And HEEEEERE's Medora

That was supposed to sound like Johnny Carson, just in case you were wondering (snicker).

Anyway, meet Medora, my newest Grand Kitty. Isn't she a sweet little thing? She's between three and four months old and really runs the show both at her house and at mine. She rules all the other cats with an iron paw.



She's busy, busy, busy getting into mischief. Below she's managed to climb to the top of Lovely Daughter's patio door screen. Fortunately they have Paw Proof screen so it can't be damaged by kittens doing acrobatics.

And of course she has to help Lars eat his breakfast. She jumps up onto his shoulder, tries to climb down his arm and lick the milk out of his spoon as he puts it to his mouth. She's just a bit on the spoiled side.

Doesn't she look innocent, though?

On another note, I'm getting frickin' tired of this constant heat. Minnesota in September is NOT supposed to be 90 frickin' frackin' degrees every day with a dew point above 70. That makes it pretty darn uncomfortable. Ole keeps telling me to quit bitching because in January when it's 40 below I'll be wishing for it - the heat that is.

Autumn is my favorite time of the year in Minnesota. The bugs and humidity are gone, the temperatures are cool, the leaves are turning color, the sky is a vibrant blue, the air is crisp and the flannel shirts feel so soft and snuggly.

Poor Ole has been suffering over the weekend. Coffee withdrawals, you know. Ole never drank coffee until about 20 years ago when he quit smoking. I guess he substituted one addiction for another, but I'd sure rather have it be coffee drinking than cigarette smoking. Anyway, his coffee pot died on him the other day. So Poor Ole, in order to get his morning cup (I should say pot) was heating water in the microwave a cup at a time, pouring it through the coffee maker, letting it drip through the grounds, then pouring himself a cup of coffee and reheating it in the microwave. That's a lot of work for a cup of coffee. Sure glad I don't like coffee. If it would only taste as good as it smells - but it doesn't.

Anyway, in order to alleviate Ole's suffering I finally managed to find a space saver coffee pot. We had one two coffee pots ago and I just loved it because it bolts up under the cabinet and doesn't take up any counter space. So when that one died I went shopping for another one, but there was none to be found in the city. Since then we've burned up two more pots. So yesterday when I was walking through the small appliance department at Wally World, what should appear before my eyes, down on the bottom shelf in a far corner, but a space saver coffee pot. I snatched that baby up so fast and put it in my cart - it was done in a flash. It was the only one on the shelf, too, so I considered myself pretty fortunate.

Life is pretty dull in Ole and Lena land when the biggest thrill of your day is buying a coffee pot, don't ya' think?

Oh, well.

WMSTR - loud whistles & lots of black smoke

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

About every other year Ole likes to go to the Western Minnesota Steam Threshers Reunion. I like to go about every TEN years - so this was my tenth year and because Lovely Daughter and Lars wanted me to go I conceded and spent Sundy afternoon trudging through the dusty grounds and making my way through clouds of black smoke and ashes that were put out by all the steam engines. Don't tell Ole that I told you guys that it really was kind of interesting. I wouldn't want him to get the idea that I would go with him every time. Lars, being a city boy, hadn't ever seen anything like this before, so Ole was real hep on showing him all this stuff.

And wouldn't you know it, it was one of the hotter afternoons we've had lately - 92 degrees, bright sunshine, and only made hotter by all the boilers on these steam engines.

I have to admit it was kind of unique, but I did tell Ole on the way out that I had probably seen enough steam engines to last me another ten years (snicker).

I think I still have soot in my hair!!

A weekend of total consumption and gorging

For a weekend that we planned to be quiet and laid back, this weekend has been an absolute whirlwind of activity. Whew! One more evening and then it's back to somewhat of a normal schedule - I hope.

Bob & Carol, Lovely Daughter and Lars, and Ole & I were invited up to Mae's house for supper. I think I told you about her before, but in case I didn't: Mae was born in Turkey. Her mother was Syrian and her father was German. When Mae was 15 her mother arranged her marriage to a weathly Russian who was 20 years her senior, and from what she says, quite an abusive character. She had three children with him and then he decided to move to Florida. When her children were older she divorced him and somehow ended up in North Dakota. Anyway, all that aside, she is the most wonderful cook. So she invited us all to her house so that she could prepare Mediterranean food for us.

She served mousakas (meat and potato pie), shishkebobs, aubergines (battered and fried eggplant), dolmathes (a rice/meat mixture wrapped in grape leaves), a Greek unleavened bread, and of course baklava. If you have never eaten baklava you have missed out on one of the major treats of the entire world. It's made by layering many thin sheets of phyllo pastry with layers of chopped walnuts, butter and cinnamon. When the layers are built up to an adequate thickness you poor a syrup of honey, sugar, lemon juice and warm water over the dough and bake it. It is to die for. Anyway, after finishing that meal we were all sprawled in our chairs, moaning and groaning and consuming sangria. We managed to waddle out of her house and head for home. She is one great cook.

Sunday brought the four of us heading for the Western Minnesota Steam Threshers Reunion, which takes place every year about 20 miles from here. It's quite an event and Lars had never seen anything like it before, so off we went. I've got a ton of pictures I haven't offloaded from my camera yet, so I'll share those later and tell you all about it.

We had to be home by 5 o'clock because Bob & Carol were hosting a potluck and a fire in their firepit last night. It was a beautiful evening for a fire, and one again everyone stuffed themselves. I think I've gained back all those seven pounds I managed to lose on vacation (sniff). I'm too scared to step on the scale to find out. At least I can still get my jeans buttoned!!

I think we all went to bed and slept the sleep of the dead last night. Everyone was exhausted from being out in the hot sun at the threshing grounds, breathing in all the dirt and chaff that came from all the threshing machines, etc.

So we tried to sleep in this morning, are attacking some chores that need to be done today and then we're off to another barbecue this afternoon. A friend of ours is big into smoking meat. He gets up at 2 a.m., starts the smoker and keeps it going through the night and following day. He says it will be ready about 4 o'clock this afternoon. Last time he did a turkey - this time he's doing ribs. They should be wonderful if they're up to his normal standards.

So once again, it's stuff your belly time. AACCKK. I won't have to eat for a week. I'll live on water for the next few days - maybe that will help.