2012 REVIEW

2012 WILL BE THE YEAR THAT AMY AND PAUL WILL REMEMBER LOSING BOTH THEIR GRANDMOTHERS. GRANDMA RECHSTEINER WAS 84, AND MAGA LOONEY WAS 86. BOTH LADIES LIVED FULL LIVES AND BOTH WERE BLESSED IN A DEATH THAT ENDED THEIR SUFFERING. AMEN.

THE HAPPY CAMPERS SURVIVED ANOTHER TOO HOT SUMMER ON THE LOWER DESERT, AND WE HAVE MADE PROGRESS ON ENDING THAT TORTURE WITH A PARK MODEL PURCHASE IN THE WHITE MOUNTAINS OF EASTERN ARIZONA.

MARY’S BATTLE WITH WEIGHT LOSS WAS SUCCESSFUL WITH THE LOSS OF 25 POUNDS.

REX IS FINALLY UP OFF HIS ASS, WITH A NEW HOBBY OF SCOOTER RIDING.

WE GOT TO SEE MY THREE GRANDSONS THREE TIMES. ONCE AT SPRING BREAK IN LAUGHLIN, AND AGAIN IN THE FALL AT THE ALBUQUERQUE BALLON FESTIVAL, AND A SHORT CAMPING TRIP ON “THE MOUNTAIN”.

AMY AND I GOT TO SPEND A WEEK ON A ROADTRIP IN WISCONSIN WITH THE OD’S CADILLAC.

WE HAD COMPANY FROM HOME WHEN MIKEY MADE HIS FIRST TRIP TO NEVADA, AND HEATHER CAME TO SPEND A WEEK IN THE SUMMER HEAT.

MARY AND I SPENT TWO WEEKS OF VACATION ON “THE MOUNTAIN”, AND ALREADY HAVE A MONTH PLANNED THERE NEXT SUMMER.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE !!!!

WHAT DID YOU GET FOR CHRISTMAS?

WHAT DID YOU GET FOR CHRISTMAS, REX?

THOSE OF YOU THAT KNOW ME WON’T BELIEVE IT!

 

FOR YEARS I’VE BEEN USING UNCLE NEIL’S LINE, “I’VE ONLY GOT TWO THINGS IN MY TOOL BOX, A PHONE BOOK AND A CHECKBOOK”.

THE TIMES ARE CHANGING. NOBODY USES A PHONE BOOK OR A CHECKBOOK ANYMORE, AND NOW I HAVE A 154 PIECE WRENCH SET.

OF COURSE MY FIRST PROJECT WITH THE NEW TOOLS WAS THIS:

 

 

WTF?

IT’S A JIGSAW PUZZLE, NOW I HAVE TO PUT THE 154 PICES IN THE RIGHT SPOT? JEES SANTA, COULDN’T YOU GRAB THE DISPLAY MODEL FROM SEARS?

TWO DAYS LATER……..

I FINALLY GOT IT ALL FIGURED OUT AND PUT TOGETHER.

THANKS MARY !!!

P.S.  This is a Mary note….the tool box is necessary for Rex to haul his scooter.  An accessory so to speak.  It’s almost as bad as buying a new dress, first comes the dress, then comes shoes, then the proper jewelry, etc, etc.  One thing always leads to another….

Ice

By Uncle Hans

Only about one year in three do we get the conditions right for ice skating on the lake. It is cold, dry, calm (not windy) weather for several days until there is three or more inches of ice. Those conditions yield smooth ice you can skate on. A little skiff of snow in there does not stop the fun, but perfect conditions are without snow, as it gives us that “holy Grail” of conditions: smooth ice like glass that you can see through! You skate along and watch the fish underneath. It is really cool, but that has happened only twice in my “lake lifetime”..............
 

 
.......this year we got a window of skating lasting one day. Then we had some melting and the smoothness that is so necessary was lost........




 
.....our “skating” was a little rusty. It looked a lot like ” walking with very small steps on the ice”...........
See the disturbed snow behind Renee? That is where she “sat and rested” (fell on her ass)
Oh well, we didn’t break anything but had some sore muscles the next day.............
 


By Uncle Hans

A SAGE BRUSH CHRISTMAS

WHEN YOU GROW UP IN THE MIDWEST, SNOW AND CHRISTMAS GO TOGETHER, JUST LIKE PEAS AND CARROTS.  IT’S TUFF FOR EITHER ONE OF US TO FIRE UP OVER CHRISTMAS ON THE DESERT WITHOUT SNOW.

OF COURSE THEY HAVE CHRISTMAS HERE WITHOUT SNOW, AND TODAY’S BLOG (A SCOOTER TRIP) FEATURES PICTURES OF THE DECORATED SAGE BRUSH ON OLD ROUTE 66 ON THE WAY TO OATMAN.

 

OF COURSE IF YOU’RE USED TO A WHITE CHRISTMAS, THE SCENERY IN THE BACKGROUND OF THESE PHOTOS WILL BE MORE INTERESTING THAN THE DECORATIONS ON SOME SAGE BRUSH.

IN THE ABOVE PICTURE, THE RED DECORATIONS ARE ALL RED SOLO CUPS LIKE YOU USED AT YOUR LAST KEGGER.  HOW LONG AGO WAS THAT?  IN THE NEXT PHOTO, THE BLUE IS ALL PEPSI CANS.

 

THE WHITE CHRISTMAS CARD SAYS,

“ T’WAS CHRISTMAS TIME ON ROUTE 66.THE BURROS WERE ALL NESTLED SNUG IN THEIR BEDS, WITH VISIONS OF CARROTS DANCING IN THEIR HEADS.  THEIR STOCKING ALL HUNG ON THE BUSHES WITH CARE, IN HOPES THAT ST. NICKOLAS WOULD SOON BE THERE.”

 

HERE’S HOPING YOU HAVE A WHITE CHRISTMAS AND NOT A SAGE BRUSH CHRISTMAS.

MERRY CHRISTMAS !!!

Christmas Cookies

By Uncle Hans

Divorce always entails loss, sometimes the losses are small, sometimes huge and irreplaceable things are lost.

Renee lost her Spritz cookie maker, and it looks like it is headed for the “huge and irreplaceable” category.

She looks pretty smug in this first picture. This polished aluminum beauty (her old one was plastic) came from Walmart and looked like a million bucks ($24.00, actual cost)....

 


 
.....but in the down and dirty world of actually making Spritz cookies, this deceptively good-looking gizmo proved to be a dud.....
 




 
......it was stubborn to use, the lever takes a gorilla to push, the dough comes out looking like a bad relief map of Australia instead of a Christmas tree, and no amount of bad language will make it behave.....
 
 

 


 
......we went back to the directions to see if we could find the problem.....
 


 
.....and we DID!!

The fool thing was made in China, but, more importantly, it was designed in Cresco!!
What would you expect from a Spritz cookie maker from Iowa?
 


 
.....these cookies taste great (main ingredient is butter),but they would be the laughing stock of the Trinity Lutheran Church Christmas Cookie Walk.

I mean, do they even have Christmas in Australia? Seriously? It is 100 degrees and usually burning......


 

 

 
By Uncle Hans