Cookie Recipe

I finally got around to trying Grandma-Great's chocolate cookie recipe. I'm not sure if they turned out like hers, but they sure do taste good! For some reason I remember them being a lot darker brown, where mine turned out light brown and kind of like a gingerbread cookie. Is that right or not? The 7-minute frosting is just heavenly.

So here's a question for all you cooks and tasters as well... what recipe in the blue Klopfenstein cookbook is your favorite and/or do you use the most often? Mine would have to be the Mandarin Orange Salad on p.20 (but I add mini-marshmellows to it). Any other favorites?

Stevig Update

Maybe you haven't noticed, but I haven't put anything on the Blog for quite some time. Believe it or not, I got a new computer and it took me a little while to get used to it and to be hooked up to DSL. (Yes, that is how far behind the times I was!) Larry came over yesterday and answered a lot of my questions. So now I think I am all set up.

About 2 weeks ago Keith's brother, Ken, entered Restmor Nursing Home in Morton. It is a brand new facility that just opened in the spring. It is owned by our Morton church. Keith did a lot of talking to Ken and finally convinced him it was the best thing to do. So far he has been very cooperative and is adjusting well. They don't want him to have his car and that still has to be settled. At times he is very confused and at other times he is very rational. Keith really seems to know how to handle him.

Now we have the monumental job of cleaning out his house and getting it ready for sale. There is quite a lot of "stuff" to go through! We have been working there every afternoon this past week and Larry came over on Saturday, but we still have LOTS to do. I don't know when I have worked so hard.

We had reservations to go to Colorado Sept. 22 for 3 weeks, but had to cancel because Ken needed us here at this time. We both are very disappointed.

Me Again...

Just to show you one of my accomplishments of the day...bringing in plants for the winter. This fern is growing great and really pretty stunning...I'll take another picture this winter to show you it's progress...I'm expecting a huge decline, but hoping for the best.

No distraction from "Gathering Nuts"

Sorting out umpteen boxes and drawers of stuff, the above photo popped out. It is Uncle John Klopfenstein (one of the fourteen) who died at age 44 of a massive heart attack in 1946 at his home in Portland, OR. He was often called "Jack"; however, we always knew him as Uncle John.

Antique vehicle buffs are challenged to give us vintage and make of the truck. (I'm relucant to publish this as it may distract from the classic "Gathering Nuts"!)

Gathering Nuts?

I've been checking the blog as usual, though it's been relatively quiet the past few days. Figured maybe we're all gathering nuts for the upcoming winter...or enjoying the last few days of this beautiful weather in central Illinois. Ann, I surely hope you're getting the rains you've been waiting on. Dave is anxious to get to the field to harvest corn, but it's still a little wet (the corn, not the ground), so he's hoping to start on Monday. I went to the Farmer's Market this morning and got some tomatoes, beets, and acorn squash, which I love to cook in the microwave with a little butter and brown sugar (or plain if I'm dieting, which of course I always am)and eat for a yummy snack. At 6:10 this evening I'll head off for a 12 hour shift at the Bromenn baby mill. Repeat tomorrow evening, so I'm going to sign off and see how much I can get done today, since tomorrow and Monday I'll be pretty well shot.

Love to all!

Nor'easter on the SC Coast

If you watched the news in the last couple of days, in between stories about our national financial crisis were weather reports about the huge storm that went down the eastern seaboard and came onshore in the Carolinas. Well, I was in the middle of it and it was quite a storm. When we got to our oceanfront hotel on Wednesday, the weather was reasonably nice and Mary Lee (who stayed with a friend whose mother is our librarian) went out to the pool and hot tub with her friend immediately. It's a good time they went out then, because yesterday (Thursday) was completely shot. The winds were almost tropical storm strength, the surf was churning, palm trees were whipping every direction, and the rain was constant and heavy. It was a beautiful sight from a hotel balcony but not fun to be out in! Fortunately it came well inland so even we may get some good moisture from it. But it was actually kind of fun to know that, even though our beach experiences were limited this trip, we were in the middle of an unusual storm that doesn't come this far south very often.

GAMBLING

I have a confession to make: most days at lunchtime I eat in the recliner while watching the Judge David Young show. A few days ago he posed the question "do you think gambling should be legalized in every state?" and gave a website to post our response. Today he had the audio of some woman responding something to this effect: Yes, gambling should be legal in every state because with the rising prices and especially with the price of gas going so high, we can't afford not to gamble?

I'm still puzzling over that comment. Does she think because of higher prices, we should gamble or not gamble. Does her double negative mean we can afford to gamble or does she think she is emphasizing the need not to gamble?!?!? I believe that a double negative is literally a positive, right?

