Home Projects - Part 3

When I last wrote about the home projects that my dear husband and I are undertaking, I believe we were only at the egress window and refrigerator stage. Oh, and we were about to start the second story deck.

Much has happened since then! What with school and Chilimania, I haven't had much time to think about writing.

That said, in the weeks since my last post, we have put up two ceiling fans with one more to go; installed a dining room light fixture; put in a new screen door; put up the second floor deck; painted half of the basement floor; painted the office (almost done!); and had solar panels installed.

I should add that by we, I mean Eric as the project manager. I quite honestly have had it easy as I go to work and come home to see a newly completed project. I love my husband!

Additionally we just purchased a new couch (comes today) and painted the first floor deck. 

WHEW! Okay, breathe. . . .

So here are some pics! 

The deck!

The solar panels!

The new front screen door.

One of the new ceiling fans....

And, the newly painted deck.

Much more to come! Stay tuned!!!

Home Projects - Part 2

Work continues on the home and we are seeing forward progress! The egress window was successfully installed and boy, does it make a difference. The light it lets in is wonderful and (when it's not 90+F outside) it's great to open the window and get some air moving downstairs.

Work has begun on the office. Everything is packed away and the door and window have been installed. We've had to adjust our plans from a set of French doors to having one door that goes out the back. Originally I was bummed but it is saving us a ton of time and money. And that's always a good thing! 

But the coolest part of this whole process thus far has been the purchase of a new fridge. This thing is huge and it's beautiful. I'm sure that like most refrigerators, it will be full and dirty fairly soon. In the meantime, though I'm going to enjoy my appliance heaven.

Next week the 100-year-old tree in the back yard will be trimmed in preparation for solar to be installed on the house. And the new deck will be installed and perhaps the house will be painted. 

Of course, this means prepping plants and what not for the crews that will be descending upon us. Whew, I'm tired just thinking about it! And, we're going to paint the office since its empty. Wish me luck!!

The Self-Proclaimed Sausage King of St. Paul

Eric and me with Mr. Linder himself.

My husband is on a one-man mission to become the Sausage King of St. Paul. Yes, that’s right. I didn't mistype. Eric, the sole proprietor of Ace’s Dog Sled, a hot dog cart, is working to get his name out and garner recognition. So far, word of mouth, Facebook, a website and a feeble attempt at Twitter have been our go-to marketing plan.

And, slowly but surely, he’s getting that support. People are coming to his corner at Wabasha and 5^th St. in downtown St. Paul on a regular basis. Those that aren't repeat customers are often recommended to come try “the best hot dog ever.”

Now, I’m not just blowing smoke because this guy happens to be my husband, but he does make a good dog. All-beef Vienna franks on a steamed poppy seed bun coupled with your choice of condiments from pickles, relish, tomatoes, onions, sauerkraut, sport peppers, mustard and ketchup.

One of the bonuses of living with the Sausage King is that I get to try his different creations. First, he had to practice on his Chicago dogs. That was a fun day. Another day, he wanted to try something new – a St. Paul River Dawg. I call it a cheeseburger hot dog because it’s cheese, pickle, mustard, tomato and onion on a dog and bun. Quite filling to be sure. Talk about having full meal!

And so the quest continues. If you know of anyone working in downtown St. Paul, tell them to stop by and meet the Sausage King of St. Paul. Tell him that Abe Frohman sent you!

Home Ownership - Projects Part 1

When Eric and I bought our home in February 2009, people said that the projects never end. They were right. We're about to start another set of projects which I think will take up the rest of our fall. Once they are done, it will be awesome but I hate that in between time. It means a messier-than-normal house, people I don’t know being in my space and large amounts of cash going out the window.

But again, it will be awesome when we're done. And it will increase the value of our home should we wish to ever sell.

First we're planning to put in an egress window. This will not only lighten up the basement but allow us to classify the basement as a fourth bedroom – i.e. driving up the value of the home. Second, we're planning to put in new doors on our second floor out to the deck. This will mean I can use the deck again – once we put it back up. We had to take it down last year to make some repairs to the roof below it so I've been suffering along for two summers without my rooftop garden oasis.

Those two projects alone mean not just a bunch of work during the process but also in preparation. This means I need to move a number of plants to make way for the egress window and I need to pack up my office before work starts on the second floor.

