Lettuce Talk About July

I've been absent from blogging because I've been too darn busy with...

the three stooges,

sunsets on the hill,

hidden treasures in the woods,

fishin' in the rain,

fishin' in the sun,

topping my mom's birthday cheesecake with fresh strawberries from our local farmer's market,

a celebration luncheon for my Granny's 90th birthday

and enjoying frites and wine, all with ladies I love,

listening to endless "Halo" matches,

eating cheese curds in Wisconsin,

visiting my sister's favorite gardening center, Stockholm Gardens,

admiring the crops at the St. Paul Farmer's Market,

pickin' wildflowers,

and TONS of lettuce.  And spinach, radishes, and turnips.  And weeds.

What a wonderful life I live.

Catching Our Limit

After two weeks of pretty constant yard work, a day on the lake with my dad was just what I needed.

The day was gorgeous, the water was calm, and the fish were biting.  Four hours later we had caught our limit of perch...

and some pretty nice walleyes. 

After putting away the rods, securing the net, and getting ready to head back into shore, we looked at each other with giant smiles on our faces.  As Dad gunned his giant motor and steered us across the lake, I thought about how lucky I am to have him for my dad.  I can't imagine a day when he won't be around to take me fishing, when I won't get to watch his big strong hands at the steering wheel and see the look of pure contentment on his face.  Since I was a little girl fishing with my dad was always such a big deal, and it still is.  And though the boats and motors and equipment have changed over the years, the fishing protocol is always the same.

The way he backs the boat into the water and seems to make you wait while holding it next to the dock before jumping in just a few extra minutes to see if you can do it.  How he giggles when you get splashed with water on the way out to one of our "spots", though we all know he hit that wave on purpose.  Taking out the old bait bucket, the shiny orange minnow net, and putting the cooler full of snacks and Mom's awesome sandwiches that have been baggied and labeled for each of us out of the way until later.  Inevitably if the fish aren't biting as good as we like one of us will crack open a can of pop or take out a candy bar and not be able to even get to it because the fish have taken that opportunity to start to nibble for themselves.

A day on the lake with my dad is never about how big the fish were, or how many we caught, or if the weather was nice or not.  It's about just being able to simply FISH together, without having to tell each other how much it means to us.  It's about continuing a legacy that started decades ago when my grandpa and great-grandpa taught my dad how to fish.  Not only did these men pass on their fishing talent, but they taught patience, respect, and how to get by with what little you might have in your boat that day.  And that's a lesson we can all stand to learn.

Holiday Hubbub

Where have I been?!

Shopping, baking, and watching my niece and nephew's hockey games, that's where.

One of my many New Year's resolutions is to blog more often, as soon as I get my desk organized enough to post every day. I am hoping to start a whole new recipe section and share many of my families best recipes with you in the new year.

Our Christmas celebrations have changed a bit over the years. Thankfully we don't have the pressure of buying "big" gifts for each other, since we only buy gifts for the kids in our group, and we do "white elephant" for the rest of us. Yes, the kids DO get a bit spoiled, but I think Christmas is really for them anyway. This year we are each bringing five $1 gifts and playing Poker. We played some Poker at Thanksgiving and it was so much fun. I might even let the kids win again. :)

Riley and I are feeling a bit more settled in our house. The new kitty is only driving us crazy 80% of the time, and the rest is spent watching movies, enjoying some Christmas treats, and anxiously awaiting Santa's arrival. We have been receiving Christmas cards and holiday wishes from so many people, and this year especially I am so grateful for those people still in my life that care enough to think of us this time of year.

I am looking forward to a four-day weekend and hope to get in some morning fishing on Christmas Eve Day and Christmas Day. My dad has been going out and killing the perch and walleye, but I of course can't tell you where! I told my mom the only thing I want for my birthday, which is on Christmas Day, is for her to join us on the lake. It's hard to get the old gal out there, she doesn't like the cold, or the wind, or...you get the picture. If all else fails I'm going to wrap her up in a giant blanket and throw her in the truck. Perhaps filling her full of Peppermint Patties will keep her warm.

