Go green without getting tricked...

I just read a super awesome article today called "8 Ways to Not Get Tricked While Going Green." Check it out!

Happy Halloween!

I tried to dress Asher up in a pumpkin dog costume Janet gave us for Turbo a few years ago, and he attacked it, so I went to plan B and dressed him up as Raven from Minnesota Bound. Spittin' image, isn't he?

Oh yeah, and I made a change in hair color. It's the Serena version of me (Bewitched fans know what I'm talking about). :)

Summer at Zorbaz

If you want to see what I've been up to with my life, hopefully by now you've noticed that I update my Frozen Music Studios blog much more than this one. Basically because that's about all I do... work!
But this summer I've been working on one of my life goals too... to visit each one of the Zorbaz locations. ;) Yeah, pretty lofty goal, I know.

So far I have dined at four of them: Detroit Lakes, Ottertail, Pelican Lake and Gull Lake. I also got a really groovy Zorbaz sweatshirt for my birthday, which I wear with pride. I have also brought numerous people to this fine restaurant for their first time. Man, I should be getting kick-backs for all the love I'm spreading for this place.

Happy Birthday Josh!

As many of you know, this birthday boy doesn't like cake. So... here he is with his birthday pie I made for him last night. He was thrilled about the candles. ;)

Spring is Here

I love spring time because I get to get back in the garden.  This is the third growing season at our house, and I love getting to see the perennials I have planted the past two seasons coming back and looking better than ever before.  Before the cool weather plants die back, I wanted to be sure to get some photos, so I went out last night for a few minutes.  I also got a few shots of Asher while he was chillin outside.

Don't you just love tulips?  It's sad that they don't bloom all summer.  Mine are really tall this year.  I told my dad that it's because I have "magic soil."  

Sioux Falls

Saturday morning we boarded the dogs for the first time ever and headed down to Sioux Falls, SD to visit Lynn and Rusty at their (relatively) new home. Brian and Adam rode down with us, and we met Megan and Bud and Bronson there. We had fun eating and bowling and sitting around a campfire. Here are some pics from bowling. The close-up shots were taken by Bronson with a little bit of Josh's help. ;)

Tuesday Update

Today was a snow day in Fargo-Moorhead. We got about 6 inches of new snow last night, and I'm not sure how much today. Josh and I were both off of work, and I happen to be sick, so all I've been able to do is lay in bed all day. This blog is the most "work" I've done all day, and let me tell you, it makes my head hurt. Josh found out today that we are now allowed to unplug our lower level drains and should be able to use water as normal again. Hopefully I will be feeling better soon so we can get our life put back together.

Monday Update

Today I am back at work, but Josh's work is still closed. Yesterday we needed to get out of the house for a bit and took a trip to Target. On our way, we decided to check out how the neighborhood.

Here are some homes just a couple blocks down the street from us in a newer development. The river has risen up to street level.

This is just down our street... we didn't get real close but you can see a large temporary barrier they put up around the riverfront homes, so if the river were to raise up to their level and get past the sandbag dikes, it would not spill out into the rest of the neighborhood. We also live just a block down from the County, and they had made about a 3 ft tall earthen dike around their whole building. We went in to Fargo to check out the scene, and here is a view on the only open part of 2nd St. Just past this Nat'l Guard truck and barrier is a gigantic earthen dike built by the city to protect all of downtown Fargo.We went over the Main Ave bridge, the only one open save I94, and there was a huge crowd of people gathered around to see the view.

As you can probably tell, these are all pictures taken from the car. Here is a photo of a train going over the bridge next to the Main Ave bridge. The water almost touches the tracks. When it is dry, there is a road that goes below these bridges, so you can get some idea of how high this water really is.

The water is slowly going down. It is finally below 1997's record level. Unfortunately, a blizzard has begun and we are looking at another possible 10 inches of new snow tonight and tomorrow. This makes for very bad conditions in trying to monitor the dikes and get around town. Snowplowing is at a bare minimum, so streets are terrible. There is a good chance I'll be working from home tomorrow.

