Norwegian Corgis?

The agenda for this past weekend?   Baking cookies.   Lots of them.   I sign up for a ridiculous number of exchanges each year.  Six weeks out, it seems like a good idea.   I mean, what could be easier?   You make dozens of your favorite cookie, swap with other ladies who have done the same, and come home with a huge variety with which to impress your friends.   Actually, it is a good idea - to a point.  The problem is that I have no family in the area, and since most of my friends are also involved in the exchanges, I just don't have that many people to take plates of cookies to.    They go to the neighbors, I bring some to work, and then I usually take a plate to public servants like the police, fire department, ambulance service.  But I still have a lot left over and there's only one person at my house to eat them.   Unless, of course, you count the girls. 

When I was 13, our family moved to Minnesota and we were introduced to krumkake.   My Dutch roots make me partial to banket , although my love of banket soured a bit after I lost a crown in a piece of it a few years ago.   Yes, I looked for it, or maybe I should say watched  for it, but it was never found.   So that one piece of banket cost me $850 and it's never tasted quite as good since.   But  I also love krumkake and it turns out, so do my corgis.   There are a lot of recipes out there with various ingredients and flavorings, but in my opinion, krumkake isn't any good without cardamon.  I love to just stick my nose in it and sniff.   Ummmmmm     I suppose that's the next thing they will declare is a hallucinogen.

Anyway ... the rule at my house is that we only get to eat the ones that break, burn, or otherwise don't turn out.    Usually that is the first four or five, and then I get into a rhythm, catching drips, flipping the iron, and rolling cones.  Underneath my feet I have two little girls who are salivating and hoping that some broken pieces will fall their way.    I'm not sure if it's the texture, or the flavor but they have a definite preference for krumkake over any other kind of cookie that I bake.  

Of course they love all sweets ...and they can be quite adept at getting what they want.   One day last week I indulged in my favorite guilty pleasure - a  McDonalds caramel Frappe.  If you haven't tried one ... trust me, they are the best and taste much better if you don't ask about the calorie count.   I needed to make a quick stop at Herbergers, and since I didn't want Dee Dee licking the caramel residue off my straw, I took it with me into the store, leaving the 2/3 full Frappe (the kind with a dome cover and a little hole for the straw) in the car.  I did feel a little silly, carrying a sticky straw around with me.  At least one sales associate asked if I wanted her to discard it for me.  "Uh, no .... I mean, it's for my frappe ... I didn't want my dog to lick  .... oh, never mind."   Pleased with myself for being so prudent, I headed back to the car, looking forward to the rest of my Frappe.    Approaching the driver's side door, I saw both girls in the front seat, happily licking sticky sweetness off the seat.   Those stinkers had managed to get the cup out of the beverage holder, get the cover off and spill it all over the seat, the armrest, the floor.   As soon as they saw me, they stopped in their tracks and looked at me with faces that said, "It was her idea, Mom.  I'm just helping clean up the mess!"   Ah yes ... the mess.   Actually, it wasn't too bad.   They had done a pretty good job of "cleaning it up".    I guess I can be grateful for that.    Scrubbing sticky caramel out of the carpet in sub-zero temps isn't my idea of a fun time.  And a fun time they had clearly had.   

Did you get that?!?

The falling snow and plummeting temperatures tell me that we're making the transition from Fall to Winter.   Actually, I don't mind either of those things so much, but I really hate the short days.   There's about a 3 week period when I go to work in the dark and come home in the dark.   The only positive thing about that is that I sometimes see brilliant sunsets in my rearview mirror as I drive home in the late afternoon.   North Dakota has THE BEST sunsets .... combination of low horizon and combine dust in the air.   They can be simply spectacular.

I enjoy evening walks with the girls, but we all look forward to the weekend when we can go to the park in daylight.   A couple hours ago, I told the girls we were going to the park 'pretty soon'.   They know that 'pretty soon' means we are going - but not right now.  But they follow me from room to room in anticipation.   A few minutes ago, while folding a load of laundry, I tripped over them for about the fourth time today.   I looked down and said, "You know, I would work faster if you two girls weren't attached to my heel."   They looked at me with blank expressions, so I repeated it.   They cocked their heads to the side, and looked at each other with the funniest expression, as if to say, "Did you get that?" 

