Ponder Anew Your Discount Double-Check

 

The title is Doug's creation and, like any Vikings "fan", he is pretty excited about their win yesterday.  It seems like the Vikings fans and the players themselves can't believe their luck in beating the Packers.  The sports guy here said "The Vikings beat the Packers....that just sounds weird".  We'll have a rematch next week!

 

Tailwheel has arrived for his winter vacation.  So far he's been relaxing on and under various pieces of furniture.  This morning he was rolling around on the floor near his food dishes.  He's very excited about the water fountain.  I can't decide if he is looking for Milhaud or not but he gave the litter box area a good sniff when he arrived. 

 

It's already 2013 in Japan so it's not too early to wish our loyal blog reader(s) a Happy New Year!

I'm Dreaming of A Burple Birthday

 Last night the Williams, Cornale, and Greish families were called together for Brooke's 8th Birthday celebration.  This is the outfit that Sue and I picked up at Southridge Mall earlier in the day.  Most of the clothing Brooke got for presents was purple or pink.

Here's Chuck and Dorene enjoying a little birthday cheese cake.

 I'm not sure why this photo is warped--maybe it has something to do with the dramatic angle I was framing the shot in.  Tom was at work at the power plant working his 5pm to 5am shift.  Picture Homer Simpson at the controls.

Trying to get these three goofy kids to look in the same direction and to smile was difficult.  It was nice of everyone to come to a party on a Thursday night.

Meemaw Nancy likes to give Brooke fancy presents including this colorful tower organizer.

On Wednesday night Sue, Dorene and I had a cup of coffee at the new Alterra shop on Lincoln and Kinnickinnic Avenue.

 There was an artiste sitting at the table next to us strumming basic chords out on her guitar.   Would it be socially acceptable for me to bring my trombone into a coffee shop to practice some scales and arpeggios?  On our way into town Wednesday we met Mike and Sunanda at the Mexican restaurant that occupies the Fuddrucker's restaurant site near Southridge.  Fuddrucker's has been gone since the early 1990s but southsiders know where it was.  Later that night Mike was heading to Cleveland on a trucking run just in time for another midwest blizzard.  Yesterday we visited the Loughneys in New Berlin.  They were ramping up to host a dinner of 21 Buddes on Sunday.

Sue said she saw this inflatable snowman on a website but this is the first time she's seen it on display in someone's yard (Eleva, Wisconsin).  Frosty the snowman is not a vegetarian--he likes his venison.

The temperature was +4 degrees Fahrenheit on the morning of 12/26 but as we traveled southeast to Milwaukee the temp climbed to a reasonable 28 degrees.  Merry Christmas everyone!

Merry Christmas

 

Just a few pictures from Christmas in Wisconsin (part 1). We had the Berg Christmas at Karla and Andy's this year.  Wynne was very excited about Christmas and made sure that everyone knew that nobody could "steal" gifts from kids during the adults gift exchange.  Her cat Oreo assisted in the gift opening.  Wynne and Halle along with their friend Brielle did a great job singing at church before we got together for Christmas Eve fun!   

 

 

I enjoyed making Smorrebrod for Christmas Eve.  People seemed to enjoy eating them too!

 

 

Meanwhile, Doug shared a pot of beans with his colleagues who were all at work on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  He's on his way to Wisconsin right now.

 

 

It's always fun with the Bergs.  I'm not sure if Uncle Duke is turning his hearing off here or just taking it out all together!

 

 

Mom, Dad and I enjoyed Christmas Day here.  We went to church this morning and then opened presents.  Texas Buckeye will now have its own Texas-shaped Wafflemaker.  Doug and I will enjoy a baseball game compliments of Mom & Dad this summer,  We also Skyped with Bella and her sisters and visited some Deinhammers too!   

 

 

We told Tailwheel he will be coming to visit us while his people are in Texas.

 

 

He was also a good subject for extreme close-up camera practice.

 

 

We ended the evening with Chickenfoot.  Dad was the winner of both games!

 

Original Cat

 

Our beloved cat Milhaud passed away yesterday, December 22nd just shy of her 18th birthday.  She had stopped eating and was getting weaker and thinner by the day--we knew it was her time.  

Milhaud, named for early 20th century French composer Darius Milhaud, loved being outside but only when it was sunny and warm.  She especially liked lounging in Ann's yard.

 

Milhaud was Sue's "adulthood" cat and my first cat.  Milhaud was the liveliest kitten from a litter of farm cats in East Troy, Wisconsin.  Sue picked her out when she was only weeks old.  Milhaud has been with Sue for her entire teaching career.

As a kitten she was a true ankle bitter.  As a "teen" I remember her leaping off a pile of coolers on top of the refrigerator causing them to all come crashing down.  Bad Cat!

 

 

I picked up Sue once at her school in East Troy and for some reason the cat was with us.  We let her run around in the band room for a couple of hours and twice we had to rescue her from behind a giant cabinet.  She climbed up on top of the cabinets and then jumped into this dungeon of a space behind the cabinets.  I had to lay on my stomach on top of the cabinets holding a box down into the hole to fish her out.  Yes, she did this twice in one afternoon.

 

We got Milhaud to use her bed by strategically placing it in the sun or next to the fireplace.

 

Milhaud was known to be mean at times but to her people, she was kind and gentle (most of the time.)  I grew up around dogs and guinea pigs so being around Milhaud I became a "cat guy".

