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Laps they are and I expect my neighbors may ask me to watch with them. They are BIG NASCAR fans and totally devastated at the death of Dale Earnhardt. They have BOOKS about him and also Dale Jr. I have no idea what makes him any better than say Petty or the Unser men but they think he is so - I guess it’s OK. It’s so terrible that men have to speed to show their masculinity and ‘macho’-ness. Is that a word?

Not windy today - love it.

Take care all.

Jacky, I think both you and Clive would like to read Sharyn McCrumbs book, Once Around the Track. I really enjoyed it even though I know nothing about car racing. It is funny and does mention that famous driver who was killed. I think I was reading it when you were here. It is about a bunch of women who sponsor a driver. Their backer is the female version of Viagra.
I had to laugh Jo when you said you spent yesterday in your chair most of the day. I did the same although I did do five miles on my exercise bike. My daughter upgraded my cable coverage so I could get CNN and MSNBC so she and fellow Democrats can watch the debates and results of elections on my TV. I had only very basic at $11.00 a month and was happy with that as I am not really a watcher. She doesn’t have TV and doesn’t want it. Anyway I watched two episodes of the Golden Girls and CNN and looked around at the other channels to see what I had. I did knit while watching. I used to watch the weather channel with the sound off while I read but that channel has changed and I don’t care for it as much. Anyway people might be over tonight to watch the debate. I like the company and can go to bed if I want. By the way, those trips around the track are called laps I think.

Jacky, sounds like you have a full month with a lot of family activities. Jo, we’re to get heavy wind and storms this morning followed by falling temperature. Fortunately, I had time to get the dogs out for the morning business and back in, move some plants out of windy areas and we’re battened down. Has anyone heard from Go Grandma–they’ve had such terrible weather in that part of the country–don’t know how close to her area.

This looks like a good day for reading.

Candace

We are going to stop overnight in St Paul, our youngest’s family, and Fri we’ll travel to Warrensburg, MO, our oldest daughter’s family. Our oldest grandaughter is driving up from Fayetteville, AK to join us for the Super Bowl party. Just family and I can’t really care who wins, but I like the Manning brothers.

Then on to FL, my cousin lives in St Augustine, so we’ll see them, and then the Daytona Naascar Race the 17th of Feb. My husband has loved racing since he was a boy, so he and his cousins and our middle son in law have tickets for the race. We women will find something else to do. I only watch the last 10 rounds or so, well they don’t call them rounds, but I can’t think of the term. They go around 2 or 3 hundred of them well over a hundred miles an hour. But they are fairly well protected in their well built cars, but Clive is still lamenting the death of Dale Earnhart in a race at Daytona several years ago.

I have trouble getting GGOBIT as we travel, but will try again.

Jacky

Not much to post here either - I dozed in my chair a goodly part of the day, cat cuddled up on my arm. He was snuggly warm.

Windy as all getout here today .. the cats were all interested in the leaves swirling on my patio. Finally they gave up - none of them came close enough!

And now I’m off to bed. Sleep tight and sleep warm, all.

Jo

Oh, Jo, I love those Beverly Lewis books! I have a couple in my own collection of “keepers”. I think there is another lady now who is writing an Amish series, but of course, I can’t think of her name!! Is that not par for the course?

Hope you are keeping warm! Our temps here are not too bad, but the wind nearly blew us away yesterday, gusts to 55 mph and the grass is dry so there were wildfires in several communities, lots of power poles snapped, and 75,000 were without power for a goodly amount of time. I even had 3 short bursts of power failure, just enough to knock my computer off, where I had to reboot. I finally just shut down, and waited it out for awhile.

I still lurk here, but nothing much of note to post.

Joanne

Even sleeping is better than GB in my humble opinion. I hadn’t slept but two hours Sunday night so I was ready to go to bed last night. And boy did I sleep even after dozing in my recliner off and on during the day.

I loved Snelling’s books on the Dakotah territory — my word, the hardships those people went through. I wonder how many of us could do that now. I doubt that I could.

And, by the way, read the following by Snelling: Ruby, Opal, Pearl and Amethyst. More of Dakotah and the Ruby from the first batch who married Rand. I had to chuckle; she mentioned that, after finishing Pearl and thinking she was done, the characters hopped out of the book and said, “Hey wait a minute. You aren’t done with us yet.” And so she wasn’t - Amethyst was the tale needing to be told.