Saturday Update

We're still at home... all of our belongings are all crammed onto our first floor, and we're camped out in the living room until the threat of flooding is passed. Yesterday the river only rose about a foot, and this morning it is actually starting to go down. The newest forecast from NWS makes it look like it will continue to go down through this week. There is always a possibility for another crest, but we are hopeful that the river will keep going down. So, now we're still just waiting to see what happens.

New Flood Update

The Red River has gone above 1997 flood levels tonight. They are now expecting the river to crest between 41-43 feet on Saturday sometime and stay there for at least a few days. We found this out after we spent the afternoon sandbagging at MSUM. Then we promptly began clearing out our basement and gathering emergency items in case of evacuation. South Moorhead between the river and I94 has been evacuated. Concordia College is being evacuated, as they have turned off all water. Unfortunately, with the new crest predictions, many many more people are in danger of flooding. Our stress levels are extremely high as we think about the chance that our basement may be filled with water in the next few days. All we can do now is wait.

Thursday Flood Update

As of now, the river is at 38.1 ft... the third highest it's ever been in Fargo/Moorhead's recorded history. We're still dry so far. On the way to work this morning, the water was almost up to the road a couple blocks down from our house.
Last night Josh and I decided to do some more sandbagging, so we headed out to MSUM again to get our assignment. We were bussed down to south Moorhead to add another foot onto the sandbag levee behind some rivershore properties. The river was only a few feet from reaching the dikes behind the homes. It was much different working out in the snow and cold last night than working in 55 degree weather just the day before. The sandbags were beginning to freeze up by the time they reached our line, and it felt like passing frozen turkeys. We were out until about 10:30pm.
This morning it took about 25 minutes to get to work (normally it only takes about 7) because the roads were so congested with so many bridges closed. Today there's another push for lots of volunteers to keep sandbagging and raising the dikes to 43 feet. I think tonight we'll decide what needs to be moved upstairs and make a plan for evacuation so we're ready in case the worst happens. With the information we have, we are pretty sure that our home will be OK, but we want to be prepared just in case.

Update

It's been a crazy week up here. Most of you have probably heard about the flood situation in Fargo/Moorhead on the news lately, so I figured I'd give an update on what's going on.
When we started hearing that the river could top 1997 flood levels, we were able to find on Moorhead's website what the different flood stages would look like in our neighborhood. We shouldn't have to worry about the river actually reaching our house until it gets up to 42 feet.
The river was forecast last week to crest up to 40' in F/M around April 1st. As the waters started creeping up, sandbagging started all around the city. The city of Fargo has "Sandbag U" where they've got a couple of giant machines that disperse sand into multiple sandbags at one time. So they began on Friday asking for volunteers to check in at the Fargodome, and they were bussed to Sandbag U to fill sandbags. I heard they need about 60 people at a time to keep the machines running. From there, the bags are sent by the truck load out to different parts of town that need it the most.
On Saturday, Josh and I went out to do our part to sandbag. Since we're on the Moorhead side of the river, we checked in at MSUM and were bussed out to a property just south of Moorhead. Along with about 12 other people, we arrived to a giant pile of sand in the family's driveway. Their home was right on the river. The homeowner greeted us and thanked us all for coming out to help him. Then we got to work. Josh and I took turns shoveling sand and holding the sandbags open. The two of us filled about 200 in the couple hours that we were able to be there. They needed to build a dike all around the home. In the 1997 flood, the river filled up the home's basement almost all the way to the ceiling. The previous homeowners changed the landscape to help that, but still, many sandbags were needed.
On Sunday, we bought a back-up sump pump. Ours is working fine so far, but it will be crucial to have one ready to go in case it fails. We also shoveled the huge piles of snow away from our house.
Monday my work was let out at noon so we could all go sandbagging. I spent the afternoon sandbagging in south Moorhead. All of the colleges in the area let their students out to sandbag. There were many high school students out there as well. Monday night we went to Macs to get drain plugs for our basement. The truck load came at 6pm and the store was totally packed, with a line all the way to the back. We were able to get there early, so we got out of there in about half an hour. Monday night Josh plugged all of the drains to the basement, and we realized they told us the wrong size plug for the toilet.
Tuesday morning most high schools and colleges in the area were cancelled to let students sandbag once again. My work was cancelled as well. They are now predicting the river to crest as early as Friday, up to 41 feet. Now people are scrambling to build their sandbag dikes even higher. This time I just walked down the street to another sandbagging station in my neighborhood and worked there for the morning. (Side note: It's never reassuring to see the National Guard and the Red Cross working in your neighborhood.) Then I had to go back to Macs when the next truckload came in to try to get the right size plug. I finally got the plug. Josh went to install it, but, it still was not the right size. So, used his MacGyver-like skills to make it work. For our laundry room floor drain and our toilet drain, we have plugs in there that are held tight with 2x4s attached at the ceiling. These drains are there in case the sewers back up. The 2x4s will keep the drains from exploding sewage all over the place.
This morning the river was at 35 feet. We also have recieved at least 4 inches of snow since last night. Not a good combination. Most schools are cancelled today. The roads are horrible... full of snow and very slippery. Plows aren't coming around because everyone is too busy building dikes. My work opened at 10am. I think this morning's drive has been the worst of the whole winter. Yesterday it felt really nice outside at about 55 degrees. The snow was almost totally gone. Today it's freezing and there's at least another 4 inches. We're supposed to get up to 8 inches by this afternoon.

