Mr. Bill

For you old Saturday Night Live folks, I reference Mr. Bill.

A couple weeks ago Lindsey and I played Play Dough one night. She was really getting in to it.

I was doing my best to keep up. I created the family and included Sadie. Lindsey later cut everyone up with her play dough sissors and then requested that only Daddy got rebuilt.

Kimkay Consumer Tip

Don't ever buy Kleenex that says it has lotion in it or even that it's Extra or Ultra Soft. This equates to snot all over your face. They don't absorb anything. They simply smear snot all over.

Weekend of Hunting

I spent a fairly quiet weekend. On Friday night I went and watched Lindsey while her dad was working and her mom went to the Brainerd High football game over in Moorhead. I got home around 1am. When I got up Saturday morning I noticed that the extra rolls of toilet paper that are kept in a basket next to the toilet are not quite right. There was only two of them in there but both looked like they had suffered a severe attack. They were shredded up a bit and there was TP traces here and there on the floor. I squatted down for a closer look. "What the hell is going on here"? I wondered.

I'm currently going on my ninth autumn season in this house and I have never ever seen any trace of any varmint in this house (with the exception of that one bat that made me pee my pants). So this TP thing is puzzling. Could this be my first mouse? Are there a bunch of mouses? I got in the truck and off to Walmart I went. Walmart on Saturday is a very bad thing but desperate times call for desperate measures.

I came back home laden with traps and poison. I set a trap loaded with peanut butter (crunchy of course) right by the TP disaster. I also went and put one in the furnace room, just in case there was an army moving in. Then I went out for a few hours. When I came home sure enough Jerry was in the trap.

Now I reset the trap and never got anymore mice. I'm keeping a close eye on all the traps. Do you think maybe that there was just one lone TP eating mouse? I have my doubts. I'm on the hunt down after them.

Pick a Pound of Peppers

I was in the produce section in the grocery store the other day getting some salad fixins and there was a young couple filling their cart with every kind of fresh fruit and vegetable they could get their hands on. They were really stocking up. Health nuts probably. I was keeping it to a minimum. Salad greens, cucumber and tomato. I was however eyeing the peppers. They had some nice yellow, red and orange bell peppers, not to mention some big fat green peppers. I love a little yellow and/or red pepper on my salad. But hey now, they're almost two bucks a piece. That seemed a little to steep and I passed them by.

I did the rest of my shopping and within ten minutes or so I was checking out. As I'm putting my items on the belt I stop suddenly when I pickup a bag with two yellow and two green peppers in it. What the hell? For crying out loud those kids must have mistakenly put these peppers in my cart. I paused briefly thinking "what am I going to do with these peppers"? The checkout girl was about 12 and I didn't wanted to swing around and wave the peppers and say "These aren't mine". So in the end I set the peppers on the belt and six bucks later (green peppers are half the price of yellow by the way) I've picked a pound of peppers. I wonder when those kids realized they had no peppers. Reminds me of another story about having no piper at the party. But that's for another time.

Blasted Crap

Well my brand new lawnmower took a crap. It starts but won't run (and yes it has gas in it).

Here's my personal ad: SWF looking for SMALL ENGINE MECHANIC. I like long walks in the woods, beer, fishing, blah freak'n blah and could use a handyman with some knowledge of engines.

Mothers, listen to me, don't send your kids to band and football. Unless you think your little darling is going to turn out to be Louis Armstrong or Jerry Rice, forget about it. Both useless in the long run. And I'm pretty sure hockey is in that category as well. Fixen shit is where it's at. Shop class. Now that's useful. Building stuff = very helpful. Running, jumping, hitting balls, throwing balls, blowing horns = not so helpful.

My son Mike did fix my broken window motor in my truck (thanks little darling) and mount my GPS bracket on my ATV (very helpful) but I have no hope in him fixing my lawn mower. And Makita...hummmm ... I guess he can play a trombone, (now if that doesn't scream rainbow).

