alexandriacardinals

This was Saturday, December 29.  After that evening, I did not leave the house for a week.  Whatever it was (is, I still have a touch of it), I don’t ever recall being that sick.  This was the 2nd day of the girls’ basketball holiday tournament.  I missed the 1st day – the supervisor got sick first, and Friday night was the kids’ last night here before they went home to Indiana.  Missed in all this – the Cardinals lost the 1st night to Park Center, a Twin Cities suburban school that was preseason No. 3 in the state of the big schools with a D-1 recruit.  The Cards were within ONE point with only 7 minutes left in the game, but then they apparently left the court to get to the DQ before it closed!  😉  We missed New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, the supervisor’s birthday.  And then, this Friday (I really thought I was going to have a shot at making them) I missed the girls’ hockey game against Fergus (that hurt, but we won 3 – 0, our 1st game in two weeks) and the Salty Dogs at SAWA.  Our fingers are crossed it’s over – but when the supervisor got out and about, she learned this thing wiped out entire families in the area for a week!  Happy holidays, huh?

[Earlier in the day last Saturday, the supervisor, who was now incapacitated, gave me permission to leave the house.  The kids had left that morning, and I was getting a little stir crazy – we mostly just vegged around the house when they were here because they were on vacation from work and school and that’s what they wanted to do.  But Uncle Willie’s Gut Bucket Blues Band was at the winery (the view out my window there) that afteroon and then I would proceed immediately to the basketball game.]

[Uncle Willie’s: Terry Kennedy, Erik Schultz, and Al Leiffort]

[And on the cask behind them, notice of Tucker’d Out appearing January 19.  A Fargo-Moorhead group that is usually in Alex for the Grape Stomp.  Try them, you’ll like them!  🙂 ]

[Then it was on to the high school for the game.  We beat Robbinsdale Armstrong, another Twin Cities suburban school.]

[Without peaking ahead, I’m going to guess this is a pass from Karly to Amanda C in the corner as Dani and Kalli set a double-screen on the baseline.]

[Correctomundo!]

[Kalli at the charity stripe – she got us going early.  We did better from the line than in recent games – I think, 16 – 24 – not great, but better.]

[Amanda C leads the front of the D . . .]

[Kalli and Emily line up diagonally behind her in the 1-3-1.]

[Dani inbounding from underneath in our offensive end.  We’ve played Armstrong too many times in this tournament, and they’ve gotten wise to our “trick” plays.]

[Amanda G sinks a free one.]

[Amanda C makes the 1st one . . .]

[And the 2nd.  She was 7 – 7 for the game, which she is capable of doing on a regular basis.  She scored a very efficient 26 points, all within the flow of the game, including several 3’s.  A bunch of Armstrong fans were sitting in our vicinity and during the whole 2nd half they kept admonishing, “Watch No. 5!”  Duh, d’ya think?  😉  I said at the beginning of the season that Amanda could average 20 points a game.]

[An early time-out by Armstrong to stem the tide.  I should have had an inkling by the absence of any sort of fan support at the game that something was amiss in Alex – the flu!!]

[Cards look for defensive block-out positions.]

[Sarah on a break-out.  But the ref got in the way.  At the top, I’m sitting with Roger Johnson, a member of the Fat Boys Walking Club.  Roger is a retired teacher who coached every sport – and he still refs basketball games.  I asked him if refs aren’t trained to stay out of photographers’ sight lines.  He just rolled his eyes.  😉 ]

[There’s Sarah – on a fly pattern.]

[I can’t remember if she scored – but the Armstrong posse was after her!]

[Always great to see the staff photographers in the crowd – means we have dual coverage.]

[Sarah (OK, she must have been fouled)]

[A closer-upper for Bud and Trish.]

[Just remember, we started earlier tonight so we’ll have plenty of time to hit the DQ.]

[Jess, have you heard what the Blizzard special is for tonight?]

[If the supervisor was here, she probably would have treated!]

[Dave, what’s a Blizzard?]

[And they’re legal?]

[Is that a Blizzard?]

[I’m going to get a shot of it!]

[Meanwhile, back at the basketball game, the Cards defend an inbound.]

