I'm feeling...thirsty...so, so thirsty

I've been watching this giant inflatable Corona bottle make the rounds around Duluth lately -- it was parked outside the Radisson late last week, and now it's up at the Tejas Texas Grill & Saloon in Hermantown to whet people's appetites for Cinco de Mayo.
And, according to co-owner Jamie Wilson, that 164,752-oz. (my estimate) bottle is mighty effective.
"It works," Jamie said. "Those people know what they are doing."
The bottle is a loaner from Rohlfing beer distributors of Duluth, Jamie said. When he last rented the Corona bottle, about two years, ago, sales of the Mexican import jumped. Last year, Jamie rented a Miller Lite inflatable bottle, which also, oddly enough, inspired people to order more beer.
"Anything to get people to turn that corner," Jamie said.

Posted by: Janna on 4/29/2008 at 5:46 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

That's some potato masher

When you're in your golden years and faced with 40 pounds of potatoes waiting to be mashed, what do you do? Turn to an electric drill outfitted with a paint stirring attachment, naturally.
At least, that's what the kitchen staff at the Servicemen's Club in Virginia does.
For as long as Burt Venaas can remember, the kitchen crew has fired up this 1/2 horsepower Milwaukee drill to tackle mass mashings. "It's clean," Burt said as he demonstrated. Burt, a past commander of the American Legion, joined Amvets Commander George Howard and VFW Commander Ray Luukkonen in cooking up a pork and potatoes dinner for Monday night's VFW meeting.
It's not so much that the group likes to cook -- they were sort of drafted into it, Ray said. But that didn't stop Burt from tinkering with his gravy recipe -- he adds cream of mushroom soup -- to make it extra creamy.
There were only 12 pounds of potatoes in the pot on Monday night, but they had to break out the drill anyway.
"We used to have hand-held masher," Burt said. "But someone threw it away. That hand masher was a tough way for an old man to do it, anyway."

Posted by: Janna on 4/28/2008 at 5:01 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink

A steamy former farmer

Wednesday morning turned out to be a beauty for Joel Rosen of Mahtowa. The last of the sap run was cooking on his homemade evaporator, the chorus frogs had started singing the night before, the songbirds were returning to the maple forest around his home, and he didn't have to worry about watering 3,000 plant seedlings or helping dozens of lambs be born.
It's the first spring in more than 20 years that Rosen isn't staring down a full seven or eight months of steady, back-bending physical farm work. For years, Rosen has run Park Lake Farm, supplying locally-grown produce and meat to individual households and area restaurants. But no more -- he has given up his market farm/chicken ranch/turkey production/sheep barns -- though he did keep up the maple syrup production -- and plans to spend more time learning about and eating wild foods. Watch for updates on Rosen's foray into wild food collecting.
So on Wednesday, as he sat in ease for a while near his maple cooker, listening to the blackbirds and enjoying the 60 degree sunshine, Rosen was feeling good.
"I've got a much more relaxed attitude," he said, and smiled.

Posted by: Janna on 4/23/2008 at 1:09 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Days of our Lives, the duck version

High duck drama on Park Point Tuesday morning. Two very persistent drakes were waddling back and forth across Minnesota Avenue, oblivious to traffic and photographers, wings flapping, beaks open in a frenzy of quacking. And all for the chance to court this lovely lady, a hen extraordinaire, a chick above all chicks. She was oblivious to most of the action, immersed as she was in nibbling the new grass growing in front of a condominium development. But around and around went her suitors, into gutters, fluttering across sidewalks, in front of cars and back again to pause in an uneasy truce.

Posted by: Janna on 4/22/2008 at 10:40 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

What the lake puked up

I like to look at the stuff that washes up on beaches after big storms. It's amazing what comes ashore -- it makes you wonder how all that junk gets there in the first place. On Monday night, I walked about a half-mile section of Park Point beach and gathered a plump plastic bag full of garbage -- the usual jumble of candy wrappers and bits of random plastic, but there were some more interesting items strewn among the driftwood and crayfish arms, too. It's a snapshot of us as Americans, I guess, for better or worse. Here's a sampling:

Five deflated balloons, curling ribbons still attached
At least 50 plastic drinking straws
One packet of honey, empty
One packet of mayonnaise, empty
One packet of 1% testosterone gel, unopened
One hackeysack
One plastic skull cupcake decoration (I left that one on the beach for you to find)
One kite, still flyable
A huge snarl of fishing line
Part of a window screen
Three childrens' bandaids, one Daffy Duck, one Hello Kitty, and half of a Bugs Bunny
Two tampon applicators
One red plastic maraca
One disposable earplug

Posted by: Janna on 4/15/2008 at 10:43 AM | Comments (2) | Permalink

drip, drip, flooosh

It's the time of year when I start driving like a crazy lady. My husband would agree -- I've usually got more eyes for what's growing in the road median and what's perching in the trees off on the horizon than what's going on on the actual road.
And for me, it all begins with the spring thaw. I love watching meltwater make its way south, down from the snowy ledges along the shore and towards the lakes and rivers. Such was my extreme distraction, and much hopping in and out of the car, as I drove south on Highway 61 Thursday morning. From the weeping walls of water near Beaver Bay to the gushers shooting off of cliffs just north of Duluth, there was much to welcome.

