiness towards my friends that got them.

Now I have my own..after many years..and no I am not going to open the candy..I am going to save it forever.  Sometimes it is enough just to look at the sweet little things in life:)

December 28, 2012

Five years ago I began to blog.  It began as something to do in the dead of a Minnesota winter and a way of leaving just a small part of me behind for my Grandchildren.  In the beginning I expressed many of my personal opinions and beliefs.  I think I still do to a certain extent..I am passionate about Minnesota..both the good parts (Spring and Summer) and the bad parts ( freezing weather and ticks.)  I enjoy Wildflowers and “old stuff.”  Five years ago I had one blog.  It appeared locally in the online newspaper in a section called Area Voices.

In September of 2008, I got nervous about the Area Voices blog suddenly disappearing so I began a blogspot blog. My Area Voices Blog is still there, it appears in online newspapers throughout Minnesota and North Dakota.

Today, I write a weekly blog for the Hubbard County Historical Museum.  Yes, I get paid to blog!  When I first started blogging I thought wow wouldn’t it be great to get paid to do this?

Many people write blogs that have banners and advertising..and I suppose they get paid..I always find those blogs with ads to be distracting.

I write Far Side of Fifty on blogspot and Area Voices, both are the same blog post just different formats.  Area Voices is Wordpress.

I have a photo blog called Far Side of Fifty Photos. It seems to get lost in the dust some weeks..but I still like to take photographs.

I write Forgotten Old Photos which began one day from a box of old photos that I purchased in an antique shop. So far I have presented 1090 old photographs and returned 128 photos to their families.  It was chosen Blog of Note in November of 2010.

I also write a family blog about my husbands Grandmother called Tracie’s Treasures which is available only to family members. Yes, you can write a blog and restrict the readers. After the first of the year I will get back to that one!   I had to have some time off during the summer and fall..it is a blog worthy of my full attention.

You can also write a private blog..I don’t have one  of those.

I use Live Writer to write.  It is a simple tool to use..non complicated and reliable.  I write at night..instead of watching TV..sometimes whilst watching TV.

My daughter Jen gave me a Christmas gift.

She used blurb to create one year of Far Side in a book.  I cried.  She strives every year to make me bawl at least once during the opening of Christmas Gifts.

I guess I will keep keeping on, putting one foot in front of the other..one blog after another.  Some people email me comments, some people leave comments, some people are silent. It is all good. 

I enjoy blogging, and I really enjoy reading a variety of blogs throughout the world.  You all know who you are..I leave you comments occasionally..thanks! :)

The Days After Christmas

We survived!  Everyone seemed to be well fed and well gifted and left us old folks to recoup.  Yes, we were tired.  I may not cook again for awhile.  Although I had really good kitchen help..especially with the clean up!

We picked teams and played Trivia..it is amazing what Grands learn not from school but from the movies..like how many times a year do Penguins have sex?  “Once” replied Paige “I learned that from the movie Happy Feet.” Most of the family knows a very limited amount of Sports Trivia..other than Hockey, we know nothing of other sports. Only one of us knew what the Super Bowl Trophy was called.  Presidential elections ran a close second to sports as a non category for all of us. 

Andy cooked the Prime Rib as I have no knowledge of that kind of fancy smancy cooking. A mountain of Spaetzle disappeared into those Grands.   They all enjoyed the non traditional Mudballs for desert. The mudballs were awesome especially with raspberries on top..they just might become a new tradition.  Noah likes his water carbonated..one evening he shared with me..it wasn’t too bad.

Far Guy says he doesn’t have much planned for after Christmas.  I have so many irons in the fire it is difficult to know where or what to begin first.  I think I will just rest a couple of days.

Cute little snow woman ornament from Leah.

Beautiful Maple leaf ornament from Jen:)

Wistful Wednesday: Christmas 1952

Christmas 1952, I was one year and three months old.  I lived with my Mom and my Dad at the farm in Carsonville Township in Becker County, Minnesota.

My parents took turns taking photos that year.

The tree was short..I remember that star on the top of the tree.  It was the tree topper for many many years.

