Grumpy's Christmas 2007

Now I know that my family is against me! It isn't enough that they have all ganged up to deprive me of the First Wife's Lemon Meringue Pie, but now they have contrived to start giving me presents which reflect their opinion of my judgment and attitude. First there was the occasion of my 80th Birthday last August when my grandson, Ray and wife Sabrena, gifted me the "T"-shirt pictured below.

The words on the shirt do nothing to inspire the First Wife to be in any way forgiving of my tendency to say words intended to be complimentary or flattering, but which she always seems to take the wrong way -- aided and abetted, I might add, by these same Grandsons!

Now, you might think that my granddaughter-in-law, Sabrena is innocent of the fiendish tricks perpetrated by her husband, my grandson Ray. Oh no!! Notice the expression of pure delight on the face of Sabrena, centered in the picture below; see how she is obviously enjoying the trials that the Patriarch of this Zimmerman clan had to endure in order to obtain obedience from these Zimmerwomen who were lucky enough to get to marry these Zimmermen.

While it is true that I assumed the moniker of "Great Grumpy Z" for purposes of this BLOG, everyone knows that my demeanor is always one of friendship and love. That is why the Christmas present given to me this year from my oldest daughter, Susan, and my granddaughter, Rachel, is particularly ironic. As you can see by this recent picture, I am NOT Grumpy at all; quite to the contrary, I am obviously very jovial and Happy!!And lest the young lady Rachel beg to be excused of participation in this prank, I think the look on her face as I opened the wrapping of this sweatshirt, told the tale that she was a willing if not eager accomplice!!

A Pleasant Dinner with Friends

Dwight and Donna Abell, long-time friends whom we met several years ago at church, invited the Grand Mother and Grumpy out for a visit and lunch today. They picked us up in their CTS (Cadillac) and drove us to one of the local eateries here in the Renton Metropolis.

Dwight and I worked as a team in various "handyman" tasks in and around the church and also at his home. Welding and electrical were the only "skills" where I was the "teacher"; everything else (carpentry, tooling, plumbing, painting, plastering, sheet-rocking, etc, etc.) it was Dwight who was the Master, and Grumpy the student and "go-fer". I will forever be in debt to Dwight for his help, encouragement and the little (and big) things he gave me.

Dwight and Donna spent Christmas Day in Canada (where his son and family live). On their return trip through customs at Blaine, they were asked, "Did either one of you have an X-ray recently?" Dwight had (about two or three weeks ago) and truthfully answered, whereupon they were instructed to park "over there" and go "into that door" and be "inspected". Dwight said they had them stand near a "Geiger counter" and then had their car run through some kind of detector. We wondered what initiated the question and what the "Feds" were concerned about with the very small trace of radioactivity that might still be present in Dwight that long after a radio-active tracer was injected into his bloodstream.

Anyway, the luncheon get-together and visit with these old friends was welcome and we hope to see them again in a little over a week when they will go with us to the monthly World Cavalcade presentation, this time on "The Gulf Coast".

Uncle Bob, December 2007

A visit for Christmas by Uncle Bob has become a "tradition". But you can perhaps imagine the shock imparted to the Great Grumpy by the appearance of his little brother sporting this handsome beard! Now, not everyone thought this set of chin whiskers was good; for example, the first thing Aunt Adelaide said to me when we met as they got off the airplane at SEATAC was, "Tell him to shave it off!"

Well, sorry to say, I couldn't agree with her assessment. I could feel very jealous, however. I had never thought of my beard as being particularly handsome -- distinguished perhaps, but not handsome.

So, I am asking the readers to judge for yourselves: which of these two bearded gentlemen appear, 1.) Most handsome, and, 2.) Most distinguished.

Remember whose Children and Grandchildren -- and Great Grandchildren you are!

Just for good measure, I am going to try to find a photograph of the Older Brother sporting his beard, so you all can compare all three of these gentlemen with their facial hair. That will have to be for a later post, however.

In closing, I include this candid photograph showing the "shocked" look on the Grand Mother's face as she sees Uncle Bob for the first time with a beard. Notice the genuine look of surprise registered on her face evident in the inset photo. I had to introduce her.

Truck Trouble, Big Time

Grumpy has an old one-ton Ford truck which just this year achieved the simultaneous milestones of, 1.) being able to drink beer, and, 2.) being able to register to vote (King County only -- others allow only live people on their voter lists!). Since the price of gasoline has soared to around $3.00 a gallon, Grumpy and the Grand Mother have found it less expensive (and much, much more comfortable and convenient) to stay at motels and eat at fine restaurants, than to pull the travel trailer and have to wash our own dishes after every meal (NOTE: You noticed Grumpy didn't mention anything about the inconvenience of preparing the meals, did you? That's because the Grand Mother's meals are so much better than the ones we get in the "fine" restaurants that Grumpy doesn't mind the inconvenience.)(Grand Mother: "Huh!? What did he just say??)