[And here’s the ever effervescent Ms. Betterman, doing what she does.]

[A ref frames a rebound attempt.]

[But it’s a non-contact sport.]

[Kalli with Dani in rebound position.]

[Kalli’s free throws scrape the overhead girders – but when they go through, they hardly wiggle the net.  😉 ]

[Amanda C, so we know it was good.]

[Karly . . .]

[Dunno?]

[Tired of Kohler’s ref-baiting, he sticks his finger in her eye!]

[Karly again.]

[Emily prepares for a rebound.]

[Always a good sign to see Kalli at the line – means we’re getting the ball inside.]

[Nap time.]

[Karly . . . again?]

[Val appears to be in her happy place.]

[Ahhhhh, Blizzards!]

[Betterman pressure . . .]

[Part 2 . . .]

[Part 3 . . .]

[Part 4 . . .]

[Part 5 . . .]

[Part 6 . . .]

[Ref!]

[Fan!]

[Through all the distractions, where’d Karly go?]

[Oh, there she is.]

[Armstrong coach can only watch as one of his better players escapes the trap.]

[And she’s still going . . .]

[The D never rests . . . until it’s Blizzard time.]

[Jess, Amanda C, and Karly apply a triple-team.]

[I’m thinking Jamoca almond fudge . . .]

[And here’s why butterscotch goes better with pecans!]

[It’s good!]

[Where’s the cutter?]

[Jess and Dani]

[No. 3 was a player for them – I think she had 22 points.]

[A favorite play from last year.  Dani (her head’s behind the ball) inbounds to Amanda C on the far baseline . . .]

[Amanda fakes a handoff to Dani, who comes in to her outside, and whirls to the basket.  All last year that led to uncontested lay-ups as the defense would double-team the player faked to.  Teams this year, and especially No. 3, weren’t falling for it this time.  😦 ]

[And we kinda end as we began . . . with Kalli at the foul line.]

And now for something completely different . . .

[The view from the other side of the court!  The staff photographer was over there to provide balance.  And if you’ve been sick like me, you’ll appreciate the equilibrium.  😉  Looks like Baby Bruiser with the shot.]

[What I most appreciate about the staff photographer is that he’s good at capturing the glitterati.  In this case, his daughters!  😉  (Oh, and of course that was his shot of Roger & me at the top.  Roger & me, a movie, right?]

[Karly . . . swish!]

[It’s my ball and you can’t have it!!]

[Emily, Karly, and the blue garbage can.]

[Karly leaps out of the frame.]

[Hut 1, hut 2 . . .]

[Did you hear Kim Kardashian may be pregnant?  No wonder we haven’t had any sightings this year!]

[No problemo.]

[We want another one, just like the other one . . .]

[No, I don’t care for a cherry on top.]

[I think that’s last year’s menu?]

[Sarah tickles the twine.]

[Amanda C appears to be on a mission despite being tracked by the redoubtable No. 3.]

[Yup, there she goes – took it all the way to the hup.]

[No. 3 appears to have avoided the dreaded “and one.”]

[Hands up!]

[She still hasn’t missed one.]

[Amanda G protects her inside position.]

[Karly “right through.”]

[OK, you have to be familiar with Harry Belafonte’s Zombie Jamboree!  😉 ]

[More Glitterati.  (The staff photographer apologized that his photo of the Wood family didn’t make it.)]

[Coconut banana almondine with Heath clusters?]

[Fries on the side?  Really?]

[Now I know you guys burn lots of calories . . . but seriously, chocolate sauce on fries?]

[Dani fights to hold off No. 11, also a pretty good player.]

[How about considering a nice peach melba?]

[Amanda C and the bottom of the well.]

[Here comes the trap.]

[Amanda C sets the table.]

[Baby Bruiser]

[Hate to do this to one of our own, but a good shot by Greg.]

[Jess looks for an open teammate . . .]

[And does a bounce pass right.]

[And Kalli at the end.]

[Wrapping it up with Jaylen.  🙂 ]

And wishing all a Happy New Year:

[The supervisor made me find the 2nd oldest bottle in the inventory.]

[Would use of the gift from the kids help fend off the flu?]

