Sorry I got behind, but this time I have a good reason. My boss announced a week ago Monday he is resigning. That means I am stepping up to his job (for now) and running the newspaper on my own for the next few weeks. We're hiring, if anyone is looking for a job. I'll post more on the subject later.
Here's my column from 9/12
This weekend marked the start of our corn silage harvest. Despite the stresses of getting all the crops in I think this is Nate’s favorite time of year. We also had a house guest this weekend, Nate’s fraternity brother, Nick. He comes to visit twice a year just to drive tractor: once in the spring for tillage and once in the fall for chopping corn.
Since I had no assignments for the weekend I assumed the role as head of the cook shanty, among other things. Nate and I invited his parents over for dinner Thursday night, our first dinner guests in the new house. After conferencing with Nate’s mom we decided I would take care of lunches Saturday and Sunday and she would make dinner Saturday. Friday evening marked my third trip to the grocery store for the week. I had already paged through my favorite cookbook for some ideas. Although I would cook two meals I planned three so I would have choices.
I slept in Saturday morning with Jacob, but was up in time to give the house a good cleaning and make chicken stew with cornbread dumplings for lunch. I clipped the edge of my fingernail off slicing carrots, but luckily it didn’t bleed much. A Snoopy Band-Aid had me back at the cutting board to finish lunch. Part way through I also found out Nate’s little brother would join us so I threw some extra broth and veggies in the pot. Nick asked for seconds so I figured it must be successful. Later Nate and discussed how much he liked my cooking and decided it must be because he’s a single guy who lives alone, probably on a diet of microwave dinners and frozen pizza.
I got out of cooking supper since Nate’s mom whipped up some lasagna for the crew. While Nate and Nick were out for some boy time that evening I stuck a beef roast in the crock pot for the following day. Sunday I got up early and made eggs for the boys before sending them back out into the fields. I roused Jacob and ran a few errands. I got home just in time to get lunch served and was greeted by the aroma of roast beef and herbs as I walked in. I shredded the beef, which fell right apart as I lifted it from the pot, and served it on huge kaiser rolls with chips and baked beans. Nick stuck around later than planned, so it was a good thing I had a third meal planned. The pasta dish took less than an hour total to make and bake. Nick seemed to like that too. I sent a big bowl of cherry tomatoes from the garden with him for the ride home. The best part of all the cooking this weekend is we’ll have leftovers for the whole week.
On a side note we finally heard from my sister this weekend who left to join the Air Force a few weeks back. She seems to be doing well and even taught me a great new word: Volun-told.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Painful to watch
Anyone else see Britney on the VMAs? I was channel surfing Sunday night around 8 p.m. and saw it was coming on, so I watched. It was like a car wreck. I was appalled and disgusted at the same time but couldn't turn it off. I'm not sure what was the worst part: the lazy, sloppy dance moves, the haphazard, careless lip syncing or revealing costume on her jiggly, untoned body.
Here's my advice for her. Grow up. Put some clothes on. Show me you can sing.
Here's my advice for her. Grow up. Put some clothes on. Show me you can sing.
Friday, September 07, 2007
Funniest OWI I've heard lately
If you're going to get an OWI, go big. This is from my paper. The story was picked up nationally. I think I'd miss these sorts of things if I decide to leave newspapers. Enjoy!!
Two Dorchester men were arrested Aug. 18 in Abbotsford for drunk driving in the same vehicle. Harvey J. Miller, 43, and Edwin H. Marzinske, 55, were each cited for OWI following a traffic stop after an officer discovered they were jointly operating a vehicle.
According to the report a Colby/ Abbotsford officer observed a vehicle at 2:40 a.m. traveling at 29 mph in a 25 mph zone. As the vehicle approached the parked squad it slowed to 18 mph and came within inches of striking the squad as it passed. The officer also noticed the license plate lamp was not working.
The officer pulled out to follow the vehicle and observed it cross the centerline as it turned on to Hi Line Ave. The vehicle drifted in its lane and traveled 35 mph in a 55 mph zone, the officer noted. A traffic stop was conducted and as it pulled over it came very close to going in the ditch.
As he spoke to Miller, who was in the driver’s seat, the officer could detect an odor of intoxicant. He admitted he had too much to drink. Miller told the officer his license was revoked for OWI, then said he was not driving. The officer asked what he meant and Miller said he was only steering the vehicle but could not operate the pedals because he did not have any legs.
