greerz

New blog location

2007-09-07T07:42:00.000-07:00

We have moved. Click here for greerz: Chapter 2.

Mid-life crises

2007-03-22T15:17:00.000-07:00

POSTED BY TODD:

At David's request, I am posting this picture. At age 76 years and 10 months, David apparently reached his mid-life crisis point. This could work out well for me. I expect my mid-life crisis within the next few years, at which time I might be able to continue my habit of buying David's used vehicles.

New Blogger: New Problems

2007-02-22T23:52:00.000-08:00

Posted by Todd:

Melinda accidently migrated us over to "New Blogger." The sign in page at "Old Blogger" basically tries to trick you into thinking that you have no choice. My brother accidently migrated our family blog, and I had to work to avoid migrating my personal blog for a long time prior to this week. It was inevitable, though.

Anyway, when Melinda migrated this blog, she used my email address and password. As a result, the profiles for my personal blog and this blog are, for the moment, linked. In other words, you will notice that the family picture is gone here (for now). It is because I deleted it while editing my personal blog (not knowing that it would have consequences here). For now, both this blog's and my personal blog's profile is "greerz" with no picture. More importantly, I assume everyone else is shut-out from access. In short, Technical Support is aware of the problem and is working on a solution.

(i.e., Karl: Help! toddcpearson@gmail.com)

A Grand Day

2007-02-21T07:44:00.000-08:00

By Melinda:

The kids were out of school on Monday for President's Day so I took them to the Grand Lodge waterpark in Bloomington. It was packed, but we had a ball. Ella loved the giant waterslides. Cole loved the wave pool. We floated around and around in the river until Ella fell asleep in the innertube. Perhaps one of the finest days we have ever had.

Three Inches of Flour

2007-02-21T07:41:00.000-08:00

By Melinda:

Sunday Ella was helping her Dad build me a footstool for use at my craft table. Ella was measuring, marking, reading information back to Todd, etc., while Cole and I were in the kitchen baking a cake in our newly installed (and apparently functioning) oven. When Ella joined us in the kitchen I asked if she wanted to help bake the cake. She said yes with great enthusiasm. I told her she could measure the flour. Ella replied: "Great, I'll go get the tape measure." She cracks me up!

She's Scaring Me

2007-02-13T05:33:00.000-08:00

By Melinda:

Last night I was cleaning out Ella's backpack and I found a piece of paper with Ella's name written in cursive several times. Her friend Brooke's name was also on the piece of paper, so I asked "Ella, did Brooke write your name in cursive for you?" Ella responded "No, I did that on the bus." Greeting everything Ella has to say with a healthy skepticism, Todd (moving the first piece of paper to the other side of the kitchen) says: "Ok, show Mom on a new piece of paper how you write your name in cursive." She sat down and promptly did. She then tried, with less success, to write someone else's name in cursive.

We can now add writing cursive to the list of things Ella has taught herself: reading, tying shoes, memorizing her home phone number, etc.

What am I, nuts?

2007-02-07T10:26:00.000-08:00

By Melinda:

Since the day we moved into our home four years ago I have been devoted to perserving the quality of life in our lakeside village. Taking the long-term view and setting aside what the short-term cost to my family will be I volunteered to serve on the City of Wayzata Citizen's Task Force that will rewrite the City's Comprehensive Plan. This is a very powerful document that will have a profound impact on the direction development will take in our town in the next 10 years. The Mayor called last week and asked me to serve on the Task Force. I readily agreed. Last night at the City Council meeting at which the appointment of the eight of us who will serve on the Task Force was confirmed, I learned that many citizens were competing for those spots, including one neighbor who told me that she was "very jealous" of my appointment. It sounds like we have a lot of work ahead of us, with a projected completion date of March 2008. I'm sure it will also be a difficult process as there are many conflicting views in town over the direction our lakeside village should take. I hope I am up to the job.

Cole Dracula

2007-02-06T09:26:00.000-08:00

By Melinda:

Cole has now lost his two upper front teeth. He looks a bit like Dracula. I'll post a picture when I get them downloaded.

Golden Retrievers Rule!

2007-02-06T09:25:00.000-08:00

By Melinda:

Just in case you hadn't figured this one out for yourself, Golden Retrievers are way easier to train than my lovely but slightly dopey Borzoi.

Here a cold, there a cold, everywhere a cold, cold!

2007-02-06T09:18:00.000-08:00

By Melinda

Cole woke up last week with his first cold in 4 years. Having his superhuman immune system, he skimmed along the top of that cold. Ella came down with it on Friday night -- crawling into our bed in the middle of the night to share the joy of a sleepless night. It hit Todd hard yesterday. Thanks to the use of Airborne (TM) I am still skimming along the top of this cold with just a bit of a runny nose and a little coughing, despite wiping many a nose in the past week (not Todd's for the record).

And speaking of cold, it is COLD here. Scarlett is none too pleased with the weather. She requires adult supervision to ensure she actually leaves the front step to take care of her business. Who thought it would be a good idea to own a Whippet in Minnesota?

Orange, Orange Everywhere

2007-02-02T10:51:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday night Cole participated in the belt promotion at Mask Karate and earned his orange belt. He was the only panelist "going for the orange" so he had to do a number of forms by himself in front of the 20-25 people present. He did a great job and we are most proud of him!

Night Sledding

2007-01-26T19:59:00.000-08:00

By Melinda:

We just returned from our second Friday night "Night Sledding." The run was even better than before, extending about twice as far now that snow has worked its way across the previously plowed path through the park. There were about 30 people ice skating at the park tonight, but we were the only ones on the sledding hill. It was a windy but beautiful night.

I have no pictures to post, but they actually would look a lot like our New Year's Day pictures except it was just the four of us, it was dark and our sleds were much smaller.

Pecan Pie

2007-01-25T19:38:00.000-08:00

By Mom
Pecan Pie
3 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted (not margarine)
1 cup dark corn syrup
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup chopped pecans
9 inch unbaked pie shell
Whole pecan halves for top of pie

Beat eggs well. Beat in sugar. Add butter, corn syrup, salt and chopped pecans and stir to combine . Pour into pie shell and arrange pecan halves over the top of the pie.
Bake at 350 degrees fir 45 minutes or until firm. Do not double the recipe.

Hello. Is anybody out there?

2007-01-25T08:20:00.000-08:00

By Melinda:

Anybody, anybody at all?

Mom, could you also post how you cook your pork roast with sauerkraut? Thanks.

Marty - care to share your method of how you prepare chicken stock and beef stock?

The Geek Squad Rules!

2007-01-24T10:45:00.000-08:00

By Melinda:

Karl, I thought you might get a kick out of knowing that every time we drive by a Geek Squad car Ella gets very excited.

Pecan Pie

2007-01-23T12:41:00.000-08:00

By Melinda:

Mom, would you please post your fabulous pecan pie recipe on the blog for us? Thanks!

Eavesdropping

2007-01-22T03:44:00.000-08:00

By Melinda:

About a year ago I overheard the following conversation between our children:

Cole: "Ella, let's play war."
Ella: "Ok. How does my hair look?"
Cole: "Good. Here's your gun."

