Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Ode to Fall
I love fall. It's definitely my favorite season--cool crisp air, no sweating, blue skies, beautiful colors--what's not to love? Unfortunately, Fall is fast coming to an end here in Michigan. I meant to get out and get some good Michigan fall color pictures. But I haven't done it yet and am doubtful that I will get to it before they all turn brown. So in lieu, I am cheating and posting some pictures of fall colors that I took a long time ago...in Utah. Sigh. I wish it could last forever.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Thank you to grandma and grandpa
I just have to say, that without grandma and grandpa my life would be full of bland and un-perfected food. I recently made applesauce, apple butter, and apple pie, all using recipes and/or instructions provided by my grandparents. I have been complimented on all three foods, and, if I may be so bold, I must say the compliments are warranted. So thank you grandma and grandpa!
Now I just need to learn how to make that bread...
Now I just need to learn how to make that bread...
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Applesauce
Last Sunday I went apple picking with some friends. What fun! And what a good deal too. It cost $40.00 / HALF bushel for pre-picked apples and only $22.00 / FULL bushel of you-pick apples. I picked two bushels--half Romes and half Ida Reds. I originally wanted Jonathans and Golden Delicious as per grandma and grandpas suggestion, but those weren't available (already picked out or not yet on). It was a gorgeous day, probably 80 degrees and full on sunny blue skies--something I will miss here in Michigan as winter closes in. As we left the orchard people were staring at us and kept asking what on earth we were going to make. I guess applesauce making isn't that popular here.
We got back from apple picking around 5 and Rachel and I went to work.
Tory and Ruby cheered us on as we worked and Alex made salad and ordered gourmet pizza to feed our hungry mouths.
Several phone calls to grandma later, we managed to crank out 17.5 quarts of applesauce in just a few hours.
Canning them took a bit longer since we had to come up with some way to keep the jars from touching while they boiled. Several coat hangers and cuss words later, we had it figured out though.
Then last night I made up 4 more quarts of applesauce and about 8 quarts of apple butter (half of it is still cooking). Yummmmmmmmmy. I love apples. Be warned that some of you may be getting apple based Christmas presents this year!
We got back from apple picking around 5 and Rachel and I went to work.
Tory and Ruby cheered us on as we worked and Alex made salad and ordered gourmet pizza to feed our hungry mouths.
Several phone calls to grandma later, we managed to crank out 17.5 quarts of applesauce in just a few hours.
Canning them took a bit longer since we had to come up with some way to keep the jars from touching while they boiled. Several coat hangers and cuss words later, we had it figured out though.
Then last night I made up 4 more quarts of applesauce and about 8 quarts of apple butter (half of it is still cooking). Yummmmmmmmmy. I love apples. Be warned that some of you may be getting apple based Christmas presents this year!
Monday, October 13, 2008
Trip to Utah
Last week Alex and I headed off to Utah for a too brief reprieve from the flatlands. Besides the mountains, we were also happy to see our friends and family : ).
The main goal of our trip was to accompany my mom to the top of Lone Peak on the fifth anniversary of my dad's death. Let me just say, I was not so sure I would be able to make it to the top. I was hiking with the likes of: Alex, who bikes 20 miles a day during the week and up to 50 on the weekends, Olivia, who hikes 15 miles regularly (albeit in the flatlands of Illinois), my mom, who had been training for 5 months by hiking 1200 feet of elevation almost every night, and Lindsey, who is just plain athletic. In comparison, I have gained 20 pounds, lost my ability to breath well and hold my pee, and have been running (in a good week) about 6 miles total. Thankfully, by ruthlessly taking advantage of the kindness of others, I managed to get out of carrying any kind of backpack. Poor Alex had about 6 liters of water in addition to my extra clothes, camera gear, and various other knickknacks on his back. And, well, you know the Messinger women. They didn't have to be carrying anyone else's crap to make their backpacks weigh well over the acceptable limit. As a result, I was in fact able to reach the top with everyone else. And boy oh boy, was it ever worth it.
