The writer from Cold Spring and many of us saw our town in Lake Wobegon. When I found PHC slaw my town, Trimont Minnesota. I no longer live in the great state but my little town will always be part of me. Your stories helped cultivate that.
I enjoy the column, and especially the Writer's Almanac, I know I've said this before, but there's still a 2 hour shaped hole in my Saturday evenings. Be well!
Am sad to say we cannot come to your Red Rocks show because my husband will be recuperating from surgery. I’ve always wanted to go to a concert there and yours would have been so wonderful to see, but we will be sending you good wishes. Hoping you are able to do another there in the near future. Thank you.
GK - Reading of your flight on Northwest Airlines from San Francisco with Korean children and their arrival to their adoptive families made me wonder if my aunt and uncle were one of those sets of parents there to receive into their family two Korean sisters. They have been a joy (which is actually one of their names - the other is Heather) to have in our extended family. Looking forward to reading Boom Town upon its arrival!
Joy is the word for it, all right. Wonderment and joy and overwhelming love ––– and these were midwesterners waiting for their kids, stoical Lutherans. It was an awesome sight.
Dear Garrison, There is a lot more to the story of Bredo Morstal than is in the email. I was a personal friend of Torgive Morstal ( his nickname was "Tiger" ). He was the person who introduced me to personal computing, which later became an occupation. Tiger is Bredo's grandson, who now lives in Norway. Tiger, among other things, was a firm believer that in the future there would be a way to revive the dead. So, when his beloved grandfather passed on, Tiger had his body frozen in hope of future revival. Since preservation in liquid nitrogen was too expensive for Tiger, he had the body preserved in dry ice. He kept the body in a shack behind his house in Nederland until, alas, the immigration service caught up with him, as Tiger had overstayed his student visa. Tiger was deported, his grandfather was not.
Bredo is still there, his dry ice requirements funded by Tiger by payments from Norway. He has become a local fixture, celebrated by "Frozen Dead Guy Days". I don't think anyone remembers Tiger, as he is no longer mentioned in articles about Frozen Dead Guy Days. It is a major holiday in Colorado.
Almost a story deserving of a day in Lake Wobegon!
Tiger obviously had never gone to an Adopt-a-School program that one of our lab technicians, Tim, presented to fifth grade students. Tim would have the class meet in the school auditorium where he put on a show worthy of Houdini! He wanted the kids to understand the effects of "significantly below freezing" temperatures. He used both dry ice - which sends off mystic clouds, and liquid nitrogen. They both achieve significantly cold temperatures. The demonstration that I recall the most was when Tim dropped a peeled onion into the liquid nitrogen container. He used heavy protective gloves, and extracted the layered vegetable with tongs. Then he held it high, and dropped it on the stage. Imagine carefully curved glass shattering spontaneously! Shards scattered all over the stage floor.
I wouldn't be surprised if, up in the wild blue yonder, Bredo is having a "Many Body Experience!" That is, if dry ice has anything to do with it!
GK, On the cusp of 79 I’m just a few cars behind you on this age train with diminishing ambition, disappearing influence and declining competencies, also a dear wife and best friend who gives me great joy every day. Curiosity, gratitude and an eye/ear for humor sustain me every day along with a richly nurtured spirituality. I discovered you back when your delightful morning show started my days, listened to many an episode of PHC, saw you at the MN state fair and ran into you at your bookstore downstairs from Nina’s coffee shop. I knew and played with several of your regular band members over the years, but was more of a B-list player myself. Your rich life in New York with treks elsewhere to return to your brand of standup and then back to your writing desk sounds like a wonderful buffet. I myself am still tinkering with my retirement, but I have returned the live in the St Paul neighborhood where I grew up and it is both weird and wonderful to be back in these streets. My son and family live blocks away, my older granddaughter attends my former high school, and I have enough adventures to add some spice. I still get to play jazz with my aging friends. The world troubles me regularly, but not 24/7. Still time for beauty, for friends, for the loving embrace. My wife and I are navigating our health challenges with as much grace as we can muster. And so I can saying unhesitatingly life is good which I acknowledge is true in large part because of unearned privilege.
