Writer's Note: Sorry I made you wait a few days before part 2. I had a lot of media requests for interviews last week with the Super Bowl and all.
PART 2:
Cookie was one of those horses that only comes around once in a lifetime...enough speed to catch the fastest calf, shoulders with the strength of a Lebanon Red Cedar, his eyes as keen as the Red Tailed hawk, ears like whitetail deer, and a heart like that of Mother Teresa, Ghandi and a little bit of Mike Tyson...in case there was a need for a fight.
The old cowboy trusted this horse, and that's why he talked to him, "What do ya hear? Trouble?"
Just then something whizzed past the old cowhand's head.
Now having never served in the military, due to a knee injury he sustained during a caber tossing competition while he was on a cowboy exchange program in the Scottish Highlands, he didn't recognize the sound right away. But it only took a split second for him to know this was trouble, of a serious nature.
He had been in tight situations before, like the time he had to smote his brother for eating the last of the cookies on HIS 9th birthday. The 10 mile trail ride with his grand daughter where their only rations were a can of soda and some sunflower seeds. The church league softball game where a baserunner didn't slide into home like required...the old boy floored him and kicked some dirt in his general direction, instagating the first ever bench clearing "rubarb" in Huron Church League Softball history. The run in with Campus Security at a college library, and the day he and his family almost came to blows with the overzealous owner of a golf ball driving range at Lake Okoboji. He was always a peaceful man, unless pushed.
There was an inner beast waiting down deep in his soul, the beast was there, just waiting for the message to rip off his shirt to show his chiseled pectoral muscles and defend his honor...this was one of those times.
Staving the urge to rip his shirt off, he refocused his attentions.
Was it what he thought?
Then it happed again...ZING.
Some FOOL was shooting at him.
The days of always carrying a gun had been long gone for this cowboy. He quit leathering a loaded piece 'round about the time when his trusty sidekick "Brother Phil" put a slug of lead into his own leg.
After that mishap and almost losing Phil, his most trusted human friend, the gunfighter image quickly wore out it's welcome. He dropped the "Bob-a-louie-guts" moniker right beside his 9-shot pearl handled .22 pistol and it's holster.
He would be a cattle man, not a gunfighter, but he never could quite walk away from his gunfighter past. He did it now for competition. Wax bullets shot at an old street sign. The people called it Cowboy Fastdraw, and it was the only way to harness the beast within, as the new era of society didn't look kindly on those who packed iron.
So this day, as like most days, his trusty Colt .45 was sitting in his house. Just when he needed it most, he had left it behind. There was no fight to be had from his end, just flight.
Quickly he surveyed the area. There isn't much cover in these parts. The tree belt was to thin and there was a chance for a stray bullet to make it through the maze of branches. He noticed a dried out dugout stock dam, pulled the reins on his horse and dropped his spurs into the breast of the horse for action.
Cookie, being the brains of this operation, was already thinking the same thing. Just make it to that cover, before we take a piece of hot lead in the flesh. He turned tail and ran, like Barbaro, without the broken leg.
Then another shot rang out...KA-ZZZZZING...just over their heads.
Only 87 meters from safety...but could they make it in time.
(To Be Continued)
Monday, February 04, 2008
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Regulator Robert...Epic Lamour style.
It dawned on me this morning that I hadn't blogged about a great story that happened over the weekend.
If you have read this blog you know my dad was born about 150 years to late. He would rather head cross-country in a covered wagon or on a horse with his 6 gun on his hip. He has a love of all things of the Old West.
With a break in the freezing cold temps last Sunday he took one of his horses out for a ride near his "ranch", and that's when it got "western"....and now I will get L'Amour-ish.................................
There he was, just a lone cowboy on the prairie, a few miles due East of the James River Valley, or as the locals called it...The Jim.
It was a regular day for this ranch boss, checking on his horses and longhorns as the January wind nipped at his life-weathered face. He turned up the collar of his ranch coat, and pulled his silk scarf a little bit higher on his neck to block nature's attack. His hands, dried and cracked from hours of hard labor, needed no gloves. Time had turned them into iron.
It was turning into a long winter on the flat and desolate plains, the cold seemed colder, the nights seemed longer and the warm company of his fine wife made it harder to force his beaten and scarred body out of bed in the mornings. This is the kind of winters that Laura Ingalls would write about, or as the native Sioux called this time of year...The Moon of the Popping Tree.
It entered his mind, that this might be the last season on the ranch, time for a younger to take over. But he knew, in his family, he was the last of his breed.
His daughter's husband was a preacher-man in the plains of Kansas, a good man with a great heart, but his thin build and feeble back was not cut out for the work of a ranch boss.
His only son, the last hope for the family ranch was a writer...a sissy-boy by his account. More content to prose, and to wax on with a pen and paper. That mama's boy couldn't even pull a calf on a sloppy March day or sack out a 3 year-old gelding for it's first saddle. Where did he go wrong with that one, he would often think. Knowing full well that a life on the ranch was a hard one. He didn't wish on anyone, but it made him proud to see all that he had, right there on those acres of his life.
Times had gotten harder in the last few seasons...commodity prices on the rise and the invention of GPS driven combines had made the dirt farming folk successful. That new fangled technology never did serve the cowboy well.
So then and there, on the back of that dun gelding with the sunlight warming his work-widened back, he decided to plod on, as long as his body could handle it, he would run this ranch. If his brother-in-law the banker had to come reposses it out of his unwilling hands, or if he died in these pasture lands...well, all the better. That's how his daddy went and that's how he would go, working his craft right to the very end.
He continued to ride that Sunday through some naked trees, and shrubary, he noticed rabbits, a few deer tracks and antler rubbings, things you notice when you are in tune with nature, and one with the land.
His attention came on an old busted off pine tree, and a smile creased the cheeks of his wind-whipped face. He and Penny used to share many a summer picnic under that old pine, good memories. That pine was a stoic beauty until the storm back in '05. Ice came down so hard almost every tree in the area broke in some way. Just another story of his survival.
Just past the fall tree of memories was a clearing, his trusty horse Cookie stepped out of the belt of trees and his ears perked.
The old cowboy noticed.
"What's that, boy? You hear something?"
(to be continued)
If you have read this blog you know my dad was born about 150 years to late. He would rather head cross-country in a covered wagon or on a horse with his 6 gun on his hip. He has a love of all things of the Old West.
With a break in the freezing cold temps last Sunday he took one of his horses out for a ride near his "ranch", and that's when it got "western"....and now I will get L'Amour-ish.................................
There he was, just a lone cowboy on the prairie, a few miles due East of the James River Valley, or as the locals called it...The Jim.
It was a regular day for this ranch boss, checking on his horses and longhorns as the January wind nipped at his life-weathered face. He turned up the collar of his ranch coat, and pulled his silk scarf a little bit higher on his neck to block nature's attack. His hands, dried and cracked from hours of hard labor, needed no gloves. Time had turned them into iron.
It was turning into a long winter on the flat and desolate plains, the cold seemed colder, the nights seemed longer and the warm company of his fine wife made it harder to force his beaten and scarred body out of bed in the mornings. This is the kind of winters that Laura Ingalls would write about, or as the native Sioux called this time of year...The Moon of the Popping Tree.
It entered his mind, that this might be the last season on the ranch, time for a younger to take over. But he knew, in his family, he was the last of his breed.
His daughter's husband was a preacher-man in the plains of Kansas, a good man with a great heart, but his thin build and feeble back was not cut out for the work of a ranch boss.
His only son, the last hope for the family ranch was a writer...a sissy-boy by his account. More content to prose, and to wax on with a pen and paper. That mama's boy couldn't even pull a calf on a sloppy March day or sack out a 3 year-old gelding for it's first saddle. Where did he go wrong with that one, he would often think. Knowing full well that a life on the ranch was a hard one. He didn't wish on anyone, but it made him proud to see all that he had, right there on those acres of his life.
Times had gotten harder in the last few seasons...commodity prices on the rise and the invention of GPS driven combines had made the dirt farming folk successful. That new fangled technology never did serve the cowboy well.
So then and there, on the back of that dun gelding with the sunlight warming his work-widened back, he decided to plod on, as long as his body could handle it, he would run this ranch. If his brother-in-law the banker had to come reposses it out of his unwilling hands, or if he died in these pasture lands...well, all the better. That's how his daddy went and that's how he would go, working his craft right to the very end.
He continued to ride that Sunday through some naked trees, and shrubary, he noticed rabbits, a few deer tracks and antler rubbings, things you notice when you are in tune with nature, and one with the land.
His attention came on an old busted off pine tree, and a smile creased the cheeks of his wind-whipped face. He and Penny used to share many a summer picnic under that old pine, good memories. That pine was a stoic beauty until the storm back in '05. Ice came down so hard almost every tree in the area broke in some way. Just another story of his survival.
Just past the fall tree of memories was a clearing, his trusty horse Cookie stepped out of the belt of trees and his ears perked.
The old cowboy noticed.
"What's that, boy? You hear something?"
(to be continued)
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Happy Birthday to Steph...
My coffee guzzling wife is celebrating her birthday today.
For the longest time...well, up until 2 years ago, I couldn't remember when my wife's birthday was...January 30th or the 31st. So I would either sneak a peak at her driver's license or just give her a present on the 29th...to cover the next couple days.
It's funny how if you get something in your head once, and it's wrong...how hard it is to change it. I have since programmed my wife's actual birth date into my BlackBerry so I don't forget or miss it.
Grandma is going to handle the boys tonight...believe me that's about all you can do is HANDLE...So tonight we will celebrate her big day at some exotic restaurant in The Fair City. I was thinking Phoebe's, but someone told me it closed a few years ago, so I'll let her decide.
I must say I got her a pretty rad gift, tickets to Phoenix in March...I have some work conferences and I have never taken her when I do stuff like this so I am parlaying her birthday and our anniversary into one big gift. We are staying at 2 different high end resorts, and she can't wait to sit by the pool in the desert. We will also take in a Cubs spring training game and a Phoenix Coyotes game...and yes, she is excited about going to watch the Cubs and the Coyotes. I'm sure she'll shop for a few hours as well.
That being said, Happy Birthday, Steph...January 30th, I finally got the right day.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
MARY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A broom is drearily sweeping
Up the broken pieces of yesterdays life
Somewhere a queen is weeping
Somewhere a king has no wife
And the wind, it cries...Mary
-Jimi Hendrix, The Wind Cries Mary
So yesterday it was around 50 degrees as Maxim and I walked into the hockey rink for practice...we joked with some others that Spring was coming early. When we left, completely under dressed for what was beyond the doors, the wind slapped me on the face and we ran for the car.
This morning with the wind chill factor...it's close to 35 below...that's an 85 degree swing! I think I can truly say, I don't mind humidity, extreme heat, snow, below zero temps or spring days when it is 73...but I hate the wind. I have never liked the wind. In the summer it makes my lake choppy, my golf ball fly in directions I don't want it to go, in the winter it makes the cold...colder. I can't think of one good thing the wind does for me.
With the exception of wind generated power, I have no use for wind. Even windmills work better with a slower wind speed. So I am pushing for a law to keep the wind speed limits to under 13 mph.
The coolest thing today was that the DJ of the station I was listening to played an old Jimi Hendrix song that I hadn't listened to in a while, and it completely made sense that he played it today...THE WIND, IT CRIES...MARY...
Up the broken pieces of yesterdays life
Somewhere a queen is weeping
Somewhere a king has no wife
And the wind, it cries...Mary
-Jimi Hendrix, The Wind Cries Mary
So yesterday it was around 50 degrees as Maxim and I walked into the hockey rink for practice...we joked with some others that Spring was coming early. When we left, completely under dressed for what was beyond the doors, the wind slapped me on the face and we ran for the car.
This morning with the wind chill factor...it's close to 35 below...that's an 85 degree swing! I think I can truly say, I don't mind humidity, extreme heat, snow, below zero temps or spring days when it is 73...but I hate the wind. I have never liked the wind. In the summer it makes my lake choppy, my golf ball fly in directions I don't want it to go, in the winter it makes the cold...colder. I can't think of one good thing the wind does for me.
