there's no place like gnome.

My Alaskan brother was in the lower forty eight this past week.  He skied the Birkebeiner cross-country ski race and hung out with his boys at the family cabin.  I didn’t expect to see him at all but then he called early Thursday morning and asked if he could spend the night en route to MSP to fly back today.

So Ben stopped by.  Because he gave me approximately six hours of warning, I wasn’t quite prepared for his arrival.  We had to get groceries and we went to Lowe’s to buy a dimmer switch.  I put my electrician brother to work while I made dinner and now I love my lower-light-adjustable great room.

So Ben stopped by and stayed until Friday morning.  We watched Modern Family and I impressed him with my oatmeal cooking and hard egg boiling skills.  [It doesn’t take much to impress Ben.]  He met Mabel and gave her lots of pats on the head.

So Ben stopped by and on the way out the door, as Mabel and I walked him out, somehow the lock on my screen door was pushed down.  [I blame someone’s duffel bag o’ luggage.] Mabel and I said goodbye to the brother with a side hug and he made his way to the cities.  He drove off and I was locked out.

To have a hidden key in the garage is a great strategy but in order for that to work one has to remember where the key is hidden.  I tore the garage apart for over an hour.  Tears were shed.  Curse words cursed. I jumped for joy when the custodian drove in the church parking lot and then quickly became sad again when he told me no one else has keys to the parsonage.  Call a locksmith, he suggested.  I decided to do a once more over in the garage.  And found the key.  I will never forget where that key is ever again.

So Ben stopped by.  Mabel and I were locked out.  Happy Friday.

I promised to report what crazy and absurd thing I did on leap day, this extra day we had yesterday.  Ready?

We had a soup supper before worship last night at Red Oak Grove.  I sat with a bunch of kids and challenged Justin, a confirmation student, to the saltine challenge.  [saltine challenge: the ability to eat seven saltine crackers in one minute.]  And by challenged I mean I timed him as he did it; I didn’t participate.  He didn’t quite make it, though it was an honorable effort.  Maybe he’ll practice his game this week and we’ll do it again next week.

Ross from Friends, after a long day, tells Phoebe in one episode, “I like to come home and kick back with a puzzle.  I mean beer.  Ice, cold beer.”  I’m so crazy that I did both last night.

I’ve wondered for awhile if I could be a puzzle person.  I have the perfect table in my living room and I have the perfect somewhat boring personality to enjoy such folly.  Then, this past week, I found the perfect puzzle.  It’s a Jane Austen puzzle, packaged in a box that looks like a book.  I went to town on it last night while watching the movie Leap Year from the corner of my eye.  Wild and crazy, let me tell you.  The story of my life.

See you again in four years, February 29th.