We’ve had a rather animal-centered week on Trail Baboon with a visit from Dr. Babooner and the death of Cheetah. And to finish things up for the week, the month and the year, here’s a message that came in from the deepest, darkest part of the woods – sent by a friend and translated from its original language – Ursus Textish.
Yo, it’s me, Bart.
I’ve got this feeling I should be sleeping right now but the weather’s been so mild I kind of don’t want to. Even though there’s not a lot of food in the woods, it’s fun to walk around looking at the stuff that’s supposed to be buried, but isn’t. Did you know that rotting stumps are like snowflakes – no two are alike? I know ‘cause I think I checked them all.
Bart - The Bear Who Found a Cell Phone
But every now and then this heavy feeling comes over me and I know my year is about to end … I get the urge to dig a hole and lie down for a long, long nap.
Before I do, I just want to say what a good year 2011 has been. Oh, I know there have been a some bear / human encounters with bears showing up in parking lots and bears tipping over the Weber Grill in people’s back yards and waking up the neighbors. Also, the polar bears have less ice to walk on these days, and they have a hunting season on bears in New Jersey of all places. Like any bear with a shred of common sense would want to go to New Jersey!
The coming year is going to have more of the same, as usual. And I hear that you guys are going to go through a massive election – thingy that is bound to be loaded with conflict and finger pointing and all sorts of wild accusations. Good luck with that.
Personally, I try not to focus on upsetting things because you can always find some miserable story to bring your spirits down if that’s the feeling you’re after. In spite of all the stuff I don’t like, it’s still pretty cool to be alive. So have a happy New Year, and remember – if there’s a conflict, carefully move away from the situation slowly and in a non-threatening way. Don’t raise your voice or run. In a worst case scenario, you might have to think about climbing a tree, playing dead, or fighting back with everything at your disposal.
Though not necessarily in that order.
As an overall guiding principle, keep a safe distance from sharp-toothed strangers who are easily frightened, and don’t threaten the cubs. Follow those simple rules and in most cases you’ll probably be pretty much all right. I promise!
I hope Bart is right on target with his advice and predictions, though no one is infallible when it comes to forecasts of any kind. Don’t believe me? Check out our guesses from last year. And feel free to offer an informed prediction or an outright fantasy regarding what comes next in 2012!
Al Sleet, the “hippie-dippie weatherman”—”Tonight’s forecast: Dark. Continued dark throughout most of the evening, with some widely scattered light towards morning.”
mornin all, dale with us in the morning… we are not used to your presence. welcome.
the predictions for the year are that obama will win in 2012, the bad karma the gop has been sending out has returned to them and even though the dems have been able to do nothing it is understood that the gop is the reason. the only thing worse than doing nothing is being cancerous. thank you gop for teaching us as the bible does,the half of the lessons for the way to live life come in the how not to do it mode. they have wonderful at that.
in laws in from chicago. i am off to run errands this morning but will be noodling the predictions for 1/1 12 and monday, which will be 1.2.12
last years notes are a kick. glad to have the year start on a positive note. it is amazing what a difference a little thing like a purpose in life will make eh dale? glad kfai cam along
Happy New Year, You All
and healthy, also, seein’ as many of us are drifting into codger-dom
i’m leaving for most of the day, but will predict that the Girls’ barn will be FULL of drop-dead cuteness long about April. hoping to find good homes for most and only keep one or two. tim, want to buy two goats (has to be at least two, they are herd animals…)
have a safe, happy NY celebration
tim – an invisible fence is indeed inadvisable. it’s not the rambunctiousness, if shocked (like with an electric fence) their instinct is to charge forward rather than back off. but if they are well fed, happy (and good-natured as ours are) little goats they rarely wander off. mine never have. i have a huge pasture that we fenced for them (to protect them from predators) and the Girls won’t go out in it unless i do. T got out of their fence one day and just walked around until i let him back in again. Steve calls me “little Bo Peep” because the goats follow me everywhere.
I think I will deal in fantasy this morning since I am sitting here in the land of Republican Freak Show right now–ya oughta see the ADS.
So here are my fantasy predictions:
We discover that Amy Koch’s “inappropriate relationship” was same sex.
The Minnesota conservative Republicans in the Senate officially change the definition of marriage to “One Man, One Woman, and One Staffer.”
The economy turns around completely and becomes a steaming engine of Green Industry, recycling everything and focusing on creating energy without a carbon load.
Facebook crashes and burns so I don’t have to hate it anymore.
That is a very Interesting fantasy Rebulican legislation that you are proposing, Jacque. Will there be anything in the legislation on the role of the staffer in the marriage? Does this only apply to male staffers that have relationships with women and not with men or can all three be married to each other?
We will need to tap into that rich Republican fantasy life to determine the answers to these questions, Jim. I’m afraid my imagination does not extend that far.
I predict that I will be more obnoxious and intrusive…Wizards in their 20’s restored the sound to my computer. Now I can listen again. The You Tube Alan Sherman archive is amazing. Even though I can’t embed I urge you to go to this clip and sign along with Mr Sherman and Mr Lang.
Thanks for the reminder, Dale, that was fun and I do believe I was correct.
I am now the mother of a teenager, as predicted, and unless I am sadly mistaken, there are Baboons who are wealthier in some way than they were at this time last year-more goats, new job, more time to do important things, more knowledge-it’s all good. Congratulations on a year well spent, Baboons!
The Barnes and Noble here will close. It will be a dry spring and a wet fall.
Election process will get tiresome; “accidental, unintended” racist remarks will drop all over the place. The Middle East will be ugly. European countries will blame each other.
Some big star will get divorced; another will get married. Hollywood will release a movie or two that rewrites history. 5D movies will be made (disgusting, dumb, demented, dreary, drippy).
