Dave called me outside tonight to see for myself. Sure enough, it was quite bright. After seeing my shadow against the house, the first thing that came to mind is that it would be a good night for shadow puppets! I took a few pictures, but the bugs were out so I cut it short. Not the greatest pic, but not too bad!

Dave also found a cool Neil Young video of the song of the same name. I chose this version because it shows footage from someones vacation to Norway, home to my ancestors. Enjoy!

Dave is quite excited that Sarah and her hubby Chris honored him by giving Holland the middle name of David. Since they were keeping it a secret until after the birth, Dave had no idea they were doing this. Needless to say, he was overjoyed at the news.

They say David means “beloved”. I am so grateful to have another beloved one in my life. Here’s a pic of the newest addition to our family.

Dave was born in Austin, and Mom hasn’t been there for probably 20 years, so they took the day to reminisce and catch Burger King’s $1.04 chicken sandwich Fourth of July special. They also wanted to catch Austin’s annual holiday celebration, formerly known as Spam Jam (apparently Hawaii copy-writed the name for their own observation of the holiday).

On their way home, Dave called me excited about the fact they were driving through a HUGE windmill farm just outside of Albert Lea. He asked me to Google it, learning it is called the Bent Tree Wind Farm, consisting of 122 windmills capable of producing 201 megawatts. I’ve never heard of it. I guess that’s what I get for staying inside……

What this also means is a HUGE gouge in the pocketbook at the gas pump. Our 12-passenger van eeks out 15 mpg tops, so saving a few pennies a gallon can mean a nice savings. Last year, we upgraded to new smartphones, and Dave found a wonderful app to help us do that. It is called Gas Buddy. It provides current gas prices from all over the country, the best part being it finds them based on your current location. By the way, Wisconsin and Illinois are NOT the states to buy gas in unless you have to.

Dave uses Gas Buddy all the time, because prices can vary by up to 10 cents or more per gallon at stations just miles apart. We take 169 from Zimmerman, through Elk River and Rogers, on our way to the cities, and we have found that on any given day, gas is priced differently in each city. The thing is, the same city is not always the cheapest, so we use it all the time to get the best prices available. He also will use it on the days when prices on on the rise, because all gas stations do not raise the price at the exact same time, so when he notices an increase, he can often find those stations who have not made the change yet. The same holds true when prices go down, so it works that way too.

Well, time to finish packing and loading up. Then the fun begins. Tennessee bound, but no children gagged.

Unfortunately….

We took him to the vet a Saturday and back to the emergency hospital on Sunday after being up with him all night. He had a UTI, several bladder stones, and a blocked urethra that made it impossible for him to pass urine. We knew he had cataracts, but the one in his left eye had gotten so bad that the vet didn’t think he could see out of it at all. Then the clincher – the x-ray they took showed a huge mass that filled his stomach area. The vet thought it was probably from his spleen or liver, but it would take more testing to know for sure. She also couldn’t tell if it was malignant or benign.

We went through all of our options, knowing that he was already getting close to his life-expectancy age as it was. Even if he were to survive surgery for the bladder stones, the mass was too large and invasive, so we made the decision we felt was best for him.

Even though Pugsly has only been a part of my life for the past four years, Dave’s family has had him since he was a puppy. It’s hard to believe how much a part of our lives he was – we are constantly looking for him in everything we do. He followed me everywhere, including to the bathroom and upstairs to the office while I worked.

Dave loved to tease him by putting spaghetti noodles on his back or a piece of meat in the toe of a shoe and watch him furiously try to get the food. Pugsly didn’t care for men very much, but he loved Dave.  I don’t think Dave realized how hard this would be for him, but we feel like we’ve lost one of our children. I guess you have to be an animal lover to appreciate that. I never used to be, but Pugsly definitely changed that.

Puglsy loved to sneak off and explore the neighborhood. So many times he would start down the driveway and one of us would call for him to come back home. He would turn to look at us, and then turn around and keep on going, usually to the neighbor’s home across the street. Pretty brave, considering that there are coyotes all around us that would love to have an evening Pugsly-snack.

A couple of years ago, when Pugsly was more spry, he decided to take off even farther. He headed toward a wooded area and got lost. We drove around looking for him – talking to neighbors and handing out our information all around the area. I asked Dave to drive up and down the nearby roads looking for him because I couldn’t stand the thought of seeing his little body on the side of the road.

I was certain that we would never see him again. Two days later, we received a phone call from one of the people we had left a card with. She saw a note up in the local store about a miniature schnauzer someone had found. The woman gave us the number of the people who had taken him in and we called.