A Busy Semester

2007-01-21T19:42:00.000-08:00

By Melinda:

Although we generally try to keep life pretty low key, we've bit off a lot this spring semester. Monday: karate for Cole; Tuesday: gymnastics for Ella; Wednesday: obedience for Melinda & Fenton (query -- who do you think is truly the trainer vs. the trainee in this scenario?); Thursday: karate for Cole and gymnastics for Ella; Saturday: pilates for Melinda; ballet for Ella; acting class for Cole (who is probably the last person in the world who needs acting classes). Then there's that work and school thing too. By the time we come up for air it should be spring here in Minnesota.

Post-Party Recovery

2007-01-21T19:36:00.000-08:00

By Melinda
I'm sorry you beat me to the post Mom. We had a wonderful time at your suprise, surprise, surprise birthday party. What a joy it was that so many of us could be together for that special day. It has taken us a week, but I think we are all caught up on our sleep and back in the groove.

Ok, and Aunt Marty is right, this one is hilarious.

75th Birthday

2007-01-17T19:07:00.000-08:00

TO ALL MY FAMILY,
I wish to thank all of my family for making my 75th birthday such a special occasion. Made it less painful to realize that I had reached 3/4 of a century and it certainly does not seem possible.
Thanks to each of the girls for being present and for the grandchildren that could be here. We enjoyed all of you. Also a special thanks to Dan, Rob, and Todd for sharing their wives and children with us.
The open house on Saturday afternoon was the frosting on the cake and I must say pulled off with no suspicion on my part that anything was about to happen. I was really caught off guard. Your Dad had mentioned at one point he thought he would have an open house for me and I told him I did not want to make a big deal out of my birthday so I thought that was the end of that thought.
Thanks again to all my family and to Dave for many days of wonderful celebrating with our loved ones.
Mom

Happy New Year from Minnesota

2007-01-02T08:36:00.000-08:00

< <
POSTED BY TODD:

For us, 2007 got off to a great start. Yesterday, perhaps the most perfect winter day ever (sunny and relatively mild, and with 6 inches of pristine new snow), the Larsens came over and we headed to the local sledding slope in Wayzata. When we arrived, we were the only ones (and the first ones) there, but we eventually created a slick, fast track with a jump at the end. Everyone participated and we all had a great time. Ella (who probably had the fastest sled) persevered after hitting the same tree during the first 2 runs, which caused her mother to laugh hysterically and rue the fact that the video camera wasn't running. (Okay, we all laughed hard.) After a while, a young boy appeared and started sledding by himself on an adjacent hill while his father sat in the car and read a book. We invited him to join us and, as it turned out, he was a friend of Cole's from school. Cole's friend had an extra big sled that allowed up to 4 people to make runs down the hill together. After about an hour, we were all exhausted and headed back to our house for hot chocolate, some food, and a game of "Apples to Apples." Melinda and the kids then watched a movie in front of a fire, while Todd watched USC beat up Michigan in the Rose Bowl.

P.S. We have since been night sledding at this park on Todd's new Mountain Boy sled (purchased before the anti-consumer moratorium). It was a blast!

New Year 2007

2007-01-01T19:10:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!
I made the decision to post something on our family blog since the last posting was dated July 1, 2006.

I have enjoyed our blog and hope that all members of the family can contribute during the year of 2007. You all live very busy lives, but it only takes a couple of minutes to share some high light in your lives. I still check the blog probably once a day even though nothing new has appeared.

Wishing you all good health and success this coming year in your jobs, schools, and all your activities.

We love all of you and each and every one of you are most welcome to our home any time you can make it.

Mom

2006-07-01T21:28:00.000-07:00

Well, it is official - I have been credited with winning the court case for the defendant in the trial I testified as an expert witness in. The attorney read the decision on the phone to me today and it was very interesting how this whole legal system thing works. I don't know how you can tell what witness makes the case swing to one side of the other, but that is what she told me.

I just don't want to get a reputation as a veterinarian-basher, not yet anyway.

Now to send a bill for my services:) Guess you get feel better about charging when you win .
Marty

Brush with police

2006-06-29T12:36:00.000-07:00

Ella had her first encounter with the police today and, well, she lied to them.

Our summer nanny took the kids to the library and, after getting Ella started on a video learning game, went over to the desk with Cole to sign him up for a book club. When she came back, Ella was gone. After a frantic search throughout the library (which is on the second floor of the Ridgedale government center), they headed out the library only to find Ella walking back with 2 police officers. They had arrived at the building to testify at a court hearing and found Ella by herself outside on the sidewalk. When asked what she was doing, she said "my Mom dropped me off here." The officers then asked Ella her phone number and, through a reverse number lookup, were eventually able to track down Melinda at work. Melinda then told the officers to look upstairs in the library.

Melinda called me while I was at lunch with some friends to tell me about all of this. When I reported the story to my friends, one of them said "you've got a wanderer; this won't be the last time" He said that his daughter started wandering at 4 years old, the first time taking an uncashed check, endorsing it in crayon, and walking 2 blocks to a store to try to use it to buy candy.

Melinda thinks that Nancy is just going to laugh when she hears this story. Apparently Melinda was a wanderer, and search parties were often required to track her down in stores, etc.

I feel bad for the nanny. Ella has never done anything like that before. We allow her to play in the yard without constant supervision and I would never imagine that she would walk away. I am sure that the nanny was panic stricken in those minutes during which they could not find her.

Name that vet

2006-06-12T06:45:00.000-07:00

Graduation

2006-05-28T15:20:00.000-07:00

CONGRATULATIONS BETH!!!!
Beth you have worked very hard the last four years. Awards night and graduation reaped the rewards of all of your efforts. You were in the National Honor Society and the top ten percent of your class and earned the Honor's Diploma and Peer Support Counselor Scholarship, plus several other scholarships.
We are very proud of you for all of your accomplishments. Keep up the good work as you enter your next chapter of life.

Grandma and Grandpa

back in Swansea

2006-05-01T17:51:00.000-07:00

Hello all-
Well we have now been back in Swansea for a week after our crazy 4 week spring break. We started in Egypt for a week then went to Cork, Ireland-Dublin and then on to Germany where we visited Rudesheim, a city Karl and I went to in 2002 when we traveled to Germany with our school group. Then to Fussen so we could see Neuschwanstein castle again and a first time for Jenny. Then Paris, Madrid, Spain and then lastely Torrevieja-Coasta Blanca, Spain where we rented an apartment and it ended up being cheaper than staying in a hostel!! Since being back I have written one essay that only leaves one German assignment and an essay for my Hollywood class and two weeks of class! Then off on another European adventure with Mom, Dad, Grandma Griffiths, and Karl and then back home!
Have a great week,
Katy

Oh and P.S. I have updated my picture link and will continue to do so in the next few days!

update from 2nd week of April trapsing across Europe

2006-04-08T13:16:00.000-07:00

hi - I will just post the e mails we got today from Katy (about her upcoming job) and Karl (about the trip) and their traveling companion, Jenny about the trip.
Karl:Hi,Well we're in Rudesheim now. We took the train up here yesterday from Baden-Baden where our flight landed, that wasn't as expensive as we expected and faster too so that was nice. We're spending 3 nights here, maybe more though and then moving on, possibly by train. We might go down south to see Neuschwanstein, but we're not sure yet, we have to check times and prices. Then we're probably going to Spain, and maybe Italy and we may go back to Ireland near the end of break. Just thought I would let you know what's going on and where we are. We found fairly cheap internet here but we're only spending a little while then going to explore the city more. We're going to try and find somplace to call and we'll let you know when if we can. Hope all is well at home with the puppies and lambs. Let us know how its going.LoveKarl