My daughter will get to donate her kidney sometime.
Vikings will leave. Twins will suck. Morneau won’t ever play again. No matter the opponent, Wolves will lose by two points. Some sports figure will be caught on drugs. Ridiculous salaries will be paid.
I will give up GF diet as pointless. I will have a headache all year. Bonnie L. will write a guest blog about cookbook editing. Dale will delight. tim will accidentally leave his keyboard on CAPS FOR A FEW WORDS. Everyone will be clever and write pretty good.
My daughter will get her drivers license (likely), we will wake up one morning to find an oil derrick in our back yard (a distant possibility), and landlords in town will start to feel guilty and reduce rents to pre-oil boom rates (not a chance). Once more I feel fortunate to live in a boring and sparsely populated state that has no primary, so no presidential candidate will be interested to visit.
I forgot to add that the ND population is the highest it has every been in the state’s history (694,000). I wonder where (and if) the oil workers will vote? It is going to be a headache for the county officials in charge of voting and elections.
she and renee have a new scam involving spoons that they are working out the details on. laundering spoons sounds complicated but you never know with the criminal mind.
We’re ready for another year. This past year was a surprisingly good one on the farm. The home front had it’s challenges.
I notice the lilacs and some of tree’s are getting buds. That doesn’t bode well for them in March or April does it?
How about a fantasy prediction? I predict the election will go quietly with few commercials and no cat-fighting. And the best person really will win. AND actually accomplish things in office.
And I’ve got a bridge for sale.
We’re heading over to Wisconsin today for the last Christmas of this season.
No, I’m not in jail. I wrote a guest post about a phone conversation I overheard (“meet me at HCMC at 4:00 and I’ll pass off the suitcase and the money”) and tim accused me of covering up my own nefarious activities with a trumped-up story. And Clyde had some saying from his past, something like “Edith went to jail.” So from all that I got the reputation of being a criminal.
Well, last year I hoped for no more water in my house where I didn’t want it…got a little more before winter ended, sadly. So this year, I hope the few repairs I managed to complete on the damage don’t have to be re-done. Husband did become gainfully employed, Daughter continued to delight, and I got a little more writing done – but no regular full-time position…yet. Maybe in 2012.
Here are my hopeful predictions for the coming year: Obama will be re-elected; the MN Marriage Amendment will be defeated; I will get more exercise; our rain garden will finally go in so I will not have an empty muddy pit in my front yard; Daughter will figure out biking without training wheels; Baboons will gather each morning for humor, community and periodic gentle pooh-flinging; and I will become independently wealthy so I can buy all my friends and fellow Baboons a hot fudge sundae (or other treat of their choice).
Good morning to all. I am so confused by the year we just had that I am having trouble coming up with anything to predict for 2012. Okay, I can engage in fantasy. I will complete all of those house repairs that I think should be done with plenty of time left for other things. All of my gardening plans will work out perfectly. I will make several trips to distant and interesting parts of the world. I will anticipate any special needs of my family and take care of all of them. Also, Bubby will finally make it into the junior class.
i like it jim. i am trying to come up with something positive and its hard. i get started and it ends up being critical. your solution is perfect projects done garden perfect ideal travel. ah wouldnt life be grand. why not go for it jim i will live through you vicariously
Yes, I will go for it and it will all come true. What was it that Ben said about having a bridge for sale? May be you shouldn’t count on me to provide a wonderful vicarious life for you in 2012, tim, but I how do I know what will happen?
Having a tough morning. Can’t get my medications dialed in properly.
My hopeful prediction: the American public is going to rethink their position on Obama as the economy improves and as Republicans continue to act like scorpions.
My prayer: that I will have a lot of contact with my daughter and the world’s coolest grandchild.
My fervent dream: that I continue to lose weight and gain control over the health issues that made 2011 such a bummer.
And may God bless this blog and all who dwell within.
Some fantasy predictions (to go with the fantasy that I will either be released from jail or maybe have a dramatic rescue by Baboons):
Some relative I didn’t know I had will die and leave me with a comfortable income that will last many years (especially since it’s hard to spend money when you are behind bars)
My herb garden (I bet you didn’t know that prisoners here get to cultivate a garden) will be glorious and on the days that I have kitchen duty in this prison I will concoct amazing dishes from entrees to vegetables to dessert with fresh herbs. I will start a blog all about growing and cooking with herbs and my readers will demand my release from jail.
I will get so many raspberries from the canes in the backyard that the entire freezer will be full of berries and I will invent several new recipes incorporating raspberries and fresh herbs.
Minnesota will not have a single day with a heat index over 90. Summer in the twin cities will be marked by low humidity, gentle breezes, days of sunshine, and early morning showers to water the garden.
There, tim – you can’t say I avoided talking about jail this time.
Martha Steward will have nothing on you. I heard she collected dandelion greens in the prison yard to cook, but I don’t she managed to grow any herbs when she was in prison.
i didn’t know you were a raspberry person. there is another redeeming quality, i always say if you look deeply enough into the inner being of these excons there is something worth nurturing.
Happy New Year, Baboons! I hope that 2012 is healthy and brings good fortune to all of you.
My crystal ball is cloudy and I’m having trouble seeing clearly through the mists. The past year has been an unusual one for me and I’m not sad to see it go. The changes last winter at work were life-altering; then in July, I accepted three weeks without pay thanks to our dysfunctional government. It made me feel quite small and nonessential. The Flathead Cats played our last gig on July 31. After heartfelt and careful consideration, Rock Bend did not end. Last fall was unusually busy and I’m only starting to feel like normality is settling in.
I think President Obama will be re-elected and will begin to make some positive change. Change will not happen, of course, without acrimonious mud-slinging, but when it does happen people will wonder why they were afraid and angry.