Posted by: Janna on 4/04/2008 at 9:07 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

It's a plane, we know that much

But what the heck is it doing?
Here, two planes were zinging through and around these lovely spring clouds in the Brimson area. They didn't leave the arrow-straight contrails one usually sees trailing behind planes. Both were swooping up and around and doing loop-de-loops and curly-cues and making sharp turns this way and that. Same thing was going on Tuesday over Duluth, leading one to wonder what's up: a skywriter warming up for the summer season? Blue Angels in training? A kid who stole the keys to an F-16 and took it for a joyride?
Whatever was going on, it was fun to watch.

Posted by: Janna on 4/02/2008 at 11:30 AM | Comments (2) | Permalink

From nursing home to nursing plants

"It's my first job in six years," said Sue Grabes of Gilbert when I asked her what she was doing.
To clarify: Sue retired six years ago from nearly two decades of working in a nursing home. And here she was, diving into a vat of rich potting soil, handling tiny herb seedlings and settling their roots into roomy new pots.
"This is so soothing," Sue said. "And most people are happy when they are here."
It's weeks -- and even months -- too early to set anything in the ground, but Swanson's Greenhouse near Eveleth is gearing up to open on Monday. They have to, owner Gail Coon said. They have Easter lilies to sell.
As for the herbs and tiny flowers, well, they'll have more time to grow. Soon Gail and Sue and other greenhouse workers will sow tiny marigold seeds, and the tiny nasturtium plants will start twining out of their pots, too.
Sue worked her way through flat after flat of spearmint, golden oregano, lemon thyme, and purple sage, each aromatic little sprig bringing a bit more relaxation.

Posted by: Janna on 3/14/2008 at 12:44 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Sand skiing

I was expecting to have the beach along the lake side of Park Point to myself on Tuesday morning. There was still snowbanks, which managed to be both crusty and melty at once, and piles of ice chunks scattered along the shore.
Instead, I found Brooks Anderson cross-country skiing along what was left of the snow. He skiis the shore about every other day, he said, from his home on the 2900 block down towards the bridge and back. His son's husky, Kushka, was along for a trot.
"Today might be my last day on skis," Brooks said on Tuesday morning, long before the temperature zoomed into the high 40s in Duluth, and meltwater coursed down every sidewalk. After that, he'll take to walks along the beach instead.
Brooks likes to be close to the lake, likes to move along the shore with all that water moving, lapping alongside him. "It's meditative," Brooks said as Kushka dropped into the snow for a meditative roll at his feet.
Brooks' skis made little sound as he passed on by. The entire shore was filled with little sounds -- little pings of dripping water, tiny crackles as thin flakes of ice collapsed on the sand, the rustle of the big ice sheets pressing against the shore jostled together.

Posted by: Janna on 3/11/2008 at 2:45 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

"Move your feet!"

The scene: a raquetball court in Virginia, Minnesota.
The reason: the fourth annual Bruce Pforr Memorial Raquetball Tournament.
The player: Bruce Green of Duluth.
The driving factor, according to Bruce: exercise. And the competition.
Fast, competitive singles raquetball is intense to play, and to watch. The ball flies around the court so fast it's sometimes easier to track it with your ears than your eyes, and if you manage to get in the way that little green ball is going to leave a splendid bruise. Raquetball tends to attract people with intense personalities who aren't afraid to let rip with an emphatic curse or other expression of rage when their game starts to go sour. Some memorables: "Move your feet!" (shouted to yourself), and, my favorite, "C_ _ ks _ _ ker!"  And there's always the generic, long-drawn-out irritated growl.
After all, in raquetball there's no one else to blame if you're losing. There's just you, the raquet, the ball, and those four blank walls. Who can fault a competitive person for growling?
Bruce, who competes in about 10 tournaments a year, was having an off night on Friday. He was coming right off of work and then an hour-long drive -- not to make excuses, he said.
"You have your on days, and then your off-off-nights," Bruce said as he toweled off after the match, which he lost.

Posted by: Janna on 3/03/2008 at 11:15 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink