When my baby sister was 14 and coming up to visit me for a week, I slept in line overnight to get Bon Jovi tickets. When I had to renew my drivers’ license (and had waited too late to get an appointment), I hit the AAA office at 6 a.m. to get one of the 75 walk-in slots. The office opened at 9; when I got there at 6, I wasn’t the first in line! You all know I’ve sat outside of Aldis in the past, in the cold for 3+ hours for the wine advent calendar.
But the lines at the State Fair stop me cold. I think I told the story about YA standing in the donut line last year; the donut concession has upgraded to a building (they were in an RV before) but the line still runs all the way down the street and looks to be at least an hour wait. Pickle Pizza has opened a second outlet which helps a bit but yesterday at noon, the main outlet had two massive lines, each going in opposite directions.
Last Saturday YA and went up to the Ag building first thing to see the crop art. We clearly weren’t the only folks who had this thought. We got there about 8:30 (exhibit opens at 9) and there was a considerable line. Then a staff person came out to re-direct where the line was forming. She said that the “come early” thought must have gone viral because the long lines had formed every morning so far; where we were standing was most likely going to be a 2-hour wait.
And then there are the Apple Fries. This is a new food at the fair this year and they’ve gotten good reviews, but the lines go down the street and around the corner. We’ve read on line that most folks are waiting over an hour to get them.
Not sure if I’ll see crop art this year. I’m betting money I won’t be getting Apple Fries either. YA has waited for donuts and Pickle Pizza, but not me. Even if I had a stadium chair (like when I waited at Aldis and AAA), I’m not sure I’d want to waste so much time of my State Fair day waiting in line! Hopefully some day in the future, the line for Apple Fries will be shorter!
A couple of weeks back, a friend of mine asked me if I wanted to go see the world-premiere of Rebel with a Clause at the Main Cinema downtown. I’d never heard of this but my friend is a writer, super funny and super curious and super intelligent so without so much as even “bing-ing” it, I bought ticket online and that Sunday, off we went.
Explaining it doesn’t even begin to do it justice, so here is the trailer:
It was SO funny, mostly because the idea of her quest is funny and a lot of the folks in the clips were hilarious but also because the audience was also hysterical. The movie is split up into chapters. For example, The Comma was a bunch of clips about comma questions. In fact, when “Commas” came up on the screen, there was a huge reaction/laugh/groan from the audience. Clearly grammar and usage hit a spot for many people and the audience obviously knew what those hot spots are! This happened several times.
I have never been what you would call a stickler for grammar but for most of my adult life I’ve lamented about the sad state of English. Even having studied Shakespeare and Chaucer and knowing that English has evolved, I stood my ground. And then I had one of those life-changing reads. The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way by Bill Bryson (what a great title too). He was so effective in mapping out the path of our language that by the final page, I was completely converted. The grammar that we were taught in school really is just arbitrary made-up rules and communicating is what’s important, not whether we’re splitting infinitives or not. (And I’m really hawking his book – interesting and funny.)
This doesn’t mean that I have thrown grammar to the wind. I still like to speak well and I certainly appreciate it when someone uses the subjunctive correctly. I also still cringe when people mis-use reflexive pronouns, which seems to be more often than not these days. But overall, I’m trying to let all that go.
Ellen Jovin clearly comes down on the side of not holding people’s feet to the fire over their use of grammar even though she really knows her topic. (This is not a spoiler alert by the way.) Turns out that in addition to setting up her Grammar Table, eventually, in all 50 states, she also wrote a book about the experience. I have it on hold at the library.
So…. (VS acknowledges she is using the ellipses incorrectly) I’m highly recommending both Mother Tongue and Rebel with a Clause. And, if you’re here in the Twin Cities, the movie will be showing again at The Main Cinema on September 21 and September 24. Highly recommended!!
Do you remember learning grammar in school? Any grammar rule/s that you feel warmly about?
For years I wore my State Fair t-shirts to work in August – a different one each day up until opening day. But then, for some reason, I never wore any of them TO the Fair. I’m not sure why and I’ll admit I never really thought it was weird. I have a nice number of flowy, tunic-like tops (you Blevins folks have probably seen all of them) and I usually wore those during fair days.
Then this year, I had several dirty projects the first week of August and didn’t wear any of my fair shirts. This made me think about my pattern and I decided to wear fair shirt to the fair. Radical I know.
