Kraken Kronicles

Shamelessly stolen from here: Curmondgeonly & Skeptical

Hey all,
What? It's the end of June already??? (insert favorite expletive here)

Just a quick note to catch up:

Joe's surgery went well and his path report is clean. He is home with the family and healing. He should be back to normal (whatever that is) in a few weeks. Hang in there Joe, Majbritt, and kids!!!

We are still waiting (not so calmly or patiently) for buyers. Send nice thoughts this way....

The kids are having fun though, with activities, back-yard antics, and other summer stuff.

I'm still wrapping up that little teeny project that has been a few years in the works. It is moving along though.

I thought this was interesting:

Yes, it is a model of the Sydney Opera House. It is rather small though, at half the width of a human hair. It was made with a special laser and polymer. Fascinating, don't ya think???

2,996 is a tribute to the victims of 9/11.

An organizer is putting together a tribute to the 9/11 victims:

On September 11, 2006, 2,996 volunteer bloggers will join together for a tribute to the victims of 9/11. Each person will pay tribute to a single victim. We will honor them by remembering their lives, and not by remembering their murderers.

I have signed up celebrate the life of one of the 9/11 victims here. If you are interested, here is the website where you can sign up:

http://www.dcroe.com/2996/

Or just click on the 2,996 graphic on the right side of the page.

Via the 2996 website: Over the last 5 years we’ve heard the names of the killers, and all about the victim’s deaths. This is a chance to learn about and celebrate those who died. Forget the murderers, they don’t deserve to be remembered. But some people who died that day deserve to be remembered–2,996 people.

Great door next to garage for kids to treck in and out of and store dirty shoes.

Wood fireplace for those cold Minnesota nights!

We really wanted a dining room, so we're excited it looks out to our wooded backyard.

If you look out sliding glass doors, you can see a retaining wall on the far side of the patio. Behind that is all trees. We are excited about our wooded backyard, even if it's only 0.25 acres. There is a path on the left side going up the small hill to a second patio area with a new fire pit. We have plans to extend the path the width of the backyard and come out on the right side, and eventually build the kids a cool club house! It's going to be a relaxing retreat area for us all in the non-winter months! And NO grass to mow!

A great lower level family room with another wood fireplace.

There is a full bath, large laundry room, and a doorway to the double car garage.

:) -------------------------------- :)

Most everyone knows, but in case you hadn't heard, we picked out this house on the internet, and with our realtors advice, realized this was the perfect choice for us, so the day before we left for a reunion in Iowa [last weekend], we submitted and they accepted an offer on this house contingent upon our walkthrough after the reunion. When we saw it and the neighborhood on Monday, we were excited, and finalized the paperwork, did the home inspection, and locked in our loan [before the rate hike]. We're excited -- the only thing left is to sell our house.

We plan to go to settlement in MN Aug 1st! We'll be 205 miles from our DesMoines, IA realatives and a sorry 1090 miles from our Philadelphia realatives.

--Michele

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there.

A Special wish for a pleasant, warm, relaxaing, surrounded by family, waited on hand and foot, filled with massages, all desires fulfilled Father's Day to the Kraken:

When we were little you bounced us on your knee, we combed your hair and rubbed your feet for a nickel...

When we asked what will be, you said you will grow up to be fine young men and women one fine day, just wait and see...

Time went by very slowly and you were always there...

You watched us learn to walk and talk, climb the stairs and the trees...

Remembering making root beer, making candles on the hibachi, paper airplanes, kites, and bike decorations. Camping, hiking, picnics.... Music lessons, concerts, and parades... Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, family vacations.... Staying up late with you to watch movies on the weekend when Mom was working.... Great movies like The Quiet Man... Eating pizza!!!

When birthdays came you smiled and sang and helped to blow out the candles, having loads of air...

Pushing us into doing things we would not have done on our own - and getting into the thick of things right along with us to show us the strength, leadership, and desire to succeed...

Thank you so very much Dad, we are who we are today because of you...

sorry about all the gray hair...

Happy Father's Day

As we prepare for the weekend festivities,
Please remember the family slogan:

Remember kids, keep away from the Kraken's Kastle. He takes little kids and turns them into statues and then puts them in his Garden....

SEE? These kids are REALLY COLD all stuck in the snow, but they can't move or tell anyone to help them because they are statues and everyone knows statues don't move or talk. It really sucks to be them, don't you think?

Is it you????

I came across this phrase in a book yesterday -- "FENDER SKIRTS." A term I haven't heard in a long time and thinking about "fender skirts" started me thinking about other words that quietly disappear from our language with hardly a notice.

Like "curb feelers" and "steering knobs." Since I'd been thinking of cars, my mind naturally went that direction first.

You kids will probably have to find some elderly person over 50 to explain some of these terms to you.

Remember "Continental kits?" They were rear bumper extenders and spare tire covers that were supposed to make any car as cool as a Lincoln Continental.

When did we quit calling them "emergency brakes?" At some point "parking brake" became the proper term. But I miss the hint of drama that went with "emergency brake. I still use the term and have gotten some funny looks as a result.

"I'm sad, too, that almost all the old folks are gone who would call the accelerator the "foot feed."

Didn't you ever wait at the street for your daddy to come home, so you could ride the "running board" up to the house?

What happened to these words, and may more importantly, what kind of memories are associated with these words for some?

Is our language losing it poetry?

Afterall, now we have 'hard drives' and SUV's and the Internet and 'pop' music.
Concrete, abbreviated, Gorian, and boring.

I miss my Sunbeam Alpine at times like this..... makes me think of 'twin Strombergs' and tonneau covers....