Thawing out

We are finally thawing out. Yesterday morning we broke a record in our area with -33 degrees. Thats a big fat F behind that, not a C. It's been a cold week, let me tell you! When it's 1- or 20 degrees you can easily run outside for something without a coat on, but not when it's -30. You have to bundle up just to open the front door.
Not to mention my poor furnace couldn't keep up. Thats what I get with having a boiler and hot water heat. There is no instant heat, and no circulating of the air when we are all sleeping. Hopefully now the poor thing can catch a break... woke up to 15 degrees this morning and after this last week - that's a heat wave!
I am so sick of our roads being covered with ice & snow, too. We haven't been over freezing in weeks, so the roads just stay as they are. When it's this cold the salt & chemicals that they put down doesn't do any good. Once it hits 20-30 degrees they will and then... well then I'll be bitching about the slushy sloppy mess that's out there.

Yesterday Kimber & I were both having a blast on the forums. Most of the time it seemed like we were just talking to ourselves, but man it was fun! But I think I realized that Kimber has a crush on me during the process. Hmmm I'll have to start watching what I say to her from now on, I don't want her to get the wrong idea or anything.
Call this another shameless plug or just a bit of whining, but I'm really frustrated with the forums right now. No matter how much Kimber & I post it seems that nobody replies. We have a good, small group of people who log in multiple times a day, you would think we would have something to read whenever we log in... but it seems like it's only if her & I post. We need new blood. I absolutely love that CruelPaul joined up a few weeks ago... he's a snowmobiling buddy of the husband's... he's a hoot. He's so fun. But that reminds me that he didn't receive a very warm welcome from our members at all... in fact I've noticed that quite a few of them have not even acknowledged the fact that he's even there. A simple "hi" or "welcome" in his introduction thread would have been nice. But at least Nicho is liking having him there... I haven't seen Nicho post this much for years.
Like I said, we need new blood. New blood to go in and shake things up a bit. Different opinions, different views, different personalities.

Another whine of mine is I still can't shake this damn cold I've had for over a week. Thats really why my blogging has gone to almost nothing. I'm sick of this stuffed head and plugged up ears. Plugged ears have to be the worst. Drives me insane. Maybe thats why I can't understand how someone can walk around with a Q-Tip in their ear and forget its there. How can anyone stand something in their ears? I don't get it.

(sorry, if you would read the forums, you would get that! )

It's amazing to me that in a house of 4 people, only one person can get knocked out by this bug. I mean seriously, why do I get stuck with this sickness for days and days and everyone else is fine? It's not fair. It's just not fair!!! I didn't hurt nobody, what did I do to deserve this?
I even tried putting Vicks on the bottom of my feet one night and it didn't do a damn thing. My bestest friend swears by it, but I don't know why.

So I'm going to go back to drinking my coffee and reading blogs/news/whatever else and see what today will bring for me.

I'm out of laundry soap, so I know I have to go buy some of that. And milk. Damn these people drink a lot of milk. I need to buy my own cow.

Temps, awards, Bud, tabs, Vicks, bugs and a bunch of other crap

This week we will answer some crazy questions brought to you by Berleen, the color green and the number 1256.
1. Whats the coldest temps you've experienced? Well, right now it's -30 outside. Schools finally closed for the first time this year because of the cold. It's pushing -50 windchills out there too. This is probably the coldest, or close to... but I know I've been in this weather before. I live in Minnesota for Gods sake! It's about time we get some real weather.
2. Whats for dinner tonight? Something with venison hamburger. Maybe spaghetti or something.
3. Would you consider this job in Australia? I would. I'm not ashamed to admit it. I should apply, whats it hurt, right?
4. What was your favorite subject in high school? Composition/Creative Writing or Psychology.
5. How many hours a day is your tv on? During the week, about 6. Weekends, about 15.
6. Have you ever received an award? I don't remember ever receiving an award.
7. Whats your mousepad look like? It has "Perfectly Imperfect" printed on it.
8. Do you think Bud should do the Thursday Thunk meme? Yeah, I really think he should. I mean... it's Thursday - what else does he have to do today?
9. How many browser tabs do you have open right now? This one, the ThursdayThunk one and Facebook.
10. If you are a parent, have you or did you ever put Vicks VapoRub on your children under the age of 2? Yes I did and I don't understand why it suddenly doesn't work.
11. If you had to pick one insect to infest your house for 1 day and after that day they would just suddenly vanish, which insect infestation would you pick? Butterflies!!!
12. What color is your underwear that you are wearing right at this moment? Yellow SpongeBob SquarePants ones with blue stitching.
13. What was the last think you watched on tv? Our local FoxNews last night.
14. What are your plans for the 4th of July this year? What day of the week is it on? Who seriously came up with this stupid question? I'll probably be out at the lake.... in 80 or 90 degree weather.....
15. Tell us about one absolutely wonderful thing that happened to you as a teenager and every time you think of it, it brings a smile to your face. It's not really one thing at one certain time, it's all the times that I spent just hanging out at my house with my friends. One group in particular - it was a bunch of guys that were quite a few years younger than I was, the "bad kids" of town. I guess I sorta took them under my wing. One summer in particular I don't know how many games of 500 we played, but we played day after day after day on my living room floor. To get those days back again.... I really miss those boys. One of them found me on Facebook recently... it's nice to know at least one of them is doing ok and not in prision.
16. What product could you sell someone based on your love for it? Sams Choice Peanut Butter Cups!

