Snow Removal System

What's all the fuss about snowblowers! Faith says our snow removal system has been perfectly adequate for the last 30 years and should continue to serve us for 30 more. Heck, she shelled out plenty for this shovel 10 years ago... if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I guess I can't argue with that logic.

Me Too

It was the dead of winter.  A bad storm was coming.  Our 25 year old snowblower was kaput.  Jo was quick to say, "I guess we have to get a new snowblower" and I grimly and soberly and in a mature fashion nodded in agreement.

You can see from the picture that it was a tough decision for me.  Afterwards I felt guilty and told Jo the snowblower would count as my birthday, anniversary and Christmas presents combined.

Leeland Hollis Quick

Heidi and John had their baby about 2:15pm Tacoma time. He was a big boy at 9lbs. 4oz. and 21 inches long. He has big hands and way more hair than grandpa. I added another photo of the Quick family. John looks like he had a harder time than Heidi ; )

When do you think Heidi B. will have her baby? I guess 4/19 at 9:29am

email notifications

OK. Here's my post for the month.
I got an email notification when Mark posted his post.
That never worked for me in the past.

Getting ready for robins

I got a new snowblower a month ago and have only used it once before last tuesday. From early on tuesday morning we got 10 to 12 inches of wet snow, and look how far the snow is blowing! Lots of fun. The day following this snow the temperatures went up to 40 degrees and the 10+ inches melted down to 2 inches in one day! Now a week later I'm keeping my eyes open for the first robins.

This searching for robins has caused me to subconsciously check out the e-RR and nothing has been posted since the robins flew south. We need to revive the e-RR when the robins return this spring. During a belated birthday greeting to Dan we talked about asking everyone to post something once every month or two. Facebook works good as email with photos and it is easy to comment, but it is harder to go back and find historical events.

Next year i am going to go back to this blog post to see when the last snowstorm of 2011 happened. So do you fellow e-Round Robiners feel you can post something each month? And what kind of topics would you all like to read about?

Family reunion photos

Below are some sort of good photos from the reunion:

In this photo everyone is sorted by the brightest on the right.

In this one the persons with the longest arms on the right.

Sorted by most light-headed on the left.

Sorted by cameras.

Finally the cousins sorted by height. Everyone smile!!

Party Time!

A Time to Relax

And Smile

The Greatest Sport in the World

Girls!

A Thief Caught in the Act

We Walk it Off

catching up

In order to keep some things from getting on the google worldwide I will use first names only. I read a couple of books recently that I have really enjoyed. "Making the Blue Plate Special" subtitled The Joy of Family Legacies by Florence Littauer, Marita Littauer, Lauren Littauer Briggs prompted me to get in touch with a couple of people that have touched my life and probably some of you guys as well. I wrote a letter to Dick and Bette and Les and Marlyn. Dick and Bette are still in their apartment in the downtown area of Duluth. I found Les and Marlyn in an apartment on Haines Rd. by looking in Dex Knows. Of course until they respond I won't know if they are all alive. I wrote to these folks by snail mail (what in the world is that?) first and will contact them by phone if they don't respond. One thing I wanted to know from Dick and Bette is if anyone has done any genealogy on Dad's side of the family. I wanted to thank both families for their impact on our young lives.

Anyone want to respond about their experiences, memories? I will let you know if any if them call or write back.

Jose's 3rd Birthday/Summer Get-together

José is almost 3!

We're going to have another party! Please join us if you can make it. We'll do another BBQ /potluck. Start around 2pm. Eat at 5pm? (July 4th) It's on a Sunday this year.

See chickens and lambs. Play games. Go hiking. Sit around and talk. Sit around a fire? Sing? Fireworks?

I looked back at last year's post for José's 2nd birthday. It says: "He likes wearing caps. He's talking, but barely. He loves cars, trucks, and tractors."

He still loves cars, trucks, and tractors. Add to that, trains. (We'll have to take a train ride sometime.) He talks a blue streak! He's funny. He's good-natured. He's pretty good with his fine motor skills. He's in the middle of potty training. He'll be going to pre-school this fall!

Emery has moved

Grandma painting Emery's toes.
Emery looks a little sad about moving.
Showing Christoffer her doll.
One of my favorite things was watching Emery peel a mandarin orange and then divide it into sections. She uses all her muscles in her tiny fingers and hands, and concentrates on the task at hand. Grandpa taught her how to do it.

If most of you have been checking out Facebook you know that John and Heidi have moved to Tacoma Washington. John is now a regional director for Samaritans Purse - Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska. We are missing them and especially Emery. Hopefully we'll get down to see them often.