With the exception of wind generated power, I have no use for wind. Even windmills work better with a slower wind speed. So I am pushing for a law to keep the wind speed limits to under 13 mph.
The coolest thing today was that the DJ of the station I was listening to played an old Jimi Hendrix song that I hadn't listened to in a while, and it completely made sense that he played it today...THE WIND, IT CRIES...MARY...
Friday, January 25, 2008
Quite Possibly The Worst Animated Movie Ever Made.
Ironically the toys I played with as a kid are experiencing a comeback of sorts...Star Wars, G.I. Joe, Justice League Super Heroes and Transformers. Star Wars, Justice League and G.I. Joe never really went away and Transformer is fueled by the success of last year's very well done summer block buster.Maxim loves the new movie, and so we decided to pick up the original full length animated movie from 1986. I couldn't have been prepared for how brutal this movie was. The plot was impossible to follow, some of the characters were impossible to understand and Optimus Prime gets killed off half way through the movie. The main reason kids loved Transformers and now he's dead!
Did I mention the soundtrack...the theme song is sung by a knock off band that sounds like Stryper and Weird Al Yankovic's song "Dare To Be Stupid" even makes an appearance during one of the fight scenes.
There were scenes where Steph and I would look at each other and be completely confused with what was going on. You could totally tell it was Hollywood trying to make some quick money off of the TV series...and it probably worked.
With that said, Maxim loved it. I have a feeling I will have to sit through parts of it again before we have to take it back to the rental store...the saving grace of the movie was that the disc was scratched and we got to skip through about 20 minutes of boredom.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
10 meals.
I had a buddy ask me, "If you could eat 10 meals with living people...not relatives or close friends...who would make your list?"
So here is my list:
10. Chris Sharma...the zen master of rock climbing
9. Rob Bell...great man of faith and writer.
8. Ty Murray...rodeo legend.
7. John Stewart and Steven Colbert...from the Daily Show with John Stewart, and from the Colbert Report...TV's most trusted fake news shows...I'd roll them into one meal.
6. Tony Hawk...Skateboard and action sports legend
5. Bono...U2's front man
4. Sean Penn...I know a little strange to see him so high on my list, but I have seen a couple of interviews with him and I think he would be a good meal partner.
3. Wayne Gretzky...sorry Paul Coffey, you are in my top 20, but The Great One beats you out here.
2. Matt Lauer...NBC anchor...will go down in history as one of the best
1. Bishop Desmond Tutu...I interviewed him while he was in SF a while back...I got 15 minutes with him and wanted 2 more hours.
So there without a ton of thought put into it...that is my list...I am sure I could do the same list tomorrow and have about 4 or 5 changes.
Your job...go to the post comments section and put your top 10 in.
So here is my list:
10. Chris Sharma...the zen master of rock climbing
9. Rob Bell...great man of faith and writer.
8. Ty Murray...rodeo legend.
7. John Stewart and Steven Colbert...from the Daily Show with John Stewart, and from the Colbert Report...TV's most trusted fake news shows...I'd roll them into one meal.
6. Tony Hawk...Skateboard and action sports legend
5. Bono...U2's front man
4. Sean Penn...I know a little strange to see him so high on my list, but I have seen a couple of interviews with him and I think he would be a good meal partner.
3. Wayne Gretzky...sorry Paul Coffey, you are in my top 20, but The Great One beats you out here.
2. Matt Lauer...NBC anchor...will go down in history as one of the best
1. Bishop Desmond Tutu...I interviewed him while he was in SF a while back...I got 15 minutes with him and wanted 2 more hours.
So there without a ton of thought put into it...that is my list...I am sure I could do the same list tomorrow and have about 4 or 5 changes.
Your job...go to the post comments section and put your top 10 in.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Napoleon Dynamite
I still laugh when I see anything that has to do with Napoleon Dynamite...the first time I watched it was during a holiday break with my brother-in-law and my dad at like 12:30 am. We were quite punchy and laughed really loud. I think G-ma Pen told us to quiet down about 4 times.
I was sent a link to an advertisement that the Utah State Fair used a couple years ago. Super funny.
I was sent a link to an advertisement that the Utah State Fair used a couple years ago. Super funny.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Hockey Rituals
A couple nights ago in the coaches locker room a buddy and I were talking about hockey rituals...things we do prior to stepping on the ice, whether it be playing, coaching, reffing or just skating.
Some of the things I do I have no idea why I started them, but I still do them today.
Here is the list:
Most important is my number always number 7, (Paul Coffey's number) although my freshman year of college I had to be 14 for the first year, because a senior already had 7...so I went with the sum of two number 7's.
I also write the number 7 on my stick handle, and the bottom of my skates.
White tape on the blade of my stick...because Paul Coffey did.
My shin pads are always super tight to my legs, either with tape or "shin-tights"...can't stand floppy shin pads.
I dress left to right...left skate, right skate.
Helmet is never buckled when I step on the ice.
Maybe the most important ritual that I do is "the spit"...when I step on the ice I step on with one foot and push off with the other and before that skate touches the ice I spit on the ice...it's my way of becoming one with the ice. I have taught Maxim that ritual as well, and my buddy asks Maxim every time he sees him on the ice if he has spit on the ice yet.
The other ritual in college that I used to abide by was pre-games I would eat at Subway...6" club on white...now every time I eat one of those sandwiches...I think of hockey.
I'm so hungry for Subway right now!
Some of the things I do I have no idea why I started them, but I still do them today.
Here is the list:
Most important is my number always number 7, (Paul Coffey's number) although my freshman year of college I had to be 14 for the first year, because a senior already had 7...so I went with the sum of two number 7's.
I also write the number 7 on my stick handle, and the bottom of my skates.
White tape on the blade of my stick...because Paul Coffey did.
My shin pads are always super tight to my legs, either with tape or "shin-tights"...can't stand floppy shin pads.
I dress left to right...left skate, right skate.
Helmet is never buckled when I step on the ice.
Maybe the most important ritual that I do is "the spit"...when I step on the ice I step on with one foot and push off with the other and before that skate touches the ice I spit on the ice...it's my way of becoming one with the ice. I have taught Maxim that ritual as well, and my buddy asks Maxim every time he sees him on the ice if he has spit on the ice yet.
The other ritual in college that I used to abide by was pre-games I would eat at Subway...6" club on white...now every time I eat one of those sandwiches...I think of hockey.
I'm so hungry for Subway right now!
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Spelling Words On A Calculator.
I think my buddy Dale in 2nd grade first showed me that you can spell the word "hell0" on an upside down calculator...there were a few words that our 2nd grade minds could come up with as well.
Yesterday in a meeting a friend spelled the word "shell.oil" on his calculator and showed it to me...so I got to thinking how many words can you spell on an upside down calculator???
Of course on the net we find a host of websites...this one was the best.
You are welcome for this useless knowledge from Living On Liquid.
Yesterday in a meeting a friend spelled the word "shell.oil" on his calculator and showed it to me...so I got to thinking how many words can you spell on an upside down calculator???
Of course on the net we find a host of websites...this one was the best.
You are welcome for this useless knowledge from Living On Liquid.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Frozen Fun.
This is some video of the boys enjoying winter ON the lake...too much snow for skating...I think Brecken's cheeks and nose were red for 3 hours after we came inside.
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
South Dakota Barbies To Hit The Shelves Soon
My buddies and I had fun with this chain e-mail a few weeks ago and I thought I would share it. It seems the folks at Matel are making a few new Barbies for '08 to fit the stereotypes that our major cities of South Dakota have developed over the years...enjoy.
Sioux Falls Barbie:
This queen Barbie is sold only at Macy's. She comes with an assortment of Chanel Handbags, a Volvo, a French poodle named Charisse, and a Lincoln County McMansion. Plastic surgery available upon request. Hey, she has to look beautiful when she works at KELOland TV. CitiBank Ken sold separately, but don't tell Barbie that Ken has an apartment in Sioux Falls' slum suburb Tea! Sold at all shops in beautiful downtown Sioux Falls and by street peddlers along the Phillips' to the Falls city namesake.
Rapid City Barbie:
This tough little sport comes with optional hiking boots or mountain bike. When she's not selling magnets at Mount Rushmore, she can be spotted off-roading in her Jeep Wrangler or running on the Mickelson Trail. Inhaler included to give relief during forest fires. Buy her while you can because Ken works at Ellsworth and might be getting transferred!
Spearfish/Hill City Barbie:
This doll is made of actual tofu. She has long straight brown hair, arch-less feet, no makeup and always wears Teva or Chacco sandals. She prefers that you call her Ocean . She does not want or need a Ken doll. Sold at the Sylvan Lake gift shop.
Aberdeen Barbie:
This "Frost Queen" comes with an entire winter wardrobe! Her parka can be modified to use as hip waders for the 10" spring rains that flood the downtown area. She drives a Grand Am, wears Lee Jeans and works out at the YMCA. Package includes a psychologist for seasonal depression. She comes with a Ken Doll and 4 kids that love to play at the Barbie Waterpark and Storybook Island playsets. Sold exclusively during the Brown County Fair.
Vermillion Barbie:
This young, hip girl ended up at the Division 2 school because her ACT wasn't good enough to get her into SDSU. She actually comes with her own pepper spray to fend off campus predators. Her USD sweater is made of real wool and her '97 Cavalier gets great mileage between the Empire Mall and Vermillion. Available DakotaDome play set with purchase of makeup. College Ken doll sold separately with broken cell phone... he never seems to calls back. Sold exclusively at the Shrine to Music Museum gift shop...how else would you get folks to visit.
Mitchell Barbie:
This brassy, tobacco-chewing gal comes with camouflage overalls, Cabela's Credit Card, and a rifle. She can be found just north of town shooting pheasants and drinking an ice cold brew. Cabela Ken available with purchase of Chevy Silverado and Congo Club play set. Sold only during tourist season on the basketball court of the Corn Palace.
Brookings Barbie:
This modern day homemaker Barbie is available with Einspahr Ford Windstar Minivan or uber-exotic Honda Odyssey Minivan with matching stay-at-home velour Wal*Mart sweats. She knows she has it so much better than her sister-in-law in Sioux Falls, after all Brookings has 3 malls...if you count the Brookings AutoMall. She gets lost easily while taking Stacy to her soccer games, due to the remarkable numbering of both avenues and streets in Brookville. Thanks to the Campanile she can find SDSU. She has no full-time occupation other than the PTA. Ken doll sold with matching Daktronics company car. Sold at Lowe's.
Sturgis Barbie:
This recently paroled Barbie comes with a 9mm handgun, leather chaps, and a Meth Lab Kit. This model is only available after dark and must be paid for in cash (preferably small, untraceable bills) ...unless you are a cop, then we don't know what you are talking about. Harley sold separately along with deadbeat Ken. Jail uniform available with purchase of Mobile Home play set. Sold at City Hall.
Huron Barbie:
This model comes dressed in her own Cruel Girl jeans, a NASCAR or Dakota State Fair Speedway t-shirt and Care Bears tattoo on her shoulder. She has a six-pack of Bud light and a Johnny Cash CD set. She can spit over 5 feet and out-worked all the other guys on the "turkey wing cutting line" at Dakota Provisions. Push down on her head and watch her karate action kick mullet-haired Ken's butt when they leave The Red Arrow. Purchase her Schoenhard Ford dually F-350 pickup truck separately and get a #3 Earnhardt with angels' wings bumper sticker absolutely free. Sold at Humphry's Drug and Lewis Drug.
Deadwood Barbie:
She may be a 75 year-old, Brandy drinking, Virginia Slim smoking cuss, but she has more audacity than Calamity Jane. She listens only to Big and Rich. She just got out from Gambler's Anonymous and needs to get rid of some spare change. Deadwood Barbie has an "aces and 8's" tattoo on her wrist, and can be found in a "Saloon #10" t-shirt at the Monday night "Kevin Costner Fanclub" meeting just down the street from Cadillac Jack's Prime Rib Buffet. Ken comes free, but is usually working two jobs to keep a roof over their head. Sold only at the house of the really super tall guy that dresses like a cowboy and walks up and down main street.
