Specken Dicken ::

Growing up we used to go to my grandparent’s house New Year’s Eve for Specken Dicken. I was pretty excited when I saw an article and corresponding video about it today. I couldn’t figure out how to embed the video. But here’s the link:
http://videos.globegazette.com/p/video?id=2718249

I found a recipe online. As a vegetarian, I’d hold the meat. But, can you even buy lard anymore??

SPECKEN DICKEN

1/2 c lard
1 c brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
2 tsp anise extract (optional-may
also use anise seeds)
1 heaping tsp baking soda
4 c whole wheat or graham flour

Add enough sour milk or buttermilk to make thin as ordinary griddle cakes. Have ready slices of bacon or smoked small sausages fried or summer sausage. Drop pieces of each on cake when on the griddle and then turn when very brown.

Thirty-something hours of travel later I arrived to Minneapolis in the middle of a snowstorm. The other flights from JFK to Minneapolis were cancelled, so I was pretty happy the flight even arrived. Although, I quickly realized flip flops might not have been the best choice in footware. 

I was greeted with signs and hugs. I don’t know if I’ve ever been so happy to get off a plane. 

We were looking at pictures and Gwen saw an African mama holding her baby on her back. We recreated it with her doll Tanara.  

Okay, we’re off to Panara and then maybe I should go buy some appropriate shoes for a foot of snow. 

done.//

today in 1950… ::

…my dad was born.  I tried calling, but I’d missed him. He’s already out for coffee. I really hope he’s having a cinnamin roll at Bill’s with his coffee…that way I can live vicariously through him. 

My dad turns 58 today. I’ve gotta tell you, he makes 58 look good. I’m pretty sure he works out more than I do, I know he reads more than I do and he’s definitely up on current events and sports more than I’ll ever be. 

Happy Birthday Pops!

done. //

where would you go? ::

My cousin Luke is 5. I was talking to my aunt tonight. He came home from school this week with a book, it was 3 pages. 

if you could drive anywhere, where would you go? Luke’s answer…Florida (he said it was to “see Katie”, he knew i didn’t live there anymore, but said “he could still go on the rides…”). 

if you could take a airplane anywhere, where would you go? Luke’s answer…Mexico

if you could take an air balloon ride, where would you go? Luke’s answer…Africa

that makes my heart smile.

does anyone have a typewriter? ::

My grandma spent years working at the Forest City Summit. She wrote the society section [I think that is what its called…].

ie. Mr. & Mrs. Jones had their daughter, Shirley, for dinner Friday night. They exchanged birthday gifts and had cake. 

She took early retirement when they wanted her to use a computer. 

I’m totally identifying with her tonight. My friend told me to get twitter. So, I did. A mix between blogging and instant messager, I’m told. I’m so confused! And then, I’m told to get another application to use it. So, I download something else so I don’t have to go the website [at funkatron.com, no less…].

On the plus side, despite my confusion, I was able to check my messages today…I got a message from a friend I haven’t talked to in months. That was exciting! So, maybe this will all be worth it…

Oh, and I have plenty to do tonight, but instead I’m spending time “twittering”.

whohoo for mail! ::

I love getting mail [and, yes, that’s kind of a hint…]. Letter are amazing because they cost 94 cents to mail and its just fun getting a hand written letter. I showed everyone the card from the now notorious Grandma Fluff earlier this week.

And then, one of the girls that was here this summer sent us a package that arrived on Monday. She included something for everyone individually. Yes, it did feel like Christmas! She taught me how to knit while she was here, and unfortunately I haven’t done it since. BUT, thanks to Taryn’s package, I now have knitting needles and an instruction book with patterns for fun stuff like sweaters [okay, the odds of me ever being good enough to knit a sweater are pretty slim!].

We sent her photos of everyone and their present…here’s me pretending I know what I’m doing.

I am determined to learn…I’ll keep you posted on my progress. If nothing else, it will help those 17 hour plane rides back to America go just a little faster…

I missed my Grandma’s 85th Birthday. She and my grandpa just went into a nursing home this week. He’s about to be 93. Here are some of my favorite memories with Grandpa and Grandma Tjarks…

Dear Grandma,

When I think about my childhood, my mind immediately jumps to spending the weekends with you and Grandpa. I looked forward to coming over to spend the night so much! I can’t believe that you both played along when I talked about how I wanted to live in a big city and asked you to play “taxi” with me. I’ll never forget you sitting in back with me, Grandpa wearing his top hat chauffeuring us around Britt. We would stop at the dime store and look around and then later you’d be so patient with me as you taught me to sew. Sorry I wasn’t such a good student! I am going to try to start to quilt again though, this time without a machine, I’ll let you know how it goes.

Do you remember when we went to the Winnebago County fair and dad [i’m just assuming it was him, because it seems like it’s something he would do–sorry pops!] locked the keys in the car. I had to have been really young because we had the car before the Tempo, and we had to all squeeze into someones car [I feel like they were random people that offered to drive us, but I could be wrong], ride home and then I had to crawl through the window in the living room to find keys to go back to the fair and drive the car home. I remember even then seeing the look on your face and knowing how ridiculous you thought the whole situation was.

I don’t know if there was a Christmas Eve service where at least some of us didn’t get the giggles. And it’s so true when they say laughter is contagious, because it would start with one of us [probably me] and pretty soon it would errupt down the entire row, most likely at the most inappropriate moment of the evening. I know you were home with Janet, but a couple years ago Grandpa spilled wax on his pants and we all lost it. Betsy, Lindsey, Erik and I were laughing so hard. We couldn’t even look at each other for the rest of the night without starting to giggle again [and yes, I did say this was just a couple years ago…]

I don’t know why, but this always cracks me up…whenever we would leave your house, Grandpa would go outside and try to get the neighbors dog all “riled up”. He would bark at it, or do whatever it took to get the dog barking. You would just laugh and tell him to stop. Oh, and for the record, a Tjarks family gathering will never be complete without Jello. I think you started that. And playing cards with those president cards you had, do you remember those? I loved those cards! And Racko [still one of my favorite games] and Othello. Othello rocked, I don’t even know if you can still buy it anymore. You and Grandpa were always so patient with us, and I’m pretty sure you always let us win.

I love you! Thanks for all the memories. And I can’t wait to see you and Grandpa in December.

Katie Jo