At the top (11,253 feet)!
For more pictures and accounts see Liv's and Lindsey's blogs.
The main goal of our trip was to accompany my mom to the top of Lone Peak on the fifth anniversary of my dad's death. Let me just say, I was not so sure I would be able to make it to the top. I was hiking with the likes of: Alex, who bikes 20 miles a day during the week and up to 50 on the weekends, Olivia, who hikes 15 miles regularly (albeit in the flatlands of Illinois), my mom, who had been training for 5 months by hiking 1200 feet of elevation almost every night, and Lindsey, who is just plain athletic. In comparison, I have gained 20 pounds, lost my ability to breath well and hold my pee, and have been running (in a good week) about 6 miles total. Thankfully, by ruthlessly taking advantage of the kindness of others, I managed to get out of carrying any kind of backpack. Poor Alex had about 6 liters of water in addition to my extra clothes, camera gear, and various other knickknacks on his back. And, well, you know the Messinger women. They didn't have to be carrying anyone else's crap to make their backpacks weigh well over the acceptable limit. As a result, I was in fact able to reach the top with everyone else. And boy oh boy, was it ever worth it.
At the top (11,253 feet)!
For more pictures and accounts see Liv's and Lindsey's blogs.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Happy Birthday Olivia!
Today is my older sister's birthday. She has lately written two very nice tributes to my mom and I on her blog which have inspired me to do the same for her. Unfortunately, I am not nearly as eloquent as she is when it comes to writing. If I could, I would hire her to write this for me, or at least to proof read it like she does everything else, from emails to research proposals, but somehow I think it would defeat the purpose. The good news is that I think you all know her, or at least know of her, so if this turns out terribly, it won't reflect badly on her.
To avoid the death of many needed brain cells, which would certainly follow if I try to be eloquent, I'm going to resort to the old-fashoined kindergarten trick.
O is for Organized. I don't think I need to say much about this one. I mean, I'm kind of anal myself, but I'm nowhere near as organized as Olivia. She's always coming up with ways to be more organized. I think her biggest accomplishment was organizing the bee lab. You may not realize what a feat this was, but let's just say it's like climbing Mount Everest in nothing but socks and a bathing suit.
L is for Loving. I think loving encompasses what I want to say here. It sounds kind of trite, and certainly if I were Olivia I could come up with a better word, but it works. She is loving in the general sense of the word, but specifically, she is the most forgiving person in the world. If you ever want to do wrong to somebody with no consequences...wait, I don't want anyone to get any ideas here. I have given up on people in my life. Olivia has never given up on anyone in her life. Not anyone. I use her as my inspiration when dealing with people that I would like to punch in the face--I just ask myself "What would Olivia do"? The answer is nearly always smile and be patient. It works most of the time, but I still have limits that apparently don't exist in Olivia's world. Flashback to China when we were being bamboozled by a bamboo rafting cartel. Sus nearly punched someone. If Olivia hadn't been there she certainly would have.
I is for Intelligent. Olivia has an insatiable curiosity about everything. It started when she was very small. I remember laying on the top bunk bed at night, drifting off to sleep only to be interrupted by Olivia (who apparently had no need of sleep, even then) saying "What should I think about next"? I would always irritatedly reply "I don't know" and then follow up with a randomly chosen object like "magnets". I never asked her what in god's name she was thinking about magnets, for fear I would never get to sleep, but apparently there was a lot of stuff to think about. Some things were more thought worthy than others and every now and then I would hit on something that would occupy her mind for a whole 5 minutes (something like the Theory of Relativity), plenty of time for me to drift to sleep so that I could safely ignore her next inquiry. Even now, when we chat on the phone, she is inevitably asking questions, trying to explain some phenomenon she recently witnessed or read about in an article. I have to embarrassedly admit that if it weren't for Olivia, I would probably never even consider half the things I have.
