Fischer quints

I  was looking in my annual the other day and saw the pictures of the Fischer quints that were born in September 14, 1963.  You know how they put news worthy pictures of the year on the front and back pages of annuals.  I just got to wondering what had happened to the family.
First of all Mary Ann Fischer (80) who  gave birth to the first set of surviving quintuplets in the United States died in 2012.  All members of the remaining  Fischer Family still live in the Aberdeen, SD area.

I love their names.  There were four girls and a boy -- Mary Ann, Mary Magdalene, Mary Catherine, Mary Margaret and James Andrew. 

Mary Ann and her husband; Andrew, divorced in the 1980s, which also may be a reason the media has lost interest in this family. The entire family, including Andrew (age 81) still gets together at Christmas.
Despite the troubles that came with publicity in the 1960s, the family's private life was wonderful and still is.  Mary Ann has been quoted as saying, "The joy of my children was the best part," she said. "We had lots of good times. Why, we had enough family to have our own ball games out in the yard."

At this time,  they are all happy. Mary Ann was quoted saying, "They're the most important thing to me. I love every one of them dearly and none of them turned out bad. I am not saying we were always perfect, but I think I did a pretty good job as a mother, and I am proud of every one of them."

Mary Ann has eight grandchildren ranging from grade-schoolers to college students. She also has one great-granddaughter.

 

"Just Kidding"

There is always a bit of truth behind every "Just Kidding"

A little knowledge behind "I don't know"

A little emotion behind " I don't care."

And a little pain behind "It's OK."

Red Lake

 

This is a picture of Jax when he heard his Dad is fishing at Red lake.

 

Brothers and cousins

 

 

 

 

atta boy

 

Jamon is here for his annual Spring fishing trip.  This year they are not going to Lake of the Woods.  They are fishing Red lake.   The wind chills  have be dangerously low so they decided not to use their pop ups, but to rent a unit from a man that works out of Rogers.  They had 7 holes in the fish house and a heater that kept it in the 80s. They stayed at the family cabin.  It is insulated and heated.  They added several things to the cabin such as a heated outhouse. They also added a wall mounted propane heater.  All the comforts of home except indoor plumbing.   Fishing was good, but they didn't fill out.  They had a lot of laughs and created more memories.  Like the fish that broke Jamon's non- breakable line.  Then they saw the line just laying there and the fish was still on it. 

So he pulled it in hand over hand.  I have fish for another fish fry. 



plumbing

All plastic parts inside and it is a Gerber. 

 

 

I hired Gregg's Plumbing and Heating to come and help me with my kitchen faucet.  Actually my toilet broke which got me to hire the plumber in the first place.  Then as long as I had him there I had him fix my kitchen sink which had the hot water on the wrong side. You must remember my story about the kitchen faucet drip.  My friend and I worked on that project maybe six months ago and I was surprised by the results of our work.... the hot water was on the wrong side when we finished.  The toilet which is made of plastic just got too brittle and the plastic chain snapped off at the disc that seals the water in the tank.   After replacing the plunger and chain, he corrected the the inside cartridge of the sink faucet by turning it 180 degrees and the water came out hot on the left side as it should.  All is good now at least plumbing wise.

 

planning

It is not planting season, but planning season.  I am in the process of trying to plan for next spring.  I have a new large raised garden.  It is my brother's king sized water bed frame.  It puts new meaning to flower and vegetable "beds".

 



This is one of my ideas that I may put into practice this spring.  I thought spinach, lettuce or herbs.  First I have to find some old gutters.  Can you say garage sale.