I will likely continue working in the fish hatchery, even though I long for a nursing job. I might find some money somewhere and have a new deck built before the old one falls off. I will plant flowers and fruit in the garden in hope that they’ll do better than tomatoes have under the black walnut trees. I will get over my fear of climbing down from the roof. I’ll make hobo bags and some more stocking caps and some beaded earrings. I’ll try again to lose weight and ride my bike more often. We’ll have to see: there could be a For Sale sign on my lawn by spring.
My favorite predictions are that all Babooners (active and lurking) have a healthy and prosperous 2010, with as much employment as they want or need. And one last carol I first heard on Joan Baez’ Noel album as an added verse to “What Child is This”. Found these verses (I’m using the more secular sounding ones) in an old book called “Christmas Carols and Folk Songs”.
To the tune of Greensleeves:
The old year now away is fled, The new year it is enter-ed;
Then let us now our sins downtread, And joyfully all appear:
Let’s merry be this day, And let us now both sport and play;
Hang grief, cast care away! God send you a happy New Year!
And now with New Year’s gifts, each friend Unto each other they do send;
God grant we may all our lives amend, And that the truth may appear.
Now like the snake, your skin Cast off, of evil thoughs and sin,
And so the year begin: God send us a happy New Year.
Greetings! I looked at the blog for this day last year and noticed I had the last word (so to speak)! While none of the hopeful predictions came true, we’re all a little older and a little wiser; and always pray and hope for better things to come anyway. We were going in a good direction for a while this year.
I had two interview this past week. One with a recruiter who specializes in actively marketing office personnel, so that looks promising in the long term. Another interview for a short term temp position in a CPA firm during Jan-April helping out with taxes. It’s just simple clerical work and doesn’t pay well, but it’s better than unemployment. We shall see. Thanks for all your good wishes and positive thoughts.
I have some eggnog in the fridge and a jigsaw puzzle I got for Christmas. I am predicting I will finish both tonight. About a half pint and 500 pieces.
I just returned from a visit to my mother at her residence – always a little adventure. We wrote out some checks (rent, phone, reimbursing me), had tea and christmas cookies, and read her most recently received cards. I hope for her to be no less lucid by next New Year’s Eve, and that she continues to find things to like about her new place. (A blog essay about her is in our future.)
went to a funeral with my mom on wednesday and she got to feeling poorly in the middle of it so much so we had to go. she wanted me to call 911 and said lets go. we went to emergency and they found some irregularities that led them to keep her overnight and do some tests on thursday where they discovered cancer in its early stages. hopefully it hasn’t spread and they can get it when they go in after in on the 12th. so my new years hopeful prediction is that it turns out to be nothing. im in denial at the moment and hope it all goes quickly. they found a quarter sized tumor in the lower intestine so hopefully it will be early enough to disappear as fast as it showed up. keep your fingers crossed for me.
Aw Tim, sorry to hear what you and your Mom have to deal with now. The ‘C’ word is always scary but so often now days doctors are able to deal with things so much better than before. I will be hoping for the best for your Mom. And for the strength you’ll all need dealing with it.
Oh, tim! I’m so sorry to hear of your mom’s health issues. I’ll join others in saying I hope they got this early enough to keep it a minor incident. But no matter what happens, the best thing about health concerns is that they remind us we are visitors on this planet with visas that eventually expire, so we should all make a major effort to express our love for those who have shared the journey. Good luck, friend.
tim, sorry to hear about your mom. It’s a good thing you were there with her. Good luck to you and your family. I hope it turns out well. Keep us posted.
I’ll jump on this wonderful good energy dog pile for your mom as well, tim!
She’s lucky to have you as she goes through whatever lies ahead of her… everyone should have an advocate when facing health issues. I will keep you both in my thoughts and continue to send positive energy her way.
hey i posted it over christmas and will do it tonight and again tomorrow morning. there is no board game stuff at my house on 1/1. i am proposing 1/8 instead if there is an interest. i see linda and barbara are here. thats two of the players. sorry for the poor job of clarifacation. gonna move 2/2 to 2/9 also.
Here are the details for the January game playing and soup deal at the Danish American Center:
Friday, January 20: 5:30 pm The first Hyggeaften in 2012 will be on Friday, January 20. Come and enjoy a soup supper and dessert. After supper we will play games, so bring your favorite game. Social hour at 5:30, dinner at 6:00 pm. Cost $7.
The center is a beautiful old building on the corner of West River Road and Lake Street in Minneapolis, pretty convenient for Twin Citians. If anyone is interested, I’ll make the reservations.
This story I just got from facebook. It is sort of related, a looking-back tale, looking way back.
A few years ago my mother gave me my father’s old, old tackle box. (Some may remember I framed his old lures this summer.) In it I found an old gimma knife-sharpener, about 2 inches in diameter, stone on one side, ad on the other, ad for Erickson and MacDonald Hardware, an old wonderful hardware store from my childhood and early adulthood in TH. The stone must be from about 1950 to 55. It says “call 500.” Norm MacDonald and Russel Erickson were fine men whom I both admired, both long dead. I decided to give it to one family or the other. I had closer ties to the Erickson family, so offered it there first. They were not interested. So I offered it to one of Norm’s twin daughters, who were Bonnie L’s classmate and a facebook friend, which is how I found her.
Norm used to jokingly call himself the passionate protestant because he had seven children, which caused people to often assume he was Catholic. The oldest son, David, was a year behind me in school. (Everything and everybody in small towns has multiple connections, I am only telling a couple related to the this story.) So I sent it off to one of his twin daughters just before Christmas. She just sent me this email, in which Louie is my father:
“here’s one for you Mr. B, my brother David has been collecting those knife sharpeners over the past couple of years, had 6 of them and planned to give one to each sibling at Christmas and not keep one for himself…. enter louie’s tackle box!”
you are in good form. the typing appears to be working for you. i am glad. looking forward to congratulating you on the finish whenever that may be. no hurry. it will be worth the wait.
