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!