Katy:
Here is what I will be researching at Oshkosh for the summer
Von: Shelly Michalski [mailto:michalsk@uwosh.edu]Gesendet: Do 4/6/2006 20:02An: Griffiths, KathrynBetreff:
Hi Kathryn!Ready for the summer? We're glad to have you aboard in the Michalskilab. You'll be working on a disease called lymphatic filariasis. Inparticular, you will be isolating RNA from the nematode parasitesthat cause it and hopefully getting microarray data from it.For more info, click here (go to the bottom of the page andclick on the mosquito)Let me know if you have any questions,Dr. Michalski--Shelly Michalski, M.S., Ph.D.Assistant ProfessorUniversity of Wisconsin OshkoshDepartment of Biology and Microbiology800 Algoma BoulevardOshkosh, WI 54901e mail: michalsk@uwosh.eduphone: 920-424-7082fax: 920-424-1101http://www.uwosh.edu/faculty_staff/michalsk/

Jenny: hi mom! thought I would let you know that I made it to germany! we flew in yesterday morning and then took the train to rudesheim. the city is gorgeous and it is warm! i don't even need to wear a jacket! our hostel is situated on a large hill overlooking vineyards. this is definitely wine country- mom you would love it. today we hope to explore a little bit, possibly take cable cars up to a statue, maybe a cruise on the rhein. there is also a wine tasting place somewhere we hope to see, and a wine museum. last night in the hostel we met an american couple that was on vacation with their 4 kids. they were backpacking and making up as they went, which was different, especially for a family. they were cool though. the hostel is really nice actually, and they have nice showers and breakfast! we also have a room to ourselves, at least for now. that hostel card came in handy- apparently we would have had to pay extra without it! so thanks! that's about it for now, i can't type very quickly because this keyboard is oddly set up. talk to you soon! love, jenny

WARD 8/95-3/06

2006-03-27T20:14:00.000-08:00

Ward our first service dog puppy was a great joy in our life fot the 13 months he was in our care. We know that Miah's family appreciated Ward and he had a very rewarding life
Ward died 3/23/2006 after being diagnosed with cancer. He was our first of 4 pups we have raised so far.
Marty and Ward had a special bond.
Ward was a special dog.
Hopefully there is an afterlife for him to enjoy.

DAN

2006-03-25T13:50:00.000-08:00

Hi,(From Karl)Well we're in Egypt and checked into our hotel. We got here safely, if not interestingly. We are still having trouble adjusting to the cultural differences but English is widely spoken here and its not too bad. We just had supper and it wasn't too bad, and not too expensive either. We're getting things figured out and hopefully our week won't be too bad. The pool looks really nice so we will probably spend some time down there tomorrow. We can see the pyramids and there is a place on the roof of the main building that you can stand and watch the sunset behind the pyramids, its really neat. Right now we're just waiting for Adam, Jeff and Sara to get here, they should be here shortly and then we can figure out what we're doing from there.

And now from Katy-so the trip was a bit confusing. We flew Swiss airlines so everything was in English as well as German so Karl and I had a little understanding of that. Our first flight left London and then we connected in Zurich and thought we were going to miss our connection because there was only a 45 minute window and the first plane got in 10 minutes late and then the line to go through security was like a bizzilion people long. We did make it though and were not the last people on because a lot people were making the same connection that we were. We landed in Cairo and after getting off the plane all signs were in Eglish as well as Aribic it was still a bit confusing though because we had to buy stamps for our visa's before going through "passport inspection" no problems there. Got a cab which brought us to the hotel and they drive like crazies here. Our driver spoke English very well and was telling us that the traffic laws are in each drivers head. I discovered that lanes are more of a suggestion than any thing else and if you don't want to drive in them well then I guess you just don't. We do of course want to go to the Pyramids, the Sphinx, Egyptian Museum and then who knows. Getting there and back should be intersting. I suggested walking, but Karl did not think that was such a good idea so after the other Riponites arrive we will work out the days that lie ahead. I hope you are all well. Jenny did you make it to Liz's alive? I hope your family has a blast and that the toe is doing better! The internet here is actually very expensive it breaks down to about $1 a minute! So I am not sure how much communication we will be able to allow for. Once we are back in the UK though there are rather cheap internet cafes so more will follow. OK then that is all for me-tomorrow I plan to sit by the pool in the 90 degree weather with my sunscreen of course and enjoy knowing that it will not rain on me in 2 minutes. Bye for now!! =)Katy and Karl

Spring Break

2006-03-24T00:51:00.000-08:00

Hi all,
Sorry this is so last minute and we didn't have time to send out individual e-mails but we've been really busy getting all our stuff done here. We're leaving in a couple hours to catch our bus to London. From there we fly out early Saturday morning for Egypt where we will stay for a week. After that we're going to Ireland, then to Germany and then we aren't quite sure what we're doing but we're plannning on Italy, Spain and probably Paris. We don't know how much internet access we'll have but we'll try to keep you posted and keep checking for new pictures as we'll post them as often as possible.
Grandpa, I'm glad to hear your knee is feeling better and that you can get back out on the golf course and I'm glad to hear the redecorating is coming together so well.
Karl

Snow

2006-03-21T09:36:00.000-08:00

I should be studying but I thought I'd check the blog first.
We got into Omaha late Friday night (actually early Sat. AM). Chris drove about half the way. The weather was good all the way here.
It started snowing Sunday morning and has been snowing on and off since. Fortunately it has been warm enough that the streets aren't to bad. Just a lot of slush. I think there has been about 10 inches of snow, but it's hard to tell since a lot of it has melted right away. School was cancelled yesterday and today, which surprised us since the roads weren't bad.
We are hoping to head home tomorrow but will need to see in the morning. The interstate is closed still this morning between Lincoln and York so we'll have to see in the morning. Chris really wants to get back tomorrow because he has plans with friends, but I told him that obviously we weren't going if the interstate was still closed.
Melinda, I thought about you yesterday when we had lunch at Romeos. It was very good as usual.
We'll let people know when we get home.
Barb

Update from Arizone

2006-03-12T06:21:00.000-08:00

After four plus weeks of living in chaos, we have arrived at some semblance of order. The painter left at about 1 PM Saturday having finished his work. The Plantation shutters were installed Thursday. The designer will be here Monday morning to hang pictures, set things around and rearrange furniture. By tomorrow we should have a bright new look. The office is still a mess and the chore of reconnecting the computer and all the electronic equipment remains. Hopefull all of that will be resolved today. The wood for the Arizone room floor should be in in two or three weeks. When we get that installed we will be done.

On another subject, after a record 143 days with no rain, yesterday we received 1.1 inches here with larger amounts in other parts of the valley.