It’s very hard typing: all my errors make me stop to correct, which crosses up trrain of thought, crosses up various brain function, But I have stayed patient wit the process, will see it to the end, and then trash it,
very laborious which reduces results.
Just saw a few fireworks from window… Wow, has anyone in the Twin Cities (and probably elsewhere) been or looked outside? Good night to stay home. Happy New Year, everyone.
Went out for the candlelight walk at Woodlake Nature Center and got back in before the rain started. Saw a couple of fireworks then. Went out for a walk about 10pm in the snow – which is lovely.
Happy 2012 to my fellow Baboons and their families – good new year, good health (especially to tim’s mom), and a year of joy, laughter and “enough” for all.
Happy New Year to baboons everywhere! Kicking off 2012 with a healthy and delicious brunch this morning and putting on my calendar the January concerts I want to attend. The Gingko has a great line-up for the next couple of months: Peter Mulvey on the 13th and Stacey Earle and Mark Stuart on the 26th of this month, David Francey in February. Anyone else want to join me? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9wkQSQaYfw&feature=related
Happy 2012! up here in Goat’s country, we have just a couple inches of light snow – no wind, yet. we’re thinking of all who have hard roads this year – illness, unemployment, loneliness, chronic pain, or other difficulties and hoping things get better for you this year. we have been very fortunate, i thank the stars every day.
tim – want me to look for a goat-mentor for your 10-year-old daughter?? not guaranteeing anything, but could see if we could find someone to help her along her path…..
this morning i did not milk a goat for the first time since April of 2009. Steve is in town buying cows milk – ugh 🙂 but babies coming in March so i need to give the Girls a rest.
thanks for being such a kind, funny, interesting group.
Failed to mention yesterday – I like the new gravatar image. Though I suspect the goats might eat the hat and party favors instead of use them for their intended purposes. 😉
thanks, Anna – you got that right. this morning i let Juju out to run around a bit by herself (away from Alba’s bossy bonking) and she went straight to the extension cord for the heated bucket and started to gnaw on it! maybe she is depressed and trying to end it all – facing a long winter with a bunch of bossy adults.
decided her doeling will be “Momo” and a buckling “MoJo”
wind coming up and temp dropping down.
Just went on-line to check the reviews of Mojo Monkey Donuts, and they’re all over the map.
Has anyone actually been there? They sound like when they’re good, they’re very, very good, but when they’re bad, they’re horrid.
Hey BiB.
So are you enjoying the time off from milking? Big plans? Dinner in town during ‘milking’ time? That’s what we did to celebrate not milking cows anymore.
Do you normally drink goat milk? How much different is it than 2% cow milk? Do you skim the cream off your goat milk? Does it *have* cream??
Sorry for all the questions. Enjoy the milking break. You milk by hand, right? Better be squeezing some tennis balls or something; your hands might be out of shape by March. 🙂
(I was going to say during the break would be the time to get the vacuum pump overhauled…but never mind. Maybe rebuild your milking stool or something relevant.)
thanks for the offer bib i mentioned it to the daughter and she was very non commital so i woud appreciae the goat intro but i don’t want to put you on the spot if she isn’t all in right off. please go ahead and i will gently nudge her in that direction.
Wishing all Baboons good things in 2012… lord knows we can all use a break!
I love the idea of predictions based in fantasy and having nothing to do with reality (or my perception of reality). I work from a logical mind’s perspective, which can grow very tiring at times… rarely do I have the luxury to dabble in fantasy these days. My brain is tired tonight, but you can be sure I will have fun fantasizing about all the wonderful events, accomplishments, material wealth, peace of mind & amazing health that will be bestowed upon all of you, my friends, family, and perfect strangers in 2012! It’s going to be awesome guys!
Trail Baboon 
“It’s going to be light followed by dark.”
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Followed by light again, I hope!
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Wait a minute that’s just an appropriation of my (true) prediction from last year….”The sun’ll come up tomorrah.”
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Al Sleet, the “hippie-dippie weatherman”—”Tonight’s forecast: Dark. Continued dark throughout most of the evening, with some widely scattered light towards morning.”
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Caught a snippet of this tonight on TPT – George Carlin’s Mark Twain award show. So funny.
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And I’m pretty sure there will be wind, snow and rain and eventually sun!
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mornin all, dale with us in the morning… we are not used to your presence. welcome.
the predictions for the year are that obama will win in 2012, the bad karma the gop has been sending out has returned to them and even though the dems have been able to do nothing it is understood that the gop is the reason. the only thing worse than doing nothing is being cancerous. thank you gop for teaching us as the bible does,the half of the lessons for the way to live life come in the how not to do it mode. they have wonderful at that.
in laws in from chicago. i am off to run errands this morning but will be noodling the predictions for 1/1 12 and monday, which will be 1.2.12
last years notes are a kick. glad to have the year start on a positive note. it is amazing what a difference a little thing like a purpose in life will make eh dale? glad kfai cam along
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Happy New Year, You All
and healthy, also, seein’ as many of us are drifting into codger-dom
i’m leaving for most of the day, but will predict that the Girls’ barn will be FULL of drop-dead cuteness long about April. hoping to find good homes for most and only keep one or two. tim, want to buy two goats (has to be at least two, they are herd animals…)
have a safe, happy NY celebration
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can you do collars and inadvisable fence or are they toorambuctous for that?
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tim – an invisible fence is indeed inadvisable. it’s not the rambunctiousness, if shocked (like with an electric fence) their instinct is to charge forward rather than back off. but if they are well fed, happy (and good-natured as ours are) little goats they rarely wander off. mine never have. i have a huge pasture that we fenced for them (to protect them from predators) and the Girls won’t go out in it unless i do. T got out of their fence one day and just walked around until i let him back in again. Steve calls me “little Bo Peep” because the goats follow me everywhere.