Beverly Lewis is the author of a series on the Amish, starting with The Shunning, The Confession and The Reckoning. The tales are based in Lancaster, PA - just down the road. I love the names of the towns there: Bird-in-Hand, Paradise and the farms are all so neat looking. I think it’s Bird-in-Hand that has an Amish house tour and there are bakeries all over. Their apple, peach and pear butters are delicious, too. Sticky buns (pecan rolls) are outrageoous!!!!

I’m also reading Rutherfurd’s The Princes of Ireland and the sequel, The Rebels of Ireland. I am keeping amused!!!!!!!!!!

It’s cold here but not as cold as Jan’s Idaho — for which I am mighty grateful.

How funny you should say that, Darlyne.  Different parts of the U. S. and that was exactly what I was doing during the same time.  Finishing the same book, more involved with Thorkel and Elizabeth that I was with GB.  I hated to see it end because that was the last of the whole series and they have been my bedtime stories for months, it seems.

Small world, though, isn’t it?

I was pretty young when I climbed that ski jump thing and too dumb to be scared. I think the guys that scolded us were relieved that we weren’t hurt besides scraping the snow off the slide. The jump off part was pretty high. The whole thing was pretty high.

I finished Snelling’s More Than a Dream last night while watching our president and the State of the Union address. I found the book more interesting.

The #3 book I’m reading is called A Land to Call Home, by Snelling, its copyright is 97, I think she’s written a lot more books, the friend who loaned these to me has a shelf full, I think.

And I remember that huge ski jump by the river, Darlyne. I’m shocked that you dared climb to the top, much less be carried down it by a skier!!! I was a small kid when they last used it, but I’ve seen pictures of it and a lot of our Norse relatives were pictured flying off it. Including John Holter, Jan, he was married to my dad’s first cousin, Joyce, last name also Holter. In fact she was my 5th and 6th grade country school teacher in Oak Park. John had a lovely accent and speaking voice. Their son, Jon Richard was our post master for many years until he retired.

There is a storm predicted after midnight , hope they are wrong, as I plan to go into Grand Forks in the am, a friend and I are taking part in a Bible Study at the Eve. Free church. The minor prophets are kind of depressing, but interesting, and they are the subject.

Jacky

I finished this epic novel last night. I am sure some of you have read it. This is from the cover page. A luninous first novel, set in Greece, Scotland, Greenwich Village and Long Island, that traces the members of a Scottish Fmaily as they confront the joys and longings, fulfillments and betrayals of love in all its guises.

This book grabbed me at first for a dumb reason, the Mother of the clan raised and trained sheep dogs and they played a small part in the novel.

I am starting on Lauraine Snelling’s More Than A Dream, #3 in return to Red River Series. It is an easier read and I will finish it before I start on the Oates book.

It is a beautiful sunny day here and it has warmed up to 36°. I am trying to make myself go for a walk.

No, I never did see them in Oslo.  I heard about them in later years, but I lived in the country and didn’t really participate in activities in town until my Senior year in high school.  I went to the Northwest School in Crookston the first three years of high school and nobody skied there.  My second cousin was Jon Holter and he came from Norway about 1941.  I heard that he was on the ski team in Oslo.

Jan, didn’t you ever watch the ski jump tournaments in Oslo? There was a large ski jump thing by the river and it seemed that there were people from all over competing and watching, Once when it wasn’t being used my cousin and another kid and I climbed to the top and slid down on our butts. We were caught and scolded because we removed the snow from the slide. Apparently I started crying and one of the big guys felt sorry for me and took me to the top and held me while he skied down the thing and jumped. It was a thrill of a lifetime for me. We never used it for a slide again. In those days I liked winter. I have changed.

It was -30 here in Idaho the other night and has been - 9 and 10 every day since.  At least we haven’t had snow and wind for nearly a week.  Today we went to Kelly Canyon about an hours drive away to watch the skiers - the first time I have seen anyone ski other than on television.  On the way back we stopped at Judd’s burgers for lunch (famous for 1 lb. burgers).  None of us had one - they have normal size burgers too.  We have a scenic drive every Friday and with all the snow this one was especially pretty in the canyon with such tall mountains on each side.

What Snelling book are you reading, Jacky?

Jo

Yes, the freezing is instead of surgery, its a much easier recovery, and the Dr said the statistics are about the same for both. You can repeat the freezing, but cannot have surgery after freezing. I have a friend whose husband had the surgery, and now he has bone cancer, my husband was wondering if he should have chosen surgery, but this seems to prove what the Dr. said.

And our daughter’s problem can just disappear—-or not. So we will just have to wait and see, and weigh what her Dr says. She phoned this am on her way to work and feels good. She is an ASL interpreter at two high schools in St Paul.