Senility Prayer

God grant me the senility to forget those people that I didn't like anyway.
The good fortune to run into those I like and the eyesight to tell the difference.

safety

There is a device that you can order from the internet that will read your credit cards from 30 feet away.  No not legally, but through your wallet, purse or hand.  It gets the number, name and expiration date.  What you see in the picture is credit card sized folders that you can slip your card in and they cannot be read by the hand held machine.  They are metal lined therefore blocking the reader.  They fit back in the slot that you normally keep your card in your wallet. I don't believe that there is a lot of this criminal activity here in Bemidji, but can you imagine any place that is full of people at any one  given time like football games, tourist destination spots or the mall. I was telling my friends at lunch about this and one friends asked me if I could spell paranoid.  I said no, but I could spell smart.

plunge

It was very cold on Saturday.  There was a nine year old that did the plunge.  I just can not see myself signing off that my child could do the plunge.  It is such a risk. I know how long it takes me to enter the water in the summer.   I really think that my heart would stop due to the extreme change of temperature if I did the plunge.  I am glad there is more adventurous people than me in this world.

Orphans

 

We had a guest speaker at Car Club Sunday night.  He did his slide presentation that he had prepared for the Car Show last summer. He spoke on orphans. I think I have mentioned what an orphan is in a previous blog, but it bears repeating.  Simply put, it is a make or model of a car that is not longer being made.  Our speaker used his 38 Plymouth as his reference point.  Nice job Larry.  Very interesting and since we were all busy at the car show we didn't get to attend his presentation.  The board in my first picture is of his car. The Bonnie and Clyde car with suicide doors.   I would be amiss if I did not mention that we paid dues, got a new slate of officers and had great snacks. 

Roosevelt and Elizabeth Slaughter preform

  

Although Roosevelt Slaughter has not played publicly since 2003 when brunch service was discontinued at the Northern Inn, he will returned to accompany the choirs Sunday at First Lutheran Church. The music was wonderful and the emotional depths immediately captures the attention of the listener.  It was so uplifting.  Roosevelt played the grand piano and Elizabeth played the organ.  Roosevelt and his wife, Elizabeth, began their music careers more than 45 years ago. Both are congenitally blind.

 

The Fence

The Fence

There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer ...a nail into the fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily, gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.

Finally the day came when the boy didn’t lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone.

The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said “you have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one.” You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won’t matter how many times you say I’m sorry, the wound is still there. Make sure you control your temper the next time you are tempted to say something you will regret later.

- Author Unknown

park smart

 

 

 

Recently I realized that the mat that I had under my Prius just wasn't doing what it should.  Water and dirt was running everywhere.   I ordered a Park Smart garage mat. 

well........ There was a lot of cleaning to do to get the spot ready for the mat.  Then there was drying time.  It is hard to dry a garage when the humidity was at 100 percent.  It is getting better now that the garage is at 70% .    My friends came over to help me put the mat together.   As soon as the floor dries or 5:00 PM comes I will put the mat in place and get my car back in the garage. 

ADVICE

Today at Peak I was talking to a man who was around 80.  He likes to talk so I took on the listening role.  Anyway he proceeded to tell me that he had colon cancer 16 years ago.  After the surgery the doctor came into the room to tell him that he thought he got all the cancer.   So my friends asked him  how can I prevent this from coming back.  The doctor told him that many people had asked him that over the years.  Some he thought would make it very easily died within a year and others he thought did not stand a chance live a long time did.  So the doctor continued by saying that there are three things that could help you prolong your life.  These  are the three things that I have observed from being a surgeon. 

1st -- Have a great sense of humor.  I know I did not cut that out of you.  You had the entire operating room laughing when you begged for some water.  The nurse said she could not give you any water, but you could have some ice chips.  My friend then replied could you at least sprinkle some whiskey on them.

2nd -- Believe in a higher power.  The doctor continued that he has seen many miraculous  things happen in the area.  The patients that have faith live longer.

3rd -- Be optimistic.  Everyone has aches and pains, keep on keeping on.  When someone asks you how you are tell them fantastic.  This optimism is important. 

This guy is in very good shape.  I love to talk to him as he is interesting, but more over he is always happy............. I got all this when I asked him how are you today.  His answer fantastic.  If he was any better he would have to be twins.

Thanks a lot people

 

I didn't write this but it is a great piece and needs to be read.

 

As we approach the end of another year

> > As we approach the end of the year - I want to thank all of you for
> > your educational e-mails over the past year. I am totally screwed up now and
> > have little chance of recovery.

> > I no longer open a bathroom door without using a paper towel, or have the
> > waitress put lemon slices in my ice water without worrying about the
> > bacteria on the lemon peel.

