A Great Picture

My brother Steve and his wife Karen went down to Ashland for a visit to see Mom.  his was a picture sent out on facebook by my brother Mike.  What similar laughs.  And hey, the hair matches too!

Not The Monday Planned

The past few days had been challenging for me.  Sluggish energy and swelling in the legs had returned.  Little desire for food and difficult to sleep.  Damon was going to head into the office to work on computers.  Something in my gut said no.  I asked him to stay home.  A major good choice.  Why?  As the day progressed, my health declined like a snowball rolling down a mountain.  It was not pretty.

Multiple calls to doctors provided suggestions that were not successful and finally at 4pm Dr. Stemson said it was time to call 911.  The call was made.  At the hospital by 6pm and into a room about half past midnight a good thing!ght.  Long day and third time to hospital in 6 weeks.  Back at Swedish First Hill.

A Good Time Had By All

Oktoberfest is the world's largest funfair held annually in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. It is a 16-day festival running from late September to the first weekend in October with more than 6 million people from around the world attending the event every year. Locally, it is often simply called Wiesn, after the colloquial name of the fairgrounds (Theresienwiese) themselves. The Oktoberfest is an important part of Bavarian culture, having been held since 1810. Other cities across the world also hold Oktoberfest celebrations, modeled after the original Munich event.

The Munich Oktoberfest originally took place during the 16 days up to, and including, the first Sunday in October. In 1994, the schedule was modified in response to German reunification so that if the first Sunday in October falls on the 1st or 2nd, then the festival would go on until October 3 (German Unity Day). Thus, the festival is now 17 days when the first Sunday is October 2 and 18 days when it is October 1. In 2010, the festival lasted until the first Monday in October, to mark the anniversary of the event.

The festival is held in an area named the Theresienwiese (field, or meadow, of Therese), often called Wiesn for short, located near Munich's center. Large quantities of Oktoberfest Beer are consumed, with almost 7 million litres served during the 16 day festival in 2007. Visitors may also enjoy a mixture of attractions, such as amusement rides, sidestalls and games, as well as a wide variety of traditional food such as Hendl (roast chicken), Schweinebraten (roast pork), Schweinshaxe (grilled ham hock), Steckerlfisch (grilled fish on a stick), Würstl (sausages) along with Brezen (pretzel), Knödel (potato or bread dumplings), Käsespätzle (cheese noodles), Reiberdatschi (potato pancakes), Sauerkraut or Rotkohl/Blaukraut (red cabbage) along with such Bavarian delicacies as Obatzda (a spiced cheese-butter spread) and Weisswurst (a white sausage).

National Coming Out Day

Every year on National Coming Out Day, we celebrate coming out as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) or as an ally. On Oct. 11, 2014, we are marking the 26th anniversary of National Coming Out Day.

26 years ago, on the anniversary of the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, we first observed National Coming Out Day as a reminder that one of our most basic tools is the power of coming out. One out of every two Americans has someone close to them who is gay or lesbian. For transgender people, that number is only one in 10.

Coming out STILL MATTERS. When people know someone who is LGBTQ, they are far more likely to support equality under the law. Beyond that, our stories can be powerful to each other.

Hot Doug's Closes

While the closing of Hot Doug’s may have marked a somber moment in the encased meat world, there’s a new meaty menu set to go up on the walls of the former sausage superstore.  Frank Meats Patty is expected to move into the iconic Avondale space located at California and Roscoe as early as Dec. 1, Chicago Eater reported.  But it will not be the same.

Hot Doug’s closed its doors for good last Friday, marking the end of a legacy in the city’s hot dog realm.
Owner Doug Sohn said he has to vacate the building by Nov. 1 and announced plans to auction off the decorations for charity.

But there will be one piece of Hot Doug’s that could make things easier for fans—the new meat will be cooked on the same grills.

Eater reports that the group is purchasing Sohn’s kitchen equipment. "If you serve good food and keep the prices fair, people will come in," Corbett said in the interview. "As long as the customers know I'm not trying to be Doug."

It was a fun place and I am glad to have had the chance to visit!

It Is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Well, I just started laughing when I saw this posted on facebook.  Leave it to someone to find a way to be topical and entertaining at the same time.  But you have to wonder what the filling is made of?

The Blood Moon

The total lunar eclipse of Oct. 8 was visible to observers in North America, western South America, parts of East Asia, Australia and other parts of the Pacific, weather permitting. The  lunar eclipse is also the second of four consecutive total eclipses of the moon that make up a unique "tetrad."

During the eclipse, the moon passed into the darkest part of Earth's shadow, which caused the moon to glow with an eerie copper color. This color shift has caused some people to dub the natural satellite a "blood moon" during total lunar eclipses. The moon's temporary color also created an incredible, unique sight to behold for photographers on the ground.