My point is that it is now becoming infrequent when the old pickup is started up. I had gone out the afternoon before and driven it down to the nearest gas station to fill one of the 19-gallon tanks. It seemed to be running fine when I parked it at the curb ready for the next day's run for fire wood (see previous post). But when son Jim and Grumpy climbed in to start, it refused to fire! After innumerable attempts to decipher what the problem was (ignition problems were soon eliminated by dripping gasoline down the throat of the carburetor -- caution, youngsters: don't try this at home!!), we retired to the Castle to peruse some shop manuals and maybe even the INTERNET.

The Grand Mother confided to son Jim that, "Grandpa Noble used to blow air back through the gas line to unplug the inlet screens and filters that might be clogged with debris from the tank." Naturally, Grumpy discarded any suggestion that the Grand Mother might make because everyone knows that her forte is cooking!! However, after diligently searching many many pages on the INTERNET, we came upon a solution that someone else had used, who had the exact same problem we were experiencing! "Blow air back through the gas line .... !" Pay dirt!!

After the big 7.6 liter engine roared to life, Grumpy sheepishly found his way back into the Castle where he ate crow in front of the Grand Mother. Did he get any "points" for admitting his foolishness for not having taken her advice earlier? No-oo-o!!

It might have helped some if Grumpy hadn't tried right then and there to bargain for a couple Lemon Meringue Pies before the Grand Mother even had a chance to accept his apology. Then Grumpy tried to blame son Jim, because it was he who suggested I should let the Grand Mother know that her idea was the one that solved our problem. Trying to blame Jim just cost me a couple more "infinities" before the Grand Mother will bake Grumpy another Lemon Meringue Pie.

Proud Old Men, Stiff Muscles, and Apologies

Yesterday, son Jim and Grumpy set out early in the morning (after wasting three hours trying to get the old Ford pickup started, but more about that later!) for Port Orchard to pick up a trailer load of fireplace wood. The Grand Mother admonished us both to "be careful; don't hurt yourselves" as she bid us goodbye for the day.

The wood was all neatly stacked next to the house of Jim's good friend and former co-worker, Ray. With the trailer next to the wood pile, the wood was soon loaded with three of us pitching in. Well, the reader is cautioned not to think of the word, "pitching" as in "throwing with abandon". Some of those chunks of Douglas fir were big enough to cut into "cookies" to make a garden walkway! They were so heavy that it was easier for two people to pick one up than it was for one person to try to manhandle it by himself.

With respect for Grumpy's advanced age, son Jim inquired two or three times during the loading, "How are you doing, Dad? You okay?" Grumpy always proudly responded that he felt fine -- "no sweat" (well, that was true! It was a fairly cool November day; the sun was shielded by a high overcast and the surrounding tall trees kept us mostly in the shade anyway.)

Later that day, long after the trailer-load of wood was backed into the back yard of Grumpy's Castle, as Grumpy was undressing to take his hot shower before retiring for the night, he noted those almost-forgotten aches and pains of muscles and joints that had not been exercised "like that" for lo these many moons. Grumpy took two aspirins before going to sleep, in hopes that that would forestall a complete shutdown of his musculo-skeletal system by morning.

So, Jim, I guess I didn't feel it at the time, but it caught up with me later!

Grumpy in Trouble -- Still, Again, As Usual

As most of you Readers out there know, Grumpy has lived with the Grand Mother for so many years that she has become acutely (she was always "cute", but now she has also become "acutely") aware of what Grumpy may be thinking or may be about to do. Hence, Grumpy is in trouble more often than not. Yesterday was no exception; let the Reader decide.

As the preparations for Thanksgiving Day were being assembled in the kitchen of Grumpy's Castle, the Grand Mother "hinted" (code word for "hop to it and do it now!!") that she needed some pecans from the freezer. As usual when such wishes are made known, Grumpy jumped up from whatever important thing he was doing at the moment (well, at the moment he was doing another Sudoku puzzle from the book of 200 Sudoku's that someone got him for his birthday) and, going downstairs two steps at a time, hurried to fetch a bag of frozen pecans.

After grinding a cup and a half for the Grand Mother, Grumpy resumed his aforementioned important task and then retired to the computer to check on his e-mail -- and to do some other important computer work ("play") until dinner time was announced.