Marzinske, the vehicle’s owner and passenger sitting in the center of the truck, told the officer he was working the pedals while Miller was steering. The officer noted he had a mushy speech pattern and red, glassy eyes. He asked the officer if they were speeding. When he said no Marzinske told the officer Miller was drunk and he was only operating the pedals.
A third person in the truck, who the officer observed was also clearly intoxicated, said he had no drivers license. He was allowed to leave the vehicle and walk home.
After field sobriety tests on both operators, Miller was arrested for OWI (3rd) and Marzinske was arrested for OWI (2nd).
Both were transported to the department and submitted evidentiary breath samples. Miller’s recorded .16 percent and Marzinske’s recorded .09 percent.
Both also received citations for exceeding the .08 percent blood-alcohol limit and operating after revocation. They were released to a responsible sober person who agreed to take custody of them and remove their vehicle from the roadway.
Just for clarification, the guy was not legless, but is paraplegic.
Here's the follow up story in the Marshfield paper if you want to read their side of things and see a photo of the "Abby Idiots": Click here.
Two Dorchester men were arrested Aug. 18 in Abbotsford for drunk driving in the same vehicle. Harvey J. Miller, 43, and Edwin H. Marzinske, 55, were each cited for OWI following a traffic stop after an officer discovered they were jointly operating a vehicle.
According to the report a Colby/ Abbotsford officer observed a vehicle at 2:40 a.m. traveling at 29 mph in a 25 mph zone. As the vehicle approached the parked squad it slowed to 18 mph and came within inches of striking the squad as it passed. The officer also noticed the license plate lamp was not working.
The officer pulled out to follow the vehicle and observed it cross the centerline as it turned on to Hi Line Ave. The vehicle drifted in its lane and traveled 35 mph in a 55 mph zone, the officer noted. A traffic stop was conducted and as it pulled over it came very close to going in the ditch.
As he spoke to Miller, who was in the driver’s seat, the officer could detect an odor of intoxicant. He admitted he had too much to drink. Miller told the officer his license was revoked for OWI, then said he was not driving. The officer asked what he meant and Miller said he was only steering the vehicle but could not operate the pedals because he did not have any legs.
Marzinske, the vehicle’s owner and passenger sitting in the center of the truck, told the officer he was working the pedals while Miller was steering. The officer noted he had a mushy speech pattern and red, glassy eyes. He asked the officer if they were speeding. When he said no Marzinske told the officer Miller was drunk and he was only operating the pedals.
A third person in the truck, who the officer observed was also clearly intoxicated, said he had no drivers license. He was allowed to leave the vehicle and walk home.
After field sobriety tests on both operators, Miller was arrested for OWI (3rd) and Marzinske was arrested for OWI (2nd).
Both were transported to the department and submitted evidentiary breath samples. Miller’s recorded .16 percent and Marzinske’s recorded .09 percent.
Both also received citations for exceeding the .08 percent blood-alcohol limit and operating after revocation. They were released to a responsible sober person who agreed to take custody of them and remove their vehicle from the roadway.
Just for clarification, the guy was not legless, but is paraplegic.
Here's the follow up story in the Marshfield paper if you want to read their side of things and see a photo of the "Abby Idiots": Click here.
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Questions?
I have had more than 1,000 page views since last November, so I know you are looking at this. I'm going to pose a few occassional questions to see what my readers are thinking. Post a comment to reply to any or all...
#1. What do you think of the Healthy Wisconsin proposal?
If you live in this state and don't know anything about, you probably should.
#2. How should this country address illegal immigration?
I'm sick of people complaining about it but not offering any solutions.
#3. Where should Nate and I go on vacation this year?
#4. What would you like for Christmas?
They put out the Halloween crap a few weeks ago so I figure Christmas stuff is coming out soon. Wouldn't want to get behind on my shopping.
#1. What do you think of the Healthy Wisconsin proposal?
If you live in this state and don't know anything about, you probably should.
#2. How should this country address illegal immigration?
I'm sick of people complaining about it but not offering any solutions.
#3. Where should Nate and I go on vacation this year?
#4. What would you like for Christmas?
They put out the Halloween crap a few weeks ago so I figure Christmas stuff is coming out soon. Wouldn't want to get behind on my shopping.
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Here's my column from last week. I was on vacation Thursday and Friday and didn't get a chance to update until now. I'll post this week's update about the fair along with pictures in a few days. Oh, and last week I didn't get my ark jabbed. It was my arm, and my blood test turned out good, so no more pokes!!
