A Snowman Bigger than a House!

That's one big snowman!

Yesterday as the wife and I cruised in to work, she exclaimed, "Wow, look at that snowman!  It's bigger than that house!"  Because I was keeping my eyes on the road, I had missed it. "Where?" I asked, beginning to gawk where she was pointing. I didn't see this monster snowman, amazed that someone had managed to scrape together enough snow for even a LITTLE guy, since we have only the barest of snowfall.  I couldn't imagine how someone could have built a snowman that high.  Heavy equipment in the back yard?  As close as it was to my class time, I had to drive around the block to see it.  "Where?" I asked again.  When she pointed, I saw she was referring to a some big metal hoops with lights on them.  "That's not a snowman," I pouted.  She was right, of course, sort of; it was a big metal light-encrusted representation of a snowman, bigger than the house.  It looks much better at night, when it's all lit up, as here.

Getting into the (Electronic) Christmas Spirit

It's about that time when a person has to drive around in the evening a bit to see just what sort of extreme craziness some folks have about decorating their yards, houses, and selves for the Christmas season.  Here, so far, is the winner of Madison's most extreme home make over, complete with audio soundtrack.  Yes, we tuned in and watched from our auto, even as Madison's law enforcement cruised by, keeping the impulse to riot in check.  

Finishing Hard--Cross Country Style

My cross country coach used to tell us a key to doing well in races was "finishing hard."  I remind my students of that in the closing weeks of each semester, encouraging them to do their best work, to put the polish on assignments and keep steady pressure on to shine.  It makes a difference.
I was reminded of that by a story this morning in The New York Times, heralding a young woman, Holland Reynolds, who crawled across the finish line after collapsing five yards from the tape.  She wasn't in first, but her team needed her to finish in order to win the championship.  She did.  See the race and the finish here.

Wind, Snow

November 30, 2010

The wind has come rolling in, along with snow and cold, but as you can see, under the blue tarp and poised at the back door, we've got ammunition to defend ourselves from the winter onslaught.

Video/Art/Luck

Just watch.  Enjoy.
Lautlos from Feedmee Design on Vimeo.

Firing Up for Winter

First wood-stove firing, 2010

Winter has set in, which means it's time for the big old house to tap into the supplemental heater--the big heavy soapstone wood stove that helps fend off the big bills and the deep cold.  I've got my chimney clean, so we're ready for winter.

It's the Mansfield wood stove from Hearthstone, one of their hefty guns.  Here's its vital statistics:

• Heats up to: 2,500 sq. ft.
• Burn Time: Up to 10 hours
• Heat Life: Up to 14 hours
• Size: 80,000 BTUs
• EPA Rating: 2.8 grams per hour
• Efficiency: 77.4% Low Heating Value
• Maximum Log Length: 21"

Read that right.  This baby will burn up to ten hours, no joke.  Jam it full, close the damper, go to bed, and there will be heat and coals waiting in the morning.  Throw on a few more logs and go again.  We're in our third year with this lump of coal, and as far as we're concerned, it's a diamond.

English Department Summit

 We met this afternoon as an English Department, our first official meeting outside the University this semester.  We got work done on a wide variety of fronts, made plans for future work, and enjoyed food and drink, including soup, bread, pork pies, and cake.  A good meeting all around, with good folks and true. 

Chicken noodle, chili, and pumpkin soup.

Last of the Summer Tomatoes

Five roma tomatoes are all that's left

The wife put together a great batch of chili today using the last of our summer's tomatoes, some sauce, and other goodies.  It's a nice way to remember what good it is to have a garden.

Do It Yourself Debt Reduction

I just try to make sure my bill payments are smaller than my income and I'm putting away money for a rainy day and retirement.  But the NY Times gave me a chance today to take a shot at reducing the deficit.  Not easy.  Take a shot, and then go back to ranting.  Here.  

To Those Who Serve

Here's me as a soldier in Germany, 1976.

It's the day we celebrate our Veterans, no matter how they serve.  This year, I can't help wishing that we had a better sense of why we have young people in harm's way, with a stronger commitment to bring their danger to an end. 

Thanks, vets. 