After dinner was finished, Grumpy was pleasantly surprised to find out there was to be dessert! Now, dessert is not a regular event in the Castle -- Grumpy doesn't need the extra calories and the Grand Mother doesn't need the extra work (a delight, of course, if she fixes something special for Grandson Ramiro -- "Grandsons can do no wrong", is her mantra). The dessert was a rich, nutty pie of which Grumpy took a narrow slice. After Grumpy had devoured it, Ramiro asked, "What do you think the main ingredient is?" Grumpy said, "pecans" but he really had no idea. (See, this is what happens all the time: the Grandsons of the Grand Mother are forever seeking ways to get Grumpy in trouble!)

Now the pie looked like an ordinary pecan pie, and Grumpy remembered having processed the pecans earlier. But it had a distinctly different taste. It turns out that "peanut butter" was the secret ingredient! Then came the coup d'gras inflicted by the household Grandson: "Grandma!" Ramiro excitedly said, "Now Grandpa doesn't think there is enough peanut butter in the pie!"

Later, the Grand Mother was heard muttering as she typed away at e-mails she was writing to tell of the misdeeds of Grumpy including the old, untrue, unproven-in-a-court-of-law story of putting peanut butter on one of her Lemon Meringue Pies (see file photo on the right).

Won't someone out there among you Readers please commiserate with Grumpy and tell him he is still respected as the Master of his Castle?

"Big Daddy" Computer Lives Again!!

After several frustrating days waiting for UPS to deliver my replacement power supply, it finally arrived yesterday (Monday, 19 November 2007). Son Jim had come up to visit so the installation was postponed while the Grand Mother and Grumpy enjoyed his visit. We continue to pray for his health to improve (although Grumpy is envious of his trim, athletic 170 pound frame!).

The power supply "slipped in" just as easily as the burned-out one had slipped out -- Difficultly!! But the mounting screws all fit and within 10 or 15 minutes Grumpy had connected all of the items to their respective connector (there are about 8 or 10 empty connectors available for more peripherals!)

So, here is a picture of the "Big Daddy" with it's cover off. (I couldn't resist!!) The power supply is at the upper left corner of this photo; the mother board is in the dark, central part of the photo. (Grumpy was relieved when the computer "booted up" as soon as the new power supply was hooked up, proving that nothing serious had damaged any other components in this powerful machine.) Excess power cabling is coiled up and "stashed" between the power supply and the CD-ROM drive which is at the upper right.

Harry, the computer hardware guru of the Z-clan, opined that the power supply failure was due to a capacitor rupture; Grumpy thought more likely it was the high-voltage windings on the transformer. He tested the 120 volt input pins and found them open. However, he was not able to establish that the high-voltage section of the transformer was open. Observation of the dissected power supply revealed a "sooty" deposit on a couple small, wafer capacitors mounted between the transformer and one of the high-power rectifiers. It seems that some kind of powerful electrical phenomenon occurred in this area. Until proven otherwise, Grumpy will accept Harry's diagnosis of what went wrong.

Grumpy is NOT planning further investigation to ascertain a repair strategy for this power supply! Its destiny is a recycling bin.

More, Bigger Computer Problems!!

Well, it seems that, like my Tee-shirt that Ray and Sabrina gave me for my birthday says, "No matter what I do, I just get in trouble!"

However, the trouble I am in this time is not with the Grand Mother -- my computer "blew up" yesterday; I was peaceably working away on it making good progress, when oliver sodden a flash and loud Z-zz-a-app!! And the screen went black and all activity of the computer went dead.
I think the power supply shorted out. At least I hope it's nothing more than that. I examined the PC boards and saw no dark brown areas, indicative of overheating and shorting. The smell of the electrical stuff having been fried was definitely coming from the computer case.
Now I'm just waiting for a response from my computer hardware geek back in MD to advise me on my next step.
Enough of the mis-steps, already!!

Problems: Computer- and Offspring-caused

Tuesday started out with great promise: DHL delivered a new DELL laptop which I found laying on the kitchen table when the Grand Mother and I returned from her regular Tuesday bone-crunching session at the local Chiropractor. The laptop is for Adolfo and I had promised him that I would download some useful application software into it before he took permanent possession.

The first step was to connect to my secure wireless home network. I found a couple of 26-digit WPA passcodes, one of which I was pretty sure was the right one. Alas, neither would pass the router's security exam! Well, no problem I thought; just open up the router utility and get the right passcode. "Now what is my 'username' and 'password' for the router utility??" Well, I "lucked out" on that one and, after two or six tries managed to conjure up the right set. But then a blank wall!! Eeek!! Not the right menu showed! In fact NO menu showed.