I really am looking forward to the project being done. Here are the before pictures. After pictures coming soon – hopefully! 

This is where the future egress window will be put. Note the plants I need to relocate today. Anybody like digging?

The midget door will soon be replaced with a set of French doors and a dormer. Then, at last, my deck can come back.

Chipotle's View on Antibiotics

Last week, there was a bit of a ripple in the headlines concerning Chipotle’s stance on “responsibly raised” meat. First, Bloomberg News ran a story announcing Chipotle may change its position on naturally raised beef (http://ow.ly/o29wy). According to the article, supplies are tight and the big chain is contemplating purchasing beef that has been treated with antibiotics.

Was this beef from an animal treated with antibiotics? Don't know, don't care.

But, the Denver-based fast food chain countered with an article in the Denver Post a day later stating their standards have not changed (http://ow.ly/o2ap6). However, according to the Denver Post, “The company did say it's considering tweaking its "responsibly raised" meat standards to allow meat from animals that have been given antibiotics to treat illnesses.”

The executive that was quoted in the Denver Post added that they have naturally raised beef about 85 percent of the time and that 15 percent of the time, due to beef shortages, they are forced to use conventionally raised beef – i.e. beef that could have been treated with antibotics at one point in time of its life. Stores that are forced to use this conventionally raised beef post signs stating the situation so customers are aware of the switch for the day. Note, from what I could read, the company will not allow meat from animals that have been given antibiotics to prevent illness or promote growth.

So here’s the caveat. From what I can tell, Chipotle is saying that is that it’s okay for them to possibly serve meat from animals that have been sick – but never from those that have been treated to remain healthy. So how does this work? Animal gets sick. Animal gets treated. Producer waits the proper withholding time according to the label before shipping said animal off to market.

Do you want to eat that meat? I think not. I, quite honestly, would prefer to have meat that has been treated to prevent disease. What are your thoughts on this? Do you think this was a PR blunder by Chipotle? Have they lost customers?

A Few of My Favorite Things

I crave being in northern Wisconsin. I feel at home and at peace with myself when I’m there. On my most recent trip, I was trying to think about a few of my favorite things that I do, hear or see while I’m at the home farm.

• Being greeted by the family dog. Heidi is old but she knows my car and always welcomes me with kisses no matter how long I’ve been away.
• Walking the grounds with Mom. Each time I go home, my mom and I have a ritual of inspecting her awesome garden and then walking around the rest of the farm to look at her many flowerbeds. She’s a fountain of knowledge and I hope that just some of that sticks with me as the years go by.
• Listening to birds, bugs or frogs. By day you can hear the birds chirping or the bugs buzzing and at night you can hear the frogs singing. No matter what, these sounds are far superior to the traffic I hear in my backyard in St. Paul.
• Watching stars and seeing Northern Lights. While I can see stars in St. Paul, nothing is more dramatic than being in total darkness and silence on a clear, cool night on the farm. You can hear the frogs chirping, an occasional coyote yip in the distance and you can see stars for what seems like miles. Now add a light show in the form Northern Lights and that is pure perfection.

Don’t get me wrong – there are many things that I love and enjoy about where I live and work now. But nothing brings me solace like spending time at the farm. That’s where I truly feel alive.

Posting Comments

There are days that I hate technology and today is one of them. Over the weekend my brother told me he was having difficulty posting a comment to my blog. As he said, "If I can't do it in one click, I won't be doing it."

Well, that creates a problem as I want and need to hear feedback from my readership. After investigating and testing, I'm hopeful that the problem has been fixed. So, please, comment at will. As they say in Chicago, "Vote early. Vote often." Here though, just comment early and comment often! :)

Of course, I'm going to ask that you play by the rules and tell me who you are rather than posting anonymously. That's wouldn't be very fair, would it? If you run into problems you can always ping me via Facebook or email at cj6886@yahoo.com.

Happy commenting!

Family Stories

The Lawson family has a reunion each year about this time. Some years it’s really well attended and other years it’s mediocre. This year we celebrated Aunt Margie’s 80^th birthday so the clan was out in force. Boy there were a lot of people there that I didn't know – and I was related to a number of them.

One thing that I do love about reunions is the chance to catch up with those that you DO know and that you haven't seen in awhile. This year, for whatever reason, we cousins were particularly interested in talking about a few family stories that had been floating around about how our parents left their childhood home.

