Bits & Balderdash

Not too much going on here in North Iowa, except for the random blizzard yesterday. The forecast was for a bit of snow and then some wind. What we got was 3 to 5 inches of snow and them monsoon winds of 30 - 40 mph!

The Iowa Highway Patrol closed Interstate 35 from the Minnesota line to the Missouri Line; Hwy. 18 from Mason City west to Britt; along with most hard road in the North Iowa area. To top all this off, there was a couple of very bad accidents. At least one person lost their life. Very sad!

Finally got our annual business meeting in this evening at the Church. I love our business meetings!! Not everything goes with out a glitch but our folks seem to really desire to honor God and respect one another. It is a blessing to the Pastor in Clear Lake.

That's it for now!

The Search Is OVER!!

The search is over and I am now the owner of another Rival Meat & Cheese Slicer.

Thank you so much to all who e-mailed with help and suggestion! A very special thanks to my "Big Bro" who searched e-bay and found the one I finally bought. The auction ended last evening and the transacting was completed early this morning and I'm waiting on the mailman!

Wow, I never envisioned all of the help and advice that you all offered! You are a very kind and concerned but alas, there will not be free samples of corned beef served here on the blog!

Talk to you soon!!!

On The Prowl For Another Meat Slicer

A couple of weeks ago while slicing another batch of corned beef, my Rival Meat Slicer died! Main gear missing teeth.

So the process of replacement begins. This project is an E-bay bit. that is because the old school Rival is the only slicer made for home use that is not mostly plastic. My Mom & Dad bought a Rival slicer and still have it ... they are a good product. I bought mine used maybe 10 years ago, on E-bay and it has served me very well!

Now I'm back on the prowl for another. I'll keep you posted on my process & if you are aware of someone who has a rival and is willing to part with it ... PLEASE drop me a note!

Killin' Crows - Now That's a Hoot!

Got to go crow hunting last Saturday morning with my friend Doug, his brother Greg and his friend.

We arrived at the crack of dawn and got set up in the timber along a river. There had been some ice fog the night before so all of the trees were frosted and the sky was a brilliant cobalt blue. The colors were incredible! To top that off we were swarmed with jet black crows!

We had a great outing, hammered a good number of crows, had a ton of laughter making fun of Doug's mad shooting skills and enjoyed a day in the timber.

Rantings and Ravings/Bits & Balderdash

The other day my favorite oldest son called and challenged me. He said ... "What is the point of that blog post about the Christmas hymn? You say on your blog your going to give opinions and tells us what fires you up and you give us a post that is very vanilla! So what did you think of the song and why not tell us!?!?!?!?

1. My kid is a pain! I raised him to try and be a critical thinker and he uses it on me ... Oh where did I go wrong!  (Insert huge grin & wink here). I love it when my kids don't let me slide! And just so you know Susan is a pain as well. She has challenged me to not drink soda pop, so as of today I've not had a pop since November. A diet Mt. Dew sounds really good right now!

2. The bit about the Christmas Hymn was that we just pick up hymnals and sing whatever the editors decide to put in their books. Do you realize that many of these song are far longer that the 2 or 3 verses that we all know so well? Do you realize that some of these song tell a story to tell and we only get to sing 3 or 4 verses that we normally skip 2! Just food for thought.

3. Brief Statement: Some of the worst theology you will ever find is found in some of our hymns.

4. Now for a bit of ranting: what is the deal with all of these people complaining about the winter weather? Here is the deal - We live in Iowa, we live in the upper mid-west and we're upset when we have to deal with brutal cold and snow? Hello! It is called winter, winter in Iowa!

A friend pointed out that the same people who are squirting and crying about the cold are the very same people that are hugging their air conditioners during the summer when it is "too hot"!

Learn to be thankful for what you have been blessed with and be thankful as well for what we do not have to do any longer. No more late night trips to the outdoor privy. Unless you choose to, you do not need to worry about the fire going out in the night and everyone freezing in their beds! You no longer need to go to the barn to get milk, you just need to plan ahead and get to the store.

I realize that I will probably will take some heat for this post but I will just warm myself in the glow of that heat and then snuggle with my wife, watching the snow fall, blow and drift! I love Iowa!

5. The Iowa Hawkeyes won the FedEx Orange Bowl over The Rambiln' Wreck of Georgia Tech. Great game, great team, great year. As a UNI alum I know that Iowa should have been beaten week 1, but the Hawks did block TWO field goals in a row, what can you say?

On the year...11-2! Not too bad!

6. How 'bout them Clones!!!! Big bowl win over Minnesota. A very good win for that program. How long till September!?

That is it for now!

Things Are Looking UP

Got this from my good friend, Steve Schutte. I though it was very funny and you might like a glimpse of life here in North Iowa this winter. But remember Spring is just around the corner!!!

After 19 Years I Missed ONE!

I entered the full time ministry on Mother's Day 1991. In the 19 years that have followed I have never been so sick on a Sunday that I have had to miss a regular Sunday service...until last Sunday!

Sometime Saturday I began feeling a bit ... awkward! By Saturday evening I was in the full "throws" of the intestinal flu.  By 3 AM Sunday my stomach, feeling left out, joined the party and by 6 AM, I was convinced that I would die before 7 AM.

At 6:30 I made the call to my Deacons that I was not going to be able to preach. I have never had to make that call EVER before! That is not to say I've never been sick or had a migraine headache, but I have always been able to muddle through. Not Sunday!

Even when I broke my ankle a couple of years ago, I was able to preach. I may have had to sit, but I could have preached! The only reason I didn't was because while I was still in the hospital, my very good friend John Murray, told the Chairman of our Deacons, that he would fill the pulpit for me.

Oh well, Now I start over...at this pace I will not miss another regular Sunday service until...January 2029! I'll only be 67 years old! I think I can do it!!!

New Years Day Open House!

We as usual are hosting an open house at the parsonage again this year.

We do this for a number of reasons, one it gives the folk of our Church an opportunity to come over to our home. Second, WE LOVE COMPANY!!!! Third, I love cooking lots of food and sharing it with good friends!

So, lets cut to the chase - here is the menu:

#1. Chicken Wings - I'm making chicken wings on the smoker and offer a choice of sauces such as "Cookies Wings & Things"; "Cookies BBQ Sauce"; "Famous Dave's Sweet & Sassy Sauce" or you can eat them ... plain! A little something for everyone.

#2. Martha's Famous Clam Chowder - We were up early today cutting up vegies and rounding up plenty of nice juicy clams. This is a favorite with Lynn and I, most of our kids like it but they like to tease me calling it "rubber-band soup"! There are quite a few of our church folks that like this as well and some who will not even try it! Oh well, more for me!

#3. Cucumber Salsa - This is a wonderful taste adventure if your a salsa lover. You get a cool cucumber taste followed be a warm salsa rush. So very easy to make and almost everyone really enjoys this appetizer!

#4. Corned Beef Brisket - What would the New Years Holiday be with out corned beef on bagels? It would just not be right! So, this morning I put three briskets in the oven and this house smells WONDERFUL!!!

#5. Cookies and Candy - per as usual this time of year, you have the platter of cookies and candy. This is honestly not at all my favorite, but knowing that others really love these goodies they are on the menu as well.

That is the menu - I hope it looks good to you! Have a great time with your friends and family, enjoy the time and the good food at your celebration!

PS: Recipes are avaible upon request!

Happy New Year!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Welcome to 2010