Finally Grumpy called the Maryland Ward to get a refresher course on what I needed to do. This was somewhat of a risk, because it turns out that MW is getting old and forgetful (I think he has inherited this from his Mother's side of the family) and can't remember where he put HIS user's manuals either. But, despite having a guest from Spokane WA in his house, at least he was willing to try to find his documents or consult someone who knew the solution to my dilemma.

In the meantime, Grumpy delved into various settings on the Big Daddy computer (the "Master Computer" on the secure network) and found that a security setting needed to be relaxed before the router utility would work. Voila! The utility was accessed and the passcode for adding Adolfo's laptop to the network was found and Grumpy was in business.

Later that evening, Grumpy called (at Grumpy's long-distance expense!) the Maryland Ward to tell him that I appreciated his efforts and to assure him that the problem was solved. I also apologized to him for interrupting his visit with his friend. Was MW appreciative of my courtesy call? Heck NO!! Instead, he said "Good, now I can sit down and eat the rest of those Lemon Meringue Pies that Peggie baked for us tonight!"

Now, there are only two people in this world who love Lemon Meringue Pies as much as I do: Maryland Ward and the local elementary school Gym Teacher, Mr. McAbee. MW did not have to bring up the subject of the LMP to which he had access; LMP for which there was no competition present to prevent his slowly savoring of this heavenly elixir; LMP, which he knew in his black little heart, that the Grand Mother will not bake for Grumpy until two years short of never!

I ask the Readers of this BLOG: How cruel is it that my own flesh and blood would flaunt something like that in my face; I mean, if he had been close enough so I could have wrestled him to the floor and tickled the stuffings out of him, or if the Lemon Meringue Pies, which were the subject of his flaunting, had been close enough that Grumpy could have had fair access to them in competing for their disappearance ---.

Another Sunday Afternoon with Two Great Grandsons

Although Grumpy did not take any photographs to prove what a memorable event this was, the Grand Mother can attest to the fact that it was. Sunday were were honored by a visit from the Straw(house) Boss, his lovely wife, Heidi, and their two boys, James and Arthur.

A visit at Grumpy's Castle was highlighted by a spirited game of Aggravation played by Jamey G. and his Great Grandpa Z. The game got exciting towards the end as Great Grandpa sent one of Jamey Gs' marbles back to the "START", making it appear that he would win. Then Great Grandpa got on the slow track with his last marble and Jamey G. got so excited that he spilled the marbles all over the floor! This "move" got Jamey Gs' last marble out of the "START" slot and well on their way to an almost certain win. Other marbles were scattered randomly about the game-board and the living room carpet. Thus ended the game with Jamey G. declared the winner by default.

Before the adults (James, Heidi and the Grand Mother, at least) could finish their conversations, little voices piped up with,

• "I'm hungry!" (two boys in unison.)
• "Why are you hungry?" asked Grumpy.
• "I'm always hungry!" countered Arthur.

A recess in adult conversation was called and the meeting adjourned to the local Pizza Hut where everyone enjoyed their choice of pizza, salad and soft drinks.

After eating their fill, the little boys (now joined by Ramiro) played the coin-operated games with quarters supplied by the Grand Mother. After that, we bid them goodbye as they began their two-hour journey back to their straw house in the woods.

Meaning of "Continuing Absence of Lemon Meringue Pies"

It was suggested by an anonymous reader, who chose not to put their comment on this BLOG, that some enlargement should be made on the phrase "continuing absence of Lemon Meringue Pies". This discussion also provides Grumpy with the opportunity to show off another photograph of one of those delectable pies. Now some of you may have heard the Grand Mother inflict the following sentence on poor old Grumpy after he has committed some "terrible thing": "OK! That's it!! Now more Lemon Meringue Pie for you for ten years!!!" (She has even handed out life sentences -- but usually commutes them later when she "feels sorry" for Grumpy.

One morning a week or two ago, the mistress (the Grand Mother) of the King's Castle (i.e., Grumpy's place) notified Grumpy that said Castle was bereft of hot water. She also gave notice that "the dish washer is making a funny noise! You better take a look at it."

Now Grumpy was busy (as usual) with the "important" things that he is always busy doing, so he responded with something between, "uh-huh!" and, "grunt" (either one meaning something like, "I'll get to it right away, Dear!" -- or maybe something more like, "I'm busy right now, can't you see I can't be bothered?!" It's really hard to tell the difference unless you realize how relatively unimportant is the activity in which Grumpy is engaged at that moment.)