Pierre Barbie:
She comes with scooter and a state employee ID card, bowling ball, pool stick and dart case. Khakis can be rolled into capris for social events at the RamKota. Ken available with purchase of fishing boat. Sold only at DakotaMart
Lake Byron Barbie:
This beautiful Byron babe is sold exclusively at Fowl Play Bar and Grill. When not chasing around two young sons, or wakeboarding, she can be found polishing up her skills with her AK-47 which she might soon use on Toolman Ken if he doesn’t get the house finished soon. Gun sold separately. No assembly required.
(Cousin Erkel added the Lake Byron one after the fact, and Steph loved it)
Sioux Falls Barbie:
This queen Barbie is sold only at Macy's. She comes with an assortment of Chanel Handbags, a Volvo, a French poodle named Charisse, and a Lincoln County McMansion. Plastic surgery available upon request. Hey, she has to look beautiful when she works at KELOland TV. CitiBank Ken sold separately, but don't tell Barbie that Ken has an apartment in Sioux Falls' slum suburb Tea! Sold at all shops in beautiful downtown Sioux Falls and by street peddlers along the Phillips' to the Falls city namesake.
Rapid City Barbie:
This tough little sport comes with optional hiking boots or mountain bike. When she's not selling magnets at Mount Rushmore, she can be spotted off-roading in her Jeep Wrangler or running on the Mickelson Trail. Inhaler included to give relief during forest fires. Buy her while you can because Ken works at Ellsworth and might be getting transferred!
Spearfish/Hill City Barbie:
This doll is made of actual tofu. She has long straight brown hair, arch-less feet, no makeup and always wears Teva or Chacco sandals. She prefers that you call her Ocean . She does not want or need a Ken doll. Sold at the Sylvan Lake gift shop.
Aberdeen Barbie:
This "Frost Queen" comes with an entire winter wardrobe! Her parka can be modified to use as hip waders for the 10" spring rains that flood the downtown area. She drives a Grand Am, wears Lee Jeans and works out at the YMCA. Package includes a psychologist for seasonal depression. She comes with a Ken Doll and 4 kids that love to play at the Barbie Waterpark and Storybook Island playsets. Sold exclusively during the Brown County Fair.
Vermillion Barbie:
This young, hip girl ended up at the Division 2 school because her ACT wasn't good enough to get her into SDSU. She actually comes with her own pepper spray to fend off campus predators. Her USD sweater is made of real wool and her '97 Cavalier gets great mileage between the Empire Mall and Vermillion. Available DakotaDome play set with purchase of makeup. College Ken doll sold separately with broken cell phone... he never seems to calls back. Sold exclusively at the Shrine to Music Museum gift shop...how else would you get folks to visit.
Mitchell Barbie:
This brassy, tobacco-chewing gal comes with camouflage overalls, Cabela's Credit Card, and a rifle. She can be found just north of town shooting pheasants and drinking an ice cold brew. Cabela Ken available with purchase of Chevy Silverado and Congo Club play set. Sold only during tourist season on the basketball court of the Corn Palace.
Brookings Barbie:
This modern day homemaker Barbie is available with Einspahr Ford Windstar Minivan or uber-exotic Honda Odyssey Minivan with matching stay-at-home velour Wal*Mart sweats. She knows she has it so much better than her sister-in-law in Sioux Falls, after all Brookings has 3 malls...if you count the Brookings AutoMall. She gets lost easily while taking Stacy to her soccer games, due to the remarkable numbering of both avenues and streets in Brookville. Thanks to the Campanile she can find SDSU. She has no full-time occupation other than the PTA. Ken doll sold with matching Daktronics company car. Sold at Lowe's.
Sturgis Barbie:
This recently paroled Barbie comes with a 9mm handgun, leather chaps, and a Meth Lab Kit. This model is only available after dark and must be paid for in cash (preferably small, untraceable bills) ...unless you are a cop, then we don't know what you are talking about. Harley sold separately along with deadbeat Ken. Jail uniform available with purchase of Mobile Home play set. Sold at City Hall.
Huron Barbie:
This model comes dressed in her own Cruel Girl jeans, a NASCAR or Dakota State Fair Speedway t-shirt and Care Bears tattoo on her shoulder. She has a six-pack of Bud light and a Johnny Cash CD set. She can spit over 5 feet and out-worked all the other guys on the "turkey wing cutting line" at Dakota Provisions. Push down on her head and watch her karate action kick mullet-haired Ken's butt when they leave The Red Arrow. Purchase her Schoenhard Ford dually F-350 pickup truck separately and get a #3 Earnhardt with angels' wings bumper sticker absolutely free. Sold at Humphry's Drug and Lewis Drug.
Deadwood Barbie:
She may be a 75 year-old, Brandy drinking, Virginia Slim smoking cuss, but she has more audacity than Calamity Jane. She listens only to Big and Rich. She just got out from Gambler's Anonymous and needs to get rid of some spare change. Deadwood Barbie has an "aces and 8's" tattoo on her wrist, and can be found in a "Saloon #10" t-shirt at the Monday night "Kevin Costner Fanclub" meeting just down the street from Cadillac Jack's Prime Rib Buffet. Ken comes free, but is usually working two jobs to keep a roof over their head. Sold only at the house of the really super tall guy that dresses like a cowboy and walks up and down main street.
Pierre Barbie:
She comes with scooter and a state employee ID card, bowling ball, pool stick and dart case. Khakis can be rolled into capris for social events at the RamKota. Ken available with purchase of fishing boat. Sold only at DakotaMart
Lake Byron Barbie:
This beautiful Byron babe is sold exclusively at Fowl Play Bar and Grill. When not chasing around two young sons, or wakeboarding, she can be found polishing up her skills with her AK-47 which she might soon use on Toolman Ken if he doesn’t get the house finished soon. Gun sold separately. No assembly required.
(Cousin Erkel added the Lake Byron one after the fact, and Steph loved it)
Monday, January 07, 2008
10,000 hits on this site!
Just about 7 months ago we celebrated our 1,000th visitor to the Living On Liquid site. (Almost 100% sure Uncle Skipper tipped the tally to 1,000) Today we celebrate our excess of 10,000 visitors to the site. Ironically the 10,000th hit also came from cox.net in Garden City, KS. I'll let Uncle Skip, Kent or Kim fight out who the 10,000th visitor was, but I put my money on Skip.
When you think about it in the historical presence, size and advertising to readers ratio terms, more people are reading my blog than the Daily Plainsman. Maybe I should hire R-Kasa to write for me.
Last weekend, to celebrate the 10,000th hit to the site I reffed 9 hockey games in Pierre...which translates to 21.5 hours in skates, 27 periods of hockey, 459 minutes of regulation hockey, 4.5 minutes of overtime hockey, I called about 130 penalties, 150 icings, 75 offsides, and told 1 coach to take me off of his Christmas card mailing list.
I once read that one hour of moderate to casual ice skating is like running for an hour at 4.5 MPH because of the total body involvement during skating...I think I got my cardio workout in this weekend...missed the wife and boyz, and a lot of good football on TV though.
When you think about it in the historical presence, size and advertising to readers ratio terms, more people are reading my blog than the Daily Plainsman. Maybe I should hire R-Kasa to write for me.
Last weekend, to celebrate the 10,000th hit to the site I reffed 9 hockey games in Pierre...which translates to 21.5 hours in skates, 27 periods of hockey, 459 minutes of regulation hockey, 4.5 minutes of overtime hockey, I called about 130 penalties, 150 icings, 75 offsides, and told 1 coach to take me off of his Christmas card mailing list.
I once read that one hour of moderate to casual ice skating is like running for an hour at 4.5 MPH because of the total body involvement during skating...I think I got my cardio workout in this weekend...missed the wife and boyz, and a lot of good football on TV though.
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
My Other Hockey Player.
I think for everyone there is a few pictures that define your childhood.My folks have a couple of them...one is a picture of me in my full cowboy gear, chaps, hat and all. I was "Larry Mahan". Every ounce of me, back then thought I was going to be a world champion bull rider...that dream was shattered when I got sick of the pain and losing money.
I also have a great one when I was about 5 or 6 in my hockey gear, mouthpiece and all, right there on the gold shag carpet of the living room. Those pictures are priceless.
I got the same feeling when I saw this picture Steph took of Brecken...in his brother's hockey gear, ready for the puck to drop. Can't help but think this is one of those pictures you go back to enjoy in 15, 20 and 30 years down the road.
Monday, December 31, 2007
National Treasure II
As many of you know National Treasure II is in theatres right now. Some of the filming was done at Mt. Rushmore and my favorite place to climb, Sylvan Lake. I got an e-mail today from a friend of mine Daryl Stisser who owns and operates Sylvan Rocks Climbing School.
Their crew was asked to guide the film crew to the rocks that overlook the lake, and they also did some safety work for the crews on top of Rushmore. They took a boat load of pictures and here is the link to check them out....
Happy New Year, by the way...enjoy the night of festivities and a day of football tomorrow.
Their crew was asked to guide the film crew to the rocks that overlook the lake, and they also did some safety work for the crews on top of Rushmore. They took a boat load of pictures and here is the link to check them out....
Happy New Year, by the way...enjoy the night of festivities and a day of football tomorrow.
Friday, December 28, 2007
I will blog on!!! and...End of the Year Awards
Ok, I will admit it...I think this happened a few months ago and it happened again...I had a notion of ending the blog.
But after last night I realized my place in life, and this 5 minutes a day I spend rambling on about my life and our family life events, in a way keeps our family and extended family closer.
Last night we had a post-Christmas party at my folks' house with my dad's sisters and their kids. After a while the talk turned to Living On Liquid, the laughs were hearty, and inside jokes about stories and comments on the website came out for all to enjoy.
I had a warm-fuzzy feeling to know that a little something I do keeps our family connected, I guess I am the family journalist...with the world wide web as our newspaper.
The end of the year always brings awards, top 10 lists and Best Of lists...so here is the awards from the Living On Liquid staff.
Most loyal Living On Liquid Visitor: After much debate Aunt Gloria wins this award...she told us there are only 3 websites she visits...Living On Liquid and the 2 funeral homes in our town. Yes, Debbie Downer gets her fill of family news and then heads on over to Welter's site to see who's dead! (Notice the 2 new hot links on the right hand side of the website to make things easy for Auntie Glo!) Honorable Mentions: Sally, Skipper and Verlie (Skipper and Verlie would have won this award but thier wives don't let them post comments for fear of hurting my feelings...come on guys start dishing it out again, we miss you!)
Best Fake Injuries Sustained Through False Reporting On This Website: Grandpa Bob...a blown out knee from caber-tossing gone wrong, and a nose injury from prize fighting on the East Coast...both injuries sound way more rad then how they actually happened...thanks for the artistic leeway, dad. Honorable Mention: Shaki the cat...who my mom almost successfully crushed with their 2,000 lbs. garage door...don't worry Shaki, Maxim has his Sunday School teachers praying for you and Grandma Penny!
Most Frequent International Visitor: Amber K. wins this one hands down...it's always nice to see that Uganda has Internet access. Honorable Mention: The Korean spamer that had Aunt Gloria convinced that all of our computers are now in the hands of Kim Jong-il.
Best Picture Posted: At Sally's request, my 2nd grade picture with the hemp necklace, velour shirt, stocking cap hair and a half-stoned look on my face...funny thing is...I look the same today, minus the 2nd grade innocence.
Best Linking Site To Living On Liquid: Minus Car Project...I get more outside the family visitors from this site than any other site. Mike is the man when it comes to blogging and saving the Earth...also takes a pretty good picture with the sweaty drummer from MeWithoutYou...good times.
Best Comments Posted: Aaron S...he posted the comment that shocked the Internet world after I lost my stupid dog in a sleet storm earlier this fall. Exactly 17 minutes after he posted it his mom called him to yell at him for being so mean to me. In all reality he was quoting lines from one of our favorite Adam Sandler movies and I was laughing with Brent as A.J. was getting chewed out. Aaron, may God have mercy on your soul! Honorable Mention: Skip and Verlie...this tag team - dynamic duo of retirees used to rip it up on the "post comments" section, but now have been shut down by their wives...I guess we know who wears the pants in those relationships!