[Despite not feeling well, the supervisor went out every day to care for her creatures.  The lady cardinal and the bunny on the ground (where else?) seemed to form a symbiotic relationship – more than once they were out there together.  Was she throwing seeds down?]

[And despite feeling punky, she got dressed up on her birthday to pose with her CD from the kids.  🙂 ]

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

4,329 films were submitted to the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. This blog had 17,000 views in 2012. If each view were a film, this blog would power 4 Film Festivals

Click here to see the complete report.

 

Not surprisingly, this was the supervisor’s favorite Christmas present.  It should be noted that Tom was one of the two voted most likely to win a Nobel Prize by his high school class (of around 700) – the other was the 6’2″ (?) female valedictorian.  (Oh, was that grandson bragging again?  Please excuse me!  😉 )

There is no reciprocity. Men love women, women love children, children 
love hamsters.  ~ Alice Thomas Ellis

There was no mad rush to wake early on Christmas morning to see what Santa had left.  In fact, the circadian rhythms in the household varied such that on most days as I was getting up, I would say goodnight to Tom, who would just be turning in!  The supervisor usually awakens a couple hours after me, Jami a couple hours after her mom, then Danny a couple hours after Jami, and then we would hope that Tom would be up before the sun set.  In other words, the presents were not torn asunder until the afternoon.

[Our friend Roy dispatched various items from his new retirement home of Hawaii – thanks again, Roy-san!]

[Tom prepared for the festivities with his touch-screen gizmo.  All I know is it’s not an iPad, but I think you can use it to order stuff from the Horsehead Nebula.]

[Mom kibitzes.]

[Danny got the first present – I think we cut the deck or something.]

[Tom shoots the “opening” with his gizmo.]

[Every guy’s dream present.]

[J was next.]

[What’s in here?]

[We can hardly wait?]

[“Rock of the Dead”?  All those now in Rock and Roll heaven . . .]

[Finally, befitting the season, a red and green toupee!]

[Who has more fun at Christmas than grandpa?  (Or was it just a case of getting nuts for the “nut”?)]

[We’re all major Kurt Vonnegut fans.  Of course, the kids are from his home town of Indianapolis.  This is the most recent book about him, So It Goes.  Those familiar with Vonnegut know he often illustrated his stories.  This cover is my favorite of his illustrations – it’s entitled Sphincter.  If the kids ask, I leave it to your discretion.]

[I have no idea what this depicts.  More importantly, Tom did.]

[Little did he know at the time . . .]

[It was a re-gift from grandpa and grandma – a winter overshoe that could come in handy at the Harn.]

[Oh boy, first my grandson then . . .]

[(And from another angle.)]

[Then my daughter!  🙂 ]

[She’s so creative!  😉 ]

[He turns 51 this week.]

[The ponytail that came with hat matched his natural hair beautifully!  🙂 ]

[From the kids, for our holiday workout routine.]

[From Uncle Mo and Aunt Toody!]

[And mine from Uncle Mo and Aunt Toody!]

[Aren’t we running running out of presents yet?]

[Ain’t we got fun?]

[Astrology?]

[Or why someone in his field could win a Nobel Prize some day.]

[Another creation . . .]

[Another year closer.]

[What could this be for grandpa?]

Well, from Jami:

Then we opened presents – seemed like a lot of presents for us all too… I was glad to find that the quilt I made for Tom was a big hit.  Tom was so surprised and Mom was actually tearing up.  It’s called ‘Liberal Democrat’ and when I told them I made it a size to take to the hockey games to pad their butts they protested saying this was a quilt for hanging on the wall!  Imagine that.  I should have been more careful with my stitches!!  I’m sure he’ll send photos sometime with his blog.  Mom and I were both pretty crafty as we made scarves and she made me beautiful yarn wrapped hangers.

Liberal names on the quilt:  Walter Cronkite, Amy Klobuchar, Ed Asner, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Hubert Humphrey, Jimmy Carter, Bill & Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, George McGovern, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Diane Feinstein, Al Gore, Paul Wellstone, Mark Dayton, Joe Biden, Barbra Streisand, Dennis Kucinich, Rachel Maddow, Molly Ivins, Paul Krugman, Ellen DeGeneres, Ted Kennedy, Jane Fonda, Bruce Springstein, Robert Reich, Garrison Keillor, John Mellencamp, Barbara Boxer, James Carville, Jon Stewart, Nancy Pelosi, Al Franken, Barney Frank, Bill Maher, W. Kamau Bell, Paul Begala, John & Natalia Obert, Thomas Paine, Tom & Ruth Obert, Chevy Chase.

