Happy Dance for Andrea!!!!

I just found out that you will be at South full time!!! And Kris Hagen part time!!

Happy Dance Time!!! WOOT WOOT!!!

FLASHG!!

Apparently I know my dogs better than my beer.

Just give me a *F'n Bud

Iced Latte

I have been experimenting with recipes for a cheap, late morning - mid afternoon latte to prepare and keep in the fridge at school.

So here are the two basic ingredients that are working for me:

1) A Coffee base:

* grind enough coffee beans to make 1/2 cup of grounds.
* brew with 4 cups of water
* add 1/2 cup of instant coffee (I like Folgers) to the freshly brewed coffee.

stir & let cool.

2) The Latte:

In a quart mason jar with tight-fitting lid mix

* one can of sweetened condensed milk
* one can of evaporated milk
* 1.5 tsp. of the extract of your choice: almond, vanilla, orange . I like the true extracts...
* fill to within an inch of the top of the jar with skim milk. One , 2 % or whole if you can stand the extra calories.

Shake vigorously.

To make the ready to pour, pre - mixed latte:

In an empty, one gallon milk jug mix:

1) The cooled coffee base.

2) The lattee.

3) 1 Tbsp. sugar.

4) Add milk to your taste. I add enough milk to make 3/4 gallon.

Shake vigorously and store in the fridge. When you are ready for a quick and easy pick-me-up, add ice to your glass, shake the ready to pour, pre- mixed latte from the milk jug & pour over the ice.

yum yum.

There is still room for improvement or changes for your own taste. For example, you may not like instant. Or this may not be sweet enough for you. But it is a start & if you like Latte, it might be fun to try.

M

Hello and Good Evening.

Broadcasting live from the backyard:

It is a beautiful night unfolding here in central Minnesota in the center of the Meyer Yard folks. Reporting to you this fine night is Mary, the 5th avenue tree house kid who just can't shake the tree from the kid.

And what a glorious bunch of trees it is. I'm camped under a wide expanse of canopy made up of oaks, ash & even a white birch. And a beautiful white birch it is. Home to the singing cicada's , wrens & an occasional visiting chipping sparrow looking for a delicious catkin to snatch on the fly. Even the crickets are chirping... a sign of mid-August to be sure.

If it weren't for the fact that I can see the TV from my vantage point & have a computer on my lap, a person would swear I was somewhere on the Appalacian Trail. But seeing as how that likely isn't going to happen anytime soon, I have to say this is the next best thing.

So happy trails to you & signing off from mid-yard,

Mary the fifth avenue tree house kid hoping her ass won't give out before mornin'

Oh! And keep the light on for me! Thanks!!!

The netbook sucked.

An identical replacement is on its way, due to be delivered by UPS tomorrow, & I am going to "refuse delivery" & have it returned to Amazon as per THEIR suggestion.

After further investigation it turns out there (possibly) is a bad batch of the ACER eee HE netbooks out there, and I for one am not willing to chance it.

All I can say is thank God it was our computer & not the one I complained (and complained & complained) about for Jessica. She is in computer heaven & she deserves it.

Hmmmmm. Maybe this is my payback for being a resentful mother?????

Naughty FLASH!!!! :)

ps. Amazon I will still love you as long as I get a FULL refund!!! oops. Did I just jinx my own fricking payback?? Damn it.

The Whispering Pines didn't work out.

We stopped & I knocked on the office door at 7pm. No answer. Neither Dan nor I said anything to one another about the 4 bags of garbage sitting just a yard from our feet. I cupped my hands around my eyes & leaned against the dirty glass to look inside. I saw 6 empty beer bottles on the desk & a bunch of "I love Jesus "- type propaganda tacked on some cork board that was just praying to be organized.

Still undeterred, I mean I DID make a reservation, I peaked around the corner & noticed that the office window was open but that the screen had a huge hole in it. I wondered if this was the motel's method of AC?? One more knock & no answer and Dan, still standing behind me with his hands in his pockets said, "Maybe we should go to Bemidgi, maybe we'll find some place on the way."

Now THAT was a great idea!!!


We got the LAST room at Super 8 in Bemidgi (handicapped rooms have great bathrooms BTW) & a good laugh for great memories too.

Ironworld was wonderful. Itaska State Park perfect.

Now all I have to do is pitch & sleep in the tent and my summer wishes for 2009 will have all come true.