Most Played Musician During Posts: Jack Johnson...I can't seem to figure out my Last.FM scrobbling tool all the time and I have a feeling Jack would have lost out to Eartha Kitt singing "Santa Baby" over the last few weeks, but here's to Jack!!! I am counting down the days to February when the new album drops...maybe an invite to the CD release party in Hawaii???
Visitor # 1,000: January 21, 2007 we tripped the "hit counter" over 1,000 here at Living On Liquid and I am almost 99% sure, Uncle Skipper was the 1,000th visitor...congrats. For being number 1,000 I invite you to go to the Living On Liquid webstore and buy yourself a new t-shirt. By the way we are nearing 10,000 hits! Can we do it before 2008? Only you can decide.
Biggest News Story On Living On Liquid During 2007: The Great Flood of May. If I would have had a 3rd son I would have built an ark...I just didn't think we could get it done without a "Japheth". We got 10" in a couple days...then there was the infamous pontoon boat landing on our "shores". Finally 8 months after the event, the insurance company did what insurance companies are supposed to do...pay you for losses. Honorable Mention: House remodel completion...actually there is still some more to do, but that is a bad subject with the CEO of the family, and we won't bring it up...if mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.
Most Blogged About State: You would think the 605 would be the hands down winner here, but I guess I have a crush on Montana. Final score of posts about states...Montana 8, So-Dak 5, Idaho 2. Sorry Gov. Rounds...I guess I need a little more kick back from the Dept. of Tourism this year.
Best Guest Blogger: Cousin Brent...I think he did it from his BlackBerry in an airport all about airport travels! Thanks for giving me a break from the writing that day! By the way you will see some of Brent's work this New Year's Eve...when the ball drops in Times Square...you will see an ANHEUSER-BUSCH sign in the background...that's his project!
Finally MVP of Living On Liquid: My wife* and kids, there is no way I could put up the stats that I do each night without their help...they are the lifeblood of this blog, and without them I would have nothing to write about. However you might notice there is an asterisk by my wife's name...as she was listed in the Mitchell Report for using HGH and The Clear during the '06 season. But how else could she have got through almost a full year without a working kitchen!
Special thanks to Whiskeymilitia.com and Steepandcheap.com for making Christmas shopping for presents to myself and others easy...thanks to Wikipedia.com for giving descriptions to obscure references to readers during my posts...thanks to basec.net for still offering slow Internet dial-up connections to those of us who can't get a cable modem and don't want to pay $130 a month to a satellite Internet provider...special thanks anyone who comes to this site for a break from their busy days...Happy New Year for the gang at Living On Liquid.
But after last night I realized my place in life, and this 5 minutes a day I spend rambling on about my life and our family life events, in a way keeps our family and extended family closer.
Last night we had a post-Christmas party at my folks' house with my dad's sisters and their kids. After a while the talk turned to Living On Liquid, the laughs were hearty, and inside jokes about stories and comments on the website came out for all to enjoy.
I had a warm-fuzzy feeling to know that a little something I do keeps our family connected, I guess I am the family journalist...with the world wide web as our newspaper.
The end of the year always brings awards, top 10 lists and Best Of lists...so here is the awards from the Living On Liquid staff.
Most loyal Living On Liquid Visitor: After much debate Aunt Gloria wins this award...she told us there are only 3 websites she visits...Living On Liquid and the 2 funeral homes in our town. Yes, Debbie Downer gets her fill of family news and then heads on over to Welter's site to see who's dead! (Notice the 2 new hot links on the right hand side of the website to make things easy for Auntie Glo!) Honorable Mentions: Sally, Skipper and Verlie (Skipper and Verlie would have won this award but thier wives don't let them post comments for fear of hurting my feelings...come on guys start dishing it out again, we miss you!)
Best Fake Injuries Sustained Through False Reporting On This Website: Grandpa Bob...a blown out knee from caber-tossing gone wrong, and a nose injury from prize fighting on the East Coast...both injuries sound way more rad then how they actually happened...thanks for the artistic leeway, dad. Honorable Mention: Shaki the cat...who my mom almost successfully crushed with their 2,000 lbs. garage door...don't worry Shaki, Maxim has his Sunday School teachers praying for you and Grandma Penny!
Most Frequent International Visitor: Amber K. wins this one hands down...it's always nice to see that Uganda has Internet access. Honorable Mention: The Korean spamer that had Aunt Gloria convinced that all of our computers are now in the hands of Kim Jong-il.
Best Picture Posted: At Sally's request, my 2nd grade picture with the hemp necklace, velour shirt, stocking cap hair and a half-stoned look on my face...funny thing is...I look the same today, minus the 2nd grade innocence.
Best Linking Site To Living On Liquid: Minus Car Project...I get more outside the family visitors from this site than any other site. Mike is the man when it comes to blogging and saving the Earth...also takes a pretty good picture with the sweaty drummer from MeWithoutYou...good times.
Best Comments Posted: Aaron S...he posted the comment that shocked the Internet world after I lost my stupid dog in a sleet storm earlier this fall. Exactly 17 minutes after he posted it his mom called him to yell at him for being so mean to me. In all reality he was quoting lines from one of our favorite Adam Sandler movies and I was laughing with Brent as A.J. was getting chewed out. Aaron, may God have mercy on your soul! Honorable Mention: Skip and Verlie...this tag team - dynamic duo of retirees used to rip it up on the "post comments" section, but now have been shut down by their wives...I guess we know who wears the pants in those relationships!
Most Played Musician During Posts: Jack Johnson...I can't seem to figure out my Last.FM scrobbling tool all the time and I have a feeling Jack would have lost out to Eartha Kitt singing "Santa Baby" over the last few weeks, but here's to Jack!!! I am counting down the days to February when the new album drops...maybe an invite to the CD release party in Hawaii???
Visitor # 1,000: January 21, 2007 we tripped the "hit counter" over 1,000 here at Living On Liquid and I am almost 99% sure, Uncle Skipper was the 1,000th visitor...congrats. For being number 1,000 I invite you to go to the Living On Liquid webstore and buy yourself a new t-shirt. By the way we are nearing 10,000 hits! Can we do it before 2008? Only you can decide.
Most Controversial Post: July 20th's Harry Potter blog. I completly went off that day...I think it was some of my best work. BUT...I must have stepped on toes, because I was approached by an older friend who said a person came up to him with concerns about my blog and my beliefs.
They were a little miffed about my statement:
"Will the books challenge people's beliefs, thoughts and faith? Maybe not, but I hope so.Will it cause people to face the reality of darkness in the world, ie...in magic, wizards, demons and the occult? Maybe, and that's a good thing in my eyes...when is the last time any church had a 4 week session on demon possession? Never, but it still happens, and we sweep it under the rug.
Maybe because it is a powerful thing, and most of us are ill-equipped to deal with it's depth, mentally and spiritually. It's much like faith healing or speaking in tongues...oooooh, I stepped on some Mennonite toes there, yes I believe that God still preforms miracle healings, and I also believe Christians still speak in tongues."
I still stand by my statements, as my Bible still has those stories listed in the text.
Biggest News Story On Living On Liquid During 2007: The Great Flood of May. If I would have had a 3rd son I would have built an ark...I just didn't think we could get it done without a "Japheth". We got 10" in a couple days...then there was the infamous pontoon boat landing on our "shores". Finally 8 months after the event, the insurance company did what insurance companies are supposed to do...pay you for losses. Honorable Mention: House remodel completion...actually there is still some more to do, but that is a bad subject with the CEO of the family, and we won't bring it up...if mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.
Most Blogged About State: You would think the 605 would be the hands down winner here, but I guess I have a crush on Montana. Final score of posts about states...Montana 8, So-Dak 5, Idaho 2. Sorry Gov. Rounds...I guess I need a little more kick back from the Dept. of Tourism this year.
Best Guest Blogger: Cousin Brent...I think he did it from his BlackBerry in an airport all about airport travels! Thanks for giving me a break from the writing that day! By the way you will see some of Brent's work this New Year's Eve...when the ball drops in Times Square...you will see an ANHEUSER-BUSCH sign in the background...that's his project!
Finally MVP of Living On Liquid: My wife* and kids, there is no way I could put up the stats that I do each night without their help...they are the lifeblood of this blog, and without them I would have nothing to write about. However you might notice there is an asterisk by my wife's name...as she was listed in the Mitchell Report for using HGH and The Clear during the '06 season. But how else could she have got through almost a full year without a working kitchen!
Special thanks to Whiskeymilitia.com and Steepandcheap.com for making Christmas shopping for presents to myself and others easy...thanks to Wikipedia.com for giving descriptions to obscure references to readers during my posts...thanks to basec.net for still offering slow Internet dial-up connections to those of us who can't get a cable modem and don't want to pay $130 a month to a satellite Internet provider...special thanks anyone who comes to this site for a break from their busy days...Happy New Year for the gang at Living On Liquid.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Playing with the presents.
One of my favorite things about Christmas has always been playing with the presents, either that I received or now...the cool stuff my boys get.
Video games, action figures, Legos (that I put together), dinosaur bones (that I put together), remote controlled cars (That I ran the batteries out of), Nerf guns (That I shoot Steph with), we got it all this year, and it has been a blast.
My sister who is a great gift-giver sent Maxim a pair of snowshoes. Maxim had no idea what they were for, but last night we strapped them on and went on a little expedition.
Video games, action figures, Legos (that I put together), dinosaur bones (that I put together), remote controlled cars (That I ran the batteries out of), Nerf guns (That I shoot Steph with), we got it all this year, and it has been a blast.
My sister who is a great gift-giver sent Maxim a pair of snowshoes. Maxim had no idea what they were for, but last night we strapped them on and went on a little expedition.
After a couple of faceplants in the front yard, he relearned how to walk...Then he wanted to go down to the lake to walk on the ice. So I piled Brecken in the sled, and great Beadle County Explorer Maxim, Brecken and their trusty sled dogs, Annie and Lily ran all over the snow-covered ice of Lake Byron.
There was some pretty heavy fog so it was really cool, as you couldn't see more than 200 feet in front of you. Steph came down and joined us...and laughed at Maxim when he would get his feet tangled and land in a pile...GREAT GIFT AUNT SALLY!
The other thing Steph and I love to do in the winter, is grill...she threw a pork loin on the grill and while it cooked, Brecken wanted to play on the swing set. The slide is a lot more fun when you land in a pile of snow at the end of it.
Our next door neighbors, who totally spoil our boys, brought over the boy's Christmas present. A bird feeder that looks like a log cabin, and a year's supply of bird food. We can't wait to hang it up and see all the birds that come to the lake. Last night I saw a huge Bluejay, so maybe we can get him to stop by our new birdhouse when we put it up this weekend.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
My Christmas Slideshow 2007
Omaha's Henry Doorley Zoo!
We had the place to ourselves...the boys loved the aquarium and the primates.
Oh yeah, and the Roadrunner that, "Almost killed Maxim!"
We spent almost an hour watching the orangutans...we were the only people there.Maxim was teasing this guy and then he jumped at the window and scared Maxim off the bench he was standing on.
Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Uncle Jay and Aunt Angie's. The house was never quiet and the Amazing Pizza Machine was a sensory overload!
This is Uncle Jay feeding Brecken candy sprinkles straight out of the dispenser...Brecken loves his Uncle Jay.
Sunday sledding at Jay and Angie's...Avery won the award for loudest scream.
Christmas morning opening presents....right here Maxim is thinking, "Yes!!! Slippers!!!! just what I wanted Grandma!" He wore them all afternoon. 
Brecken with his adult present opening helper Grandpa Bob.
It's about 12:30 in the afternoon here and notice Grandpa is already yawning.
He and Brecken both took naps.
All in all it was a great Christmas, one of the best that I can remember...with that said, I don't even remember last year's Christmas.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Just in time for Christmas...
The folks here at Living On Liquid know shopping for the right Christmas present is tough, so this Holiday season, get that loved one...or not so loved one, the gift that says..."Yes, I was bored enough to find this website!".
Living On Liquid invites you to check out our apparel and hard goods at our Internet store located here...http://www.cafepress.com/livingonliquid
This is the design on all of our custom items...check back frequently as we will be adding more items!
