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jaeleslie at 07:15pm on 07/09/2003
jaeleslie at 07:15pm on 07/09/2003I was going to tell you something about Torcon. But the story goes on. Yesterday there was a box of organic vegetables again as usual, which is like the Iron Chef's challenge: this week the secret ingredient is eggplant. Then there was a family outing to the office supply store for school supplies, where we purchased the first notebooks our hands fell on as we entered the door, searched out ink cartridges and mousepads, and then later debated the relative merits of wide lines, narrow lines, how many pages, and price. Today we went on other errands.
First there was a stop at the battery store. It is surprising how many different kinds of batteries there are, and these guys had not only car batteries and laptop batteries but all kinds of tiny little watch batteries, of which we needed only two varieties as it turned out. I considered replacing the aged laptop battery, but the expense is out of line -- or I could at least recycle the one that melted its case there where I could show it off as a wonder. (Possible power supply problem? as the first replacement gave up quickly too, and the laptop got far too warm to actually hold on your lap.) (Had to mention that, I know you like to hear all that kind of techie news.)
Then we got lost for entire minutes finding our way out to Fitchburg. Or maybe the town of Oregon. It was out in the country, but the Iron Man triathlon was using Whalen Road for the bicyclists just as we were trying to find our way out to the Eplegaarden on Fitchburg Road (www.eplegaarden.com) which as it turned out was not really any closer to Fitchburg than to Verona. Fortunately I had a detailed map, and good mapreading skills.
Da Eplegaarden is very much like Da Yooper Tourist Trap in da U.P., not so big, only instead of mining stuff dey got de agricultural stuff, and da Norwegian attitude and accent, en da Ole & Lena joke drawn out at great length. Lots of dried gourds for sale, a deserted farmhouse with box elder growing out the foundation, worn out cider presses and rusted implements ranged around the barn, bright mums and painted scarecrows in readiness for de pumpkin plucking and Halloween festivities later this month. It is what we call a u-pick farm and orchard, or as dey say on de signs, u-plukk. We plucked two pints of raspberries, aldough de canes were pretty thoroughly picked over late on Sunday afternoon. Dere was a fiddler playing up de hill in de eple orchard, little kids and red wagons and weary epple pluckers coming bek to de barn. We also bought tree pounds of Viking epples and tree pounds of Paulared dat someone else had plukked, and got change from $10. But we skipped da haywagon, and da Pony Rides. (Pony rides!) Came winding back by the back roads, and saw more Iron Men on bicycles, and horsies, and dose Highland Cows! the shaggy red ones with horns.
And then there we were back on Seminole Highway. Shopped for groceries at the local supermarket, came home, started the grill and cooked steaks and chicken (with lemon pepper) and ate them with green salad and cherry tomatoes and potato salad. Then before dark picked the peaches off our peach tree, even though they still need a little ripening, so the naughty squirrels don't get any more of them. The ladybugs don't eat so much.
First there was a stop at the battery store. It is surprising how many different kinds of batteries there are, and these guys had not only car batteries and laptop batteries but all kinds of tiny little watch batteries, of which we needed only two varieties as it turned out. I considered replacing the aged laptop battery, but the expense is out of line -- or I could at least recycle the one that melted its case there where I could show it off as a wonder. (Possible power supply problem? as the first replacement gave up quickly too, and the laptop got far too warm to actually hold on your lap.) (Had to mention that, I know you like to hear all that kind of techie news.)
Then we got lost for entire minutes finding our way out to Fitchburg. Or maybe the town of Oregon. It was out in the country, but the Iron Man triathlon was using Whalen Road for the bicyclists just as we were trying to find our way out to the Eplegaarden on Fitchburg Road (www.eplegaarden.com) which as it turned out was not really any closer to Fitchburg than to Verona. Fortunately I had a detailed map, and good mapreading skills.
Da Eplegaarden is very much like Da Yooper Tourist Trap in da U.P., not so big, only instead of mining stuff dey got de agricultural stuff, and da Norwegian attitude and accent, en da Ole & Lena joke drawn out at great length. Lots of dried gourds for sale, a deserted farmhouse with box elder growing out the foundation, worn out cider presses and rusted implements ranged around the barn, bright mums and painted scarecrows in readiness for de pumpkin plucking and Halloween festivities later this month. It is what we call a u-pick farm and orchard, or as dey say on de signs, u-plukk. We plucked two pints of raspberries, aldough de canes were pretty thoroughly picked over late on Sunday afternoon. Dere was a fiddler playing up de hill in de eple orchard, little kids and red wagons and weary epple pluckers coming bek to de barn. We also bought tree pounds of Viking epples and tree pounds of Paulared dat someone else had plukked, and got change from $10. But we skipped da haywagon, and da Pony Rides. (Pony rides!) Came winding back by the back roads, and saw more Iron Men on bicycles, and horsies, and dose Highland Cows! the shaggy red ones with horns.
And then there we were back on Seminole Highway. Shopped for groceries at the local supermarket, came home, started the grill and cooked steaks and chicken (with lemon pepper) and ate them with green salad and cherry tomatoes and potato salad. Then before dark picked the peaches off our peach tree, even though they still need a little ripening, so the naughty squirrels don't get any more of them. The ladybugs don't eat so much.