Now you know the mentality of the shows I watch! And since I can't figure this out, maybe I'm as ignorant as most of the people on that show.

At any rate -- I don't think gambling should be legalized in every state - or any state for that matter!

Violin: Day 1

Grace has been bouncing off the walls for the last week as she and her fourth grade classmates chose then waited for the arrival of the instruments that they will play in the school band and orchestra. She originally wanted to play the flute but discovered in the tryouts that the violin suited her better. I've posted a video below of her first practice.

Along the lines of Eric's question about your previous jobs, I wanted to ask: what musical instruments do you play (now or in the past)? I played the saxophone and guitar as a kid. Still play the guitar occasionally though not very well.

Grandma in the Peoria Home

This is one of several old photos I found when we were looking for pictures for Mary Lee's senior page in her school yearbook. This was taken in 1989 when I brought Andrew to Illinois for some reason (too many years later to remember why) and we visited Grandma in the Peoria home. I thought this would bring back some memories for all.

Fuming!

Well, I'm sitting here in my office on Saturday morning, just having read Ada's post about their relaxing Saturday Plans, and I am fuming. Not about Ada's post, but because I am frustrated about the reason I am here.


I was to meet someone for an interview for an open position I have here (CMM Programmer). Originally, I was to interview this person on Monday afternoon and he was a no show. Normally, that would have been my first cue to move on, but having phone interviewed this candidate, really liking his resume and attitude, and talking to him earlier in the day on Monday while he was "traveling" to McCalla, I agree to reschedule his interview when he called me Monday night and explained he had been involved in an accident Monday driving from TN and totaled his vehicle. He promised to bring a copy of the police report to back up his story.

So the interview was to be at 9:00 this morning. Talked to him last night and he was again "traveling" to the area from TN, would spend the night in Birmingham and meet me at the plant at 9:00 this morning. Guess what, NO SHOW and no answer on the cell phone.

Now I realize if you ask my kids, they would tell you I usually over commit and under deliver when I agree to do things. However, I know from my family heritage and upbringing that your word is YOUR WORD and it needs to mean something. It blows my mind that someone who contacted me about a open job, phone interviewed, set up a time, called on Monday to say he was on the way, called back Monday night to ask for a reschedule, called on Friday night to confirm this morning, would not show again and not bother to call. I can't wait to hear this story!!! Whatever it is.......I still have a CMM Programmer position open. Know anyone with these skills who would like to live in Alabama? I don't have a candidate anymore.

Thanks for letting me vent! EDK

BEAUTIFUL SATURDAY

It is a beautiful sunny day in Gridley. After about six weeks of dry, brown grass, Jerry had to mow twice this week after last weekend's flooding rains.

We're expecting Jerry's nephew, Steve, for lunch today. He's stopping by after some kind of technology show in Peoria. I boiled potatoes and eggs last night and made potato salad this morning. Also have a blueberry pie in the oven. We'll grill hamburgers and hopefully eat on the deck. All y'all are welcome!

Jerry is outside cleaning the deck and the pond - the fountain hasn't been working so he's checking it out.

This afternoon we're going to a birthday open house for Evy Reis who turned 90 years old last Wednesday. She is one of "my ladies" from Meadows -- Lynn's family might remember her as she was from Chenoa. Her husband was Hugo - he was a painter. Might even have done some painting at the old homestead.

I now have 17 purses completed for my "craft sale" in a few weeks. I hope to have 30 by sale day, but am taking a break from sewing this weekend.

Jamie - if you can get online, give us an update on the situation in The Meadows. We hope your electricity is back on and things are returning to normal.

That's our excitement for now. What have you been doing.

Special Note to Jamie

I hope everyone read Jamie's comments about Hurricane Ike and the damage in Houston. Jamie - I did think of you so often during the buildup and the days of the storm. I'm glad you didn't have structural damage, but your life is surely turned upside down for the time being. Hang in there...wish we were closer to help!

Your Location On 911?

Where were you when you first heard of 911, back on September 11, 2001? I will go first. I was in the dental chair in Gridley when there was some back and forth discussion about a plane crashing into a building in New York City. The dentist mentioned something about a attack at the World Trade Center a few years earlier. After my dental appointment, I made a delivery to the Gridley Telephone Company and their cable had news on the incident. All the news was without specificity -- and at one point the announcer thought "about 50 were injured, with perhaps a dozen ." Later we learned of the much larger tragedy.

So, I ask each of you to jog your memories. Likely you have a lasting memory of that day.

From the Homestead....Perry, I

Hurricanes and Gas Prices

This is a multi-pronged question.