Look at the tinsel, and garland that looks to be possibly red or green.  It appears I got a dolly for Christmas.

I used these old photos to make cards for my parents for Christmas this year.

 

Sixty years..how time flies by:)

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve Day

One more day in the kitchen..I am getting real tired of being in there.  Yesterday I played sous chef for Far Guy whilst he made pans of “Cinnamon” Caramel Rolls.  I cooked a huge pork roast so that it was well done and fell apart. Today I am on a schedule..things have to be done at a certain time…so that we can eat at a certain time.

I don’t like schedules, I don’t like cooking…the kitchen is my least favorite spot in the house..yet I spend a huge amount of my time there recently.

I rebelled when it came to dessert.  The girls will bring cookies.  I should have made an apple pie..instead I decided that  Mudballs would be a perfect dessert.  Oreos will be crushed and scoops of vanilla ice cream will be rolled in the Oreo mixture, I will put the balls into red plastic glasses and refreeze them..then garnish with Raspberries and chocolate syrup..and enjoy. Sound yummy to you..I thought so!

The packages are all wrapped. The house is reasonably dust free.  Our two stockings are hung by the fireplace..nine more will join ours.  Laughter will fill the house again.  The dogs will bark and run around..and we will eat, then we will eat again Christmas morning..after that it is everyone for themselves…by that time Grandma will be exhausted.  I might need a long winters nap.

The puzzle is ready upstairs.. it is on the same card table as it was years ago at Far Guys home.  We will play games..perhaps spoons..the Grands love that game.

The days have been dreary.. we went for a ride yesterday looking for turkeys.  We found a few.  Several are still visiting our bird feeders when Chance is in the house.

We will be having a white Christmas. ( As if there was any doubt)  It will be a cool one too..days time highs are forecast to be only a few degrees above zero and night time lows below zero..  5 to –5 F or –15 to –20 C.

Merry Christmas Eve Day:)

Two Dozen Sugar Cookies

Years ago I used to take a Saturday and bake up a storm..dozens of cookies and pumpkin bread would be filling containers and the freezer. Now a days not so much.

Yesterday..I managed two dozen sugar cookies and 8 small loaves of pumpkin bread.  I did get some laundry done..and a few other odds and ends.

My day didn’t start out great.  My computer was all goofy and a little dash was blinking on the screen. The problem ending up being a security update and the computer was having problems rebooting.  I was sure that it would have to go into the repair shop..but Far Guy researched the code and miraculously came up with a fix. It seems to be working fine now..knock on wood. 

His reward..Sugar Cookies.  They are soft and not at all crunchy.  He has been talking about sugar cookies in the shape of a tree with green frosting for the past week. Far Guy has a real problem with crunchy foods.  Crunchy foods are triggers for his Trigeminal Neuralgia, and makes his pain worse. I knew the soft Sugar Cookie recipe from Mary Lou was just what I was looking for.  Even if they dry out somewhat they will be good coffee dippers!

I searched half the morning for the recipe.  I could have called Mary Lou..but she has Alzheimer's.  So I called my Mom and sure enough she had the recipe I was seeking.

Mary Lou’s Sugar Cookies

1 Stick of margarine..I used butter as I do not have margarine in the house

1/2 Cup Sugar

1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar

Cream first three ingredients together.

Add one egg and mix until fluffy

Then add 1/2 cup Vegetable Oil

1 teaspoons Vanilla

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon Cream of Tarter

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

2 1/2 cup plus 1/8 cup flour.. a strange measurement I know..I cut the entire recipe in half because I didn’t want a huge batch of cookies.

I kinda rolled them out..I wanted them thick. My rolling pin is in some box upstairs..so I used what we have been using for years..the wooden dowel from inside an old paper towel holder.  It works.  I half squished the dough down ..and half rolled it out.

Baked them at 350 degrees for 11 minutes.