We all know that our parents had a collectively rough childhood, but it was really confirmed this weekend. In short, I learned that all three of the younger girls (Ann, Tootie and Millie) ran way and that two of my uncles were kicked out of the house.

Millie was the first to go. Her future husband, Joe, picked her up at the end of the driveway and took her north to Duluth to live with her older sister, Louise. Next, I believe, both Otto and Johnnie were kicked out of the house. My mom (Ann) can't remember why they were kicked out or where they went right away, but eventually Otto went into the service and Johnnie married Margie.

Then came the little girls. I've known for a number of years that my mom and her sister ran away from home, but it’s still rather disconcerting to think about the circumstances around this action. For instance, my Aunt Tootie could have left my mom but she chose to stay until Mom graduated from high school. Then they were both picked up at the end of the driveway by Aunt Millie.

My mom was a little confused as to why I would want to know these stories and why they should be shared with others. Easy, these stories show me many things – family loyalty, sibling love and respect for education. Of note though, if you know my mom, don’t mention this blog to her. J

So next time you have the opportunity to hear some family stories, take a moment to think about what you’re really hearing. What do your family stories tell you about your loved ones and your heritage? 

Insomnia - Part 2

My brother shared with me recently his insight after reading my blog about insomnia. He said, "You know what Dad said about insomnia? It just means you're not tired enough so get up earlier and work harder. You'll sleep at night then."

How cool that my deceased father can still give me insight. Even if it's channeled through my brother, I'm still happy to have it. :)

Eagles, Deer & Bears

Driving up north to Shell Lake is often filled with wild animal sightings and this past weekend was no exception. One 16-mile stretch of road I managed to see a bald eagle, a deer and yes, a bear. Up north, seeing a deer common when driving whether it be night or day. And eagles are becoming more commonplace now too.

Unfortunately bears are becoming more common as well. For those of you that may not have heard, there was a bear attack in the Shell Lake, Wis., area about a month ago. The victim was taken by helicopter to a hospital in the Twin Cities and is lucky to be alive today. And this attack happened just two miles from my mom’s house. Yikes, talk about too close for comfort. Here's a recent story on the attack: http://www.northlandsnewscenter.com/news/nw-wisconsin/Bear-Attack-Near-Shell-Lake--212325011.html.

Photo by Michael Webber.

As my brother said, though, “The bears are thick this year,” and he’s not kidding. I don't believe in all my years of driving around northern Wisconsin I have spotted a bear hanging out on the edge of the road. Here’s to hoping I don't see another for a long time.

Putting Yourself Out There

As I work through this current grad school class, we have been assigned the task of building a website. Initially, I was pretty excited as I thought, “Whoopee! I don't have to do this work again.” I had just built a website for my husband’s business, Ace’s Dog Sled (www.acesdogsled.com) in April. The professor said that she wants lots of analytics and measurement. Ace’s website would garner just that.

Alas, the professor thwarted me at the pass and I have been made to create another website. This one, this time, is just for me. It features my current and past work and his housed as though I was freelancing. I have in the past and I may again in the future – but I'm not now. Just putting everything out there for all to see. That is the nature of my business I suppose.

So please take a few minutes to view my website - http://cj6886.wix.com/cjcommunications. Let me know your thoughts, what you'd like to see, what you don’t like, etc. I look forward to and welcome your comments.

Insomnia

I don't remember when I first started experiencing insomnia. I have always been a night owl and hated mornings so in some ways, I didn't think that I had insomnia – I just have a different sleep pattern than others.

I do know that as I've gotten older, my insomnia seems to have worsened. Perhaps it’s too many distractions in the bedroom. And, by that mean the cell phone that is within arm’s reach, the snoring husband or the very loud fan he needs to have blowing on him. Oh, did I mention the husband also has restless leg syndrome, at least I have diagnosed with this ailment. There are times it looks as though he’s running a marathon – all while lying in bed.

I know I have some former workmates that would argue that I pay too much attention to the phone. Hey, who doesn't send out emails at 3 a.m.? Hey, it's about that time now as I'm typing this copy. 

So as I contemplate counting sheep or writing another blogpost. What do you do to get yourself some zzz’s? Warm milk? Tranquil music? Ahhhh . . . Okay, sleepy now . . . 

