It’s Kalvin’s World

This is the greatest winter ever.  All we heard was doom and gloom.  Higher than normal snow fall and lower than normal temperatures.  In Minnesota, that means REALLY bad.  I don’t mean to jinx it but our average snow fall to date is around 55″.  Right now, we’ve had 15″.  Total.  For the season.  The temperature has only gotten below zero, twice?  Maybe three times this season.  (Please don’t make me look that up. )  Now we hear drought conditions for the spring if we don’t get some moisture soon.

You all know my feelings on global warming.  I’m in favor of it.  It gets freaking cold in the winter here.  And yes, enough of the “Its a free country, you can move any time.” crap.  No, I can’t.  My DA has kids in school here and an ex that would loss it if it were even suggested.  She’s a life long Minnesotan with all her family here.  I have two kids, a daughter-in-law and five grandkids that live here or around here.  Unless I become the poster child for Lottery Magazine and can move everyone, it ain’t gonna happen.  So I stand on my deck with an aerosol can, spraying and praying for my own personal hole in the ozone.  Right over my house, engulfing it like a warm, sunny dome.  Like when an alien beems up an earthing in the movies, only bigger and warmer.  I picture it like Pebble Beach around our home and Siberia-like outside the friendly confines.  And I would never leave until the spring.  And I would have everything I want.  But I digress…

I DO still shot but am finding the time to process the photos harder to come by.  I prefer to sleep during my “free time” now.  LOL!  Once and a while my work hours offer up some opportunities that I would miss if I were sleeping in on a Saturday at 7:00 am.  Hoarfrost formed everywhere due to a heavy fog and temps dropping below 32 a couple of weeks ago.  It appears to be little icy pine needles stuck to everything.  Kind of rare for this area and one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen.  I was fortunate to catch it before it melted away.  I played with multiple ways of processing the photos to get the best view of the frost but none of them fully capture what I saw that cold and foggy morning.  More here.

By now everyone knows about the death of Whitney Houston.  I am surprisingly moved.  Her music seems to be the backdrop for many memories with my family and relocating to Minnesota.  When I hear “I Want To Dance With Somebody” it places me in 1987, working at a concrete pump manufacturing plant, in the parts department.  My boys were 9 and 5.  I was coaching Robby in football, Matt would be entering 1st grade in the fall and my wife Dawn was working 2nd shift at a breast implant company.  She bought me the cassette of ‘Whitney’ and I played it daily on my Sony Cassette/Radio with 2 tiny speakers plugged into the headphone jack that I still own.  Whitney was placed on my “Free Pass” list.  You know the one that couples have…  If Whitney were to find me irresistible, if we were ever to meet, I had a “free pass” to have sex with her without any retribution.  That voice…  That body…  Oh my…  (Why I always select celebrities for the list is beyond me.  Next time I should say the hot bartender at TGIFridays or a waitress at Hooter’s.  Any of them.  At least there is a remote chance there.  Albeit, very remote.  I can be in the same room with them.  The rest is up to me.)   Music time stamps my memories.  When I hear “Never” by Heart, Dawn and I are at The Palace in Burlington, WI having multiple cocktails and singing loudly as it distortedly blared from the jukebox.  It was our first time back home after moving and we were looking for some former co-workers from Nestles.  Any Frank Zappa song (along with many others) makes me think of the Boys from Burlington: Dave, Jeff and Dimmy.  Singing “Catholic Girls” on Jeff’s system in his orange Rabbit on our way to Two for Tuesday at Ez-On-Down in Lake Geneva.  ’All I Ever Wanted’ by Santana brings me back to Conkey Street in Burlington and Jim’s beyond amazing stereo.  Yes’s “Long Distance Runaround”  takes me up the street to Jimmy D’s.  It saddens me to hear that the Boy’s that still live in town rarely see each other except for Clam holidays.  I know life goes on but…  I think I owe Piney a phone call.  She just lives up the road.  Anyway, I digress.