2006-03-11T13:42:00.000-08:00

New Look

2006-03-01T17:58:00.000-08:00

Hey all,
I'm working on the blog a little bit to try and fix the problem with the sidebar not showing up at the top of the page so the blog's look may be changing a little bit here and there until I get it fixed.
Karl

Big Update from Wales

2006-02-27T09:33:00.000-08:00

Well, sorry its been so long since we posted last but we've been pretty busy over here. As Katy said, last weekend we went to London to visit friends and then this weekend some of them came to visit us and we had a blast both weekends. We got to see quite a bit in London and discovered quite a bit in Swansea here in the process of showing our guests around. I've got lots of pictures from both weekends and some other various pictures that I've updated. I put links for both mine and Katy's pictures in the Links column on the page.
School is going fairly well, I had two assignments to do last week and struggled through both of them but I think I did alright in the end, but we'll find out in a little while. Also as Katy said we booked our trip to Egypt and we couldn't be more excited about it, its going to be a great week of adventure and we're in the process of planning our remaining three weeks of freedom.
Hope all is well stateside,
Karl

London

2006-02-27T03:26:00.000-08:00

Hello,Last weekend Jenny and Karl and I set off for London on Friday. We went to visit some fellow Ripon students who are doing a program there for half of the semester and the second half will be in Florence. They took us to the tower of London where we had a tour by a Beefeater and even got our picture taken with him. We saw the crown jewels and of course got rained on a little bit. We also played a lot of games such as cribbage because on Sunday we were all tired and it rained all day. Sunday night very late we got on the bus to come home to Swansea, it is a four hour bus ride and we had a great trip. Then this weekend a few of the Ripon students and another student on the program who is orginally from Madison but goes to college at St. Olaf came to visit us. We made a big pasta dinner on Friday with salad and bread which was a bit of a challenge in our tiny kitchen and we have no oven. Jenny and I were clever and decided to make Rice Krispie treats with M&M's in them. Saturday we went to the Gower which is a great spot along the shore and it takes less than an hour and 4 pounds to get there. It was of course windy but still rather warm. Sunday we went to Joe's ice cream which is a great little shop that Ripon students who came here before told us we should go to. Then took the visitors back to the bus station waved good bye and there ends another week in Swansea. I handed in my first of two German assignments last week and will hopefully get it back this week. I am currently working on applications for summer biology research positions and hope to get one so I can gain experince in research, build my resume and earn some money. Things are going well here and the semester is passing very quickly. Karl and I just last night booked the first week of our four week break and we will be flying to Egypt with two other Ripon students and staying there and then back to London to meet up with Jenny who will be spending that week with her parents and sister. The rest of the three weeks are still in planning.Hope all is well at homeany thing new and exciting?KatyP.S. here is my picture link again and there are new pics on it http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/katyspicsspring2006/

Progress report

2006-02-19T12:34:00.000-08:00

The master bedroom and bath are painted. Tuesday he will start in the guest room and bath. We don't know where he will go from there, probably down the hall into the living/dining area. Following that he will do the Arizona room, kitchen and powder room, doing the office last.

Except:
a) The shutters will not be in for two or three weeks.
b) No pictures hung until everything is painted.
c) The wooden floor material will not be in until early April, so that will have to wait.

When it is all done we will try to post some pictures.

Feb 17 in Wisconsin

2006-02-19T10:22:00.000-08:00

Hi - well we are holed up in the very very bitter cold with about 12 inches of snow and a new baby calf to boot. I have done nothing but study and work. School this semester is brutal. I had no idea the concepts would be so difficult to grasp. After all it isn't rocket science now is it? But the laws from 1536 leave something to be desired.
Seattle turned 5 this week. So I have included some of the pictures we took on her birthday.
Looking forward to more postings. Love Marty and dan

Marathon

2006-02-12T18:00:00.000-08:00

who
We are sorry to be so late in posting pictures of the P. F. Chang Marathon that Todd and Melinda participated in while visiting us in January. Todd ran the Marathon in memory of his secretary that had just died of lung cancer and left a very generous memorial in her name.
We want everyone to know that the children did get to see both Mom and Dad start their races and then to get to the finish lines and see them come in. They were very good little troopers all day and it had to be a very long boring day for them.
Dave and I were also glad to be a part of this special day. I am sure it brought back memories for Dave and he said you could feel the excitment of it in the air.
We were proud of the whole Greer/Pearson family for their efforts.
Thanks Todd for all your patience and help in waling me through this step by step.
Mom and Dad

2006-02-12T15:56:00.000-08:00

Well, Katy pretty much explained the trip pretty well so I won't reitterate too much. I have also updated my pics from the trip so be sure to check them out for the full effect.
My classes have going pretty well too, not too much homework yet but we're getting into things pretty quickly so I may actually have some homework to do pretty soon.
We're planning some trips right now and it looks like our next one will be pretty soon to visit some fellow Riponites in London for a weekend so we're really looking forward to that. Other than that there isn't really too much to report from here other than that we're doing alright and not too many complaints.
Miss you all.
Karl

Stonehenge

2006-02-12T13:24:00.000-08:00

Hello all,
Just a quick update. Yesterday we took a trip through the American Studies office to Avebury and Stonehenge both places that had huge stone arrangements erected for a still undetermined reason. It was cold, but still a good trip. Classes are going well I only have class on Tuesdays and Thursdays which is a nice break since I was soooo busy last semester. I updated my picture website today too so go there for the Stonehenge pictures.

Hope all is well,
Katy

2006-01-29T11:01:00.000-08:00

Well we've finished our first class here at Swansea and have a paper due on the 9th of Feb, and we start our regular classes on Monday. We've gone on a couple more field trips since the last post and I have more pics up from both of them. Life is going pretty well here so far, we're getting into the swing of things and our class schedules are coming together well. Katy and Jenny have had a little trouble registering for a couple of there classes but hopefully they'll turn out all right.
We made our first trip into downtown Swansea on our own last week for groceries, etc. We walked from campus and took a round about way and got to see bit of town and got some local food for lunch. We caught a taxi back from the store and all went pretty well and we got stocked up on food so we should be alright for a little while now.
I'm off to get some supper at "The Greasy Spoon" as the local students call it.
Karl

Race pictures

2006-01-27T11:06:00.000-08:00

Here are pictures of Melinda and me crossing our respective finish lines. Melinda had a "chip time" of 3:16. The "gun time" is reflected on the clock above her as she crossed. As you will see, it took her 24 minutes to cross the start line (at which time her "chip time" started) because there were almost 20,000 people in front of her.

Katy's pic link

2006-01-23T07:35:00.000-08:00

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/katyspicsspring2006/

Katy's Pictures

2006-01-21T18:48:00.000-08:00

Hello all. I have created a online photo album. Here is the link http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/katyspicsspring2006/album?.dir=cbde&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//photos.yahoo.com/ph//my_photos I will be putting up new pics as often as possible. Tomorrow I will post ones of Bath and the Roman Baths.

Wales update

2006-01-19T07:08:00.000-08:00

Well Katy, Jenny and I are getting pretty well settled in over here. We just got internet access in our rooms today so we should be able to get more reliable access to e-mail and the blog. Things are going pretty well. Our class isn't too terribly boring and the field trips should be pretty good. Our first field trip was to Gower and the Rhossili point which was beautiful:

Click on the photo to go to my photo album which I will hopefully keep up to date.

Grandpa, I believe you may be some what disappointed to hear that our breakfast consists of more than beans and corn flakes, although those are options, and the beans are warm. We can choose two different breakfasts with many options available with each ranging from meat to eggs to fruit and cereal so we're eating well. The locals showed us to The Pub On The Pond which is a very short walk and has great food for somewhat reasonable prices.

We're both doing quite well so far and will be sure to keep in touch.
Karl

Happy birthday, Wales news

2006-01-15T15:24:00.000-08:00

Hi - we were away from the computer so have not been able to post from Orlando or Chicago. How a hotel that charges $50 a night can give you free internet and a hotel that charges $200 also charges for internet access is beyond me.

Happy Birthday Mom - sorry we can't be there again, but we have to work every now and then.

Heard from the kids by 1 e mail copied here in it's entirity:
Hi,We're here and moved into our rooms. We won't have reliable internet acceess for at least a day or two, possibly more, we have to get registered for the wireless to get on the network. All our travel was safe, but the train tickets were a bit pricey. We'll try and get in touch more later.Karl

we will keep you updated if the kids do not!
Congrats Melinda and Todd on your marathon participation.

Wales

2006-01-05T18:05:00.000-08:00

Hello all,
Well Mom and Dad left for Florida for a conference and class runion today so this leaves Karl and I to our own devices and to care for all of the critters. We leave next Thursday from Chicago for Wales. We are excited about the trip, but also a little nervous. Its a long time to be away, but I am sure we will have the experince of a lifetime! So far very little packing has been done. Yesterday I went through my clothes and picked out about twice as many as I will actually be able to take along on the trip, but I had to start some where. As far as I know Karl has not yet started to pack. Also one of my best friends from school, Jenny, will be joining us and she and I will be roomates. We do not yet know what classes will be taking as we signed up for several we were intersted in, but the final information will be given to us when we arrive at Swansea. We also found out that we don't have to take sheets with us so that saves a little more room for clothes and of course shoes!!!!! I am however worried about Seattle as she is my shadow at all times when I am home. I suppose she will just get used to me not being home. Also plans are not final yet but Mom and Dad may come over for a visit while we are there. We do have a four week break so that may work or they may come over at the end of the semester. While there we plan to visit the exact area where the Griffiths family orgininated before they came to America. We may even travel to Dublin for St. Patrick's day. I also plan to visit one of my other good friends with Jenny because she, Rebecca, will be in Madrid, Spain for the semester. We were doing some research online and found that there are some flights around Europe, round trip, for 10 pounds so about $20!! Well I hope to find time to post to the blog while in Wales and I will read it to keep updated on what is going on here. Happy New Year

Katy

Bye Ramius

2006-01-04T10:03:00.000-08:00

Monday, Ramius' external tumor started bleeding so we took him to the vet to get him bandaged up and to drain fluid off of his lungs. Still, he felt good enough to go for a walk with the other dogs on Monday night.

By last night, the bleeding had increased substantially. After an amateur re-bandaging job, he laid down in the living room in an unusual spot for him and didn't move an inch during the night. This morning, I had to help him get up to go outside. When he came back in, he looked so very tired. It was clearly time.

The vet came to the house this morning to euthanize him here. We are very thankful for that because getting him into and out of the van would have been quite difficult, and he would no doubt have been stressed in the vet's office until the end. Instead, he died peacefully in our living room with his head in Melinda's lap.

Flashback to 12/10/05: "At this point, I'm going to predict that Ramius' new little angel is going to help him get through the end of the year." She did.

Todd

End of the first semester

2005-12-13T21:27:00.000-08:00

I have survived the first of 12 semesters in law school and although can in no way predict the outcome of finals, I think I passed. There has just been an incident at Marquette dental school, you can see some of here http://mu-warrior.blogspot.com/2005/12/marquette-dental-student-suspended.html regarding professor comments. As he was suspended for a semester, it is clear I will make no comments about my classes or profs. It is interesting reading. See most of you in a week.

Comments on Pictures

2005-12-10T15:20:00.000-08:00

I feel I owe all of you an explanation as to why I have not commented on the last family picture posted on our family blog. For beginners I can not place two of my Uncles. For starters I called my cousin Donald here in SCW and he was of some help, but very little. My next plan of attack was to E-mail Craig because I knew he was into geneology so I asked him to fax what he had on his Grandpa and his brothers and sisters. Well, that finally arrived with eight children named. Like myself Donald said he always knew their were nine as the picture shows.
My next approach was I called Betty who is older than either Donald or myself and she said she had never been interested in family history and could not offer any help what so ever. Her comments about some family members were very strong and negative.
I will admit that I caught her on a day when she was having a very difficult time with health issues, but as we know that is her nature. Her diet seems to becoming less and less that she can eat and tolerate. She was all but in tears when I talked to her and said she couldn't stay on steriods the rest of her life and she didn't know what she was going to do. Must be a very difficult situation.
I did go on the internet and found Dad and his brothers and wives that are buried in Memory cemetary and that gave when they were born and died. Four out of nine didn't make it though. Tried an Aunt and that was not successful for me.
As we watch all the weather in your parts of the country I am not sure I could handle it again. As I always say though never say never.
Our dinner for six went well the other night and we met two more nice couples. One of the ladies had graduated from Benson High and her husband was from Perry, Iowa. He gave us more history about the lady that refurbished the hotel there and everything else she has done or is doing. I had met this couple before working at the food bank.
After I try to do some more research I promise you I will comment on the family picture and now I know how important it is to find out these things before their is no one left to ask. Even Eva could of helped me, but again I waited too long.

Greetings

2005-12-08T05:11:00.000-08:00

I guess it is my turn to post something.

We have been pounded with wind and cold this week. The highest gust we had at our house was 52 mph Monday morning. It was clocked at 85 mph close to Dave's place. Fortunately we didn't have any damage, although others did, semi's off the road. small planes overturned at an airport, trees down, etc. The last two mornings it has been very cold. It is -13 this morning. Yesterday when I got out of the car at work the brake lights and the dome lights would not go off. After I tapped the brakes a few times those lights went off. I was afraid the battery would die, so took the van home and traded cars, so if the battery died it would be in the garage and not out somewhere else. The only thing we could figure was that maybe a switch froze.

I submitted my final project last night, so I don't have any classes now for 1 month.

Barb

Outsmarted by a Whippet

2005-12-04T08:11:00.000-08:00

Scarlett's third night at home we decide to let her stay up for a while. I tuck Ella in. I put Fenton in his kennel. While Cole is getting ready for bed I realize Scarlett has disappeared. I find her in bed curled up next to Ella, asleep. Her preemptive strike worked in her favor. She got to spend the entire night in bed with Ella. She is going to be a very easy dog to live with.

Bed Bugs

2005-12-03T15:46:00.000-08:00

Scarlett's first night home she howled like crazy. I had no idea something so small could be so loud. She is 10 times louder than Fenton ever has been. Her second night home she settled in pretty well but howled a bit after Todd let her out before he went to bed. She got me up at 5:30 and after I let her out she ran straight back to Ella's bedroom. By the time I got to Ella's room Scarlett was curled up on the bed with Ella. Scarlett and Ella slept in each other's arms for the rest of Ella's night. They are two pretty sweet little bed bugs.

A Loose Tooth

2005-12-01T20:05:00.000-08:00

Cole just came out of the bathroom and asked me what this thing was in his mouth. Sure enough, here comes his first permanent tooth. He's declared no more apples til his tooth is out (I think since he saw me pull a tooth out of his friend's mouth while his friend was eating an apple). Based on the location and angle of this tooth it appears we may be in for some pretty hefty orthodontist bills in the future.

" Fitz"

2005-12-01T17:42:00.000-08:00

Today Katy's beloved Fitz died in the pasture that has been his home for the last 5 years. We figured he was about 22 years old. He had a good life here in retirement and gave Katy some good times and memories. These pics were taken in 2002.
DAN and MARTY

Greetings

2005-12-01T06:12:00.000-08:00

Ella, you are a very lucky girl to have such a nice dog. How fun to get to have Scarlett sleep in your room with you. Tell Scarlett hi for us.
Barb and the rest of the gang.

Welcome Scarlett

2005-11-30T11:48:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the family Scarlett. Such a pretty little puppy!

