September 15th 2012

Birthday for Mel & Also my 100th Blog

Yesterday we took Melvin to dinner and celebrated his NINETY FOURTH birthday.  He commented, "I am really old," as he blew the candle out on his favorite; pecan pie al a mode.

Mel has a lot of favorites when it comes to desserts.  He took the double death chocolate cake home.

Ron invited Mel to the Packer's Game here Sunday. Ron and Mel have seen another season of Wisconsin Rapids Rafters Baseball and it just seems natural to now enjoy football.  Television has been a big part of Mel's life this year too.  Melvin got a new TV to replace the console model of the seventies.  Actually, he now has a screen which you can see...besides all this news, he is predicting a Romney win.

Melvin broadly smiled and said, "It will be interesting."

Football Sunday here this weekend!  I enjoy making a Sunday chicken cuz "my" men so enjoy eating. There is no pressure as my guests are easily pleased. I will add my grandfather's wild rice dressing, my friend Jean's cranberry sauce and Colleen's cranberry relish (if I remember to call them) as we live in cranberry country, sweet potatoes and possibly a rutabaggie. . . I made two Triple Layer Pumpkin Pies last weekend for the Duluthians so I will have to pull out my Julia Child...or buy chocolate.  I love having a back-up plan! I anticipate a trip to Rudolph and the Wisconsin State Cheese Store is do able.

Barring any commentary on politics I did enjoy the Republican Convention over what I have seen of the Democrats.  But keep in mind there was football on the screen last night so the coverage at 4457 isn't equal . . . The jury is still out on our "vote" verdict.  Presently, however; I would guess I am sleeping with a republican. (Maybe.)

What has been the biggest change for us this year is what Ron did to the places we own in Duluth.
! !!!He sold one (actually gladly gave it away) and he is letting yours truly remodel the other! !!!  The dust is still settling on the 'Sale of the Century in Congdon Park.'  It ended a lot of chapters for us in The Kirschling Book of Lifelong Misadventures  Does however end with  "And they all lived happily ever after."
(Hope the IRS agrees!)

With no lack of style and a lot of humorous antidotes the place which remains, I have 'carte blanche' to  remodel and will included a new non leaking toilet, soon to be metal roof, all new composite decks, docks, a "crossover" boat which will not be delivered until spring and (saving the best for last) Dish Network arrived this summer!

I gave RJ permission to "Dish," and Ron is in "plasma heaven!" Ron installed thousands of channels in Duluth.  He can now watch and record to his heart's desire. He can "drink scotch whiskey all night long". . . watch the sunrise over the Island Lake Bridge and he can do this in surroundings which include no labor for him. I am required to remodeling with licensed contractors so he gets to relax."  It is a great deal for all.  He has never taken any pride in accomplishments gained with "man tools." Divorce was almost the result of tearing the indoor-outdoor carpet out of the sauna this August.".  In his defense he needed a shovel as the carpet was so rotten.  I got stung by a yellow jacket retrieving the equipment.  Taking one for the team saved the marriage.

Ron was disappointed not to go to the driving range yesterday but plans are to make a five o'clock ish tee time today. Golf clubs are his only acceptable "man tools"!

He and Greg are reading through their "Top Ten Book Selections" for their second year now. Greg is hoping dad adds Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn (Greg had worked with Gillian at EW and speaks very fondly of her.) next year because Greg has already read this and Greg would have a head-start(I sent my copy of Gone Girl to "another" Gone Girl so next year we will again support author Gillian Flynn!)

Between episodes at the cabin of "Lizzard Lick"  Greg has put me on an assortment of books by Ruth Reichl which means I can now read Gourmet Magazine with new enthusiasm and almost  say "sommelier" if we ever return to Napa.

It was a fast, furious and ferociousness Summer of 2012. Lots more news to follow but for now I have to get permission from the off spring to brag them up and/or tell their news.  I will go through all the proper channels. . . Keep in touch.

Steely Dan and Pumpkin PIe

Music to read By "Click This"

I am not a dessert girl.. . . My seazter Martha (of St. Charles, MO) is and  encouraged me to bake this and it was AMAZING.  I made a few mistakes and ended up ordering new pie tins from Williams Sonoma ($38.00 and  I will be baking a lot of pies. . .NOT.) with two inch depth cuz my tinfoil ones were worthless ...even doubled!!! It didn't help that the finished pie (before baking) weighed in at two pounds of sloppy soup. And it did help to remember to place the unbaked pie in the bottom of my already in the preheated oven, broiling pan or it would have been a burnt oven mess: I would have sadly ended my Triple Layer Pumpkin Pie Adventure of 2012 before it started and you would not be reading my wisdom (LOL) now!