As I write this, the cause of death is yet to be determined but the first inclination is of a drug overdose.  So sad and such a drop for the that I fell in love with in 1985.  From the first note of “You Give Good Love” to the everlasting “I Will Always Love You”, Whitney’s vocal skills mesmerized the world.  The peak of her power was her performance at the 1990 Super Bowl where she set the standard by which all other versions of “The Star Spangled Banner” are now measured.  It’s the “Sgt. Pepper” of our National Anthem.  She began her  relationship with Bobby Brown which preceded her subsequent decline and disappearance into obscurity.  It was heartbreaking and she fell from the list.  I don’t want to follow Bobby Brown’s penis anywhere.  God knows were THAT thing’s been.  Her last public appearance had her leaving dinner in LA with Ray J, the forgettable man from the Kim Kardashian sex tape, and his buckling her seat belt. I hope that was just a way for Ray to get a little incidental breast to elbow contact just so he could tell his boys that he touched one..  I bet a wasted Whitney could be a party.  Imagine what kind of money said Ray J could pull in with this tape.  ’High Live & Horny: Whitney’s Final Fun’ would garner $10s of millions of dollars and no Whitney to stop it.  Can’t count on Bobby Brown to speak up on her behalf.  He wants to see it.  What are the odds that a camera was rolling later that night?  I will say this:  She still had that smile.

A tragic ending to one of the truly great voices of all time.  She didn’t respect her gift though.  For that and bad taste in men seem to be the cause of death.  And that’s how the autopsy report should read.  I could save the state of California a few grand and put things in a language that we can all understand without an interpreter.  It just occurred to me, who would have bet Bobby Brown would out live Whitney Houston in 1985?  Vegas would be quivering.

I hope that Miss Houston has found her peace.  I will miss her.

We were able to find a new home for Tommy the Cat with a coworker of Melissa’s.  By all reports Isabel, her boyfriend Lee and Tommy are a happy family.

Recently, President Obama put forth a proposal to create new jobs by updating and refurbishing schools and other public buildings.  To be honest, I don’t know the details but that’s irrelevant to my ire.  Soon after, some Republicans were asked for their opinion on the idea.  These gentlemen stated that they hadn’t looked at it, had no plans to and that the proposal was DOA.  The direct inference was that it came from a Democrat and this is election season so it really didn’t matter if it was homerun or not, it didn’t come from one of their candidates.  Last week, country no brain Hank Williams Jr. compared Representative John Boehner golfing with Obama to consorting with the enemy.  This partisan way of looking at the dire affairs of our country is the most despicable thing I can recall in quite some time.

Can you imagine the outrage if instead of saying that the proposal wasn’t going to be looked at because it came from a Democrat, they had said they wouldn’t consider it because it came from a black man?  There would be riots in the streets.  What if they said no way because it came from a Catholic or a Jew or an Asian or a homosexual or a woman.  There would be such anger they would have been asked to resign immediately but because it came from an opposing political party, its just business as usual.  You disgust me and you should be ashamed.  You were elected to work for the betterment of the country, our country, the entire country, not just those that agree with your agenda.  Compromise is the foundation of our nation and this has clearly been lost.  Hank Williams was fired from his gig doing the opening for Monday Night Football because of his comments and now has the balls to say, “you can’t fire me, I quit” because ABC/ESPN disregarded his first amendment right to free speech by suspending him from opening of this weeks game.  You compared the President of the United States to Hitler and then hide behind the constitution?  You stupid, arrogant, redneck, no talent hick that got his break because of his daddy’s name.  You remember the man that drove from town to town singing in every working man’s saloon trying to make it big.  Because of the money and fame HE worked so hard for, you didn’t have to.  I hope the well runs dry for you soon and you feel the same pain the average man has to but I doubt you’ll live that long.  More likely, your pickled, whiskey soaked liver and the heart and kidneys that you nearly destroyed by your years of drug abuse (funded by your old man’s money) will give out first.