People can pretend that 70 is the new 50 and so on all they want, but you can’t kid 80. Every day we get from now on is pure gift.
So, I just read an explanation of the 'Penguin Joke'. And several months ago (I really hope it wasn't longer) I too asked for an explanation of the joke. Do you tire of reprising it for all of us neophytes?
The angry PhD doesn't seem to know what true forgiveness is. Yes, a loving Christian does forgive the man who sabotaged his brakes as he careens down the hill. Jesus said to love your enemies, adding that it's easy to love only your friends. We're all doing the best we can, given our circumstances. There are no evil people, but there are misguided people doing evil things. They need love.
I still don't get the penguin joke, but my brain isn't good at jokes, so I'm usually alone in my puzzlement while others around me laugh... I'm feeling relieved that I'm not the only one left in befuddlement this time around. If you want an explanation, I found one in a review of "The Prarie Home Companion" (the movie version) - http://internationalcinemareview.blogspot.com/2011/01/robert-altman-prairie-home-companion.html
Re: mortgagor/mortgagee- in my articling year my supervising lawyer said “banks are the mortgagee- just think of Simon Legree “. I never forgot that and never confused the two.
Possibly at Red Rocks referring to local news you could mention the famous local Mexican restaurant Casa Bonita in Denver which was purchased by the creators of South Park is being remodeled and will be reopened later this year? Hopefully the cliff divers will be back! Locals are excited.
just found you again after all these years of missing you on radio and rereading your books. Thank you for your gifts of humour and wit...so glad to reconnect!!
I’ve played and coached soccer since I was 10. Now 76. After two knee surgeries and one back surgery I can attest to the fact that orthopedic surgeons have no fear of losing their jobs.
"Prison adjustment" 🤣😂 And I love that image of the Korean babies.
The writer from Cold Spring and many of us saw our town in Lake Wobegon. When I found PHC slaw my town, Trimont Minnesota. I no longer live in the great state but my little town will always be part of me. Your stories helped cultivate that.
I enjoy the column, and especially the Writer's Almanac, I know I've said this before, but there's still a 2 hour shaped hole in my Saturday evenings. Be well!
Sorry to leave a hole in your Saturday. Maybe when I'm 85 I'll start the show up again. I miss it too.
Thanks; but don't leave it too long! You've made many observations on your advancing decrepitude; now I'm dealing with mine!
Am sad to say we cannot come to your Red Rocks show because my husband will be recuperating from surgery. I’ve always wanted to go to a concert there and yours would have been so wonderful to see, but we will be sending you good wishes. Hoping you are able to do another there in the near future. Thank you.
GK - Reading of your flight on Northwest Airlines from San Francisco with Korean children and their arrival to their adoptive families made me wonder if my aunt and uncle were one of those sets of parents there to receive into their family two Korean sisters. They have been a joy (which is actually one of their names - the other is Heather) to have in our extended family. Looking forward to reading Boom Town upon its arrival!
Joy is the word for it, all right. Wonderment and joy and overwhelming love ––– and these were midwesterners waiting for their kids, stoical Lutherans. It was an awesome sight.
Dear Garrison, There is a lot more to the story of Bredo Morstal than is in the email. I was a personal friend of Torgive Morstal ( his nickname was "Tiger" ). He was the person who introduced me to personal computing, which later became an occupation. Tiger is Bredo's grandson, who now lives in Norway. Tiger, among other things, was a firm believer that in the future there would be a way to revive the dead. So, when his beloved grandfather passed on, Tiger had his body frozen in hope of future revival. Since preservation in liquid nitrogen was too expensive for Tiger, he had the body preserved in dry ice. He kept the body in a shack behind his house in Nederland until, alas, the immigration service caught up with him, as Tiger had overstayed his student visa. Tiger was deported, his grandfather was not.
Bredo is still there, his dry ice requirements funded by Tiger by payments from Norway. He has become a local fixture, celebrated by "Frozen Dead Guy Days". I don't think anyone remembers Tiger, as he is no longer mentioned in articles about Frozen Dead Guy Days. It is a major holiday in Colorado.
