Baking In Spooner

By Uncle Hans

Mary discovered a hand-powered food chopper that she liked so well she decided to gift one to Renee.  It hasn't had much use, since we don't cook "outside the box" like Mary does.

     But then Renee thought that Baklava looked good and decided to try it.

     Baklava uses a lot of chopped nuts, and this gizmo proved just the thing for chopped nuts!

...........and the Baklava was terrific!

Christmas must be near, Renee's Christmas cactus is in full bloom!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all!!

Uncle Hans

High Cost Of Medical Care 101

By Uncle Hans

Virtually all of America's hospitals are not-for-profit.  This is a tax loop-hole that allows them to not pay income tax.  Well, you say, if they don't make a profit, who cares if they don't pay income taxes?  Most of them DO make a profit, some of them make large profits.

     So how does that work?

     Well, there are several ways to "hide" that profit from the IRS, who overlooks these not-for-profits.  One is to pay your management very,very well.  That is why you find large hospital's CEO's making millions.  CFO's and COO's as well, right on down to department managers if the pie is big enough.  Our dinky little hospital has a management company.  They are smart.  The hospital does well.  They have a bonus clause in the contract, and they get a big bonus if the hospital does well.

      
     We pay them over a million dollars a year to manage a 25 bed hospital....

    The next way to hide the profit is to do as many Americans do, lie on their tax returns.

    The next way to hide their profit is the subject of this blog.  The IRS allows these hospitals to put money "away" each year for a new building or a fancy machine.  It is called funded depreciation and does not go on the books as profit.  Our hospital puts about $100,000 per year away for this.  But there is a catch.  After about 20 years, the IRS demands that you spend the money, and on the designated purpose.  Our management company is smart.  They take good care of our building, which is only 40 years old and remodeled a couple of times.  Really, it's a very nice facility, centrally located in town.

    But these are my new operating rooms, aren't they beautiful?  This week we abandon our hospital, and move into a new hospital on the edge of town. 

     They sold the old building to a nursing home company for $1. ............ The nursing home company  really has no use for it.............

    Your tax dollars at work. Ever wonder why health care is so expensive?

Uncle Hans

Lilac Bushes

By Uncle Hans

20 years ago, I spent $650 to buy about 50 baby lilac bushes.  I planted them along the fence between our place and the resort next door, thinking they would make a great barrier from the resort and look pretty to boot.  Little did I know that lilacs are on the list of top ten delicacies for deer.    Especially the new buds and flower buds.  I moved the surviving plants to my "tree farm" out by the road, hoping they would be harder to find mixed in amongst the trees.  The trees were a great success, but did not protect the little lilacs.  Amazingly, a few persisted, but never grew higher than 18 inches and never flowered.  A few years ago, I noticed that my apple trees were dying of old age and decided to replace them.  I know the babies would need a fence enclosure to protect them from the deer, and I started to move survivor lilacs inside the fence.  Last year I had flower buds on the tallest plant for the first time.  But the damned deer simply reached over the fence and ate the buds off!!  This year the same 5 foot bush had buds again and I strung some extra twine to discourage the deer.......

So here is the product of lots of money and 20 years of hard work planting, replanting, fencing.  Oh, and did I mention that the 4 baby apple trees planted over 3 years have all died? 

     So much for my green thumb..........

Uncle Hans

SPI

By Uncle Hans

If there were a contest about who could be lazier about posting blogs between Rex and Uncle Hans, I would win. (But Rex would come in second)  so I am going to try to catch up.....
     We took our usual late March trip to Padre, meeting Renee's brother Matt, girlfriend Hilda, and daughter Emily for a few days in the Sun. We caught the last few days of spring break and I found some volleyball to play.  Renee tried to walk up the beach to Clayton's to watch the games, but ran into so many people that wanted to take a picture with Charley that she almost didn't make it.

     We caught a break on the weather and it was warm enough to be on the beach.

By Uncle Hans

Miller Lite Vs Milwaukee’s Best

By Uncle Hans

Recently, Laura and Neil visited Spooner.  We had pizza at Uncle Mike's.

Once we got home we got into an argument about the quality of second label beer.   Rex and I drink second label beer, namely Miller's Milwaukee's best.  I happened to have an actual Miller Lite in the fridge and so we had Laura pour out some samples and mark them with numbers (she kept the secret code.....)

 

.......It took a while to set it all up so we argued away the time.........

 

.....Hannah, Neil and I were the testers. 

     Surprise!!   Hannah picked the beers right and Neil and I failed.  We feel this demonstrates that there is no difference between Miller Lite and Milwaukee's Best ...................except the $5 per case difference!!

By Uncle Hans

Surgery Clinic of Spooner

By Uncle Hans

Have you ever found yourself reading those silly advertisements on the walls of the bathrooms in the bar or restaurants?  We hope so!  Because here is the Surgery Clinic of Spooner's new promotional campaign.  We are in 48 women's bathrooms across northwest Wisconsin.  I am not sure that is something to be proud of.  We'll keep you posted.......

 

 

   ......And here is our poster-child model.  Who would not like to look adorable like that? I would go just to meet the "manager" and see if she were real.  But she is real.  And she really is the Manager.  And there is no "photoshopping", that's just her and my phone camera.