What is a Peppermint Patty? It's not that round, yummy, minty candy, at least not in the winter. Simply make a good cup of cocoa and add a dash of peppermint schnapps, or some peppermint extract for the kids. I like to bring a whole thermos out on the lake. If you make it at home you can also add a bit of whipped cream and a sprinkling of crushed candy cane on top.

I am so looking forward to Christmas Eve. That is traditionally when we all get together and open gifts and eat a lot of good food. This year there will be a cooked ham, made into sandwiches, I am making deviled eggs, which everyone loves, and there will be spinach dip and chips, and sugar cookies, and homemade nut goody candy, and lots of good wine and beer. The only thing missing will be my sister and her family, but we know our hearts will always be together at Christmas time.

Christmas morning is Santa time, and after Riley leaves to spend the day with his dad I will head over to my parents for breakfast and Mimosas. I may even stay in my jammies. Then we will go out to my brother's house to spend the day with his family and eat pizza and oyster stew, which used to be our traditional Christmas Eve meal. Okay, I am only going to eat pizza, I have tried very hard to love oysters and I just can't do it.

It's very hard for me not to be with my boy both days, but it's something I have to get used to. I am lucky enough to have him almost every day and night, so I have to be grateful for that. My family does a wonderful job of making the day special for me anyway. When he comes home there will be birthday cake for me, and more gifts. I have always felt a little spoiled getting to open more gifts after everyone else is done, but then I remember that I have to celebrate two big events in one day and all is well.

Riley and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas. Laugh out loud, eat good food, hold each other close, and make sure when you leave each other that you say "I love you."

Love, Laughter, and Walleyes

Today marks my parents 48th wedding anniversary.

At the young age of 19, fresh out of high school, these two kids got married. A year later, they had my sister, and so started a family. Today that family consists of three grown children, four grandchildren, and four cats.

Back in 1961, it was totally normal for kids to get married at 19, something that some people today see as taboo. I imagine the fact that things were simpler then, there were no $30,000 weddings to save for, there was no pressure to go to college and have a career, had something to do with that. It's just what most kids did. Moms stayed home when the babies came, mostly, and raising your family was the most important thing you did.

I try to emulate my mom even more now that I am raising my son on my own. Her kids were and always will be the most important part of her life, even if she does pass up spending time with us when "her tennis" is on. She sacrificed thoughts of becoming a nurse or a lawyer for us. She made three meals a day, including warm cookies with milk after school. She was so lucky to have a group of girlfriends who were in the same boat. They met once a week for coffee at each other's houses, and us kids played while they ate muffins and gave each other perms. During the summer they all packed up the campers and spent the week at the lake, cooking over the fire and dredging us with bug spray and Calamine lotion. To this day the eight of them still get together to play cards, drink coffee, and remember the days past. They talk about marriages, divorces, grandbabies, new jobs and lost jobs, but they leave the perms to the pros. My mom taught me how important it is to take care of your family, to learn how to cook to nourish tummies and souls, and to always, always, keep your girlfriends close.

My dad was so smart to say "Yes" when my mom asked him to the "Sadie Hawkins Dance". From there he was toast. He worked three jobs and was a volunteer fireman just so he could bring home the hot dogs (since bacon was way out of their budget). He built their first home, and raised three kids there until another home was built that we moved to when I was 6, and they still live there today. It sits on a lot that was part of a huge plot of land that they bought together, cleared the trees from together, and sold piece by piece together. When I walk down our street I can picture them planting the trees that are a backdrop for people's homes, by hand, to replace those that were felled during the development.

My dad is the fisherman. When I say that, I don't just mean that he fishes. He is THE Fisherman. He taught us so many things in and out of the boat; patience, diligence, and when it's okay to take a little break. He provided just the right level of all of those things, even though he is much more lenient with our kids when it comes to digging in the cooler for a pop. His grandkids are the apple of his eye, so that's to be expected.


