Autumn: 9/28/09 to 10/10/09

Weather report for Minnesota:

It snowed last night. It's very cold and blustery today, and the tomato plants and petunias are dead as doornails. This must be a record for a short autumn season--it's scarcely two weeks since fall fell with a thud!

Most of the leaves are still on the trees and they're still green. It doesn't look like there will be any glorious fall colors this year. The leaves don't seem to have the energy to burst forth into red, bronze, gold and orange. They just curl up and turn grayish green and float listlessly to earth. They are so desiccated they crumble when you step on them.

We had a lovely summer and I enjoyed it enormously. I guess it's now time to enjoy winter.

Blog-Surfing

Sometimes, just for the heck of it, I click on "Next Blog" at the top of my blog page. It's really interesting to check out the variety of other blogs that are out there--at least to me.

Today, I found a blog called Hot Mormons with pictures of young people posing in swim suits.There's another by an ENT doctor who is taking a team to the Dominican Republic to treat kids with problems. Then I found one from Japan that I couldn't read, but it consisted of pictures of a pair of orange and white cats in casual poses. The ones of cats luxuriating in the sun made me smile. Many blogs seem to be for promoting art work or fashions, and some are family blogs strictly for the relatives.

I have been trying to blog every day until October 18th, Ms. Sparrow's 1 year anniversary and (hopefully) my 200th post. But, as I read somewhere, if you don't have anything interesting say, it's better not to post at all.

Anyway, I'm hanging in there for 9 more days and posting drivel (which I excel at) solely as a personal goal.

Granny's Brag Book

As a devoted granny, I'm compelled to show off pictures of my three great-granddaughters at every opportunity.

Tater Tot Hotdish

Feast your eyes on the Queen of Minnesota
comfort foods:
the Tater Tot Hotdish!


This is the mainstay of church suppers, social events and potlucks.

We had been wanting make a tater tot hotdish for a while, but it's such a big recipe that we waited til we had more people around to eat it. (While it may be great stuff when it comes out of the oven, it's not that great when reheated.)

My granddaughter is now attending a university in St Paul and she's often "crashing" here instead of fighting freeway traffic. So last night, we invited the neighbors over for supper . When the five of us we sat down to eat, Pat, (who is a native Minnesotan and fifty years old ) informed us he had never eaten Tater Tot Hotdish before.

Incredible! Unbelievable! Well... We sat that guy down and served him up some hotdish, and boy-oh-boy, did he love it!

So, just in case any of you have been gastronomically deprived of this delightful repast, here is the recipe:

TATER TOT HOTDISH

1. Brown 2 lbs hamburger with 1 c chopped onions and drain.
2. Add 2 cans undiluted cream soups (mushroom, chicken, celery)
3. Mix in a 10-oz pkg frozen mixed vegetables
4. Combine and spread in a 9 x 13 pan or large casserole
5. Spread a 2-lb bag of Tator Tots over the top
6. Bake uncovered at 375 for 1-1/2 to 2 hours until the Tater Tots are brown and crunchy on top.

You'll thank me later!

Things that make me smile

I find dogs dressed up for Halloween are adorable. I know that some folks think it's demeaning to the dog but this little fella doesn't seem to mind.

Last Halloween, my granddaughter invited me out to her neighborhood pet store where they were having a "cutest dog-costume" contest. She dressed her two Chihuahuas as a pirate and a vampire. Among the many competitors were a wooly little lamb and a bumblebee. The contest winner was a handsome Great Dane in a cowboy outfit.

When I googled "Halloween dog costumes", I discovered it is really big business! So, enjoy the fun while it lasts.

I personally have never had a Halloween costume. Although, once I wore a pair of Garfield Deely-Bobbers to a party. As I remarked at the time, "There really are so few functions where one can wear their Deely-Bobbers!"

The Pride of Minnesota

These are the celebrated Coen brothers from the Twin Cities suburb of St Louis Park MN. They have written, produced and directed a lot of really good movies. (One of my favorites is Fargo. Some folks thought it ridiculed the way Minnesotans talk and act, but the fact of the matter is--some of us do.) Their new movie, A Serious Man is being released this week.

Anyway, they also have done such other films as: Raising Arizona, Miller's Crossing, Burn After Reading, The Big Lebowski, O Brother Where Art Thou, and Intolerable Cruelty (among a bunch of others). The Walker Museum of Modern Art recently ran a retrospective of their films.

The suburb of St Louis Park also produced such other illustrious folks as Senator Al Franken (a former writer and performer on Saturday Night Live) and Thomas Friedman, columnist and Pulitzer Prize winning author.

Minnesota is justifiably proud of these native sons. But there is a dirty little secret behind the reason all these men came from one suburb--they are all Jewish. The "Minnesota Nice" Gentiles back in the 50's had restricted Jews from many suburbs. St Louis Park was not restricted, so the Jewish families settled there.

I have a friend by the name of Chaiya (Hiya) who grew up in St Louis Park. She said when she was born her parents also gave her the Gentile name of "Wendy" because so many people were prejudiced against Jews. All through her school years she went by Wendy, but after that, she embraced her Jewish name and has gone by Chaiya ever since.

There are a lot of good people in Minnesota. I hope that this lesson on bigotry has not been wasted on us. None of those suburbs that smugly discriminated against the Jews back in the 50's have anything to brag about today--either in producing successful progeny or in taking the high moral ground.

More turkey talk

The turkeys were back again this morning. This time, they were taking turns roosting up in the crabapple tree and eating the tiny apples. As usual, they didn't stay very long. They seem to be restless birds, always on the move. The way that all fourteen stay together makes me think they're a single brood. Mama Turkey sent them off to live on their own but they stay together for safety.

I noticed that one bigger one has a little nubbin on top of his beak and a small red flap below it. He's most certainly a male and will grow the red wattle and majestic tail (see picture).

I don't know what dangers they will be facing, but I'm afraid most of them won't survive the winter. With so much competition for food, it's going to be tough. I'd be tempted to put out food for them but it would be expensive and my neighbors would be really angry.

Much as I'd like to, I can't mother everything. Sigh...