With millions of Americans out of work an elected official not looking at the proposal is treasonous.  ”Holding” your ideas back until the election is over so that your candidate can receive the credit is disgusting.  If you don’t like this idea, ok.  Maybe its not good.  What’s yours?  Got a better idea? What if we take a little of yours and a little of mine and see how that looks? WE CAN’T WAIT UNTIL 2013!  Are you kidding me?  I don’t care if a good idea comes from a Democrat, a Republican or a Martian.  People are hungry, cold and losing hope.  Discounting anything without a look is elitist.  Have you lost touch with the common man so much that you can’t look past keeping score?  If the President vetos a bill creating jobs merely because it was backed by Republicans, I will be just as outraged.  We’ve become so jaded.

My eldest son is skilled heavy machine operator that has been out of work for 3 years.  He has been doing backbreaking landscaping the past 2 summers so at least that’s something its but not what he is trained to do.  He relies on unemployment to exist during the soon arriving winter to provide food and shelter for himself and his 2 children.  He lost his home to foreclosure and isn’t sure that he can afford the place he’s now renting this winter.  He lost his wife because he became angry and bitter.  He’s a proud, hardworking man and despises the idea that he may have to rely on assistance to live.  He’ll sign up with every temporary agency in the area and do any job he can while looking for any full time position that will have him.  He’s just one of millions.

Wake up America.  United we stand, divided we fall.  There is no place for partisanship in the face of a crisis.  Think before you speak and lets get working on getting us working.

Any of my Minnesota friends:  We need some help finding a home for Melissa’s cat, Tommy.  Besides the fact that my dog Ace and he would kill each other:  Elizabeth, her daughter, has developed a major allergy to him so even her dad can’t take him.  He’s very sweet and affectionate but should be the only pet in the house.  If anyone has any ideas, PLEASE let us know!

Holy cow, is my life different.  I have a new girlfriend, a new family, a new job and a new house but some things never change.  Football Sunday is still football Sunday.  It is all encompassing and consuming.  Between the actual games and tracking my fantasy team, I go into my own little world.  I park my ass in front of the TV with my laptop and all the worlds issues stop from about 10 am to 11-12 pm.  This is quite the revelation to my new family that aren’t exactly sports enthusiasts.  Melissa had to sit the kids down and explain my addiction to them.  I’m sure the looks on their faces were priceless as the reality of not being able to use the laptop to watch their Japanese anime or the latest Katy Perry video for an entire day hit.  (I REALLY have to get the computers in their bedrooms set up.)  Listen, they have TVs with full satellite service in said rooms but they aren’t as big or HD.  Fortunately for them, they spend every other weekend with their father so this insanity is only half as bad.  And I have made concessions.  When I lived alone, I had 3 TVs and 2 computers going with different games and the fantasy scoreboard up.  I’m down to 1 TV and 1 computer.  I compromise a little.  Melissa is coming around on the Packers but has yet to fully embrace the Saturday Badger games.  She says that the entertainment for her isn’t so much the game as much as watching me watch the game.  I can become rather animated when the champs are playing.  Of course, food is always a part of this.  Junk food, pizza or the occasional Chinese delivery was usually timed to arrive between the noon and 3:00 games.  Melis has taken this to a new level.  Yesterday, while I was busy watching the early pregame shows (beginning at 8:00 am and I call it research!), she ran out to tend to some errands and came home with several delicious pastries and amazing sushi.  This was for the 2 of us…  The times, they are a changin’ and I’m gonna weigh 300 pounds.  I’m so spoiled.