> > I can't use the remote in a hotel room because I don't know what the last
> > person was doing while
> > flipping through the adult movie channels.

> > I can't sit down on the hotel bedspread because I can only imagine what has
> > happened on it since it was last washed..hmmmm

> > I have trouble shaking hands with someone who has been driving because the
> > number one pastime while driving alone is picking one's nose.

> > Eating a little snack sends me on a guilt trip because I can only imagine
> > how many gallons of trans fats I have consumed over the years.

> > I can't touch any woman's purse for fear she has placed it on the floor of a
> > public bathroom.

> > I MUST ALSO SEND MY SPECIAL THANKS to whoever sent me the one about rat crap
> > in the glue on envelopes because I now have to use a wet sponge with every
> > envelope that needs sealing.

>>ALSO, now I have to scrub the top of every can I open for the same reason.

> > I no longer have any savings because I gave it to a sick girl (Penny Brown)
> > who is about to die for the 1,387,258th time.

> > I no longer have any money, but that will change once I receive the $15,000
> > that Bill Gates/Microsoft and AOL are sending me for participating in their
> > special e-mail program.

> > I no longer worry about my soul because I have 363,214 angels looking out
> > for me, and St. Theresa'sNovena has granted my every wish.
> >
> > I can't have a drink in a bar because I'll wake up in a bathtub full of ice
> > with my kidneys gone.

> > I can't eat at KFC because their chickens are actually horrible mutant
> > freaks with no eyes, feet or feathers.

> > I can't use cancer-causing deodorants even though I smell like a water
> > buffalo on a hot day.

> > THANKS TO ALL OF YOU I have learned that my prayers only get answered if I
> > forward an e-mail to seven of my friends and make a wish within five
> > minutes.

> > BECAUSE OF YOUR CONCERN,I no longer drink Coca Cola because it can remove
> > toilet stains.

> > I no longer buy gas without taking someone along to watch the car so a serial
> > killer
> > doesn't crawl in my back seat when I'm filling up.

> > I no longer drink Pepsi or Fanta since the people who make these products
> > are atheists who refuse to put 'Under God' on their cans.

> > I no longer use Cling Wrap in the microwave because it causes seven
> > different types of cancer.

> > THANKS TO YOU I can't use anyone's toilet but mine because a big black snake
> > could be lurking under the seat and cause me instant death when it bites my
> > butt.

> > AND THANKS TO YOUR GREAT ADVICE I can't ever pick up a penny dropped in the
> > parking lot because it probably was placed there by a sex molester waiting
> > to grab me as I bend over.

> > I no longer drive my car because buying gas from some companies supports Al
> > Qaeda, and buying gas from all the others supports South American dictators.

> > I can't do any gardening because I'm afraid I'll get bitten by the Violin
> > Spider and my hand will fall off.
 

> > Oh, by the way.....

> > A German scientist from Argentina, after
> > a lengthy study, has discovered that people with insufficient brain activity
> > read their e-mail with their hand on the mouse.

> > Don't bother taking it off now, it's too late.

> > PS: I now keep my toothbrush in the living room, because I was told by
> > e-mail that water splashes over 6 ft. out of the toilet.

Soup

This is Natalie's dump it recipe for chicken Mexican soup.  You serve it with corn tortilla chips.

2 cans of  chicken meat or left over chicken
1 can of Rotell
1 jar of salsa
1 can of black beans
1 can of pinto beans
1 box frozen corn
Ground Cumin to taste
water

As you can see you just have to jump in and make it. When I made it I did not have cumin so I substituted taco seasoning.  I also added salt and pepper.  If you are going to crush up chips in the soup then leave out extra salt.  I use mild everything but Natalie's had more zip.  Hers was definitely better that mine.  Yum yum.

Jax up-date

Jax is now 2 months old.  I am sure that he is thinking of his Grandma Judy in these pictures.  Where did that funny lady go and when is she coming back.  He has that wait until I can crawl and walk as see what I can get into look.  Mama thinks she changes my clothes a lot now. I am secretly planning what I will get into.  My grin will get me through as I can melt any heart. 