Turns out that they lived two blocks down from us and had lost their own miniature schnauzer. Apparently, Pugsly had run into a part of the forest quite a bit from home, and was exhausted. A woman saw him and tried to get to him, but he kept trying to get away. He was finally so tired that he sat down in a hidden area, but she could hear his heavy breathing. She finally got him to go into her car. She put the note up in the store and let the couple who loved schnauzers to watch him.

A heart-felt thank you goes to all the people involved in Pugsly’s rescue that week. I cried for two days straight while he was missing, so having him back home was a huge relief and blessing. Dave made one of his special lasagnas as a thank-you to the couple who took such good care of him.

Once the heavy sadness starts to dissipate, we’ll have a lot of fond memories to talk about. Pugsly was such a sweet dog and a special part of our family. Here is a cute video from last November:

When Adam Savage, host of the popular science program “MythBusters,” posted a picture on Twitter of his automobile parked in front of his house, he let his fans know much more than that he drove a Toyota Land Cruiser.

Adam Savage, host of the popular science program “Mythbusters,” posted a picture on Twitter of his automobile parked in front of his house that was geotagged. The ICanStalkU.com Web site provides step-by-step instructions for disabling geotagging on the iPhone. Instructions on how to disable the geotagging feature of an Android phone.

Embedded in the image was a geotag, a bit of data providing the longitude and latitude of where the photo was taken. Hence, he revealed exactly where he lived. And since the accompanying text was “Now it’s off to work,” potential thieves knew he would not be at home. Security experts and privacy advocates have recently begun warning about the potential dangers of geotags, which are embedded in photos and videos taken with GPS-equipped smartphones and digital cameras.

Because the location data is not visible to the casual viewer, the concern is that many people may not realize it is there; and they could be compromising their privacy, if not their safety, when they post geotagged media online. Mr. Savage said he knew about geotags. (He should, as host of a show popular with technology followers.)

But he said he had neglected to disable the function on his iPhone before taking the picture and uploading it to Twitter. “I guess it was a lack of concern because I’m not nearly famous enough to be stalked,” he said, “and if I am, I want a raise.” Still, Mr. Savage has since turned off the geotag feature on his iPhone, and he isn’t worried about the archived photo on Twitter because he has moved to a new residence.

The article goes on to give more information about the this technology and gives a website that teaches people how to turn off the phone feature.

The Web site ICanStalkU.com provides step-by-step instructions for disabling the photo geotagging function on iPhone, BlackBerry, Android and Palm devices.

Gotta love technology! Read the full article here.

This has been a difficult last couple of days, and the number seventeen seems to the theme. First, seventeen year-old Steven Batt was killed in Owatonna on Tuesday. Then seventeen year-old Bubba Bye died on Wednesday. Even though I didn’t know either young man personally, I know people who have been touched by Bubba’s unexpected death.

This morning at 12:30 am, my daughter received a call from some teenaged friends who were in a car accident swerving to avoid a deer, not far from where Bubba’s accident occurred. We rushed there to see what we could do to help. While all three people were okay, the truck was crushed when it rolled and they all received some minor injuries.

I’m so thankful that they were okay, but I hope people, including my own children, learn to drive safely at ALL times.

Aaron Jacobson lost two friends when six people were killed in the Isanti accident back in April 2010. He was quoted as saying, “It only takes a millisecond for something to go wrong … You never know when something is going to go wrong driving a car. Stuff happens every day and its super unfortunate and it hurts down deep.”

One really sad part of this morning’s accident is that one of Bubba’s friends came over to stay the night with us for a reprieve from the sadness she had been feeling. I know that seeing the accident scene was very difficult for her.

Brianna

The irony of all of this for me is that today would have been the 17th birthday of my daughter Brianna, who died when she was nine years old back in 2002. She died in her sleep and not in an accident, but the emotions surrounding the events of her death, funeral and life afterwards remain very similar. The hours and days after her death are just a whirlwind in my mind. We had family and friends to help us with the funeral details, burial arrangements, food and cleaning, and emotional support. I received word of prayers being sent our way from around the country and even overseas. Friends helped care for my 8 other children so we could deal with everything we needed to. We had meals to eat for many days after the funeral. I found great comfort in the closeness of those around me and I was very grateful for their help and presence.