[Yeah, the supervisor did tear up a bit.  🙂 ]

[Thanks, Jami, we love it!]

[I remember a time when I got along quite nicely with only one chin?]

[If it’s Christmas, can golf season be far behind?]

[Did I get a picture of that?]

[For the Harn.]

[Mine since the mid-50’s, meaning it’s older than most of my underwear.]

[The kids are big hockey fans.  The Indianapolis Ice are a team at the equivalent level of what our Alexandria Blizzard used to be.  The kids volunteered to house players.  This player (and below) was their favorite.  Kyle (forgotten his last name) now plays at such a level he gets a hockey card!]

[And besides Jess Lourey, we introduced the kids to another local favorite, a signed CD from Anthony Miltich.]

[Knit hangers from Mom.]

[Checking the stockings.]

[The supervisor displays the scarves she and Jami were crocheting during the week.]

[Well, let me check the computer (she still doesn’t realize).]

[Displaying the lees from the last glass from a bottle of 20-year old wine.]

[And below, if you can’t read it, drink it or eat it, we either don’t need it or already have it!  😉 ]

[The game they played.  Of course I was already in bed, but it sounded really naughty!]

[Tom knows to be good to his grandparents! ;-0 ]

 [And I decided it was time to finally hand down some of my old “ornaments.”]

[The ever popular doughnut seeds.]

[Snowman poop.]

And, at last:

[The supervisor responded to hints . . .]

[ . . . or I said something really funny!  🙂 ]

In other news:

In “This is Your Christmas Card,” I wasn’t sure of the date of a certain family photo.  Well, it was 1964 – I found the Chistmas letter from funny, funny Dad:

 

High school classmate Sara Smith Sevey forwarded the following article about Vince Dinino, former Alex band director:

The article:  http://www.statesman.com:80/news/news/local/vincent-dinino-living-legend-of-uts-longhorn-band-/nRdjd/

And from Vince:

Tom,

As you know from my earlier correspondence your father was such an important person and personal Press Agent for me and the Alex Bands when we lived in Alex from 1948-55.

I was so glad when he was finally made the Editor of the paper in Alex and then going to Harvard with the whole tribe started him on his way to Washington political adventures after his great success in Minnesota!

You should also know that Senator Amy Klobuchar is the daughter of Jim K.  And Jim was a younger classmate of mine years ago in Ely, Minnesota!

I still treasure all those great times in Ely and Alex!!!

Enjoy your “Publications”!  ~ Vince

[Basketball Dan, a regular blog protagonist, checked in from his holiday location in Amsterdam!]

A sign the apocalypse is upon us:

Sit down…. OK, now I can tell you I went to the girls b’ball tourney sat night.   Hopkins beat Osseo  88 to 43  🙂 ~ HQ

Editorial:  This is a sure sign that something has to change!  The HQ had never expressed the slightest interest in sports until . . . she became a grandmother.  In this day and age, that means she must spend all her free time at every softball, baseball, football, basketball, hockey, et al, venue within a five-state radius.  And that is bringing about the demise of . . . GOLF!!  The HQ used to golf – and you know all you other grandparents used to as well.  Remember when you could go outside in the summer and spend hours communing with nature?  Doesn’t happen anymore, does it?  I think of our local golf club – we have a population of 30,000 here in the summer and can’t maintain a membership of 250.  That’s preposterous.  Grandparents, it’s time to fight for the right to enjoy your own sports!  ~  A Super Fan (????)  😉

[The HQ appeared, as a fan, at the Lake Minnetonka Polar Plunge over the weekend.  When asked why she and Will didn’t participate (it was only two below zero), she replied:

Either one of us in a swim suit….. UGH….. talk about indecent exposure…. Blah

When advised, well then don’t wear one: 