8/29 Column
After wasting a good three or four columns on the subject for the past year and a half, I sort of buzzed right by the subject for the past few weeks. We finally bought our house. And we even moved into it. Being a first-time home owner has been a real education. Thus far in our lives Nate and I have only lived as renters or leeches on the rest of the family. We closed on the house Aug. 8, and I swore we were going to sleep there that night. While Nate milked cows I got enough clothes and other necessities moved to spend the night. We had our bed, couch and TV. That was about it.
Over the past few weeks we’ve made many improvements to the place. Our appliances came in stages since some were in stock, some required a few modifications to the house and some had to be shipped and installed. I first got my washer and dryer. The dishwasher was delivered but not installed until a little wiring could be done. Next the refrigerator and stove were delivered. However, we learned our stove opening was about one-eighth of an inch too narrow. After a little amateur carpentry work by me and Nate with a hack saw and sander, we were good to go.
This past Saturday I finally had all my appliances up and running. I’ve finally been able to cook beyond the microwaveable, and Nate’s been reaping the rewards. He has enough leftovers to tide him over while I head south for a few days of vacation Thursday and Friday. Another ongoing project has been the installation of closet organizers. I found a great Web site with a closet design tool that I’ve been playing with. All I needed to do was adjust the closet to my dimensions, then draw in the shelves I wanted. At the end it printed a shopping list for me. My closet shopping trip turned out to be a waste. I learned the shelving was only sold in eight foot sections, meaning I’d need to high jack the truck for some serious hauling power. I got my chance last week and the seven sections of shelving, along with two bags of brackets, clips and supports filled our hall.
I spent most of the weekend drawing level lines, drilling holes, and popping in the hardware and shelves. The cordless drill and bolt cutters are my new best friends, but I’m asking Santa for a laser level. I still have a linen closet and front door closet to do. So far I’ve done all the work myself, but I thought I’d let Nate help with the last few. He’s been eyeing my newly purchased bolt cutter with envy since I brought it home Saturday.
If I’ve learned anything about being a home owner, it’s that they can sure drain a bank account fast. I hope now that we’re settling in, I can let the debit card cool off for a while.
8/29 Column
After wasting a good three or four columns on the subject for the past year and a half, I sort of buzzed right by the subject for the past few weeks. We finally bought our house. And we even moved into it. Being a first-time home owner has been a real education. Thus far in our lives Nate and I have only lived as renters or leeches on the rest of the family. We closed on the house Aug. 8, and I swore we were going to sleep there that night. While Nate milked cows I got enough clothes and other necessities moved to spend the night. We had our bed, couch and TV. That was about it.
Over the past few weeks we’ve made many improvements to the place. Our appliances came in stages since some were in stock, some required a few modifications to the house and some had to be shipped and installed. I first got my washer and dryer. The dishwasher was delivered but not installed until a little wiring could be done. Next the refrigerator and stove were delivered. However, we learned our stove opening was about one-eighth of an inch too narrow. After a little amateur carpentry work by me and Nate with a hack saw and sander, we were good to go.
This past Saturday I finally had all my appliances up and running. I’ve finally been able to cook beyond the microwaveable, and Nate’s been reaping the rewards. He has enough leftovers to tide him over while I head south for a few days of vacation Thursday and Friday. Another ongoing project has been the installation of closet organizers. I found a great Web site with a closet design tool that I’ve been playing with. All I needed to do was adjust the closet to my dimensions, then draw in the shelves I wanted. At the end it printed a shopping list for me. My closet shopping trip turned out to be a waste. I learned the shelving was only sold in eight foot sections, meaning I’d need to high jack the truck for some serious hauling power. I got my chance last week and the seven sections of shelving, along with two bags of brackets, clips and supports filled our hall.
I spent most of the weekend drawing level lines, drilling holes, and popping in the hardware and shelves. The cordless drill and bolt cutters are my new best friends, but I’m asking Santa for a laser level. I still have a linen closet and front door closet to do. So far I’ve done all the work myself, but I thought I’d let Nate help with the last few. He’s been eyeing my newly purchased bolt cutter with envy since I brought it home Saturday.
If I’ve learned anything about being a home owner, it’s that they can sure drain a bank account fast. I hope now that we’re settling in, I can let the debit card cool off for a while.
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