Sunday Stealing: The Hardest Meme Ever

Cheers to all us thieves!

Sunday Stealing: The Hardest Meme Ever

1. What is the bravest thing that you feel you've ever done physically?

• Nothing. I mean, besides give birth? But thats not very brave - the little demon had to come out somehow whether I wanted it or not.
  

2. What is the bravest thing that you feel you've ever done emotionally?

• Left my ex-husband. That was an easy one.
  

3. What one talent do you wish you had that you don't?

• Artist.
  

4. If you had that talent what would you be doing with it?

• Making money
  

5. We all have our reasons for blogging but what would be your ultimate goal for your blog or as a blogger?

• There is supposed to be a goal to blogging?
  

6. What advice would you give a new blogger?

• Don't do it.
  

7. Who are you three favorite blogs to visit (Yes, you can have ties and name more than three.)

• Melissa, Kimber & Bud. Sorry, no links. I've spent the weeknd sick and you are lucky I'm even blogging today.
  

8. You can trade lives with any one person for a month. Who would it be and why?

• Mel Gibsons wife would be my first, but the more I think about it... some millionaire. Then I'd transfer a bunch of money to my own account.
  

9. There's a fire and your family is safe but you have the chance to save any one item from your house. What would it be and why?

• Do my pets count as family? Well, we're going to count them. I'd have to save my camera. Stupid, yeah, but I just can't live without that damn thing. Or my laptop. I'd probably grab that.
  

10. You have the chance to go back in time and warn yourself before making a bad choice. What choice would it be and what would you tell yourself?

• None of them. All my bad choices became a learning experience in some way or another and who knows where I'd be today had things gone differently.
  

Braces, cookies, measure, talk radio and other junk

1. Are you a celebrity news junkie? For certain celebrities, yes - very much so. They are carefully hand-picked, though. Most I don't really give a rats ass about.
2. Have you or anyone in your family ever had braces? Demon #1 does and she gets them off next month! I hope to get a copy of the before pics so I can post them!
3. Name 4 things in your garage that you don't think anyone else has in theirs. Too many old snowmobiles, a pile of Kawasaki cylinders that are hard to find, a weight bench because it doesn't fit in the house and a bottle of nail polish for when I get bored watching the husband work on sleds and decide to paint my nails.
4. Do you order Girl Scout cookies? Of course. It's a sin not to.
5. If you have a cat or a dog, what brand of dog/cat food do you feed them? Ukanuba dog food for Saki, Iams for Chico and Purina One for the cats.
6. When you cook, do you use measuring cups/spoons? No I don't. It drives the husband batty, but he still eats.
7. If you were stranded on a desert island, how many sand castles would you build? I would build one every day I was there. I mean, seriously, what else is there to do?
8. Whats one thing you own too many of? Besides snowmobiles? LOL Ok, I don't own them. Me? Probably purses. Or lighters. I have a lighter fetish.
9. If given the chance to go to the moon, would you? Nope. Don't even want to leave the country, much less the planet.
10. Talk radio - listen or not? I can't stand talk radio.
11. When you put silverware in the dishwasher or in the drainer to dry, do you put the handles up or down? Handles down, unless it's steak knives.
12. Video Games for kids - good or not? Good - especially when they are finding design flaws.
13. Share a website with us. Local6.com - which it isn't that anymore. But it's the best damn news site out there!
14. Water - bottle or tap? I already pay for tap water, why would I pay more for some that comes in a bottle?
15. Have you ever eaten a giant jawbreaker, the ones that are the size of the palm of your hand, all the way to the end? Nope. I always gave up on it half way through.

Why do I sled? It's a family tradition!

Why do I sled?
Why do I jump drifts?
Why must I go out every time it snows?
Stop and think it over and try and put yourself in my unique position
If I go out and sled all night long...

It's a family tradition!