I live in a trailer park.  I have for over 8 years now.  Its been a point of embarrassment and among other things has led me to isolate myself from friends and family.  Its mortifying to think about having people over and saying this is where I live.  A very small group of people have been invited in.  I’ve gone to great lengths to keep folks away from my home and some have construed this as my being standoffish.  The truth is that my pride would not allow me let too many people in.  I paid way less for my home than most pay for their cars and it shows but it has provided myself and Ace shelter from the elements and really not much more.  We moved here when my wife Dawn was battling cancer and this is where my in-laws lived.  Her mother took a leave from her job to care for her so, given that I was about to lose my house in White Bear Lake, this made the most sense.  Cheap and close.  She never actually got to move in here as the cancer was in charge.  She got to her parents and never left.  When I moved in, I was surrounded by nice, normal people that have lived here for many years and took pride in their residences and I was the black sheep that didn’t do anything to improve the appearance of the exterior appearance.  No money, no motivation when I did.  Why would I?  I had no plans to stay long.  I did the required repairs as they happened.  I learned to repair burst water pipes in -30 degree temperatures.  A treat I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.  You don’t know cold until you play with water in those conditions.  Thanks to information provided on the internet I’ve repaired roofs, refrigerators, washers, dryers, hot water heaters, furnaces and air conditioners.  I did it because of need and a desire to learn to be self sufficient.  I couldn’t afford to call repairmen every time the old appliances broke down.  I digress but felt the need to explain my behaviors to my closest friends.  I love you all but couldn’t stand the humiliation of you seeing the squalor I lived in.

During the last 3 years, my neighborhood has changed dramatically.  The trailer park stereotype has surrounded me and the standards that used to be required for residency have been apparently dismissed.  There were background and income checks performed before I could lay down my 10 grand cash for the trailer and the privileged to pay $500 lot rent for my small piece of land.  It is never more been more apparent than in the past 2-3 weeks.  My days/nights are filled with the sounds of cheap annoying fireworks.  It literally goes around the clock.  Beginning as early as 8 am and as late as 4:30 am, the popping of bottle rockets and firecrackers can be heard throughout the park.  Normally, the only loud noises are the voices of battling spouses and playing children.  Quite the combination knowing some of them are coming from the same address.   What I’ve come to understand is that the 4th is redneck Christmas in July.  They love the exhilaration of firecrackers and are completely thrilled by bottle rockets.  Our countries independence is clearly worthy of a month long celebration.  My rub is exasperated by the anxiety attacks that said sounds trigger in my dog.  Thunder and fireworks send him into a fit of heavy panting would lead most creatures to pass out from hyperventilation.  As an abused rescue dog, I can only imagine the horrors that the noises bring back to him.  I was told that he was abandoned at under a year old and left tied up without shelter, food or water for over a week before it was reported to the authorities.  His owners just moved and left him behind.  The summer Minnesota storms can be brutal and my imagination is hopefully far worse than his reality but given his reactions, I highly doubt it.  That being said, the 4th of July his nightmare. Frequent summer storms and fireworks make June and July his personal hell.  He is only calmed by literally crawling into my skin with me and now, Melissa.  The TPT (trailer park trash) have taken the 4th to a new level.  Enough already.  Please make it end.