So... we are still dry so far. In order to stay dry, we need our sump pump to keep working, we need the sewers not to back up, and we need the river to stay under 42 feet.

I'll try to keep some updates going as the week progresses.

Fun at the Dog Park

This weekend we took the dogs to the Moorhead Dog Park. Asher loves going there, especially when he gets to play frisbee. It was freezing cold outside, as usual, but he got to run back and forth chasing his frisbee til our faces felt like they were going to freeze off.

Painting Back!

On Monday night we got a special delivery: our painting! It's been hanging in the Plains Art Museum since the beginning of fall, so we were happy when Mitch brought it back home for us. Now we can enjoy it once again. If you haven't seen it, invite yourself over some time. ;)

Tablescapes

This weekend I took part in Tablescapes, a fundraiser brunch put on by the women of my church.  Pam and I decorated and hosted a "Holly and Ivy" themed table.  Our table turned out gorgeous (thanks to all of Pam's pretty things) and there was a good turnout at the event.  Josh was a good sport and joined us for the brunch too!

Valentine's Day

On Saturday we started off our Valentine's Day at the annual Kiwanis Pancake Carnival at the Fargodome. Brian had some tickets and invited us, so we got to experience the ridiculousness of the pancake feed. They were trying to set a world record for number of pancakes served in 8 hours, but they fell a little short of last year's record due to slower cooking grills. Oh well.

Then we headed over to the Plains Art Museum to take a pic of our painting hanging on the wall. It's coming home to us soon!

We had a lovely dinner at Paradiso, and then came home and watched "Nights in Rodanthe." Note: That movie is depressing. I think Nicholas Sparks likes to be cruel.

It was very nice to have Valentine's Day on a Saturday! :)

Painting

It's been a few years (so sad!) but I finally started painting again.  And I don't mean the walls!  I've painted enough of those.

Here's my entry to the painting world once again.

And here's the process:

And the end result:

Living Room Update

We finally got around to painting our living room, and I think it looks wonderful.  The walls are a little bare yet, because we're still deciding what to put there.  Here are a couple of pics for your enjoyment. :)

Happy Inauguration Day!

Did you all get to watch the inauguration today? I watched it on my computer... the streaming wasn't the best, but I have no TV in my office so that's the best I could get!

Personal highlights:
- Michelle Obama's outfit
- Aretha Franklin's sweet hat
- Rick Warren was NOT wearing a hawaiian shirt (the Bible study ladies will understand)
- All those thousands of flags waving in the crowd
- End of the Bush administration
- Michelle Obama's face as the President was taking the oath
- The President's inaugural address

Here's another cool tidbit I found out... the White House's website has been changed, and it's pretty sweet now so you should check it out: http://www.whitehouse.gov/

New addiction

If you have never heard of Etsy, you are in for a real treat. This is the mother-load of awesomeness. I just "discovered" this website earlier this year, and they have all kinds of fantastic items... tons of new stuff every day. So... check it out: http://www.etsy.com

All that crisp clean air...

So what if the temps are mind-numbingly cold. 55 below zero wind chill? No problem.

