HI!
I have started posting to my blog again, but I have changed the address. If you have not received this new address from me yet, please get in touch with me or someone else who has the new site address.
Thanks!
Sally
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Friday, December 25, 2009
Merry Christmas
It is Christmas Day. Scott and I went to 9:30 mass at Ave Maria Catholic Church. We sang several Christmas hymns, which was nice. Then at Scott's request we made a brunch of biscuits and sausage gravy. It was the first time I have made this, and it turned out well! I have been getting lots of recipes, or at least guidance, from the internet since I left all my cookbooks in storage. While I was making the food, we listened to last year's Prairie Home Companion Christmas Show, dated Dec. 20, 2008. I highly recommend this particular show - I have listened to it about five times and for some reason I just love it! Check it out on the PHC website. While we ate we watched Planet Earth: Deserts, and Ice Worlds. Then I tried to telephone Mom and then Karla, but I think they were on the phone with each other. Scott's daughter called him from Italy, where she is visiting her college roommate's family.
I know this photo of me is dorky - I was trying to keep from blinking because of snowflakes! I just wanted to post this photo of Rufus - he looks like a poster child for a homeless cat shelter. "Please give me a better home!" Looking right at the camera.
Here are a couple photos of Scott's cat, King. He is like an alien creature to me. Not sure if he is actually the same species as Rufus.
He likes to sit leaning against walls or furniture. Very alien. This is my fifth day here and he is finally letting me pet him a little bit.
I was pleased last night that Hanne, Dad, Barbara, Ron, Brian, Nicole, Tyler, and the other kids called me after they had had their Danish Christmas dinner, gift opening, and rice pudding dessert.
I know this photo of me is dorky - I was trying to keep from blinking because of snowflakes! I just wanted to post this photo of Rufus - he looks like a poster child for a homeless cat shelter. "Please give me a better home!" Looking right at the camera.
Here are a couple photos of Scott's cat, King. He is like an alien creature to me. Not sure if he is actually the same species as Rufus.
He likes to sit leaning against walls or furniture. Very alien. This is my fifth day here and he is finally letting me pet him a little bit.
I was pleased last night that Hanne, Dad, Barbara, Ron, Brian, Nicole, Tyler, and the other kids called me after they had had their Danish Christmas dinner, gift opening, and rice pudding dessert.Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Snow in Parker, Colorado
It started snowing Tuesday evening in Parker. I'm glad to see the snow as long as I stayed here to avoid the storm. Here are a couple photos of the town.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Waiting in Denver
Hello! I really want to continue and finish describing my Thanksgiving visit to Lewiston, MN and Elgin, IL but first I wanted to let you know that I'm in Denver! I drove for two days from Ely, MN to reach here. I intended to have a day's layover here and visit my friend Scott who I met earlier this year in Ely.
My layover day was yesterday, and during that time I learned that a decent storm was brewing in the entire west, bringing snow. So for the time being I am watching the weather and staying right here in Colorado.
Scott lives south of the city in Parker and it is a really cute town. Hopefully I will get some photos to post of the Christmas lights. I was quite pleased with myself yesterday afternoon because I went on Scott's run with him, four miles at about 6300 feet elevation, and I was able to complete the run and felt pretty well!
You may know that I had planned to fly to Calif. for Christmas and New Year so why did I drive instead? Stay tuned to find out. Until then, Happy Holidays!
My layover day was yesterday, and during that time I learned that a decent storm was brewing in the entire west, bringing snow. So for the time being I am watching the weather and staying right here in Colorado.
Scott lives south of the city in Parker and it is a really cute town. Hopefully I will get some photos to post of the Christmas lights. I was quite pleased with myself yesterday afternoon because I went on Scott's run with him, four miles at about 6300 feet elevation, and I was able to complete the run and felt pretty well!
You may know that I had planned to fly to Calif. for Christmas and New Year so why did I drive instead? Stay tuned to find out. Until then, Happy Holidays!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
More about Luehmanns, Part 1
I've decided to drag out my Thanksgiving experience into several blogs! But this was a really milestone Thanksgiving, to be with the whole Rugh family - so I am going to indulge myself in blogging about them!