By Uncle Hans

Spooner’s Farmers Market

By Uncle Hans

Mary loves a good farmer's market.  And Spooner has one.

  Here Renee is shopping for bargains....

 

   ........here she is headed for the van with her collection of bargain treasures.

  And here are the lucky recipients of her shopping skills...............

By Uncle Hans

Apple Trees

By Uncle Hans

I never knew that apple trees aged.  I thought you planted a couple and were fixed for life.  Well, my two trees are 20 years old and the yield is starting to fade.  And these are Honey Crisp, which are addicting....................

 

......so here is the next generation.  The taller one in the back is from this spring, the shorter one in the foreground is from a couple years ago.  I think I have planted 5 over 3 years to get this far, the deer eat them in spite of the fence, and lack of rain/severe winters do the rest.  This year we have had  a milder winter and plenty of rain.  So it looks like they will make it.

Stay tuned................

By Uncle Hans

Aunt Kathy’s Birthday

By Uncle Hans

This year Neil was finally out of surprise birthday party ideas for Kathy.  He had surprised her at 30 with the blindfold/convertible ride to the fairgrounds.  He had used an elaborate motorcycle/two-guys-with-a-banner/Lodi-Susie the Duck at 40.  He had to resort to doing the 50 at 49 to achieve a total surprise.  Now, 10 years later, he was stumped.  But Sarah came to the rescue with a great idea.  Surprise her with NO party.  Just send out balloons to everyone, have them write birthday greetings on them and return them, fill them with helium and pack them into the living room.  THAT should surprise her!!

 

  .......Just for good measure, they did have a surprise party for the balloon unveiling three days after her birthday.  Neil and Kathy drove up in her new Volvo.

  Here Kathy shows off her Scentsy Packers light ......a gift from Renee

    ( I won't say how old she is.....after 50 women don't get any older!)

By Uncle Hans

Summer Reunions

By Uncle Hans

It was a summer for family reunions.  Rex and Mary made the long trudge to the Midwest and Amy and Laura organized a 10 day party on Boulder Lake.
      Here, the brothers enjoy a brew in a tavern..........................................(really?)

 

......Here, Mary discovers what a Northern Wisconsin Bloody Mary is.   It is really a meal, and sometimes you need a "to go" box!!

 

  .....Barry showed off his cool campfire cooking equipment with some really tasty results......

 

    ......and Rex showed off his grandsons!

 

  ......Not to be outdone, the Carlsons had their annual family reunion on Cable Lake as well in July.  

 

.....We had Kabob Day........

 

    ......One guest preferred to remain anonymous.

  We took a motorcycle trip to an artesian well.......

 

  ..... In typical Carlson fashion, the goodbye took about 45 minutes and  there were a few tears.

         But there is always next year!!

By Uncle Hans

Making Wood

By Uncle Hans

It's a great morning to Blog!!   The blog has not heard from Uncle Hans for a while and I apologize. 

Today's blog is the tree project on Cable Lake. , As you remember, our beautiful oaks are all sick and dying.  several have fallen over in wind storms, causing damage.  So we are taking the rest down, a few every summer, to prevent further damage.  Here is a load of fireplace size logs, loaded and ready for splitting.

Also a "city-girl" visitor being taught to use a chainsaw (almost as entertaining as a "craps-table-virgin")

    Unfortunately, I have lost the pictures from June, when Rex and Mary helped me with the cleanup of the downed trees.  So I am asking the editor to find and post those pictures.

........The next step is splitting.  In these pictures, Renee's family, like Rex and Mary, is drafted into helping.  No actual digits were harmed in this demonstration.....

 

.......here is the finished product.  Many hours of work went into this pile, but it represents about 4 years of wood for our "recreational" fireplace burning.

By Uncle Hans

Morel Mushroom

By Uncle Hans

You have heard me complain about the oak tees on the property here.  There were about 140 mature oaks 20 years ago.   I thought they were so cool.  Turns out they are all diseased.  They have dead limbs that fall.  The trees themselves are prone to fall in the wind.  They have caused a lot of damage.  So I am taking them down one by one.  I have about 80 left, but only a few are critical in that they are "in range" of the house.  4 of those will be cut down in the next two weeks.  Lots of work for Rex and Mary when they get here, lol!

 

 

 

 

......so, what does that have to do with a little red stick poking up our of the ground?  After years of cutting down oaks I have finally come up with a plan to replace them.  We have a beautiful huge maple right on the edge of the water.  Don't know why.  This spring I gathered up 50 "helicopter" seeds, soaked them in water, and planted them around the property.  I marked each one with a shishkabob skewer painted red.....

 

 

 

 

 ......But that is not what this blog is about.  Imagine my shock when I stumbled upon this beauty!!  It is at least two weeks past the season (although we have had a cool and wet spring)..............

 

 

 

 

 

 ......This has got to be the biggest morel mushroom I have ever met in person.........

 

 

 

 

 

 ......It is a few inches from another large one, but that one is over-ripe and fading.  Those were the only two I found........ 

 

 

 

 

 

 ......They are living in the area where our large propane tank sat for 15 years, removed almost 2 years ago when we hooked up to natural gas. 

 

     After thinking about it for a while, I decided to leave them both there "for seed". 

 

 

By Uncle Hans