Now, the fact is that Grumpy was really doing something fairly important at that moment. He had been busy pruning the lilac bushes and chipping and shredding the prunings. So he had worked up a pretty good sweat (like a horse, only worse smelling!). Grumpy was looking forward to a nice hot shower, a late lunch and right after that an afternoon nap!

Grumpy really intended to "get right at it" -- after finishing up some other "more important stuff". Besides, he thought that the loss of hot water was likely due to the fact that two or three loads of clothes had been washed that morning, and he was also cognizant that the resident Youngest Son had taken his "usual" 40-gallon bath that morning. The automatic timer would come on for two hours beginning at 1 p.m. and there would be plenty of hot water later in the day. However, like any well-established alpha-male (or at least one who thinks he is!), Grumpy totally forgot about his earlier commitment until late in the day.

When Grumpy came in to take his shower, he discovered that the "hot" water was just slightly warmer than that coming from the cold water tap. After checking the resistance of the heater elements, he found no obvious discrepancy. Further investigation found no other reason to cause the lack of heater element activity so Grumpy decided that buying two new elements were a cheap experiment to eliminate the most likely cause. (Grumpy also found the "Installation Instructions" for this hot water heater on which were written the date of installation: 10 January 1987! This water heater was over 20 years old!)

Replacing the elements gave immediate response to the hot water problem. Grumpy then teased the Grand Mother with the suggestion, "Since I fixed the hot water heater and also your dish washer, don't I deserve a Lemon Meringue Pie or two?" The Grandson-Who-Knows-Everything, piped up with, "Grandma, you should probably take two years off the time before you bake him another Lemon Meringue Pie!"

Views of the Grand Mother and Grumpy

It is not often that photographs of the Grand Mother and Grumpy become available. Perhaps it is because Grumpy is not that photogenic. Be that as it may, we are fortunate enough today to have some rare, never-before-seen photographs of these two old people. Let's look in and see what they have been up to now.

The happy couple is shown in this view as they sat at a window table of an Olive Garden restaurant with their Grandson, Mike Dickinson and his wife, Jessie, and daughter, Emileigh. The occasion of this meeting was for Mike & Jessie to present a birthday present to the Grand Mother.

As she was beginning to delve into the birthday sack to see what gifts there were, Grumpy kindly asked the Grand Mother to "look this way and give me a nice smile!"

Unfortunately, these words must have sounded like an order, rather than the polite request Grumpy intended. Thus, certain manifestations of the Norwegian stubbornness that is deeply embedded in the genes of the Grand Mother erupted forth into a certain "look" (the face of which shall not be shown here!), followed by a stern warning to Grumpy regarding the certain "punishment" that would follow if her wishes (demands) were not honored.

Now Grumpy had a certain vision of a continuing absence of those incomparably delectable Lemon Meringue Pies that the Grand Mother (aka, First Wife) is capable of baking (see file photo on left). So, Grumpy has wisely refrained from publishing any embarrassing photographs of the Grand Mother in this BLOG. [The Grand Mother will please take note of the solemnity and beauty of the pictures that are posted. Her consideration for Grumpy's benefit will be greatly appreciated.]

A reduction of the term by a year or two of absence of Lemon Meringue Pies is suggested.

A Sunday Afternoon with a Great Granddaughter

Last Sunday, the 14th of October, the Grand Mother and Grumpy went to church together at St. Luke's in Ballard. This old church has fond memories for us and it remains as the only parish in the Diocese of Olympia that has resisted the unorthodox trend being promulgated by the national Episcopal church. The Roman Catholic Church is the only main-line denomination in the U.S. that has overwhelmingly rejected the "worldly ways" being adopted by most of the rest.

After enjoying worship service there, including Holy Communion, Grumpy drove on up to the Olive Garden in South Everett where, at noon, we met Mike and Jessie Dickinson and our golden-haired Great Granddaughter, Emileigh. Jessie's brother, Joshua, also joined us for lunch of the delicious Olive Garden cuisine.

Grumpy wanted to get some good pictures of Emileigh smiling. But, like most three-year olds, she was in a constant state of motion, so the digital camera captured only the "after-views" -- a second or so after she gave me her best smiles!

She was also a little camera shy and acted like maybe she didn't trust her Great Grandpa too much, hence there are no photos of her sitting on my lap or even standing beside me. She did come over beside me briefly and, in my question as to what she was learning in school, confided that she "had learned nothing!" [Please note that Grumpy has conducted an exhaustive research going back at least two generations, and has found that all young children have this same answer. Something must be done for the school systems in this country! Rise up!!]