On Saturday, I wore my newest fair shirt (above) in addition to a pair of earrings I found last year at a little shop in the Grandstand:
I don’t think I’ve ever unintentionally drawn so much attention to myself. From the time we got in line for the Park `n Ride bus until we got back to the parking lot (about 8 hours), 13 people commented on my shirt, 2 on the earrings. All positive comments. And after a few of the remarks, I started to realize that a lot of folks were noticing the shirt, even if they didn’t say anything. It was weird and surprising since only two people had said anything about the shirt I wore on Thursday. And one of them was at the Star Tribune booth; the shirt was a Steve Sachs design…
I met a gal later in the afternoon wearing the same shirt and we had a quick conversation about the shirt and she said she had experienced the same thing I had. I suppose the colorful corn dogs on the black background make it stand out more than most fair t-shirt designs. The great irony is that I don’t even eat corn dogs! Haven’t even tried the vegan one at the fair yet!
Wonder if I’ll get a lot of comments when I wear the corn design shirt with the dangly ear of corn earrings?
Do you have any items of clothing that have gotten remarks?
I read with great amusement this weekend about the deportation of Milo Yiannopolous, the right-wing rabble rouser described as a Provacateur. That French word made what he does, which is disgusting, seem so exciting and mysterious.
I wondered if he listed “Provacateur” as his official job description on legal documents and his British Income Tax returns. My father could have described himself as a Provacateur. He loved lively conversation in his coffee shop, and loved teasing and vexing his buddies who held different political beliefs than he did. I had to promise him on his death bed that I would include his signed photo of Hilary Clinton in the slide show at his funeral lunch. He wanted one last dig at his Republican friends. Heaven for him would be in a fishing boat with Winston Churchill, Joseph Stalin, and Billy Graham.
I think we should all start describing our vocations in French. Husband and I would be Psychologues. I don’t know the past vocations of all Baboons, but I know we have a Travailleuse Sociale (social worker), an Infirmiere Diplomee (registered nurse), a Poseur de Moquette (carpet layer), a Publicitaire (advertising professional), a Joueuse de Mandolin and Chanteuse (mandolin player and singer), an Auteur (author), a l’Agriculteur (farmer), a Technicien Lumiere (theatre lighting technician) and a Touche-a-tout (jack of all trades). Maybe we would all get paid more with such fancy job titles!
What is the French word for different jobs you have had? Would you enjoy being a Boulevardiere, Maitre d’hote, Danseuse, Raconteur, Flaneur, Sommelier, or some other French occupation?
I mean who doesn’t love popcorn, right? (I know there’s a few of you).
Daughter went to a movie the other day. It was Tuesday so we did the Large Value popcorn (we usually have the refillable bucket, but this came up spur of the moment). Shortly after she got home it was already soggy. Dang, we love leftover popcorn. I threw it out to the chickens the next morning. You know, back in the ‘70s, when I was in the hospital for three weeks with my leg injury, my mom would make popcorn, put it in a leftover bread bag, and freeze it. Then she would bring it to me in the hospital. You don’t often hear about people using bread sacks anymore, do you? They worked for boot liners and they worked for leftovers.
See this video of me calling the chickens; they love leftovers, and popcorn all the more.
Finally got the last of the straw baled on Sunday. Saturday, I baled and stacked 110 bales in a wagon for the strawberry farm in the neighborhood. He’ll take them in November just before it gets really cold or snows. He’s got a shredder / blower type machine that he can stack about a dozen bales on, then wife or child feeds them into the chute to chop it up and spray it over the berries while he drives down the rows. Looks pretty slick for that job. On Sunday, Neighbor Craig was over and round baled the rest. Got 18 large round bales, called 5×5’s. Five feet wide and about five feet diameter. At some point I’ll get out with the tractor and loader and bale fork on the front and bale lift on the back and pick them up and put them in a row until neighbor Dave picks them up for use as bedding this winter. As I’ve said before since there’s no under seeding planted with the oats, they can sit there for a bit. If there was something planted underneath, and they were left sitting, the bales would smother whatever was growing. I do want to get these fields dug up and planted to rye, so I need them moved sooner than later.
I called John Deere to come out and check why the big tractor is overheating. I pulled the side panels off.
Hmmm. Maybe this pipe?
And I decided, yeah, let’s call a guy. I don’t have that much time right now anyway being back at college and all. I bought this tractor used. It has 11,000 hours on it, which is equivalent to 50,000 miles on a car. And I put about 100 hours on it per year. It came from a local farm, so my local dealer might have some history on it. I don’t. I can tell the radiator hoses are soft, meaning they should be replaced, and it probably needs a water pump and new thermostat. I’m guessing $3500 parts and labor. Will let you know in a month.