Friday, December 14, 2007
New Shoes Make You Go Faster!
When I was a kid...17 and under...I never understood why my dad would get up each morning and run 3 miles...rain, sleet, snow or bitter cold. He would just bundle up and beat the street.
Those of you that know my dad know he is famous for an extremely bowed-out leg with no cartilage on the knee, an old caber-tossing injury he sustained while working on a goat milk dairy farm in the Scottish Hilands. After the medieval-type surgery he was left with a bone on bone arrangement that couldn't have been comfortable to run on...but he did it anyway.
Now that I am older and wiser I realize why he ran...much the same reason that Forrest Gump ran...because you escape when you run. Nothing else matters except the next step...it is refreshing and calming.
I run 3 miles a day 5 days a week, sometimes more. So I am your average "jogger". Oh yeah, the other reason I run, is because I eat like a pig. I was tying up my shoes the other day and noticed how broke down they were from running, and it dawned on me that I have been running in the same shoes for over a year and a half...so it was time to retire them to the lawn mowing pile of shoes.
On Wednesday I replaced my old Salomon XA Pro's with a new pair of Adidas Bounce's. I felt like an 8 year old with new kicks! I felt like I was floating on air and running so much faster. It was like running was new again.
I can't help but remember the time I got a pair of KangaROOs I felt like the coolest kid in the town and always had a couple of quarters in each hidden pocket, and I could jump in those 'ROOs.
New shoes haven't changed, they still make kids, and BIG kids, go faster and jump higher. Maxim has some black Chuck Taylor All-Stars that are completely rad, and his first comment was, "See how high I jump, dad?"
Little did he know both of his grandpas probably said the same thing about the same shoes about 50 years ago. Makes me wonder if my grand kids will be wearing KangaROOs?
By the way I was happy to see my name didn't make it on to the MLB's "The Mitchell Report". I once did a TV news story about baseball and steroids.
Those of you that know my dad know he is famous for an extremely bowed-out leg with no cartilage on the knee, an old caber-tossing injury he sustained while working on a goat milk dairy farm in the Scottish Hilands. After the medieval-type surgery he was left with a bone on bone arrangement that couldn't have been comfortable to run on...but he did it anyway.
Now that I am older and wiser I realize why he ran...much the same reason that Forrest Gump ran...because you escape when you run. Nothing else matters except the next step...it is refreshing and calming.
I run 3 miles a day 5 days a week, sometimes more. So I am your average "jogger". Oh yeah, the other reason I run, is because I eat like a pig. I was tying up my shoes the other day and noticed how broke down they were from running, and it dawned on me that I have been running in the same shoes for over a year and a half...so it was time to retire them to the lawn mowing pile of shoes.
On Wednesday I replaced my old Salomon XA Pro's with a new pair of Adidas Bounce's. I felt like an 8 year old with new kicks! I felt like I was floating on air and running so much faster. It was like running was new again.
I can't help but remember the time I got a pair of KangaROOs I felt like the coolest kid in the town and always had a couple of quarters in each hidden pocket, and I could jump in those 'ROOs.
New shoes haven't changed, they still make kids, and BIG kids, go faster and jump higher. Maxim has some black Chuck Taylor All-Stars that are completely rad, and his first comment was, "See how high I jump, dad?"
Little did he know both of his grandpas probably said the same thing about the same shoes about 50 years ago. Makes me wonder if my grand kids will be wearing KangaROOs?
By the way I was happy to see my name didn't make it on to the MLB's "The Mitchell Report". I once did a TV news story about baseball and steroids.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Things you don't say to your wife...
Great weekend for the fam...we spent most of it in the house.
Steph and I played with the kids, we let the dogs come in the house to play with the boys.
We did venture out on Saturday for some fun in the snow.
The hockey game went good on Sunday night...nobody cried, and Maxim kind of scored a goal...I think it was already going to cross the line when he hit it in...BUT he was there, and in the scorer's sheet he would have got the credit!
I leave you with a video from a comedian that is coming to Huron in March. He will be at the Sould Out Center...super funny guy, and this song is so true.
Steph and I played with the kids, we let the dogs come in the house to play with the boys.
We did venture out on Saturday for some fun in the snow.
The hockey game went good on Sunday night...nobody cried, and Maxim kind of scored a goal...I think it was already going to cross the line when he hit it in...BUT he was there, and in the scorer's sheet he would have got the credit!
I leave you with a video from a comedian that is coming to Huron in March. He will be at the Sould Out Center...super funny guy, and this song is so true.
Thursday, December 06, 2007
Preparing my team for the big game...
As a lot of you know I coach the Huron All-Stars Mini-Mite hockey team...our first game is this Sunday. Well, that is if you call a bunch of 4,5 and 6 year olds playing "Herd Hockey" during the period breaks of a Varsity game our first game.
I am a little bit nervous that my team isn't ready for the big show yet, I still have 3 kids skating with the aid of chairs...used like a walker. 4 kids haven't showed up with sticks, even though I tell them they need them every practice. I have a few first generation hockey parents that insist on, even after my coaching, putting the hockey equipment on the outside of their jerseys and simply tying the kids' skates without tightening them up...leaving them with the impossible to skate on "floppy ankle".
Most coaches worry about the team running the breakout right, or staying in the "system", working the forecheck, and staying out of the penalty box...I have to worry about players wizzing in their breezers, crying because they don't want to skate backwards and having no idea where to go when I tell them to play "left wing".
The trials of a mini-mite coach.
Really its more of a comedy show...like clowns falling out of a VW Bug. My players will fall out of the entrance gate, start wobbling all over and running into each other, all the while the theme song from Peanuts is playing over the loud speaker. Then my son Maxim will yell to the crowd..."ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?" (A little Gladiator reference there)
So if you are in the area and interested in a good laugh at the future hockey prospects of the Huron All-Stars...Sunday at 5pm...Bergman Arena.
I'll be the guy herding the cats.
I am a little bit nervous that my team isn't ready for the big show yet, I still have 3 kids skating with the aid of chairs...used like a walker. 4 kids haven't showed up with sticks, even though I tell them they need them every practice. I have a few first generation hockey parents that insist on, even after my coaching, putting the hockey equipment on the outside of their jerseys and simply tying the kids' skates without tightening them up...leaving them with the impossible to skate on "floppy ankle".
Most coaches worry about the team running the breakout right, or staying in the "system", working the forecheck, and staying out of the penalty box...I have to worry about players wizzing in their breezers, crying because they don't want to skate backwards and having no idea where to go when I tell them to play "left wing".
The trials of a mini-mite coach.
Really its more of a comedy show...like clowns falling out of a VW Bug. My players will fall out of the entrance gate, start wobbling all over and running into each other, all the while the theme song from Peanuts is playing over the loud speaker. Then my son Maxim will yell to the crowd..."ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?" (A little Gladiator reference there)
So if you are in the area and interested in a good laugh at the future hockey prospects of the Huron All-Stars...Sunday at 5pm...Bergman Arena.
I'll be the guy herding the cats.
Friday, November 30, 2007
The Sun Setting On Fall.
I took this picture on our front porch 2 nights ago...there was some geese behind me flying South, a crisp bite of cold in the air, and I got the feeling that this was the sun setting on a nice long fall.
Last night the season's first dusting of snow covered the Subaru as Maxim and I left the Hockey Arena...we were both excited. I think I got into winter mode this week...I checked 3 of my favorite "winter" websites...here...here....and here. Snowmaking is in full swing in the Dakota hills, and Big Sky opened a few routes with natural snow and some man-made.
I ended up the night last night with "America's Team" beating "Wisconsin's Team" and then watched some snowboarding/skiing in HD on FuelTV to usher in the "White Season".
Oh yeah, the Christmas decor in the house looks amazing...Steph totally went Martha Stewart on the house this year...we have 8 Christmas trees. 3 full size, a couple of shortys, and 3 "pencil" trees...I am ashamed I even know that decor term.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Maxim Sings At Breakfast.
I shot this the other morning as Maxim was eating breakfast...super funny, he's not fully awake, but he is really giving it his all singing the theme song for the TV show Little Einsteins.
The same morning he performed his version of the Transformer's theme song...I'll post that some other day.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
See you in the funny papers....
I don't read the comic strips anymore...ever since the Farside and Calvin & Hobbes went to rerun there just aren't funny writers anymore.
Or maybe I just don't take time to read them anymore...Well, my dad just had surgery, so he is spending a couple days at home. He had to have work done on his nasal passage, this corrects an old boxing injury he sustained while prize fighting his way up and down the East Coast in the mid-60's.
Anyway...Dad was reading the paper today and thought Garfield was really funny today if you change some names and pretend Garfield is me!
Pretty true, and pretty funny...here it is.
If you can't read it here...click here to go to the Garfield website...
Monday, November 26, 2007
The party is over...
Thanksgiving at our house means 3 things...Family, Football and Hockey.
My brother-in-law brought my sister and their kids up from Kansas for the extended weekend and the party began on Thursday morning with the annual Turkey Bowl Football Extravaganza. I think I have played in 4 straight T-bowls, and they get colder each year.
FOR THE RECORD:
My team: 5 TD's
Brad's Team: 4 TD's
First to 5 TD's wins!
Stats
ME:
Passing 0-2, 0 yds, 1 int
Receiving: 60 yds (est.), 1 TD
Defense: 4 pass break-ups, 1 deflection, 1 sack, 2 hurries
Bro-in-law:
Receiving: 70 yds (est.) 1 TD
Defense: 2 pass break-ups
Also received a huge hit from a fellow receiver while running a crossing route...his day was done.
(So Brad compiled great stats in a single quarter of action.)
After football, we headed to my office to sit in the hot tub for a nice warm-up, and to relax B-rad's neck after the vicious hit!
Thursday was spent watching TV and then headed to my cousin's house for tradition of Turkey and stuff.
Friday, the Rooster Cup Hockey Challenge started, and so did my ice time. I officiated 8 games of the tournament in 3 days. My legs were ready for a break today, so I only ran 2.5 miles.
Friday night we went to Brookings and watched SDSU knock off UNI in men's hoops.
Saturday more hockey and football watching on TV. Then to the James Valley auction at night.
Sunday, more hockey reffing..then had Uncle Skipper and some other people over for Steph's famous chili and 2X baked potatoes. Watched a little more football, as Denver choked and the Patriots squeaked by. Maxim, Steph and I played a little Monopoly...then slept...much needed sleep.
A little crazy, but it was fun.
My brother-in-law brought my sister and their kids up from Kansas for the extended weekend and the party began on Thursday morning with the annual Turkey Bowl Football Extravaganza. I think I have played in 4 straight T-bowls, and they get colder each year.
FOR THE RECORD:
My team: 5 TD's
Brad's Team: 4 TD's
First to 5 TD's wins!
Stats
ME:
Passing 0-2, 0 yds, 1 int
Receiving: 60 yds (est.), 1 TD
Defense: 4 pass break-ups, 1 deflection, 1 sack, 2 hurries
Bro-in-law:
Receiving: 70 yds (est.) 1 TD
Defense: 2 pass break-ups
Also received a huge hit from a fellow receiver while running a crossing route...his day was done.
(So Brad compiled great stats in a single quarter of action.)
After football, we headed to my office to sit in the hot tub for a nice warm-up, and to relax B-rad's neck after the vicious hit!
Thursday was spent watching TV and then headed to my cousin's house for tradition of Turkey and stuff.
Friday, the Rooster Cup Hockey Challenge started, and so did my ice time. I officiated 8 games of the tournament in 3 days. My legs were ready for a break today, so I only ran 2.5 miles.
Friday night we went to Brookings and watched SDSU knock off UNI in men's hoops.
Saturday more hockey and football watching on TV. Then to the James Valley auction at night.
Sunday, more hockey reffing..then had Uncle Skipper and some other people over for Steph's famous chili and 2X baked potatoes. Watched a little more football, as Denver choked and the Patriots squeaked by. Maxim, Steph and I played a little Monopoly...then slept...much needed sleep.
A little crazy, but it was fun.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
You have heard it before, but it is funny.
A young man named John received a parrot as a gift.