Veteran From Deutschland

There's an old-timer that's come to live with me, not a veteran of the wars, but a long-term retiree that I think will enjoy some traveling time, maybe not soon, but eventually.  Welcome, Mr. Porsche.  He's number 914.

Deseran: "Fixated on the Beautiful Plates"

Jered's Pottery--Plates at Michael Mina's

Having made a visit to a new, hip Michael Mina restaurant in San Francisco, Sara Deresan raves about the porcelain tableware:

My favorite of all the plates were solid ones made of off-white porcelain made from California earth (no less) by Jered Nelson who has a studio in old gas station Berkeley. The ones the former South Dakota native did for Mina have a Heath simplicity to them. They also speak to the Japanese aesthetic Mina is trying to bring to the table. Nelson has also made plenty more for Mina, from cups to bowls.

Nelson's studio is open to the public on Saturday and Sundays from 12 to 6 pm. Also, mark your calendar for Nelson's holiday studio party from 11 am to 6 pm, Saturday, December 4. (2720 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley). 

Way to go, Jered.   Cool.  We like ours, too!

Time Lapse of the Runners in NYC

That's a lot of people!  

The Long Haul Through Five Boroughs

I love to see the elite runners clicking along at a bruising pace in the top marathons.  It's one thing to be back in the pack, high-fiving the kids standing on the curb with their hands outstretched.  It's another to be in the zone, your mind focused, pumping along like a well-tuned two-cylinder engine, racking up mile after mile.  So it's nice to sit for a few minutes on a Sunday afternoon and watch those well-tuned runners step lightly through New York, reeling in the rewards of their months of training.  Kudos to the Kenyan woman and the Ethiopian man who won (in his debut marathon), and a high-five to the American Shalane Flanagan, who followed Edna Kiplagat, to get second in her own debut.  Check out the photos in the NY Times.  

Update:  another cool NY Times photo collection of finishers just after they crossed the finish line.  99 portraits of tired runners.  

Republicans Take Charge of South Dakota

Well, we'll see how South Dakota fares with a full slate of Republicans in charge, from the top down.  Who can stand in their way?  Maybe the GOP can put a plan in place to bring the budget to heel.  On the other hand, if things don't straighten out, there's still the Obama ogre to blame.  For Lake County, the lone Democrat success was Bobbi Janke for auditor.  Perhaps she's got a survival secret she can share.  In District 8, Dem. Mitch Fargen also fared well, now sharing duties with Rep. Patricia Stricherz.

On to the next phase of living large in SD! 

How I Voted--Just the Way I Like It

Reliable Voting Apparatus

I enjoy casting my ballot, seeing folks at the polling place, and watching for how it all turns out, even though I get a little anxious when things seem dicey.  But I look things over, make my best decisions, and make the marks that I hope will carry through to electing the folks who will do the best job.  Voting done, we watch and wait for the results.

Mun Rensch and His Threshing Machine

Mun Rensch's Threshing Machine, 1942

Here's a picture that I hadn't seen before, one of my grandfather's threshing machine and the tractor that ran it.  Note the long belt from the steel-wheeled tractor to the thresher, almost buried under the pile, the trailer standing by at the ready.  It's a process in motion, with the thresher spewing into the pile. 

Halloween Brand Fruits

Halloween Brand Fruit Box

Check out the Jack-O-Lantern and witch on this fruit label, which we just noticed on a box we bought this summer when we were actually after the fruit jars inside.  Cool!

Dixon the Undead

The Old Dixon, now running again

Tracks of the Dixon

Left for dead, in the shelter of an old barn, lost, abandoned, given up and alone, this old Dixon Zeeter found its way to my garage, where, with the tenacity of Dr. Frankenstein, yours truly brought it back to life.  And here I was thinking I would just be robbing the engine off the even-older Dixon and giving this one a transplant.  How right for Halloween!

Happy Halloween Message from Walter

Having Walter's video on my blog just got too annoying.  If you'd like to see it, the video is still available here. 

