Land of Osbourne

Friday, February 28, 2014

Rear Ended - AGAIN

On April 18th 1995, I was involved in a car accident. My Camaro was rear-ended and it was totaled. I was in physical therapy for 1 year after.

Monday February 24th at exactly 4:40 pm, I was on the way to go pick up John from work. I was at the interesection of 18th Ave NE and Fillmore. I stopped at the 4 way stop (it is a residential type neighborhood), and had just started across the intersection, when B A M! I was hit from behind. I didn't see him coming at all.

The other driver drove a foreign made pick up truck and had slid right through the intersection and slammed into me. He did try to swerve, so most of the damage is on the rear passenger side of my car. My bumper is broken on both sides, and cracked in the middle. It looks like its going to fall off.

When the guy came to talk to me, he didn't want to give me his name, phone number or insurance info. He said all I needed was the licence plate number.

Really?

So....what I just look up the information on the internet or something? Right.

I insisted on getting at least his policy number and the name of his insurance company.

What a run around I am getting from them.

At first, it would be a day or two tops, and they'd get my car into a garage and fixed. Then it would be another day or so. Now its looking like next week.

Yesterday the insurance adjuster came and checked out my car.

The roads here in Minnesota are absolutely HORRIBLE. Pure solid, thick ice on most side streets, and then in other places, thick ice mixed with dry pavement, giving you that genuine off road experience while driving.

This has been by far one of the worst winters on record for Minnesota, and I know I speak for MANY when I say we're ready for it to be D O N E.

Friday, January 24, 2014

26 Things Minnesotans Do That Seem Odd To Everyone Else

Some things Minnesotans do are actually mind-blowing-ly odd to people from other places.

1. We use snowballs to play fetch with our dogs. Sometimes they don’t know what to do with them.

2. At random during the winter, Minnesotans take a break from their day to just start their cars. Not to go anywhere, just to hear the glorious sound of an engine starting (and to make sure the engine will start at -40 degrees). We also leave our cars running sometimes when we go shopping. We rely on Minnesota nice maybe a bit too much.

3. We get so much snow on the top of our cars that those scrapers just don’t work. So we use push brooms.

4. What’s that you say? The temperature is over 32 degrees? Shorts and t-shirt weather.

5. In April, yes April, we sled down 2 story tall snow hills created by plowing snow off of parking ramps.

6. We eat hot dish. The rest of you call it casserole, but you’re wrong.

7. We consider sledding a date night activity. Nothing says romance quite like bundling up like the Michelin man and going up & down the hill until you just tackle the other person, all beautiful with rosy cheeks and running nose.

8. We own the Ice-skating bike.

9. Have you ever seen a frozen waterfall? We have. Yep, it’s that cool

10. We buy large, expensive machines called snowmobiles to only drive a couple months out of the year.

11. Hockey – an amazing game where talented folks strap blades to their feet and hit each other with sticks. In Minnesota, that’s what we call a good time!

12. We walk on water. Well, frozen water that is.

13. We drive trucks on water too, and even put houses on our lakes and drink beer in them. Sometimes people call this beer-drinking-on-lakes, “ice-fishing.”

14. A favorite winter activity of ours is lying in the snow and flailing our arms and legs around, also known as snow angels.

15. We go outside in the middle of blizzards.

16. We use can coozies, not to keep our beer from getting warm, but to keep it from freezing. They’re like a little jacket for our beer.

17. We make our dogs wear jackets and boots. And not just because it’s cute….even though it is.

18. We grow beards not just for the look, but for the functionality of keeping our face warm.

19. We call beverages like coca-cola, mountain dew and sprite, pop. Can I get you a cold pop?!

20. We think that the “No Wake” sign for plows on the highway makes perfect sense.

21. We ride our bikes in the snow, and have ingenious ways of keeping them from getting covered in snow by plows while they are parked.

22. “Whatever” means we’re disappointed. We say “You bet” because we don’t have a strong opinion. “That’s different” means you have an opinion but don’t want to discuss it.

23. Not all of us are coordinated enough for skating. Or maybe we just had one too many beers. In that case we play broomball or boot hockey. Sometimes we wear special shoes and sticks for broomball. Sometimes we duct tape old brooms and use those.

24. We don’t worry about our beer getting warm. Snow = permanent beer chiller.

25. We skijor. That’s where we tie up our dogs and have them pull us across the snow on skis.

26. It takes us a really long time to say goodbye. We just don’t want you to feel like you have to leave and we want you to know that we really like you and enjoy hanging out with you…
“Are you sure you don’t want to stay a little longer? We could make you some cocoa. It’s cold out there! What about some leftover tator tot hot dish? We could heat some up for you. Speaking of heating up tator tot hot dish, do you happen to have any new hot dish recipes? One of the ladies in the church basement said she tried crushing up some wheaties on top of some chicken……”
……and soon it has been 30 minutes and you’re still standing in the doorway all bundled up saying goodbye.

27. We play Duck Duck Gray Duck. The rest of you that play that other game are just wrong.

Monday, December 23, 2013

Merry Christmas Baby Goose

This is my first year without my Katie Goose.

We didn't get out our big indoor Christmas tree, we didn't bring in our assortment of beautiful ornaments, we didn't bring in our stockings with the names on them. We have a 12" tree sitting on our kitchen table.

Neither John or I wanted to bring the big tree, ornaments and stockings in. Neither of us wanted to see Katie's stocking that we wouldn't be hanging this year.

Every day I miss my Katie Goose. Very much more so now, as I am not buying presents for my Goose.

John and I bought a little Boston Terrier ornament and put it over by where Katie's ashes are, that is our present to her and my sweet Rommy bear.

I just found out, that the neighbor who lives behind us, upon hearing of Katie's passing, cried and cried. I found out that she would play ball with my Gooser every day when I was at work. Such a special little dog.

Thank you God for allowing me to know and love Katie for the 12 years you did.

Merry Christmas Baby Goose,

Love, Mom & Dad