V is for Valiant. Courageous and determined. Definitely Olivia. Determined in everything she does whether it be hiking or finishing her Master's degree. I recall some people questioned whether she would finish the latter, but I knew. I knew that there was no way in hell Olivia would let a silly piece of paper defeat her. Although there was that one time that she threw out her back while reaching for a piece of paper... Anyway, and courageous too. My mom and dad bought her a key chain that said "Steal my keys and I'll kick you in the balls" because when she was in grade school some older boys on the bus were harassing her. I don't actually recall if she had to kick them in the balls or not because I don't have the memory of an elephant like Olivia does, but I'm pretty sure she did. She's a tough cookie when it comes to fighting--I have the scars to prove it. Olivia is most courageous when it comes to defending people she loves. I remember one time walking home from elementary school with her and stopping to do a cherry drop on the playground. Some kids were making fun of me for some reason or other. Boy were they sorry they did that!
I is for Irresistible. Olivia is the one with the irresistible smile and laugh that are always a mere nano-second from rising to the surface and occasion. I say irresistible, for those of you unlucky enough not to have experienced them in person, because they are contagious. More contagious than any disease I've ever heard of. But maybe that's not a great comparison because smiles and laughs don't kill people. Anyway, the point is, that whenever Olivia smiles and laughs, other smiles and laughs are soon to follow. Even the grumpiest grump wouldn't be able to resist smiling when Olivia is happy. That's why she always has about 10 men fawning over her at any given time. Granted, some of them have been more annoying than others (I won't name names), but that's what happens when you're irresistible.
A is for Athletic. I know she may disagree with me, because she's always certain she can do better, but honest to god, Olivia has the most endurance of anybody I have ever met. Have you ever gone for a hike with Olivia? When Olivia hikes, she's not farting around (to use a phrase I inherited from my dad). She'll hike at a running pace (seriously, I know people that can't run as fast as she hikes) without breaking a sweat, often carrying a 150 lb pack. And she can go for miles and miles and miles. I never admit it to her, but when I hike with Olivia I'm often right at my limit.
So, Happy Birthday to the best older sister in the world.
To avoid the death of many needed brain cells, which would certainly follow if I try to be eloquent, I'm going to resort to the old-fashoined kindergarten trick.
O is for Organized. I don't think I need to say much about this one. I mean, I'm kind of anal myself, but I'm nowhere near as organized as Olivia. She's always coming up with ways to be more organized. I think her biggest accomplishment was organizing the bee lab. You may not realize what a feat this was, but let's just say it's like climbing Mount Everest in nothing but socks and a bathing suit.
L is for Loving. I think loving encompasses what I want to say here. It sounds kind of trite, and certainly if I were Olivia I could come up with a better word, but it works. She is loving in the general sense of the word, but specifically, she is the most forgiving person in the world. If you ever want to do wrong to somebody with no consequences...wait, I don't want anyone to get any ideas here. I have given up on people in my life. Olivia has never given up on anyone in her life. Not anyone. I use her as my inspiration when dealing with people that I would like to punch in the face--I just ask myself "What would Olivia do"? The answer is nearly always smile and be patient. It works most of the time, but I still have limits that apparently don't exist in Olivia's world. Flashback to China when we were being bamboozled by a bamboo rafting cartel. Sus nearly punched someone. If Olivia hadn't been there she certainly would have.
I is for Intelligent. Olivia has an insatiable curiosity about everything. It started when she was very small. I remember laying on the top bunk bed at night, drifting off to sleep only to be interrupted by Olivia (who apparently had no need of sleep, even then) saying "What should I think about next"? I would always irritatedly reply "I don't know" and then follow up with a randomly chosen object like "magnets". I never asked her what in god's name she was thinking about magnets, for fear I would never get to sleep, but apparently there was a lot of stuff to think about. Some things were more thought worthy than others and every now and then I would hit on something that would occupy her mind for a whole 5 minutes (something like the Theory of Relativity), plenty of time for me to drift to sleep so that I could safely ignore her next inquiry. Even now, when we chat on the phone, she is inevitably asking questions, trying to explain some phenomenon she recently witnessed or read about in an article. I have to embarrassedly admit that if it weren't for Olivia, I would probably never even consider half the things I have.