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We’ll get you the requisite bonnet and staff for your birthday, Bib. 🙂
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Okay so I need to wait for plan b
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Rise and Shine Baboons:
I think I will deal in fantasy this morning since I am sitting here in the land of Republican Freak Show right now–ya oughta see the ADS.
So here are my fantasy predictions:
We discover that Amy Koch’s “inappropriate relationship” was same sex.
The Minnesota conservative Republicans in the Senate officially change the definition of marriage to “One Man, One Woman, and One Staffer.”
The economy turns around completely and becomes a steaming engine of Green Industry, recycling everything and focusing on creating energy without a carbon load.
Facebook crashes and burns so I don’t have to hate it anymore.
Enough for now.
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yup, watched a little of the crazy last night on the News Hour and was glad all over that we had decided not to go to Iowa for New Year’s this year.
May I suggest you make a drinking game out of it?
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That is a very Interesting fantasy Rebulican legislation that you are proposing, Jacque. Will there be anything in the legislation on the role of the staffer in the marriage? Does this only apply to male staffers that have relationships with women and not with men or can all three be married to each other?
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We will need to tap into that rich Republican fantasy life to determine the answers to these questions, Jim. I’m afraid my imagination does not extend that far.
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I predict that I will be more obnoxious and intrusive…Wizards in their 20’s restored the sound to my computer. Now I can listen again. The You Tube Alan Sherman archive is amazing. Even though I can’t embed I urge you to go to this clip and sign along with Mr Sherman and Mr Lang.
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Thanks for the reminder, Dale, that was fun and I do believe I was correct.
I am now the mother of a teenager, as predicted, and unless I am sadly mistaken, there are Baboons who are wealthier in some way than they were at this time last year-more goats, new job, more time to do important things, more knowledge-it’s all good. Congratulations on a year well spent, Baboons!
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The Barnes and Noble here will close. It will be a dry spring and a wet fall.
Election process will get tiresome; “accidental, unintended” racist remarks will drop all over the place. The Middle East will be ugly. European countries will blame each other.
Some big star will get divorced; another will get married. Hollywood will release a movie or two that rewrites history. 5D movies will be made (disgusting, dumb, demented, dreary, drippy).
My daughter will get to donate her kidney sometime.
Vikings will leave. Twins will suck. Morneau won’t ever play again. No matter the opponent, Wolves will lose by two points. Some sports figure will be caught on drugs. Ridiculous salaries will be paid.
I will give up GF diet as pointless. I will have a headache all year. Bonnie L. will write a guest blog about cookbook editing. Dale will delight. tim will accidentally leave his keyboard on CAPS FOR A FEW WORDS. Everyone will be clever and write pretty good.
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thus spake our curmudgeon
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You think I’m being curmudgeonly: the weather bureau is predicting the end of the world here.
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i think if they look a little closer they will find the world ended in mankato about 75 years ago
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I have it on good authority that B&N is doing very well.
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the inside scoop, as it were?
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a manager at one of the stores.
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By “inside” I meant from behind bars! 😉
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ha, ha.
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… and maybe Brett Favre will come back! 😉
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I predict that I will get out of jail.
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Snort!
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Just roll doubles. 🙂
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I did…but tim insists that I am still in jail.
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Just as a point of curiosity and because I have not been keeping up, are you currently IN jail?
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I accidentally replied below instead of under your comment…
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Ectopic post.
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My daughter will get her drivers license (likely), we will wake up one morning to find an oil derrick in our back yard (a distant possibility), and landlords in town will start to feel guilty and reduce rents to pre-oil boom rates (not a chance). Once more I feel fortunate to live in a boring and sparsely populated state that has no primary, so no presidential candidate will be interested to visit.
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I forgot to add that the ND population is the highest it has every been in the state’s history (694,000). I wonder where (and if) the oil workers will vote? It is going to be a headache for the county officials in charge of voting and elections.
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she and renee have a new scam involving spoons that they are working out the details on. laundering spoons sounds complicated but you never know with the criminal mind.
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Are you accusing us of of possession of soup paraphernalia?
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What kind of herbs are in the soup base?
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Well, for tonight we are having Goulash Soup, so the base is paprika and caraway.
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So there are more criminals on this blog than just me!
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Don’t know about outright criminals, but several senior delinquents!
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Morning–
We’re ready for another year. This past year was a surprisingly good one on the farm. The home front had it’s challenges.
I notice the lilacs and some of tree’s are getting buds. That doesn’t bode well for them in March or April does it?
How about a fantasy prediction? I predict the election will go quietly with few commercials and no cat-fighting. And the best person really will win. AND actually accomplish things in office.
And I’ve got a bridge for sale.
We’re heading over to Wisconsin today for the last Christmas of this season.
Party Carefully Baboons!
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In my book “party carefully” is an oxymoron?
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! not ?
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No, I’m not in jail. I wrote a guest post about a phone conversation I overheard (“meet me at HCMC at 4:00 and I’ll pass off the suitcase and the money”) and tim accused me of covering up my own nefarious activities with a trumped-up story. And Clyde had some saying from his past, something like “Edith went to jail.” So from all that I got the reputation of being a criminal.
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prove it edith. who trusts a jail bird anyway?
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how do i prove it?
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oops that was supposed to go under madislandgirl’s comment above.
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some people doth protest too much
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i dont think she like to talk about it too much. she usually changes the subject
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Well, last year I hoped for no more water in my house where I didn’t want it…got a little more before winter ended, sadly. So this year, I hope the few repairs I managed to complete on the damage don’t have to be re-done. Husband did become gainfully employed, Daughter continued to delight, and I got a little more writing done – but no regular full-time position…yet. Maybe in 2012.
