[A new record 199 “visitors” yesterday – everyone must have wanted to see snow!]

[November 21, 2008]  Maybe some of you longtime lake residents have seen this before, but I have never seen a lake the size of Darling totally ice over in less than 12 hours?  Last night the lake was wide open . . . and this is what it looks like this morning!  [Of course, the temp dropped down to about zero last night and the wind was almost calm this morning.  Maybe the start of hockey season?]

I have seen it.  It is such a gift from God when the lakes freeze smooth as glass before the snow falls and the wind blows.  I remember ice skating across Latoka, the lake like a mirror, not a wrinkle in the surface or a flake of snow anywhere, the ice about 8″ thick, cracking and popping in long slices in front of me with the weeds, logs and even fish clearly visible.  Incredible.  Let’s hope we don’t get any snow to speak of for a few days.  Fingers crossed, I am so there!  ~ Patty

Back in the mid-’90s, a bit later in the season, we had such a smooth surface on Lake Osakis, completely unobstructed by snow, that I drove to Minneapolis to purchase an ice-bicycle.  It had a long front fork with an ice-skate blade at the bottom, in place of a front wheel. The back wheel was covered with a metal rim with metal studs all over it. It worked like a charm, and I still cherish the blissful notions that were dancing in my brain as I pedaled across the smooth ice on that gorgeous and sunshiney January day.  Then in a nano-second the little skate blade dropped into a crack in the ice and the bike stopped – but I continued forward at about 20 mph, finally touching down in a perfect three point landing (one chin & two feet) a good ten yards from the crashed bicycle. Ahh, the blessed memories of Winter in Minnesota. ~ Mikko

I’m with you Patti….growing up on Le Homme Dieu I couldn’t wait to get home from school to skate…. Once I spotted my sailor’s hat that had blown off that past summer.    Thanks Tommy for bringing back that fond memory… ~ Diane

[December 30, 2008 – Little Elks]  I didn’t notice the historical significance of this until I scanned it.  This was March 1, 1954, probably just before the Pledge was revised to “one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty . . .”

Anyway, it’s a picture of me with my best buddy at the time, Pete Hintzen.  I believe the gentleman is Pete’s grandfather.  Pete’s dad, Carl, founded Carl’s Fireside Steakhouse, which became Sonny’s, which became Weston Station, which will become . . . well, we don’t know yet.

I have one of these photos, too.  The father-son banquet!   Dad took Bobby Noyes and me (circa 1954).  Bob is now a commercial real estate appraiser.  Come to think of it, if it was 1954, (I look like I’m 5), we were at the same function.  :o)  ~ Paul

I love it.  Thank you, dear friend, for sharing this photo and others with me over the past year.  The photos are classics and should be put into an album for future generations.  Thank you for the reminder about the Pledge of Allegiance.  I hope you ignore all negativity; and while I absolutely laugh out loud every time your friend Nancy zings you, I hope you don’t get too much of a life in 2009 and will continue to e-mail any and all photos and stories to me!

Much love, peace and prosperity to you and Ruthie and to all on your e-mail blast.

~ Patty (We’re up to our ass in snow over here on Lake Taylor.  I can’t get to the fish house. )

[December 30, 2008]  We thought we’d wish you all a Happy New Year and present a toast with the extraordinarily exclusive champagne I got Ruthie for Christmas.  But we have been shoveling snow all day and Ruthie refused to make an appearance in front of the camera without at least an hour’s prelude in the bathroom.  As I guy, after an hour in the bathroom, I’d probably look worse.  So here I am – with a zit on the end of my nose and still wearing my work clothes – wishing you all, on behalf of the both of us – Happy New Year!

Thanks so much for the fun and informative emails, some days they are the only thing that makes me smile and laugh out loud.  ~ Beth

[February 3, 2009 – Cub Reporter finally receives national recognition]  Tom Obert learned today that he apparently has become a tracking statistic for the CDC, a result of his recent (and continuing) bout with a staph infection.  He’s so proud!  For those who have not been previously apprised, the Cub [I continue to refer to myself in the third person because it’s so jockish and it seems to go with the “Subject” line] discovered about a week ago that he had this infection on his right cheek – that cheek which is just slightly south and east of his navel.  When said infection was about the size, shape, and hardness of a hockey puck, he decided it was time to go to a doctor.  This was an incredibly difficult decision because he is quite proud of the fact that he does not know anyone else over 60 who is not on some sort of prescription medication – probably because of his long time avoidance of doctors, who tend to hang out where all the sick people are!