I'm not sure that they make true love like this anymore. I haven't been able to find it yet, but for now, witnessing how much my parents love each other, seeing what they do for each other, and knowing that they have been able to share such a wonderful life together is more than enough. They have been through sickness, through health, and to the end will love, honor, and cherish one another.

Honey Bear

It's been a while since I wrote to you, Riley. You and I have been so busy lately, hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa, planning our house, riding bikes and playing Frisbee. You are growing up so fast, and I can barely keep you in shoes that fit. I had to pin you down to give you a haircut, because you really like having it longer.

I took you up to our lot the other night and you told me, "Mom, I didn't realize how perfect it would be." I am so happy that after all the heartache you have experienced and all the times you have had to comfort me that you are able to realize things that are good, and hopeful. Some kids might close up, or rebel, or just quit talking about things, but you have been so brave, and so grown up, even though you shouldn't have had to be. You have truly taken care of your mom, and there have been many days when the only thing I wanted to live for was you. I lost many things when your dad and I divorced, but having you come from all of it is the only thing I need.

You just started guitar lessons, and you are reading cool books (when I can get you to sit down for a few minutes), building your own Lego sets, and looking forward to seeing the new "Transformers" movie. You fight constantly with your grandma and are so looking forward to us having our own place. You love her, but sometimes you two act like a couple of teenage siblings. I swear you fight more than she and I did when I was a teenager.

You and Grandpa eat watermelon together, and play with minnows, and he takes us fishing. When you grow up and remember the year that we lived with them you will cherish so much all the things you got to do, and all the things you learned about them that most grandkids would never learn about their grandparents unless they were with them every day. I hope that you will always appreciate the breeze off the water, the call of a loon, a good game of tennis on TV, and really good food.

To say I love you could never explain how I feel about you, Honey Bear. You are my life, my light, and my boy forever.

A Weekend Away

Our house is on the market and I have been busy keeping it clean to show it to prospective buyers. If you know anyone...click here and choose listing number 08-1431 from the featured listings.

Planning for a four day weekend to my sister's in St. Paul. I'm taking my mom with so we can celebrate her 67th birthday on Saturday. It will just be us girls at her house as my nephew and brother-in-law will be away at Cub Scout camp. We aren't going to have any fun at all. We never do.

In case you were wondering, the boys kicked our tushies in the 3rd Annual UFC over the 4th of July weekend. While my dad was getting the boat ready to go fishing my nephew Charlie said, "You guys had better prepare a bucket to cry in." Turd. I am thinking perhaps we should create such a bucket to pass on as a sort of trophy each year, the Hanson Cup perhaps.

At least we were darn cute. I plan to steal the cute hat back from my mom. I got it at a rummage sale, tried to sell it in mine and she took it. Now I want it back again.


I haven't been doing any cookin' at all, but when I am settled again I will get back on the horse. I will probably be camping out with my parents for a time after our house sells, so I should have some good things to share with you from our table.

Fishin'

If you are like me, you like to go fishing, you just don't get very many chances to do it. I usually only go once a year, and to me that doesn't justify buying a fishing license.


While reading my favorite blogs today, I found a website that tells you what free fishing days are held around the United States. I have attached the link here. Be sure to read any restrictions, etc. Take Me Fishing Website This opened as a PDF when I found it, but if that doesn't work for you click on the "Boating and Fishing by State" tab, click on your state, and then go down to the bottom where it says "Fishing Resources". Click on "Free Fishing" pdf. The free fishing weekend for Minnesota, where I live, is June 6-8.

Last year my sister, her son, and Riley and I held our first annual UFC, Ultimate Fishing Championship. The losers had to buy the winners whatever they wanted at the Dairy Queen. I seem to recall that I have two treats coming, but maybe I just like to remember it that way. The best part was when we faced the Moms against the kids, they were ready to throw us over the boat. My dad of course did all the navigating, baiting, and unhooking. He's good like that, and got a huge kick out of watching us all fight over who was winning. It's such a treat to be able to spend time in the boat with him.