Being a Stepmom

I met my husband-to-be on Feb. 21, 2008 and learned that evening that he had two daughters, who are soon to be turning ages 17 and 22. Some women I know may have been turned off by dating a man with children but, having had several nieces and nephews and no children of my own, I thought I could handle the challenge. While being a stepmom wasn't something I planned to do, I'm happy that I've had the opportunity.

Me with my husband and stepdaughters on our wedding day.

From day one, I have tried to show my stepdaughters that I am not trying to be their mother. They have one already that has done a lovely job in the shared raising of the girls. In short, I’m their dad’s wife. I expect them to be cognizant of my husband’s feelings just as I expect him to be of theirs. I expect them to follow the rules while in our house – even if they are different from at their mom’s house. And above all, I hope that I have earned their respect just as they need to earn mine.

In the past five years, we've had to work on our respective relationships. I will not sugarcoat that it has been difficult at times. But like any relationship you have with your spouse, your sibling or a long-time friend, it takes hard work and dedication to make it work. And I wouldn't trade these girls for anything either. They both make me laugh and unfortunately can make me cry, but in the end, we all love the same guy – my husband, their father – and that’s what holds us together.

We're about to enter a new era in our relationship too. My youngest stepdaughter is moving to the East Coast with her mother. This will be difficult for all of us but I'm trying to look at this as an adventure and a great opportunity for her. She'll have great opportunities at her new school - things that would be out of the question where she's at now.

And, we'll need to figure out Skype and things like that, which could be difficult since she hates to talk on the phone. But I believe that communication is key and as long as we can keep that line open, all will be okay. Wish us luck!

Talking to Strangers

The guacamole burger with mozzarella and basil (right) and the best onion rings, ever . . . 

I generally love traveling and for a number of reasons. First, it gets me out of my comfort zone (typically) and allows me to break routine. Secondly, I have the opportunity to take off the blinders that all of us wear when thinking about our surroundings – both here in the U.S. and abroad. And finally, it allows me to people watch.

People Watching

People watching is something I adore. I crave it. There have been times that I live for it. For instance, I’m sitting at the bar just outside my gate having a beer before I depart for a work conference. Typically I am happy being a quiet people watcher. The Lurker, if you will, that watches but does not engage. Today, however, a very talkative older gentleman sits next to me and wants to talk like nobody’s business.

But here’s the thing, not only is he the Godfather of today’s computers, he’s really interesting. He has been working on hardware for 39 years and has traveled everywhere in the United States. Of note, he’s been married to his lovely wife for 40 he tells me. He had been working on computers well before I had, and I was on the “cutting edge” when I took computer class in high school. For those Gen Xer’s out there, remember building out a tree with an X and 0 program? I do and I thought I ruled the world. Heck, writing software was the next “in” career.

Taking Advice

Before heading to the airport today, my husband and I grabbed a bite at Lucky’s 13 in Mendota Heights, Minn. As we were walking in, a random guy says to us, “Hey, you should try the guacamole burger with mozzeralla and basil. You need to add the mozzarella and basil but it will change your life. It’s like the Spidey bite! I expect to be crawling on buildings here shortly.” And off he went.

Hmm, a guacamole burger. Never really contemplated that and especially not with mozzeralla or basil on it. Soo, I took the random advice from a stranger and I tried it. Dee-lish-ous . . . Yuuuummmmy! For those of you that love burgers and are looking to shake things up a bit, try this combination. I paired it with some giant onion rings that were dipped in beer batter. It was a lovely combination overall.

Listening to Conversations

So as I sit and wait for my next flight, I can’t help but listen to the conversation being had by strangers next to me. Most likely like others were doing when I talked to the Godfather of Computers. It’s interesting what people are willing to talk about in public when they are talking to strangers. These folks are talking about divorce, paying taxes and immigration. Interesting stuff. Ooops, they are calling my flight!

Finding Inspiration

As many of you know, I have been posting this blog for my current class, Interactive Project Management. As part of my assignment, I need to post three times a week. I used to think that posting numerous blogs on various topics wouldn't be that difficult. After all, Seinfeld managed to do a show about nothing for how many years?

Photo by Peter Junno

However, like most writers, I have found myself subject to writer’s block occasionally with this blog and thought it might be a good idea to think about where I could find my inspiration. Truth be told, this thought was hastened along by article written by Mark Schaefer on www.ragan.com entitled, “Shut Up and Blog: How to Create Endless Ideas for Content.” In this article, Schaefer says that people can develop blog topics by just being observant to those things around them and thinking about what others are asking them. In short, he says, “Consider how the emotion from that moment can be translated into a blog post. And then write it down!”