Anyway, the first doctor was young, pretty, and most importantly, female.  I [OK, back to first person] must admit that Ruthie discovered this first and giggled – I got the last giggle, however, when the doctor had to grope my tushy.  But then came the immediate referral to Doctor de Sade, who told me he would have to drill a hole in my ***.   I knew I was in trouble when I saw the “hole maker” was going to be a gas-powered ice auger.

I didn’t cry much – although I later discovered there were several noise ordinance complaints filed with the local constabulary.  After the rusty, jagged auger was removed from my body, it was time to evacuate the diseased biomass.  Aha, thought I – free liposuction!  Well, there was neither “lipo,” nor was there “suction” – there was, however, a front-end loader!  After successive days of similar treatments, I was good to go.

Of course, the loss of significant biomass on my right side caused me to list dangerously to the left.  Fortunately, my crackerjack retired federal employee health insurance coverage permitted, with a mere $23,000 co-pay, the insertion of a microscopic gyroscope into my right ear for balance purposes.  A side benefit of the fast spinning gyro is that it keeps ear hair maintenance to a minimum.

I will continue to be monitored and take antibiotics for another week.  The doctor describes the staph as something I either had to pick up at a hospital (nope) or at a community site (the stability ball at the gym where I do arthritic back exercises – oh, oh? – which became painful because of where the infection was and that the back exercises are basically belly dancing while sitting on the ball).  The doctor advised that I am not a hazard to other people – unless, of course, I should find myself in agreement with (those who disagree with me), about anything!

HEY, WHERE’S THE PHOTOS????  If this would have been ***** we would have had photos!  ~ (Name withheld for reasons of anonymity)

[June 28, 2009 – 25^th Annual Vikingland Band Festival]  Beautiful day for it, eh?  Some time around min-morning I received my assignment from Mrs. OB to cover said event.  No, not my Mrs. OB, but Mrs. O’Brien.  So, it would seem I’m a victim of “The Man Song” – times two!  My Mrs. OB is recovering from oral surgery and went out shopping with the kids & grandkid.  I was running late – of the 22 marching bands, Alex was scheduled first – so I took the train (fortunately, I was able to get a photo of the proper way to hold on while a train is in motion . . . I was talking about the guy by the door!).  I got off at 5th and Broadway – bands had already passed and were heading south.  I hustled up to 15th and Broadway where I arrived just in time for the Alex band.  Their theme was Hair, which I took as a personal affront though it did pay homage to our generation.  The other bands seemed to running about two blocks behind each other – so I hustled home to earn brownie points by mowing the lawn for my ailing Mrs. OB (yes, she usually mows . . . and honestly would rather do that than golf!).  Typical of the way things have been going for the last couple of weeks (we both have 4-figure repair bills on our aging road vehicles, and the computer crashed), the damn steering wheel broke while I was mowing.  Somehow I was able to overcome my severe case of white-collaredness, and fixed the mower well enough to finish the job.  It’s time for a well-deserved nap.

Great job . . . I sure didn’t mean to guilt you into going to the parade . . . well worth it though . . . you photo holding on is an award winner . . . gives new meaning to HOLDING ON BY THE SKIN OF YOUR TEETH should read HOLDING ON BY THE SKIN OF YOUR CHEEKS.  ~ Diane (Mrs. OB)

[August 23, 2009]  I REALIZE THAT YOU ALWAYS SURROUND YOURSELF WITH ATTRACTIVE WOMEN WHICH CONSTITUTES THE SMILE ON YOU FACE. ~ Ole Arn

[August 30, 2009 – A history of pastries from Alex bakeries]  Just to set the record straight…  The fried rolls came from Tubbys.  My dad would have beat my butt if he had known I was sneaking over to The Fountain to eat them.  The Blue Ribbon was famous for Cream Horns and Crispies or as you guys always called them and you still correct me when I say it wrong, “Cow Pies!”  The current Blue Ribbon (Roer’s Family Bakery) makes fried rolls exactly like Tubby did.  Now I can eat them guilt free.  You can ask June Roers if I didn’t just stop in last Saturday and pick up a half dozen of them.  (They also still have cream horns and cow pies) We’ll be back at the lake this weekend so if you want to pick up a few and bring them out to North Lake Latoka to visit, feel free!  ~ John Herdan

[Editor’s note:  It is difficult to Google a photo of a “fried roll.”  It must be a mostly local thing.  Therefore, the next time I go to get some (and is it really that often between such trips?), I will take my own photo and replace the one above.   (This just in!  I subsequently went out and purchased the subject material – I then photographed it, placed it in the blog, and . . . ATE IT!  Mmmmm!)]