Emileigh's golden hair, though was most fascinating to Grumpy and it is hoped that the viewer can appreciate it's vibrant color in some of these photographs.

A Sunday Afternoon with Some Great Grandsons

It has been awhile since Grumpy posted anything new. Mostly it's because he had nothing that he thought was sufficiently interesting and new to post. But recently, the Grand Mother and Grumpy journeyed up North to visit a couple Great Grandsons -- their Mom and Dad and Grandpa and Grandma were there too, but Grumpy didn't get any interesting and "new" pictures of them. While we were there, we enjoyed a scrumptious meal of lasagna, fresh kernel corn and garlic toasted French bread. (The lasagna was so good that I asked the Grand Mother if she had given Amy her recipe! (She hadn't, so Amy is henceforth to be known as a Super Chef Lasagna maker!!)

This first little boy, Amos, was a little reticent to be completely at ease on his Great Grandpa's lap. But he condescended to sit long enough for this picture, and that made Great Grandpa pretty happy. Hopefully, he will become more at ease with Great Grandpa in the future.

The older boy, Malachi, was extra-ordinarily anxious to sit with Great Grandpa and look at pictures of Peuguot's dating back to the early 1880's. (Did you realize that Peuguot built "cars" that many years before Henry Ford had to knock down the wall of his basement shop to get his prototype on the street? Here I thought Henry practically invented the "Horseless Carriage".) Malachi was so anxious to get into the armchair that he jumped up on the cushion and then, to get out of Great Grandpa's way, he jumped again and went headfirst right over into the corner against the wall. He came back up looking a little bent out of shape, pridewise, but otherwise amazingly seeming none the worse for wear. Great Grandpa had a most pleasureable afternoon sharing this book about automobiles with Malachi.

Well, it wasn't too long before Amos toddled over and climbed up onto the arm of the chair so he could look at the Peuguot's with Malachi and Great Grandpa. (Ooh, I hope those boys don't get infatuated with Peuguot's -- the two Grumpy and the Grand Mother had were the bane of Grumpy's existence, what with their odd wrench sizes and their "tinny" doors.)

Now, Grumpy wasn't the only one who was popular with the little boys! Great Grandmother got lots of opportunities to hold each of them and give them Great Grandma hugs. Here, it looks like Great Grandma is giving Malachi some advice on how to avoid going head-first over the armchair into the corner! He was smiling broadly before this scene was over, though! I think he likes his Great Grandma Z.

Similarities (With photo credits to Blief's)

When Grumpy saw the photo of his Grandson as a baby (Blief's, Sep 4th) he was reminded of an old black & white of himself, taken about December 1927. Grumpy thought there were some similarities, and so he went to the archives and dug out this old photo. Note the squarish, happy face (not exuberantly smiling like Grandson and Great Granddaughter to be sure, but beaming contentedly anyway!) and the highly arched eyebrows -- and the lack of hair!! Is Grumpy the only one who sees the similarity? (Grumpy concedes that the younger, blonde baby is the more handsome.)

Now there ought to be universal agreement that there is only one really, truly beautiful one in this trio of photos: Amelia wins this contest, hands down!! (Photo courtesy of Blief's Aug 29th)

Lemon Meringue Pie Revisited (Originally posted 18 June 2007)

[Ed. note: For reasons unknown to Grumpy, the photos of the Lemon Meringue Pies, originally a part of the June posting, disappeared. Maybe the INTERNET ate them! -- they did look and in fact were delicious!! So, anyway, since I found the photos again, I am taking the liberty of reposting this story -- maybe some more real LMP's will magically appear! Heh! heh!]

As the reader will no doubt remember, the probability of a Lemon Meringue Pie (hereinafter, LMP) appearing in the castle of the Great Grumpy Z was forecast recently [Ed: back in June -- and now in August the forecast has been reaffirmed] as "never again". Now this would probably be to the longer life benefit of the Great Grumpy, but tastebuds never forget that delicious aroma and the mouth-watering flavor of the Grand Mother's (aka, First Wife's) LMP. So any reprieve is always welcomed by the Great Grumpy!

It was therefore somewhat of a surprise to the Great Grumpy, when he noted the preparations for making of LMP in the Grand Mother's kitchen this past Saturday. Unwittingly, the Great Grumpy uttered some phrase or word which instantly illicited the Grand Mother's infamous pronouncement: "OK, that's it!!" [Ed.Note1:--This phrase usually means that a penalty is about to follow.] She continued, "I was going to make you a LMP, but now you can forget it!!" [Ed. Note 2: -- Forget it? Forget it? How could anyone forget the LMP of the Grand Mother!?]