V is for Valiant. Courageous and determined. Definitely Olivia. Determined in everything she does whether it be hiking or finishing her Master's degree. I recall some people questioned whether she would finish the latter, but I knew. I knew that there was no way in hell Olivia would let a silly piece of paper defeat her. Although there was that one time that she threw out her back while reaching for a piece of paper... Anyway, and courageous too. My mom and dad bought her a key chain that said "Steal my keys and I'll kick you in the balls" because when she was in grade school some older boys on the bus were harassing her. I don't actually recall if she had to kick them in the balls or not because I don't have the memory of an elephant like Olivia does, but I'm pretty sure she did. She's a tough cookie when it comes to fighting--I have the scars to prove it. Olivia is most courageous when it comes to defending people she loves. I remember one time walking home from elementary school with her and stopping to do a cherry drop on the playground. Some kids were making fun of me for some reason or other. Boy were they sorry they did that!
I is for Irresistible. Olivia is the one with the irresistible smile and laugh that are always a mere nano-second from rising to the surface and occasion. I say irresistible, for those of you unlucky enough not to have experienced them in person, because they are contagious. More contagious than any disease I've ever heard of. But maybe that's not a great comparison because smiles and laughs don't kill people. Anyway, the point is, that whenever Olivia smiles and laughs, other smiles and laughs are soon to follow. Even the grumpiest grump wouldn't be able to resist smiling when Olivia is happy. That's why she always has about 10 men fawning over her at any given time. Granted, some of them have been more annoying than others (I won't name names), but that's what happens when you're irresistible.
A is for Athletic. I know she may disagree with me, because she's always certain she can do better, but honest to god, Olivia has the most endurance of anybody I have ever met. Have you ever gone for a hike with Olivia? When Olivia hikes, she's not farting around (to use a phrase I inherited from my dad). She'll hike at a running pace (seriously, I know people that can't run as fast as she hikes) without breaking a sweat, often carrying a 150 lb pack. And she can go for miles and miles and miles. I never admit it to her, but when I hike with Olivia I'm often right at my limit.
So, Happy Birthday to the best older sister in the world.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Detroit Zoo
This Saturday I went with some friends to the Detroit Zoo. It was pretty nice--kind of small, but it had all the essentials. We were primarily attending the pet adoption event right outside the gates (no, I didn't adopt anything although I was sorely tempted), but managed to spend a good hour and a half or so wandering the zoo. I think we timed it perfectly. By the time the zoo closed at 5, we were clear on the other side of the entrance. We moseyed back as slowly as possible. There were very few people and the animals were all just waking up. My favorites were the Wart Hogs. Boy did they have bees in their bonnets.
Even the Rhinos were running around.
There was a cool butterfly garden,
tigers,
llamas,
and bears.
There were three bears in the enclosure. The one in the picture must have been centuries old. He had no teeth and could barely walk. Each step was a tender one. He'd put his paw out test his weight on it a bit, think hard about whether he REALLY wanted to take it, and then gingerly take the leap. Poor guy.
Apparently the Detroit zoo is best known for it's arctic exhibit. But when we were there it wasn't that exciting. The polar bears were asleep in the distance and the seals were asleep floating in the water.
I'd go back again.
Even the Rhinos were running around.
There was a cool butterfly garden,
tigers,
llamas,
and bears.
There were three bears in the enclosure. The one in the picture must have been centuries old. He had no teeth and could barely walk. Each step was a tender one. He'd put his paw out test his weight on it a bit, think hard about whether he REALLY wanted to take it, and then gingerly take the leap. Poor guy.
Apparently the Detroit zoo is best known for it's arctic exhibit. But when we were there it wasn't that exciting. The polar bears were asleep in the distance and the seals were asleep floating in the water.
I'd go back again.
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