Got new lights installed on a trailer, then went to pick up rebar and a 6″x6″x16′ green treated post for a fence down in the cow yard.
Fancy new lights
We’re also prepping for more concrete in the shed. Padawan and I excavated dirt this week. Got two loads of gravel delivered for the base. Rented a plate compactor for the weekend. Padawan was out for a couple hours, and he and I worked on digging out the dirt and gravel next to the existing concrete. Man, I am so looking forward to having concrete in here! Another one of those things I wish I’d have done 20 / 30 / 40 years ago! But, you know, money. And life. And I’ll appreciate it more now. (Padawan 2 is back at college).
Another project
This looks like work.
I changed the spark plugs in the swather, and then I was tired of looking at it. Remember I said I’d drive it around for an hour so it felt needed? I drove it for 20 minutes and called it good. It worked, it made all the scary noises I’ve come to expect, and I parked it back in the shed for next summer. I’ll try to start it once a month and move it back and forth until winter. I say until winter because usually I have something parked in front of it, so I can still start it, but not be able to move it after that.
At the college I am taking two classes: Music Fundamentals, and Introduction to Humanities. I don’t usually do two classes. But music only has 11 students and I was afraid it would be cancelled so I registered for Humanities and now they’re both going. I signed up for music because I wanted to learn more about WHY I like the music I like. How is a song created? What makes rock sound like rock and country sound like country? And what do they mean when they say, ‘This is in the key of A’?
And the teacher for Humanities is a great teacher. I’ve taken 3 of her classes before. Both these are online and so far, so good. From what I’m learning so far in chapter 1, I’m pretty good at the Humanities already. I am mostly open minded, and I use a Socratic method of teaching. (Trying to get others to think and answer questions themselves and not simply lecturing).
Anyone familiar with Rhaphidophoridae? Otherwise known as Camel Crickets?
Eww!
We have had them in our house the last few years. They’re creepy. We have an exterminator / bug guy that does bait stations outside to control mice and rats, so we had him spray the basement too.
The ag co-op had me apply for my crop loan for next year. Got that approved. Saved a $250 application fee. Looks like I can farm again next year.
I’m seeing a few soybeans starting to turn yellow. Haven’t seen anyone chopping corn silage yet, but that will be happening soon. I picked a few ears of corn the other day. It is well dented. Counted 14 kernels around, and 38 long. Usually they’re 16 around, a really impressive ear will be 18. They were both filled all the way to the end, meaning the plant had everything it needed and didn’t need to abort any kernels to survive. Now that was just this one place in this one field. I could go to another field with more rocks and it would look worse.
Acorns are falling too. They are good sized this year. Must have been a good year for acorns. And it seems like some of the barn swallows have started to leave. The world just keeps going around.
THINGS YOU USED TO USE FOR LEFTOVERS YOU DONT USE ANYMORE?
It was fun to be in Brookings this past week. Brookings is the home of South Dakota State University. Both our son and DIL work for the University, he as a mental health counselor and she, in a new position, as a Freshman student advisor.
Classes started on Monday. Last weekend Son helped students move into their dorm rooms. Golf carts were involved, and Son also helped direct campus traffic. DIL helped students rearrange and tweak schedules. Though they can’t and didn’t give us any individual details, both stated the incoming students were pretty anxious.
I started at Concordia in Moorhead in 1976. I had never lived away from home before. A band trip to Europe that summer seemed to have cured me of any homesickness. As an only child it was rather disconcerting to have to share a dorm room with someone, though. I was in the oldest dorm, Fjelstad Hall. My roommate was tolerable enough, but a local girl and more interested in her hometown friends than she was in developing a relationship with me. I quickly found friends on other floors.
Concordia had very strict rules for students. Freshmen and Sophomores had to live on campus. The school openly acknowledged taking an in loco parentis role with students. You couldn’t have a vehicle if you lived on campus. That meant taking the Fargo-Moorhead transit system around town. There was, of course, a total ban on alcohol in dorm rooms. (All that meant was that people got really sneaky.)
I wish all the first year SDSU students well. I am glad they have my son and DIL for support.
What were your first digs like when you moved away from home?Ever live in a dormitory?
You all know where I am, right? That’s right – the VS State Fair Fest has begun!
Tickets purchased (actually bought them in November for last year’s price).
Blue Ribbon Coupon Book purchased. Both YA and I have added our post-it notes.
Food list assembled and printed off. This includes traditional items that we like every year (corn, cookies, crepe, Hawaiian shave ice, etc.) as well as new foods.