Saturday Football

Went to Kyle's football game on Saturday. He played Defensive Corner Back. He did pretty darn good. Made some good tackles. Thankfully it didn't start raining until we were walking off the field.

Bee Control

Labor Day Weekend sent Ellie to the hospital with some major bee stings. Actually she got stung on Saturday and didn't go to see a doctor until Monday. I guess it was pretty bad. Some kind of reaction that had her eyes swollen, nose swollen and puss bags under her eyes. She also got stung on her wrist, which was still swollen a week after the "attack".

So last weekend after the PF deal, we swung on over to Thor to kill the Killer bee's. Well I didn't actually do anything but watch. Dave was the aggressor. Hopefully the little buggers are gone now.

Aitkin Pheasants Forever Kids Day

This past Saturday was the Aitkin Chapter of Pheasants Forever kids day. 55 kids showed up to shoot guns, practice with a bow similator, learn to turkey call and listen to a safety talk from an area Conservation Officer. Afterwards they were treated with a meal and a dog demonstration.

Aitkin County Pheasant Forever Event

This upcoming Saturday I'll be going over to the Aitkin area to help with the Ringnecks (PF Youth). I did it last year and it was fun. There's a lot for the kids to do and learn.

Aitkin County
PHEASANTS FOREVER
& THE NWTF AITKIN GOBBLERS
Invite you & your Family to attend the
THE 3RD ANNUAL YOUTH CONSERVATION DAY

This event is FREE!!!!!!!!!! All youth between the ages of 7 and 17 will be in a drawing for two guns to be given away right after lunch.

When: Saturday September 6, 2008 9:00AM to 1:00 PM

Where: The Weathwood Rod and Gun Club. Directions: From Highway 169 South of Aitkin, North of Garrison, 1.2 miles East on Highway 18.

There will be lots of activities:
Shooting Sports
Games
Simulators
Information
Habitat Information
Turkey Calling
Dog Demonstration
Free Lunch provided by Paulbeck’s County Market

Registration is required.
Please call Jeff Scharrer @ 218-839-4218.

First Day of School

This morning Tonya brought the three grandkids by on their way to the first day of school. All of them, Kaylee, Kierha and Kyle, all changed to a new school this year.

Looking for something to do for Labor Day Weekend?

We're were looking for something to do this weekend. I think we may have found it. There's a lot to do in Nimrod. And I've heard "You haven't lived until you've been to Nimrod Jubilee Days".

There'll be lots of events to go to. Like on Friday there's the Queen Pageant...hmmmmm. Followed by a Sanctioned NPRA Bull Ride and Karaoke.

Saturday is full of events including the Softball Tournament, Treasure Hunt for $50 bucks, Mud Volleyball, Double Elimination Horseshoe tournament, another bull ride and a street dance.

Sunday...boy oh boy it just keeps getting better.... Flea Market, Sanctioned North Country Mud Run, Charitable Bingo, more horseshoes, yet another street dance, all topped off with fireworks.

Maybe they were right. Maybe I haven't lived yet.

Old Time Photo

A visit in Jackson Hole wouldn't be complete without the old time photo shoot. Fun times. I think I scared the hell out of the young gentleman that was helping us with our costumes. He was very nervous when he laced up our corsets. But he didn't try to cop a feel. No sirree. His holster was swinging towards the cowboys, if you get my drift. Regardless I thought I was the funniest thing he'd ever seen. Yiddy-up.

Wheeling in Effie

Dora the Explorer got a couple new accessories lately, including this nice new Nemo mirror. In addition she got a new camo seat cover.

Makita and I spent the weekend in Effie riding the wheelers. They're logging up there in that area and there was some really big machinery.

Makita couldn't resist getting stuck in the mud.

When do you tell on yourself?

My friends and family will be the second to tell you that I'm a tattletale.... on myself. I'll be the first. I've always told on myself, even as a child.

