The Baboon Congress

tim says grace

91 Comments

Guest blog by tim

its harder sometimes than others to give thanks.

this year the dems took a serious hit and the economy is in the tank and the global warming has us living in san diego mn through mid november (not everyone is with me on feeling this is a bad thing) …but the world just keeps on a turning for the better or the worse and all we ever get is older and around (kris kristoferson)

the blog is a thing i inherited from my dads tendencies i guess. my mom tells me he was just like his dad. they would both be at their happiest just wandering into a group of friends and chewing the fat. my dad would shut off the radio in the car on car trips calling it the conversation killer. my grandfathers wife died in a car accident 15 years before he did so he had 15 years in retirement in a house by himself and his response was to go out visiting. he would go have coffee at people’s houses, he was a teetotaler (son of an alcoholic) so the elks club and the corner bar held little interest but instead he developed a route where he would pop in and stay for 45 minutes and be gone, visit and move on.

my dad joined all the local community organizations not so much to make the world a better place but because the camaraderie was so special to him. the laughter and conversation at these events was wonderful to behold as a kid and thereafter it felt like the way life was supposed to be. i worked with my dad for 30 years and the biggest deal in his day was lunch. he would search out people who like to have lunch and discuss the world and business and the state of the state and after a couple of years i asked why we always went out. we could save 10 dollars a day by bringing a sandwich. He made it clear that some things in life have a value that a dollar amount could not be plugged into the equation on. we formed great friendships with many people exclusively because we had lunch with them 20 times a year for 5 years or more. the conversations always ranged from the state of the world to the state of the business, politics, family, life’s challenges. i was a bystander in many of these conversations but i learned the tricks of the trade.

Conversation… giving a bit of yourself and getting the same back in return. when my dad retired up to leech lake he was a lost soul for the first year looking for a coffee group in the morning and lunch group in the afternoon and a golf group during those summer months we all live for here in minnesota. as his health deteriorated and his brain went off to lala land he hated most of all the loss of his drivers license and his ability to get to those coffee groups. my mom would take him but my mom runs late and has errands to run that mean when she drops you the return may be in 40 minutes or 3 hours and 40 minutes. not the same as controlling your own destiny. he was put in two different nursing homes before he passed and his only comment about either was how nice the people were. you would always find him in the lunch room having coffee or in the tv room chatting.

so I come by my social blogging honestly. this group seems stronger today than when it was when it was tied to the morning show. the conversations go on into the day and night regularly instead of being done at 9am. i have great new friends and i keep learning more from and about everyone as we go along.

so on this thanksgiving day/week i want to give thanks for the people of the world that make you look forward to getting out of bed, our friends here and gone, and the ones yet to come. there are pluses and minuses to a blog. i can get up in midsentence and handle something that needs to be taken care of right now and i can also check in at night before the end of the day.

i laugh and cry and get to feel the pain of the season changes with clyde and jacque and the pain of having your husband laid off before the joy of the new job comes around (long wait joanne we are all elated) and bens trials with the sets and barb and Barbara, mig and jim and krista and elinor and kays return, tgith chitrader alanna and sudbury are always special to see on the good lol blog when they stop in, mike from albert lea, , joanne, and all. steve gives us a deep reaction tounge in cheek or heartfelt, dale keeps messing with us, i am amazed at how clyde keeps it all sorted out he remembers the little details of everyones lives.

and the world just keeps on turning for the better and the worst and all I ever get is older and around. words to live by. happy thanksgiving,

91 thoughts on “tim says grace”

      1. Aaaaah, I’ve put the pie in the oven and can relax!

        I’ve made a discovery. tim’s lower-case paragraph-less gushes of thought are pure poetry if you take the time to snuggle up to them. I now “select” tim’s long posts and print them. It would surely please tim to hear that the printed product has no set line length, and in fact the sea of words laps up against all four borders of the page. Then I sit down and read them in a leisurely way, as poetry should be read.

        Like

        Reply

      3. Neither one of those kind do I care for. I consider them sins against pie! Cherry, apple, raspberry, blueberry, chocolate, raison creme, lemon–love those.