2005-11-30T11:18:00.000-08:00

Puppy Mania!

2005-11-30T07:08:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Ella's new puppy, Scarlett. Scarlett will be joining our family tomorrow, December 1. Scarlett was born on August 7, the day before Ella's birthday. Scarlett is significantly potty-trained (bonus!). Her kennel is in Ella's room so she will be Ella's companion at night and she will spend her days with Ramius and Fenton. Ella is very excited about her new little charge.

Ramius remains in stable condition. He's eating with modest interest. Last night Todd took Ramius for a late night walk through the neighborhood off leash and Ramius had a bounce in his step the entire way!

news from wisconsin

2005-11-28T08:40:00.000-08:00

Well, I guess I can make it out to the computer so I should make a little post. I had, as I am sure you all know, my appendix out Saturday night about 8pm. they "let" me go home on Sunday am about 9 - just a little over 12 hours post op. I was only sick from about 9 am saturday to discharge at 9 am Sunday. Then again, 1 of my classmates had a baby in the middle of the semester and she only missed 2 nights of class.

I have finals coming up and of course did not plan to spend the weekend in bed sleeping, but studying. I am not sure how I will get 40 pounds of books and computers to the classroom tonight as 15 pounds is my limit to lift. Guess I will take notes on paper and ride the elevator to class.

The incision is remarkably small and I feel much better than I thought I would but of course no where near normal. So off to the shower and to work for a few hours before I trek to Milwaukee for my last class of the semester. I hope we cover very little new material and spend most if the class time reviewing.

Best get moving to avoid stiffening up. See you at Christmas.

Thanksgiving 2005

2005-11-24T14:10:00.000-08:00

It has been a good day!

Dee Donohue and Dave played 18 holes of golf this morning while Dorothy came over and spent the late morning with Nancy. Then we all had lunch.

The weather is a Chamber of Commerce day today. Upper 70's, no wind, full sunshine.

We can now smell the turkey roasting and will have a full dinner later this afternoon.

Hope all of you are doing well.

Picture of the day

2005-11-23T15:03:00.000-08:00

First row (left to right):
Galen, Floyd C., Mary Elizabeth, Stine A., Harry

Second row:
Edne, Claude D.

Top row:
C.H., Ray, Glenn

Todd

Deja vu

2005-11-21T11:48:00.000-08:00

The lab tests confirmed today that Ramius' baseball size growth on his chest is cancerous. Melinda is taking him to the vet this afternoon for chest xrays and a biopsy. If the cancer has not spread, I expect that surgery will be the next step. If it has spread, there really isn't anything that we can reasonably do.

I expect that one of us will update this post later today.

Todd

UPDATE: The news is not good. He has a tumor on his heart and in his lungs. There is nothing they can realistically do to treat him.

Health Update from AZ

2005-11-17T17:53:00.000-08:00

Today has been a busy day for this generation to be on the phone in regards to doctor appointments, etc. and for myself seeing the opthalmoloist.
First his report. He was pleased that my vision was 20/100 before surgery and today it was 20/50. Still have blurred vision, but we are working on that with all these eye drops. Due to that we are not even going to talk about a new lens until I see him in four weeks. In the mean time he said to take the lens out of my glasses on the left eye. I asked today what each of these eye drops were for. One is a steriod; one is for decreasing swelling in the front of the eye, one for decreasing swelling in the back of the eye, and then the ointment at bedtime just because I am on the CPAP. One was an antibiotic and I no longer have to use that. I also have to make a new schedule because now I don't have to use the eye drops quite as many times a day. Still one every hour.
He said no night driving, but I could drive some during the day. I am ready.
Dad, has talked to the orthopedic office also today and they are going to try to get him on the surgery schedule in about four weeks. This will be confirmed tomorrow. The cyst filled back up within 24 hours. He is keeping it wrapped during waking hours and it is uncomfortable. He did try really hard to get up some out door Christmas lights today and just had to call it quits and put them all away. We can do more next year.
I have my first appointment with the oncologist tomorrow. Boy is that office sophisticated. Your history is taken on computer cards with filling in the apporpiate circle. Glad they sent them in the mail instead of having to fill them out in the morning. We should be becoming pros at filling in all these forms.
We had two of our neighbors over last night for wine and a few snacks and they all seemed to enjoy it and we were able to get better acquainted with them. One of the couples goes to our church and Dad plays golf with him.

What a Week!

2005-11-17T11:04:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been a very busy week for the Greer-Pearson family. As you know from our prior post, Todd and Ella prevented the house from burning down on Monday. I've been out every night this week leaving Todd & the kids to fend for themselves. Monday night I had a very late LaSemana meeting. The Chair of camp runs a very decentralized operation which is good in that it allows everyone to say everything on their mind, but the downside is that our meetings ramble on from 7 to 10 p.m. with only about an hour to an hour and a half of business being conducted. Tuesday I spent the day in Rochester meeting with clients and then went to a wine tasting event hosted by the women lawyers of our firm for our clients. Our weather turned bad Tuesday night and sure enough, despite all the warnings from Cole's school that winter was coming and that us parents should be organized I sent him off to school on Wednesday with no hat and I was labeling his boots with his name standing in the hallway at school. Cole went to a extra curricular art class Wednesday after school and brought home a very innovative version of the Mayflower. It may have to make a trip to AZ for the Thanksgiving Holiday. Last night I drove out to meet a client at her home in Excelsior. There was a definite appearance of some very cool scenery driving around Lake Minnetonka, but it was a bit hard to see in the dark. I'll have to drive it again sometime in the daylight. This afternoonI have another late meeting and after a quick dinner at home I'll be headed off for Let's Dish. Tomorrow morning Ella and I will be attending Cole's ABC Thanksgiving Play at school. Cole will be starring as the letter X. Cole has fencing Saturday morning and the kids will need to get packed for AZ. We only have one work day next week! Then a few days of fun in the sun. Ella can't wait for short-sleeve weather! We will then return to a very busy but fun-filled December. You all may be seeing my Christmas cards around the Martin Luther King Holiday. Have a good one all. Melinda

Update to the Update

2005-11-15T13:46:00.000-08:00

I saw the orthopedic surgeon today. He drained 30 CC's out of the cyst and will schedule me for arthoscopic surgery, probably early December.

For now I am wrapped in the equivalent of an Ace bandage for a few days. No restrictions on activities.

Dave

Comments

2005-11-14T15:16:00.000-08:00

1) Thank you Ella!

2) As to the weather, we are feeling quite superior. It is 77 degrees, light south wind. I have played golf four days in a row. Two birdies today.

3) Appointment with the orthopedic surgeon tomorrow will decide my immediate future.

4) My respiratory problems slowly getting better inch by inch.

Dave

Close call

2005-11-14T13:06:00.000-08:00

Near disaster at our house today. Click here for details.

Todd

Comment

2005-11-13T05:07:00.000-08:00

Nancy added a lovely short comment/biography to Kate Cooke's picture. It will be worth checking out.

Dave

Wisconsin

2005-11-12T07:15:00.000-08:00

Hi - I am going to try yet again. The computer seems to be eating my posts!

Last week, Dan and Karl were (un)lucky enough to go to a Packer game with Nancy, our off-site phone service. Thy lost of course but had a great time.