Here are my hopeful predictions for the coming year: Obama will be re-elected; the MN Marriage Amendment will be defeated; I will get more exercise; our rain garden will finally go in so I will not have an empty muddy pit in my front yard; Daughter will figure out biking without training wheels; Baboons will gather each morning for humor, community and periodic gentle pooh-flinging; and I will become independently wealthy so I can buy all my friends and fellow Baboons a hot fudge sundae (or other treat of their choice).
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Good morning to all. I am so confused by the year we just had that I am having trouble coming up with anything to predict for 2012. Okay, I can engage in fantasy. I will complete all of those house repairs that I think should be done with plenty of time left for other things. All of my gardening plans will work out perfectly. I will make several trips to distant and interesting parts of the world. I will anticipate any special needs of my family and take care of all of them. Also, Bubby will finally make it into the junior class.
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i like it jim. i am trying to come up with something positive and its hard. i get started and it ends up being critical. your solution is perfect projects done garden perfect ideal travel. ah wouldnt life be grand. why not go for it jim i will live through you vicariously
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Yes, I will go for it and it will all come true. What was it that Ben said about having a bridge for sale? May be you shouldn’t count on me to provide a wonderful vicarious life for you in 2012, tim, but I how do I know what will happen?
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Having a tough morning. Can’t get my medications dialed in properly.
My hopeful prediction: the American public is going to rethink their position on Obama as the economy improves and as Republicans continue to act like scorpions.
My prayer: that I will have a lot of contact with my daughter and the world’s coolest grandchild.
My fervent dream: that I continue to lose weight and gain control over the health issues that made 2011 such a bummer.
And may God bless this blog and all who dwell within.
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Animal Crackers just started on TCM. In this world, Steve, you and I are Margaret Dumontt and our health is The Marx Brothers.
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Marx brothers day all day long
It’s been great
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Margaret Dumontt on a bicycle—that will keep me smiling all day, thanks, Clyde.
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Some fantasy predictions (to go with the fantasy that I will either be released from jail or maybe have a dramatic rescue by Baboons):
Some relative I didn’t know I had will die and leave me with a comfortable income that will last many years (especially since it’s hard to spend money when you are behind bars)
My herb garden (I bet you didn’t know that prisoners here get to cultivate a garden) will be glorious and on the days that I have kitchen duty in this prison I will concoct amazing dishes from entrees to vegetables to dessert with fresh herbs. I will start a blog all about growing and cooking with herbs and my readers will demand my release from jail.
I will get so many raspberries from the canes in the backyard that the entire freezer will be full of berries and I will invent several new recipes incorporating raspberries and fresh herbs.
Minnesota will not have a single day with a heat index over 90. Summer in the twin cities will be marked by low humidity, gentle breezes, days of sunshine, and early morning showers to water the garden.
There, tim – you can’t say I avoided talking about jail this time.
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Martha Steward will have nothing on you. I heard she collected dandelion greens in the prison yard to cook, but I don’t she managed to grow any herbs when she was in prison.
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i didn’t know you were a raspberry person. there is another redeeming quality, i always say if you look deeply enough into the inner being of these excons there is something worth nurturing.
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so now i’m an excon, not currently in jail? how do you know this?
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Happy New Year, Baboons! I hope that 2012 is healthy and brings good fortune to all of you.
My crystal ball is cloudy and I’m having trouble seeing clearly through the mists. The past year has been an unusual one for me and I’m not sad to see it go. The changes last winter at work were life-altering; then in July, I accepted three weeks without pay thanks to our dysfunctional government. It made me feel quite small and nonessential. The Flathead Cats played our last gig on July 31. After heartfelt and careful consideration, Rock Bend did not end. Last fall was unusually busy and I’m only starting to feel like normality is settling in.
I think President Obama will be re-elected and will begin to make some positive change. Change will not happen, of course, without acrimonious mud-slinging, but when it does happen people will wonder why they were afraid and angry.
I will likely continue working in the fish hatchery, even though I long for a nursing job. I might find some money somewhere and have a new deck built before the old one falls off. I will plant flowers and fruit in the garden in hope that they’ll do better than tomatoes have under the black walnut trees. I will get over my fear of climbing down from the roof. I’ll make hobo bags and some more stocking caps and some beaded earrings. I’ll try again to lose weight and ride my bike more often. We’ll have to see: there could be a For Sale sign on my lawn by spring.
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I am so glad Rock Bend well still be around, Krista, but sad that the Flathead Cats have finished.
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Sounds good, Krista. I don’t know about the For Sale sign. I like owning my own house, but that may or my not work for you.
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A prediction made as fervent hope: that things will look up economically in Big Lake!!
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From your fingers to God’s ears!
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Thank you, Clyde. It is such a comfort to know you guys are all thinking of us. I’m hoping for a better year (again). Hope springs eternal.
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My favorite predictions are that all Babooners (active and lurking) have a healthy and prosperous 2010, with as much employment as they want or need. And one last carol I first heard on Joan Baez’ Noel album as an added verse to “What Child is This”. Found these verses (I’m using the more secular sounding ones) in an old book called “Christmas Carols and Folk Songs”.
To the tune of Greensleeves:
The old year now away is fled, The new year it is enter-ed;
Then let us now our sins downtread, And joyfully all appear:
Let’s merry be this day, And let us now both sport and play;
Hang grief, cast care away! God send you a happy New Year!
And now with New Year’s gifts, each friend Unto each other they do send;
God grant we may all our lives amend, And that the truth may appear.
Now like the snake, your skin Cast off, of evil thoughs and sin,
And so the year begin: God send us a happy New Year.
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I love this one.