Then the frosting..I mixed up some powdered sugar, lemon juice and green food coloring.  I tried to swab some of it on with a spoon..it was taking forever..so I put the frosting in a baggie, cut a hole in a corner of the baggie and did an graphic kind of artsy fartsy squiggle.  As I was squiggling I thought..hmm..my squiggles kinda look like snakes..oh well perhaps that will keep me out of the cookie jar.

Yes, in my old age I use parchment paper..it makes the clean up so much easier and I haven’t managed to start any fires in my oven..yet:)

Almost Ready

I am almost ready for Christmas.

Two gifts will most likely be delayed..envelopes with photos will have to suffice. ( One is mine..and  I know what it is.)

The last of the packages have been wrapped.  The wrapping paper mess has been cleared away.

Chance guards the top of the stairs.  He is just a turd.  He knows something is up.  Company should be coming and why are they not here yet?

Today is the day to bake.  Some Pumpkin Bread and maybe some Sugar Cookies in the shape of trees that Far Guy had a hankering for.  I am searching for Mary Lou’s  Sugar Cookie recipe..I know I have it here someplace…it was the best ever sugar cookie recipe. 

Far Guy will make his famous “cinnamon” rolls which are really Caramel Rolls that everyone looks forward to on Christmas Morning. He always used to use frozen bread dough.  Last year we taste tested two bread machine recipes.  We couldn’t remember which one was the best..so we had to taste test one of the recipes again.  A horrible job but someone had to do it. (We froze most of them!)

“Cinnamon” Caramel Roll Dough

7 1/2 ounces water

1 egg

3 Cups Bread Flour

4 Tablespoons Sugar

3 Tablespoons Powdered Milk

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

5 Tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons yeast

Set the bread machine on dough setting and let it do the work for you!

****

Far Guys Super Duper Caramel Recipe

1 Stick of butter

1 Cup of Brown Sugar

3 dashes of milk ( about 1/4 cup) Dash is his word..not mine.

He stands and stirs and stirs as this mixture cooks up..it has to be just right.  Not sugary and not break your teeth rock hard.  It is a science..at least that is what he says. When it is exactly right..The caramel goes into the bottom of an 8 x 13 pan. ( It should flow..says Far Guy.)

The dough goes on the floured counter and gets rolled out.  Butter, white sugar and cinnamon are spread on the dough, then it is rolled up and cut into slices using a piece of dental floss.  Put slices on top of the caramel.  Raise about 2 hours.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Makes a pan full..about 12 rolls.

Yes, we are almost ready..a few more odds and ends..and we will be all set:)

Christmas Dinner Walked in the Yard

Yes..dinner walked in and walked right back out again when you know who barked. All turkey photos taken out of the kitchen window.

I guess instead of them being the dinner they were looking for it.  They were greedily pecking at the areas under the black sunflower feeders.

Then you know who barked and scared them away.

Just incase you have never seen a turkey track in the snow.

They have been here two days..yesterday Chance scared them so they flew into the trees.  I am not sure that they made it to the bird feeder area when the Border Collie was on duty:)

43 years

Well it is that time of year again.  Wedding Anniversary time.  We have managed to  annoy, disagree and love each other through another year.  I am a lucky woman to still have my best friend and soul mate to irritate everyday!

A long time ago..“We ate cake!”

At least we were civil and fed the cake to each other nicely.  I watch some of those “Wedding Shows”  with some of the wedding cake fiascos and the smearing of the cake on the face.  It is not funny at all in my opinion.  I think the younger generation has lost respect for this part of the wedding day.

Other than breathe a sigh of relief and greet all your guests..the first thing you do together as a married couple is cut the cake..a joint effort..holding the cake knife together.  Then you feed each other part of the first slice..the symbolism being that you will provide for each other from now on.  I think it is a wonderful tradition.

I have restored the photographs that were in our wedding album.  They have faded over time..even if they were in an album.  More wedding photos can be found here.

I still have the dress and veil.  I would like to take the dress apart and have it made into a baptismal gown for my Great Grands ( someday far off in the future)..either that or donate it to a museum.  I would like to do something useful with it.

What have you done with your old wedding dress?  Is it like mine..wrapped in white tissue paper and stuck in a box? :)

Wistful Wednesday: Christmas 1952

I found this old Christmas Greeting.