Another example of the redneck mentality was witnessed while in line of my local convenience store Friday night.  The state of Minnesota is virtually shut down due a budget fight.  The republicans that run the senate are taking a very “Tea Party” approach with strict spending provisions and significant cuts in social, health and educational programs on the chopping block.  Remember that this is the state that was given the nation Tim Pawlenty and Michelle Bachmann.  (You’re welcome America)  The democratic governor is standing firm on the stance that the cuts are far too deep in this economy.  No matter your political stance, a government shut down is never a good thing with all but essential services closed.  The lottery is apparently not thought of as critical much to the dismay of the man in front of me.  I try to not be judgmental and be swayed by someones appearance but this man had ‘redneck’ tattooed on his forehead.  His speech, dress, hygiene, mannerisms and lack of teeth gave him away.  Having walked across the street from the trailer park to get his cigarettes and scratch off lottery tickets, he was more than a little dismayed at the reality that he would not be able to get his fix.  ”What are you talking about?  Why can’t I get my tickets?”  The young clerk tried to explain in the most basic of terms that because of the stalemate in St. Paul, the lottery had been shut down along with the zoo and parks.  ”This is bullshit!  What am I suppose to do?”  he shouted!  ”I can’t get a Powerball either?”  ”No”, she replied.  ”You could drive to Wisconsin to get a Powerball though.”  ”Like I can afford that.  This is so fucked up.  Why didn’t I hear about this?”  As you can imagine, the topic has been the main headline of every Minnesota media outlet for the past months.  It was very hard to miss.  I guess he missed the call personally informing him as did I.  What surprised me was his next comment.  ”That governor.  I would like to just kick him in the ass!”  Really?  The governor?  The man had the appearance of having utilized many of the social services the governor is striving to save but instinctively blamed him.  The uninformed assumption was startling.  I was tempted to buy the man a newspaper from the stand directly to his right but just didn’t have the time to read it to him or explain the big words.  He clearly had no knowledge of the facts but directly blamed probably the only state official that he could name.   Not by name but by the office.  The ignorant can go to the polls and vote right next to the people that at least have a clue of the individuals and the issues/stances they represent.  A basic knowledge test could be enacted to prevent them from watering down the results.  For instance, name the president and just saying he’s a black guy doesn’t count as a correct answer.  Something, anything!  It does go to show that what is critically important to one person is a non issue to another but really?  He stomped out of the store with his 2 packs of Basic full flavors mumbling to himself.  I watched him cross the street and disappear into the forest of mobile homes.  The scary part is that is he is now the news conduit for his family and friends and will influence the opinions of other informed people.  It has nothing to do with income or background but the lack of knowledge on the issues that frightens me the most.  His assumption to blame an individual based on his limited information is dangerous.  Please be informed before forming such a strong opinion.  How about being concerned for the 22,000 government and publicly funded employees that get up every morning and go to work that are now displaced and have to try to survive with no income for how ever long this takes to resolve?  News reports state that with the large influx of applications and staff reductions, unemployment benefits will be delayed until at least the middle of the month probably closer to the end.  Public assistance for people in similar situations is on the chopping block and the services they provide are a large part of the battle.  Ironic isn’t it.  Maybe some opinions will be shifted when the sheltered are exposed to what many of us have been living with for too long.

Things along the Mississippi River have gotten interesting with the melting of the near record snow fall this season.  Thankfully the temperatures didn’t go from -20  to 80 overnight although we did have an 75 degree swing in 2 days this winter.  One day the temperatures rang in at -30 followed 2 days later by a 45 degree baker.  Only in the upper Midwest is this common but I digress.  In St. Paul, the usual places are affected with Harriet Island and the surrounding roads being closed.

After having the afternoon off from the temporary job that has kept me busy nearly everyday for a month, I ventured to the other side of the river to see for myself.  The power of the current is hard to describe and harder to capture.  As you can see in these photos, the boat house and 1 of the picnic areas are completely underwater.

The walking path is underwater as you can see by the light poles.

The lucky ones in this mess are the ducks that feed on the debris following downstream and proved to be fine subjects for my lens.

FYI-The full time job search continues.  As I stated earlier, I am working for a temporary service that was managed to give me nearly 40 hours a week with the potential for more in the future.  It is a seasonal assignment that could last into June if nothing else hits before then.  Too bad.  I really like it there.  I have accepted a part time position at the YMCA in Burnsville.  I start tonight.  Between the 2 jobs, I should be able to maintain until a full time situation arises.  If all goes as planed, I’ll be working 13 days straight before getting a full day off and working 59 hours a week.  Not bad for an unemployed guy.  No health insurance yet but I’ll work on that.  In the mean time, I’ll be careful.  Gotta do what ya gotta do.