Almost a story deserving of a day in Lake Wobegon!
In Lake Wobegon, the idea of preserving a body on dry ice strikes us as Weird. We believe in the Resurrection. This is a bad parody.
Tiger obviously had never gone to an Adopt-a-School program that one of our lab technicians, Tim, presented to fifth grade students. Tim would have the class meet in the school auditorium where he put on a show worthy of Houdini! He wanted the kids to understand the effects of "significantly below freezing" temperatures. He used both dry ice - which sends off mystic clouds, and liquid nitrogen. They both achieve significantly cold temperatures. The demonstration that I recall the most was when Tim dropped a peeled onion into the liquid nitrogen container. He used heavy protective gloves, and extracted the layered vegetable with tongs. Then he held it high, and dropped it on the stage. Imagine carefully curved glass shattering spontaneously! Shards scattered all over the stage floor.
I wouldn't be surprised if, up in the wild blue yonder, Bredo is having a "Many Body Experience!" That is, if dry ice has anything to do with it!
GK, On the cusp of 79 I’m just a few cars behind you on this age train with diminishing ambition, disappearing influence and declining competencies, also a dear wife and best friend who gives me great joy every day. Curiosity, gratitude and an eye/ear for humor sustain me every day along with a richly nurtured spirituality. I discovered you back when your delightful morning show started my days, listened to many an episode of PHC, saw you at the MN state fair and ran into you at your bookstore downstairs from Nina’s coffee shop. I knew and played with several of your regular band members over the years, but was more of a B-list player myself. Your rich life in New York with treks elsewhere to return to your brand of standup and then back to your writing desk sounds like a wonderful buffet. I myself am still tinkering with my retirement, but I have returned the live in the St Paul neighborhood where I grew up and it is both weird and wonderful to be back in these streets. My son and family live blocks away, my older granddaughter attends my former high school, and I have enough adventures to add some spice. I still get to play jazz with my aging friends. The world troubles me regularly, but not 24/7. Still time for beauty, for friends, for the loving embrace. My wife and I are navigating our health challenges with as much grace as we can muster. And so I can saying unhesitatingly life is good which I acknowledge is true in large part because of unearned privilege.
People can pretend that 70 is the new 50 and so on all they want, but you can’t kid 80. Every day we get from now on is pure gift.
So, I just read an explanation of the 'Penguin Joke'. And several months ago (I really hope it wasn't longer) I too asked for an explanation of the joke. Do you tire of reprising it for all of us neophytes?
You just need to hear it spoken correctly.
The angry PhD doesn't seem to know what true forgiveness is. Yes, a loving Christian does forgive the man who sabotaged his brakes as he careens down the hill. Jesus said to love your enemies, adding that it's easy to love only your friends. We're all doing the best we can, given our circumstances. There are no evil people, but there are misguided people doing evil things. They need love.
I still don't get the penguin joke, but my brain isn't good at jokes, so I'm usually alone in my puzzlement while others around me laugh... I'm feeling relieved that I'm not the only one left in befuddlement this time around. If you want an explanation, I found one in a review of "The Prarie Home Companion" (the movie version) - http://internationalcinemareview.blogspot.com/2011/01/robert-altman-prairie-home-companion.html
Re: mortgagor/mortgagee- in my articling year my supervising lawyer said “banks are the mortgagee- just think of Simon Legree “. I never forgot that and never confused the two.
Possibly at Red Rocks referring to local news you could mention the famous local Mexican restaurant Casa Bonita in Denver which was purchased by the creators of South Park is being remodeled and will be reopened later this year? Hopefully the cliff divers will be back! Locals are excited.
Thank you for sharing "This is My Song". The music was of course familiar but the words do indeed move you to tears. We need to hear this now.
just found you again after all these years of missing you on radio and rereading your books. Thank you for your gifts of humour and wit...so glad to reconnect!!
I’ve played and coached soccer since I was 10. Now 76. After two knee surgeries and one back surgery I can attest to the fact that orthopedic surgeons have no fear of losing their jobs.
80 my friend and still "on your game"....Sending love!