When I arrived I met all the kids and they sure are a lot of fun! Laurel is 7 and very pretty, kind of quiet, but not shy. She plays the piano, rolls out pie crusts, and took me along while she fed their pony. Peyton and Jackson are 5 and as you would expect, have two different personalities! I noticed that Peyton liked his shirt tucked in and didn't mind keeping his tie on after church. Jackson helped me make pies, he also likes to make funny faces and voices. They both have a lot of green farm machinery toys, and know a lot about how they work. They explained combines to me. Olivia is 3 and is always smiling! I expected her to be up to mischief with that smile, but she's just a happy person! Abigail is about a year and a half and is kind of like one of those old souls. Very calm. In no time she was reaching up for me to hold her and is very easygoing. I really enjoyed getting to carry her around, and got to sit next to her for the ride to Elgin and back (sorry, Laurel!)
As I mentioned earlier, I stayed in the boys' room (without the boys! as Katie had said!) and so they slept in the girls' room. Here you can see two boys on the top bunk, there are two girls on the bottom bunk, and Abby, whose crib is in there also.
I slept in and awoke to a view of a lovely yard with lawn and big spruce trees, swingset and sand box.
For breakfast on Thanksgiving day, Katie and Paul had made a (oh, what do you call it?) dish of eggs, ham, cheese, and more, baked in a 9x13 pan. The ham was from their own pig.
Here's some more about the Luehmanns. As I mentioned earlier, I arrived at their house on Wednesday night before Thanksgiving. My route took me on the east side of St. Paul and from there I followed the Mississippi River the rest of the way. Here's a photo of the river:
When I arrived I met all the kids and they sure are a lot of fun! Laurel is 7 and very pretty, kind of quiet, but not shy. She plays the piano, rolls out pie crusts, and took me along while she fed their pony. Peyton and Jackson are 5 and as you would expect, have two different personalities! I noticed that Peyton liked his shirt tucked in and didn't mind keeping his tie on after church. Jackson helped me make pies, he also likes to make funny faces and voices. They both have a lot of green farm machinery toys, and know a lot about how they work. They explained combines to me. Olivia is 3 and is always smiling! I expected her to be up to mischief with that smile, but she's just a happy person! Abigail is about a year and a half and is kind of like one of those old souls. Very calm. In no time she was reaching up for me to hold her and is very easygoing. I really enjoyed getting to carry her around, and got to sit next to her for the ride to Elgin and back (sorry, Laurel!)Katie made sausage corn chowder (I think it was called) for Wednesday dinner and I got to see how they feed their family of five kids age 7 and under. The food and dishes are placed at the head of the table next to Paul and Katie. They dish up the food and pass it down to the kids (and me - yum!) The same goes for drinks. That night they had milk from their own dairy. After dinner each person clears their own dishes (well, maybe not Abby). Then it is somebody's chore to sweep the dining area. Each family member took their turn sitting next to me. It was fun to be the guest!
As I mentioned earlier, I stayed in the boys' room (without the boys! as Katie had said!) and so they slept in the girls' room. Here you can see two boys on the top bunk, there are two girls on the bottom bunk, and Abby, whose crib is in there also.
I slept in and awoke to a view of a lovely yard with lawn and big spruce trees, swingset and sand box.For breakfast on Thanksgiving day, Katie and Paul had made a (oh, what do you call it?) dish of eggs, ham, cheese, and more, baked in a 9x13 pan. The ham was from their own pig.Next time: more about the Luehmanns, including the farm!
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Visit with Katie, Paul & Family
There is so much to post about my latest trip that I've decided to divide it into three entries. First I'll blog about Katie's family, then about their farm, and then about my visit to the rest of the Rughs in Elgin. For those of you with dial up internet, I apologize if the photos make it a long download!
I had a great time visiting the Luehmanns and then the rest of the Rughs! There's nothing like a visit in person to really learn what everyone is up to. I had been intending to visit Katie ever since she and Paul moved to his family farm and it took me several years to finally get there. They live in southeastern Minnesota and I live in northeastern, and it took seven hours to drive to their place. Luckily, the weather was fairly good and it didn't start snowing until after I arrived on Wednesday evening, the day before Thanksgiving.
It was so great to see Katie finally. It was equally great to get to know Paul better and to meet all of the kids, who were totally charming. I was made to feel right at home and the boys gave me their room to sleep in which was very comfortable.
They live in a farm house which is not the house that Paul grew up in (where his parents still live), but is on an adjacent farm that Paul's family bought (I think in the 70's) that expanded their ownership to over 600 acres.