So I first thought I should look at places and times when I typically find inspiration. For me, in the shower or while I'm driving are the two best places that I find inspiration. Not necessarily because of the scenery (especially in the shower!) but because I have a chance to free my mind from other clutter. Yes, I may be concentrating on changing lanes or lathering my hair, but my mind can wander to other places and ideas. Unfortunately, neither of these places exactly lend themselves to a convenient way of writing things down immediately.

Retrieved from
 http://fjorn1.deviantart.com/art/Dream-Torn-Paper-Wallpaper-376594877.

The best times for me to develop ideas is right as I fall asleep or even in my dreams. Many of my dreams are good for science fiction as I have really, really bizarre ones. I once dreamt of a lunatic veterinarian that implanted a Saint Bernard with something that allowed the dog to give birth to a clone of his deceased son. Talk about a weird dream but oh, what a cool science fiction story though. Over the years I have kept a dream journal so I can write those thoughts down and continue to be amazed and surprised at what the subterranean parts of my brain will conjure up while I'm enjoying some well-deserved REM sleep.

Next I thought about topics that typically help me find inspiration. As you've seen in my posts, my pets, friends and family seem to drift to the top. Why? Simple. They are the most important things to me and therefore, on my mind quite a bit. Don't worry, I won't write a novella about how stinky my dog is after coming home from a play date with the neighbor dog down the street. I may, however, have to post something about how smart he is sometime though. 

And today, I drew inspiration on finding inspiration. I guess Schaefer is correct in that you can look almost anywhere to see something that might lead you to writing a blog on the topic. 

Pillows

I know for a fact that as we get older, we get quirkier. I saw this happen with my grandmother and also with my mother. Now I'm getting to be that person. I’m now the person that brings their own pillow to a hotel for the weekend – or at least should.

Pillows - I'll never take them for granted again.

I used to privately laugh at people carrying pillows through the airport. I thought to myself, “Can't you just buck up and sleep on what the hotel has made available?”

But I learned the importance of bringing such an item the hard way when I forgot to bring my pillow for my Girls Weekend Adventure on Friday. I realized the mistake about halfway to my destination so it was too late to turn around. It wouldn't make any sense to buy a new pillow either.

First, it's not like I'm a big germ-a-phobe and I worried about catching something from the hotel pill. And, second, getting your pillow to that state of perfectness is not easily done, or at least it isn't for me. It takes years to get them molded just perfectly. I have to fluff it, mold it, pull it and of course, sleep on it as I attempt to break it in.

The importance of a good pillow should not be trivialized. Pillows, in my opinion, are influential in everything from helping alleviate back or neck pain to determining how you wake up in the morning. Do you awake rested or weary? Sleeping on a bad pillow can literally be a pain in the neck for me.

So as I’m at the hotel and I know I need to find a pillow for the night. It’s at that point that I felt much like Goldilocks. Each pillow was too fluffy, too flat until finally, I discovered what was just right – a blanket. Yes, I found relief by using a blanket as my pillow but my neck and back thanked me in the morning.

I’m now resigned to the fact that I will likely be one of those people the remainder of my life – lugging pillows around on planes and weekend getaways. Could be worse I guess as I've learned I need to keep the teddy bear at home.

Girls Weekend

There are times in life that everyone needs a break. Many people go fishing, listen to music, read a book or go for a jog. I think all of that is well and good, but my idea of getting away from everything is having a weekend with the girls.

Me (cetner) with my childhood friends (left to right) , Bev, Tammy and Mary.

My friends – Mary, Bev and Tammy – are three people that I’ve known for decades. They know what I’ve been through, they know my moods, they know what makes me tick – and I know all this about them. I’ve been in their weddings, been there for births and deaths and they for me.

We’ll sit around, drink a little wine, eat some snacks and try to get out of our pajamas at some point. We’ll, of course, do all of this while talking about the trials and tribulations of being mothers of teenagers. Of course, the husbands think that it’s a bunch of hens getting together to cackle and gossip. I like to think it’s a lot cheaper than going to therapy on a regular basis.

Looking forward to good times, good chats and good friends.