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Greetings! I looked at the blog for this day last year and noticed I had the last word (so to speak)! While none of the hopeful predictions came true, we’re all a little older and a little wiser; and always pray and hope for better things to come anyway. We were going in a good direction for a while this year.
I had two interview this past week. One with a recruiter who specializes in actively marketing office personnel, so that looks promising in the long term. Another interview for a short term temp position in a CPA firm during Jan-April helping out with taxes. It’s just simple clerical work and doesn’t pay well, but it’s better than unemployment. We shall see. Thanks for all your good wishes and positive thoughts.
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Keeping fingers crossed for you, Joanne.
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you will get there. keep plugging away, we are with you.
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Thinking good thoughts for a prosperous year for you.
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I have some eggnog in the fridge and a jigsaw puzzle I got for Christmas. I am predicting I will finish both tonight. About a half pint and 500 pieces.
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What’s the picture on the jigsaw? And will you spike the eggnog?
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The picture on the puzzle is of two sleepy-looking kittens, each wearing a Santa hat.
The eggnog will be flavored with some very strong coffee and a little brandy.
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Way to go.
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I just returned from a visit to my mother at her residence – always a little adventure. We wrote out some checks (rent, phone, reimbursing me), had tea and christmas cookies, and read her most recently received cards. I hope for her to be no less lucid by next New Year’s Eve, and that she continues to find things to like about her new place. (A blog essay about her is in our future.)
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went to a funeral with my mom on wednesday and she got to feeling poorly in the middle of it so much so we had to go. she wanted me to call 911 and said lets go. we went to emergency and they found some irregularities that led them to keep her overnight and do some tests on thursday where they discovered cancer in its early stages. hopefully it hasn’t spread and they can get it when they go in after in on the 12th. so my new years hopeful prediction is that it turns out to be nothing. im in denial at the moment and hope it all goes quickly. they found a quarter sized tumor in the lower intestine so hopefully it will be early enough to disappear as fast as it showed up. keep your fingers crossed for me.
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It’s good that they think it’s early – if they can remove it with surgery alone, that’s the best outcome possible. I wish her well.
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I count it as a good omen that they found it at an early stage. All digits crossed for you and her, tim!
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thanks
heres hoping
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No fingers but good Lutheran prayers.
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Sorry, friend. Glad you were there with her.
My wife’s best friend was taken to the U of M hospital with very odd hear issues. Surgery next week.
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Speaking of fingers and prayers: obvious, I guess, but that is “with odd HEART issues.”
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Aw Tim, sorry to hear what you and your Mom have to deal with now. The ‘C’ word is always scary but so often now days doctors are able to deal with things so much better than before. I will be hoping for the best for your Mom. And for the strength you’ll all need dealing with it.
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Oh, tim! I’m so sorry to hear of your mom’s health issues. I’ll join others in saying I hope they got this early enough to keep it a minor incident. But no matter what happens, the best thing about health concerns is that they remind us we are visitors on this planet with visas that eventually expire, so we should all make a major effort to express our love for those who have shared the journey. Good luck, friend.
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tim – bummer news about your mom. I’ve lit a cyber-candle for her and for you. Blessings as we enter the new year!
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tim, sorry to hear about your mom. It’s a good thing you were there with her. Good luck to you and your family. I hope it turns out well. Keep us posted.
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Sorry, tim. Hoping it can be taken care of quickly.
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Fingers crossed, candle lit, Lutheran prayers said. Agreed with everyone else, early is good.
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I’ll jump on this wonderful good energy dog pile for your mom as well, tim!
She’s lucky to have you as she goes through whatever lies ahead of her… everyone should have an advocate when facing health issues. I will keep you both in my thoughts and continue to send positive energy her way.
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hey i posted it over christmas and will do it tonight and again tomorrow morning. there is no board game stuff at my house on 1/1. i am proposing 1/8 instead if there is an interest. i see linda and barbara are here. thats two of the players. sorry for the poor job of clarifacation. gonna move 2/2 to 2/9 also.
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1/8 is good, possible conflict on 2/9 but I’m not sure yet. Might be able to get out of it.
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1/8 is iffy, 2/9 looks ok from here.
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Yes, 1/8 looks promising. We shall see — I’ll check with Jim.
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ok. we should look at pj soup and game thing also.
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Here are the details for the January game playing and soup deal at the Danish American Center:
Friday, January 20: 5:30 pm The first Hyggeaften in 2012 will be on Friday, January 20. Come and enjoy a soup supper and dessert. After supper we will play games, so bring your favorite game. Social hour at 5:30, dinner at 6:00 pm. Cost $7.
The center is a beautiful old building on the corner of West River Road and Lake Street in Minneapolis, pretty convenient for Twin Citians. If anyone is interested, I’ll make the reservations.
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This story I just got from facebook. It is sort of related, a looking-back tale, looking way back.
A few years ago my mother gave me my father’s old, old tackle box. (Some may remember I framed his old lures this summer.) In it I found an old gimma knife-sharpener, about 2 inches in diameter, stone on one side, ad on the other, ad for Erickson and MacDonald Hardware, an old wonderful hardware store from my childhood and early adulthood in TH. The stone must be from about 1950 to 55. It says “call 500.” Norm MacDonald and Russel Erickson were fine men whom I both admired, both long dead. I decided to give it to one family or the other. I had closer ties to the Erickson family, so offered it there first. They were not interested. So I offered it to one of Norm’s twin daughters, who were Bonnie L’s classmate and a facebook friend, which is how I found her.
Norm used to jokingly call himself the passionate protestant because he had seven children, which caused people to often assume he was Catholic. The oldest son, David, was a year behind me in school. (Everything and everybody in small towns has multiple connections, I am only telling a couple related to the this story.) So I sent it off to one of his twin daughters just before Christmas. She just sent me this email, in which Louie is my father:
“here’s one for you Mr. B, my brother David has been collecting those knife sharpeners over the past couple of years, had 6 of them and planned to give one to each sibling at Christmas and not keep one for himself…. enter louie’s tackle box!”