I am supposed to be studying for finals but find the computer to be a distraction. I am a bit behind. I spent 2 days in Mt Horeb at a reproduction seminar and now have a head full of new stuff and nowhere for it to go! I am also in the process of signing a contract to write a semi-technical book about Canine Reproduction for veterinarians - my summer project to keep me from getting bored!

we are all healthy - just regular Dr appointments for bloodwork and flu shots. Nothing near the drama and frequency as the Arizona crowd. they are hard to keep up with.

Todd - the Pearson blog is very nice. Is this the type of writing the Supreme court looks to when evaluting candidates? If so, I need to be careful with what I post on the
http://smallanimalclinic.blogspot.com as it contains words blocked by some filters.

Thanksgiving plans here look like a short trip to the lake home Dave and Cindy are building - it is nearly done and we didn't know they were even planning to build. Guess a jello salad will be the admission for the grand tour.

This is indeed a great way to stay in touch. Would be nice if the college crowd joined us now and again. Perhaps the computer skill requirements are outside of their scope. :)
Marty

Picture of the day

2005-11-11T21:25:00.000-08:00

POSTED BY TODD:

Nancy's note on the back of the picture says: "Kate Cook -- Nancy's grandmother - My Mother's Mother."

Inspiration

2005-11-11T15:32:00.000-08:00

This endeavor has inspired me to set up a blog for the Pearson family. Gotta keep up with the Jones.

Todd

Perhaps we should just call this the Greerz health post!

2005-11-09T07:51:00.000-08:00

My back is somewhat better today. I spent 2 1/2 hours last night cleaning our indoor grill. Todd suggested that I stay up all night cleaning if it made me feel so good. We'll see how it goes sitting in a chair all day.

Cole has the next two days off of school. Tomorrow I'm taking him out for breakfast and we are having a friend of his over for a play date in the afternoon. We had Cole's parent-teacher conference yesterday at school. He has made fabulous progress since the beginning of the year in both his academics and the social aspects of school.

Our school referendum passed yesterday. I'm glad our wealthy neighbors on Lake Minnetonka will be paying for better schools for our children.

Talk with you all soon.

New update

2005-11-09T07:34:00.000-08:00

Nancy's cataract surgery went well. We were home by 8:25 AM.

Update

2005-11-08T15:29:00.000-08:00

I had the MRI this morning. The written results will not be back for a day or two. I see the MD about that on Tuesday. Looking at the films, the cyst is pretty impressive. It is just a matter of what he thinks should be done. The problem with going to a surgeon, they want to do surgery. As the internist says, they want to do new knees, not mess with small stuff.

Saw the internist today. She said making progress, although slowly. Come back in two weeks. I may end up going to a pulmonologist. Time will tell.

Good Luck

2005-11-08T05:27:00.000-08:00

Best of luck to Mom and Dad this week. I hope you can get some answers Dad. And Mom, I'm sure your surgery will go well. I'll be thinking of you.

Melinda

P.S. Being at work has not been good for my back. In fact, I am quite uncomfortable. If Cole weren't out of school this Thursday and Friday I would have taken a couple of days off of work to recoup, but I don't feel I can be out most of this week and then be out again most of Thanksgiving week. Such is life.

Have a good week all.

Regards from Minnesota

2005-11-06T07:42:00.000-08:00

Great to have Barb joining our blog this week. Friday morning while at the vet with the dogs, I threw out my back. It has been pretty unpleasant. I spent most of yesterday at the office and quite debilitated until I finally followed my husband's suggestions to use a heating pad and take some anti-inflammatories. I feel much improved today but not yet 100%.

Fenton is up to 37 pounds and his heart murmur is gone. Yeah! He will be getting neutered on December 26. Merry Christmas Fenton!

Friday night we went to the Marshall Field's Cinderella exhibit. Each year Marshall Fields puts up a extravagant holiday display in their auditorium. It was well done as usual, but not one of my favorites. The figures we a bit too modernistic for my taste. Then we took the kids to Murrays for dinner. A nice steak house that is straight out of the 50s. Pink interior, live band, etc.

Saturday morning I took Cole to a fencing class. The instructor was testing him to see if he was ready to start classes before age 7. Because another new boy was starting that morning she's decided to let them try it for a month or so and see how it goes.

Friday Ella had a LONG play date with her alter ego, Kate. They are two peas in a pod. They are the same size, they look a little bit alike, they are both very smart and they get along great. One of these days soon we are going to have Kate spend a Friday with us. She is a very nice girl. I think she will be the one friend from Child Garden who we make a real effort to stay close to once the girls move on from preschool. Much like Ellis was for Cole until, unfortunately, Ellis moved to Georgia. Cole professes that he is ready to get on an airplane alone and fly to Ellis' house.

Cole is out of school this Thursday and Friday so we have a short week coming up.

Thanks again to Todd for posting the family photos for us. I really appreciate his efforts!

Have a good week all. Hope you feel better Dad.

Picture of the day

2005-11-05T09:34:00.000-08:00

POSTED BY TODD:

Thanks to Nancy for her post commenting on last week's photo. This is just a suggestion, but I think it would be nice if the comments are posted in a "comment" to the photo post rather than as a separate post. That way, the comments will forever be tied to that post. To show you what I mean, I have added Nancy's thoughts in a comment to last week's photo post. See here.

Followup

2005-11-03T17:22:00.000-08:00

I had an X-ray yesterday and now they have decided I don't have pneumonia. What? I don't know. I will see the MD again Tuesday.

I am scheduled for an MRI on the knee Tuesday, then will see about that.

Halloween Aftermath

2005-11-02T19:19:00.000-08:00

On Halloween Chris spent the evening at a friends house where they decorate and set up the porch like a small haunted house to scare the older trick or treaters. Sometime during the evening he and a friend collided and he hit his mouth on his friends head. When he came home he said his tooth hurt. I looked at it and didn't see anything and it wasn't loose, so didn't give it much thought. He mentioned on Tuesday it still hurt and after he brushed his teeth Tuesday night he noticed that there was a small fracture line horizontal across a lower front tooth. We went to the dentist today and indeed it is fractured. Now the waiting game. He is on a soft diet and advil for a week. The best case scenario is it will heal and everything will be fine. The worst case scenario is that he will need a root canal and a crown. I suggested he not eat anything at all for a week, but he didn't particularly care for that idea.
I thought the only thing to worry about after halloween was too much sugar. I certainly didn't anticipate this. We go back to the dentist next Wednesday afternoon. Hopefully we will know more at that point, but I'm not sure we will.
Barb

Halloween

2005-11-01T19:01:00.000-08:00

Hi,
We were suprised at how few trick or treaters we had at our house last night. The weather was a bit nippy but not wet or windy so I thought we would have a lot more than we did.
Beth went trick or treating with a foreign exchange student from Switzerland, who had never gone before. They had lots of fun and got LOTSSS of candy.
Glad the doctor said to just watch the knee, Dad. Certainly better than the prospect or surgery.
Barb and all

Fencing Anyone?