Random Thoughts on Speeding, Babies and Birthdays

Tickets – Yuck

My husband has the worst luck when it comes to speeding tickets. In the five-plus years that I have known him, my husband has had the misfortune to get several speeding tickets. Call it bad luck, call it bad timing or call it speeding, either way it’s not pretty.

Tonight we were busted just on the outskirts of Hammond, Wis., after having dinner with Eric’s daughter, Erin. As we sat in the car for about 15 minutes waiting for the cop to come back, we analyzed the situation. There was a car with Wisconsin tags in front of us going the same speed as we were but yet they weren't pulled over. Hmmm, we have Minnesota tags. I wonder if that was the problem.

Meanwhile as the minutes ticked by, we witnessed a number of other cars committing what seemed to be several other speed or driving infractions. Several cars sped past us on the side of the road, obviously going over the posted limited, and we witnessed irrational driving that almost resulted in an accident. But thankfully (insert sarcasm here), we were safely pulled over on the side of the road.

Thankfully there is a legal system that is in place that allows one to fight the ticket and have your day in court.

 

Royal Babies

I remember when Lady Diana and Prince Charles were married. I was just a kid and got up early so I could watch the wedding. At that time we barely had a VCR to watch movies, let alone taping something to watch it later. Then there was the birth of Prince William – again, before the age of social media.

Now, thank goodness for Facebook and Twitter because I never would have known that the royal prince was born. At least, not within moments of the baby’s birth anyway! Having lived in Scotland for a semester in college, I like to think that I have some reason to be interested in the royal family. At least I haven't obsessed over this latest event like others have. I heard on the news tonight that some 25 percent of Americans admitted to closely following the expected birth. Huh, too bad it seems more people in the States are interested in this birth than voting.

Significant Birthdays

Me at age 4

My birthday is this week. I'll be 45. Most people freak out over birthdays like this – or those that end in zero like 40 or 50. Not me. I freak out the year prior. I went off the deep end at 29 and 34 wasn’t much better. At 39 I decided to run a marathon by the time I was 40 and I did. Age 44 brought some angst but not like other years. Maybe I'm getting comfortable in my own skin and recognizing who I am. Maybe it’s just too tiring to get hung up on age. All I know is I'm happy I'm alive another year to celebrate because I don't care for the alternative. 

Recipe for a Perfect Weekend

I have to say I just had the best, if not perfect, weekend. Nearly all of the stars were in alignment for things to be at the optimum – it was great.

Reading a Good Book

It’s been a long time since I took the time to read a book for pleasure. I can’t explain exactly why that is other than there has been a lot going on in my life. Within the past five years I have done the following: met and married the man who is now my husband; purchased a home and with that comes all sorts of responsibilities; been laid off, ran my own business and started a different job; had two pets die but adopted two; had a step-daughter graduate from high school and, because I don't have enough going on, I started grad school.

So, short story, not much time to read books for leisure. But in the past few weeks, thanks to my niece, Christiana Johnson, I discovered the Hunger Games trilogy. I had seen the movie a couple of times but hadn't taken the time to read the book. I am ecstatic that I did so. The movie was phenomenal but the book – oh my, what a trip. It had me from page one and has not yet released me.

Yes, I'm in grad school but yet, I can't put these books down. I have plowed through books one and two and book three beckons me as I type. Alas, so does homework . . . ;)

Doing Yard Work

Given all of the snow, rain and lack of sunny weekend days this year, I feel as though summer only just began. I didn't plant my entire garden, my peas and beans were planted terribly late, and only half of my flower boxes have some semblance of flowers in them.

This past weekend was filled with yard work, fence building and pulling weeds. I never thought that pulling weeds would land in the “great weekend” category but guess what, it did. At the end, I felt that a job was accomplished and that eventually something would grow strong and straight, no longer hindered by weeds.

Visiting Family

I had the opportunity to see my niece this weekend along with visiting with her little boy. Christi is much like the daughter I never had. She was born when I was only 14 and we pretty much grew up together. Then, when she had her son, Owen, life dropped me in her city with a new job and time on my hands. Throughout the time I was living in DC and babysitting Owen, I grew closer to both my niece and her son. There are times that she feels like both my sister and my daughter as well as my niece. Always she feels like my friend and confidant.