But, with all the cleverness developed through my vast experience in understanding the Grand Mother, the Great Grumpy meekly acknowledged his wrong-doing (unintended though it was!), pleaded for forgiveness (which was summarily rejected, as usual) and stood by to assist the Grand Mother in anyway she might desire.

Her first request was to be taken to the grocery store for "some supplies, and I'm going to get what I want and I don't want any comments out of you!", she stated emphatically. As I always(?) try to do, I obeyed immediately, opening the car door and holding it as I "usually" do, but this time making a special effort not to slam it closed until she had her leg inside.

As I was helping put away the groceries upon returning home, I noted three (3) lemons. "What are the lemons for?" I asked, smugly aware that three lemons happens to be the exact amount required to make the famous LMP. I had her trapped! I had won!!

Her reply, however, shocked me out of my sensibilities, "I'm going to bake a LMP for Harry!"

Now I was aware that our oldest son, Ward Harry, was to be in the Pacific Northwest the week of 9-12 July 2007. I also was aware that a LMP does not keep well -- at least around here! -- for more than three or four days, at the most. I rather haughtily explained this to her, with the added comment that "they don't keep in the freezer, either!"

Undaunted, the Grand Mother put me in my place with, "Just you wait and see!" I retreated to the background while she wielded the rolling pin -- she was using it on the pie dough, but you can never tell what might happen if a Norwegian with a rolling pin gets upset at you!

I tried to soothe her hurt feelings and get myself back in her good graces by de-zesting the lemons and squeezing the juice from them. I even rinsed and drained the juicer, and, as is my habit, more or less followed her instructions as to how it should properly be done.

A couple hours later, the Grand Mother called me to the kitchen. She pointed to the two pies which had been out of the oven just long enough to cool down sufficiently to cut a piece. I thought she was going to forgive me and beg me to eat one of them right then and there! I was elated.

Instead, she asked, "Please, could you get a picture of these pies? I think they are especially beautiful, don't you? See how that meringue stands up! Don't you think that one on the left looks like a flower?" As I was taking the pictures, the Grand Mother was getting out the dessert plates and glasses, and the milk to drink with the LMP.

What a memorable day!!

But what a miserable night -- note the vanquished pie -- it was a two-Tums stomach ache that night. The Great Grumpy can never exercise moderation when it comes to eating the Grand Mother's Lemon Meringue Pie.

More Wanderings: To Oregon to Visit Cousins

Well, the Grand Mother and Grumpy left this past Friday for one more Summer adventure before the school year starts and we become more or less tied-down by home obligations. As the title suggests, this journey was to Oregon territory, but a couple of important stops along the way were mandated. The first was to visit Grumpy's oldest living cousin, Alberta (90 last December). We all enjoyed a good visit and continue to be amazed by her health -- she lives alone, with a caretaker coming twice a week to vacuum the carpet and do the washing. Amazing!

Also along the way lives a certain Grandson and his wife, James & Heidi, with two energetic and mischeivous little tow-headed Great Grandsons. We had dinner together at a convenient Olive Garden and enjoyed a long visit before the little boys had to go home to get what must have been a long and sound sleep.

The younger boy, Arthur, had somehow found out that, according to the Grand Mother "Grandsons can do no wrong". He readily extended this axiom to include Great Grandsons, hence he requested (and was granted) the privilege of sitting next to the Grand Mother when we ate. Later, when Grumpy made some perfectly innocent statement that was immediately taken by the Grand Mother to be "unacceptable for Lemon Meringue Pie eligibility" she made this finding known to Grumpy in her usual stern Grandmotherly tone. Arthur, grinning widely and giggling softly, said, "Grandpa is in trouble isn't he? Heh! heh! heh!"

After a good night's sleep, we journeyed on to Eugene OR where we had lunch with the Grand Mother's cousin, Bill, and his "Marvel-ous" wife. These two will soon be celebrating their 65th wedding anniversary! Both are in excellent health and are as lively today as they were almost 60 years ago when Grumpy first came to know them. We relived old times in our mutual native State of SD and exchanged showings of photos of Grandchildren and other recently enjoyed sights, including the two-hour traffic jam behind the buffalo herd in the North Dakota Badlands (see previous post, July 6, "Ward & Elynor's Summer 2007 Wanderings: Part V" -- http://grumpyzz.blogspot.com/2007/07/ward-elynors-summer-2007-wanderings_10.html).