12 lbs, 3 oz

23.5 inches tall

Flu

 While northwest Minnesota has lagged behind the rest of nation in terms of this year’s influenza epidemic, that is not expected to last.

 

The flu is widespread in 47 states, up from 41 states a week ago, according to the Associated Press. The flu this year includes a strain that tends to make people sicker and health officials have forecasted a potentially bad flu season, though it may have already peaked in some parts of the nation. Of Minnesota’s eight regions, the northwest thus far has seen the fewest number of influenza hospitalizations and cases through Jan. 5, according to the Minnesota Department of Health.

 
 
  Everyone shoud take commonsense steps, like washing hands and staying home if ill, to slow the spread of the virus. By just changing these behaviors the spread can be slowed down.  Also it is important to get that flu shot.  That will also protect those around you. 

  Minnesota has had 23 flu related deaths in the first week of 2013, bring the total of deaths to 27 for the flu season.

It is time to socially distance ourself from the possibility of coming in contact with infected people. 

  .

Wedding

The wedding of Bob Holden and Ruth Willberg was held January 12th in the St. Mark's Lutheran Church  They are both in their 70's and it was such a nice service.  I thought that is was just great that they came down the aisle together.  In stead of gifts bride and groom asked for a dish to pass at the reception.  What a great idea.  We had the best potluck supper.  The cake I was told was made by a member of the car club.  She can do miracles with frosting.   Speaking of car club, the Holdens are members and we can out in forces.  1/4 to 1/3 of the guest were members.  The church was full even if the roads were glare ice.  I myself was not going to attend as the drive over was treacherous.  But a fellow car clubber told me that he would gladly pick up my jello salad and I could come along too.

I feel very honored to be a guest at this wedding.  It is obvious that they are truly in love.

Convention

Virginia Woolf wrote, " across the broad continent of a woman's life falls the shadow of a sword."  On one side of that sword, she said, there lies convention and tradition and order where "all is correct." But on the other side of that sword, if you're  crazy enough to cross it and choose a life that does not follow convention "all is confusion.  Nothing follows a regular course."  She goes on to argue that crossing from tradition may bring a far more interesting existence to a woman, but you can bet it will be more perilous. I have lead that non-traditional life.  I agree that there have been moments of tradition.  It is very much like the puzzle piece that just doesn't fit in the space you are trying to place it.  Don't get me wrong I am happy and content with my life.    Most of the decisions that I made were right for me, but fitting in with others especially women, I am just now getting the hang of it.  I am judged by traditional and ordered values and I just don't measure up.   But am I okay within my own skin?  The answer is yes. How do I feel when I look back on my life?  Happy, content, blessed, fulfilled , proud, and rich ( not monetarily). I am just not like other people and I am thankful to be me. the Bhagavad Gita --that ancient Indian Yogic text-- says that it is better to live your own destiny imperfectly than to live an imitation of somebody else's life with perfection.    SO, so be it.       

There is always hope

After nearly 50 years of marriage, a couple was lying in bed one evening, when the wife felt her husband, begin to massage her in ways he hadn't in quite some t...ime. It almost tickled as his fingers started at her neck, and then began moving down past the small of her back. He then caressed her shoulders and neck, slowly worked his hand down, stopping just over her stomach. He then proceeded to place his hand on her left inner arm, working down her side, passing gently over her buttock and down her leg to her calf. Then, he proceeded up her thigh, stopping just at the uppermost portion of her leg. He continued in the same manner on her right side, then suddenly stopped, rolled over and became silent.
As she had become quite aroused by this caressing, she asked in a loving voice, ‘Honey that was wonderful. Why did you stop?' To which he responded: 'I found the remote.'...

 

 

Top Ten Grammar Peeves

1.  Your and you're are not the same word.

2.  Apostrophes don't form plural nouns.

3.There, their and they're are completely different words.

4.  The contraction of "could have" is not spelled "could of."

5.  To, two, and too are completely different words.

6.  "Its" is the possessive form of "it" and " It's" is the contraction of "it is."