Prepping for Halloween

Halloween Cookie Diversity

It's scary enough that elections are upon us and we're handing our selection of leaders to those who would be swayed by frightening proclamations from both sides of the aisles.  While some were either watching a World Series game (Giants 9, Rangers 0) or listening to local candidates make their final pitches, a few of us were gathered together for that fall ritual of decorating cookies.  We'll have to trust the Madville Times or the Daily Leader to find out what faces appeared at the forum and what came out of them. 

Blown into Winter?

First snow arrives in Madison.

We've got to thank our weather gods for holding off for so long, but the past few days have been a reminder that winter is at our doorstep, what with the wind howling non-stop for several days, bringing the temps down dramatically.  This morning, crappy as both the wife and I are both feeling, we have to face the prospect of going out into the wind AND a bit of snow.  Crud.

Suddenly, In Mid-Semester, The Mind Goes Mid

Yes, it's a beauty.  What about yellow?  

Mid-engined that is.  I'm dreaming of a Porsche 914.  Something tells me it's the right thing to do.

Her Birthday Party

The wife likes to party with other folks, especially those who appreciate a good piece of cake.  These two fit the bill, patiently awaiting their chunk of the love-rocket cake, ice-cream, and raspberry topping.  Yum!

Party girls waiting for a piece of D-cake.  

Her Birthday

The wife and yours truly at the SDSU homecoming game.

Every year the wife has a birthday and we try to make it special.  Going to the SDSU football game on Saturday wasn't the key to that, but perhaps today will be better!

Happy Birthday!

Michael Mina Turns to Nelson for Plates

Michael Mina is a super-duper chef who owns or operates restaurants from Washington, D.C., to San Francisco, and when he wanted a cool new look for a new SF eatery, he turned to brother Jered and his pottery skills.  He's the fellow on the right in the video below.  Way to go, Jered.


MICHAEL MINA SF: Plateware from Michael Mina on Vimeo.

62% Say Yes

A recent article in the Sioux Falls Argus Leader points out that 62% support the smoking ban that's on the ballot in November.  I suspect that even more would support the raspberries that somehow are still ripening on an abandoned farm west of Lake Herman.

They look even better in a bowl on our kitchen counter, don't they?

Two Cool Videos

I enjoyed these two videos today.  If you like dogs, be sure to check out the one below.  Live music (even if it's recorded) still rocks.

Monday Night Pie Conference

Monday night (I think it was . . . ) we had a little group over, where we enjoyed some great 4-H beef, some butternut squash, fresh from the summer's bounty, and this awesome pie that the lovely wife baked with her own two hands.  Participants were impressed with not only the taste of the pie, but also the LOOK!  RIP, pie.

The Dumb Man

Here's a cool rendering of a Sherwood Anderson piece using Second Life figures to animate the characters.
The Dumb Man - Sherwood Anderson from Lainy Voom on Vimeo.

Gathering Sunshine, Producing Sawdust

Mr. Ryan and is sawdusting equipment.

On a bright, sunshiny day in South Dakota in October, with a light tinge of fall in the air, but not too much, it's a great day to head out to where there's good ash available.  Turn some of into sawdust, some into twigs, and take the rest home for firewood.  It's like sunshine in a log.

Terry Ryan and I headed west in our wood-haulers and loaded them down with our winter's warmth.

Now back to schoolwork.

I'm Trying Out Twine

My colleage DW mentioned an electronic storytelling tool, Twine, that allows for building simple interactive stories, poems, or whatever, using their easy-to use software.  I'm trying it out.

Nate at the Coffeehouse--Mochavino's

My colleague and new faculty member, who is making waves at DSU as a friendly, well-informed guy, as well as an accomplished musician, is playing this Thursday night at Mochavino's on Egan Avenue in Madison.  Check him out!  

Casey's Longest Journey

Younger son Casey made the long journey Monday from Minneapolis to Madison as a passenger, then the journey back from Madison to Minneapolis as a driver.  How fitting, Columbus Day, to be discovering the Minnesota landscape, piloting his own craft, fearful, perhaps, of falling off the edge into darkness.  His steed--the sword, the dirk, the dagger, the rapier, the cutlass, the blade.  Or, in French, Le Sabre!  It's a 1991, a bit the worse for wear, but via a good DSU student, he's now the proud(?) owner of this, his 4th automobile.  And he's only 20!  