And we are above zero this am, and the sun is shining. I’m reading the 3rd Snelling book, I have two more of them, and I must finish Patty Jones’s House of Curl, as a friend wants it, and my next door neighbor loaned me Lanvik’s last book, The View from Mount Joy. And we have another grandson’s hockey game this evening, a priority! Plus I read slowly, every word.

Jacky

Jacky, I’ll be interested in hearing about the surgery for this. It seems as if there should be a way to deal with it. I know someone who is recovering from prostate surgery now. Is freezing instead of or supplemental to surgery?

Candace

Holy cow! We were at 21 and I thought THAT was cold. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Which 3 Snelling books are you reading, Jacky?

I too hope that ‘no hurry’ is good news.

Jo

But the forecast sounds better for the weekend.

My husband is going to have a refreeze of the prostate in March. He has tickets to the Daytona Naascar race in Feb, and the Dr agreed there is no rush with the procedure. I certainly hope so!

And our daughter has learned there is a surgery for Menirres Disease, and is going to get a second opinion the end of this month.

Our 13 year old grandson is wrestling with the Varsity team in Grand Forks. I knew nothing about the sport when he started but am learning, it makes me remember my younger brothers “wrestling” on the living room floor when we were kids, but I thought it a waste of time and energy. It does seem to be a male thing, but there is a 109 lb girl on Erik’s team. She tries hard, but usually gets “pinned” quickly. Our son’s other son plays hockey, and it does liven up our chilly surroundings.

I’m reading Lorraine Snelling’s 3 book, and haven’t finished Mary Jane’s House of Curl, my reading in bed doesn’t last long.

Good to hear you are all warmer than Oslo, we’re used to it—-kind of. Jacky

I don’t believe that there is ANY hearing aid a dog couldn’t swallow unless it would be the horn they used to use!!! $1750 is about right, too. Makes ya wonder what the heck is inside that little earpiece!

I’d LOVE 30°. I’ve had to turn my furnace up higher than I like considering it’s only January. I’m on the first floor, there’s no basement, and even though I have all to wall, small rugs down the hall, and rugs on the kitchen and bathroom floors, it still doesn’t get really warm in here until late afternoon. I’ve taken to leaving the vertical blinds totally closed even tho the cats like to look out - the so-called double pane glass used here doesn’t do a whole lot. I do enjoy the cold weather but not when it’s outside AND in!!

Ebony was part Lab and a real sweetheart. That was nice of Continental to give you her phone number; so many companies would say, sorry, that’s not in our job description. The so-called ’service’ these days isn’t !!

I finished Margaret Truman’s FIRST LADIES and thoroughly enjoyed it. She has debunked some of the myths about the ladies and then explained why. She thinks higher of Mary Todd Lincoln, for one, than most historians, explaining that much of her reputation centers around her ‘madness.’ Well, who wouldn’t be somewhat unhinged after all that happened to her; she loses a son and then her husband is shot under her very eyes. Truman looks at the women as to how they handled the First Lady business. The book is well done, I think. I recommend it.

Jo, reading the paper, I was reminded of your hearing aid experience. A local long-time columnist wrote that he was “between hearing aids.” He had a “pair of those miniature ones that hide inside the ear” and never could make them work–dropped one on the floor in front of his dog–”and in one gulp there went $1750.” He said his next ones will be too big for the dog to swallow.

Candace

Don’t you just love it when some chance encounter like that turns into something more with the willingness of others to help!? That makes my day!

Candace

PS–I won’t complain about being cold–not among all of you–even though it was down to 30 here this morning and won’t get above 55 all day. I thought last week’s Packers game in the snow was a challenge but today’s prediction is really rough.

I might watch part of the foot ball game in Green Bay tonight just to see how they do in the cold.

I had an interesting thing happen to me. When I got back from WI there was a a message on my answering machine from Continental. A woman I sat next to on the plane there had contacted them and asked if they could identify me and give me her phone number. It took a while but I remembered her and we got along well. She was a traveling nurse. Continental gave me her phone number and I called it but got no answer until this morning. She remembered me talking about my daughter raising labs and wanted to know her number. She had just gotten back to get her messages. Her son lives in the area and is looking for a lab. I gave her my daughters web site. I thought it was very nice of Continental to do that.

I am still reading The Three Junes. It isn’t going fast. Someone gave me Joyce Carol Oates Missing Mom, so I have that and about three other books to be read. I haven’t cared for some of Oates books but some I have so it will be interesting to see if I like this one.

It is 19° here right now and is going down to 13° tonight. It is better than 4°.

That’s even worse!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It’s 4° here Jo!
Jerry