This morning I could only locate one of my two cell phones. My work phone was here but I couldn't locate my personal phone. I dug through my purse where I last had it. Didn't see it there. So what did I do? I called it from my work phone. Nothing rang. Where is that phone?

Now I'm not attached to the phone and know it's not a problem to get a new one but what about all the phone numbers in there? I don't have them written down. Damn.

So I went out to the car. Maybe I dropped it in there. Looked around but didn't find it.

Then I went to the front desk of the hotel. "Did anyone turn in a cell phone? I've seemed to have lost it, possibly in the restaurant the night before." They said "Hang on while I look at the BAR"...real loud you know. Nope no phone. The guy at the desk called it a couple times hoping to hear it ring somewhere behind the counter. Nope. They said they'd take down my info when I checked out this morning just in case they do locate my phone.

When I came back to the room I'm convinced that I've lost my phone. It's probably in Morris. That's where I was yesterday. It's about a 45 minute drive from here.

So I load up my suitcase and start packing things away and low and behold I found my phone. It was in my purse. The first place I looked. Hummmmm.... Why didn't I hear it ring when I called it? AT&T has no flipp'n service here in Sandwich Illinios.

Now here's the deal, normally I would just tell those people at the front desk I found the phone. But for the first time that I can remember I'm not going to tell anyone. It will be our little secret.

Tee Pee Creeping

Well we slept in a tee pee in Jackson Hole last week. What a wierd deal. It was pretty big. A wood floor with nothing at all in it. But we slept pretty good.

Wnuk Construction

During our trip to Wyoming last week we hoped to help with the Wnuk's house and garage construction. We weren't able to do much because the whole project is way behind due to the spring/summer weather. At this point the garage's roofing and siding was put on hold due to the heavy rain.

This is the hole where the footings will be poured for the house...as soon as it drys out.

Lorrie and I in the rain by the firepit.

A photo from up stairs in the garage.

Whitewater Rafting

Whitewater rafting on the Snake River was just one thing we did last week while in Wyoming. I'll have more to tell soon. There is a slide show to the left of this you can browse.

Mike meets Skynyrd

My son Mike (third from the right, out in front...the skinner bugger...needs to eat more donuts) and some fellow officers met Lynard Skynyrd last weekend in Hinkley. I had t explain to him before he went over there just who Skynyrd was. I told him just chant "Free Bird, Free Bird" and he'd be just fine.

http://www.lynyrdskynyrd.com/

Cottonwood Creek Shooting & Hunting Preserve

You'll want to check out my brother Bob's new business. It's located down by Benson Minnesota.

I created the website. It's my first. It was an interesting project. I'll be creating more. I'll keep you posted.

http://www.cottonwoodcreekhunting.com/

Vote Jerry Katz

My dear friend Jerry Katz is running for City Council in Opelika Alabama. Good luck buddy! Kiss lots of babys and shake lots of hands.

http://www.jerrykatz.cc/WardTwo/WardTwo.htm

Started the Landscaping

This past April we had a huge snow storm that dumped over a foot of really heavy wet snow. This first photo is of a 12 foot cedar tree that went down in my front yard. I had three of them.

You can see here that they were in pretty bad shape. And in time they never did recover. In June they were still bent over and one was being propped up with a stick.

So in June Mike and Makita pulled them out.

Which left an ugly bare patch of dirt.

So this weekend Makita helped me (actually he did most all of the work. I leaned on a shovel and watched mostly) do some fix up on the yard.

Staying in a Tee Pee

On Monday August 11th myself, Makita, sister Lorrie and brother-in-law Brad are going to be staying in a tee pee at the KOA just outside Jackson Hole Wyoming. What a hoot! It will part of our adventure as we go to see the Grand Tetons.

We'll also be going whitewater rafting while we're there.

I'm goin' to Jackson, I'm gonna mess around,Yeah, I'm goin' to Jackson,Look out Jackson town.

http://www.srpkoa.com/