Make a Mental Note: Moving a loaded tinfoil pie plate into a hot oven will make you look like Lucille Ball and /or Ethel Mertz minus the laugh meter.   (The dog doesn't count)                                                  

                                                       

MARTHA SMITH'S  TRIPLE LAYER PUMPKIN PIE (Yes, Martha Smith is my sister)

(COMMENCE)

In a bowl combine:

1.  1 pkg 8 oz Cream Cheese (SOFTENING SURE HELPS THE PROCESS)

2.  1/3 C Sugar (I like the super fine Baker's Sugar)

3.  1 slightly beaten Egg

4.  1 t. Vanilla

and pour this in to an unbaked pie crust (From the dairy section works for me) and chill (refrigerate if it isn't below 40 degrees on your squirrel less porch today) while you move on to. . .

(PREHEAT YOUR OVEN TO 350*)

Step 2.

Combine and/or mix:

1 can (15 oz.) Pumpkin

+2 slightly beaten Eggs

+1 C Half and Half  ( I am guessing Evaporated Milk may work here too.)

+3/4 C Sugar

+1 T (tablespoon) Pumpkin Spice. Or +, +, +, +...  (Did you know Pumpkin Spice is Cinnamon (4 tsp), Ginger (2 tsp), Allspice (1 tsp) (Anybody know what's in Allspice?) +  Nutmeg (1 tsp) ? and there are 3 tsps in one T. . .you do the math)

Pour this over  "thee chilled above layer" and bake in 350* (preheated) oven for 55 minutes.)

Third layer is the

(+ or - CRISPY) STRUDEL

2 tsp Pumpkin Spice

1/2 C Brown Sugar

1/4 C Flour

1/4 C Old Fashioned Rolled Oats (Oatmeal if you are under 40 y/o)

1/4 C Butter salted or unsalted.  (If you are under 30 y/o: Butter is made from cream . . .not sunflowers or cannola oil.)

Sprinkle this over the baked pie and return to oven (350*) for another 20 minutes or until you think it is toasty.

Bon Appetite!

(If you don't bake then Bon Jour?)

Christmas 1961 and then the class pictures...Finally Class

As per the Mesabi Daily News the picture read something like this. . . "With the Christmas basket they plan to donate to a needy family in their area.  The girls purchased a turkey with the 25 cents each contributed instead of thier usual gift exchange, and also donated canned goods of various kinds. They met after school (Midway community room) and filled the baskets, Brownies pictured include Rachel Arpi, Gail Babiracki, Ruth Culbert, Sarah Dargan, Lynn Erickson, Debbie Esala, Melodie Hoffman, Cassie Holmes, Peggy Irwin, Rene Johnson, Connie Holmes, Barbara King, Mary Ellen King, Janis Lingo, Rae Ellen Lundquist, Wendy Maki, Susan Meinzer, Gail Monacelli, Barbara Nelson, Susan Oliver, Linda Richter, Christine Robillard, and Pam Sponnick.  Leaders are Mrs. George King, Mrs. Eugene Lingo and Mrs. T. C. Oliver

So the turkeys of the early 1960's cost $6.00.
I prefer to think we were Brownie pioneers:  Among the first to send frozen poultry to anyone.  I choose to believe we all remain "Humanitarians."

First Grade 1959-1960

Back Row:  Paul Anderson, ?, Cassie Holmes, Diane ?, Sarah Jane Carlson, Lynn Erickson, Pamela Geary, Susie ("Tootie") Oliver
Nancy Voxland, Peter (twin)?, Debbie Gentilli, Peter Fleck, Laura Givens, Wendy Maki, Ricky (Dinosaur) Olson, Me, Mrs. "Kanervia" Anderson,  Did she get all the King children in first grade?)

Steven Allen, ?, Bruce Nordling,  ? (lived next door to Laura Givens), Richard Kinnenan, Steven Robillard.

Any corrections are a welcome addition to this rambling and out of context Blog. With the notification and the passing last week of Pam Sponnick I went walking down memory lane.