The parrot had a bad attitude and an even worse vocabulary. Every word out of the bird's mouth was rude, obnoxious, and laced with profanity. John tried and tried to change the bird's attitude by consistently saying only polite words, playing soft music and anything else he could think of to "clean up" the bird's vocabulary.
Finally, John was fed up, and he yelled at the parrot. The parrot yelled back. John shook the parrot and the parrot got angrier and even ruder. John, in desperation, threw up his hands, grabbed the bird, and put him in the freezer.
For a few minutes, the parrot squawked and kicked and screamed. Then suddenly there was total quiet. Not a peep was heard for over a minute. Fearing that he'd hurt the parrot, John quickly opened the door to the freezer.
The parrot calmly stepped out onto John's outstretched arms and said to John, "I believe I may have offended you with my rude language and actions. I'm sincerely remorseful for my inappropriate transgressions and I fully intend to do everything I can to correct my offensive and unforgivable behavior.” John was stunned at the change in the bird's attitude.
Just as he was about to ask the parrot what had made such a dramatic change in his behavior, the bird continued, "May I ask what the turkey did?"
The parrot had a bad attitude and an even worse vocabulary. Every word out of the bird's mouth was rude, obnoxious, and laced with profanity. John tried and tried to change the bird's attitude by consistently saying only polite words, playing soft music and anything else he could think of to "clean up" the bird's vocabulary.
Finally, John was fed up, and he yelled at the parrot. The parrot yelled back. John shook the parrot and the parrot got angrier and even ruder. John, in desperation, threw up his hands, grabbed the bird, and put him in the freezer.
For a few minutes, the parrot squawked and kicked and screamed. Then suddenly there was total quiet. Not a peep was heard for over a minute. Fearing that he'd hurt the parrot, John quickly opened the door to the freezer.
The parrot calmly stepped out onto John's outstretched arms and said to John, "I believe I may have offended you with my rude language and actions. I'm sincerely remorseful for my inappropriate transgressions and I fully intend to do everything I can to correct my offensive and unforgivable behavior.” John was stunned at the change in the bird's attitude.
Just as he was about to ask the parrot what had made such a dramatic change in his behavior, the bird continued, "May I ask what the turkey did?"
Monday, November 19, 2007
Turkey Tom
My uncle used to call me "Turkey Tom" when I was a kid because my birthday is on the 20th of November. This bothered me when I was 7, now I kind of like it.
It still sticks with me that my aunt always told me and my cousin that our hair smelled like the chicken coupe...now I can handle being Turkey Tom, but smelling like a chicken coupe??? The reason we smelled like the chicken coupe is most likely because for most of the day we were playing in the chicken coupe or worse.
Good farm memories with Uncle Jim.
Yep I turn 20+15 tomorrow. I'm not one of those that worries about age, I just want to stay healthy, active and able to roll with my boys when it's needed. So far so good.
I'm probably not going to blog for a few days, so I'll leave you with this bit of Turkey Tom humor.
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
At Sally's Request.
A month ago I posted Maxim's first "school picture". I made reference to a couple of my classic school photos, and my sister thought it would be great if I put them on the blog.
I guess my mom thought it would be a good idea as well, because she had them in an envelope at the house for me the other night.
So here they are.
...ROCKIN' the hemp necklace with beads...not quite sure what the hair was doing this year.
This is the 1st grade picture...as I look at it now, I kind of look tough. In that 1970's squinty eye, wavy, shag, parted down the side kind of way...OK I look half asleep, and I still do today!
Monday, November 05, 2007
I hate Fantasy Football...this season!
I play in a couple of fantasy football leagues with buddies from all over the nation. I have held the Champions Trophy a few times...but this year is a struggle.
Quarterbacks are killing me. I have a great running game and a great defense and defensive players...but the QB's haven't treated me with any respect.
I started with Drew Brees, he was horrible for like 4 weeks so I dumped him.
I had Jon Kitna for a back up, and he was producing so I started him for a few weeks.
After 2 weeks of starting him and only scoring 13 total points I dropped him for Farve..he put up 3 points in week 6...dumped him.
Back to Kitna...5 points in week 7...dropped him from my team.
Started Jay Cutler...I'm a bit of a Broncos fan so this was a good marriage...he put up 13 points in week 8...respectable for a first outing.
This week I faced my brother-in-law (B-Rad) in a match-up I always must win to save face at the Thanksgiving Table.
Ironically B-rad started my old QB, whom he picked up, Jon Kitna.
Kitna put up 22 and Cutler went out with an injury in the 2nd quarter...giving me ZERO points. I lost by more than 50 points, Thanksgiving is going to suck.
I am pretty sure that if I were a real NFL coach this year, players would refuse to join my team or play for me, they either end up hurt or with horrible stats.
I do think that Fantasy Football makes you a demented fan of the NFL, as I have Adrian Peterson on my team, and I always want him to have 300 yards and 4 touchdowns, but every week I want the Vikings to lose by 30, so Chad Greenway and Antoine Winfield will have a bunch of opportunities to make tackles and interceptions.
Next week I'm starting QB Matt Hasselbeck from the Seahawks...that's how desperate I have become.
Quarterbacks are killing me. I have a great running game and a great defense and defensive players...but the QB's haven't treated me with any respect.
I started with Drew Brees, he was horrible for like 4 weeks so I dumped him.
I had Jon Kitna for a back up, and he was producing so I started him for a few weeks.
After 2 weeks of starting him and only scoring 13 total points I dropped him for Farve..he put up 3 points in week 6...dumped him.
Back to Kitna...5 points in week 7...dropped him from my team.
Started Jay Cutler...I'm a bit of a Broncos fan so this was a good marriage...he put up 13 points in week 8...respectable for a first outing.
This week I faced my brother-in-law (B-Rad) in a match-up I always must win to save face at the Thanksgiving Table.
Ironically B-rad started my old QB, whom he picked up, Jon Kitna.
Kitna put up 22 and Cutler went out with an injury in the 2nd quarter...giving me ZERO points. I lost by more than 50 points, Thanksgiving is going to suck.
I am pretty sure that if I were a real NFL coach this year, players would refuse to join my team or play for me, they either end up hurt or with horrible stats.
I do think that Fantasy Football makes you a demented fan of the NFL, as I have Adrian Peterson on my team, and I always want him to have 300 yards and 4 touchdowns, but every week I want the Vikings to lose by 30, so Chad Greenway and Antoine Winfield will have a bunch of opportunities to make tackles and interceptions.
Next week I'm starting QB Matt Hasselbeck from the Seahawks...that's how desperate I have become.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Halloween at "The Office".
Every office dwelling employee was faced with a huge choice this morning...to dress up, or not to dress up.
All over America today Zombies are answering phones at credit card calling centers, Witches are serving burgers at the local "greasy spoon", Fairy Godmothers are completing transactions at banks, and Mr. Incredible look alikes are performing accounting tasks, with their masks on...all in the name of Halloween.
I saw a report that Americans will spend over $6 billion on Halloween crap.
As you can tell from that statement, I dressed like myself today...to the hilt...The North Face khaki pants, a Gramicci t-shirt and a thermal long sleeve under it. I tend to laugh at grown adults dressed up like vampires while at work.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not some killjoy, but I find it ridiculous. I don't dress like a Shepard at Christmas or like a bunny at Easter. I just don't understand the motive. If you are going to a Halloween party, go ahead drive across town to your friend's house with your gorilla suit on, that's funny, but at work???
I think the Senate should enact a law prohibiting anyone over the age of 13 from wearing a costume all day on Halloween...but by all means go to the local bar tonight and get toasted while wearing your pirate outfit...if St. Patrick's day is "Amateur's night" at the bar scene, then Halloween is "Immature's night" at the bar scene.
But who am I to judge...I have to leave work early to get Darth Vader, and his sidekick, the 2 foot 5 inch turtle to the local "Trunk and Treat" before Wednesday night kid's church starts!
(Disclaimer: If you dressed up today at work the author apologizes...to your co-workers on your behalf.)
All over America today Zombies are answering phones at credit card calling centers, Witches are serving burgers at the local "greasy spoon", Fairy Godmothers are completing transactions at banks, and Mr. Incredible look alikes are performing accounting tasks, with their masks on...all in the name of Halloween.
I saw a report that Americans will spend over $6 billion on Halloween crap.
As you can tell from that statement, I dressed like myself today...to the hilt...The North Face khaki pants, a Gramicci t-shirt and a thermal long sleeve under it. I tend to laugh at grown adults dressed up like vampires while at work.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not some killjoy, but I find it ridiculous. I don't dress like a Shepard at Christmas or like a bunny at Easter. I just don't understand the motive. If you are going to a Halloween party, go ahead drive across town to your friend's house with your gorilla suit on, that's funny, but at work???
I think the Senate should enact a law prohibiting anyone over the age of 13 from wearing a costume all day on Halloween...but by all means go to the local bar tonight and get toasted while wearing your pirate outfit...if St. Patrick's day is "Amateur's night" at the bar scene, then Halloween is "Immature's night" at the bar scene.
But who am I to judge...I have to leave work early to get Darth Vader, and his sidekick, the 2 foot 5 inch turtle to the local "Trunk and Treat" before Wednesday night kid's church starts!
(Disclaimer: If you dressed up today at work the author apologizes...to your co-workers on your behalf.)
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Bloggers United.
I have an idealist friend, who is saving the environment by himself and unknowingly making me feel guilty about it. He is actually the reason I considered starting a blog. So you have him to blame. If you want to check it out Minus Car is the blog spot...here is the story.
Last Wednesday, after hunting with the 3 pastors Dave, Sam and Brian, Dave and I headed to Nutty's North in S.F. to catch one of my favorite bands, mewithoutYou.
I was introduced to mewithoutYou via FuseTV's segement "Not On the Radio" about 2 years ago. The lead singer talked about his involvement in "The Simple Way" a community in Kennsington, PA.
They played a couple videos and I was hooked...I can't really describe their sound, besides poetic, screamo, and heavy. They don't fit into a genera, which pleases me.
The concert was good, a little short, but as Dave pointed out, the band was extremely tight and was worth the $0 I paid for the comp ticket...thanks Dave.
We all enjoyed the show, and Dave snapped a picture of the Bloggers United with the drummer from mewithoutYou...I'm on the right, Minus Car on the left, sweaty, hairy drummer in the middle.
Good times.
Last Wednesday, after hunting with the 3 pastors Dave, Sam and Brian, Dave and I headed to Nutty's North in S.F. to catch one of my favorite bands, mewithoutYou.
I was introduced to mewithoutYou via FuseTV's segement "Not On the Radio" about 2 years ago. The lead singer talked about his involvement in "The Simple Way" a community in Kennsington, PA.
They played a couple videos and I was hooked...I can't really describe their sound, besides poetic, screamo, and heavy. They don't fit into a genera, which pleases me.
The concert was good, a little short, but as Dave pointed out, the band was extremely tight and was worth the $0 I paid for the comp ticket...thanks Dave.
We all enjoyed the show, and Dave snapped a picture of the Bloggers United with the drummer from mewithoutYou...I'm on the right, Minus Car on the left, sweaty, hairy drummer in the middle.
Good times.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Maxim the Cattle Rustler...and the Upland Bird Hunter
Last week Maxim was begging to go pheasant hunting with my father-in-law and I, so on Tuesday I brought him along.
We got over to Papa Raymond's around 10 a.m. and they were working heifers..."preg checking" them. Now if you have never seen this firsthand, you are not going to appreciate this, but when he say the Vet stick his hand in, and heard the cow beller...it was an eyeful for a 5 year old. After about 10 minutes of watching, he was ready to go outside and play. I was happy he was getting farm educated.
We grabbed some food and around noon we headed to the field. We hunted corn and river bottom. Maxim walked the entire day, just blocking during the corn hunt so we didn't lose him! We figure he walked about 3 miles in switch grass, stubble fields and sloughs. He never once complained and carried a corn stalk gun for most of the time.
He was a trooper. I either ruined him for ever going out hunting again or he is now addicted.
After we cleaned the birds, which he stayed away from and called it "scary", Papa Raymond wanted us to help move some cow/calf pairs to a different field. Maxim and I took the 4 mile 4-wheeler ride to the field and jumped in the truck with Papa...a little safer in the truck.