2005-10-31T17:57:00.000-08:00

Tonight our neighbor was handing out sports themed pencils and paper. When she asked Cole if he preferred soccer, basketball or baseball he said "Actually I prefer fencing." Hope you all had a spooky Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

2005-10-31T07:33:00.000-08:00

Another beautiful weekend here in Minnesota. Weather was in the 60s all weekend. Thursday night we were "ghosted." Someone left a treat bucket on our front steps and ran away, leaving us with a letter instructing us how to "ghost" two other neighbors with treat buckets and a picture of a ghost to put on our own door so that we would not get ghosted again. Friday night we joined the neighbors for a bonfire. The adults enjoyed a few beers and Cole LOVED driving the neighbors kid-sized tractor. Saturday the kids went to a Halloween party at the YMCA. We hosted gourmet club Saturday night. We had a fondue theme which went over surprisingly well. One couple couldn't join us because their son had broken vertebrae from playing football and had to have corrective surgery last week. This is the son of my friend who broke her leg so badly several years ago on our ski trip (she was, of course, on the front steps of the condo when she broke her leg -- not actually skiing). Yesterday we did a lot of fall clean-up around the house and yard. Cole can sure run a broom! We are prepared, if not actually ready, for snow.
Have a Happy Halloween all!
Dad, hope you feel better soon.
Melinda & Co

Comment on Picture of the Day

2005-10-28T16:08:00.000-07:00

The picture posted today of Dave was taken by the bank (probably 1977) when he became a trust officer. Note the lack of beard which at that point was against bank policy. Especially Bob Johnson as Dave checked with the human resourse manager and said he did not see a problem with it so when Bob returned one year from vacation the growth of a new beard had appeared. Bob was probably shocked, maybe even said something but he did remain employeed. He not only has the beard today, but he seems to have less hair on his head and both beard and what little hair remains seems to be much greyer.

WOW!

2005-10-28T06:45:00.000-07:00

What a smashing good idea. But surely out of all the choices you could have picked a better subject for the first one.
Dave

New feature: Picture of the Day (or every other day)

2005-10-27T19:31:00.000-07:00

POSTED BY TODD:

After much procrastination, we finally got a scanner to digitize the Greer family photos that were entrusted to Melinda last April. I will be the chief laborer in the scanning process, and it may be weeks before all of the photos can be sent to everyone on a CD. In the meantime, I will try to post several of the pictures each week and invite everyone, but David and Nancy in particular, to comment. My goal is to provide a platform for others to provide a permanent record of the who/what/where/why facts regarding each of the photos.

So, to start things off, I offer this photo. This guy looks vaguely familiar. Pertinent details, please, in the comments.

Some of our recent favorite photos

2005-10-24T18:00:00.000-07:00

From Arizona

2005-10-24T09:57:00.000-07:00

Trying for the third time to get this posted.

Thanks from Arizona. Good to see some new items on the blog this morning. Good news from all of you and glad to receive the picture of the Griffiths. Sounds like Fenton is going to be a real nice dog for the pearson family.

Hello from MN

2005-10-24T09:10:00.000-07:00

Greetings all. I just finished a delightful 4 day weekend with the kids. Cole was out of school for the state teacher's convention. Everyone was happy and cooperative for 4 days so it really doesn't get any better than that. Both kids are doing very well with their reading skills. Cole, being the unconventional learner that he is, is learning to read by using the Hardy Boys books. Ella, being a bit more traditional, is souding out the words on my weekend "to do" list. On Saturday she sounded out "Sat" which I had written on top of my daily to do list.

Fenton is growing every day. He also remains delightful and laid back. I just wish he would stop peeing every 30 minutes or so. It is so fun to watch him discover life. It is fascinating to imagine what he is thinking as he sits and watches his first fire, watches leaves fall from the trees and watches the garage door opener make noise and then turn his head to watch the garage door go down. While I remain dedicated to my sighthounds, I will say Fenton is certainly smarter and easier to train. We had our doubts at first -- when he couldn't figure out which side of the door he needed to stand on to get in the house -- but he seems to be a bit more with it now.

With the weekend over, I'm back in the busy rush of life. A busy day in the office today. Tomorrow I'm driving to Rochester to see clients. Wednesday is filled with meetings and Thursday I have to leave the office mid-day to go to Cole's school to read to his first grade class at "Book Nook" time.

Halloween -- huge at our house -- is rapidly approaching.

I enjoyed Marty & Dan's picture. I'll try to get a few of our recent photos posted this week.

Melinda

greerz

2005-10-24T08:50:00.000-07:00

greerz

2005-10-24T08:13:00.000-07:00

Thanks from Arizona,
Good to see some new items on the blog this morning. Good news from all of you and glad to receive the picture of the Griffiths.
Sounds like Fenton is going to be a real nice dog for the Pearson family.
Some football game yesterday wasn't it?
Mom

griffiths

2005-10-23T20:23:00.000-07:00

hi - though you might want to see what we look like!

2005-10-23T19:32:00.000-07:00

hi- we had a fun week with the kids home. Thought we would send this along so you remember what we look like!

check out the katrina cats on our website.

It's Offical

2005-10-18T21:41:00.000-07:00

Well if looks official that we are now Arizona residents. We got both cars licensed today as well as our driver's license. I failed the first eye test so I had to be taken to another area for further testing. I made it that time and it would not have surprised me if I had not been able to pass, but it is a relief. At least now I am legal as both the plates and drivers license match. It took us over two hours this morning and then Dad had to return with the second car. He had Opal through the emmision center yesterday, had all the paper work so we did not drive both cars down. It took him over an hour.
We also attented new orientation this afternoon to join the Presbyterian Church here. Still have to meet with the session and to be received publicly into the congregation.
Tomorrow morning I will go over to church to fold newsletters and then go get my flu shot. Thursday morning we are going to a friends for breakfast and in the afternoon we have dental appointments.
Our golf course was opened yeserday morning, but carts were limited to the cart paths.
Glad Katy is participating with us on the blog.
Good night and love to all,
Mom

greerz

2005-10-18T06:15:00.000-07:00

Thanks Katy for your post. It is most interesting to hear what you are doing. We really enjoy following your progess.

Let us hear from you more often.

Grandma & Grandpa

Fall Break

2005-10-17T20:13:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
Karl and I are currently on fall break from school, we get 10 days off! So far my break has consisted of sleeping, laundry and taking care of the dogs. I also hope to get a rough resume written, do lots of reading and other homework and look for an internship (hopefully paid) for the summer in the biology research area. I met quite a few people in Madison with Dad at the Presidents (WVMA) reception that said they are willing to help me find a summer opportunity!
I was also happy to see Seattle I miss her very much while at school and wish that I could have pets in the dorm. I am glad to hear that the new puppy is working out well! Today mom did a c-section on a Bernese Mountain Dog so of course I had to go in to see the puppies and help with them since I have such a weakness for them. She had 6, 5 girls and 1 boy.
I made a cake for mom and dad's anniversary so hopefully everyone can stay awake long enough to have some tonight since it 10 PM and mom and dad are just getting home.
Before I came home for fall break on Friday I turned in my application for my study abroad semester in Wales at Swansea University and I am really looking forward to that opportunity. Mom and Dad will be visiting us (Karl is going too) during the semester because the Crufts dog show is on during that time. If any other members of the family will be in the area from January to June we would love to meet up!
Tomorrow I am going down to Milwaukee to visit my friend Liz from school and I am sure that there will be shopping involved!
Hope all is well
Katy

Happy Anniversary Marty & Dan

2005-10-17T06:22:00.000-07:00

And many more.
Todd, Melinda, Cole & especially ELLA!

Home again

2005-10-14T09:39:00.000-07:00

We had a good trip.
Tuesday spent several hours with Donald Journey
Wednesday went to Grand Canyon
Thursday rode the Verde Canyon RR
Home today.

Do any of you remember our old friend Bill Tainter from Litchfield Park? Lived on the street behind us and down three houses. He died ten days ago and we are going to his memorial service tomorrow.