7. Then shows a sequence of events.  Than is used to compare nouns.

8.  Affect is a verb and effect is a noun.

9.  Irony does not mean "anything that is unexpected."

10. Your pants are loose and you lose your keys.

Fish dinner

 

 

I had friends in for a fish dinner.  The fish was so good.  All the side dishes were top notch.  Cheesy potatoes, jello, condiments, apple and pear salad, homemade bread, and homemade ice cream.  Wow, what wonderful food,  a virtual feast.  We really had fun with lively conversation and lot of laughs.  What healing properties laughter has.  I had to be selective in my conversations,  my horoscope said the following.   "You are not as mentally sharp as you think.   This is one of those days that you should avoid matching wits with anyone who has a lot of knowledge and expertise."  I wonder which one it was, probably all of them.

text for seniors

ATD - At the doctors
BFF - Best friend fell
BTW - Bring the wheelchair
BYOT - Bring your own teeth
FWIW -  Forgot where I was
GHA - Got heartburn again
IMHO - Is my hearing aid on
LMDO - Laughing my dentures out
TTYL -  Talk to you louder

car trouble

I have been having trouble with my Prius since middle November.  Sometimes when I shut off the car by putting it in park and then pressing the start stop button I try to restart my car and the computer says no.  The error message is weird.  It says transmission (P) is abnormal.  No matter what you do it will not start.  Well until.... I was so upset the second time it happened that I got out and shoved the car.  When I  looked into the car the computer message was gone and I could start it and go.  Well it has happened several times since and rocking the car fixes it.   Friday I went to the Toyota dealership and talked to a man I was introduced to as the head technician.  I explained what was happening and he knew immediately what was wrong and why my rocking the car solved.  It is kind of a funny visual of me outside rocking the car first sideways and then front to back.  But anyway for the explanation.  It only has been happening when it is really cold.  Remember my car is 8 years old.  Something I didn't know was that I have a battery separate from the high voltage batteries that run the car.   That battery is used to start the electric motor that is is used in turn to start the gasoline motor.  Well when that battery is low it cannot move the cog that fits into the cogs that start the motor.  If the cogs aren't meshed the computer sends the error message and keeps the car shut down.  Hence my rocking the car is enough to move that  cog into place to make it mesh.  Then the computer takes over again and removes the message.  If I knew I had a battery in this car I would have been asking when I needed  to replace it.  After all it is now 8 years old.  I got  it fixed on Monday.They were amazed that the battery lasted that long because they normally change them at five years. 

No alzheimers for you

This is fun!!!

Good example of a Brain Study: If you can read this OUT LOUD you have a strong mind.

And better than that: Alzheimers is a long, long, ways down the road before it ever gets anywhere near you.

 

7H15 M3554G3

53RV35 7O PR0V3

H0W 0UR M1ND5 C4N

D0 4M4Z1NG 7H1NG5!

1MPR3551V3 7H1NG5!

1N 7H3 B3G1NN1NG

17 WA5 H4RD BU7

N0W, 0N 7H15 LIN3

Y0UR M1ND 1S

R34D1NG 17

4U70M471C4LLY

W17H 0U7 3V3N

7H1NK1NG 4B0U7 17,

B3 PROUD! 0NLY

C3R741N P30PL3 C4N

R3AD 7H15.

 

   Only 55 people out of 100 can.

I cdnuolt blveiee that I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd what I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in what oerdr the ltteres in a word are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is that the frsit and last ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can still raed it whotuit a pboerlm. This is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the word as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? Yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

 

 

I have questions

Hello -- I have questions!  Hopefully they will be answered in the new year.

 

 

Why isn't the number 11 pronounced onety-one?

If 4 out of 5 people SUFFER from diarrhea...does that mean that one out of five enjoys it?

Why do croutons come in airtight packages?

Aren't they just stale bread to begin with?

If people from Poland are called Poles, then why aren't people from Holland called Holes?

 

 

If a pig loses its voice, is it disgruntled?

 

 

Why is a person who plays the piano called a pianist, but a person who drives a racecar is not called a racist?