I just read an article (this is where Josh rolls his eyes... I start many conversations with that line) from Women's Health online saying that Fargo is a great place to live for women. (I don't know why it's not as much for men... it didn't elaborate on that.)

You can check out the article here.

Yay for Fargo!

P.S. Minneapolis was rated in the top 10 for both men and women.

Sacre bleu!

When I read the headline to this article today, I thought to myself, "You've got to be kidding me!"

Now, I was sure that I must have been hallucinating when Fargo banned smoking from every public building except in totally closed off spaces (not just those ridiculous half-wall dividers like at Perkins). Then I was sure I was in a time warp when the entire state of MN banned smoking in public places INCLUDING bars. Now the outdoors is the only "smoking section."

And you know what, I am totally elated with these new laws. No longer do I need to worry about coming home smelling like an ashtray when I go out with friends to a bar or a bowling alley.

But, something must have froze over, because of all places in the world, PARIS (yes... Paris, France!) also has a smoking ban in public places.

We truly must be in the modern era.

Third-Hand Smoke

Hello blogland friends, sorry I haven't been super attentive to this blog. A lot has happened since November 25th that has used up most of my attention.
Anyway, I like to blog about things that matter... at least sometimes.
I saw an article today that really caught my eye. Let's not get into the whole "rights" issue of smoking in public places, but I wanted to share some information to get you thinking next time you are in denial that smoking cigarettes is harmful to anyone but yourself.


Third-Hand Smoke is a First-Class Problem
What's lurking in your clothes, hair, carpets, and drapes long after a smoker leaves the room? Third-hand smoke—a film of chemicals and carcinogens.
By Coeli Carr for MSN Health & Fitness

The unpleasant residual odor of a smoked cigarette is nothing new. Ask anyone who's returned from a party with the scent of stale cigarettes in their hair and clothing. Now, a study has confirmed what many have suspected. Third-hand smoke—the contamination from particles in smoke that linger long after a cigarette has been snuffed out—is more than unpleasant. It's a health threat.
In this month's issue of the journal Pediatrics, researchers at MassGeneral Hospital for Children, in Boston, coined the term "third-hand smoke" to describe the toxic particles that remain after visible smoke is gone, and which pose an especially great risk to infants and children who inhale them.
"People react to how bad smoke smells on their hair and clothes, but don't realize they could get sick from the smell," says Angela Stotts, M.D., professor of family medicine at Houston's University of Texas Health Science Center, who is conducing ongoing research on second-hand smoke. "A lot of parents think that if they smoke at home when their children aren't around, their children are safe." Although ventilation will help smoke dissipate, the particles simply embed themselves on furniture, carpets and other surfaces.
Stuart Abramson, M.D., a pediatric immunologist at Texas Children's Hospital, also in Houston, says that cigarette smoke contains about 4,000 chemicals and a sizable number of carcinogens and contaminants, including benzene, butane and hydrogen cyanide.
"If children are in a room where people are smoking, the dose of these contaminants is high," says Abramson. And, he says, when the particles land and embed themselves on objects in the home, you have the risk of children receiving chronic exposure to these contaminants. "It may be as simple as an infant, being held, inhaling and touching toxins from a smoking parent's clothing. Both high doses and chronic exposure are harmful to children," says Abramson. Stotts believes chronic exposure over long periods of time has the most damaging effect.
Alan Greene, M.D., clinical professor of pediatrics at Stanford University and the author of Raising Baby Green (Jossey-Bass, 2007), says that, in addition to cancer risks, the neurotoxins in these particles may affect brain development.
What can parents who smoke do to protect their children from third-hand smoke?
The best approach, says Abramson, is to use the "precautionary principle," which is to avoid any exposure that has the potential of causing harm. He says parents who smoke should try to quit, or smoke only outside the home. Stotts advises that the car should also be a smoke-free zone.
Greene suggests filling the home with green plants, to freshen the air, and applying fresh coats of low-VOC paint to walls that may be full of residual contaminants.
And that old sofa with years of embedded smoke-related toxins? "Ideally, you should get rid of it," says Stotts. "If that's not possible, you can do a really good job of cleaning it, but scrubbing is no guarantee."
Another nose—preferably that of a non-smoker—may be helpful. "Many people who are chronic smokers have an impaired sense of smell," says Abramson.