The rest of these photos (except one) were taken at Katie and Paul's house. This is Jackson and Peyton peeling potatoes for the Thanksgiving meal. Although the boys are not identical twins (a fact I learned while visiting) it can be hard at first to tell them apart. Jackson is usually wearing red, as in this photo. They like peeling potatoes and are very good at it.
Laurel, Paul, and Abby. In the background are some Thanksgiving projects the kids made.
Peyton and Abby.
The four oldest kids have daily chores posted on charts on the refrigerator. This is Peyton unloading the dishwasher. I was very interested in seeing how a household with lots of young kids is run. I was impressed and not surprised to see that Katie (and Paul) have a well-organized household. I also learned that the kids are homeschooled!
Olivia (Livvy) outside a cheese store on our way to Elgin.
Left: Jackson and their dog Lucy outside the house. Right: Laurel
I had a great time visiting the Luehmanns and then the rest of the Rughs! There's nothing like a visit in person to really learn what everyone is up to. I had been intending to visit Katie ever since she and Paul moved to his family farm and it took me several years to finally get there. They live in southeastern Minnesota and I live in northeastern, and it took seven hours to drive to their place. Luckily, the weather was fairly good and it didn't start snowing until after I arrived on Wednesday evening, the day before Thanksgiving.
It was so great to see Katie finally. It was equally great to get to know Paul better and to meet all of the kids, who were totally charming. I was made to feel right at home and the boys gave me their room to sleep in which was very comfortable.
They live in a farm house which is not the house that Paul grew up in (where his parents still live), but is on an adjacent farm that Paul's family bought (I think in the 70's) that expanded their ownership to over 600 acres. The rest of these photos (except one) were taken at Katie and Paul's house. This is Jackson and Peyton peeling potatoes for the Thanksgiving meal. Although the boys are not identical twins (a fact I learned while visiting) it can be hard at first to tell them apart. Jackson is usually wearing red, as in this photo. They like peeling potatoes and are very good at it.
Laurel, Paul, and Abby. In the background are some Thanksgiving projects the kids made.
Peyton and Abby.
The four oldest kids have daily chores posted on charts on the refrigerator. This is Peyton unloading the dishwasher. I was very interested in seeing how a household with lots of young kids is run. I was impressed and not surprised to see that Katie (and Paul) have a well-organized household. I also learned that the kids are homeschooled!
Olivia (Livvy) outside a cheese store on our way to Elgin.
Left: Jackson and their dog Lucy outside the house. Right: Laurel
Friday, November 20, 2009
Sauna
The sauna is coming along! No thanks to me; Sarah has done the whole thing.
She's applying chinking to the cracks. It's made of clay-type mud, straw, and lime.
There are some tiles lying around in the carport so I offered to install them on the wall behind where the woodstove will be. We have had unusually warm weather and it seems everyone around here is taking advantage and pushing their luck to get more outdoor stuff done.
I may have mentioned that there's a rock ridge behind our cabin. I took a walk up there last Sunday to enjoy the beautiful weather. Since there was a little bit of snow in patches, it was a little slippery up there, but mostly fine. Here is the view:
This is what the rock ridge looks like:
And this is looking directly down at our cabin.
Next week: Thanksgiving with cousin Katie and Paul Luehmann and family in Lewiston, Minnesota! And then, all of us traveling to Elgin, Illinois to see Uncle Vic, Jessica and Ben and family, Sarah and Jeffrey, and even Molly and Matt coming from Texas!
She's applying chinking to the cracks. It's made of clay-type mud, straw, and lime.There are some tiles lying around in the carport so I offered to install them on the wall behind where the woodstove will be. We have had unusually warm weather and it seems everyone around here is taking advantage and pushing their luck to get more outdoor stuff done.I may have mentioned that there's a rock ridge behind our cabin. I took a walk up there last Sunday to enjoy the beautiful weather. Since there was a little bit of snow in patches, it was a little slippery up there, but mostly fine. Here is the view:
This is what the rock ridge looks like:
And this is looking directly down at our cabin.
Next week: Thanksgiving with cousin Katie and Paul Luehmann and family in Lewiston, Minnesota! And then, all of us traveling to Elgin, Illinois to see Uncle Vic, Jessica and Ben and family, Sarah and Jeffrey, and even Molly and Matt coming from Texas!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