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Funny how every now and then something works out like it was meant to be.
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Similarly, I have spent New Years Eve finishing the first draft of the climactic chapter of my novel, which seems the right timing.
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Nice timing, Clyde.
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you are in good form. the typing appears to be working for you. i am glad. looking forward to congratulating you on the finish whenever that may be. no hurry. it will be worth the wait.
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It’s very hard typing: all my errors make me stop to correct, which crosses up trrain of thought, crosses up various brain function, But I have stayed patient wit the process, will see it to the end, and then trash it,
very laborious which reduces results.
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Just saw a few fireworks from window… Wow, has anyone in the Twin Cities (and probably elsewhere) been or looked outside? Good night to stay home. Happy New Year, everyone.
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That would be a rotten job to have – trying to set off fireworks in this.
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Went out for the candlelight walk at Woodlake Nature Center and got back in before the rain started. Saw a couple of fireworks then. Went out for a walk about 10pm in the snow – which is lovely.
Happy 2012 to my fellow Baboons and their families – good new year, good health (especially to tim’s mom), and a year of joy, laughter and “enough” for all.
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thanks you too
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Happy New Year Gang!
Son was out for a party and was home before midnight even; roads are slippery. Be careful!
We were safely on the couch.
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2012,,, here we go. onward and upward. looking forward to it baboons
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Looking pretty slippery out there. Maybe grandkids will have to spend the day.
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Hopefully this is a good thing………….
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Indeed.
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Roads are reported pretty decent around here. Bringing the kids to New Ulum, as they say in New Ulm, to meet their parents at 1:30.
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Happy New Year to baboons everywhere! Kicking off 2012 with a healthy and delicious brunch this morning and putting on my calendar the January concerts I want to attend. The Gingko has a great line-up for the next couple of months: Peter Mulvey on the 13th and Stacey Earle and Mark Stuart on the 26th of this month, David Francey in February. Anyone else want to join me?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9wkQSQaYfw&feature=related
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I’d like to see Peter Mulvey on the 13th.
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ill see if i can open it up. he sounds great
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Morning all — if you’re around the Twin Cities, be careful when you go out. It is more slippery than it looks!
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I have to walk 3 blocks to pick up Darling Daughter from a sleepover. That may be the farthest I venture from the house today, which is fine by me. 🙂
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Happy 2012! up here in Goat’s country, we have just a couple inches of light snow – no wind, yet. we’re thinking of all who have hard roads this year – illness, unemployment, loneliness, chronic pain, or other difficulties and hoping things get better for you this year. we have been very fortunate, i thank the stars every day.
tim – want me to look for a goat-mentor for your 10-year-old daughter?? not guaranteeing anything, but could see if we could find someone to help her along her path…..
this morning i did not milk a goat for the first time since April of 2009. Steve is in town buying cows milk – ugh 🙂 but babies coming in March so i need to give the Girls a rest.
thanks for being such a kind, funny, interesting group.
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Failed to mention yesterday – I like the new gravatar image. Though I suspect the goats might eat the hat and party favors instead of use them for their intended purposes. 😉
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thanks, Anna – you got that right. this morning i let Juju out to run around a bit by herself (away from Alba’s bossy bonking) and she went straight to the extension cord for the heated bucket and started to gnaw on it! maybe she is depressed and trying to end it all – facing a long winter with a bunch of bossy adults.
decided her doeling will be “Momo” and a buckling “MoJo”
wind coming up and temp dropping down.
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Love those names, especially Mojo.
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You gotta love that phrase, (away from Alba’s bossy bonking.)
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Buckling arrrival will need to be feted at Mojo Monkey Donuts on W 7th St in St Paul
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Field trip!
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Mojo Monkey Donuts is walking distance for me, I’ll be there!
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Just went on-line to check the reviews of Mojo Monkey Donuts, and they’re all over the map.
Has anyone actually been there? They sound like when they’re good, they’re very, very good, but when they’re bad, they’re horrid.
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Hey BiB.
So are you enjoying the time off from milking? Big plans? Dinner in town during ‘milking’ time? That’s what we did to celebrate not milking cows anymore.
Do you normally drink goat milk? How much different is it than 2% cow milk? Do you skim the cream off your goat milk? Does it *have* cream??
Sorry for all the questions. Enjoy the milking break. You milk by hand, right? Better be squeezing some tennis balls or something; your hands might be out of shape by March. 🙂
(I was going to say during the break would be the time to get the vacuum pump overhauled…but never mind. Maybe rebuild your milking stool or something relevant.)
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thanks for the offer bib i mentioned it to the daughter and she was very non commital so i woud appreciae the goat intro but i don’t want to put you on the spot if she isn’t all in right off. please go ahead and i will gently nudge her in that direction.
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Just read this on another forum I participate in and found it worth sharing:
“May 2012 be our best year yet, but not our best year ever!”
Looks like there are Baboons facing serious challenges in the year ahead. Blessings on you all, and stay in touch. We care.
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yes we do. thanks all. i predict i will enjoy your company all year long
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Wishing all Baboons good things in 2012… lord knows we can all use a break!
I love the idea of predictions based in fantasy and having nothing to do with reality (or my perception of reality). I work from a logical mind’s perspective, which can grow very tiring at times… rarely do I have the luxury to dabble in fantasy these days. My brain is tired tonight, but you can be sure I will have fun fantasizing about all the wonderful events, accomplishments, material wealth, peace of mind & amazing health that will be bestowed upon all of you, my friends, family, and perfect strangers in 2012! It’s going to be awesome guys!
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