        Like

        Reply

    3. Me too… been in the kitchen this morning. My famous and oft-requested vegetarian stuffing as well as cheesecake filled pumpkin cupcakes.

      Like

      Reply

      1. is your stuffing a consistant thing or do you ad lib it with whats around? this year i did start with some delicious fociccia croutons then just onion celery soy sauce wine and rosemary thyme. 3/4 in the bird. 1/4 ina bowl for me. oh i discovered a neat flavorinf dor general along with the soy sauce is tea instead of water. i use liptons but taste dictates. i can see chammomille in some things and earl gray in others.

        Like

        Reply

  5. Over the Internet and through the ether,
    To Connelly’s blog we go.
    The mouse knows the way
    To to click on the way,
    To the gab and grace and glow, oh!
    Over the Internet and through the ether,
    Oh, how our wind does blow!
    It brings us ho-hos,
    And shares our woes,
    As over new ground we go.

    Over the Internet and through the ether,
    To have a first-rate play;
    Oh, read Dale’s thing,
    Or a guest ding-a-ling’s!”
    Hurrah for the Trail Baboon-oon!
    Over the Internet and through the ether,
    Can’t wait for what others say!
    Make it deep and profound,
    Or act like a clown!
    For this is the Trail Baboon.

    Like

    Reply

  6. Version 2
    Over the Internet and through the ether,
    To Connelly’s blog we go.
    The mouse knows the way
    To click on the way,
    To the gab and grace and glow, oh!
    Over the Internet and through the ether,
    Oh, how our wind does blow!
    It brings us ho-hos,
    And shares our woes,
    As over new ground we go.

    Over the Internet and through the ether,
    To have a first-rate play;
    Oh, read Dale’s thing,
    Or a guest ding-a-ling’s!”
    Hurrah for the Trail Baboon-oon!
    Over the Internet and through the ether,
    Can’t wait for what others croon!
    Make it deep and profound,
    Or act like a clown!
    For this is the Trail Baboon.

    Like

    Reply

  7. thanks, tim. so beautifully said. i’m playing the Finnish throat singer’s “Inna gadda davida” in my head right now – a sentiment we should all cherish on this day.
    i’m pretty lame in social situations. but Dale, this blog and you folks give me courage, insights, tears, and lots of laughs.
    i’m almost certain i have three pregnant does out in the barn (they don’t make EPTs for goats, so one just has to assume from watching). March 16, April 3, April 5. a good man is reading his books in the living room and our local, organic turkey weighs in at 18 pounds – not 34 as i feared. life is good.
    and a good and gracious Thanksgiving to You All

    Like

    Reply

    2. sounds like an opportunity barb … auntie barbs early pregnancy tests for goats complete with goat trivia, goat antidotes, famous goat moments (goats on the bridge, goats on the dam, goats in space. maybe a goat ept holder so you dont have to stand there and wait for her to pee. a 3 pak for 29.95 available at daleconnelly.com

      you may have to think about an irish name in case the first one is born a day late. connelly is a nice name for a goat don’t you think.

      which birthday is the one you match up with linda?

      Like

      Reply

      1. 3rd of April. My mother was given a choice of either the 1st or 3rd for the caesarian. She went with the 3rd. She thought I would get teased about being an April Fool if I had a birthday on the first. I grew up just as foolish, anyway.

        Like

        Reply

      2. Lassi is due April 3. her doelings will be named after fermented milk products or foods made with them (e.g. Kefir, Dudh, Laban, Raita) although if we keep a buck i like the name Dudh 🙂
        Linda, what’s your pleasure?

        Like

        Reply

  8. tim, your forebears had a talent for belonging, a pretty nice thing to inherit.

    “By building relations we create a source of love and personal pride and belonging that makes living in a chaotic world easier.”
    -Susan Lieberman

    “When you know and respect your Inner Nature, you know where you belong. You also know where you don’t belong.”
    – Benjamin Hoff

    Like

    Reply

  9. Rise and Give Thanks Babooners!

    Thanks Tim for your lovely thought. This is my favorite holiday — no physical gifts, just gratitude. Tim, I am thankful for the one lone capital C on conversation in your entry.