Time went on, and people went back to their own lives. The shock of her death dissipated and was replaced with deep sadness. The days went by very slowly. Then the anniversaries started. She died the day before Halloween, so Halloween is not my favorite holiday. The first Thanksgiving Day without her. First Christmas. First New Year’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Easter, Memorial Day, Fourth of July. Especially hard was her first birthday after her death. We started a tradition of going to the cemetery for cake and a party each year.

The most difficult first was the one year anniversary of her death, but I was so relieved that we were finally finished with those “Firsts.” Along the way I had many people send cards and emails letting me know that they remembered us and Brianna.

My Thoughts on How to Help Bubba’s Family and Others Who Suffer Loss

I have learned a lot about Zimmerman and the surrounding Sherburne Area in the two years I’ve lived here. I’ve met many wonderful residents, law enforcement and government officials, educators, business people, volunteer workers and religious leaders. People rally together in a crisis – they are willing to provide assistance. I’ve seen much unselfishness and charity. We see the newsworthy events that make the headlines and television broadcasts, but we don’t usually see the small things people do behind the scenes. However, I can attest that those things are much appreciated.

The Bye family, Bubba’s friends, teachers, coaches, and the community will say their goodbyes on Monday. But keep these people in your thoughts and prayers in the days, weeks, and months to come. Remember them on the special anniversaries and on just ordinary days.

Sometimes just a nod, a kind word, a pat on the back or comforting hug, can make all of the difference. Trust your feelings, your gut instincts. If one of Bubba’s loved ones comes to your mind out of the blue, give them a call and check on them. I believe that we receive divine guidance to direct us to others who may need our help.

Have you ever said, “Something told me to do that, but I didn’t listen?” Be sure to listen – don’t miss an opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life!

Today

I have every assurance that we will see Brianna again one day, and on special days like today, we are blessed to feel her near us. Yet two of my daughters still had tears in their eyes this evening as we remembered Brianna and celebrated her birthday with a cake together as a family.

I received a lovely email from one of my sisters today, letting me know that she was thinking of us. She does not know how much that means to me. The pain does lessen over time, but kind words from family and friends are very important to me, even eight years later.

Thank you so much to those who still remember our little Brianna – she is still an important part of our life!

Hi Everyone!

The holiday season is upon us and it’s time to start thinking about festivities. I have been putting together a new Christmas site called Christmas Ways.

As I am getting older, I find that the Norwegian and Swedish Christmas traditions of my family are becoming more important to me and I want to be able to share these things with my children and grandchildren. The website has been created to provide visitors information on all aspects of Christmas, including the following categories:

• Christmas Around the World
• Christmas Books
• Christmas Crafts
• Christmas Decorations
• Christmas Food
• Christmas Gifts
• Christmas Health
• Christmas Memories
• Christmas Music
• Christmas Nativities
• Christmas Parties
• Christmas Traditions
• Christmas Trees

Come take a look – it’s still in it’s beginning stages, but I am adding a few articles each day.

Please feel free to contact us with suggestions or if you would like to submit an idea or article to the new site.

You can find it at: http://www.christmasways.com

Merry Christmas!!

Well, it appears that everyone has gotten over their bouts with the Swine Flu.

Unfortunately, while I am improving, I am still frequently coughing and tired all of the time.

I am trying to complete my projects but I am behind in my Sherburne blogging.

I hope you all stay healthy!

• 102.7 temperature
• Headache
• Sore throat
• Chills
• Coughing
• Stuffy nose
• Achy muscles

Any guesses as to what she has? Classic influenza symptoms, wouldn’t you say?

I called the school to let them know. I also asked the nurse what the percentage of children out sick is. She told me that she wasn’t sure that she was allowed to give me that information and she forwarded me to the district nurse, who was not at her desk.

I would like to get an idea of how prevalent the disease is in the schools my children attend. I personally wish the school districts would post their numbers on their websites.

I would prefer that we were given more details about the local area and our current pandemic situation. The hospitals do not even test unless the patient is hospitalized, so we have know clue what the real numbers of affected people are. I know that there was a student in my son’s class who was hospitalized for Swine flu and another on the children’s bus that was.

Remember–cough in your sleeve and wash your hands!

I can’t wait to see which child is next.

Addendum:

Nadynne Dzuira, the District Nurse returned my call. She was very helpful in explaining the procedures the schools go by. She said that there are definitely H1N1 cases in our schools as well as in all of the surrounding areas, but they have been told by the epidemiologists that they do not recommend closing schools as a disease-preventing measure. Schools should function if they can, but close if there are too many students and faculty out sick.

The schools are asking parents to keep their children home until they have been symptom-free, not just fever-free, for at least 24 hours.