So to me, the combination of reading, doing work in the garden and visiting family account to the best weekend I've had in a long time. Nothing better than expanding your brain, getting dirt under your fingernails and getting caught up on family stories. 

Family Love Stories

My mother's family. Ann, my mom, is the little one in the front. My uncle, Bud Lawson, is the strapping young man at the top right. Grandma Lillian stands in the center in the flowered dress with her husband, Harvey Lawson (in the hat), and is surrounded by their children - his, hers and theirs - along with Great Grandpa and Grandma Metzdorf (sitting).

We all have stories that are passed on from generation to generation. In my family, we have three love stories that are the backbone and the soul of our history. I think that whether they are love stories or otherwise, family history and the act of passing it on brings identity to the family.

Uncle Bud and Aunt Becky

My grandmother, Lillian Metzdorf Ackley Lawson Johnson, was a special woman. She was the oldest of six children and outlived four husband/men throughout the course of her life. My grandmother’s second husband, Harvey Lawson, was my mom’s father. When they married, they both had two children from previous marriages and all four were in their early teens. They were Louise and Bud Lawson, twins from my grandpa Harvey’s first marriage and Paul and Earl Ackley, brothers from Grandma Lillian’s first walk down the aisle.

As it turns out, Grandma Lillian’s stepson, Bud, was about the same age as her little sister, Becky. As the two grew up together, they grew close and eventually fell in love. As family lore has it, they were set to be married until one of my mom’s sisters said, “Wait, so that will make my aunt my sister and my brother my uncle.”

Unfortunately this was in earshot of my great-grandma who did all she could to squelch the young romance. It was wartime and Bud went overseas but continued to write Becky during his travels. The letters never got to her though as my great-grandmother intervened.

Both went on with their lives, believing that the other had given up on the relationship. Bud married and had a wonderful life with his wife, Sharlene, and their four children. Becky didn't marry but yet traveled extensively and cared for an uncle in the family.

As life moved forward, Sharlene was struck with diabetes which slowly took her life. It was very sad for our family and one of the first deaths I remember as a young teen. Sometime after Sharlene’s death, it was learned that Bud and Becky were in communication again. This is back before the age of Facebook and texts so this took a little bit of effort.

Soon this couple was married after waiting three-plus decades to be together. Talk about a love story! The couple shared but a short time together as my Great Aunt Becky was ill with a liver disease but I know they were happy, joyous months.

Mom and Dad

You could say that my mom (Ann) and dad (Melvin) met via the 1950’s version of Match.com as they were set up by a mutual friend. My mom’s sister-in-law, Darlene, grew up just down the road from my dad and mentioned him to my mom. The catch? Dad was in Greenland working construction so my mom had to write him a letter.

Again, as family lore goes, my dad received the letter in October of 1958 and heavily scrutinized the letter. Since there were no spelling errors in the document, he chose to write back. They met face-to-face in December, 1958, were engaged on Valentine’s Day, 1959 and were married by that June.

Was it a whirlwind romance? Without a doubt! Were they true companions throughout the almost five decades that they were together? Absolutely. And you can bet that I've been very cautious about spelling since, in a sense, my life depended on it.

Grandma Lillian and Grandpa Oscar

As my mother and father wed, two families were blended. Shortly after the marriage, however, tragedy struck and my dad’s mother, Marie, died of cancer. My mother’s father had died when she was three and Grandma Lillian had a relationship with a terrible man that I know only as “Jim.” Eventually Jim disappeared from the picture and a romance blossomed between Grandma Lillian and my paternal grandfather, Oscar. Yes, it’s true, my mom’s mom, married my dad’s dad. How’s that for a strange family tree?

And while Grandpa Oscar died when I was just a year old and the couple was together but for a few years, both sides of the family spoke fondly of the relationship. It was obvious that they both turned to one another in times of need to find someone that understood the hell they had suffered and could support each other.

It makes me wonder, as I think about these love stories, how my story will unfold. I met my husband via Match.com. A little different than my ancestors.

Pets – Are They Really Life Lessons in Disguise?

Two of my more recent pets, Lenny and Louie.

Growing up on a farm in northern Wisconsin, I had any number of pets. They were my companions and confidants. They were my unconditional friends that listened and loved me no matter the day or the mood. Little did I know that these pets were teaching me about life at the time.