    I never thought there would be a positive to Dale going off the air, especially the way it happened, but this blog is a positive to me. I hope it has kept Dale going emotionally, too. I am deeply grateful for the friendship and support of this blog. The recipes I’ve tried are blessings, too. Things at my business have been a trial since April. About a month ago we turned a corner causing our work environment to improve. During the intervening months this blog was welcome and positive distraction while I watched two people around me struggle, then implode their own lives with little insight about themselves. The new friends and the book group (even though I cannot bring myself to read For Whom the Bell Tolls) are welcome additions to my life.

    Like

    Reply

    1. glad things are looking positive at work again jacque. its tough to ride out the bumps sometimes. maybe you can look back and see the positive growth sometimes you look back and they were just bumps. onward and upward.

      we will try to come up with a book that is a little more in line with your taste in the upcoming choices. looking forward ot your husband coming to discuss his take on the hemmingway.

      Like

      Reply

  10. tears in my eyes.

    Thank you, tim and fellow baboons. I echo Jacque’s gratitude for the blog as a welcome and positive distraction from the trials of the day. The simple, common decency and generosity of spirit I see here on a regular basis preserve my faith that such things are still possible.

    We are off to Iowa. Wish you all much coziness.

    Goatling birthdays duly noted on the calendar!

    Like

    Reply

  11. Good morning all – and thank you tim for summarizing so well why friends and people are perhaps the most treasured “things” we can have. I have tried to explain this group, like many others, and my best description (for my “other book club” friends – and I’ve known some of those folks since high school) is, “it’s like a group of old friends, “book club” friends, on online and I just met them.” My other book club is a group that measures the quality of our gatherings by its laughter (and the willingness to share tears).

    Debating the trip to Brainerd this morning. Roads here look good. Near Brainerd they look good. Long about St. Cloud things look less good. Sun, do your thing – there’s a vegetarian-fed bird waiting for me in Crow Wing county!

    Like

    Reply

      1. We are trusting the in mndot cameras that things are clearer on the roads than the reported road conditions at 5 am. Off to Brainerd we go! Have a great Thanksgiving all – so glad you’re in my world.

        Like

        Reply

  12. Greetings! There’s a bright sun and blue sky here. It’s cold outside, but warm in my heart and soul. Thank you, Tim, for putting into words what is hard to express. I am deeply grateful to all of you for your wisdom and support through a challenging year, and cheering me on in better days ahead. A toast of Dom Perignon (or other suitable beverage) to my good friends all around the world. Happy Thanksgiving!

    Like

    Reply

  13. Thank you tim, that was beautiful. I am also grateful to Dale for creating a wonderful and welcoming blog where we can share our trials, tears, and laughter. I’m also grateful to be able to spend this day with my family. We may be small compared to some families, but we enjoy ourselves. Have a great Thanksgiving everyone!!

    Like

    Reply

    1. Thank You Joanne!
      It’s the second item on the list; the one about more years of hugs, kisses, and little-kid sweetness… that’s the one that always gets me…

      Happy Thanksgiving!

      Like

      Reply

      2. sorry i was reaing that you had a second list.. the hugs and little kid sweetness is something we all take for granted not appreciating it as much as we should while its there. my 9 year old is still there, think my 11 year old is about done.

        Like

        Reply

  15. Happy Thanksgiving to all,

    Thanks for saying grace, Tim. I certainly agree with you about the great value of this blog and the good spirit of all the people who participate.

    Several years ago we had a big Thanksgiving meal at our house and my Uncle Horace was asked to say grace. This Uncle was an old gentleman who lived almost his entire life in the small town where he was born and was a lay minister. He said the grace very nicely and then my mother-in-law muttered, “do we have to pray for every bit of food we get?” Everyone pretended that they didn’t hear her, but my daughter did kick her under the table. She was somewhat into senility at the time, but had been a “character” all of her life. We will probably have some laughs about her rude comment when we gather around the Thanksgiving table today.

    Like

    Reply

    1. i am a recovering catholic and grew up with the “bless us o lord for these thy gifts ” number. as we got older “rub a dub dub thanks for the grub yeaaahhh god replaced it on occasions. but the heartfelt impropmtus at family gatherings always felt real.there is a reason all the traditions got to be traditions i have decided.