But he survived his longest trip yet on his own, 260 miles or so through the wilds of Dakota and Minnesota territory.  

My Dirty Laundry

Here's a photo of a young man browsing my showing at the Brick House Bash given by the Madison Area Arts Council last Friday night.  They were having a show of "Dirty Laundry," a collection of drafts, sketches, odds and ends illustrating the artistic process.  I gave them some copies of pages out of my notebooks, along with poem drafts and comments.  And rejection and acceptance letters on publication attempts.

All You Need to Know About the TCM Weekend (my version)

• The wife and I (taking Walter with us) went to Minneapolis on Saturday morning and stayed with my daughter and her guy.
• We enjoyed the TCM expo and picked up my packet.  
• We managed a trip to Trader Joe's in St. Paul.
• We loaded up on pasta at Buca di Beppo’s with DW, JW, KW, April, Chester, Casey, and his girl Christine.  We were joined by a couple, friends of Chester and April. 
• We went to the stage version of Louise Erdrich’s book “The Master Butcher’s Singing Club” at The Guthrie with April, Chester, Casey, and his girl Christine. 
• We survived a night of industrial-strength snoring from is, externally, at least, a fairly small dog.  
• I ran the Twin Cities Marathon on Sunday morning, finishing in 3:45:22, on a beautiful day for running.  Number 1726, if you're interested in splits, times, or photos.  I was impressed with the cool stats they offer up now.  For example, I moved up in the pack from being in 3078th place after 3 miles to 2029th place at the end.  
• April, Chester, and the wife drove around town, cheering me on at various spots along the way.
• DW, JW, and KW also picked a spot near their home and cheered (posting this pic of me enroute).  
• We enjoyed some well-deserved lunch at the Highland Grill in Minneapolis.  
• We drove back, stopping at Jim’s Apple Orchard near Belle Plaines on 169, where we picked up some kickin’ root beer and some apples.
• We checked out the closed bridge south of Belle Plaines, just because you can never be too sure about those “Road Closed to Thru Traffic” signs.
• We drove back through Belle Plaines to get on a road with good bridges.
• We recovered slowly over the week (and weekend).  

Birthday Present--So Sweet, So Delicious

We stopped by the B's to drop off CB's birthday present, and look what we got!  Some of the best damn caramel corn this side of the Lake County/Miner County line.

Hey!  Some of it looks gone already!

Our Old House--1935, With a Sailor-boy

On Sunday afternoon a brother and sister, Dean and Colleen Holst (I'm not sure of Colleen's married name) stopped by with these pictures, which featured our house, front and back porch especially.  The upper shot shows Dean in his little sailor outfit in 1935 on the rock pillar in our front yard.

The lower photo shows Dean and his cousin Marlene Baker, probably in the mid-1940's, with his grandmother Coppersmith and her two sisters on the back porch (now gone) of our house.

I love getting these old photos of our house and the people who lived and visited here.

Getting Those Gourds to Shine

We took a bit more leisurely approach to our day today, after the activities of the past week, culminating in our prize-winning float and a trip last night to Sioux Falls to see Dave Eggers, the writer, and Valentino Achak Deng, the subject of Eggers' "autobiography" of him.  It was the highlight of the South Dakota Festival of Books.  

The wife zipped over to Winfred to her folks' place while yours truly spent some time grading papers, and she came back with this sign of fall--a collection of gourds that her dad found hidden in the cow lot.  A little veggie oil, and these things look ready for the hearth!

I also entertained some folks who knew our old house as children, when their grandmother, Christina Coppersmith (if I remember rightly) lived here back in the 1930's and 40's.  They brought some pictures and offered some comments on how the place has changed since they knew it.

Another Kind of Float--The Beautiful Kind!

The work our College of Arts and Sciences team did over the past week on our Whack-a-Miner float paid off on Saturday with a "Most Beautiful" win at the DSU homecoming parade down Egan Avenue.  

We overcame various difficulties (a near decapitation of our Trojan, a dead battery, a runaway Ford pickup, misplaced keys, frosted fingers, water damage, spelling problems, etc, etc.) to emerge victorious!  It was fun working with my colleagues, especially Dr. Kurt Kemper, history prof and float-building guru, who was the fire that kept the pot perking.  

