Trixie and Fuzzy

Yes. They sound like two cartoon characters. And for all we know, maybe they are. But one night, the two of them connected so deeply -- two souls in perfect syncopation -- one held so tenderly and graciously by the other. They quietly floated down hallways, in and out of living room and kitchen, wandering through the twilight hours as delicately as the cat that followed their every movement.

Trifle becomes you.

Thanks to the efforts of Golden Valley truck farmer Jack Lake, I parlayed 20 pounds of raspberries into 12 pint jars of jam, filled my freezer with four large ziplock bags of flash frozen berries and have eaten yogurt, raspberries and granola every morning for a month. But in the end, I could deny the ripened fruit her just dessert no longer. Trifle it was. Lemon curd, pound cake, whipping cream and lemon syrup combined to present us this unbelievable sensation. Mmmmm, Summer.

Future site of the compound: Luna Lake

Well, here it is. 18 acres of woods, wetland, water and meadow.

Well hello, Kitty.

Our little Kitten is on her way to college -- to the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. The meandering Cannon River gives way to the wider, wilder Mississippi. The prairie fields bend and morph into University Avenue with The Dairy Inn perched like a doll house miniature on the edge of her memory. The hemp bracelets will be snipped free and Tiffany will be clasped on the delicate wrist of the coed. Oh, the possibilities. Oh, the stories she will tell.





In true style, the Jensen girls celebrate the event. Sisters all. A tribe since birth.

Ciao, Bella.

Now they're speaking Italian. Does that mean I landed in Italy?

Uncle Buck rendezvoused with Doris and her relatives in Milan to see the Rolling Stones (Geriatric Tour, 2006). The details are sketchy -- as are all things with Matthew -- stay tuned for more sightings.

They speak French. I must be in Paris.

Uncle Buck is in Paris.

Here's his latest email: "forget being safe ive already been rolled and this boy got the better end of the stick. the key stay off dark streets after 4:00. I leave on thursday morning at 8:00am. gotta run i have a date with a french girl named sonia and she is a ten and 25. Call my doctor....love you adios mattuci"

Let's remember, he can't write long hand -- he can only print. And his typing skills are primitive at best. I think you get the idea.

I can only imagine the wake he leaves behind him as he parades through the streets, oogling women and hollering at the gypsies in his english/spanish/french dialect. Yowsers.

Side Lake, MN

Where in the hell is Side Lake, Minnesota? That's what we asked.

For two people who have canoed in the BWCA, hiked parts of the Superior Hiking Trail, had near-religious conversions at Lake Mille Lacs, seen the Jeffers Petroglyphs on the Western prairie and followed the states' eastern border down the Mississippi, you'd think we'd seen almost every county -- or at least a representation of every county -- in the state.

Not so.

Yesterday, not only did we discover a new town in St. Louis County -- we bought 18 acres -- on a small lake, a pond really, Luna Lake. It's part of an old homestead -- the family raised and grazed sheep. While we probably won't be tending a herd, Mike will be managing the crappie and bluegill population. I see his future and it involves the DNR.