We started pushing cattle, and he was very excited, imitating Papa by yelling at the cows out the truck window. The best part was when we encouraged an old heifer to "get along" by smacking her with the cattle guard of the truck, and Maxim's eyes got big again and he said, "Papa we crashed into that cow!" He fell asleep
before we got to the field and didn't wake up for 4 hours!
That was a day I will remember for a long time...the exact reason we moved back to the lake!
After we got back to the farm, Brecken was getting in the way of the ladies painting in the house, so we went for a 4-wheeler ride across some of the same roads me and my cousin Eric used to tear up with go-carts, motorcycles and 3-wheelers. We found Eric and my Uncle Jim combining corn, and hitched a ride for a few rounds...Brecken was overwhelmed.
We got home right before dark, ate and slept very well that night.
We got over to Papa Raymond's around 10 a.m. and they were working heifers..."preg checking" them. Now if you have never seen this firsthand, you are not going to appreciate this, but when he say the Vet stick his hand in, and heard the cow beller...it was an eyeful for a 5 year old. After about 10 minutes of watching, he was ready to go outside and play. I was happy he was getting farm educated.
We grabbed some food and around noon we headed to the field. We hunted corn and river bottom. Maxim walked the entire day, just blocking during the corn hunt so we didn't lose him! We figure he walked about 3 miles in switch grass, stubble fields and sloughs. He never once complained and carried a corn stalk gun for most of the time.
He was a trooper. I either ruined him for ever going out hunting again or he is now addicted.
After we cleaned the birds, which he stayed away from and called it "scary", Papa Raymond wanted us to help move some cow/calf pairs to a different field. Maxim and I took the 4 mile 4-wheeler ride to the field and jumped in the truck with Papa...a little safer in the truck.
We started pushing cattle, and he was very excited, imitating Papa by yelling at the cows out the truck window. The best part was when we encouraged an old heifer to "get along" by smacking her with the cattle guard of the truck, and Maxim's eyes got big again and he said, "Papa we crashed into that cow!" He fell asleep
before we got to the field and didn't wake up for 4 hours!That was a day I will remember for a long time...the exact reason we moved back to the lake!
After we got back to the farm, Brecken was getting in the way of the ladies painting in the house, so we went for a 4-wheeler ride across some of the same roads me and my cousin Eric used to tear up with go-carts, motorcycles and 3-wheelers. We found Eric and my Uncle Jim combining corn, and hitched a ride for a few rounds...Brecken was overwhelmed.
We got home right before dark, ate and slept very well that night.
Another Dog Story
Last week was spent mostly in the great outdoors of South Dakota chasing pheasants. My dogs, Annie, 11 year old German Shorthair Pointer and Lily, 5 year old English Pointer, accompanied me through just about every field. They were tired by Wednesday when we rumbled into Bridgewater, South Dakota to hunt with some friends from Sioux Falls and Minnesota.
The day was great, birds were good and the 4 dogs we had were working good. The last field of the day I was going to leave my 2 bird dogs in the kennel, but when I noticed the beautiful full section of CRP I couldn't walk away from the Expedition with thier whining...I knew they would get at least 4 days of nothing but kennel rest after that run.They had plenty of water, but half way through the field, Lily collapsed. She started seizing and her eyes were dilated, I thought for sure I would bury her in that field. We reacted pretty good according to the vet I talked to. We carried her out, got her to a truck, cooled her down with water and fed her a can of dog food.
3 hours later she was back to normal, or as normal as a dog would be after 5 days of hunting. I was having severe concerns about walking through the door and telling Maxim and Steph Lily was gone. Thanks to Rima for running a half mile with a gallon of water and a bowl and Jim J. for getting us to the "buffet" in a hurry.
Lily loves her food, but that day she didn't get enough.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
40,000 more miles!
I filled up with gas tonight and looked at the odometer on my Subaru Outback...159,998!
On the way home I will turn it into the 160K's.
My goal is to get it to 200K. Subaru Outbacks are known to run forever...this is a '97 and gives me little trouble for the age and miles on the car.
I have a love/hate relationship with this car...I love the fact that most people expect that I would drive a SUV or a pick-up. Then they see me in a crossover vehicle...which is what guys call their station wagons.
I will honk the horn when I hit 160K for all those of you that care.
On the way home I will turn it into the 160K's.
My goal is to get it to 200K. Subaru Outbacks are known to run forever...this is a '97 and gives me little trouble for the age and miles on the car.
I have a love/hate relationship with this car...I love the fact that most people expect that I would drive a SUV or a pick-up. Then they see me in a crossover vehicle...which is what guys call their station wagons.
I will honk the horn when I hit 160K for all those of you that care.
Use it or lose it...
I got an e-mail from HR the other day...(that's Human Resources for those of you not in the corporate world...or "Human Racehorses" for those of you working at the Coborn's Bakery...no-lie one time we ordered 3 dozen donuts at the office and they asked for a name, we told them to put Human Resources on the name...next day we pick them up, and right there at the top...Name: HUMAN RACEHORSES That one is framed and in our office.)
Back to the story...e-mail from HR telling me I have to use a bunch of vacation or I will lose it, as I can only carry over a week and a half. So I took some time off to hunt. They call it "use it or lose it month" around here, because everyone is trying to cram in some vacations that we haven't had time to use in the summer when most normal people take vacations.
I generated several blog stories in the last 4 days...I did USE my vacation time. So I will be filling you in in the next few days.
Here is a rundown of Blogs to come:
Another Dog Story.
Maxim the cattle rustler.
Maxim the upland bird hunter.
Brecken the combiner.
mewithoutYou...Bloggers United.
36 hours in bed without cable TV.
Skipper is Barbie's little sister...
Back to the story...e-mail from HR telling me I have to use a bunch of vacation or I will lose it, as I can only carry over a week and a half. So I took some time off to hunt. They call it "use it or lose it month" around here, because everyone is trying to cram in some vacations that we haven't had time to use in the summer when most normal people take vacations.
I generated several blog stories in the last 4 days...I did USE my vacation time. So I will be filling you in in the next few days.
Here is a rundown of Blogs to come:
Another Dog Story.
Maxim the cattle rustler.
Maxim the upland bird hunter.
Brecken the combiner.
mewithoutYou...Bloggers United.
36 hours in bed without cable TV.
Skipper is Barbie's little sister...
Friday, October 19, 2007
Lost Dog...finally found...Another epic story by: Tom Glanzer
The following is a quote from the movie Billy Madison starring Adam Sandler.
SCENE - Kindergarten teacher Miss Lippy just finished reading a book about a little boy who lost his dog. (some words have been changed or removed to protect the innocent)
BILLY - Whoa whoa whoa, Miss Lippy. The part of the story I don't like is that the little boy gave up looking for Happy after an hour. He didn't put posters up or anything, he just sat on the porch like a goon and waited. That little boy's gotta think 'You got a pet. You got a responsibility.' If your dog is lost you don't look for an hour then call it quits. You get your butt out there and you find that dog!!!"
I felt like Billy Madison last night.
Around 6pm Maxim, Brecken and I put on our rain gear and went outside to enjoy some fresh air, big puddles, strong winds and driving rains...sounds like fun, right, and extremely good parenting.
The dogs had been couped up in the kennel for 2 days because of the rain, rain, rain and more rain for the last 5 days, so we decided to let them out. I put Lilly's "hearing aid" on and let them rip...they had tons of energy and were happy to stretch their legs.
As the boys and I splashed in puddles, Annie and Lilly did what hunting dogs do. After 20 minutes of fun, I put the boys in the house for Steph to clean up for supper and I called the dogs to the kennel. Lilly came right away...Annie, my 11 year old German Shorthair Pointer didn't.
I walked to the places around the yard where she likes to sniff around and called for her, but nothing. After about 45 minutes I went into the house and ate, only to go right back outside.
I think I walked about a 1.5 miles and drove about 8 miles looking for her in rain, wind and darkness. The whole time thinking this was the end of the Annie-era.
Annie is actually Steph's dog from before we were married, Steph's dad trained it and fed it for the first year of it's life...so Annie still likes Roger better than me...in fact, if we hunt together, Annie hunts in front of Roger, not me.
Annie is the dog that I will judge all of my dogs by. She is a tireless birddog and has given me some of the greatest hunting stories ever...just ask my dad about pheasant-roping on the somewhat frozen James River.
Annie slept with Steph and I for 4 years...right there either in bed or at the foot of the bed. There are times now that I feel bad about not having her in the house, because she knows how good things are "living with the humans". Annie even has her own song, "Anna-bella". Ask Steph to sing it for you. I guess you could say Annie was our dog-child...I think a lot of new married couples have them, the dog they treat like a king.
With all those years of faithfulness tucked under her collar, there was no way I was going to let her weather the cold, wet, rainy night alone...besides 100's of years ago dogs never slept outside...right?
I called our neighbors who are Deputy Sheriffs and asked if they would look for Annie on their way home...did I mention they are dog lovers? I thought we were going to have a Blackhawk Helicopter commissioned from Gov. Rounds to assist in the search and rescue effort! Our neighbors rock!
So I hiked, drove, walked along the shore, road lines, ditches, fell down steps, jacked my elbow and knee up...but still...nothing. She didn't answer to the whistle, and I saw nothing with the flashlight, and I was mad.
I had basically given up, and was walking back to the house 3.5 hours she had been gone, it was dark, damp and dreary...I kept wondering how I would find her, dead or alive.
I was a city block away from the house...and knew I would feel guilty all night in a warm bed, while she was injured, stuck or just plain confused out in the elements. I blew my whistle one last time...tweet, tweet, tweet....I heard a little rustle and pointed my head-lamp in the direction I heard it come from...there was Annie!
I gave her a great big hug and carried her for a couple steps, she looked at me like, "you can put me down now." I have no idea what she was doing or where she had been, I was just happy to see her. Kind of like the prodigal son coming home...
I got her in the garage, dried her off and gave her a whole can of Lamb & Rice dog food that is always a special treat. Steph came out to see her, and scolded her a little bit for making us worry.
Annie had an adventure last night, although I am not quite sure what or where it was, and so did I.
Hunting season opens tomorrow, and I will be hunting with both dogs.
SCENE - Kindergarten teacher Miss Lippy just finished reading a book about a little boy who lost his dog. (some words have been changed or removed to protect the innocent)
BILLY - Whoa whoa whoa, Miss Lippy. The part of the story I don't like is that the little boy gave up looking for Happy after an hour. He didn't put posters up or anything, he just sat on the porch like a goon and waited. That little boy's gotta think 'You got a pet. You got a responsibility.' If your dog is lost you don't look for an hour then call it quits. You get your butt out there and you find that dog!!!"
I felt like Billy Madison last night.
Around 6pm Maxim, Brecken and I put on our rain gear and went outside to enjoy some fresh air, big puddles, strong winds and driving rains...sounds like fun, right, and extremely good parenting.
The dogs had been couped up in the kennel for 2 days because of the rain, rain, rain and more rain for the last 5 days, so we decided to let them out. I put Lilly's "hearing aid" on and let them rip...they had tons of energy and were happy to stretch their legs.
As the boys and I splashed in puddles, Annie and Lilly did what hunting dogs do. After 20 minutes of fun, I put the boys in the house for Steph to clean up for supper and I called the dogs to the kennel. Lilly came right away...Annie, my 11 year old German Shorthair Pointer didn't.
I walked to the places around the yard where she likes to sniff around and called for her, but nothing. After about 45 minutes I went into the house and ate, only to go right back outside.
I think I walked about a 1.5 miles and drove about 8 miles looking for her in rain, wind and darkness. The whole time thinking this was the end of the Annie-era.
Annie is actually Steph's dog from before we were married, Steph's dad trained it and fed it for the first year of it's life...so Annie still likes Roger better than me...in fact, if we hunt together, Annie hunts in front of Roger, not me.
Annie is the dog that I will judge all of my dogs by. She is a tireless birddog and has given me some of the greatest hunting stories ever...just ask my dad about pheasant-roping on the somewhat frozen James River.