Our float featured helmeted miner heads popping up while a whacking Trojan, with shocking sword and shield action, pounded them back down (if you could just use your imagination a little).  

How High's the Water, Mama?

Reports from Lake Herman show the gophers have it worse, but east-side Madison isn't exactly dry.  Whoosh is right!  No comments on the video, so hum along ("Proud Mary?") and provide your own commentary.  Dang!  Wet!  

Update:  The video is now available!  Complete with a very observant dog, and a person do what we're warned not to--driving through a stream running across the road.  

And Another Inch

Today brought another inch of rain, and more is to follow, apparently.  We've had enough!

Four More Inches

More rain.  Last night the rain came down in sheets again, with rain and thunderstorms earlier in the day as well.  The ditches out in front of our house were filled with water, water running over the road, water running down the driveway, water in our basement.  Not a lot, but still a source of misery.  But where are four inches of rain supposed to go, on top of the rain that's already fallen (including the four inches we got overnight a few weeks ago)?  Most of it heads down the ditch, down the street, into the storm drains, into the streams and lakes and rivers.  But when those waterways are too crowded, too much of it lingers, invading places we count on to stay dry.  Things will dry out, but it won't be too soon.  

More rain falling now, more rain expected today.  

Are You Gonna Eat That?

Like we try to do every week, we stopped at the farmer's market near the Madison Library and, after assuring ourselves that we had at least one baguette, we sauntered past the tables eyeing and fingering the produce.  Lead veggie farmer Cody Carper had this beast at his stand.  "French," he said.  "Tasty."  But they weren't moving.

Two bucks.  He threw in an acorn squash.  

So now it looms in our kitchen like the pod of an alien colonist, or a sinister pumpkin ready for revenge over past mutilations.
But what the heck.  We're gonna eat that bugger. I hope my nose doesn't then take on the physical attributes of this flash gourd.

She's Planning for the Future

What do jalapeño jelly, spaghetti sauce, homemade catsup, chili sauce, pasta sauce, rhubarb steak sauce, salsa, and pizza sauce have in common? They all sit in anticipation and expectation for our later enjoyment, courtesy of the wife who has been busy canning up a storm.

Yet Another Race for the Old-Timer

This old guy has been running races for some time now, since that first 660 yard race over in Murdo that got my blood pumping as a junior high kid. How did I know then that my success in that race would goad me well beyond what feels good into trotting these creaky bones out of bed on a Sunday morning to race another 13.1 mile race? But here I am, with my faithful support crew (read--the wife) at the Sioux Falls Half Marathon once again. I was happy to see a colleague and various past and present students out similarly occupied on this cool September morning (the 12th).

The result? Not bad. 1:46:57, about an 8:12 pace for the distance. Now to prepare for the TCM, a race twice as long. Whew!

Suspicious Package

Who knows whether I'm being tested or someone just walked away from their special treat on the Beadle Hall stairs. In any case, a little snack bag like this, unattended as it is, rarely escapes my notice.

Investing in Dental Work

After having invested big bucks in a tooth that gave way, I'm now confronted with investing in a tooth that will linger in the grave long after the rest of me has turned to dust.

Bummer. And I cut my bike ride short this morning just so this young dentist could work me over with drill, hook, and sewing kit.

Quiet, Colorful Evening, with Butterflies

Who knows why these butterflies love our trees to roost in? Maybe because they have such a great view of the house at sunset?

The Gift of a Fallen Tree

We thought we heard a boom and half the other night, and I was fearful there was a tree poised to fall on the house, but the casualty was a tree in the lot next door, which I discovered when I heard my neighbor's chain saw. With the offer to cut the tree up myself, the wood became mine. Look how nice and ripe that wood is, winter fuel coming up.

Note too the dotted lines of the sawdust leading up to the remaining tree stump.

Back to the Office

It's back to work again after a long and lazy summer full of heat and rain. It looks like I've got a good crop of students, plenty of them to keep me busy, and ready for good work. A good place to be.