This year Christmas was strange because there had not been much snow. We are used to it starting to snow in November and by Christmas….lots of snow. The last few years…it is getting less and less snow and this year…..barely a coating that was melting. But the good side of that is …..the traveling is safer. So, everyone was able to show up for Christmas at our house. Blips made us shorma with fries. Everyone loved it and some even had third helpings. Everyone brought snackies of cookies, cheeseballs and crackers, fudge, dipped pretzels, salads, and other Christmas treats. Blips was going to make oliebollen but we were just too full and could not eat them. We saved them for New Years Eve.

Around the table is big brother and wife, and mom. Eli is in the high chair that was used by my big brother(his grandpa), me and little brother when we were babies.

Here I am with my two brothers. I had no idea they were so much taller than I am. Did they grow or did I shrink?

Blips took this picture of a surprise visit from Superman.

We did ‘white elephant’ gifts again this year and had a lot of laughs. Blips showed you his shark cookie jar and I got a large coffie cup that says….And your crybaby whiney opinion would be????

Later in the evening we opened presents with S and A and mom. On Christmas day, mom and I made chicken soup from Summer’s receipe. mmmmmm and then we drove around and looked at the lights. It was a nice peaceful day and evening with family.

I went to the grocery store the other day and forgot my ‘Albert Heijn’ bag.  We tend to bring our own bags because we have no need for all the grocery bags that can accumulate.  When the kid bagged my groceries……he double bagged most things and then only filled them half way.  I ended up with 13 bags.  That is ridiculous.  Now I just have to bring them right back and put them in the recycle box.

Here is Mona doing her job.  Zoek!  It is her job to search all bags that enter the house.  Security. 

We went to bed last night at 2am and the deer were fine.  We got up this morning and the deer were knocked down and in a pile.  We went out to fix them and noticed they were connected ‘doggie style’. hmmmmm and we noticed the neighbors deer were also connected ‘doggie style’.  Somebody went around the neighborhood and posed all the deer ‘doggie style’.  I think somebody went to the Amsterdam Sex Museum!

This is the best picture Blips will allow………

Here is Blips putting up icecicles hanging from the roof of the house.  Icecicles are clear lights that hang down and blow in the wind and look (?) like ice on the house.

These are the two deer in the front yard.  They move their heads up and down and left and right.  Behind them is a “Dutch” Christmas tree…..red(top), white(middle) and blue(bottom).  I noticed it stops traffic to look at it.  If you look at Blips video cam just at dusk, you can see the colors.  That is right about 4:30pm Minnesota time.  Otherwise you can just see the tree as a bright light blur.  But you can see the deer nicely.  Too bad there is no snow.  This is the warmest winter since 1928.  I really would like snow for Christmas but otherwise I am getting alot done by the delayed snow.  Today I am going to vacuum out my car.  I have NEVER vacuumed my car.  Since I don’t want to bugger up my hepa vacuum, I will go to the gas station and pay to use the industrial vacuum.  That means that rock hauling season is really really officially over….when the car is clean.

oh….that black and white statue on the left is Mona, of course!  No electrical cord needed.

Feds Raid 6 Swift and Company

 Meatpacking Plants in Apparent

 Illegal Immigration Search

By Liza Porteus

Federal agents raided six Swift & Co. processing plants in six states on Tuesday in search of illegal immigrants who stole the identities of lawful U.S. residents and used their Social Security numbers to get jobs at the beef and pork company.

Agents from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency executed search warrants at Swift’s processing facilities in Greeley, Colo.; Grand Island, Neb.; Cactus, Texas; Hyrum, Utah; Marshalltown, Iowa; and Worthington, Minn.

Minnesota Tops List in Health Rankings

By FREDERIC J. FROMMER, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - An annual report released Tuesday put Minnesota at the top of its health rankings for the fourth straight year, while concluding that the nation’s health improved slightly.

The report by United Health Foundation, an independent, not-for-profit foundation funded by the health care company UnitedHealth Group, said Americans are 0.3 percent healthier than they were a year ago.

The report is based on factors such as personal behaviors, the environment people live and work in, decisions by public and elected officials, and the quality of medical care delivered by health professionals.

Examples include smoking, motor vehicle deaths, high school graduation rates, children in poverty, access to care and incidence of preventable disease.

Minnesota, which has held the top spot in 11 of the 17 years of the survey, was cited for, among other things, its low rate of uninsured (8.4 percent), low percentage of children in poverty (10 percent), and low infant mortality rate (5.1 deaths per 1,000 live births).

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>And I always thought we were so healthy here because the cold keeps out the riff raff.  hehhehehe  You see, a real Minnesota mom would say……get out the sled kids, I can still hang socks and underware on the clothesline

“Well Sam, it is hillarious.  I was tired the other day so I did not write the whole story.  But when the neighbor and I hauled her big 300 pound rock, it broke the dolly.  The handle would not go in all the way and could not be hooked by the pin.  Blips asked me if I wanted him to shove the handle down really tight but I said no, because then it would not fit in my car so easy. 

When I was in the mud, up over my ancles, and the dolly with rock was stuck also, I was down low trying to pull the dolly up and out of the mud.  At that very moment, the handle decided to come lose.  And because I am down so low, I am kinda ‘launched’ into the air about two feet….fly about four feet and then decend like a perfect rainbow arch into very gooey mud.  My first thought was…..yeah, Blips asked you if you wanted the handle secured and you had to say nooooooooooo!  My second thought was……geezzzzz I hope nobody saw that.  Then I started to laugh…..and I thought too bad….that would make such a nice video, maybe even get $10,000 on Funniest Home Videos.  But then…..I did the same thing again….launched myself and into the same muddy spot.  And I did it once more before I admitted that my method had to change and I pushed the dolly instead of pull. 

Just to help you appreciate rocks…..I found these rocks on Craigslist. 50 rocks for $50.  And they are the little ones about the size of your hand.  Yes, they are pretty but I can get those 50 in under 10 minutes at any constructioin sight just a few blocks from our house.  I am not sure if the picture shows….but you can go to Craigslist dot com Minneapolis and put in the search on the left….243042476

Earlier this week we finally got rain.  It has not really rained decent in 6 weeks.  So I was enjoying it but also thinking about my rocks.  Each day Mona and I walked past the surveyed lots to see if they had done away with the rocks yet.  It bothered me alot so one day I decided to save as many as I could.  I walked three rocks home on the dolly. (remember, the two front wheels broke off the dolly and it just has two back wheels now).  But then I was running out of energy so I decided to move as many as possible across the walking path (out of the surveyed area) so I could get them next spring.  I put about 6-9 (I lost count) rocks behind trees, or in weeds or behind a snow fence.  okkkkkkkkkkk we will see if they are still there next spring.  But, since it had rained….I was moving them in mud.  Really deep mud……where the mud sunk half way up to my knees.  And I fell down three times…..sort of like the three stoogies…the handle came off the dolly and I went flying and fell in the mud from head to toe.  Even my ear muffs were covered with mud.  And I did this two more times before I decided to push the dolly instead of pull it!!!!  I could not use the camera until I got home because I was afraid of it getting muddy.  But here is a picture of my feet.  See how dirty my socks are?  Those are white shoes.  And my pants legs are muddy up to my knees.  I am happy today, my neighbor and I also saved two more rocks that are ‘two people’ rocks.  I have been looking at one for a few months.  Now it is safe in the back yard!  wooooo hooooo.  The rocks we got today, we had to pry from the earth because they are now frozen.  So, I think the season is over for now.  My neighbor thinks they will not bury the rocks because they are so beautiful.  I hope she is right.