(Back Print) Family Tradition Hooded Sweatshirt

My dad's cat

Remember Sassy, the kitten my parents found a few months ago? Well, she's as sassy and ever and I finally brought my camera over to my parents the other day to snap a few pics of her.
She is as spoiled as any cat could be... especially considering my parents weren't "pet people". Sassy changed that. She has the living room covered in toys, boxes & bags; her own personal playground, she drinks out of my stepmom's water glass, the list goes on... she definitely was put on this earth to be found and taken in by my parents. It's probably the best thing that could have happened to them.

Sunday Stealing: The New Year Meme

Sunday Stealing: The New Year Meme1. Looking back on 2008, what might your theme song have been?
Who Let the Dogs Out
2. If 2008 was a movie, who would play you?
Kermit the Frog
3. What was your greatest gift of 2008?
My Saki girl
4. What is your New Year Resolution, or, what are you committing to this year?
To not be committed.
5. If January could be represented by one song, what would it be?
Rock-a-bye-baby because my bestest friend just had a baby yesterday! (stay tuned for baby pictures because I'm going to see them today!)
6. What do you wish for your body in 2009?
To stay in working condition
7. Name one new thing you would love to try in the New Year.
to make a million dollars
8. What do you long for 2009 to bring?
Peace, love & happiness
9. If that happened, how would you feel?
Peaceful, loved & happy
10. Where would you love to vacation in 2009 if money were no object?
a road trip through South Dakota, Montana, Washington and down through Arizona.
11. What would you like the theme of 2009 to be?
Crazy & Colorful
12. If 2009 was a book, and the title was 5 words or less, what might the title be?
I got nothing on this one....

Video of Cliff on-air and other places

For those of you who have never had the pleasure of hearing Cliff in action :) And a little bit about our little town that he's been such a huge part of:


I actually was sitting in his little room where he broadcasts from a few years ago when I, along with the then president of the Chamber of Commerce, was interviewed by Cliff on "Aunt Sara's Party Line" for our annual town's festival. I tried not to talk because I'm radio shy (probably tv shy too if I ever had the chance) but Cliff was a sneaky devil and got me to say a few words.

Off the air after 56 years

I know none of you will really care about this, but around here, this is huge news. Needless to say, it's the talk of the town right now.

Cliff Mitchell’s daughter found out about the veteran broadcaster’s retirement the same way everyone else did: on the air. She said she thought he might call it quits six years ago when he celebrated 50 years on the air at KASM-AM in Albany. He talked about retiring but never did anything until this week.

“When we heard it on the air Monday, it was kind of a surprise with the rest of the world,” Karen Mitchell-Schleicher said.

Wednesday was bittersweet for Mitchell’s listeners and friends. The man who has graced the airwaves from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. for 56 years at the Albany station has left the air. The North Dakota native spent his entire career at KASM, a station that hit the air two years before Mitchell arrived.

“I thought he would be there forever,” said Paul Stacke, who worked with Mitchell at KASM in 1955 and 1956 and retired from Regent Broadcasting in St. Cloud.

“Cliff has made KASM what it is today. He is such an icon,” said Diane Haskamp, a saleswoman and afternoon radio co-host who has worked at the station for 10 years. “Usually, you say KASM, they say ‘is that old guy still on?’”Today, the answer to that question is no. Not that Cliff Mitchell, who turns 81 in March, will be easily forgotten. His name is on just about every plaque that covers the walls at the small studio just off Interstate Highway 94 in Albany.

Mitchell was installed in the National Association of Farm Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2005 and the Minnesota Broadcast Hall of Fame in 2002. Stearns County commissioners declared April 12, 2002, Cliff Mitchell Day.

Mitchell’s smooth voice has been coming out of radios in homes, cars and tractors for almost six decades. His daily program “Unbearable” took its final call Wednesday from a woman who said she had been listening to Mitchell and hearing her mother talk about him since she was 4.

“What Cliff would say is God’s word. If he said it, people would believe it,” Haskamp said.Jesse Job, who has owned Charlie’s Cafe in Freeport for almost two years, said the restaurant has been advertising on Mitchell’s show for decades. He said people value Mitchell’s opinion.

“A lot of people in the area listen to Cliff,” Job said. “When I talk to people about the weather, they say ‘Cliff said it will snow at 1 o’clock.’ A lot of people take what he has to say pretty highly.”

Link - it's a pretty lengthy article, as it should be. He is one helluva man.

I had to laugh at the last comment I quoted... just the other day when we got that snowstorm, I went to my parents and asked if they knew how many inches we ended up with. All my dad said was "Cliff said we got 9 inches". That was that... thats what we got because it's what Cliff said.

Everyone knew who Cliff Mitchell was and when you mentioned KASM, people really did follow it up with Cliff's name. A lot of people think Cliff was what kept KASM going all these years (they play a lot of polka, old time music and farm reports).

Cliff is also a family friend. I worked under his daughter (mentioned in the article) when I worked at the Chamber of Commerce. He's the one who also found his friend, Clyde, when Clyde passed away - in the house we own now.

It's amazing at how this is going to affect our town and the surrounding areas. We all grew up with Cliff in the mornings (regardless if you listened or not - you heard about it). He is the nicest man you will ever meet and he really is a local celebrity. And I will admit that I got a little teary eyed at the thought of mornings around here without Cliff.

Pick a pet, music, pennies, salt, dinner and a few other things!

This week we will answer some crazy questions brought to you by Kimber, the color sienna and the number 2009. And you should go play. Take your mouse, put it over this ----> click me! <---- and click. Then play. It's really simple.

1. Would you rather have a pet hippo or a pet elephant?

• Elephant. Because if I chose the hippo, Demon #1 would never forgive me.
  

2. If locked in a cell and music blasted constantly 24/7, what would NOT drive you crazy that might annoy other inmates?

• Oak Ridge Boys or the Statler Brothers
  

3. If you see a penny on the ground, do you stop and pick it up?

• Probably not. Sounds like a lot of work.
  

4. Sea salt or table salt?

• I don't think I've ever knowingly had sea salt.
  

5. Do you use bar soap or liquid soap?

• Whatever needs to be used up more in the shower. Nobody ever wants to finish anything in this house, so they will leave just a tad bit of whatever is left. So I finish it.
  

6. What/when was the worst travel experience of your life?

• When I was in Jr High my sister's family & I took an Amtrak from MN to Washington. On the way there it was so cold in that train. On the way back... it was so hot. I hated that trip.
  

7. You are at someone's house for dinner. It's an important dinner such as meeting the In Laws, with the boss or an important client. The food comes out and all homemade. You take the first bite and nearly puke into your plate. You're sure you'll end up with food poisoning. Do you eat it, pretend to eat and spit it into your napkin or some other clever way to get yourself out of eating it?

• I'd make up some lame excuse about it not agreeing with my stomach and convince them that it was good and there's nothing wrong with it, but my stomach is sensitive to new things.
  

8. Do you watch any judge/court shows?

• Does Nancy Grace count?
  

9. Is your nose pierced?

• Nope. My belly button is though, are you impressed?
  

I often wonder....

.....why is "California blend" vegtables called that? It's not like broccoli, cauliflower and carrots are only grown in California. Or maybe it was someone in Cali who thought it'd be good to put the 3 together? '

Sunday Stealing: The TV Meme

Cheers to all us thieves!

Sunday Stealing: The TV Meme
1. Name a TV show series in which you have seen every episode at least twice:
Little House on The Prairie
2. Name a show you can't miss:
Right now... Nancy Grace - is that considered a show?
3. Name an actor that would make you more inclined to watch a show:
Mel Gibson
4. Name an actor who would make you less likely to watch a show:
Pee Wee Herman or Tom Cruise
5. Name a show you can, and do, quote from:
I don't think I really quote any of them.
6. Name a show you like that no one else enjoys:
Little House.
7. Name a TV show which you've been known to sing the theme song:
Green Acres
8. Name a show you would recommend everyone to watch:
Big Love - everyone wants to be a polygamist, don't they?
9. Name a TV series you own:
*looks around to see if anyone is reading* The Life & Times of Grizzly Adams
10. Name an actor who launched his/her entertainment career in another medium, but has surprised you with his/her acting chops in television:
Reba McEntire
11. What is your favorite episode of your favorite series?
Johnathan's Mountain - when Charles Ingalls, Jr dies as a baby and Laura goes to the mountain to ask God to take her and give her Pa back the baby.
12. Name a show you keep meaning to watch, but you just haven't gotten around to yet:
Desperate Housewives, just because everyone talks about it and I feel out of the loop
13. Ever quit watching a show because it was so bad?
aren't they all bad in some way or another?
14. Name a show that's made you cry multiple times:
Little House again. Some of the 80s sitcoms made me cry a time or two - Full House, Growing Pains.
15. What do you eat when you watch TV?
Not usually
16. How often do you watch TV?
Daily
17. What's the last TV show you watched?
there was some stupid cartoon on tv when I went to bed last night.
18. What's your favorite/preferred genre of TV?
Crime/Forensic shows
19. What was the first TV show you were obsessed with?
Grizzly Adams
20. What TV show do you wish you never watched?
Days of our Lives, because now I'm hooked for life
21. What's the weirdest show you enjoyed?
The Anna Nicole Show
22. What TV show scared you the most?
The 70s Land of the Lost. Damn sleestaks.
23. What is the funniest TV show you have ever watched?
Kitchen Nightmares