Annie slept with Steph and I for 4 years...right there either in bed or at the foot of the bed. There are times now that I feel bad about not having her in the house, because she knows how good things are "living with the humans". Annie even has her own song, "Anna-bella". Ask Steph to sing it for you. I guess you could say Annie was our dog-child...I think a lot of new married couples have them, the dog they treat like a king.
With all those years of faithfulness tucked under her collar, there was no way I was going to let her weather the cold, wet, rainy night alone...besides 100's of years ago dogs never slept outside...right?
I called our neighbors who are Deputy Sheriffs and asked if they would look for Annie on their way home...did I mention they are dog lovers? I thought we were going to have a Blackhawk Helicopter commissioned from Gov. Rounds to assist in the search and rescue effort! Our neighbors rock!
So I hiked, drove, walked along the shore, road lines, ditches, fell down steps, jacked my elbow and knee up...but still...nothing. She didn't answer to the whistle, and I saw nothing with the flashlight, and I was mad.
I had basically given up, and was walking back to the house 3.5 hours she had been gone, it was dark, damp and dreary...I kept wondering how I would find her, dead or alive.
I was a city block away from the house...and knew I would feel guilty all night in a warm bed, while she was injured, stuck or just plain confused out in the elements. I blew my whistle one last time...tweet, tweet, tweet....I heard a little rustle and pointed my head-lamp in the direction I heard it come from...there was Annie!
I gave her a great big hug and carried her for a couple steps, she looked at me like, "you can put me down now." I have no idea what she was doing or where she had been, I was just happy to see her. Kind of like the prodigal son coming home...
I got her in the garage, dried her off and gave her a whole can of Lamb & Rice dog food that is always a special treat. Steph came out to see her, and scolded her a little bit for making us worry.
Annie had an adventure last night, although I am not quite sure what or where it was, and so did I.
Hunting season opens tomorrow, and I will be hunting with both dogs.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
The pane of rain...
Snapped this at my desk this morning.
5th straight day of rain...feel like I am back in Juneau.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Ray of Hope...ESPN did it again.
If you thought yesterday's post was a moving story, this will take you another step further.
Remarkable story ESPN did on the guy who was the North Carolina Tarheels mascot...note the tabs at the bottom of the pages...Life, Death, Rebirth.
Monday, October 15, 2007
ESPN tear jerker story.
ESPN did a great story about a former football player from a high school in Michigan...read it here........
Friday, October 12, 2007
Nobel Prize Update.....
OSLO, Norway - Al Gore and the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize Friday, and the former vice president used the attention to warn that global warming is "the greatest challenge we've ever faced."
World leaders, President Bush among them, congratulated the winners, while skeptics of man's contribution to warming criticized the choice of Gore.
Gore in a statement said he was " deeply honored ... We face a true planetary emergency. The climate crisis is not a political issue, it is a moral and spiritual challenge to all of humanity."
Ummm, hey Al do you think you can use a little less energy at your own home now...I am happy you won a Nobel Prize for being the "Best Spoonfed Narrator/Talent Of A Documentary That You Did None Of The Research On", but I challenge you to practice what you preach.
Also if after this honor, the Democrats encourage you to run for President...DO IT! I am pretty sure if we have a "Billary" Clinton Whitehouse, global warming would be the least of our problems.
World leaders, President Bush among them, congratulated the winners, while skeptics of man's contribution to warming criticized the choice of Gore.
Gore in a statement said he was " deeply honored ... We face a true planetary emergency. The climate crisis is not a political issue, it is a moral and spiritual challenge to all of humanity."
Ummm, hey Al do you think you can use a little less energy at your own home now...I am happy you won a Nobel Prize for being the "Best Spoonfed Narrator/Talent Of A Documentary That You Did None Of The Research On", but I challenge you to practice what you preach.
Also if after this honor, the Democrats encourage you to run for President...DO IT! I am pretty sure if we have a "Billary" Clinton Whitehouse, global warming would be the least of our problems.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
October-wake-fest.
OK I'll admit it...wakeboard season is over. I thought I would get one more October session, but it isn't looking promising...I'll have to wait until May now!
So to tide me and the crew over here is the pictures from our end of the season session...October 1st at Wall Lake...it was us and a guy in a little fishing boat. Water was cold, but refreshing.
Enjoy.
So to tide me and the crew over here is the pictures from our end of the season session...October 1st at Wall Lake...it was us and a guy in a little fishing boat. Water was cold, but refreshing.
Enjoy.
DAVE D. (AKA: BLUETOOTH)
DAVE WITH A FATTY TAILGRAB WAKE JUMP...MUCH AMPLITUDE
T-RAV IN HIS WIFE'S SHIRT...FUNNY THING IS...I HAVE THE SAME SHIRT.
T-RAV...TINDY GRAB ON THE WAKE TO WAKE
T-RAV BIG HEELSIDE HUCK
THE AUTHOR---TOESIDE 180...CHECK OUT THE COLORS IN THE BACKGROUND!
HEELSIDE INDY GRAB WAKEJUMP...MORE BEAUTY BACKGROUND...BLUETOOTH WAS WORKING THE CAMERA QUITE WELL HERE.
FAILED BACKROLL ATTEMPT, SO THANKFUL THAT WATER IS SOMEWHAT SOFT AT 23MPH
GOOD BYE SUMMER...HELLO PHEASANTS, HOCKEY AND SNOWBOARDS!
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
School Pictures!
Here you go Grandma and Grandpa D.
Couldn't resist putting Maxim's first school pic on the blog.
I should scan some of my School Picture Originals...there are some classics.
I should scan some of my School Picture Originals...there are some classics.
Monday, October 08, 2007
Brent S. Guest Blogger.
Frequent commenter, guest blogger, and all-around great cousin Brent S. brings this little video from the YouTube vault.
Pretty funny, and so true. I was Mr. Mom this weekend as Steph was in Minnesota, and I am pretty sure that I said some of these things 100 times this weekend.
Sunday, October 07, 2007
The Cubs...3 and out.
Sometimes I wish my parents wouldn't have had cable TV when I was a kid...because I would be like most South Dakota kids and like a normal and successful baseball team like the Twins, Red Sox or the Yankees.
You see my love/hate affair with the Cubbies started one summer when I was 10 or so. I was free most afternoons at that age and so were the Cubs games on TV. WGN-TV is to blame for my love of the Cubs. Harey Carey, Steve Stone doing the broadcast...although I don't remember what year Stoney came on, that was one of the best tag teams ever for baseball. Even when Harey was drunk.
I have followed the Cubs all the while, from the Dawson Years, to the Bartman Incident...to this year's run for the World Series, I even plan my afternoon workout around the Cubs schedule so I can watch them while I'm on the treadmill or lifting.
But the Cubs can kill a person, they worked their tail off the 2nd half of the season to make the playoffs, only to go 3 and out to that storied franchise from Arizona.
I guess it is part of being a Cubs fan, you just know that it's not gonna work out...I really thought this was going to be the year of the Cubbies, 2007...it's too bad it didn't work out.
Like any Cubs fan has said, "There is always next year."
You see my love/hate affair with the Cubbies started one summer when I was 10 or so. I was free most afternoons at that age and so were the Cubs games on TV. WGN-TV is to blame for my love of the Cubs. Harey Carey, Steve Stone doing the broadcast...although I don't remember what year Stoney came on, that was one of the best tag teams ever for baseball. Even when Harey was drunk.
I have followed the Cubs all the while, from the Dawson Years, to the Bartman Incident...to this year's run for the World Series, I even plan my afternoon workout around the Cubs schedule so I can watch them while I'm on the treadmill or lifting.
But the Cubs can kill a person, they worked their tail off the 2nd half of the season to make the playoffs, only to go 3 and out to that storied franchise from Arizona.
I guess it is part of being a Cubs fan, you just know that it's not gonna work out...I really thought this was going to be the year of the Cubbies, 2007...it's too bad it didn't work out.
Like any Cubs fan has said, "There is always next year."
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
The Spill Canvas
One band that my wife and I can agree on during road trips is a group of Sioux Falls guys called The Spill Canvas.
I think at one point their first CD "Sunsets and Car Crashes" stayed in our Yukon for at least 8 or 9 months. They are talented and I love the fact that they are from S.D. They released a new CD yesterday...you can read about it here.
Their MySpace page is here if you want to listen to a few tracks.
Part of me wants them to make it big, and part of me wants them to stay that pure indy band from Sioux Falls not so much the corporate music machine. I guess I can always say, "Yeah, I liked these guys way back in 2004."
Anyway...good music, unless your in your 60's.
I think at one point their first CD "Sunsets and Car Crashes" stayed in our Yukon for at least 8 or 9 months. They are talented and I love the fact that they are from S.D. They released a new CD yesterday...you can read about it here.
Their MySpace page is here if you want to listen to a few tracks.
Part of me wants them to make it big, and part of me wants them to stay that pure indy band from Sioux Falls not so much the corporate music machine. I guess I can always say, "Yeah, I liked these guys way back in 2004."
Anyway...good music, unless your in your 60's.
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Flute Loop.
On Sunday afternoon, the family was hanging around the house, and I started playing the drums on Maxim's tummy.
I asked him what instrument he was going to play when he grows up, and without missing a beat he says, "The flute!"
Now this will make Aunt Sally (who's birthday is Friday) very happy, as she was like the state champion flute player one month in Canada, but for a dad who wants his son to grow up to be a man, this is rough.
I instantly think of rock band Jethro Tull's lead singer/flute player Ian Anderson. You might remember the song "Aqualung".
Also the hip hop group Jurassic 5 has a song called "JAYOU -Flute Loop" which is on heavy rotation on my MP3 player...so I decided the flute can be pretty rockin'. I'm good with my older, creative, artistic son playing the flute...it's cool.
Then I ran across this video...the Knight Rider theme song played with a flute, and the guy is beatboxing while he is playing the flute.
The first time I watched this video I thought the other guy was doing the beatbox, but it is the flute player...super cool.
Aunt Sally we may need to borrow your flute.
I asked him what instrument he was going to play when he grows up, and without missing a beat he says, "The flute!"
Now this will make Aunt Sally (who's birthday is Friday) very happy, as she was like the state champion flute player one month in Canada, but for a dad who wants his son to grow up to be a man, this is rough.
I instantly think of rock band Jethro Tull's lead singer/flute player Ian Anderson. You might remember the song "Aqualung".
Also the hip hop group Jurassic 5 has a song called "JAYOU -Flute Loop" which is on heavy rotation on my MP3 player...so I decided the flute can be pretty rockin'. I'm good with my older, creative, artistic son playing the flute...it's cool.
Then I ran across this video...the Knight Rider theme song played with a flute, and the guy is beatboxing while he is playing the flute.
The first time I watched this video I thought the other guy was doing the beatbox, but it is the flute player...super cool.
Aunt Sally we may need to borrow your flute.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Happy Birthday Living on Liquid!
I'm back, thanks for the break.
Ironically during the break I noticed that the Living On Liquid blog has been around for exactly a year!
I have posted 200+ articles to the site, which impressed me.
So to celebrate our 1 year birthday here, I wanted to take it back to the roots, what I originally started the LOL Blog for...to communicate with Grandma and Grandpa D and show them pictures of the kids and the house.
I took a bunch of pictures last week and the pictures of us grouting the tile were boring so I elected to show off our boys.
I took a bunch of pictures last week and the pictures of us grouting the tile were boring so I elected to show off our boys.
Enjoy.
But first if you are into artists like Jack Johnson, Ben Folds, Donovan Frankenreiter, Dave Matthews, Matt Costa or Ben Kweller then check out Timmy Curran. My buddy Dave hooked me up here...good stuff. Kudos to Dave, you win the Reader of the Month award.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Blog to shut down for the rest of the week...
It might be sparse around here for a few days.
I am taking some much needed time off from work to hang with the family, work on the house, and get a couple of end of the season wakeboard sessions in.
Oh yeah, and the big news, the Denver Broncos have hired me to steal play calling signals from Jacksonville this weekend.
I am taking some much needed time off from work to hang with the family, work on the house, and get a couple of end of the season wakeboard sessions in.
Oh yeah, and the big news, the Denver Broncos have hired me to steal play calling signals from Jacksonville this weekend.
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