      Like

      Reply

  16. Thanks for the great words, tim. I am thankful for you, too, and all the baboons. Things are pretty much under control here since others are bringing the turkey. The house is clean and I don’t have to rush around like a maniac as is usually the case when I try to do everything myself. Husband is valiantly out clearing the driveway, so I had better have some good strong coffee for him. Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

    Like

    Reply

    1. i particularly like a little flavoring in my coffee on days like today. enjoy being the day. ask you dad about instant replay for major league baseball. i hear its coming. pretty soon balls and strikes can be done by computer too.

      Like

      Reply

  17. Thanks for a great T’g intro, tim. I really enjoyed hearing about your dad and his introducing you to Conversation. You’ve all said it very well…. This place means more to me sometimes than I care to admit. I’d like to add I’ve been enjoying some of the newer voices – Crow Girl, Caroline, Crystal Bay, sometimes Sally in Stillwater… where’s Linda from Minneapolis these days? Anyway, glad to know you all!

    I’ll be here just sketchily next few days, as Sister and her son fly in tonight for 5 days. Turkey tomorrow. Today I drive my mom up to our place for 3 days. (MIG, I may just pass you on 35, depending on where in Iowa you are going.) Sunday Husband will bring her back. I get dizzy just thinking about it.

    Have a great day, and weekend, Babooners.

    Like

    Reply

  19. Thanks to Tim, Dale, and the rest of the tribe for a warm spot in a cold world.

    I’m still groggy from the son who arrived at 3:30 AM instead of the promised 6:30 PM. Part bad roads and part self-centered bliss. Good thing there will turkey and creamed onions for strength at Thanksgiving dinner!

    Like

    Reply

  20. Tim – what you’ve written is very moving and perfect for this day. After the little girl in me got past not being mentioned at your gratitude table, I realized that it will take a lot more time & effort than I’ve given to earn a seat at the table. This then opened up a floodgate of gratitude for the the angels who swooped in around me to help me survive cancer this year. Most of them I barely knew yet they shadowed my every need. This Thanksgiving Day will be the first one in which I know beyond any doubt that I’m far from alone in this world. I’m grateful for the gift of cancer because, for the first time in my life, I had no choice but to receive and accept love’s sustenance. In the process, I also learned the sheer joy it brings other human beings to be so needed and intimately connected to another’s battle for life. Tears flow as I reflect
    upon the goodness of people and the gift of discovering how held I am by the Universe.

    Like

    Reply

    1. thats a lesson tht should last you for the rest of your life, however long that is huh? i hate listing names because i am an airhead and will undoubtedly leave someone out. tag you’re it … but if it makes you feel better i knew right after i sent it off that i had forgotten you. you are the new kid but yu are a special new kid. you too crow girl, love your stuff…beth ann… see what i mean . i love you all. you make it a special place.

      Like

      Reply

      1. You didn’t mention me either I think you are just dismayed by my attitude about soup spoons. If you ever come to my house for dinner, I’ll give you a slotted spoon during the soup course. (I’m teasing)

        Like

        Reply

      2. my brain is consistently inconsistent. the slotted spoon is far payback. i think of you as my north dakota connection. sorry i left you off the lsit. if i was any good i’d go back and research the past blogs to make sure i had my bases covered. i will do it next time. didn’t mean to leave you all out. be thankful you don’t have me in your life to a greater degree than you do, my wife could go on and on… enjoy the other parts of your day.

        Like

        Reply

      3. Thank you, Tim. Funny thing is that this very same thing happened to me about a year ago. I’d become somewhat of a regular poster on the Strib letters board and an old time regular invited about a dozen posters to a dinner gathering. Name after name but mine wasn’t on it! Lesson here: don’t become a newbie around the holidays:)

        My day had a joyful surprise in it. Two of my three kids plus five of my nine grand kids planned to gather at my son’s house for the big meal. When I walked in, there was my much-missed son & family from Atlanta!!! They flew in this morning to surprise me along with their two babies, the youngest of whom I’d never even seen. It was a wonderful and completely unexpected surprise. My ex-husband and stepfather to my kids for almost 30 years was equally delighted, especially given that he’s had three open-heart surgeries a few months ago. We’re both far too young for such near-misses and will never take life for granted again.