Oh yeah, Melissa and I are looking for a place to move so the days are full of work, looking for work, house hunting, trying to incorporate myself into her wonderful family and maintaining sanity: her’s and mine.  That girl has some hurdles that make mine seem insignificant.  Ace and I have lived alone for 7-8 years and to say that we are very set in our ways is a mild understatement.   Like there is a little water in the ocean?  The fact that I include my dog as a voting partner in this matter truly proves the level of the issue.     For the record, Ace loves her too and all I have to say is “Melissa is coming over.” and he sits patiently by the door waiting.  Smart dog with a vocabulary larger than some of my friends.  You all know someone like that too.  A friend or God forbid… a relative that is really slow and you have to dumb down your conversation?  Most of them know a lot about one thing.  You just pray that you know something about that subject.  Anyway…  Crazy times ahead.  Many changes.  Possibly in the next 30 to 45 days I’ll have a new family, a new home with said family, a new part time job and hopefully a new full time job.  Now that’s what I call a reinvention.  Let the good times roll.

There have been a great deal of changes happening in my life.  Unfortunately, my association with Home Instead has ended, at least as  a Staffer.  It was a struggle from the beginning and really was never a good fit.  Among other issues, being tethered to a telephone for the vast majority of my day is REALLY not my thing.   I am frantically sending out resumes and and applying everywhere and have also signed up with a couple temp. services:  One that was to bring over 40 hours this week but the contract was pushed back.  Scary times ahead.  Things are going to begin to be turned off soon.  I’ll learn to live without cable but its the other things that concern me.  There is, however a major positive to come from this time in my life.  I have found a wonderful woman that I have fallen in love with.

Her name is Melissa. We met online, corresponding that way for quite some time (understandable given the vast 12 mile distance between us) before taking the leap and meeting face to face for a cocktail.  She is smart, funny, coy, beautiful and we make each other very happy.  We have many hurdles to cross but are planning to move in together in the next couple months.  A couple of those “huddles” will be moving with us, at least part time.  (I say that with tongue firmly in cheek)  Melissa has a 17 year old son and an 8 year old daughter that will be a large part of my life.  Terms of who and how often are being discussed between mother and father and then to the kids.  As it should be.  She also has a 19 year old son that is a freshman at the University of St. Thomas that she is very proud of but has not exactly embraced our relationship.  Fresh wounds, misunderstandings and a stranger with his mom.  I get it.  This is initially between mother and son.  At this point I’m a faceless “whatever” to him.  All things in time… hopefully.  They have a great father that is very involved so it by no means is all on me.  All I hope is that I have a positive impact on them and we can grow a relationship.

This all may appear to be coming out of no where but much of our “courting” was done by chat and email before ‘going public’ especially to our kids.  She was and still is very cautious: though, as she puts it:  She knew right away and “beat me into submission”.  I have a history of being psychotically protective of my kids and subsequent grandkids so I completely understood.  What I didn’t know was just how lonely I had been until she opened and filled that hole that I had protected so carefully for many years.  There are incredible family coincidences too.  The age difference between Matt and Melissa’s daughter is 20 years.  The same as between my brother and I.  I’ll be 59 years old when she turns 18.  Same age as my father when I turned 18.  Karma is crazy but also assures me that this is exactly where I’m suppose to be.  Somewhere my dearly departed parents, brother and quite possibly my wife and a few friends are having quite the belly laugh.  Obviously, the timing of my job lose is awful beyond its financial impact.  We understand the outward appearance but the move is something we had been talking about for months and have decided to proceed with.  If only things would have held on at Home Instead for a couple months longer…

So please:  A heads up.  There will be a lot references to we and us from now on.  And it will finally mean someone other than Ace.  This is a great thing.  I’ll try to keep you up to date as we figure things out.

A quick shot with my phone before Melissa or Ace could protest too much. Watching TV... yes, Ace too.

Part of embracing winter means that you have to get out in the cold and live.  It so goes against everything that I love.  Heat, warmth, shorts and tee shirts…  The Winter Carnival did its best to drag this grizzled bear out of his cave.  The flower show doesn’t count because its inside but I did wander around a bit on Saturday and Sunday checking out the snow sculptures.  Starting with a either a large pile or a block of snow, these artists use saws and garden tools to create amazing pieces that have a 1 week life span.  At the conclusion of the carnival, all these will be knocked down for safety purposes but for the next 6 days, you can go to the Minnesota State Fairgrounds and check them out or you can stay toasty warm and go here.