 

 

If it's true that we are here to help others, then what exactly are the others here for?

If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, then doesn't it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted, cowboys deranged, models deposed, tree surgeons debarked, and dry cleaners depressed?

 

If Fed Ex and UPS were to merge, would they call it Fed UP?

 

What hair color do they put on the driver's licenses of bald men?

 

Whatever happened to Preparations A through G ?

 

Animal trouble

I stopped tonight at my favorite auto repair shop on my way home with information for the owner.   I surely am glad that I stopped as I got to hear two great stories.  The first was a man that had gotten work done and the owner found it to to such a minor job he had not charged him for the work.  He made the comment that the last time he was in that wasn't the case.  I guess he had a huge bill.  I'll try to tell it like I heard it.  The man had a beagle and a wood chuck came into his yard.  The beagle chased the woodchuck and the woodchuck took cover under the person's car.  After they got the dog in the house they tried to get the woodchuck out, but he was wedged in behind the engine in a crevasse by the gas tank.  He could not get it to come out.  He decided to just let him come out by himself.  Well, that didn't happen.  So he call the shop and asked if they could get a woodchuck out from under the car.  First they figured that he meant a squirrel.  They said they would try.  So he started up the car only to find gas squirting out every where as the woodchuck had been busy trying to get himself out.  Chewing, chewing, chewing.  So he borrowed his father's trailer  and brought the car to the shop.  The gas soaked wood chuck was barely alive and they could not figure out how to deal with it alive.  So three guys (remember I said three guys) Had to put it down.  It took one to hold the flashlight, one to aim the pellet gun and one to pull the trigger.  I would have liked to been there and seen that. .  After the removal they had to pull the gas tank to replace all the lines that had been damages, hence the huge bill.  The other story was similar only with a raccoon that went in an open garage to keep warm last Fall.  It ended with the engine being pulled to release that animal. Truth is funnier that fiction. 

soup

black beans, navy beans. black eyed peas and barley

Natalie sent the ham bone home with me from our christmas dinner.  I made both split pea soup and bean soup.  I make them in my pressure cooker.  I don't have to soak the beans overnight and it takes one third the time cooking.  The flavor is infused thoughout the soup.  I had never used black beans, navy beans, barley and blackeyed peas in my soup before.  It was darker but just as flavorful. Usually I buy a pakage of 15 bean mixture made for soup.  Could not find it in Bemidji.  Both recipes are the same.  I useham,  grated carrots, celery, and onions.  Salt and pepper to taste and then yum yum.  

Quilters Beatutudes

Blessed are the quilters, for they are piece makers.

Blessed are quilters, for they make ends meet.

Blessed are the quilters, for they know how to cut corners.

Blessed are the quilters, for they keep you in stitches.

Blessed are the quilters, for they make great comforters.

Blessed are the quilters, for they patch things up.

Blessed are the quilters, for they pick up the pieces.

Blessed are the quilters, for they save you energy.

Blessed are the quilters, for they put color in your life. 

counseling

Luke 2 verse 52

And Jesus increased in wisdom and statue, and in favor with God and man.

Mental, physical, spiritual, and social.

This is the only verse in the Bible that describes Jesus in his growing years.  I was reminded of this in church on Sunday.  I used this little verse when I was a counselor to evaluate when my clients(teenagers) where they were in  their growth journey.  I would look at their physical growth, mental growth, social growth and their spiritual growth.  I believed that all four had to be in place and equally developed.  I always thought of it in relation to a stool with four legs. The four legs were the four areas of growth.  You could stand on that stool because it had a solid foundation.  But teenagers that have only one or two of the areas developed would have only one or two legs of the stool and the firm foundation was not there  Try standing on a stool with only one or two legs.

My new year's wish for you

May God grant you 12 months of happiness, 52 weeks of fun, 365 days of success, 8760 hours of good health, 52600 minutes of good luck and 3153600 seconds of joy."


Be at War with your Vices, at Peace with your Neighbors, and let every New-Year find you a better Person." ~Benjamin Franklin in Poor Richard's Almanac 1755

 

Happy New Year