        Like

        Reply

  21. Morning!

    So nice tim… so very very nice.

    We’re getting ready here; house is cleaned…. food is cooking… setting the table…
    As in so many other lives, changes around us this year; missing some family and welcoming new. Kelly, my wife, is making a turkey for the first time so she’s nervous about that… And Mom-in-law won’t deal well with the seven kids under 12 that will be here…
    But we all shall try to appreciate each other and we’ll be that much more grateful for a quiet house this evening. And I don’t mean that in a bad way or anti-social way… just a quiet relaxed way.

    Tim said it better, but thanks to all of you for being my friends on this blog. I do appreciate it.

    Like

    Reply

    1. my mom in law would get upset that the children made messes, like walking in from outside and bringing dirt on their shoes or sitting on the floor and raining dust. we son’t spend a lot of time there anymore. just tell kelly to bste the heck out of it. martha basteing coumpund is the same one i use. three sticks of butter, one bottle of wine. i add about half a monster garlic and set the timer for every 15 minutes with the oven at 350 down to 325 toward the end. you can’t take it with you is on turner movie classics. jimmy stewart and lionel barrymore. life doesn’t get any better than that. right up there with harvey. enjoy your day. soundslike the quiet evenig willbe a nice nightcap.

      Like

      Reply

      1. Evening….

        Yep, house is quiet now. I’m downloading photos from the camera, Kelly is taking MiL back home and my kids are into their own electronic worlds again…
        We’re all talking about taking in a movie tonight; movie theater greasy popcorn to round out the day, eh? Yep.

        Was a good day; food all turned out great even the turkey. Kids were loud but not crazy loud and Grandma only told them to quiet down once… they were in and out –with the door never shut behind them either way– and had a good time chasing chickens and my son showed them how to collect eggs. Our little indoor dog survived them all as well.
        Dishes are all washed, table is small again and most of the stuff stashed on our bed has been returned to the countertop…

        How many of you are headed out at 3 AM for sales? Not me…

        Like

        Reply

      2. excellent ben,
        glad to hear it went well. same here. food and company was good. i had most of the day to spend with the blog. my two sons left at 3am to get to meals on wheels and get the meals put in boxes and out into the delivery volenteers cars. they got home about 1 this afternoon and were very surprised to see how smoothly the operation was going we ate at 3ish got cleaned up by 6 ish after a little nap at the table. the kids were in rare form. the 9 year old appreciates Conversation also. she asked as dinner was coming to a close: what are you all thankful for. the conversation that ensued was priceless. the new harry potter movie is wonderful but a little scary if your daughter is in the mood. have a great night, thanks fo the great day. football was very back seat today , one of the boys is mnapping in anticipation of the 3 am shoping spree. i think they leave early and head an hour away to a special sale location they have gone to the last couple of years. i sat out once on a cold night to get my son the new xbox 360 the year that it came out. got the last one. would have been really upset if i had been the guy right after me. the boys are going for sweatshirts and the like with the right designer name marked down form 100 dollars for a sweatshirt to only 40 or so. one is waiting tables and has pockets full of cash, the other is in high school and doesn’t have two nickles to rub together. they work it out somehow. it is good to see them together and days like today are the only time we ever get together all at one place and one time and sit together to enjoy each other. i told them today we will try to schedule one meal like this a month. december will take care of itself, january february and march with birthdays april needs doing may is mothers day, june is birthdays again. if we can get this 6 months into the calander it may stick. thanks babooners old and especially new and forgotten. nice family here to give thanks for.

        Like

        Reply

      3. Tim, you can have your April dinner on Easter Sunday – it’s April 24th in 2011.

        Ben, I don’t do shopping at 3AM. Don’t do much of anything at 3AM, in fact.

        Like

        Reply

  22. you folks are all so kind – and fun to know! tim, i feel your pain. i would never even attempt to list everyone because i would not be able to do it. my mind is like a sieve. but i don’t need to remember names to appreciate you. such fun.