There is something inherently unfair about us being in a severe drought, and yet the remains of Hurricane Ike are going to pass over those of you in Illinois who have had plenty of rain! (Other than about 2 inches from the remains of Faye, all these hurricanes have not affected us at all - not even Hanna, which just nicked the northern edge of the SC coast.)

--Have any of you ever been in a hurricane? Experienced the results of one?
--This has been started a little in some of the comments on the last post, but how are the hurricane-driven gas prices affecting you?

Big plans for the weekend?

Quite often, people around the office will ask on Friday, "So, do you have big plans for the weekend?" It's usually just a way to keep talking and not working, I think. But it sure does pass the time on dreary Friday's like today. If asked today, I would say, "No, Jerry's got to work. I'll probably clean and grocery shop tomorrow. If the Bears play Sunday, we'll watch that. Nothing's really going on this weekend." So, do you have big plans for the weekend?

Etiquette Question

I had something happen to me that has never happened before. I was shopping at Meijers in the midst of a downpour and made my way to the check-out lanes. There were only 3 lanes open - which is very unusual - and then the self-check lanes.

We found a lane and began the wait. I had 4 wet kids with me and it was dangerously close to naptime. The 2-year-old began throwing candy bars into the cart as fast as he could while the 6-year-old took them out and put them away. The 4-year -old was laughing hysterically and the baby was simply amused by the whole scene. After a few minutes the lady behind me taps me on the shoulder and says "Excuse me ma'am, but do you mind if I go ahead of you - I only have 3 things".

Of course I let her ahead of me but I was shocked that she had the nerve to ask. Normally I do a pretty good job of looking around and letting people go in front of me who do not have as much as I do. Today, however, I was trying to manage the chaos and did not pay any attention. Her transaction probably only took 1-2 extra minutes, but 1-2 extra minutes can seem like a lifetime when you're trapped in the checkout with tired kids and candy on both sides. I found it amusing that while she wanted to get out of the store quicker, most of the other customers probably wanted to see ME get out of the store quicker.

So here's my etiquette question -- is it okay to ask to go in front of someone in line or should you wait for it to be offered to you?

Lipstick on a Pig

I love that saying. I use it occasionally at work and it always get's a chuckle and makes a point. Too bad that for a while it will be politically charged (though I admit I don't understand why).

I'm not trying to make a political point, but am wondering whether there are other funny phrases like "lipstick on a pig" that you use.

Customer service!

Yesterday afternoon (around 1 p.m.) I was shopping at Von Maur. I found a shirt that I liked (no surprise) but they didn't have my size, so I left my info with the kind associate and she promised to have one sent to me.

A few hours later, she called me back to tell me she found the shirt and it would be sent to my house -- free, since Von Maur always ships for free.

Today, at 1:24, UPS delivered my shirt. Inside was a hand-written note (in an envelope with a seal!) from the associate in Davenport, Iowa, thanking me for my business. The receipt inside indicates that she did the transaction at 2:42 yesterday afternoon.

If I think about all the steps that had to go right so that I could have my shirt in less than 24 hours, it's amazing. Not that my shirt is important, but I do appreciate that each person along the way did their job and did it correctly. Little details went a long way here.

That's why I love Von Maur. Where do you all do business (not just shopping necessarily) because of the great customer service?

(Jason has no part in this post at all. In fact, try not to let him know I was even IN Von Maur!)

Flashback II

This is not intended to upstage Perry's Flashback, but simply to lend credence to his memory.

The conventions of "yesterday" were much more exciting than of "today." Of course, radio was the communication medium. If I remember correctly the year was 1944 and I listened yet at midnight and later on the front porch (now brother Perry's home). The intensity was gut wrenching! Senator Taft and ??? were fighting it out. There would be 20-30 minute demonstrations at the base of the podium; demonstrations to get the control needed to influence other delegates and to win the nomination. When did teleprompters come into play? These speeches seemed to come from the heart with fiery delivery. The radio announcers and commentators could really "hype it up" and make the listener think he was at the convention.

Sometimes the activities would carry on until the wee hours. Listening to all this was captivating. I almost well up in emotion upon reflecting on these times. As a teenager, this was a new avenue of interest and it really drew me in! Times change--now the conventions are so much more subdued. Television has created a new look and, of course, anyone on camera wants to look (and act) their best to protect personal image. That's OK, but in my opinion it has taken a big piece of the heart out of the conventions.

Flashback

The year is 1948 and the site is Klopfenstein Grain Company grain office. EJK is the owner/mgr. I am about 9, I believe. The GOP and Demo conventions are held. They are carried on the radio. Dad has a tally sheet (from the Pantagraph), and follows the "roll call of the states" from the radio, which is very exciting. State chairmen state their state votes. I loved to listen to the embellishment of the chairmen as they extolled their state and their president. It takes more than one ballot to determine the winner. It is dramatic. This is before each state had a primary, and political bosses, in much backroom maneuvering, ted the process. Truman ran against Dewey that year and the former upset the latter. These are my first recollections of presidential politics, and from this a great interest has stemmed. Perhaps U. Lynn remembers all this. I am sure he does.