Picturephone

The first Picturephone test system, built in 1956, was crude - it transmitted an image only once every two seconds. But by 1964 a complete experimental system, the "Mod 1," had been developed. To test it, the public was invited to place calls between special exhibits at Disneyland and the New York World's Fair. In both locations, visitors were carefully interviewed afterward by a market research agency.

People, it turned out, didn't like Picturephone. The equipment was too bulky, the controls too unfriendly, and the picture too small. But the Bell System was convinced that Picturephone was viable. Trials went on for six more years. In 1970, commercial Picturephone service debuted in downtown Pittsburgh and AT&T executives confidently predicted that a million Picturephone sets would be in use by 1980.

What happened? Despite its improvements, Picturephone was still big, expensive, and uncomfortably intrusive. It was only two decades later, with improvements in speed, resolution, miniaturization, and the incorporation of Picturephone into another piece of desktop equipment, the computer, that the promise of a personal video communication system was realized.

Why use skype when we already have the picturephone?

Skype

I made the suggestion to Mark the other day that we should all get on Skype. To my surprise he didn't know what Skype was! Perhaps some of the rest of you don't either. Skype is a cheap way (free, actually) to make phone calls over the internet. As you can see from the screen shot above, both JaNae and us have it. The picture quality isn't perfect, but I can't complain. Conference calls can happen too - not video, just audio.

All you need is a cheap computer cam. JaNae got us one for Christmas. You should be able to get one for less than $25.

Christmas Eve

As mentioned earlier people are invited to come here Christmas Eve. I'll call the local people to check on who can make it, but if you're coming just plan on bringing something yummy - anything from appetizers to desserts. The gathering time is nogotiable but for now let's aim for 5 p.m.

There will be a white elephant present opening. So bring something goofy. Something really unfortunate here is that one of our cats broke to smithereens the white elephant I got last year. It was priceless and now it's gone.

Here's are two modest rule proposals for the white elephant.

1. Nothing broken. The bell has to ring, the radio has to play, the water softener has to soften water.

2. If you participate, you have to bring it home with you! Nothing is to be left at our house or in our yard. And our our garbage can is considered part of our yard! And this includes all of our neighbor's houses and yards too!

Thanksgiving

Things went well at the Lindstrom's on Thanksgiving. I had a little mishap with my pumpkin pie (see right). Since George is no longer around to clean up my messes, I chopped it up, put it in a bowl and fed it to Steve. Alas, as you can see below, Heidi won the pie baking contest and just may be in contention to give Denise a challenge.

And here's proof that when the cat's away the mice will play.

Laurie Berkner

This is where we're at these days at our house! Enjoy!
If you like this, when you get to the end, you can choose other videos by Laurie.
I couldn't figure out how to add to the imeem play-list to the right, but I did figure out how to make a new one. If someone wants to move this play-list to the other one, be my guest.

Steve Front Page Above the Fold

Just before Favre went to Lambeau the Duluth paper was drawing attention from the national media because of their close ties with Superior just across the border. The editor wanted to make the most of the attention so he asked Steve to come up with something for the front page.

Thanksgiving Christmas Invitations and Cheers

Things were a little more complicated this year than most, but we finally know where we are "holiday-wize".

1. This is an open invitation to all the extended family to have Thanksgiving at our house. We won't be offended in the least if you want to do something else. We'd appreciate RSVPs but we won't kick you out if you don't. The only absolute is you can't come unless your bring something to eat that is utterly delicious - and I am the sole arbiter of whether you did it or not!!!!!

2. For us the unknown was Thanksgiving. We always assumed that people could come here Christmas Eve. We don't want to be greedy. If anyone else wants to host Christmas Eve that is fine with us. But for now we're assuming Christmas Eve at our house and anyone else who wishes is welcomed.

Cold, Muddy Waters

I don't know if it's the brown seawater or the foam turning into ice that keeps this beach from becoming a sunbathing hot spot.
Pothole art.

Outward Bound

Looks like we're still online!

After the baptism Jonathan and friends, for the first time, headed off into the wilderness all by themselves. I wasn't there but judging from the photos. . .

It seems to me that they were somewhat obsessed with blood and guts and urine and other

such things. Boys!!!

It was fun to see both Mark and Daniel on Facebook this evening. Mark, that was a sweet video of you and Emery. So I think that makes four of us if including Greg. Wow, aren't we something, getting on Facebook. I guess we from the older generation are the latest generation to get involved in this newer phenomena.

I can write a new post but I'm unable to comment. And, I continue to forget to find out if there is something I can do about it. Any ideas, let us know.