Trial drive to parking lot done. I do this every year to make sure there isn’t any surprise road construction.
Turtle bag “packing list” updated… actually just printed out this year – we didn’t make any changes from last year.
Turtle bag packed (bandaids, Tylenol, pad/paper, address labels, collapsible container for cookies, coupon book, cash…).
Depending on what time you’re up and reading this, I’m either feeding the dog/cat before I leave, driving to St. Paul, waiting in line, on the Park & Ride bus. Once the bus gets to the transit hub and I get through the entrance, who knows what the day will bring for me!
You’ll have to talk among yourselves today. Anything planned for YOUR day?
Our son’s dishwasher has been making the most dreadful noises all summer. He was hoping to wait until September to get it looked at by the appliance repair folks.
We are currently staying with our son and Dil looking after our grandson. Yesterday I started the dishwasher after I had finished making some Franzbrotchen, a Hamburg pastry. The dishwasher made its usual grinding noises. Not too far into the cycle it stopped and a warning signal began beeping and a special code popped up on the display to indicate what the trouble was. Husband and I were the only adults home. We contacted our son and he sent us the on-line information of what to do in this circumstance with this particular warning code. It said to unplug the dishwasher for 5 minutes, then restart it.
I followed the instructions. After I restarted the machine it no longer made the awful noise. Then, however, I noticed that something that looked like steam but had a burning, electrical smell was wafting out of the top of the door. I checked, then double checked and decided it was actual smoke. I immediately turned off the dishwasher and unplugged it. I removed the bottom access plate to see if anything was burning under the machine, felt all around on the floor and cupboards to see if anything felt hot, then checked the ceiling in the basement where the dishwasher was perched. It was ok.
For some reason when I woke up yesterday morning I distinctly remember thinking that Son needed to get that dishwasher replaced because the awful noise it made could mean it might start a fire. How weird is that? PI never have had a premonition, but this is pretty close. We helped him choose out a new dishwasher late yesterday afternoon.
Ever had a premonition? Any memorable appliance fails?
This week we have encountered two external references to our former region of ND. At church on Sunday we spoke to some fellow parishioners who had just returned from a cattle buying trip to Montana. They stopped in Medora, ND on the way there. Medora is about 40 miles east of where we used to live. It is a small town of about 120 people adjacent to Theodore Roosevelt National Park and home to the newly opened Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library. Daughter’s best friend’s dad owns a ranch there, and she spent a lot of time there as a kid. It is also home to the Medora Musical, an outdoor theatre that has a cast of singers and dancers all summer for shows every night. The various attractions of the place have been promoted by a foundation started by Harold Shaefer, the manufacturer of Mister Bubble.
Our church friends were quite disappointed by the library, due to the pushy crowds and the fact that they saw no books in the library. We thought that perhaps all the books were digitized, but had no other explanation.
The other Medora connection was an article by Rachel Monroe in the August 17 edition of The New Yorker describing what is was like to be there during our current president’s visit on July 4th. It was, of course, a disaster. The musical had to be cancelled because the tech crew couldn’t got the stage ready in time to support heavy protective barriers for presidential security. She had much better experiences at the Mandan Rodeo and the 250th Celebration at the Sisseton Wahpeton pow wow. I encourage you to read the article if you can.
I know there is a special Teddy Roosevelt department at the university in our former town. Maybe they have some books. Who knows?
Ever been to a Rodeo, a pow wow, or a presidential library? What sort of books might Teddy have had?
On Friday we brought our grandson back to Brookings. The first thing he said to his dad when he got home was to describe the wonderful frozen yogurt bars he had at our house and he hoped his dad would get some right away. He also was happy that we sent a box of Effie’s Oatcakes home with him. He had never eaten those before and loved them.
I love frozen treats, especially Popsicles. I would devour them by the bag or box when I wasa child. My dentist was quite unhappy with me since I was also a random tooth brusher and had lots of sugary liquid in my mouth during the summers. I had lots of cavities as a result.
It is my understanding that frozen yogurt bars are all the rage these days. I still prefer icy treats, and I was excited to find mangonadas in the Hispanic grocery store on Luverne’s Main Street. They are enormous and icy with sweet and sour and spicy flavoring. You can see them in the header photo. They had no paletas, though, which are also wonderful Mexican frozen treats. They are my absolute favorite.
We are in Brookings this week, taking care of grandson until school starts. The Walmart store here has paletas, and if they have the yogurt bars grandson likes we will get those, too. It is still summer and it is still hot.
What were your favorite treats when you were a child? How about now? Any memorable childhood dentist experiences?
Trail Baboon 