Far Guy and his big sister in 1952.  He would have been in his terrible twos..in a few months he would have been three.  His sister would have been seven.  The photo was taken at their home in Park Rapids Minnesota.

Apparently several photos were taken.  The best would be chose along with a greeting and the negative taken into a shop that developed film.  In a few weeks your cards would come..with envelopes all set to send out for Christmas.

The old velvet couch had very ornate pieces of wood on each end.  I suspect that the couch was navy blue or burgundy…burgundy most likely..that was their fathers favorite color. 

These black and white photo greeting cards became popular after WWII and continued on into the 1950’s and early 1960’s.  In the mid 1960’s the Christmas photo greetings appeared in color:)

Silence in the Winter Woods

The dog was ready for his morning walk.  He is the leader you know…he thinks he knows the way.  It was foggy and frosty.

The woods are silent as we walk single file down the trail.  Chance is the trailblazer.

The only sounds are our boots trudging through the snow.   Chance is silent, occasionally sniffing the air and sticking his nose in the ground where the squirrels have made a digging effort for acorns.

There is no wind..even the wind is silent. 

It is not a black and white world..but shades of grey, some just a bit darker than others.

Many of the bloggers are having a silent blogging day today in honor of the school children and teachers who died at Sandy Hook School. 

I don’t do silent so well.  

I encourage you to hug the children in your lives and take a moment to appreciate the people around you:)

Bubble Lights

Far Guy has a set of Bubble Lights.  He remembers them from Christmas Trees when he was a child.  We did not put them on our tree..instead we put them with some fake garland around his carousel horses.

I tried hard to photograph the bubbles..they are quite mesmerizing.

We are almost done shopping.  We made one last ditch effort in town and online. I wanted to be all done by Tuesday..and it looks like we just might make it! The roads are good for driving but every sidewalk and parking lot is an ice rink after the freezing rain. The stores were not real busy..some football game was on. We didn’t even have to wait in line to pay for our purchases.

We took some time out yesterday after shopping to do a little Sunday visiting..just like in the olden days:)

Snowy Day

First it rained then it froze and then it turned to snow.  Big flakes…very Christmas like.

 

Chance helped herd snow.

The neighbors took some of our snow home with them..we said “Take all you want.”

It was a quiet day..we worked on the downstairs “Blue Tree” and had a nap.

The Blue Tree might be done..I have a few more ornaments that will probably find their way to the tree before it is declared complete.  For the most part..it is done.  I worked upstairs adding some Christmas decorations here and there..when you have lots of decorations it seems a shame to have them packed away for most of the year..so I drug a bunch out. I will probably regret that decision when it is time to put them all away again:)

Shiny Brite Tree

It is finished..how many ornaments do you think it has?

From one direction..unless I go out on the deck which is covered with snow..this is the best photo.

From the other direction. It is a seriously tall tree.  Just like in the movies where the gal dressed in a red skirt, and a white cardigan sweater in her new Christmas heels climbs up the ladder to place the ornaments..and then her Prince comes in and she innocently falls into his arms..and he drops her on the floor. ( Just checking to see if anyone is reading this drivel.) Of course he catches her..and steals a kiss.  AND they live happily ever after.

Chance let me photograph him for quite some time…he was bored.

How many ornaments did you guess?  If you guessed 437 you would be exactly right. 

Yesterday the gift list was checked..and checked again.  Several gifts were ordered online with hopes that they will come before Christmas!  The gifts we have were wrapped.  One Christmas Letter was returned..it had no address label..it said “Returned for a better address.”  We will keep on decorating..the downstairs tree is next..we are supposed to get freezing rain…so I guess we will stay safely at home. 

Some parents in Connecticut are hugging their little ones close today..and others are wishing they could have just one more hug.  Such sadness when little children are not safe at school.  I cannot begin to understand what madness precipitates a massacre in a Kindergarten room..I can only imagine how terrified those little ones must have been in their final minutes. Sad, so sad..really really sad:(