Now, many years later, the people at the grass roots determine the nominees. But surely the candidates have to go through a thorough vetting process and much travel to win the nomination. And, enormous amounts of cash. I think candidates have been busy for 18 months or so. It would wear me out, but at least we citizens can participate in the process. Yet almost 50 percent choose not to.

Now the sprint to the finish begins.!

Where do you get your news?

Michelle and I have been talking politics lately as I suspect have many of you. In fact, she got all fired up today and sent an email to her entire address book - something she said she has never done before and will never do again ("never say never" say I). I'll bet some of you got that email.

The gist of her email was that she's fed up with the spinning, twisting, and outright lying that both parties engage in especially during the conventions. She referred her contacts to factcheck.org, a non-partisan site that "aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics."

Our discussion reminded me of a book I read a while ago called Republic.com by Cass Sunstein, in which he argues that modern media, notably the Internet, allows each of us to filter out viewpoints that are different from our own so that what we read, watch, and listen to is consistent with our already closely-held opinions. In the process, it can serve to radicalize us in an echo chamber of our own making and prevent the civil debate that has been the foundation of democracy since ancient times.

I suppose I'm guilty of that. I probably have only a couple of primary news sources. And the majority of my friends, neighbors, and co-workers have similar political leanings as my own. There are people and TV channels and editorial writers that I dismiss out of hand having already decided that they are "wrong."

Well, my rather long-winded point is that we shouldn't believe everything our favorite politician or pundit tells us. In addition to their good intentions for our country they all gain power and profit by our allegiance to them. We should seek out the facts on our own. Go a step further: find somebody with a different perspective on the issues and listen. It may not change your opinion. Or theirs. But it might. And you'll both be better off for the exchange of ideas.

What do you think? Go ahead, tell me, even if you think I'm wrong.

Piper

Speaking for the youngest child in the family everywhere; this is the story of our lives. We are sleeping peacefully through a noisy convention being held by what appears to the national television audience a doting older sister who is gently rubbing our head when she licks her hand slathering it with her saliva to smooth down our hair.

The only consolation of having our hair full of her spit is that the entire world is watching her do it. I doubt she’ll ever live it down.

The Next Generation

We had to go through a pile of family pictures, looking for pics. of Mary Lee when she was younger, for her yearbook senior page. Among others of interest for posting later, I came across this one from the 1999 reunion in Decatur. Who do you recognize??!!

Super Cool Boys

Tonight Nathan and I went to the UHS volleyball game. Kelsie doesn't play (she was actually at work), but my friend's daughter plays, so we went to support her. The UHS boys were sitting across the steps from us, and Nathan was eyeing them. Wow, were they ever super cool! I told him he could sit by them, but he was too shy. I recognized one of them as Kelsie's friend, Jack, so I tapped his shoulder, told him who I was, and asked if Nathan could sit by him for awhile. He said, "Sure!" and took Nathan's hand. I heard him say, "Kelsie told me you might be here tonight," as Nathan looked back at me, so happy and so proud. He ended up sitting right in the middle of those boys for about 30 minutes. Every once in awhile, one of them would speak to him or show him their phone or keys, but mostly he just stared at them in total awe. He went to bed tonight still talking about those "super cool boys." They'll never know how happy they made Nathan. What nice kids!

What's for lunch?

Perhaps because I am not working this year, I have time to fuss over lunch preparation. Jason would say I am fixating on it, and he might be right. Namely, I'm focused on fixing healthy, interesting and eco-friendly lunches. I think I have the eco-friendly down. We pack reusable containers instead of Ziploc bags. I am even trying some little washable fabric bags (with velcro closures) for non-messy things like grapes and cookies. I pack cloth napkins and fill Nalgene water bottles.

I'm looking for ideas on the healthy and interesting part. There are plenty of books and lists of possible foods, but they are not always practical. I'm looking for things that kids would actually eat without spending $20 a lunch on ingredients and spending hours to prepare. I can pack Thermoses for hot foods and use ice packs for cold foods.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated -- Zac, Noah and Miles thank you in advance!

Sea Trials

I recently finished the boat that I've been working on and we took it out yesterday for sea trials to work out any kinks. It was a beautiful day with light winds - perfect for a first sail. We may take it out again today. Here's a preview video - keep an eye out for an invitation to the official launch party that we'll be hosting soon!