 

 

Milhaud was respected and revered by exchange students from Alex ('03) to You-Jong ('07) to Johanna 2 ('12).  They all knew they could freely pet Puccini and hug Mr. Mahler but with Milhaud they'd have to sneak in less than three quick pets.  Here she is looking rather portly lounging in the host daughter's room.

 

 

Milhaud's passing is the true end of an era that at its height featured three awesome cats running around in our house for seven years (2001 to 2008).  Milhaud was an only cat for her first year before Puccini arrived and then again for a year and a half after Mahler passed away.

 

 

Milhaud was a great car rider who like to put herself on full display in the back window or on the passenger side dashboard of Sue's old Ford Escort.  On the highway people would drive by waving to her.

Milhaud will be missed.  We love you kitty!

 

 

Milhaud

1/1/1995 - 12/22/2012

Marsh Pride

 

Here is a lioness from the Don Marsh Pride of lions in Tanzania.

 

 

I can't believe Don Marsh got this close to a leopard!  Don Marsh is our youth ministries director.  He took a group of teens to Iringa, Tanzania last June.  I'm not sure what preserve they were in when they saw these big cats.  Look how she looks cross-eyed.

 

 

Speaking of big cats, Mr. Wheel will be joining in early January in the Berg-Williams Big Cat Reserve.

It Continues To Look A Lot Like Christmas

 

This is what Eleva, Wisconsin looks like today.  Our weather spotters on Berg Lane have been busy plowing snow and trying to stay warm.  I'm attempting to recover from illness by napping up a storm.  We've only got about an inch of fresh snow so far. . .

Christams 2011

 

I found this photo of Johanna on a memory stick in our old camera that we were using last December when our newer camera was in the shop.  I'm glad we have a real tree in the family room this year and kept this fake one upstairs.  Milhaud's current favorite daytime snoozing spot is under the fake tree in the living room.

Three Ships

 

Sue's colleague, Elizabeth took her extracurricular Girls' Choir (The Cougar Carolers) to The Mall of the Americas this morning for a holiday music performance.  On the road with the choir performing on piano was Mrs. Berg-Williams.  They performed on the mini stage outside of Sears.  (Say this in your best monster truck rally voice):"LIVE, LIVE, LIVE!  One show only at SEARS AMPHITHEATER AT MALL OF AMERICA, the Cougar [insert large cat roar] Carolers!"

I took this photo from the second level behind the stage.  I avoided using the flash to keep it low key.  Once when I filmed Sue's band at the mall, several of her students asked her who the creepy guy with the camera was. . .

 

 

Where once there were three, now only one ship floats in the harbor

 

 

We've done some night time driving around taking in the holiday lights.  This one was in the cul de sac where a house has its own radio frequency so the drivers can tune in to the synchronized light show.  Too extreme?  Yes, it was.

 

 

Sue's been working on finding some good photos to put into a mini album to take to Tanzania with us.  We want to show people what we do, who we are, how we live, what sorts of cats we have, etc.  We'll also take many copies of a family photo to give to people we meet.  We may use the one including J-1 and Milhaud from last Christmas.

 

 

Sunday was music Sunday featuring many choirs both voice and bell, a brass quintet with percussion, and a solo oboe.  This is Pastor Megan reading one of the lessons with the senior choir ready to sing.  I sat with Sue in the bell section, aka the north 40.

 

 

Here is Pastor Intern Ali reading the prayers.

 

 

And how about an action shot of some of the bell ringers in full-on bonging mode?

 

 

Between services the trombones performed light Christmas favorites in the carol sing

 

 

At the mall, Sue wasn't too upset that the amplification of the piano was minimal.  It really is hard to be hear in a noisy mall even if it was 10am on a Monday.  After the concert Sue and I shopped for a couple of things and then had the lunch special at Famous David's.

 

 

Sue has also been collecting snapshots of her students and also school supplies from her students that we'll take to Iringa to donate to the orphanages and schools that we will visit.

*****

I'll be here Home Alone for Christmas but will meet up with 87% of our family shortly after Christmas.

 

 

Mary, Surely You Knew Where Christmas Was?

 

So last week's concert that was cancelled due to the heavy snowfall (10.5 inches at Minneapolis Airport) was rescheduled to Sunday afternoon at 3pm at Advent Methodist Church on Lexington in Eagan.  The concert remains free and open to the public, including mothers in-law, neighbors, and small children.  Remember, this is really the last chance to hear two band/choir arrangements that I did for this Advent season: Where Are You Christmas?  from James (Jim) Carrey's Grinch movie and Mary Did You Know?  Is is strange that both titles are questions?  Is it?

 

 

We're getting a lot of mileage out of these tree shopping photos. . .

 

 

Any family/friends of BW who come to the concert on Sunday are welcome to stop by the house after for a holiday libation and recently thawed turkey sandwich.

"The Turkey's Not Going To Eat Itself"

I've never claimed to be  Martha Stewart (which is probably 'a good thing' after her recent Salmonella episode) but I think the candy I made yesterday turned out nicely. 

 

I made Peanut Butter Balls, Chocolate Covered Mints and some sort of Peanut-Marshallow confection while I roasted a 24 pound turkey for the Community Band post-concert party.  

And then the snow came! 

We think we've had about 6 inches so far - two or so overnight, another 2 from 8am until 10am and then a couple more since then and it continues. 

It is beautiful but unfortunately the concert is cancelled. 

 

 

The party is still on (see previous statement about 24 pounds of turkey) so stop in for a sandwich and some holiday cheer.