Mickey Makes EV-erybody Smile!

We had waffles and sausages last night with Mom and Dad. Nothing special but I promised them a surprise.

Mickey showed up for our meal!

Rub-A-Dub-Dub

We've been crabbing about our laundry tub practically since it's initial installation 24 years ago. It had a "gully" around the strainer that would collect water and debris so we really had to work at getting everything to drain out. You can't really see that specifically but this is the old tub...

...and this is the new!!!

Initial impression is that it's about a 100% upgrade! The plumber confirmed that the old tub had the wrong kind of strainer installed. That would have been done by the same guys that put Jill's original shower in backwards! So now, with regards to the laundry room, we need to get rid of that wallpaper! :)

Still Got A Sense Of Humour!

Today while I was visiting Mom and Dad I found a crossword puzzle in their monthly newsletter. I thought maybe we could work a bit of it so one of the Across clues was for a four letter word meaning "fast moving air." I thought the obvious answer was...

...wind. But Dad came up with...............

.......fart!!

We laaaaaaaughed and laughed!  :)

Proud Of This Bunch!

We had a great Easter Sunday at my sister and brother-in-law's house!

Everybody could be there, the meal was superb and the rain stayed away!

Good Morning Everyone!

Have a great day with your family and friends!

Put Your Hands In The Air!

We played a little laser tag yesterday.

We'd done it once before and I was SURE there was something wrong with my gun. This time I felt like I knew better what I was doing. But it turns out, it's probably the operator that had the error. Results were similar. I'm not very good at the game but it sure is fun! Rematch anyone?

Kids

Claire and Cate were our guests one morning last week. I almost forgot about "the project" until Jill reminded me we had cookies to bake! The girls worked really well together.

Claire was a bit of a mentor for Cate.

Needless to say, the cookies were sufficiently decorated!

Then on Monday we met Tricia, Charlie and Grandma Cher at Oxbow and the Zollman Zoo. There were lots of slithery creatures in the first building we went in. The head on this one looked like Toothless in the How To Train Your Dragon movies.

It was a nice morning to be out and there weren't that many people there...nothing like Zoodazzle in December!

How we got Charlie to stand still and look at the same time is nearly a miracle!

What Grows Up, Must Come Down

We had some tree work done last week. We had this big basswood that stuck up like a sore thumb no matter what the season. It's the big guy in the middle on this picture.

Looks much nicer with it out of there.

Tree trimming pictures really aren't all that exciting but this is the guy getting ready to start.

 At one point I thought he might have to duck!! :)

So now we have the little job of cleanup ahead of us.

But wait! What's this sh**?!!

I sat down to read the paper this morning and when I looked out the ground was already covered! Looks like Spring is going to have to go on the back burner. :(

The Judges

Yesterday we went down to the Shorewood dining room and participated in a contest that was right down Dad's alley! It was a cookie tasting contest. Seven members of the staff baked their version of a Monster Cookie and we benefited by having to judge.

Dad dug right into his! These guys all picked the winner. The little 95 year old lady that sat with us and I each picked different ones but I think our choices ran a close second (and third) to the winning entry!

This Is My "Dog Blog"!

Yesterday at Shorewood they had a pet therapy dog for the residents to learn about. Mom and Dad and all us girls went down to meet Becca!

What a beautiful and friendly dog!

It was hot in the room for her and during her usual naptime but she made the rounds and stole everyone's heart!

It was such a gorgeous day, afterward we proposed a short walk to G and g. Everyone was feeling so fine we made it all the way around the campus!

A little rest at the end and on to the Domino game!

Celebrating Charlie

Charlie is now a (from our point of view) not so terrible two! Maybe his folks will say he has his moments but Saturday we celebrated this great event.

He was good about greeting his guests.

Elmo was even there!

Charlie had to study his cake a little before getting all the candles blown out.

Tony schooled him in the fine art of peeling off a cupcake wrapper while Grandma supervised.

We tried for four smiles and eyes to the front but the kids had agendas of their own!

Cher And Share Alike!

Same two letters of first name, same last name, SAME BIRTHDAY!!! These guys have a lot in common!

Happy birthday, Charlie and Cher!! 

According To The Local Paper...

...I must be WAY ahead of my time!

Well, It's A Sunny One Anyway

Still on the chilly side but with hopes of Spring in sight. A good day for a birthday.

Happy birthday, Alan!

Look Out! Here Comes Jill!

After a week in Texas where the weather, for the most part, really didn't suit a winter getaway, Jill's on her way home.

At least you ex-PECT it to be cold in Minnesota!

Although 14 below zero at the end of February seems a little extreme even to us natives. Hello Spring? Can you hear me?!

Texas Weather Update

I'm just not sure it even counts when they say "wind chill values as low as 32"!!! That's a heat wave in Minnesota!

Should We Feel Sorry For Her?

Jill's in Texas where it's 46 degrees right now.

But I say darn, it was 17 below at my house this morning. Those poor Texans. (Hee! Hee! Hee!)

All Dogs Go To Heaven

Our neighbor dog, Mattie, has passed on to another life.

Such a good girl! She was 14. She and her daughter, Sam, would see me out and just sit there patiently waiting for the two treats each of them knew I had for them. Sam's still with us but already I miss Mattie!

Taking The Plunge

Last Saturday was the day of Tony's Polar Plunge here in town. It was also a day that we had Claire and Cate here for the morning. They like to play school and one of the assignments was to draw a picture, any picture. Well, you must be able to guess what was on Jill's and my minds!

(Here's Jill's drawing)

(Here's mine)

But here, thanks to Cher's fine camera work, is the real thing!

If you analyze our drawings you might notice that Jill has Tony dressed in a kilt. I, on the other hand, have him jumping naked!

It was cold on our faces for us spectators. I. Can. Not. Even. Imagine

what it must be like to hit that water!!! Good job, Tony!

Not A Milestone But A Big One Just The Same!

Today is Mom's 91st birthday!

With a little help, she's hanging in there. Happy birthday, Mom!