This is a short post ... because, well .... it's going to be dark in another 20 minutes and we still haven't been to the park.  Better run ....

A Decade of Love

Ten years ago today - October 21, 2000 - Princess came to live with me.   I picked her up about 9:00 a.m.,  she jumped happily in my car and never looked back.    We spent the afternoon playing in the back yard, raking leaves, with friends dropping by to meet her.   They pronounced us perfect for each other.  We were - and still are - very much alike:   loving, independent and strong-willed.    Now a senior citizen, Princess often comes to work with me, as she did today.   She is friendly, but not pushy;  never barks at anyone but happily greets our guests, her little stub of a tail wagging.   People love her.   When the vet checked her over last week, she commented that Princess looks about half her age.  (I wish the same could be said of me!)   She is a wonderful companion and SOOOO very loved.   Happy 10th anniversary, my sweet girl. 

Mid October Musings

 This past month has been a blur.  Three weeks of fundraising at work were followed by an Extreme Home Makeover right across the street from us!    It was a crazy week with streets blocked off, porta-potties along the curb, hundreds of volunteers working 24/7 and more activity than I'd seen since the Flood of 2009.   Despite the noise, floodlights and dust, it was fun to be a part of it, and it was all for a wonderful family that has done much for disabled children in our community.   The show is supposed to air in late November or early December.

When it was all over, I was exhausted, and glad for a week of vacation.    I canceled most of my original plans, and we stuck pretty close to home.   The Fall colors have been exceptionally brilliant this year, and we enjoyed some day trips to area parks, and I did some biking on several of the MN state trails.   I had hoped to do more, but on Monday I had a little rollerblading mishap.  Princess was chasing me around a parking lot when my legs went out from under me, and I fell - hard - sustaining a whiplash and bruised tailbone.   I was pretty sore for a few days.

I got my leaves raked this week and other yard work done .... windows have been washed, gutters cleaned out, and the garage is looking better than it has in a long time.   My neighbor changed the oil on my mower for me.    You're supposed to do that more often than once every ten years???    Who knew?!?!  
Yesterday the girls went to the Vet for their annual wellness exams and shots.   Dee Dee has a tooth that needs to be pulled, and Princess has 'mature cataracts' on both eyes.   I'm a little perplexed by that since she can spot a squirrel or rabbit from 100 yards away!   Dee Dee put up quite a fuss while she was being checked over, and provided an unsolicited stool sample right there on the exam table.    That ended up costing me another $60 when it tested positve for some parasite.   Overall,  the girls are in excellent health for their age.  

   

Nothing Gold Can Stay

Nature’s first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf’s a flower;

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay.

 

I was reminded of this beloved poem of Robert Frost this week as I turned the calendar page from August to September.    As if on cue, our weather made a dramatic shift from hot and humid to cool and crisp.   Some are complaining, but I don't dare.    I whined about the heat most of the summer.  I'm just not a 'hot and sticky' kind of person - and neither are my girls.   I hate having to carry water for them on even the shortest walks, and having to mow my lawn before 7 a.m. because that's the only time I can stand it. 

 

So bring on the cooler weather.  I love Fall.   I love sleeping with the windows open; the cool breeze pushing me down under the comforter and snuggling up close to my girls.   I love cool evening bike rides, Honey Crisp apples, the sound of crunching leaves underfoot (not yet, thankfully!) and the aroma of scented candles burning in my living room.   I love seeing school buses in the morning, wearing sweatshirts, and checking out the new Bible Studies in the church bulletin.  I love the smell of autumn air.  

 

Speaking of smells .... a few weeks ago my brother was traveling through Michigan's Upper Peninsula with his dog, Elvis.  Tim's favorite place to hang out (in the whole world, I think) is Au Train Beach on the south shore of Lake Superior.   It is a beautiful beach, and he recently purchased a parcel of land just a stone's throw up the Au Train River.   Making the trek north from Holland, Elvis slept most of the way.  When they got about a half mile from Au Train Beach, Elvis suddenly woke up, stuck his head out the window and sniffed the air, turned toward Tim and smiled.   He knew where they were.  My girls remember every park we've ever been to, and it doesn't matter what way we go, or where I park the car.   Familiarity is in the smell, and it always amazes me.