Of course, cats were the most plentiful and I always had several that were my favorites. Those that I remember best were named Fuzzy Britches, Rhondo, Martha, Ert, Snooper and Joe Cat. These cats are remembered for a number of reasons – some for having unique names, one for having an untimely death and finally, many because they managed to escape a variety of precarious situations.

Funny Names

Fuzzy Britches is one of the first cats I remember and this is very vaguely. Most likely it’s a memory conjured up with the help of descriptions provided to me by my mother. As a little girl, I had a hard time pronouncing the letter R in Fuzzy Britch’s name. You can only imagine that how that sounded and how it made my parents and other laugh. Martha and Ert also fall into that category of unique names as my intent was to name them after Bert and Ernie. Oops! The names Martha and Ert are pretty close, right?

Gone Too Soon

Rhondo, unfortunately, was the kitty that met an untimely death. Rhondo was actually a gift from a friend – not your regular barn cat that we had on the farm. We were best buds . . . Rhondo would follow me around the farm as I carried out the adventures of my day. Many times I would be in the garden, in the barn or wandering around the woods.

Our farm is located on a well-traveled county road and one day my travels took me and Rhondo too close to the road. This is when I learned that some people are mean and unforgiving. I heard a car approaching and looked up just in time to see a car swerve – not away, but toward, my cat. Thankfully Rhondo was killed instantly. It is because of this that I have no time for people that do not respect pets or other animals.

Don’t Give Up

Snooper, Martha and Joe Cat were truly cats with nine lives. For example, my brothers would hold our dog, Clyde, and grab Snooper and taunt the dog with him. Then they would let them both go – just barely giving the cat a head start. Snooper always made a quick getaway but Clyde also always just one step behind.

Martha, too, showed me the resilience of animals. It was summer time and we were haying. My dad was moving a wagon full of hay. Martha ran out at the wrong time and boom, her back legs were run over by a wagon wheel. Now, for those of you that have never hefted a hay bale – that’s about four tons of hay that ran over this cat.

Martha, amazingly, got up and ran away. She disappeared for many, many days and we all thought she had run off to die. To our surprise, Martha came down from the hay mow about a week or so later – skinny but fully recovered.

Finally, Joe Cat lived through an event that to this day still shocks and surprises me. One of the machines we had on the farm was called a straw chopper. Its premise is pretty simple. A straw bale is put into a vertical chamber that has several blades in the bottom of it. Once started and engaged, the blades rotate and thus, chop the straw, spewing it about six feet out the side of the machine and into the calf pen or cow stall.

Many times there would be half a bale or so left in the machine and the cats would jump into the chamber to take a nap. When I used the machine, I almost always checked the chamber but one day my dad needed to chop straw. Meeeooowww! Out jumps Joe Cat with gashes on his side and half of his paw missing. The vet, who happened to be there to treat a sick cow, told me that Joe Cat was going to die. For some reason, though, I wouldn’t take no for an answer. Over a few weeks, with a little penicillin and some first aid care by our dog, Heidi, the cat lived on and continued to be a great mouser – even with one less paw.

Life Lessons

As an adult I look back fondly on these relationships and realize that I was learning life lessons all along. First, names are important – as is pronouncing them correctly. Secondly, there are mean people out there that do bad things. And finally, never give up no matter how bad things look. You just may run faster or have the determination to get out of your situation. Hmm, makes me wonder what my current pets are teaching me!

Inaugural Post & A Revival of Off the Cuff

Welcome to my inaugural post! Years ago I think I started a blog but, as many of you have likely experienced, life got in the way and the blog went by the wayside. So, here I am again - putting fingers to keyboard, thoughts to screen.

The name of the blog, "CJ's Off the Cuff," is a revival of sorts. When I worked as a reporter in Edgerton, WI, I had a column with a similar name. This was back in the day before blogs, email and that thing we call the Internet. Those of you under 30 may think that was the Dark Ages but we got by just fine, thank you very much!

That said, in that column I took the opportunity to talk about things on my mind around the world, around the community and about life in general. It turns out that I touched a few people with that column, thus I'm compelled to try my hand at this once again.

I will warn you, my posts may be random. They'll range from the adventures of my two pets, to musings about nicknames and from the latest project that I'm working on to issues in the agricultural community that I feel need to be discussed. Yes, the posts will run the gamut. 

So hang on tight, it could be a fun ride as we explore my inner brain workings.

CJ