    Linda in WSTP – names for goats: number one rule is it has to be something that can be yelled REALLY LOUD and REALLY FAST when the offender is eating the blueberry bushes or the apple trees or even worse, and more poisonous, the clematis or the lupine or the milkweed or the cherry tree, etc. CurdleDudhs, while clever and cute, does not meet those criteria. that’s why Majority is now T. lots of people have official names and then barn names. see above to know why i don’t.
    happy TG all
    over and out

    Like

    Reply

    1. the name thing is a kick. i have my kids each down to a grunt. in a crowd i don’t have to yell i do my getteral grunt and they look up, devin becomes dev, tara becomes tra, spencer becomes spence, olivia is liv, emma is ma. with good diaphram muscles its pretty funny to walk into a crowded loud room, do the grunt and watch them look up immediately.

      Like

      Reply

      1. That ‘Diaphragm Muscle call’ is a lost art tim… I call it my ‘Calling the cows home’ voice and I can silence a noisy room and scare a few people to boot. But it does get their attention.

        Like

        Reply

      2. My husband and I can find each other in a crowd by coughing. Works every time but only for one person. Gutturally grunting a whole family together is a special talent.

        Like

        Reply

      4. Tim – I just can’t resist asking you if you REALLY “took a nap
        at the table”?! Caught this in your 9:10 post. Now then, we all get lethargic from a big T-Day meal, but falling asleep AT the table is rather unusual. Or, maybe not:)

        Like

        Reply

      5. i knew if i left the table i would break up the action so i just excused myself for 10 minutes and did the crash and burn at the table. the kids got out the camera phones and documented the occasion. i woke up suggested we all pose for the christmas card picture and got a resounding no and that was that. the table talk hung in there for another 15-20 minutes then it was clean up time.

        Like

        Reply

  23. We are done with the meal and the dishes are done, with a last batch in the dishwasher. We had pretty good food, with some wonderful guests, dishes to share and delightful conversation. I had a great time.

    I am so grateful for family, friends old and new, dogs, and my grandma who taught me to cook T-giving dinner. Now we will watch a Netflix movie. I wanted to go out to a movie, but my mother is here. Even after a nap, I think her appetite for a trip out of the house is not there.

    Like

    Reply

  24. My friends at Dunn Bros. coffee at Grand and Snelling in St. Paul are also my family. Thanks to Tim for the story of his father and his eloquence at expressing the value of social contact on a daily basis. Happy Thanksgiving!

    Like

    Reply

  25. We have wrapped it up, too. Our guests left at 5:00, and husband was so tired from shoveling out the drive today that he went to bed at 6:00. I cleaned up, and now I can sleep in and he can get up to make the coffee. He can also fold the laundry and unload the dishwasher. I will take my revenge for having to clean up without him.

    Like

    Reply

    1. enjoy the well deserved sleep in. how much snow did you get. i saw that fargo got hammered. you know you put in a long day when you are in bed by 6. what time do you wake up? 2? fold the clothes iron the sox its still only 245. oh well you’ll work it out. see what i do with my open time in the wee hours of the morn.

      Like

      Reply

  26. Great news all…. a new baby today in my extended “family” (dear dear friends that the teenager and I spend holidays with). Baby woman… born 11:59 a.m., 7 lbs 9 oz, 22″ long… woo hooo!!!! What a fabulous Thanksgiving gift!

    Like

    Reply

  28. Gave the cats some especially delectable canned food for Thanksgiving, tuna with egg bits. Went over really well. Then one of the beasts climbed up the cat perch and, from a height of about four feet, threw up his dinner on the floor below. I swear he planned it that way to achieve maximum splatter. And they always, always, always throw up on a rug, never on a bare floor.

    Like

    Reply

  30. I was too tired to post again after the meal yesterday. I had the delightful experience of dining with brand new friends. We had excellent food and even better conversation, all of which felt perfectly natural and comfortable, as if we were old friends. How can you beat the simple pleasures in life? My heartfelt thanks to my hosts.

    Like

    Reply

Leave a comment