The last few weeks have brought sad farewells to some of our canine friends.   Einstein, the common link between my girls (Princess' brother and Elvis and Dee Dee's father) was put down a week ago.   We also lost Dee Dee's nephew, Scooter, and another corgi pal this summer.   And a few weeks ago I got a call from my friends, Phil and Val, telling me that their little Einstein (a charming little terrier who was obsessed with chasing balls) had died.   As Phil put it, Einstein 'helped them raise their five boys' and was with them through some major life transitions.   Only another dog lover can understand the bond that exists between canines and their humans.  These losses remind me that my girls are getting older too, and that I need to cherish each day that I have with them.   Nothing gold can stay.  

The Dog Days of Summer

The Moorhead Park District sponsors a 'dog swim' event at the neighborhood wading pools the night before they are drained for the summer.    It was a cool evening for swimming, but in a way it was nice, as there weren't as many people there as there might have been otherwise.

Swimming in a pool is an entirely different experience for dogs than swimming in a lake.   For one thing, they have to step (or jump) off the edge into the water rather than run into it as they do at a lake.  Getting out is a little different too.  They have to push themselves up out of the water onto the concrete.   And then there is the chlorine - which, I suspect, stings their eyes, just as it does ours.   Both of the girls were nervous, and needed a little coaxing to get in the water.  For Princess, watching the other dogs splash around and chase after the ball was enough to make to conquer her fears.   She stood on the edge, leaning toward the water, trying to muster the courage to take the plunge.   I finally gave her a little push and she fell in.   Once she realized that she could swim, she was hooked.   I pushed her a couple more times and after that she did it all by herself.   I was so proud of her, and she had so much fun.   She is a brave girl. 

Dee Dee - not so much.  For one thing, she hates commotion, so just having so many other dogs around made her nervous.   I picked her up and put her in the water several times - even pulling her on a leash while she swam, but she just wanted to get to the edge and scramble back up to solid ground.    People were incredulous when I told them how she charges into Lake Michigan and lets huge waves swallow her up and absolutely loves it!    It's hard to imagine being afraid of a little wading pool after facing the waves of the Great Lakes.  

Itasca State Park and Walker Bay

The heat and humidity have made it hard to sleep this summer, so what better way to relax than head to Itasca State Park for the weekend.  Lake Itasca is the source of the Mississippi River.   There's a lot to do there.

We pitched our tent at Bear Paw Campground and, I'm happy to say, didn't actually 'see' any bear paws other than the engraved ones on the sign!   There was, however, a skunk who found his way into the campground the first night.   Our food was safely stored in the trunk of the car, so we were bypassed, thankfully.

On Saturday we went to the Mississippi headwaters.  I'm sure I've been there at least a dozen times over the years, and I've never seen the water as deep as it was this time.  They've had a LOT of rain this summer; one ranger told me they'd had around 14 inches - just in July!    We waded across, none-the-less, and the girls enjoyed cooling off, although the congestion was a bit too much for Dee Dee.   She was happy to head back to the car and move along to the next spot - which was a stroll along Mary Lake and the Red Pine Trail.   My eyes were peeled for glimpses of the Minnesota State flower, the showy lady slipper, and I wasn't disappointed.

It was a hot day, so in the afternoon we took a drive to Lake George and on to Walker, which is one of my three favorite Minnesota resort towns (along with Grand Marais and Lanesboro). Leech Lake is a much prettier lake than its name would make it sound (I have yet to actually see a leech there), and the public beach on Walker Bay is just wonderful. We had a great time cooling off there.  When it was time to leave, Dee Dee put up a fuss.   As soon as she realized we were walking toward the car, she stopped in her tracks and looked at me with pleading eyes:   "Please, Mom, just a little bit longer ..."   I gave in - three times, in fact - before I decided that we really did need to leave!    In the evening, I went to a show at Jaspers Jubilee Theatre in Park Rapids.    By that time, the girls were worn out and happy to nap in the car.    I got this picture of them sharing the shady side of the back seat.   Dee Dee woke up when I slowed to take the picture, but they had been lying almost on top of each other, sound asleep.