These pictures are over 50 years old!  I amazed myself with how much I had remembered as someone who today seldom gets the names of her own offspring right and is on occasion mildly accused of forgetting to water the dogs and feed the plants.  I have been accused of reading the same gothic romance the summer before.  I would never brag I have the mind of a steel trap, but instead the trap of a steel mind.

Here's one I will make a little attempt to ID:

 Julianna O'Grinc and Mary Ellen?

Christine Weiss, ?, Martha Rowell?. Theresa Lewandoski?

Mary Jane Paznonovich, ?, Janelle?. Michelle Klima, Arnette Lassilla (Guess)?

Sally Galbraith,.Margo Spehar, ?, Michelle Oakman, Joan Novak, Yours truly. ?.

?. ?.

MIA Mary Tuomi, Katie Hoffman, Kaye Anne Carlson,& Andrea Bradish to name a few.

Fast Forward to August 2012. . .As "Empty Nesters," We just returned from a two week hiatus to meet Rylie Jo (the first grandchild) in Missouri, visit 'the Smiths as in Mr. Smith (Martha and Girls) Goes to St. Louis,' and even spent some northern Minnesota time. These days I only get as far in to northern Minnesota as the Fredenberg Minnowette.  Not being more frequent visitors of the Northland, I did not have enough hornet 'shooter" to hit all the paper nests of the not so elusive hornets. . .but one sting is not too too bad.  Even if the "sucker" got me through my new, got it in MSP: GAP hoodie.  I am too old to be wearing a hoody anyway. But still quick enuf to hose myself down with all his friends in attack mode!

And the hot tub is performing like "Ole Faithful  ' in Yellowstone so I feel like I am still in Montana or places west. It is always an adventure returning to "Into the Woods."  This morning I told Ron he could stay home and fix the tub...
"Only if you go see 20 people." he replied.
"Deal! But it will be "social,"  I said.
Instead, he breakfasted on 'nuts and berries. . . I steamed the wrinkles out of his jacket, using more water than steam;  forcing him to wear another coat and called the "Maytag" repair man for the fourteenth time.

The Olympics of London came just in time to sync with Dish networks new 5235 channels.  Ron has a love of sports, reading and "drinking fine scotch whiskey all night long so I call him Deacon Blue.. . "  Then I made him clean and scrub the sauna.  Vacation was officially over!             Classy

OMG Seven, Seven on Seven, Twelve. Twelve

July is for The Rest of the Family

I dedicated my last pictorial post to the person who most likely 

stood behind the lens to take this picture, so it only seems fair I 

create and equal opportunity moment for the 

other members of my family sans Josh and Ron. 

All four of these "handsome mugs" now belong to Ron and I.  

This weekend Greg literally flew to a mountain top. . .dropped on banded (bended with a wrap, on this I am uncertain) knee and asked,. . . No!  Not his sister,. . .  No! Not his brother, No! Not the camera sister but the pretty women on his right to help him figure out the rest of his life emotionally, socially, spiritually and most importantly, financially. (Took you long enuf, son!)

The last request is kind of a joke because everyone who knows Greg knows he is not very "talkative" when it comes to $$$$.  In fact, he hates to talk about two things: $$$$ and "meat eating."

Greg doesn't mind talking religion or politics or movies, book reviews, current events, geography, history, animals, minerals, vegetables (not meat) and/or the weather. . . but not $$$$.

And by the looks of this picture neither he nor his "FIANCEE" 

(Oh, that has a nice ring!) drink much either. 

(Don't let them fool you .)

And with a bit of luck and a lot of praying just perhaps in the weeks to come the guy on the upper left will have a new future in "finance" and because of the girl on the upper right I will be a Grand Ma Ma!
And then the "girl in Germania" will start grad school and/or come home to roost.

I am sounding a little mysterious because my kiddos moan and groan when I specify their M.O.s on the internet.  So, I will simply state the material facts:
                         1. Greg's fiancee was better friends with Meg in high school then Greg. . . In fact
                           a.  Greg turned her down in HS to a "Girl Ask Boy Event."
                           b.  Both sets of parents are thrilled to death...
                                 these two go together like "Peas and Carrots.
                          
                          2. There is no date set for any wedding and Gretchen has 
                               prepared me for their elopement! 

                         3. Gretchen has also told me I am out of "Penny Talk" minutes
                              which certainly handicap her "social networking on a need 
                              to know basis from Germania."
                               ("Gretchen:  Problem Solved!")

Congrats and Best Wishes and to all a "Goodnight  iPad"

If you do nothing else . . ever

And the Greatest Gift of All