Fashion police alert

And as I may have mentioned somewhere herein, the supervisor and I were victims of that stomach flu? virus? disease? that’s been going around here, and all over the country.  We still haven’t recovered.  Thus, we were not able to celebrate the supervisor’s New Year’s Day birthday this year – unless you call moaning on the couch celebrating!  We’ll make up for it as soon as we can.  Fortunately, Beryl just sent us a photo from happier times – my 65th this summer.  🙂

[Jami read December Dread in one day, chuckling all the way through.  When she wanted to read the first of the series, April Fool (we told her), she said she couldn’t find it our “library.”  After much searching and teeth gnashing, we finally figured out May Day was the first book!  Oy!  And we heard from Beryl, I am loving the book you sent me December Dread.  The author is a cross between Sue Graftoni and Janet Evonovich, my 2 favorite authors.  Thanks for much for introducing me.]

[Destined to become a valuable collector’s item.  Of course, I’ll be long gone by then!  😦  (To cover the address label, I used the back of an ATCC business card – 1st thing I ran across of appropriate size! )]

[And we’ll leave you with the full moon from the day after Christmas.]

And all through the house, not a creature was stirring not even a . . . well, come to think of it, creatures were stirring – it was Christmas Eve, for Pete’s sake!

We were up tracking Santa by computer – looking at the almost full moon to see if we could spot him as he flew by.  We had time to do that because . . .

[Editor’s note:  Please excuse the delay between columns.  The holidays, family, and a bad case of  norovirus that hit both of us are responsible for this and should take all the blame!]

[We had our Christmas Eve dinner on Christmas Eve Eve.  And on Christmas Eve had our traditional grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup.]

[Grandson Tom checks to see if we have the correct number of plates.  He’s a Computer Graphic Arts major with Computer Sciences as one of a double minor in the Honors College at Purdue (don’t ya just love it when people brag up their grandkids?), so we figured he could handle it.]

[Jami and Danny double-team the meal knowing Grandpa was there for clean up.]

[The supervisor’s menagerie was in place to guide Santa up the stairs.]

[Grandma was so happy that her boy was here!  🙂 ]

[Jami lit the candles while I could hardly wait to dive into the olive tray.]

[Danny served up the ham they brought with them from Indiana.  And you know what they say about Indiana ham?  They say it’s from Indiana.]

[Christmas Eve morning dawned bright and clear out the master bathroom.]

[Danny went out for a drive around town to confirm he was, indeed, in the right place.]

[Under strict orders from the supervisor, I tracked down the oldest wine in the inventory.]

[A 1992 Cote du Rhone was unearthed.  The cork appeared questionable, the wine was OK.  (I believe this was part of a gift case from long ago from Rosie?)]

[Holiday workout plan.]

[And don’t forget Jami’s deviled eggs!]

[Danny captured more of the supervisor’s decorating . . .]

[Tom got off a last minute letter to Santa.]

[The girls crocheted.]

The highlight of Christmas Eve occurred after the supervisor and I were asleep – which would have been around 8:30 if we were on our usual schedule.  😉  Earlier in the day, while the girls were out shopping, Danny and I went out and purchased a new computer monitor for the supervisor.  We got home before the girls and set out a plan with Tom.  After we were asleep, he would install the new monitor on hers and then install her old one on my antique lap top (the hinge on the lap top’s original monitor had long since failed and the screen was held up by a door stop).  This required a delicate operation that Danny captured in about 50 photos – they’ve been trimmed back a bit here.

[The lap top innards have been exposed.]

[Tom noticed a sizeable accumulation of dust gathered over about 7 years from the vent.  Tom said he cleans his computer twice a year.  Who knew?]

[Is this a cathode ray tube?]

[Scalpel!]

[Jami provides assistance – and a spotlight.]

[I think the patient is going to survive!]

[We have lift-off!]

[And that ladies and gentlemen is why we celebrate grandchildren!  🙂 ]

[Getting Grandpa’s workstation back in order . . .]

[And here’s Grandma’s new monitor.]

[Office Sweet Office]

[The supervisor with her old monitor . . . will she notice?]

[If y’all come back tomorrow, we’ll discuss Christmas.  (p.s. It’s her birthday today – a New Year’s baby!  🙂 )]