From Eugene, we took a short drive up to McMinnville OR where the Grand Mother's other cousin, Marjorie, lives. We were graciously invited to have lunch with her in a semi-private dining room where we continued visiting. After a "forbidden" desert of unspoken calories, we retired to the living quarters where the two ladies continued visiting while Grumpy attended to some business (arranging for a motel for the night) and catching a quick cat nap.

Maryland Animals

The resident dog in the Maryland household is Lucille, a year-old Golden Retriever puppy who lavishes all the affection she can muster (and it's a lot!) on whoever she can find. She is fairly well-trained but is rambunctious as any puppy usually is, so controlling her is an exercise in quick reaction and a strong hand on the leash. She loves to play fetch/retrieve games, but is being spoiled by the resident duck hunter who persists in making a tug-of-war game out of the "hand-it-over" stage of the retrieve. Grumpy thinks he will regret his horseplay when the first duck is brought in and is then pulled apart by the replaying of the tug of war.

The next two pets are a pair of male "Tiger" cats, represented here by Mischa, the most colorful of the two. Grumpy caught Mischa relaxing on the living room carpet and got these two amusing positions as he wiggled around "to find his comfort zone". Needless to say, Lucille likes to "play" with the cats, but both cats are unafraid of the dog and are fully able to hold their own and do not back away when an opportunity presents itself to "put Lucille in her place"!

A Softball Game (Or How the Grand Mother and Grumpy Spent Saturday)

The Grand Mother and Grumpy drove out to a local softball arena where the youngest son of the ancestoral clan was to play in the regional tournament. If his team won (or didn't lose too badly) they would be entitled to go to the State tournament in Everett in a couple of weeks.

Darrell's first at bat yielded a base hit -- Grumpy is especially proud of getting this digital photo (above) showing both the freshly swung bat and also the ball (about ten feet in front of Darrell and about six feet off the ground, heading for an open area in left center field).

Subsequently, Grumpy got a video clip showing Darrell running to second base after the next batter got a hit and then another clip when he ran to third and then on home. Altogether, Darrell got three hits in this game (out of four at-bats), and his team won the game handily. When Grumpy figures out how to edit his video clips and to put them on a URL, it will be fun to share these bits with the readers.

In the afternoon, Darrell's team lost to a very good team when they scored six runs in the last inning to win by a score of 10-9. Grumpy thinks Darrell's team can play better ball than they played in this game and would have won if they had played well. But both teams had a good time and the Grand Mother and Grumpy were proud to watch Darrell's play, and especially happy that Darrell enjoys the game so much.

The Flight Home to Seattle

It was to be a late night when we were to get into Seattle after our scheduled departure at 3:55 pm from Reagan International Airport in Washington DC. Only our scheduled flight from Reagan was already cancelled when we checked in at about 1:30 pm. We were soon rebooked on another flight, this one via Atlanta for a departure at about the same time. However, as the time grew near, we were first informed that it would be delayed and then, "flight cancelled"! Again we were rebooked, for a later flight that same night; the passengers milling about grew restless. Was an uprising about to happen? (I was reminded of the spectacle of all those women (who were lucky to be chosen by one of us Zimmermen) who staged that "foot down" strike at the classical Z-pose picture-taking session a few days before. See picture series on side-bar.)

Would this lone male representative of the Z clan who happened to be here on this fateful day be able to help quell what seemed certain to degenerate into a war of some kind?

But I was premature in my worries; ultimately, the "last flight of the night" was also cancelled (all late arrivals and cancelled flights were due to heavy weather in and around Washington DC).

It was definitely better to be waiting on the ground that to be tossed around in an airplane battling tornadic winds and sheets of rain! We were rebooked on "the earliest available flight" the next day -- leaving Reagan at 11:55 am.

The Grand Mother and Grumpy decided early on NOT to call our recent host and hostess. They had already made four (4) trips between their estate out on the inner Maryland peninsula and Reagan airport. The distance, although about 40-50 miles, was secondary: the traffic was the worst Grumpy has ever seen! At least, the traffic in Los Angeles, which was usually bumper-to-bumper, moved -- at 60-70 mph! Gulp!!

We finally arrived home at about 6:30 pm, tired, sweaty, stinky and sleepy (after spending 18 hours lolling in the airport at Reagan). We had missed a much-anticipated re-union lunch with some old friends. But we looked forward to arising early Saturday morning to go watch our youngest son play left-center outfielder for his softball team. More about that in a later post.